To achieve success, tech advisors must understand what their customers want and need. Many fall short, however, according to the 2026-27 Telarus Tech Trends Report.
The technology services distributor (TSD) identifies an execution gap between what advisors think their customers value them most for and what buyers actually value most. Telarus also refers to this as a value perception disconnect.
According to the report, 54% of advisors believe their primary value is delivering cost savings but only 26% of buyers agree. What buyers want overwhelmingly is execution capabilities—project management and implementation support (48%), rigorous vendor vetting (48%), and integration planning (43%). The Telarus report draws on responses from more than 500 mid-market and enterprise IT decision-makers and more than 450 technology advisors.
For the report, independent research firm Redpoint Insights asked buyers: “What value has advisor involvement delivered?” And it asked advisors: “In your experience, advisor involvement most often leads to?”
Long-term client retention was the most common advisor answer with 54% choosing it, followed by cost savings and better vendor alignment at 54%. Reduced risk (32%) and stronger integration outcomes (31%) were low on the list. Cost savings ranked at the bottom of the buyer options.
The Telarus report summarizes: “Leading with cost savings is a mistake. It immediately positions you as a commodity: Someone who helps a customer buy cheaper, not as a strategic partner who helps them build better. Today’s buyers want partners with a track record of delivering on-time, on-budget, and ROI-rich solutions. This is a direct opportunity to leverage the power of Telarus’s engineering, project management, and advanced solutions resources behind you.”
Telarus suggests TAs ask these questions in the first 20 minutes of an opening discovery call with customers and prospects:
• What does a successful outcome look like 12 months from now?
• Where have technology projects stalled or underdelivered for you before?
• Who internally owns the success of this initiative?
Other suggestions were to reframe the value proposition to lead with execution over price and build vendor vetting and project management into the process.
“Advisors who win lead with expertise helping buyers move from selection to measurable business outcomes rather than focusing on price alone,” Telarus CEO Adam Edwards said.
Adam Edwards
The report introduces two practical frameworks to help advisors sell in the AI age:
IT Buyer AI Maturity Model: Categorizes client organizations into Starters (22%) just beginning their AI journey, Builders (50%) overcoming execution obstacles, and Leaders (28%) scaling governance and competitive advantage.
Advisor AI Maturity Model: Benchmarks TAs across three stages of evolution—Traditionalist, Transitioner, and Pacesetter, and provides playbooks for moving from point-solution sales to high-margin, ecosystem-level consultation.
Another key finding of the report is how IT buying priorities are converging. Companies have shifted from buying technologies in silos to buying stacks including Cloud & Infrastructure (42%), AI & Automation (38%), Cybersecurity (34%), and Customer Experience (34%). Advisors who raised revenue by more than 20% over the past year were twice as likely to report that multi-solution deals generated over half of their annual revenue.
Download the report here.