Joplin said he's most irritated when VARs come in, disregard his request and try and push an entirely different product on him.

On a more positive note, candor can go a long way, with Oral Roberts's preferred partner winning credibility with Joplin after telling him the university actually has too many servers. But when interacting with professionals with egos and Type A personalities, Joplin said tact is vital so the administrators aren't made to feel dumb or foolish.  

Brooks said she's too busy with her other administrative duties to worry about IT, and really had been looking for a solution provider that would take control of the entire ecosystem.

"My company comes up with new ideas for us, and they teach us how to do things better," Brooks said. "I really like that."

Primeau encouraged solution providers to focus on the procurement process itself, saying that companies with a strong E-commerce presence such as CDW make it easier for end users to carry out purchases. 

As someone who procures products from vendors herself, Christine Herndon of Louisville, Tenn.-based solution provider PCS said she can completely understand why end users don't want an IT partner that's excessively pushy or overbearing.

"I don't want phone call after phone call after phone call," Herndon said. "It's not productive."