Managing Offshore IT

While working on the reaching out to our internal project and account teams, I began pondering over the client request. Years ago when we were newly married, my wife and I went to a nearby photo-studio for a portrait. The photographer did a great job and was pleased enough with his art that he had a request for us: could he blow-up a copy and use it in his studio as a reference? My wife and I were (obviously) flattered but told him that we would think over his request.

Client references – for case studies and referrals -- to vendors perhaps mirror our personal thinking. For many of us, it is one thing to showcase a portrait in the family living room but not everyone wants to be featured in a public shop/mall. Similarly, some organizations don’t want to have their projects and work featured for competitive reasons while others may have organizational and cultural reasons not to do so.

The flip side to this mindset is when one wears a buyer’s hat: when we go to a service provider, we either want a referral or want to review prior work: a photo album/portfolio in case of an individual at a studio or past client case-studies and references in case of software services. Wearing a buyer’s hat, I could see why the photographer wanted to showcase our photo: the photograph was as much about his skill as it was about my enigmatic smile (well I would like to believe that). Similarly, client references and case-studies for vendors are as much about showcasing their skills in solving complex problems as it is about the client’s projects.

Bottomline: if you are the kind of client that asks the vendor for case studies and speak to their references … you should have a policy of allowing vendors to use your projects as references; right?

[ps: In case you are wondering if I agreed to the photographer’s request? Well, I did what most gentlemen would do: let their stakeholder decide]

Interesting blog posts on this theme

• How to Select an Outsourcer: “"One of the most important things is whether the vendor has bona fide, provable experience," Pollock states. "Can it provide a list of customers, case studies, and referenceable clients?"
• Take Note Before You Hire a Sourcing Advisor: the best incentive for sourcing consultants is to earn referenceable clients and repeat business, so in most cases, they work diligently to overcome all of these challenges.  Just take note of these potential obstacles, as you would before you dive into any major investment with the goal of a positive return.
• 12 Keys to Tuning Up Your Sales Force: Intellectual Capital. What is that, you say? These are your referenceable clients. Other than your employees, they are your most valuable asset.
• Are Your Client References an Asset?: One powerful, but often neglected intangible asset is a firm’s list of client references.