A proven track record is one of the first things that business buyers look at when considering potential providers of high value services and solutions. Where have you done this before? Hence the importance of providing credible references, case studies, and testimonials.
All well and good, but how do you get those first clients before you even have a track record? At IBM, one of the most effective answers has been to use yourself. The IT giant's new Green Sigma consulting offer is a great example.
Like many IT services providers, IBM is preaching the virtues of green computing, and now wants to help clients reduce both costs and environmental impact by applying Lean Six Sigma principals to energy and water usage throughout their operations. It's a timely offer, and made credible at least in part by IBM's internal track record saving energy and cutting costs through the approach -- some $310 million in energy costs saved since 1990 with a corresponding reduction of more than three million metric tons of CO2, according to company calculations.
In a world of skeptical buyers, practicing what you preach is table stakes. Practicing it first to work out the kinks, and then beginning to preach (with all the appropriate Web 2.0, conversational approaches, of course), is the better way to go.
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