From vendor to partner: How to become a trusted IT advisor to your clients

Do you have a vendor? A vendor who takes care of your marketing, perhaps? Someone who writes your brochures? Someone who fixes your daily Latte?

Do you like the Latte person more, because they don’t drop a formulaic Latte at your desk and call it a day, but instead make a perfectly textured Latte with an extra layer of velvety bitter crema on top just the way you like it?

You have a coffee partner and a marketing vendor.

You can replace your vendor today and may not notice anything different tomorrow. But let go of your coffee guy and that’s a void you can never fill. I could go on about coffee but that’s not the point.

The point is, what are you for your clients? Are you the replaceable vendor who’s there to sell, sell, and sell some more, or the strategic partner who’s there to help your clients manage, improve, and grow their business?