Tip 2: Talk to everyone -- not just the CIO.

Bullseye's Basa said most solution providers meet with one or two individuals when huddling with their clients. He suggested that partners meet with "as many people as you can get into the room."

"What I see as the best practice is to meet with as many people as you can because there are competing priorities. We call it a firing squad meeting," he said.

Bullseye brings its sales engineers and even its technology partners to its business conversations. Basa said he and his team frequently meet with at least five people -- sometimes even large groups, including the entire IT team – allowing the client to pepper Bullseye with questions throughout the meeting.

"It's great, because that's how we become an authority in the mind of [the client]," he said.