Conference 7.286::digital

    It's funny, not really, I had a similar thing happen last year
    around this time. I worked in Stow, OGO, at the time. I asked
    many people, sent mail with the person's name and phone number 
    to many people including some high level managers and guess what?
    I never received a reply nor did the person receive a phone call.
    The person had tried to contact DEC but got nowhere. Needless to 
    say this person bought a system and services elsewhere. Made me
    feel real good.
    
    Jim C.
    

    Contact Joe Ricevuto, Retail Marketing Segment Manager.  
    DTN 264-4710.  I will send him the base note.

    As a Services Engineer, I talk with customers every day, and often hear
    of their plans to buy equipment.  All Services Engineers (in our area,
    anyway) have access to CHAMP, our call-handling system.  A menu option
    on CHAMP is "Sales Leads" which enables us to enter lead information
    without having to track down a salesperson.  If we aren't near a
    terminal, we can call our dispatcher, who will enter the lead for us. 
    All leads are followed up with an acknowledgement from sales.
    
    Assuming you're not a Services Engineer, I would suggest using the
    Yellow Pages to find the nearest Sales Office, and speak to a Sales
    MANAGER.  You may find it necessary to check back with your lead source
    to make sure they were contacted, but be persistent.  There is no
    excuse for ignoring new business.
    
    Chris Lane
    

    Why isn't there some sort of VTX or other readily accessible on-line way 
    for regular Deccies to enter sales leads?
    
    Steve

    There is a customer service number that you can call to find out who
    the account rep is on a specific account in a specific area.  I also
    have a listing of all major accounts and their Account Manager.  Drop
    me a note off-line, and I may be able to find the name of the rep if
    you tell me the customer/location.
    
    By the way, the sales force IMHO is not a heavy user of VAX notes or
    VTX.  If you entered a lead in either place, it is unlikely that the
    specific rep would notice it for weeks.
    
    Paula

    forgot the number...
    
    dtn 223-7161... if you can tell them the area where the customer is,
    they will give you the name/phone of the area person that maintains the
    accounts/rep list.  That person can tell you the name of the specific
    rep assigned to the account.

    
    .3 is referring to SAO (Service Accounts Organization.)
    
    Reps with SAO will contact the customer and follow up with the person
    who generated the lead.  It's an excellent tool and is not restricted
    to Customer Service engineers--they will accept leads from anyone. 
    
    I have the contact names and numbers if you're interested.  
    
    Mike 

	Gee.  What a concept !  Someone asking for an easy way
	to do a sales lead or initiate a sale !

	Funny thing.  I suggested this via the much-touted DELTA
	program about a year ago.... and they're still 
	"Processing the Vision" or "Meeting to Empower the Committee"
	or "Considering all the various Ramifications and Important
	Concerns Mentioned."

	Let's face it.  It's real hard for a customer to buy from us.

	Always has been.  Always will be.

	Imagine the sales guy who DIDN'T RETURN THE CUSTOMER'S CALL
	THAT MIGHT HAVE TURNED INTO A 9000 SALE !

	He was probably promoted, huh ?

	But we don't need to change the way we do business...just more
	of the same, right ?

	Steve H

    BOB,
    
         The Corporate Customer Relations Group in Stow (OGO) is set up to
    handle:	- Customer Inquiries
    		- Sales Leads	
    		- Customer Complaints
    
         The Corporate Customer Relations Group provides service to
    Digital customers who have questions and/or problems.  If you receive a
    call from a customer and cannot answer their question or help them,
    please refer the customer to our office.
    
    		The Main Number 	508-493-7161
    		The DTN Number		8 + 223-7161
    		Outside Number		800-DEC_INFO
    
         Hope this helps you.
    
    
    			Ray Goodyear
    			CCR
    

    Well its discouraging to note that some things never change. About 15
    years ago I tried to help a customer get the attention of a DEC sales
    rep. I worked for a long time and finally the customer wrote to Ken
    to get a salesman to call. The problem then was that only large existing 
    accounts got our attention. The fortune 500 loved us, the smaller 
    companies couldn't even get a call returned. In the case of a new
    customer, how does he begin to deal with DEC (probably doesn't have a
    rep assigned). A well published campaign to initiate a VTX based sales
    referral system seems the way to go to me. Add a little incentive and
    offer a small financial or other reward to the employee who enters
    the lead, anything. We should be scrambling for everything we can get.
    
