Knowing the demands and challenges of specific industries is a large part of selling technology solutions into a specific vertical, something particularly true for regulatory/compliance-heavy industries like healthcare and finance. You already sell much of what they want. Being aware of how to integrate specific technology and new consumer expectations can elevate you above your competition. In this session, panelists shared their knowledge and discussed changing technology demands and which client motivations may help you land the deal!
Gerry Davis, Senior Vice President of Sales Engineering was joined on the stage by Corey Huish, Evoque, Director of Sales; Jeff DeVerter, Rackspace, Global Alliance Manager; Mark Szotkowski, RapidScale, Director of Sales; and Michael Cortez, Verizon, Security Solutions Specialist. They discussed their opinions, experiences, and details of the solutions they represent.
“Rome wasn’t built in a day,” starts Gerry, “you don’t need to understand everything about Healthcare or Finance and all the different technologies we have in the portfolio. You just need to know who to bring in, you have us (the Sales Engineers) and support on the Providers side.”
“There are a lot of questions around should we build it ourselves or should we look for a Provider,” shares Corey. “That can be a toss-up for customers who don’t understand the data center. We (have) the resiliency, the redundancy, we have the compliance team in place – the certification and processes that your customer would have to go through if they built their own data center. We’ve already done those steps, the very expensive tedious processes have been completed.
“(If you look at your customers and) do a scrub of your base, I can almost promise you that you have a vertical focus, you just don’t know you do,” says Mark. “We did this at RapidScale, and it was pretty obvious, Healthcare and Finance. Why? Their IT teams are stretched and they will continue to be for years. They need help. Mid-market may be okay, but small mid-market and large SMBs, they are challenged. The best part of Healthcare and Finance clients, they generally start off with a couple of products, and over time, they grow.”
“We’ve moved very heavily into Artificial Intelligence, it’s something that will open the door for every one of you, ” states Todd, “the future is really moving. What it drives lot data-intensive operations – databases, data analytics, data scientists, I call it weaponize your data, opportunities for your customers to expand their business and be better at what they do.”
“Verizon has a full security portfolio, it’s really fundamental to what we do,” shares Michael. “Industries that are highly regulated, like Healthcare and Finance, when they come to us security is already a part of the main pillar and foundation of what we do. It’s a really important (consideration) when you talk to your Healthcare and Finance customers, in their highly regulated industries. We’re actually seeing 36 trillion security events that we’re processing each year. Security is not a bolt-on, (it needs to be a key focus).”
You’ve taken a quick look with this article, watch the video to go deeper into meeting different compliance standards, services you can offer, and the challenges/attitudes/expectations you need to be aware of. There are changes coming, and new demands for these industries – another great way to start or grow the conversation. Selling to a specific vertical, like Healthcare or Finance, can position you to grow with the customer, maintain ongoing revenue, and be able to easily “Rinse & Repeat” in your efforts to gain new clientele. Watch the session recording today!