'We Moved Mountains': Tech Advisors Share Favorite Client Wins

A Teams Operator Connect deployment. A POTS aggregation engagement. An enterprise cloud migration. A contact center as a service (CCaaS) consultation.

These are just a handful of the different technology areas where channel partners in the advisor model have helped their customers. Channel Futures asked technology advisors about the client engagements they count among their proudest moments. Leaders from ARG, TeamKC Telecom, Symplicity Communications and TruPoint Communication Solutions shared stories of overcoming challenges, pushing themselves to grow and adapt, and cementing themselves as the trusted technology advisor for their customer.

What Are Tech Advisors?

In the eye of a technology supplier/vendor, tech advisors fit into the business model of an agent. After a partner sells technology to an end user, the vendor manages the tech and bills the end user. And like a sales person, they are compensated with a commission. But agents work with multiple suppliers, and most describe themselves as vendor-agnostic. In addition, they are paid with a residual monthly (evergreen) commission that lasts for the lifetime of the customer, which incentivizes them to refer a solution the end user will keep for a long time.

But, as their stories show, sales is only a component of an advisor's business. They consult for clients, audit invoices and inventories, vet vendors and platforms, project manage product implementation, oversee people and processes and skillfully navigate through the economic jigsaw puzzle of IT purchasing.

Related:Best Technology Consultants 2024: Top 101 Agents & Advisors Ranked (A-K)

And what do tech advisors sell? The use cases highlight in this article demonstrate the wide range of offerings. Although the business model emerged in the telecommunications sector, vendors of various technologies have embraced an agent route to market. Notably, sybersecurity and software providers have joined internet service providers and communications providers in the advisor line card. Ultimately, the common denominator is that these companies offer technology that businesses consume in an as-a-service, op-ex model.

The tech advisors in the slide show offer a glimpse into the inner workings of their business model and paint a picture of the highs and lows that come with running a channel partner business.