The Transformation of Quest – Part 1

QUEST
Transformation leader: Tim Burke, President and CEO
Number of employees: 100
Year established: 1982
Original transactional business model: VAR/IT systems integrator/interconnect
Post-transformation business model: Transactional business continues to be a part of what we do, but we work with our clients as partners helping them deliver technology.

How has your company moved beyond transactional sales models?

We saw the writing on the wall a long time ago. It’s partly a mindset to veer away from transactional short-term to long-term relationship selling. First, you have to look for clients who have real needs and genuinely wish to work with you. That involves fact gathering on the part of the sales group. For us it meant training and retraining — and it’s ongoing! In a relationship or consultative approach, both the seller and buyer partner to solve the customer’s challenges and in doing so you build trust. That trust gives way to new opportunities and ultimately satisfied, long-term customers. Both transactional and relationship selling facilitate the sale, but with everything else being equal you can’t beat the combination of building trust with legitimate expertise. There’s a lot of information available for anyone willing to learn more and I’d encourage you to do just that. That’s what we did. I share a lot of useful information like this on my blog. It’s mostly geared toward the client, but the more you understand their needs, the more successful you’ll be.

Why did your company begin its transformation away from transactional sales?

We continue to see the erosion of margins and the direct model from manufacturers starting from the 2001, 2002 timeframe.

When did your company begin its transformation away from transactional sales?

Quest began to move away from transactional sales around 2001/2002.

How complete is your company’s transformation? We are about 80 percent nontransactional sales now.