| T.R | Title | User | Personal
Name | Date | Lines |
|---|
| 2972.1 | Been wrong before, but.. | GUCCI::HERB | New Personal Name coming soon! | Wed Mar 30 1994 22:08 | 5 |
| > What could we sell on the market if we had it?
>UNIX system administrators
I view a customers's shortage of this expertise as a problem that we
can offer technology solutions to such as DECathena rather than bodies.
|
| 2972.2 | Digital PC's At Departmental Stores | ROMEOS::MANN_JA | Jesse Mann | Thu Mar 31 1994 02:02 | 13 |
| When ever I go to different stores that sell computers I always
wonder why Digital cannot sell our PC's at Sears, Montogomery Wards
Circuit City, Fry's Electronics, Best, Service Merchandise, Costo
and many others that sell PC's of other major brands. Do we have to
pay these stores to display or sell our PC's I know of only one
store here in Bay area which was selling and advertising Digital PC's
Wolf Computers which is no longer in business.
Any input or ideas are welcome.
J Mann
|
| 2972.3 | | RUTILE::AUNGIER | Live for today, plan for tomorrow | Thu Mar 31 1994 02:56 | 21 |
| >================================================================================
>Note 2972.1 Simple ideas to improve things 1 of 1
>GUCCI::HERB "New Personal Name coming soon!" 5 lines 30-MAR-1994 21:08
>--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> -< Been wrong before, but.. >-
>
> > What could we sell on the market if we had it?
> >UNIX system administrators
>
> I view a customers's shortage of this expertise as a problem that we
> can offer technology solutions to such as DECathena rather than bodies.
Give the customer what he wants, a body. I worked in sales for a number of
years but not in Digital. If the customer asks for a 3 pin bakalite socket,
there is no point in trying to sell hime a satin crome socket, he will be
pissed off with you trying to push this on him and won't even buy the bakalite
one from you. I don't say that you cannot talk about DECathena but one has to
be careful. Customers know better what they want than we do and even if they
don't they are the ones who pay us indirectly.
Ren�
|
| 2972.4 | Catch-22 | GUCCI::HERB | New Personal Name coming soon! | Thu Mar 31 1994 08:11 | 7 |
| In the Government sector, a body is a commodity that is acquired at the
lowest possible cost. Digital doesn't compete very well on these terms
so, if we take this approach, we get no business.
DECathena is a solution that includes boxes, software, and bodies that
can solve a particular problem. The bodies, in spite of the higher
cost, have an added value.
|
| 2972.5 | Great! | ASABET::ANKER | Anker Berg-Sonne | Thu Mar 31 1994 21:29 | 4 |
| Great, positive discussion. Its the small ideas that make a big
difference.
Anker
|
| 2972.6 | | AXEL::FOLEY | Rebel without a Clue | Fri Apr 01 1994 17:32 | 8 |
| RE: .2
Rumour has it that DECpc's will be showing up in "computer
superstores" and other retail outlets over the next year.
Right now, I think we are building them as fast as we can
sell them. I might be wrong.
mike
|
| 2972.7 | DECpcs offered through Insight | HYDRA::BECK | Paul Beck | Fri Apr 01 1994 17:45 | 3 |
| I just received a mail-order catalog from Insight (the parent company of
Hard Drives International) that included DECpcs along side PCs from
Compaq and AST.
|
| 2972.8 | | LEDS::TRIPP | | Mon Apr 04 1994 15:37 | 20 |
| Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't we sign a contract several years
ago with one of the "computer super stores"?
Computer...somethingorother??
I was working in MR04, and remember several days of long blacks limos,
and seeing one very relieved sales rep, basically announcing to anyone
who would listen that "they signed". Of course that doesn't mean that
who ever it was, is still in business does it?
But.... doesn't calling DECdirect give you the same effect? It's sort
of like calling Sears, Penny's etc giving a catalog number, credit card
or po# and placing an order, with expected ship dates given at time of
order? (works well in theory doesn't it?)
My husband called a couple weeks ago, just for some basic info on an
upgrade to our own PC, and the man on the other end just about tried to
bend his arm for any kind of an order at all. He was only calling to
request a specific DECdirect catalog!
Lyn
|
| 2972.9 | You can make money selling Cadillacs or Yugos | NUTS2U::LITTLE | Todd Little - Reuse Technology Group | Tue Apr 05 1994 04:10 | 22 |
| re: .4
> In the Government sector, a body is a commodity that is acquired at the
> lowest possible cost. Digital doesn't compete very well on these terms
> so, if we take this approach, we get no business.
Price is always an issue in any sector. That still doesn't preclude us
from making a buck in that area. For the 9 years or so I was in SWS,
we had gross margins of 50% at the district level, much of that being
exactly the kind of service suggested in the base note. For a few
years before coming to Digital I worked for a primarily government
contractor, and our rates were anything but low. So even there it is
possible to compete.
What's needed are competent trained delivery people and a sales force
that realizes the value of selling services. Measuring the sales force
primarily on hardware certs and focusing on certs per minute really
hurt the consulting side of the business. Perhaps all the changes
occuring in Digital Consulting, or whatever SWS is called this week,
will help swing things back the other way.
-tl
|