Change Management for IT Implementers

Are you a Technology Implementer intent on growing your business?

However, do you feel like a commodity, finding it difficult to distinguish yourself from the rest?

You know your technology, but so do all your competitors. Or at least that’s how your clients see it. And what your clients really care about, deep down, is whether their people will adopt your technology. That’s because their ROI is based on that. Increasingly clients want organizational change management (OCM) with IT. We’re sure you have experienced this yourself.

And you have probably gone out and hired a consultant to provide OCM services as needed. But then again, so have your competitors. Once again, how are you different? De-commoditize yourself, and you will win more business, do more strategic and high-value work, and earn higher margins.

How? Take a look at the big system integrators and why they are able to charge higher rates and get better contracts.

Do they have better people working on their projects? No. The exact same person can work for you or for a big system integrator, but they bill the person out at fees that are often at least 25-50% greater than yours.

Is it because they are global? No, not unless the client is also global and wants to do a global implementation. Otherwise system integrators get their resources and content locally just like you do.

Is it because they have more money at their disposal? No, unless the prospective client is a high risk company where legal suits are likely. Otherwise, clients base their decision on who can best meet their needs and not on who has deeper pockets.

But there is a difference between you and them

Clients are willing to pay higher rates for something – what is it?

This is the big differentiator. When it comes to IT, system integrators present themselves as technology implementers plus adoption specialists. They don’t just “fix” an IT problem, they “solve” their client’s business and strategic issues. That is why they market themselves as integrators. And you can too and win more business at higher margins. This is where we come in.

Our team has worked for both system integrators and mid-tier IT implementers. We can help you present yourself to your clients as a full system integrator, integrating technology, people and processes. We can help you differentiate yourself as a business solution expert and thereby win more business doing more interesting, higher-value work.

Win more business

Any system integrator expects to win 20% – 25% of high end, strategic pursuits. A mid-tier IT implementer is likely to pass on this type of opportunity because their chances are low – unless they can win by competing on costs, which means even lower margins. Imagine what it would mean for your business if you could start winning this type of work, and be able to charge an additional 25% for the same resources you have now.

Get add-on business

A system integrator expects to get on average 15%-30% of add-on work, whereas a mid-tier IT implementer is happy to get a good reference. They do this by focusing on building trusted partner relationships, which gives them insight into other potential solutions their client needs. These additional opportunities also have a much higher conversion rate of BD to sales, and it means you get a higher return on initial BD investment. Think of what this would mean to your top line results and BD costs if you were able to do this as well.

Expend less effort

A system integrator uses different experts to handle different components of their total business solution. Working together with you, your IT implementation project will become a business change solution. We’ll manage the planning and delivery of the change activities, which means that your project manager and team actually end up having less to manage and worry about. Picture running managed business change projects that are implemented more efficiently with fewer issues raised by your team, and which ultimately cost less and lead to better results.

Deal with less resistance

You will get less resistance from employees and more support from managers and executives. Resistance can be a project-killing obstacle if it isn’t managed properly. OCM helps you identify it and manage it systematically and proactively. That means less stress for your project manager and team, and lower costs for you and your client.

Deliver successful projects more often

OCM is tightly linked to project success and smooth implementations. Studies show that including an excellent OCM program results in a 95% likelihood of project success. By delivering more successful projects you’ll develop excellent client relationships, get additional referrals, and eliminate giving your client cost breaks and keep them happy.

More Business. Less Effort. Better Results.

With over 20 years’ experience with IT implementations at large to mid-size clients we can help you win more business, with less work for you, and we will help you deliver better results to your clients. We can help you stand out from the crowd.

Here is how. We’ll…

Enhance your marketing materials, proposals and bid presentations so that technology and adoption look seamless, as they should
Give you that all important intangible: credibility when it comes to talking about employee adoption and organizational sustainability to your prospective clients
Take a load off your project manager by seamlessly integrating OCM activities into your implementation plans and managing those activities to your client’s full satisfaction
Provide you with the right OCM resources and manage the quality, cost and timeliness of their work
Help you navigate your client’s culture and power dynamics so that your project team feels like a great fit from the perspective of your client’s management and staff

Finally, you’ll find we are easy to work with. With our years of experience working on project and business development teams, collaborating, integrating and sharing is in our DNA.