Solution providers can be tactically strong, but strategically weak, and the difference isn't necessarily obvious on balance sheets or sales charts.

For Bob Venero, president of FutureTech Enterprise Inc., a strong, long-term strategy depends upon a solution provider's ability build relationships and earn the trust of its customers.

That trust comes from three important characteristics that may not make it to most solution providers' sales pitches: Honesty, integrity and dedication.

Venero has counted on each of these in his nearly 20-year quest to grow FutureTech from the basement of his home to the $100 million business it is today. He's giving a talk about that journey at the Best of Breed Conference next week in Orlando, Fla.

"Each of these items is what a trusted adviser has to have, and it has to be known by the end user," Venero told itbestofbreed.com recently. "Without trust, you're just another guy slinging hardware or services for you, not for them."

And while things like honesty, integrity and dedication might seem commonplace, Venero says they're actually quite hard to come by in the industry. Too many solution providers, he says, focus on short-term sales goals rather than long-term strategy.

This might bring some meat to the balance sheet, but it doesn’t necessarily do anything for the business' long-term viability.

The difference is in a company's culture, Venero says. FutureTech personnel aren't expected to "hit it out of the park" in year one. Venero is most proud of the long-term relationships he's been able to establish. Some go back almost to the company's founding in 1996.

Changing a solution provider's culture to emphasize the long-term relationships over short-term sales success isn't expensive, Venero said, but it does require strong "alpha-male" leadership, he said.

"You have to be very focused, strong," Venero said. "You're not willing to let outside obstacles adjust the direction you're looking to go in."