Comport
First-sale success—Comport secures $40,000-plus deal
As a technology advisor, Brian Childers excels at understanding client's business challenges and guiding them to the right technology.
He takes pride in empowering customers to maximize ROI and achieve greater business outcomes with strategic technology adoption. Childers is dedicated to streamlining technology procurement and management processes for a seamless and efficient user experience.
That same drive for a frictionless sales process, an elevated customer experience, and increased customer retention and satisfaction motivated him to partner with AppDirect.
Challenge
Looking for a new partner with a comprehensive sales support team, including technology experts
Diversify technology portfolio into cloud and energy, hindered by time-consuming provider vetting and direct agreements
Lack of a unified customer portal for efficient self-management of licenses and subscriptions.
Solution
Results
Earned $44,000 cloud-based productivity suite opportunity—closed deal
Dedicated Channel Manager, committed to driving advisor growth
Enabled customer self-service and flexible advisor involvement through AppDirect Marketplace
Navigating business growth as an advisor
Childers explains there’s several advantages to partnering with AppDirect. First, he points out the diverse technology catalog, emphasizing it as a significant differentiator. With the breadth and depth of the catalog Childers can provide solutions across the entire tech stack. He refers to it as the ‘sticky factor,’ where customers gain access to virtually every type of technology solution, spanning software, cloud, energy, and more. The breadth of the AppDirect catalog also grants customers access to a variety of value-add services, including consulting services, managed services, and customized support solutions.
An additional advantage of being an AppDirect advisor is the pre-integration of solutions within the Marketplace, minimizing the time-consuming process of vetting individual providers and signing direct provider agreements. This convenience and added security is beneficial for both customers and advisors alike.
“Customers don't have to go through that whole vetting process, we've done that for them. And the beauty of that is AppDirect has done a lot of that for us.”
Brian Childers, President, Comport Corporation
It's worth noting that Childers only recently unlocked the potential of being an AppDirect advisor, and he hasn't looked back since.
From President’s Club to first sale: A roadmap to big wins
Childers first discovered AppDirect, after discussing his desire to find a partner to complement his services with a long-time friend in the channel community. “I was looking for someone I could bring to the table so that I don't have to go out on my own when consulting with customers. My friend turned to me and said, ‘Hey, I think I have the perfect fit for you.’ That perfect fit turned out to be AppDirect.”
Childers' introduction to AppDirect began with an unexpected twist during a trip to President’s Club—an appreciation event experience reserved for top-performing AppDirect advisors. He attended as a plus one, filling in place of his friend’s wife, who had a scheduling conflict.
Even amidst the sand, sun, and relaxed atmosphere of the President’s Club bent, Childers wanted to grasp the essence of being an AppDirect advisor and understand how they address advisors’ business needs. He explains:
“I got to take in the quality and the caliber, not only of AppDirect, but I also got the inside scoop in talking to the other trusted advisors there before I ever even signed up to become an advisor. Almost without fail, everybody was just talking about the integrity of AppDirect, the ease of working with them, and the fairness of working with them.”
“I've always been from a mindset of I have to go do all of this work on my own. And the beauty was that person after person after person explained how easy it is to work with AppDirect. It’s almost like… this is too good to be true? It can't be that easy! It literally took me probably a day to two days just to even comprehend the ease—how easy it was for these folks to work with AppDirect.
From the time the event ended to the time I decided to become a trusted advisor, was a week or two, max. I was sold on the relationship. I was sold on AppDirect. I was sold on that model almost immediately. It’s the breadth of catalog, the quality of people.”
This sentiment comes as no surprise as AppDirect’s relationship-driven marketplace, diverse catalog, personalized and responsive support, and comprehensive package of integrated services ensures advisors stay ahead of customer needs and gain their loyalty.
He elaborates that after signing up as an AppDirect advisor and meeting with his Channel Manager (CM), who coincidentally is the same as his good friend’s CM, his perspective solidified. He was convinced that the caliber of the staff and of the trusted advisors on the trip with him was, “extremely high.”
First deal successes—The Power of the AppDirect Marketplace
Shortly after becoming an AppDirect advisor, Childers introduced the brand to his customer, looking for a productivity suite solution. After jumping on a call with his Channel Manager and an AppDirect licensing expert, the team walked the customer through their proposed solution, Microsoft Office 365. The team also provided a demonstration of the AppDirect Marketplace, a unified interface of accessing business applications and managing licenses, subscriptions, and invoices.
“The AppDirect Marketplace gives the advisor, and the customer more control, depending on how the advisor wants it setup. You're able to customize that dynamic a lot more without a whole lot of work and effort.” Childers compares the Marketplace experience to online banking—he highlights that instead of having to wait in a queue, users can self-serve, saving significant time and headaches.
“I feel like I've expanded capability in my company infinitely with the AppDirect Marketplace and I didn’t have to build anything on my own to go do that.”
Brian Childers, President, Comport Corporation
Fairly quickly after the initial demonstration to his customer, Childers secured his first AppDirect-assisted cloud deal, marking a significant transaction valued at $44,000.
Fostering advisor and end-customer empowerment
Childers explains the relationship and interaction between himself, AppDirect, and the end-customer. “When you look at these relationships, we’re activating that two-layered trusted advisor in many ways. The client to me, and myself to my Channel Manager as well as my client to AppDirect. I have no qualms whatsoever about exposing my client to AppDirect. In fact, it’s a benefit for me in reality.”
He continues: “Once I develop that relationship with my client, I can choose to stay as connected or as little connected as needed because they can self-serve and the deal still comes through me.”
AppDirect supports advisors through its automated procurement and SaaS management capabilities. With the platform, customers can feel autonomous in managing their business and advisors have the Marketplace, team, and advisor-centric tools to focus on business growth.
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‘Helping more customers win is my mission’
In the many years Childers has been working as a technology advisor, he’s led with honesty and integrity. “My saying is, ‘I'm never the smartest guy in the room, but I know people who are. So I want to be a resource. I want to walk with high integrity. I want people to be able to trust that when we do business together that I’m looking out for their best interest.’”
As he sees it, once you help a customer be successful while helping improve their bottom line, you’ll have them for life.
The AppDirect brand promise is clear too: Supporting advisors through a blend of people, processes, and innovative technology. We ensure an optimal experience for both our advisors and their customers. And if there are any gaps in advisor capabilities or offerings, we have the expertise and deep bench to assist, ultimately helping you build customer trust.
“It sounds like it's too good to be true, but I would tell advisors considering working with AppDirect that it's every bit as good as you think it can be.”
Find out more information on AppDirect advisor offerings. If you want to become the next success story, sign up to become an AppDirect advisor today.