Discussion on:

Capitalize on your customizations

If you are a sales centric organization, IT is considered the petulant naysayers who are on the overhead side of the equation. Never mind the fact that they have been warning the sales team of a $150,000 cost to their $100,000 enhancement. When it fails, it will be IT's fault since sales has moved on to the next client.

If you are a tech centric organization, the sales guy will look to the assembled tech team for nods and shakes of the head during the negotiation process. This yields an unsure salesman and a product which has limited innovation. It probably meets the client's basic needs, but none of the wants. The good news is that the programmers stay well within their comfort zone, even if the client is less than thrilled. (sarcasm)

Neither is the solution, as both types of organizations have the same problem. A division between sales and IT will yield a salesman who has little knowledge of what he is selling, therefore it should come as no surprise when he sells unobtanium. Likewise, the techie in a segregated organization won't leave the office much. He has little to no face time with the client, and certainly won't understand his vision.

The solution is as simple as it is rare. Team these people and departments up. Yes, you heard right... put your best salesman and IT generalist in the same room. Despite their objections, there is much each can learn from the other, and proximity will make this happen. After the initial friction, the sales and IT teams will bond. Once this happens, the team will come up with cutting edge marketable solutions that closely meet the customers needs and wants.

The point is that the center of the organization must be its management team. Neither sales nor IT should have the upper hand since the short path to each department's goals are mutually exclusive of the others.