Look At How They Decide

Beyond listening, a solution provider can look at how the business arrives at its decision.

"There are people and then there's the process, and you've got to have good people first; you've got to have strong processes that are part of your culture, part of your corporate DNA," says Michael Stolarczyk, vice president of sales and business development at VeriStor, based in Duluth, Ga.

"There are just so many touchpoints, so many things that are driving how you decide where you want to be," Stolarczyk added. That's why you need to be able to address as many options for the client as possible, he said.