There’s plenty of doom and gloom to go around these days, but its not all bad news. Choosing a vendor has never been easier, so don’t wait for the dust to settle. Companies are licking their wounds and only the strong will survive. Defenses are down and now you can see the true colors of a company. So if you are looking for new ways to boost revenue or cut support costs, now is the time to look at vendors that can help you in these areas.

Here are a few things to look for:

1. The Client list. This one is obvious, but I’m going to throw it out there regardless. Does the vendor have reputable companies they are working with? This is always important, but right now even the big companies with big budgets are cutting low performing projects.
2. Do they have money? This is partially tied to their client list, but you can also check out their investors. If investors aren’t interested in their company, then why should you invest in their products? And now is a tough time to secure funding. Only companies with a viable business model and strong products will be able to pull in some cash.
3. Are they laying off a lot of staff? A company not performing up to expectations is likely going to be cutting down on wage costs. The Tech Crunch Layoff tracker is a great way to monitor this. If a vendor you are looking into is on the list, it means they are not performing up to their expectations, and would likely fall short of yours.

Every company says they are awesome, but as they say “the proof is in the pudding.” Check these company vitals to see if they really are as awesome as they claim to be.

How’s Baynote doing? Obviously I wouldn’t be posting this if our vitals were poor, they are strong. We’ve got revenue flowing in from companies enjoying high revenue boosts and cost reduction. We are not a member of the TC Layoff Tracker, so if you are a rockstar at what you do, check out our careers page. We are hiring!