Trust & Cost Savings in IT with Diandra Ford-Wing

Episode SummaryDiandra Ford Wing, Director of Sales and Customer Success at Rectitude 3609, shares how a 25 year sales career shaped her relationship first approach to winning and growing accounts. From her early days at Dell working the EPP program and managing the HEB account, to navigating SaaS, fintech, and government sales cycles, Diandra explains what it really takes to build trust and solve operational problems. She also breaks down what Rectitude 3609 does as a data center centric MSP, how they lead with customer success, and how she earns meetings on cold outreach by focusing on practical value like cost reduction, coverage gaps, and proactive monitoring.What You’ll LearnHow Diandra built long term enterprise relationships through weekly presence and partner mindsetA real example of thinking outside the box to execute a large scale rollout using third party logisticsWhat Rectitude 3609 does as a data center centric MSP, including NOC and SOC support and co locationHow to open doors on cold calls using a clear value hook and the right questionsWhy higher education and healthcare require a different sales approach, especially around budget and complianceKey Topics CoveredCareer path lessons from Dell, SolarWinds, fintech, and managed servicesSelling into large accounts and expanding through partnership and proactive problem solvingGovernment and higher education buying cycles, approvals, and the realities of RFPsRectitude 3609 services: monitoring, security, staff augmentation, and co locationDifferentiation in a crowded MSP market through value framing and attention to detailTrade shows as a growth channel, and why speaking opportunities matterEntering new verticals like higher education and healthcare with tailored messagingChapter Timestamps00:00 Intro and Diandra’s role at Rectitude 360900:01 Diandra’s early career at Dell and the EPP program00:02 Managing the HEB account and expanding over time00:02 Transitioning into SaaS, fintech, and government focused sales00:04 Sabbatical, writing a book, and joining Rectitude 3609 (January 2, 2025)00:06 The reality of government buying cycles and low margins00:08 How Diandra grew HEB through relationship building and weekly on site presence00:09 The 385 store server rollout and solving logistics with a third party warehouse model00:14 Rectitude 3609 overview and what they do differently00:17 Cold outreach strategy and the value hook that opens doors00:20 Asking the question that challenges a prospect’s confidence in their current provider00:22 Expanding beyond large public venues into higher education and healthcare00:28 Trade shows, networking, and why speaking slots are worth it00:31 How to contact Diandra and Rectitude 3609Memorable Moments“Every single sale I ever won at HEB was hard fought.”“Security never stop.”“Often we are not replacing providers right away. Instead, we compliment what’s already there.”GuestDiandra Ford Wing is the Director of Sales and Customer Success at Rectitude 3609, a data center centric managed services provider focused on reliable technology solutions and customer service.Links and ResourcesLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/diandrafordwing/Company: http://www.rectitude369.com/