RE: Just a little tease on how to place proper product spin.

Cute. No. I actually am limited to approx 40 hours a week and I have to flip my hours sometimes due to machine availability and other constraints. I've been at this client for over a year and a half, so I think they trust me to be honest about my hours. Besides this is a good distraction to help me step away from a problem.... But so far, I've had 3 non-responses. I guess it is true. Its easier to bitch about the problem than to take some time and think about a solution. -G PS. I do have Adult ADD (undiagnosed as a kid.) So my mind wanders when I'm bored. ;-) > Date: Tue, 8 Apr 2008 07:58:36 -0700 > From: bigdaddyjerry@yahoo.com > Subject: RE: Just a little tease on how to place proper product spin. > To: im_gumby@hotmail.com; indeep@indeep.com; informix-list@iiug.org > > > Are you billing your customer at the same time you're > typing all this today Gumby? > > --- Ian Michael Gumby <im_gumby@hotmail.com> wrote: > > > > > Gee! > > > > Did you wake up on the wrong side of the bed this > > morning? > > > > The purpose of the exercise is to think. > > Sure its easy to poke fun of the marketing > > department. Most people here have never done sales. > > > > The key here is how do you answer a question that > > doesn't do the following: > > > > 1) Play one product against another. > > 2) Open yourself up to *more* questions that *you* > > *dont* want to address. > > 3) Detract from the message that you want to > > project. > > I've been accused of ripping on IDS management and > > not being positive. > > Yet here's a positive post and the only two > > responses have been you, being negative, and Mark > > Townsend a developer and employee of Oracle who > > would rather spend time here than actually work on > > making Oracle a better product. It works, but you > > have to throw lots of hardware to make it work well > > enough. (And don't get me started on some of the > > "certified" Oracle DBAs walking around. IDS may be > > simpler, but I'd take an IDS certified DBA over an > > Oracle certified DBA.) > > > > So when I try to get those who also criticize IDS > > marketing and sales management to try and think in a > > more creative and positive way, they don't want to > > be bothered. > > > > Product management doesn't really grok the sales > > mentality. I've told them countless times that you > > need to change the PBCs of certain individuals to > > make real change happen. They haven't done that. > > Why? Because they don't understand what motivates > > the S&D team. Or their management. Hint: PBCs > > indirectly affect their pay. > > > > The point of the "spin" game is an effort to get > > individuals to modify how they think about a given > > topic. Oracle is great at doing this while they sell > > smoke and mirrors. > > > > The truth is... Its easier to be negative and bitch > > about a problem than to solve it. > > When given an opportunity to add your two cents, you > > bitch. > > > > But hey! What do I know? > > I've actually done more behind the scenes that just > > bitch... ;-) > > > > -G > > > > > > > > > > > From: indeep@indeep.com> Subject: Re: Just a > > little tease on how to place proper product spin.> > > Date: Mon, 7 Apr 2008 20:12:00 -0700> To: > > informix-list@iiug.org> > Ian Michael Gumby wrote:> > > > Lets play a game...> > > > We all know that IDS's > > problems aren't in the product development team. > > > > But in how the product is being positioned and > > presented to the > > industry, their > > customers,press/analysts and of course IBM's very > > own > > S&D team. So lets tease Jerry and his crew > > (Cathy and Bernie) and > > suggest, a much better > > market position statement.> >> > Why bother.> > > > > Sure we all want to say "Keep IDS in the LUW aka > > "Distributed" world, > > and place DB2 on the > > mainframe and AS/400 aka I series. While we know > > > > that will never happen, it is still a very viable > > option and one that > > IBM should consider.> > What > > makes you think anyone gives a shit.> > > (And of > > course, support those customers who are already on > > DB2 in LUW > > world.) -- Just Kidding. IBM would > > never do this. Serge would lose his > > job and be > > forced to work for Oracle or Microsoft... 8-0 :-)> > > > > > But lets get serious, yes, even Gumby can get > > serious... ;-):> > > > I believe it was Bernie who > > did the IDS "whitepaper" interview which did > > a > > horrendous of product positioning.> > HEY IBM, > > HERE"S A FREE CLUE. THE NEXT TIME YOU'RE ASKED THIS > > QUESTION... > > CONSIDER THIS AS YOUR ANSWER...:> > > > > > A: "We [IBM] believe that we're in an excellent > > position because we have > > two thoroughbred > > racehorses in our stable. Through the Informix > > > > acquisition, we have acquired not only talented > > engineers and > > developers, but also a product > > that has an incredibly loyal fan base. > > That fan > > base exists because IDS is an easy to maintain, > > performance > > beast, well suited for embedded > > solutions, OLTP solutions, and > > datamarts. > > Through their acquistion of Illustra, they also have > > > > extensibility that will allow them to adapt to > > "web 2.0" type > > applications, along with the high > > end custom solutions that some of our > > customers > > need. Contrast this to DB2 whose lineage comes from > > the > > Mainframe. Well suited for handling large > > volumes of data and large data > > warehouses. > > Products like SAP have been specifically tuned for > > DB2.> > > > So when we look at the customers' needs, > > we can supply an engine that > > can meet their > > diverse requirements. From one end of the spectrum, > > we > > have IDS. The other, DB2. Together, our > > product base covers *all* of the > > customers' > > needs...."> > > > Q: "What about product overlap?"> > > > A: "We [IBM] believe that the overlap is actually > > a good thing. Both > > products adhere to the DRDA > > standard, so that our DRDA compliant tools > > will > > work with either database. These databases can work > > well within > > environments together and compliment > > each other. No other company can do > > this. > > Product overlap also gives a customer choice. If > > they've started > > with IDS and they are > > comfortable with IDS, they can stay with IDS. The > > > > say is true of DB2. IBM is working to keep both > > products in parity when > > they can. Technology is > > shared between both engines. "> > > > > > -=-> > > > > > I think you get the point. No bashing of either > > product. Each product > > receives equal footing.> > > > > > So you're saying the marketing department is > > filled with cocksucking sychophants.> > > > > Now > > here's the Game.> > Its your job to poke holes in > > these statements.> > As you poke a hole, then find a > > counter argument that defends this position.> > The > > more you do this, the stronger the argument > > becomes.> >> > Q: What is the sound of one hand > > clapping?> > A: A Slap in the face.> > > > With > > respec