Results, not products, differentiate vendors in the eyes of executives.Executives assign strategic supplier status to vendors that are willing and able to align in substantial, not superficial, ways. Executives include getting paid for results, sharing knowledge, and helping them bridge the IT to business gap at their company as attributes of their most trusted partners. Not only do strategic suppliers earn more of executives' business, they are given the opportunity to influence -- and even define -- how their clients will realize value in the future.