Friday, June 5, 2015

We Built Our Business on Relationships

By Brandon Samuel

When I started at Convergent Technologies Group a little more than five years ago, I learned quickly that to succeed in this industry, you have to develop an effective way to set yourself apart from all the competition you face on a daily basis. Clients constantly are facing new challenges in their environments and rely on their IT partners to provide insight and expertise to address those challenges head on.

Starting out, I had little experience in the IT field. While my family has seen much success in the industry, I was determined to blaze my own path and find what worked best for me. It took a while to find my stride, but one of the things that makes CTG a great place to work is that our people – starting with our leaders - never stifle creativity or dismiss our ideas. Our sales team is made up of a group of individuals committed to a common goal of making CTG a trusted resource to each and every company with which we work. We all have an open door policy in the office and work closely together so that we can all learn and grow as a team.

Meeting after meeting, it became increasingly apparent that there aren’t many companies looking to provide forward-thinking solutions to their clients. The fast-paced IT environment makes it easy to slip into the role of an “order taker” and to forget that each technology that a customer implements is something that they will rely on in the long term. Budgets are getting tighter, and it is more and more important that each solution provides the greatest amount of value and ROI for the client.

I am proud that CTG takes a much more holistic approach to our relationships with new and existing clients. We view ourselves as a relationship-based company and fully understand that each IT solution requires in-depth consultation and consideration – not just for now, but also for three to five years down the road. In a sense, we are taking a great deal of ownership with everything that we provide, because we understand that the customer experience both near term and long term is paramount to having a successful relationship.

I tell everyone that I meet with that CTG is not a “churn-and-burn” type of company. Our sales process is not designed for our sales representatives to be sitting in front of their computers and by their phones, waiting for the client to call with a quote request. Our goal is to work with companies that see the value in a relationship between their IT team and their team at Convergent. We want to have regular meetings with our clients, not only to make sure things are running smoothly at that time, but also to discuss and plan out future projects so that we are ready when their business is ready. Each sales rep is dedicated to their own book of business and is involved in each step of the process: from the initial meeting all the way through the implementation process and beyond. One of the biggest complaints that I get from customers is that when they have worked with other companies, they were left “high and dry” after they made a purchase. Because of the emphasis that we place on relationships, you can be assured that we will continue to be your go-to partner year after year.

Convergent Technologies Group is a strong company that is dedicated to being a partner with our clients. We work with the best manufacturers in the industry and take pride in delivering a solutions-based service to our customers. If your company is looking for a relationship and wants an organization that will get to know and understand their needs, we are the company for you. We look forward to the opportunity to meet with you and earn your business.

Brandon Samuel is CTG’s mid-size commercial/enterprise account executive.

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