Conference heron::euro_swas_ai

    
          
                  AI FORUM and Business Issues
    
     In order to be successful we need to have clear objectives and an easy
    way to measure their achievements. We all agree that a clear  objective
    is to get into as many Corporate Account as possible. We know that they
    are 24 of those and that 6 have already included AI into their plans.
         Why not set as an objective to have 12 accounts which will include
      AI in their plans and from that objective:
         - define actions to get there
         - identify the AI people who are in contact with those accounts  &
           help them to achieve that goal
    
       I don't really know when Corporate Account plans are being made, but
    this kind of actions should be very helpful to increase AI  visibility.
    Maybe we could devote some time in the next AI FORUM to this matter. We
    will use previous experiences from Caroline & Steve and try to define a
    set of actions.
    
        Any ideas on this subject are welcome.
    
    Daniel  

    
    AI will be in the acct plan of ABB for QY91. This is confirmed.
    
    ABB is a corporate acct so I had to develop relationships on two
    levels: the national team and the corporate team. 
    
    Getting to know the acct managers and the acct team consultants
    was the first step. After a few meetings I had convinced them that
    it would be worth while to their business penetration of the acct
    by utilizing AI as a door opener. This was done in a prepared and
    professional mannar. 
    
    Next I met with some of the key sales people and went with them
    to the customer to see what ABB had been doing in AI.
    
    I organized the information and made a formal evaluation of an AI
    shell ABB had developed and distributed this to the team.
                  
    I gave an AI awareness day for internal Knowledge Transfer using
    a training seminar which I developed, ABB team members also attended.
    
    I followed up with a workshop to bring more specific lead information
    for the industry of ABB to the team. We did a brainstorming session
    to define real business oportunities and tried to prioritize these.
    I provided the team with a sales template of questions to identify
    oportunities. We defined actions for each to use the template and
    to use other channels to gain more information to complete the
    opportunity/selection matrix. We scheduled the next workshop. 
    Prior to this workshop I worked together with the acct consultant
    to investigate different methods and to plan the workshop.
    
    The result was the mail confirming the acct plan inclusion of AI.
     
    
    

    I too believe that close contact with the account team is essential in
    getting AI in the account plan. I think that the account penetration
    ploy will work best in corporate accounts if you stress the concept of
    penetrating the "blue" area of thier accounts. Recently I heard the
    following discussion of how IT money is spent in the world...
    
    50% is spent on POLICY and 50% on PROJECTS. The POLICY area refers to a
    corporations "bet your business" type applications (payroll, general
    ledger,etc.). PROJECT business is everything else. 
    
    Today, Digital has 18% of the project business and 2% of the policy
    business. IBM, not surprisingly, has 50% of the policy business; i.e.,
    25% of the total worldwide IT budget. It is this POLICY area that our
    corporate account teams are focusing on.
    
    I would suggest that you stress how AI has been successful in
    penetrating these traditional IBM strongholds. It is the question that
    is forefront in the minds of many corporate account team members. We
    have some good references to point to in this area:
    
    AETNA
    BT
    GD (Italy)
    VOLVO
    etc.
    
    It's late and these are the first to come to mind, but the list is much
    longer. 

    One problem with account planning is that this is driven by 
    MARKETING and SALES, while EIS is just consulting the job.
    To begin with, EIS-specialists in the field probably don't 
    even know which the european corporate accounts are. We certainly
    would love to support account plans, but I doubt that EIS has
    been very much involved so far.
      

    That's true. But don't let it stop you! You can get this info from
    an office which is designed to handle the strategic accts. additional
    info can be gotten from the SALES manager from the regions.
    Marketing could help, but I didn't wait for them to initia somethihing,
    I'm not that patient!          
    
    It is true it takes a bit of assertion, however, you will quickly
    find out which teams are approachable. I found out its best to talk
    to the acct consultants FIRST. They will lead you to the appropriate
    sales reps on the team...once they believe in you. The acct teams
    will be usually willing to talk to people who will want to help
    them gain acct penetration. Its only when they have been burned
    before or when the customer has an anathema of AI that they can't
    find time. Sometimes when we are too late that's the case.
    
            
    

This is the time that accountplans are made (at least in my country)
and they should be ready before Christmas. I contacted several
account consultants who are willing to cooperate to get AI in their
Account Plans. However, they ask me to propose some text. Does anyone
have some concrete examples of the AI-content in Account Plans?
If necessary you can "scramble" any sensitive information. I just need
some ideas.

Thanks in advance,						Hans.

    Sounds like just the sort of support Pat should be able to give; at the
    risk of proposing actions for someone else (and all the consequences
    that might result in!), I would even go so far as to suggest it might
    be worthwhile Pat spending a day in Holland with you plus as many of
    the account reps as possible in putting this together.
    
    Only a suggestion...
    Best regards
    Steve
    
    (I'll now wait for people to start telling me how to spend my time!!!)
    

    Hans,
    
    I stand ready to come and help anyone get AI into account plans;
    anywhere - anytime (schedule permitting). I know of a couple places
    where AI has been included into account plans and will try and get a
    couple of "scrambled" versions. I will post them here when I do.
    
    Steve,
    
    Thanks for the vote of confidence in my ability and desire to respond.
    I don't mind being volenteered for anything as long as the request 
    conforms to my personal code of professional ethics which are pretty
    much captured in the following "10 Professional Commandments" which
    were posted on the door of the manager who first hired me into Digital:
    


                        Every Professional's Bill of Right


          1.The right to be treated with respect.


          2.The right to express your own feelings and opinions.


          3.The right to be heard and taken seriously.


          4.The right to set your own priorities.


          5.The right to say no without feeling guilty.


          6.The right to ask what you want, knowing that others have
            the right to refuse.


          7.The right to be paid what you are worth.


          8.The right to ask for information from authorities and
            supervisors and to receive responses in a timely manner.


          9.The right to make mistakes.


          10The right to assert yourself.
    
    
    In this instance, I whole heartedly agree that I want to and should
    take this action. I will always hold onto 4. and 5. above! 8^)