You've been there too many times to count. Your customer has a specific need. You've designed the perfect solution to fulfill it. But just when you think the sale is in the bag, the customer balks -- afraid to spend the money, or perhaps worried that the solution won't work as promised. Whatever the reason, the result is the same: you lose.

With the Ingram Micro Solution Centers, solution providers just like you are learning that it doesn't have to be that way. According to Jennifer Veltri, marketing manager for the Solution Centers, offering proof-ofconcept sessions that let customers "test before they invest" is an excellent method for combating those lastminute changes of heart.

"Each demo is fully customized and configured to address the business needs of the end user," Veltri says. "Plus, because we're a multimanufac-turer environment, end users can compare different manufacturers' products -- for example, Hewlett- Packard vs. IBM -- and decide which is best for their business needs." When customers see the real advantages they'll receive from the solution that interests them, they're less likely to back out of the sale, and more likely to trust the solution provider's advice on future technology issues.

This building of trust is another benefit that only the Solution Centers can offer. When backed by a team of trained and certified engineers, solution providers have an easier time establishing a reputation as skilled technology experts -- a reputation which they can then work into their brand identity and marketing activities. On top of that, by leveraging the Solution Centers, they gain access to more and newer technologies than they could ever afford to purchase as privately owned demo equipment, increasing their status in customers' eyes. Best of all, because the Solution Centers are fully funded by Ingram Micro's manufacturer partners, everything they contain is available free of charge to Ingram Micro customers.

"Our facilities would be difficult to replicate to the same scale anywhere else," Veltri says.