Conference 7.286::digital

1246.0. "foreward !" by SHIRE::GOLDBLATT () Fri Oct 26 1990 10:51

It's one of the objectives (not the main one, which is to find the right 
solution to the customer's or prospect's problems) of Digital's consultancy 
activities that they discover or generate opportunities for the sales of 
Digital products and services.  It happens that these opportunities, because
they were unknown prior to the consultancy, don't often correspond to the 
planned selling goals of the local Sales organization, nor the planned
P&L goals of the local EIS organization.  

This lack of correspondance too often results in the Sales and EIS 
organization ignoring these business opportunities and discrediting the 
usefulness of consultancy, some times to the point of denying its 
credibility.  Practicaly, this results in the lack of interest and 
participation in the consultancy by Sales and sometimes refusal of Sales 
recommending or funding consultancy.

This situation is not rare, unfortunately, and results in lost opportunites
for Digital to increase its presence and reputation in the customer or 
prospect and to increase its market share.  It also seriously degrades the
image of Digital as a "solution partner".

In order that Digital's commercial success not be limited in this way by 
personal goals, I suggest that a "Digital Goal" be created.  Attainment
of this Digital Goal would be achieved by :

1) improving Digital's presence in a customer or prospect, not necessarily
   accompanied by short-term revenu

2) creating or discovering a new business opportunity that account management
   can exploit currently or in the future

3) activities leading to Digital revenu in a Digital business unit different
   from that of the participant's

Attaining sufficient credit towards the Digital Goal would lead to recognition,
similar to DEC100, DECATHELON, etc.

What do you think of this?  Could it work ?  Do you think that this is the
best way to address the problem ?  

David Goldblatt - Europe I.M.   

	... the title of .0 to be "Forward!"?  Or am I encountering a spelling incon-
sistency between US and Europe?

	Or was it supposed to be "Foreword", which a large number of sup-
posedly educated people like to spell "Forword"?  :>)

	Kind of a slow Friday, isn't it!  :>)

    Those of us who call ourselves consultants, whether our customers are
    internal or external, rarely make sales forecasts, commit ourselves to
    them, or use any of the other traditional methods of providing
    management with information about what economic benefit can be derived
    from our activities.  Perhaps we should.  A formal model of the
    consultancy business which provides revenue and cost estimates as well
    as spin-off business for hardware and software might be the glue to
    help "integrate" our Enterprise Integration Services.