    I also find it hard to believe that our sales people don't know how to 
    use VTX and Notes. If this is really the case, something is wrong. These
    are the tools to communicate with in DEC. Just do a search "topic" on
    EASYNOTES.LIS and usually you'll be hardpressed to find time to read
    all of it, and most people are more than eager to help you out.
    
    Looks like the NEW Digital is still evolving.
    
                       

    Base noter ..... Contact the office of Bob Hughes, Vice President of
    U.S. sales and I am sure that they will be able to direct you in the
    right direction.  

    re: .10
    
    It's true, many sales reps do not know how to use notes.  It really
    isn't there fault, it isn't the easiest to use, and noone has time for
    training.
    
    I was amazed at the lack of expertise out in the field when I moved
    here from corporate.  Having been a vaxmail bigot, I was not pleased
    to use All-in-1.  Many sales reps have never seen a DCL prompt.  Again,
    not their fault, they are told to use AI1, and if they have the time,
    and the understanding of commands and node names, will figure out
    notes.
    
    By the way, Bob Hughes has been signed into a US_SALES_SERVICE notes
    conference.  It is the most underutilzed conference I have evey read. 
    The target audience is sales and sales support.
    
    Paula

    Having just returned to "inside" from a year in the Field, I can
    testify to a widespread and virulent Management prejudice against 
    the use of VAXnotes, even by Sales Support (or Resource Center!!)
    people.
    
    Imho this is plain stupid.  Sure it's important to be out in front of
    customers, but if all you got to say when you're there is "duuh" and
    that could have been cured by online consultation with the Intelligent
    Ether that is the DEC Noting Community, then any policy that
    blanket-labels Noting as anti-DEC is itself anti-success.
          

.7> .3 is referring to SAO (Service Accounts Organization.)

I sincerely (SINCERELY) hope that SAO is working better in your area
than it is in mine.

I would get leads from SAO ... three months (no, that is NOT a typo,
T-H-R-E-E months) AFTER the engineer passed the lead to the 'system'.
More than once I'd follow up only to hear (this is a direct quote)
"You've got to be kidding, I bought IBM 2 months ago - didn't think
that DEC was interested".

This was not an isolated event - it happened time and time again.

Finally, I went to each of the field service representatives and told
them to please feel free to post their leads into whatever system
they were mandated to do so .. but by all that is holy, tell *me*,
personally, IMMEDIATELY of any leads.

I also talked to an "area" SAO person and told this individual in
no uncertain and crystal clear terms what was wrong with the system
and suggested in equally clear terms that it be remedied at the
earliest possible date.  Since that time, I have yet to get a single
lead through the 'system' ... the field service guys come directly
to me (I really don't know if they're still posting them).

Seems as though there was some sort of reward mechanism for the service
people passing leads to sales ... if my sale conflicted with the date
the lead was turned in (and finally made it through the system) the
service representative was not rewarded so there were the inevitable
conflicts due to that.

Jerry

Now ....

One minor nit .. if it's a national account ... I have to pass
the lead to someone else who may be in another state .. and the
circle continues.

    hi,
    
    	Just a note to say what has happened here in the CSC (UK South).
    
    	Within these walls there is a desk that is manned by Sales People.
    	As CSC engineers deal with calls from customers, leads pickup either
    	as a result of fixing the problem or a comment from the customer
    	can be passed to the above desk. 
    
    	The team on the desk then passes on the lead to the right account
    	team/Sales person and phone up later on (not sure when) to see if
    	the lead was followed up.
    
    	The incentive for CSC engineers to do this is to gain points which
    	lead onto prizes.
    
    	My personal opinion is that this last step is not necessary. As an
    	engineer I take pride in the fact that I can convince the customer
    	of better or more equipment/software that he should have that will
    	enhance the customers business. But it takes all sorts to make a
    	world. And the best incentive I can have is to be told I have
    	helped Digital make some money.
    
    	The desk is called  The Opportunity Channel. And it has been going
    	for about 9 months.
    
