We let our CE know that we were budgeting for the purchase of a
     little over $400,000 in HP computer equipment and to pass this on to
     our sales rep.
 
        Still no response.
 
        My question is: Does $400,000 qualify as a major purchase??
 
 
______________________________ Reply Separator _________________________________
Subject: Re: Sales Rep Soap Box (long)
Author:  John Schmid <[log in to unmask]> at HMS-Internet
Date:    12/6/95 1:19 PM
 
 
Be careful what you say as HP is one of our BIG customers. I just left
a voice-mail message with my local Sales Reps to have him check out
this excellent discussion.
 
Are the SIG leaders listening? This should be on your agenda at the next
Interex Conference (or maybe IPROS also?). HP has learned their lesson
well at the Boston "tea party" and look what is happening with TurboIMAGE,
now IMAGE/SQL.
 
HP is still treating their major accounts well, however, they must not
forget that their "little" customers grow up to be bigger customers as
they prosper with their computer technology.
 
>In article <[log in to unmask]> Guy Smith
><[log in to unmask]> writes (eloquently, I might add):
>
>>   Forgive me.  It s time to vent (batten the hatches and stow the children
>>   below decks).
>
>I have made this same ventilation in triplicate!
>
>[snip]
>
>> because Bill and Dave s Computer Emporium had a marketing
>>   team-scheme that couldn t be beat.
>
>It worked.  Some  management-re-engineering types can't cope with that.
>
>[more snip]
>
>>          Neither sales rep knows enough about my installation,
>>          software or history to provide informed advice
>
>Not only that, there seems not to be any desire or incentive to know.
>[snippet]
>
>>          producing
>>          proposals and quotes which simply will not work
>
>Those were the days, when even the power and communications cables were
>included without a second thought!
>
>I have spent the greater part of a year trying to get just one order for
>just one machine straightened out.  No-one is yet certain that it's correct.
>
>The usual problems with 'growing pains' should not cause pain for the
>customer base, but this set of complaints has been heard for a number of
>years now, and Guy's experience seems to say that it's not getting better.
>
>I remember getting the price list/configuration guide at monthly intervals
>back when HP welcomed a call to say 'How would this ramafraz help my
>system?' from this frazzled system manager.  Why did this change?
>
>[more snip]
>
>>  In a highly
>>  competitive market place, service buys loyalty, and that s one asset I
>>  would hate for HP to lose.
>
>It's on the decline, and my loyalty is hard to justify among my colleagues
>when the sales organization provides such a dismal record of service.
>
>>   [given the nature of this posting, I'll state here that these are my
>>   opinions, which do not reflect those of my employer, my bosses, or
>>   any real or imagined sentient being]
>
>Unfortunately, Guy, you're more sensible than HP would like to hear.
<snip>
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> John Schmid         < My opinions > voice: 612-733-9906     <
> Lead DBA            < do not not  >   fax: 612-736-7757     <
> 3M Company          < necessarily > email: [log in to unmask] <
> 3M Center 224-3S-25 < represent   >                         <
> St. Paul, MN 55144  < those of 3M >                         <
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~