What Working With a Technology Advisor Looks Like: The First 90 Days
10/20/20263 min read
One reason people hesitate to bring in an advisor is that they cannot picture the work. What do you actually do all day? What do I have to provide? When do I see something useful? Those are fair questions, and the honest answer is that a good engagement follows a fairly predictable path.
Today I want to walk through what the first ninety days typically look like for a mid-market company. The example below is a composite, not a specific client, but the shape of it is real.
Weeks One and Two: Listening
We start by listening, and we ask a lot of questions. What do you have today? What is working? What keeps your team up at night? What contracts are coming up for renewal, and when? We ask for copies of current agreements and recent invoices, because those documents tell us things that conversations do not.
We also ask about the business itself: how many locations, how fast you are growing, what regulations apply, and what an outage would actually cost. The technology serves the business, so we need to understand the business first.
Weeks Three and Four: Mapping Needs and Spotting Gaps
Next we turn what we heard into a map. This is where the translation work happens. We document your real requirements in plain language, rate how well your current services meet them, and flag the gaps: overlapping services you are paying for twice, critical areas with thin coverage, and contracts with terms that work against you.
Imagine a 250-person company with three offices. In a typical map, we might find that two locations are on different internet providers with different support processes, that a backup service was bought years ago and never tested, and that a phone agreement is about to auto-renew at a higher rate. None of these are dramatic on their own. Together they tell a story about where attention is needed.
Weeks Five Through Eight: Surveying the Landscape
With requirements in hand, we look across the market. Because we work across more than 200 providers, we can quickly identify which are a realistic fit for a company your size and which are not. We narrow the field to a short list, usually three or four options per need, and put them side by side in a format you can actually read.
This is the stage where a vendor-neutral view pays off. We are not defending a preferred provider, so the comparison can include the unglamorous facts: support quality, contract flexibility, how a provider treats mid-market customers, and what it costs to leave.
Weeks Nine and Ten: Negotiating
Once you choose, we help negotiate. That means more than price. It means capped annual increases, reasonable notice windows, clear service commitments, and exit terms you can live with. Providers negotiate for a living. Most mid-market buyers negotiate a few times a year. The difference in experience is large, and it shows in the final terms.
We bring the questions that experienced buyers know to ask and that first-time buyers often miss, and we keep the conversation professional. The goal is a good agreement with a provider you will work with for years, not a win at any cost.
Weeks Eleven and Twelve: Handoff and Rhythm
As the new services go live, we help coordinate the transition, so the people who run your day-to-day are not left to manage it alone. We also set up a simple rhythm for the long term: a contract register with every renewal date and notice deadline, and a regular check-in to review service, costs, and anything on the horizon.
That last piece is easy to overlook and it is where long-term value accumulates. The first ninety days produce a better setup. The following years prevent it from drifting.
What We Need From You
Less than most people expect. Access to current agreements and invoices, a few conversations with the people who use the services, and a point person who can make decisions. We do the mapping, the market work, and the legwork. You stay in control of every choice.
And at the end of those ninety days, you should be able to answer questions you could not answer at the start: what you pay for, why, when it renews, and what you would do differently if you could.
What Changes After Ninety Days
The most visible change is clarity. Leaders who were guessing at what they paid for and why now have a single page that shows each service, who provides it, what it costs, when it renews, and what the notice window is. That page alone tends to prompt good conversations.
The second change is confidence. When a salesperson calls with an urgent offer, your team can compare it against a documented baseline instead of reacting. And when a renewal approaches, you are starting the conversation months ahead, which is when you have the most leverage.
The Bottom Line
A good engagement is structured, transparent, and light on your time. If you would like to see what a first conversation looks like for your company, Sigma Technology Consulting is glad to walk you through it with no obligation.
Sigma Technology Consulting, Inc.
25 Years of Experience, Vetting & Procuring Technology Vendors
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