Since early this year IBM has been promoting efforts to better collaborate with their Business Partners by passing more IBM leads to partners. I am aware of two campaigns in 2012 where IBM has pushed leads from direct IBM sellers to Business Partners. This makes a lot of sense as it extends the IBM sales team and facilitates more Business Partner involvement with customers.
The talk hasn’t really had any real impact on our business, unfortunately, as the two big lead passing efforts haven’t resulted in anything of substance coming our way.
So, rather than passively waiting for IBM to pass leads the The Fillmore Group, I am trying to reach out to the IBM sellers. Being a believer in the value of face-to-face meetings and knowing I would be at IDUG this week, I asked my colleague Andrew Stenger to invite as many IBM sellers as possible to join Frank and me for a drink at IDUG so that we can say hello, introduce the value TFG brings to IM customers, and perhaps begin working together.
Andrew sent the email invitation to a group of IBM salespeople, some of whom we have worked with, and some who have been recommended to us. I arrived at IDUG last night, am hoping to meet some sellers interested in working with us.
If you sell IBM Information Management software and would be interested in teaming with TFG consider this an invitation. We are a Premier Business Partner that is: 1) authorized to deliver IBM training, 2) has a history of successful Information Management product implementations (including DB2 migrations from Oracle), and 3) is certified and ready to sell DB2, InfoSphere, Netezza and IDAA. Most importantly, if you are at IDUG, we work to support the DB2 community – Frank is a DB2 Gold Consultant and is presenting at the conference, and Frank and I are both Information Champions. Please stop by and meet Frank Fillmore and me at Peak’s Lounge Thursday at 5:30pm Mountain time.
If you are an IBM customer attending IDUG, and would benefit from working with a Business Partner that will help you get the best deal on IBM software, implement it properly, and understand it well enough to feel confident taking supporting it long-term, please stop by Peak’s too. It would be even better to meet you!