    
    Andy Munslow

    re -.1
    
    The UK Sales Opportunity Channel has been an outstanding success in
    terms of generating revenue that would otherwise be lost. In good times
    we can afford to overlook this incremental (to systems sales) revenue
    but today we need every bit of income.
    
    It is only right and proper that in a free enterprise / pay for
    performance system, people are rewarded for their initiative in helping
    to realise revenue. If you don't want the money/prizes, remember there
    are plenty of needy folks around at this time of year.
    
    Ian
    

    re: .14; incentives for leads
    
    Jerry,
    
    Indeed, I got a mail message that now, since we ex-EIS drips have
    joined the happy Digital Services family, we too are eligible for big
    prizes by turning over those sales leads. 
    
    Like any good contest, it has pages and pages of roolz, which boil down
    to "you have to be the first one to enter the lead in that
    whatchamacallit system, and then it must be booked". Then you get
    performance-plus-type (but different, since there is the corporate rool
    that all systems must be different and incompatible) points and can buy
    vinyl-covered briefcases, simulated wood furniture, read and yellow
    plaid polyester golf pants and so-on. You get more points for a bigger
    booking, but only up to a maximum of $100,000. That's one hunnert
    thousand dollars.
    
    As you can see, we're now motivated to work closely with Sales to chop
    those big, multi-million dollar SI opportunities up into teeny tiny
    pieces, but I'll be glad to order up several pairs of those golf pants
    in your size, if you'll work with me on this. :-)
    
    - Larry.

    There is no such thing as "pay for performance".
    I think that went out the door about 8 years ago.  Its all dependent
    upon your "current" manager.
    

>>>    There is no such thing as "pay for performance".
>>>    I think that went out the door about 8 years ago.  
    
	Not quite so sure. It's all related to the economic situation.
    	Certainly we do not get the 15%-25% rises of 8 years ago but
    	in today's climate "good performers" still have a job in DEC.
    	(No I am NOT suggesting that only bad performers got fired -
    	 please let's not go down that rathole here).
    
    	Ian
    
    

        Area           SAO Manager        CHAMPS Hotline  SAO Hotline

        North East     Sylvia Kaloustian  800-942-9422    617-895-5323
                                                          DTN: 221-LEAD

        NY/NJ          Deanna Grant       800-223-0959    212-856-FAST
                                          212-779-7770    DTN: 352-FAST

        Mid-Atlantic   Ken Hamilton       800-456-9509    301-731-3183
 
        Southern       Paul Terlemezian   800-332-7678    404-772-7355
                                                          DTN: 385-SELL

        North Central  Gene Bishop        800-482-0164    513-984-7731
                                                          DTN: 432-7731

        South Central  Barry Harwell      800-492-6369    214-404-6379
                                                          DTN: 486-6379

        Western        Dean Stoneburner   800-332-3300    408-496-3282
                                                          DTN: 521-3282

    
    I'm a sales rep.
    Obviously I can only speak for myself, but if *anyone* approached 
    me with a lead (within DEC, outside DEC, in the pub...) I would
    personally make every effort to get it addressed.
    Even if it wasn't in my business area I would probably return
    the call to qualify it if I wasn't sure that the area to which it
    did belong would make that effort.
    
    We're not all unresponsive, uncaring unprofessionals.
    In the current climate *no-one* in this company can afford to say
    "I don't care" or "it's not my job" or "I'm too busy".
    
    And yes - there is a very strong management view against field sales
    using Notes. Most of the managers don't use it (and don't know how
    to) and they assume that the Net is used 90% for non-work-related
    stuff....IME....
    I had to learn from a kind colleague who took the time to show me
    around, and I'd been selling for two years by then.
    
    'gail
    

    I'm in Sales Support....so I have a fair idea of how the system
    works.  Please don't beat up on the sales reps.  Yes (as someone
    pointed out) a customer almost has to be a Fortune 500 company or
    major account to have a request handled by a DEC sales rep.....but
    the sales reps didn't design this strategy!  I don't know for sure,
    but I wouldn't be surprised if this strategy wasn't designed at the
    upper levels.
    
