Kerry Liu, the business development manager for Vancouver-based StrangeLoop Networks, who's Site Optimizer solution speeds up Web sites, attended the annual CompTIA Breakaway conference in San Antonio, Tex. and blogged about his experience at the show.
Breakaway 2010, CompTIA’s largest event of the year, has come and gone. Strangeloop made a last-minute decision to jump on a plane to San Antonio and check out the event. As an unbiased company who has never attended any previous CompTIA events, we can say it was well worth the long flight and 105-degree weather.
Strangeloop attends dozens of trade shows and industry events a year. Breakaway was one of the most well-organized shows we have ever attended. From the organized and helpful staff who were open to immediate feedback and genuinely interested in our organization to the overall logistics and off-site events, it was clear that CompTIA has a real passion for the industry.
I’d like to highlight two sessions that stood out to us. First, Autotask CEO Bob Godgart spoke about disregarding the myth that selling services is more profitable than products. He highlighted great research showing a 3-4x greater profitability for system integrators who focus on a hybrid model that offers both products and services. As customers look for innovative new products to compete in today’s economy, it is critical that integrators and managed service providers continue to introduce new products and act as the quarterback and trusted business advisors. More importantly, as customers shift from traditional platforms to a cloud-based model, those who understand how to manage this transition will ultimately reap the most benefits and profitability.
Secondly, Larry Hedin and Arlin Sorensen shared their experiences with managing and expanding the sales pipeline. Sales veteran Larry Hedin walked through specific examples on how to motivate sales staff, deliver accurate pipeline forecasting, and most importantly, grow your sales pipeline. Again, underlying the presentation was the cloud impact. Sales staff and leaders can no longer sit back and rely on traditional platforms. They must use the cloud to their advantage and incorporate it into their sales strategy. Managed service providers must now focus on incorporating cloud pricing into their existing monthly fees, and traditional system integrators must quickly grasp this new business model to remain trusted business advisors and win new clients.
Overall we enjoyed the event and met some great people. We’re definitely looking forward to future CompTIA events.
If you wish to contact Kerry Liu at Strangeloop you can email him at kerry.liu@strangeloopnetworks.com.