tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4779425913981711104.post3652555070765171481..comments2023-05-25T06:02:29.979-04:00Comments on Digital Sagebrush: What does buying a car have to do with Storage?AceSagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07697562857558456676noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4779425913981711104.post-70364787283276031172007-11-24T04:54:00.000-05:002007-11-24T04:54:00.000-05:00You know what they say about Great Minds?I posted ...You know what they say about Great Minds?<BR/>I posted this on DrunkenData "Feel My Pain" June 26th, 2007.<BR/><BR/>I resisted commenting all day but the opportunity is too great to pass up.<BR/><BR/>“Good day, Sir. Could I help you with your automobile selection?”<BR/>“Yes. I’m looking for good, reliable transportation for 2 adults plus 2 pre-adolescent children. At a good price.”<BR/>“Well, here is our most popular, solid, family of 2+2 econoline model.”<BR/>“What price range are we talking about?”<BR/>“Well within your budget, Sir. This model was engineered to fit inside the budget for a 2+2 family seamlessly, transparently and unobtrusively. You won’t even know its there financially.”<BR/>“Great! Let’s talk bottom line price.”<BR/>“There are a wide range of options engineered to enhance and upgrade the model to suit your tastes and pocketbook.”<BR/>“Options? I don’t need no stinking options! Isn’t this baby ready to go?”<BR/>“Well, did you want tires with that model, Sir?”<BR/>“Of course. How much?”<BR/>“Well, did you want wheels for the tires too, Sir?”<BR/>“Do I have a choice?”<BR/>“Of course, Sir. You might have some old wheels and tires left from your last model?”<BR/>“No, no I don’t.”<BR/>“Too bad, Sir. We have a wonderful upgrade allowance special running on this model.”<BR/>“Did you want windows with this model, Sir.”<BR/>“Don’t those come standard? I never saw one without windows?”<BR/>“Oh yes, Sir. The standard windows are unsigned, unrated, unbranded plexiglas equivalents. They do roll up and down manually. The power window option is not available except with the upgrade windows.”<BR/><BR/>I could do the same dialog about Storage products.<BR/>My memory of Storage products dealing is that all the “good ones” disappeared into some black hole and then the endless gamesmanship with the Storage “lawyers”. I wish I had video of every time I asked for something really useful to me and they fell down laughing.<BR/>“You want fries with that?”Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4779425913981711104.post-67261309739522062262007-11-03T05:56:00.000-04:002007-11-03T05:56:00.000-04:00First of all, glad you found a car that you both l...First of all, glad you found a car that you both like afterall that!<BR/><BR/>Although I'm not hugely involved in the sales side of things over at IBM. I do get involved in the technical pre-sales, or deep dive technical discussions with customers. Especially so those in the UK that come to visit the labs at Hursley. Usually by this point they have expressed an interest in SVC so the initial sales calls I don't see. However at this point, and indeed throughput the process there is no shame in answering 'No' to a question. Making out your product can do something it can't or can do in a roundabout way is pointless. It will only come to bite you big time later on. <BR/><BR/>What I do find most useful from these meetings is new ideas and greater insight into what customers actually want from their systems. This has more impact on future plans than you'd imagine. Althought product marketing and program management get the final say in whats in and out of the roadmap, we do have a big say in what we should or should not be doing, and if something can be squeezed into a future release it will be. <BR/><BR/>This has to be the best way to implement new function - that is, at the request of end users, rather than 'because vendor X does it - we need to have it'BarryWhytehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16261636915773993269noreply@blogger.com