Michael Causey, Editor & Publisher, eDataIntegrityReport.com
When you think about going to a new restaurant or buying a new car, how do you approach making your choice? Chances are, you do some quick online research looking for what others have said, and then you ask friends and family if they know anything about the prospective dinner spot or new set of wheels.
Turns out that’s probably a pretty good way to select an IT vendor, too. That’s what a $4,500 study from IDC recently discovered: Small (under 100 employees) and mid-size (between 100 and 1000) say word-of-mouth is the way they usually learn about a new IT product and the vendor selling it.
According to IDC:
Word of mouth is most often cited by small businesses (SBs) and medium-sized businesses (MBs) as how they initially become aware of IT products, technology, and suppliers. However, vendor Web sites and word of mouth tie for first place as a source of more detailed information for both SBs and MBs.
What it means for you: Customer case studies loom large as one of the best indicators that an IT vendor and their product are right for you.
If you’ve got $4,500 to spend, you can get the IDC study here at http://www.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=217419. But if this already tracks with your experience, we advise you that the next time you kick the tires with a new vendor, you ask to see their porfolio of customer case studies, or better yet, talk to their customers!
Makes sense, right?
