By Mark Hall

A couple of years back I hosted a town hall meeting at a CIO magazine event, playing Dr. Phil to five CIOs and five technology vendor executives on stage who had come to let spill what they really thought about each other.

With Timothy Chou

Do technology firms think there are ways to change the system to benefit both sides? Or are they solely concerned with expanding their margins, upselling, etc., as many CIOs believe?

Being a technology provider requires running a successful business.

I’m sure the CIO of every company in the world thinks about improving the margins of their company and selling more to your existing customer. This is true in everything from financial services to retail. Technology companies are no different.

By Philip Winterburn

Your inbox is flooded, your voicemail consumed with exhortations from sales people.

Their product is the best. They just want five minutes. They are relationship-focused and so different from all the rest.

The system is broken!

There are thousands of technology companies out there trying to sell their products and services, and thousands of consumers seeking these exact same products and services. And yet the successful marriage of supply and demand is still a very hit-or-miss affair.

By Mark Grossman and Tate Stickles

Given the current state of the economy it should come as no surprise that software vendors are closely monitoring and auditing the usage of their software products. They're looking for both intentional and unintentional license violations, and finding such violations can be an easy source of revenue in these tough times. Finding revenue from existing customers is easier than finding new customers.

By Rob Meilen

As a part of the vendor selection process, gathering information and data for analysis is critical to making the correct buying decision.  There are many sources of information including research firms such as Gartner and Forrester as well as other companies that may have evaluated, selected, and implemented the solution set from our vendor finalists.  Seeking input from other companies is an efficient and effective approach. 

With Timothy Chou

More from our conversation with Timothy Chou, a longtime Stanford University professor who served as President of Oracle on Demand and currently invests in and advises startup companies in Silicon Valley: 

CIOs and IT execs often complain that vendors are too pushy, too intrusive, etc. when they're trying to win business. But CIOs can't be perfect...what sorts of things do they typically do that cause problems from your end?

By Rob Meilen

During the vendor selection process, it’s critical to evaluate the stability and long term viability of a vendor. Sports Authority, like most companies, must ensure that the solutions we implement don’t put the business at unnecessary risk and have the right longevity. If we are doing something leading edge, more risk is acceptable, but the overall risk/benefit scenario is scrutinized heavily.  

By Dave Weidenfeld

Every contract has some version of a remedy for non-performance. We negotiate long and hard for each remedy that we get and we tend to be dissatisfied with them anyway.

By Mark Grossman

As a tech lawyer, the thing that I do more than anything else is negotiate. Almost every time I take a phone call or meet with somebody, I'm negotiating something. Most people are so unskilled at it that sometimes it feels like taking candy from a baby. 



This column will be the first in an occasional series on improving your negotiating skills, which are central to tech deals and litigation, and every other type of business deal.

With Timothy Chou

We recently discussed the IT buying/selling process from the IT seller side with Timothy Chou, a longtime Stanford University professor who served as President of Oracle on Demand and currently invests in and advises startup companies in Silicon Valley.

This is the first in a series of perspectives from Chou.

As a technology vendor executive, what are the biggest pain points you've experienced when it comes to winning a deal from a CIO/company?