Why Cost alone is not the correct question….

I wanted to share a?portion?of a newsletter published by our IT provider, Brightflow Technologies based here in Charlotte. I tip my hat to Brian Mangum,?their?CEO and?Technical Jedi?for his insightful?business wisdom:

In the years we’ve been looking after businesses round here, we’ve noticed there are two different ways that owners and managers buy IT and technology.

Some see it as an expense

Others see it as an investment

?We choose not to work with the first group. It never ends well!

?Don’t get us wrong; all businesses have moments where every last penny counts. That’s fine in the short-term.

?The problem is when that becomes the long-term driver of the business, and all spending decisions are made by asking “what’s the cheapest way to do this”.

?We’d rather deal with the second group of people. Our existing clients fit into this category.

?This second group recognizes that IT is their infrastructure; the backbone to their business. And they don’t want to take any risks on the quality.

?No matter what kind of business you run, technology sits at the heart of it today. And it’s going to become more and more important in the future.

?Big thinkers see IT as a long-term investment. They understand the link between the short-term impact to cash flow, and the enormous long-term benefits of business growth, increased productivity and highly satisfied staff and customers.

?If you’re nodding your head and agree with what we’ve just written, we really should talk – our businesses sound like a good fit.

?However, before you pick up the phone, here’s something else to think about.

?Just because our clients are big thinkers and are willing to invest doesn’t mean we don’t focus very hard on giving them an excellent ROI – Return?on?Investment.

?It’s a big thing for us when doing our technology planning and regular strategic reviews with clients.

And what Brian has so elegantly?written is a big thing for the team at REIG too. We believe?strongly in value above the lowest price and do our best to deliver a level of service?well?above the norm.?Solar?networks,?and?data and control?systems?are critical?elements of a?successful?energy?production site, so why?risk your information to the lowest cost?provider? Yes, the upfront costs may be cheaper, but how are your ROI’s impacted by?poor quality and workmanship? Spend a little more up front and enjoy the benefits of?reliable and accurate data?and?better profitability too. It just makes sense.

Oh yeah….the KPI’s that Brian mentioned…we will address?what they are and why they are important?in a future edition of DYK…stay tuned!