Lowe says she has seen many interesting changes over the past 20 years. The most obvious change has been in the field of telecommunications and its merging with data.
“You now have two quiet different cultures trying to merge into one. We are working together with customers looking for multiple thoughts of services and we find suppliers are going back to smaller services. Companies who were competitors are now working as partners,” she says.
“A lot of senior management need core alliances, however their sales people don’t realise it. Good sales people are driven by revenue and can’t see the market advantage driven by alliances.”
Lowe believes its better business working with good people. ASI Solutions originally started with two people and currently employees 165 staff and the number of employees hired by the company astounds Lowe.
She says some of her employees have been with ASI for a number of years and credits this to her background in teaching. She says her hands on different style of management makes her stand out to her employees and is a great believer in the team and giving the people around her credit.
“It’s all about pride in staff movement - staff may move on from the company, what is really important is the number of years they have spent with you. My philosophy is very much hands on involvement from management down,” she says.
“I always get a smile on my face when I think about the difficult people our organisation has had to deal with. When you get difficult customers keeping them proves to everyone we have done well in this market.”
Lowe says when the company gets a difficult customer the challenge keeping them on as clients for many years.
The few difficult customers that have bought IT through ASI Solutions have stayed with the company because it was the only one with people who could tolerate them, she says. “The trick is to stand on their side of the fence. Look at how they would perceive their issues and quickly work out what they want. I think it’s important to look at the size of the customer. If it’s a small issue and it isn’t dealt with, it could potentially lose you a very large customer,” she says.
“People get emotional when they have a problem. I’ve learnt from my partner [that] these [problems] need to be fixed by giving the clients the facts and taking them through step one to 20 of a project.”
Women in IT
Lowe feels this industry is great for women to work in – because “all the men are in it”. She says there are a lot of clever ladies in IT and personally likes to have a mixed gender team. ASI has female technical engineers who have been with the company for over 10 years.
“My wish list would be for more women in the most senior positions. I was quiet sad when Carly Fiorina, former chairman and CEO of HP [was retrenched.
“Internationally, she took them through a time of huge merger between Compaq and HP,” she says.
“Local companies like Ingram Micro and LAN Systems have a good team of woman in senior management positions. However there’s not enough MDs, directors or VPs. Resellers with strong female managers are the leading edge companies – however female owners of Australian business don’t get a lot of airplay.”
In her opinion, a woman’s ability to multi-task makes her ideal for this industry. Lowe says as people move into different areas they have to be able to manage issues, the business and people.
The only negative she has perceived in IT is from overpowering women – who she believes got that way because of the hard climb up the corporate ladder.
“I have been in a situation where I have worked with my partner - who is also my [business] partner full-time. For 26 years, we have lived and work with each other, this is what makes it a good business because our work and social life is intertwined,” says Lowe. “IT is such an involving industry --you can’t sit back, you have to throw everything at it. A lot of people I regard as friends are also customers and suppliers.”
Lowe may have had to give up the chance to sing Wagner in front of an audience in the Sydney Opera House and educating the burgeoning minds of adolescents, but those were nothing compared to the valuable lessons, friends and clients she has made through out her years in IT.
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