Frequently Asked Questions
What is a Technology Advisor?
A Technology Advisor is your partner in ultimately finding and implementing the right technology solution to solve a business/organization problem. We don’t try to sell you a specific vendor or technology like a salesperson at a company would. We
- Get to know your organization
- Understand the business problem we’re trying to solve
- Gather criteria from your stakeholders
- Research the market for potential providers and solutions
- Present an array of different solutions from providers with detailed information about each
- Create a short list of providers and coordinate calls, meetings, and or demos
- Provide engineering muscle on these calls and meticulously poke at vendor solutions to ensure that it meets our clients needs
- Provide TCOs and matrices to prepare our clients’ C-Suite to make a decision
- Assist in the negotiation of the contract
- Project manage the installation
- Provide ongoing strategy sessions to ensure continual satisfaction
What does Agent of Record (AoR) mean? And why should I allow C3 to be our Agent of Record?
C3 is an “Agent” for hundreds of technology companies. Allowing C3 to be the Agent of Record allows us to make a small commission from the technology company if our clients contract for services with that vendor. NOTE – This does not affect the pricing our client receives. The contract signed with the vendor is the same. Support from the vendor is the same. C3 effectively replaces the local sales rep. This is similar to how an insurance broker works.
Why do technology companies prefer to sell their solutions through the channel instead of through their own sales reps?
The channel is less expensive for tech companies to administer than having to recruit, interview, hire, onboard, manage, pay, provide benefits to, provide internal IT for, and ultimately offboard sales reps constantly. This is one of the single biggest pain points for tech companies today. Selling through the channel solves this.
Revenue retention is higher through the channel then through direct sales reps
I don't want to lose control of the process of selecting a vendor. Why do I need C3?
You won’t lose control. Our clients ultimately make the decision on who/what to buy. Our clients control the process and how C3 resources and time are deployed. Most of our clients lack the internal IT resources needed to intensively evaluate hundreds of solutions from different providers and need technology advisors to tackle a marketplace’s worth of solutions and boil it down.
What does it cost to work with C3? How do you charge for your services?
Our engineering, project management, and professional services are typically billed at between $200 and $250/hour. This charge is waived if the client selects C3 as the Agent of Record for the winning bidder. See the Agent of Record question above for more information on this.
We can write our own RFP. Why do I need C3?
Most RFPs that clients write are terrible. Sorry. We know what questions you should be asking, what to ignore, and what vendors should be included in the process.
What value does C3 provide to organizations evaluating new technology?
Time and resources saved from :
- having your internal staff research, evaluate, and document all the possible solutions in the market.
- Meeting with many sales reps multiple times
- Creating a C-level facing document justifying decisions
- Project managing vendors
- Unbiased expertise from technologists who have studied the market, know the subject matter, and can capably guide our clients to the right decisions
- Peace of mind knowing that your organization picked the right technology from the right provider
- Reduced costs
- Professional project management to ensure timely and accurate installations
What is the C3 business model? Is C3 a reseller of services?
C3 is not a reseller. You will not receive a bill from C3 for any services beyond the unlikely event that you engage with us and C3 is not named the Agent of Record for the engagement. See question 5 above for more info on this.
How do I know that you won't recommend solutions with high commissions?
Because that’s a terrible way to run a business and is incredibly short-sighted. We grow our business based on a land-and-expand strategy coupled with word of mouth. If our clients procure solutions through C3 that benefit C3 the most, our ability to land-and-expand is put in serious jeopardy and the chances of our clients spreading the word about C3 are all but eliminated.
Are you biased towards any vendors? How can companies trust you?
- We are biased against vendors that have not performed well for C3 clients. When C3 makes a recommendation, factors not visible to the client, like the satisfaction of other C3 clients with that vendor go into our recommendations.
- We have a 12 yr track record of making the right recommendations for our clients. From 2017 to 2020, our organization tripled in size with nothing more than organic growth. Our growth is a testament to the fact that we are doing the right things for our clients.
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