The Cobbler's Kids Have No Shoes

I am constantly struck by the number of companies I come across that are in the business of selling some kind of technology or solution that they, themselves, do NOT use. To hear the sales pitch, "The ROI is a no-brainer". They develop marketing campaigns and spend an enormous amount of resources trying to convince prospects that their solution is a must-have. And yet - the vendor does not use it themselves.
I just shake my head. What better way to learn the value of a solution than to use it yourself? What better way to train a sales force and develop messaging than to be your own customer? Sometimes the lessons learned are more valuable and telling than expected.
Two companies I've worked with in the past year have learned this first-hand:
Company A - The CEO wanted to create a new solution utilizing some key new features of his company's product. But before he had his team change their focus, he asked me to join him in doing some research, and then deploy this solution for his own company. It was a train wreck. Implementation issues and service availability limitations proved that the solution was premature for the marketplace. What a great value. By becoming their own client - Company A learned that a strategic new solution was misguided. Without that experience - they would be asking Congress for some bailout money.
Company B - The CEO wanted to save money by deploying his company's new IP-PBX with SIP Trunking capabilities. A great idea that proved so difficult to overcome, that this company's future is in the balance. By deploying the solution internally, we learned that cultural issues and lack of training can create enough opposition to change as to threaten the entire enterprise. You can guess that the CEO has a tough job ahead.
Yes, I know, it's not always practical. But as the examples I shared above point out - you will learn more about your own company - if you are a customer.