@Mike-Davis said in Hardware sources:
@scottalanmiller said in Hardware sources:
So you let a salesman determine the best fit for your needs? If you aren't doing any research, how do you know he didn't just screw your customer by selling the thing that earns him the most margin (CDW is famous for how extremely they do this.) And what's your role here? If the customer wanted to engage predatory salesman directly, they could. No need for an IT person.
My role was picking the specs for the laptop. When he quotes me the laptop and case, I can take a look and spot check the price if I want. After he finds a case, I can take a look at it and see what kind of reviews it has.
How would you handle a request like that from a customer?
If I'm only asked to get specs and then pass it back to the customer and my job is done and they ask me to forward on to a salesguy and to step away, then sure, I'd do that. That's like asking your real estate agent how many square feet you need and then telling the agent to not be involved and let the seller's agent sell whatever they can get away with.
But if I'm in the IT role and responsible as the buyer's agent (IT role = buyer's agent for businesses) then it's my responsibility to know what is out there and do the research. Sure, there are cases where a single item is so trivially cheap and commodity that it's not worth the time to research - but normally in those cases you just go to Amazon, at least to see prices. Someone like CDW is a VAR and tack on a lot of cost (normally hidden in upsales) associated with using them. Like they don't give good discounts, sell based on kickbacks and behind the scenes promotions and such - CDW is the most well known in the industry for this as their "recommended" solutions change week to week based on the current vendor promotions. They don't recommend what is good for you, but what is good for them.
If customers don't want a buyer's representative, that's fine and up to them. But is it clear to them that they are being sold stuff by a sales person directly without any buyer's agent anywhere in the stream? It's like going to a real estate sale, telling the seller you'll buy anything they recommend with the adequate square footage. Yes, you'll get a house quickly, but it'll be the one for which the seller gets the highest commission and not one based around the buyer's needs.