    One of my new co-workers complained that his wife's company had
    called DEC for a quote and was called back by Avnet; his wife was
    most upset and unhappy.  The way it used  to work is that a
    customer assistance rep (usually in a district office) would contact
    the potential customer, do some qualifying and then pass the lead
    along to one of our authorized distributors or to the appropriate
    sales unit.  In this instance, the only error I could see is that
    someone did not set that customer's expectations as to exactly
    which organization would be returning the all and handling the quote.
    A little more finesse would have been nice; however, with all the
    downsizing going on in field offices manpower is stretched pretty
    thin.  The potential customer was not a Mom/Pop business, but it
    really wasn't large enough to demand the attention of a DEC rep....
    so passing the lead to one of our business partners was appropriate.
    (The potential customer was interested in a low-end VAX and a few
    workstations).  If someone is interested in a high-end system, that
    would be another story.
    
    
    

    re .22
    
    Can we really afford to turn down any business, no matter how small? 
    That one small sale could turn into an on-going source of revenue as
    that business grows and could in turn lead to larger opportunities down
    the road. 
    
    IMHO of course.
    
    Karen

    I had to cry...  A few years back, a certain DEC Region (Those who know
    me will know who I am talking about) said that it would solve the
    problem of costs of sales by only servicing named accounts (big
    customers). Apparently, they didn't do it right. The same region just
    organized a massive cold-calling of potential customers.
    
    Business is business, If we aren't efficient at handling it, then get
    efficient. 
    
    q
    

    Re:
    
    Last few.....Pioneer, Avnet, Wylie and others are considered
    "business partners", legitimate sales arms of Digital and most
    sales General Business Districts (or whatever they're called today)
    refer MANY leads to the distributors.....this IS the way it is
    supposed to work!!
    
    A friend who was TFSO'd in July was immediately hired by Avnet.....
    she loves it,  she's selling her brains out.  She commented though, that
    when she was a DEC sales rep it was very difficult (and time con-
    suming) to respond to a request for quote from a small firm that
    was obviously "shopping" amongst *all* our distributors and still
    wanted DEC to throw in a quote for good measure.  Sales reps DO
    respond to such requests from smaller firms, knowing all the time
    they will lose the sale because one of the distributors will be
    able to charge less than DEC......the distributors duke it out to
    see who will live with the smallest margin <------- the DEC rep
    will never be able to match the distributor's price, because ATD's
    purchase HW and SW in volume, and thus can discount more than DEC.
    Like it or not, PRICE is paramount to many of these smaller com-
    panies; these "potentials" aren't going to cut a P.O. to DEC when
    bottom-line they can get the same configuration from one of our
    distributors at a cheaper price!!
    
    The whole idea of working with our Authorized Distributors is because
    DEC decided a long time ago that it wanted to focus the time and
    energies of our sales reps on the larger accounts.  I'm sorry, this
    strategy makes perfect sense to me. I don't think DEC has done a
    very good job of *explaining* the strategy to potential customers, but
    that doesn't mean the strategy is wrong.  I'm not advocating turning
    *any* potential sale away; DEC employees just need to set expectations
    correctly and then get that lead to the appropriate channel.
    
    The way things are going today, DEC doesn't have TIME to wait for
    all those acorns to grow into mighty trees!!   Also, a lot of sales
    people walked to the door in July and October were fairly new-hires
    to the sales organization (not to DEC); when someone decided "let's
    augment the sales force and hit the streets with as many bodies as
    we can"  (this was an attempt to go after the smaller business......
    and some of the folks who relocated to aid in this mighty quest were
    basically lambs led to the slaughter).
    
    Mr. Lennard, I think it's time you explained the "charter" of the Target
    Sales Force again, and what happened to a lot of good people who jumped
    aboard that ship :-(
    
    Karen
    
    PS::  I don't know the region, but if they blew it servicing named
    	  accounts, I can't wait to see how successful they'll be cold-
    	  calling potential customers, oi vey....
    
    PPS:  Didn't I see more than a few folks in here objecting to a
    	  certain brokerage firm "cold-calling" DEC employees and inter-
    	  rupting your work day?  No matter how you slice that loaf of
    	  bread, this is what cold-calling is all about; to get 2 or 3
    	  solid leads the people doing cold-call selling have to make
    	  approximately 200-300 contacts.
    
