Your technology provider is not your opponent

Know your opponent. That’s the advice that one industry pundit offered to financial institutions in a recent opinion piece about negotiating pricing with technology companies.

Know your opponent.

I’m not going to lie. When I first read that, it made my stomach churn a little. Then it just made me angry. Why? Because that’s about the worst advice ever – and I mean ever.

Know your opponent.

That encourages financial institutions to create and maintain an adversarial relationship with their technology vendors. That’s so fricking stupid, it boggles my mind.

Here’s a newsflash for all you banks and credit unions out there: Your technology vendors are not your enemies. They’re actually your friends. Or at least they should be. They want the exact same thing you want – for you to be successful using their products and services. You’re both on the same side.

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