How SMBs Have the Deck Stacked Against Them and What Can be Done to Overcome It

Virtually every SMB (small to medium-sized business) is working against at least one or two significant challenges others in their space are not. Do you know which obstacles you have to hurdle, and which can be overcome with relative ease? In no particular order and not a complete list, here are the following for your…

Data Driven Vendor Analysis for Sales

At the heart of stewardship is doing what’s in your client’s best interest. For this reason, sales provides governance for their clients. Governance can include putting processes and resources in place to ensure mutual success even after the departure of key contacts from either organization. Governance can include ensuring there’s alignment of vision at the…

Best of Breed vs. Best Practices

Beware: this also applies to vendors, as well as technologies, systems, etc.“What do you mean, I don’t want best of breed?”  Isn’t this a totally rational position from the layman’s perspective? We all want the best, assuming the price is not prohibitive, but much of the time, having “the best” is NOT in your best…

Benefits of Reducing Your Vendor Footprint

In 33 years of watching organizations buy technology, it’s been the exception to see them wisely leverage their spend. The exceptions were made by either shrewd small-business owners or very large enterprise organizations with seasoned buyers, either within a technology silo or in a sourcing group. These buyers were doing their organizations several huge favors,…

Is Your Business Stuck in a Rut? 7 Danger Signs

Paradigm Consulting is defining VENDOR STEWARDSHIP in the context of providing concrete, sustainable results: Should decision-making criteria be departmentally or individually centered when impactful to an organization at large? I’m among the last that go for a “team kumbaya,” committee-based decision-making process, but too often, too much power is ceded to those who are A-types…

Defining Vendor Stewardship

Paradigm Consulting is defining VENDOR STEWARDSHIP in the context of providing concrete, sustainable results:As an act of governance, vendor stewardship directly and positively impacts financial strength and social responsibility. Tactically, vendor stewardship redefines how to position the vendor relationships in a more collaborative fashion, while simultaneously reaching improved levels of service and reduced cost. Other…