How to Overcome Sales Obstacles - What Remote DBA Experts Have To Say

Even though remote database administration services are relatively new, it has already become extremely competitive as customers are facing the heat due to economic slowdown and other environmental factors and are negotiating service contracts for maximum bang for buck. As a result, remote DBA service providers have tended to offer a complete suite of services extending far beyond just database administration. Of course, the accent remains on their ability to maintain databases with the maximum uptime and to resolve any issues quickly. It is vital that resellers learn to appreciate the necessity of having a strong support team and the various constraints of offering remote DBA services that meet customer requirements while establishing a reputation for dependability.

The Profit Potential of DBAs Is Restricted

It needs to be appreciated that the scaling of business is widely different for companies depending upon the sector they are operating in. Because software companies’ investment in research and development, support, and marketing are relatively fixed and does not vary widely with the sales turnover, the profit potential in theory at least is huge. However, the software and IT service sector is extremely labor intensive and the scalability of the service providers is often restricted to the extent of their being able to hire adequate personnel and the demand for their services by customers.

The biggest hurdle faced by remote DBAs in scaling up their operations is the lack of trained and skilled database administrators. The number of DBAs they have on their rolls actually dictates the extent of service support they can extend to their customers. For example, even though clients demand for more hours of support, the service provider can only provide the number of hours that can be delivered by its staff strength. The single-biggest challenge in this sector is locating, attracting and retaining database administrators who are adequately experienced and skilled. Often service providers tend to spend more time locating talent than customers.

Planning Customer Sales

The service provider needs to be constantly on the hunt for fresh talent to build the best team of remote DBA experts. This needs to be done not only to take care of the usual attrition but also to grow the team that will make possible servicing of additional customer loads. Given the supply constraints of quality database administrators, it can be a good strategy to first hire staff and then chase customers for business, because it can be downright embarrassing to have made a sale and then finding yourself in a spot because the contract can’t be serviced due to shortage of staff. Among the best way of identifying new hires is by way of personal referrals as some of the unknown elements associated with fresh recruits are removed. Another good source of recruits is SQL Server user groups. The service provider however needs to remember that the new recruits will interact with customers so they are in fact the face of the company, and hence in addition to evaluation of technical talent, they must possess a great degree of motivation and communication skills.

Setting and Meeting Customer Expectations

Remote DBAs should not make the mistake of over-committing its service levels. The sales force has to ensure that it is totally honest regarding what it can deliver and what it cannot, even if the sales environment is extremely challenging. The service provider must be prepared to face a crisis of trust or confidence in the early days of its relationship and must be able to tackle it with a demonstration of commitment by offering a team of multiple members that will earn the trust of the client and assure him that his critical data is safe and the service provider is in a position to offer continuity of service. If the service provider is promising to deliver 24x7 DBA services and support, it needs to establish that it can indeed offer such support. To do that it needs to find out from the client its support needs because unless the service provider is operating multiple shifts, extended periods of round-the-clock service may not be feasible. Remote DBAs may also choose the offshoring route to offer 24x7 services. This is done by working with affiliates located in different time zones that work to offer a seamless service to customers.