The ITEEx Vendor Partner Program involves the creation of a repository of referenceable vendors (ITEEx Marketplace) for our membership to access, when needed. We have personally asked many ITEEx Members what they do in a situation when they are intrigued by a certain vendor's value proposition, but they have had no prior contact with this vendor. Basically, the number "5" came back consistently, in that most everyone answered that they only have time to contact five of their colleagues/trusted sources to ask about the vendor. If those contacts haven't dealt successfully with this vendor, "the deal is off". Conversely, if the vendor comes highly recommended, they are pursued with vigor.

We feel that the most valuable part of our CIO "exchange" is this program, where vendors can post their profiles (in an easy to read, concise, and standardized manner) on our web site, accessible to our membership. The key is that these vendors must have done business with a number of our members, and be referenceable by them. So, we are able to scorecard these vendors, sort them by their capabilities, and post them for our members perusal. We've received rave reviews from ITEEx Members, to whom we've presented the concept, as this would truly cut down on both the research time, as well as the overall risk of developing new vendor relationships.

What are the advantages to ITEEx Members?

ITEEx recognizes that one of the most difficult and time consuming tasks in the life of today's CIO is selecting appropriate vendors. We encourage our members to “share the wealth” and refer vendors to ITEEx that have performed well for them in the past. Think about it: if every member refers a number of exceptional vendor partners to ITEEx, our membership will have at their disposal, an invaluable resource list of highly recommended vendors.

• Either through our online referral tool, or through scheduling a meeting with an ITEEx representative to completely outsource the process, we will do all the footwork to get the vendors engaged in the program.
  
• At a moment's notice, our members will be able to tap into a repository of referenceable resources that extend well beyond one's personal contact circles.
  
• The ability to access a concise, one-page profile of a vendor that cuts through the cold-call "sales pitch" and gives the true value proposition up front.
  
• Last, but definitely not least: By expanding your vendors' business development capabilities and exposure to a wider, very highly-qualified audience of your peers, the ITEEx Member will deepen the relationship with his own preferred vendors.