We just finished a webcast ‘How to get your boss to say yes’ that included one of our target audience members (a database administrator) and their boss (director of database administration). During the webcast they discussed all aspects of how to justify a purchase of software internally. Don, the director, outlined how to build the case, get supporting documentation, third party validation, analyst information, quantify return on investment…it was a masterclass of how to sell in this environment.
It also reminded me of a fact from my selling days – if you can form the right relationship and build a great champion of your products they will become your best sales person.