Re: Informix Directions

Billy Wheeler wrote in message <6bkju6$fri$1@news.xmission.com>... > >On 8 Feb 98 at 4:42, David Kosenko wrote: > >> On Thu, 5 Feb 1998 22:37:07 -0500, "Tim Schaefer" >> <tschaefe@mindspring.com> wrote: > >> +3. Sell from the bottom up, not the top down. >> Dave wrote this: >> While I agree with most of your other points, here I have to say >> that you are wrong. I know, I've been there; what you suggest does >> NOT work. >> >> In almost 10 years at Informix (now employed by an Informix >> partner), I can't count how many times we had the hearts and minds >> of the development staff, only to lose the sale because some VP with >> little to no technical knowledge decided on Oracle. Purchasing >> decisions are not made at the bottom, they are made at the top, so >> that HAS to be where the sales effort is expended to get sales. I didn't see your original post Dave, my news service is a bit flaky lately, so I'll simply respond to Billy's post. With no intentional disrespect here Dave, I have to say that working at Informix has not given you the optimal viewpoint that I and others have regarding Informix sales. I rarely think in terms of only the Informix salesman in my perspective. Although they are a part of the equation, I think more in terms of the overall sales effort Informix has expended as a company. To be sure, the car salesmen that sell Informix software are indeed important, but they are not the only component. Had decent marketing been done in the trade magazines, and other media, certainly Informix would have the upper hand. Presales momentum is Oracle's big advantage, with clearly articulated ads that leave no doubt. A manager has been presold, through sales media, thusly the sale is closed before the car salesmen ever show up. Oracle's web site is geared toward sales, Informix's web site is geared towards chit chat. My big puzzler for you is: Is Oracle actually better than Informix? Maybe this is why Informix won't simply say they are better than Oracle. Maybe it really isn't true. The real secret is that Oracle really IS better than Informix, otherwise Informix would have said so clearly in advertisements that Informix is superior to Oracle. It's really quite simple to articulate this message, and because of the simplicity, I have to conclude scientifically, that Informix is not as good as Oracle software. We would have heard otherwise by now, with ads that talk about the superiority of the Informix engine, but since it ain't true, the ads weren't done. For me anyway, the ads, the total marketing package, developer programs, and promotions are more important to the selling of Informix products than any car salesman that comes into a shop, does the perfunctory power point presentation, and then cops the sale. I know this is how Microsoft works, depending more on total mindshare in the social strata than just car salesmen to sell their software. Even with their billions Microsoft and Oracle still advertise on TV, and in print, with clearly articulated messages that increase mindshare, which ultimately increases marketshare. If a salesman was involved, it was only enough to tip the close, but the sale was done long ago in the advertising. Mindshare moves software, not car salesmen. Tim Tim Schaefer tschaefe@mindspring.com http://www.inxutil.com ICQ:6358805 #include <hit_my_thumb_with_a_hammer_to_distract_me_from_my_headache.h> Billy responded before Tim did: > >I hate to be seen to be disagreeing with Tim, but yes, I concur with >Dave. Unfortunately, Informix seems to have decided to use alienation >of the grass-roots end of the market as part of its top-end marketing >strategy... :-) > ( Thanks Billy! :-) Tim >-- > >/Ciao, >\\Billy >/ >\\Group Managing Director, The West Solutions Group: http://www.west.co.za >/ Chairman, South African Informix User Group: http://www.west.co.za/~saiug >\\ Informix FAQ @ http://www.iiug.org/techinfo/faq/faq_top.html >/ Drivel @ http://www.west.co.za/tasteless/ >\\________________________________________________________________________________________________