RE: Its a new year, yet same old, same old...
> Date: Tue, 20 Jan 2009 16:24:12 +0000 > From: obnoxio@serendipita.com > CC: informix-list@iiug.org > Subject: Re: Its a new year, yet same old, same old... > [SNIP] > I can't wait. > > -- > Cheers, > Obnoxio The Clown > Oh, here's one I can tell... ;-) There's a certain IBM client here in Chicago. During the year IBM acquired Informix, this client purchased DB2 on the distributed platform, during Q4. Well over Q4, the client was having trouble with DB2. Not that DB2 was a bad product, but that they lacked the skills to use it properly. The client rep had an agenda. He wanted their DB2 project to fail so that he could force the client to pick up IGS to help with the project. After all, he's got a quota to meet. The IBM DB2 rep (The pillar was still DB2 at the time) wanted to get Lab Services to help. After all, even at $250 an hour, one guy is still cheaper than the IGS hordes and it would mean that the client's team would get mentoring and OTJ training. Long story short, the client met with IBM in the beginning of Q1 to give back the software. The project was a failure for two reasons. 1) The client didn't have the necessary skills to be successful and 2) The client team has someone on the team that was biased towards Oracle. We got tossed in at the last minute (Myself, Danny A, and Jennifer G) and Danny and I took the brunt of the client beating head on. (Jennifer had to go back to Toronto) We were put in to a losing situation because of a game being played by the client rep, in an effort to get more money from the client. The DB2 rep quit. The customer tossed IBM out except for their mainframe business. And nothing happened to the client rep, the guy who started it all. Now this story has nothing to do with Informix. The only reason I tell this story is because of the fact that getting a product to stick at an account is the responsibility of the S&D team assigned to the customer. Sure they can play games. They have an agenda to get as much revenue from a client as possible. If it means not selling a product in favor of selling a competitor's product, just so they can increase the money in the services side, or to have less resistance to the deal, they'll do it. If the client team (S&D) is not familiar with the product, nor have the local skills to support the product? Forget about it. So what has Ambush, Alyse, etc ... done to rectify this situation? This isn't a new problem. Its existed when Janet was here and came out in the open back in 2006. Its now 2009. So what has been done? The answer? NOTHING. Deafening isn't it? How can you expect IBM to market or promote a product that it manufactures but doesn't know how to sell. If any of IBM IM's executive management team tells you that IDS isn't being placed in the same category as IMS (READ L E G A C Y), then they are liars. Ambush sent out a letter over a year ago. Yet what has IBM done to effect any change? Nada. So yeah, there are a lot of stories I can tell. This story while not IDS related deals with the fsck up where IBM shot themselves in the foot. I got to watch first hand as the local execs had to get on a phone call to Steve Mills to explain what went on. Was this an issolated incident? I think not. ;-) But hey! What do I know? Its not like I and Danny were sitting across from the table of an angry client while the Client Rep and the FLM SAM manager sat in the corner silently. Oh snap! I was there. What do ya know? :-) -G _________________________________________________________________ Windows Live™ Hotmail®: Chat. Store. Share. Do more with mail. http://windowslive.com/howitworks?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_WL_t1_hm_justgotbetter_howitworks_012009