Are sales just getting harder to come by?

We think so. So let's discuss what has happened to the world of tech. First up we need to go back to what it used to be to compare to what it's become. Having been in the industry for over 20 years, you can go back to the old days pre cloud. What did this mean for the average sales person starting out? Well very simply there was more stuff to sell! When on premise infrastructure was commonplace, you had physical infrastructure including actual racks, cooling, underfloor cabling etc. then the hardware to go in them - servers, switch gear, UPS's, and so on. With the advent of the cloud (unless your client knows something!) that's all gone to a subscription model and what we call 'The Big Boys'

Who are they are why can't their infrastructure fail?

It can. And has. So the big boys are classed as Google, AWS, Meta (sort of), and Microsoft. Of course it makes sense to have a 'cloud'. Massive infrastructure that is so expensive, replicated all over the world and secured under some bomb-proof James Bond baddie facility in a desert. You pay your monthly fee and they do all the things your company may not be able to afford. Except when this happens:

What happened to AWS?

And that is one of a few recently that suggests the cloud might not be this solid core to take the whole world through the next 500 years as it is being sold. Part of that article shows that banks such as Lloyds and Halifax (as they are the same group) were going down and even way more important things like Roblox (might have to actually talk to the kids nowadays). SO the question is, have they put all their eggs in the cloud shaped basket? And what does it mean for tech sales?

The good old laptop.

So now that infrastructure sales has gone, everyones sleek office now just has a some big phat firewall and a big internet pipe. (this isn't strictly true but it could be in a lot of places!). So the same amount of small to medium tech companies are now left with software, occasional other kit and endpoints. They are the bits where people sit and work. Laptop, desktop, workstation, tablet or even phone. Could be at home, or in an office. Now unless someone invents something to replace the laptop, these are here to stay. Isn't it a good job you can't just look online and find them sat at 2% margin...

What else?

We could go on for days but suspect anyone getting this far has already had enough so:

• Market saturation - way too many compaanies in the same arena
• Economic pressures - why reaplce stuff that is still working
• AI and redundancies - tough tough conditions at the moment with management desparate to find cost savings which have now come in the form of humans.

RANT OVER! End on a positive...

So what are we doing about it nowadays?

Well the reason we have different arms of the business is to try and offer a varied portfolio for a much wider range of clients and spread out where potential work could come from. On top of that as any sales person that has existed knows... relationships are key. Channeling exisiting relationships and keeping on top of social media is key. You are one person away from seeing the right thing to realise they need what you offer. On top of that we don't stop learning new skills. In quiet times, there is always something to be learnt.

What is that old computer?

It's the first laptop. Portable computer from the 80's and holds a very special place for us. First time we've played a proper game (King's Quest). Oh and by the way.... unless you were a gladiator, you couldn't pick it up.