Addressing The Top 10 Concerns When Considering Utilizing an IT Consultant/Broker

1. Skepticism About "Cost-Free" Services

   • Many businesses might wonder how the broker is compensated if their services are free to the client. They may suspect hidden fees, indirect costs, or bias toward vendors that offer higher commissions.

   Jim's Response: I think businesses have a right to be skeptical about something that doesn't cost them anything because nobody works for free right? So, we are compensated by the vendors. We are compensated by the IT vendors should any business be transacted by the customer. Look, all IT vendors have to pay someone to market and sell their services and it's either their direct sales reps or someone like myself who is an agent that they do not have to pay a salary to, provide vacation time, pay for sick days and perhaps months of no sales by their direct reps... With us, they only have to pay when a sale is made by one of our clients.

   2. Potential Bias Despite Neutrality Claims

   • Even if a broker claims to be vendor-neutral, businesses may question whether they truly have no preferences or if they favor vendors that provide them better incentives or commissions.

   Jim's Response: This is a very valid concern. I can honestly say that most all of the IT vendors that we work with pay comparable commissions and it's pretty rare that one vendor compensation completely overshadows their competitors. Another thing to consider is that we are compensated over the life of the contract and it would not  behoove us to steer businesses to vendors that we didn't think were trustworthy as well as the best solution for our clients because if the business isn't happy with the vendor and ends that relationship our compensation ends...as well as the relationship with our client I would imagine. Last, but not least, we pride ourselves in having integrity to make decisions that are in the best interest of our clients.

   3. Lack of Deep Industry Knowledge

   • Some businesses may prefer to work with specialists who have extensive knowledge of their industry rather than a general IT consultant/broker who works across multiple sectors.

   Jim's Response: Great question! So OTG has subject-matter experts available for virtually every IT scenario whether it be as simple as voice or internet connectivity to more complex scenarios such as Cybersecurity Threats, Cloud Migration Challenges including Multi-Cloud & Hybrid Cloud Management, Infrastructure & Maintenance, Endpoint Security, Compliance & Regulations, Integration Issues, Collaboration Tool Management, AI & Automation Integration and more! These are vendor-neutral experts ready to consult you on these topics and most anything IT related. The benefit of this is that you get access to technology experts without having to be sold something at the same time and wondering if that's really the best solution or the only solution that person can sell.

   4. Loss of Control Over Vendor Selection,  

   • Companies that have established procurement processes may feel that using a broker limits their control over vetting and selecting vendors.

   Jim's Response: There is no loss of control over your vendors when workin with OTG. We consult and then help our clients choose qualified vendors and from that point on our clients have a direct relationship with all of the vendors we bring to the table. Our clients buy directly from the vendors and are the customer of record just like if they would have reached out to that vendor on their own...The vendors handle the sales process, the installation process and ongoing support and we are there for the entire length of the contract should our clients need any assistance.

   5. Quality and Relevance of Vendor Recommendations

   • Businesses may worry that the broker will recommend vendors that don’t fully align with their needs, infrastructure, or business goals.

   Jim's Response: We have decades of experience and after a brief discovery process by our experts, we only recommend vendors that we feel can meet the needs of our clients, however, our clients are the ones that make the ultimate decision on whatever a vendor can meet their objectives!

   6. Data Privacy and Security Concerns

   • Sharing internal IT needs, pain points, and infrastructure details with a third-party broker could raise concerns about data privacy and security.

   Jim's Response: If there are sensitive situations with regard to the discovery process, OTG is more than happy to sign an NDA. Our integrity and reputation in the industry is the MOST important element to our business and we take it very seriously.

   7. Reliability and Accountability

   • A business might wonder whether the broker will provide ongoing support or be accountable for vendor performance, or if they disappear after making the introduction.

   Jim's Response: This is a great question because typically when you procure IT services from a vendor you work with a direct sales rep who will likely pass the baton off to support once the sale is made. That direct sales person has a quota to meet every month and needs to spend a lot of their time prospecting for new business. OTG's model is quite different in that a) We are engaged with our client's throughout the life of any contract and beyond...in fact, we are monetarily incentivized to do so! So while our clients buy directly from the vendors and the vendors do the installation and support just like they would with any other customer, OTG is there every step of they way to make sure the vendor is providing the best information, the best pricing & terms and providing adequate support...if not we will escalate the issues and we have lots of leverage with these vendors as we are very large sources of revenue for them so we tend to have more leverage than just one customer.

   8. Existing Vendor Relationships

   • Many businesses have preferred vendors or long-term partnerships and may be hesitant to consider new providers, especially through a third-party broker.

   Jim's Response: If a business has a relationship with a particular vendor, we do not have to disrupt that at all...most businesses have multiple vendors and most of the time there's room for us to engage and bring qualified vendors to the table. A business could also use OTG and other vendors as a way to get a second opinion or keep existing vendors honest or use the competitive situation to drive a better deal with their existing vendors. When IT vendors compete businesses WIN!

   9. Perceived Middleman Complexity

   • Some companies may feel that working with a broker adds an extra step in the procurement process, leading to potential delays or miscommunication.

   Jim's Response: Not all! In fact it's the opposite and let me give you some examples...

   • 1) It's imperative that a business get competitive quotes when procuring new services right? So, let's say...and this is pretty common... A company is considering a new IT initiative, but they really don't know what the expense would be and would like to get some budgetary numbers just to figure out if it's even worth their time investigating. So typically for that business to get several competitive quotes they would have to set up a call with say 3 different vendors and endure an hour long presentation about that companies service & support & team etc. That is very time consuming not to mention the are going to have to endure a sales pitch every time. However, If a business utilizes OTG then we can sit down with the business and get a general idea of the scope of work and then reach out to our network of vendors and get a dozen competitive quotes within 48 hours. That would save a business a ton of time.

   • 2) Once the introductions are made with the potential vendors, our clients work directly with the vendors just like they traditionally would. We stay in the loop as part of your IT team to look over your shoulder and provide assistance when needed but the actual on-going engagement with vendors is the same as usual.

   • 3) Lastly, the ultimate decision is made by our clients...yes, they  may ask for our opinion and recommendation but ultimately the decisions are made by our clients.

   10. Concerns Over Vendor Pricing Markups

   There may be fears that vendors working with brokers increase their prices to cover broker commissions, making deals less competitive.

   Jim's Response: So again, all IT vendors have to pay someone to market and sell their services and it's either their direct sales reps or someone like myself who is an agent that they do not have to pay a salary to, provide vacation time to, pay for sick days and perhaps months of no sales by their direct reps... With us, they only have to pay when a sales is made.