Identify Prospects And Get To Know Them

After the research comes the contact from a sales representative, taking more of a consultative approach, says Gersh, of Forthright Technology Partners.

"Ask the big questions first. Don't lead with products," Gersh says. A good discussion starter? "What are they attempting to achieve from an IT perspective?"

Gersh likes to allude to Gartner's IT Service Management Maturity Model, which segments corporate IT organizations into five levels, each progressively better in service delivery than the one beneath it. The message he likes to deliver is that he would like to help the prospect move up to the next level. That, Gersh says, can build a relationship. And it can lead to building recurring revenue streams.