    
                                           

    I've always wanted to know, as a point of DEC history, the precise date
    when senior management decided that these other guys could sell or
    resell without "adding value" in the form of special hardware,
    software, or services, or more precisely their added value being a
    lower price, or more timely delivery.
    
    There were days when I, as a mere "software specialist" spend hours on
    configurations, only to see a visibly agitated sales rep to say "we
    lost the sale to a used computer dealer/broker/etc." after our customer
    used the config. info I supplied.
    
    Well, a customer is a customer, eh?

    Re: last......
    
    Pat:
    
    The Avnets, Pioneers, etc. are Authorized Distributors....something
    very different from an OEM or VAR.  I'm really wracking the old brain
    cells here, but I think the initial intent of ATDs was to handle small
    component and add-on sales.  I don't know exactly when DEC decided to allow
    them to sell the smaller low-end systems, but that has been happening
    for at least 6-7 years.  Since the TFSO in July, more and more leads
    are being referred to the ATDs.....in fact the ATDs knew of the im-
    pending TFSO and knew they would be getting a larger slice of the
    market.  Someone within DEC had to make the decision to to push the
    "un-named" accounts to ATDs and to allow them to start selling the
    mid-range and high-end systems.....ATDs are definitely not merely
    selling components and add-ons these days.
    
    The ATDs have snatched up many of the sales reps who were "right-
    sized"; one even has a former DEC software business account specialist
    to aid them in quoting services.  I don't know Pat, maybe some of
    the smaller accounts are going to the ATDs and getting the correct
    quote right there.....they may NOT be using your quote to win the
    sale, I know it must be frustrating for you to put in the effort and
    lose the sale.  Don't forget though, the ATDs pay cash upfront for
    the software and hardware, so we really are getting the sale.  This
    very scenario is the reason some leads are passed to the ATDs; it's
    too bad your sales rep wasn't aware that he was dealing with an
    account who was "shopping around".
    
    I've also worked Customer Assistance here at the Atlanta CSC, and in
    working certain issues I've had customers frankly admit they had
    contacted *all* our ATDs in their geographic area and also pushed DEC
    to quote also......so you (and others) did waste valuable time.
    Perhaps (I'm guessing here) this is why DEC has down-sized the sales
    force and is concentrating on named accounts.
    
    The brokers are another story, and they seem to be popping up all
    over the place.  On the surface the broker "seems" to be giving
    "such a deal", unless the sales rep reminds that customer that all
    Mr. Customer will be getting from the broker is the board.  Mr.
    Customer can buy a board and upgrade his 6410 to a 6510, but he'll
    have to come back to DEC if he wants his software to run on the
    upgraded system.
    
    When I first started getting calls from sales reps at 800-DEC-SALE,
    it seems there were brokers with some very good clones of our CPU boards;
    now I've spoken to a few reps who say they have already looked at
    some boards (already purchased by Mr. Customer) and these are DEC
    boards!!!  A DEC in-cab upgrade requires a mandatory board return,
    kind of makes you wonder how DEC boards got in the hands of the
    brokers :-(   
    
    I can remember the days when we wouldn't allow a customer to purchase
    software licenses for brokered systems/boards; we allow it now, but
    we "ain't cheap" :-)
    
    Last Friday I spoke with a rep who rather reminded me of General
    Beeler, once I gave him the part numbers and prices the customer would
    need for VMS, DECNET F/F and VAXcluster for the customer's "upgraded"
    _read_ brokered 6610 (SW totaled over $100K)....the rep let out a
    ya-hoooooooo and said he was off to watch the customer turn green as
    he realized that $6,000 board wasn't the "deal" it had appeared
    (brokers are notorious about failing to mention the software).....
    so our in-cab upgrade wasn't the rip-off the customer thought.
    
    Karen
     
    

Re: .-2 (Pat Sweeney)

Geographic location of a demo site or the ability to deliver preconfigured
systems within 24 hours could well be "added value".
								- Ian W.

    Perfect time for this note.

    Yesterday we got, via US Postal Service, a list of "sales leads" in
    Bakersfield.  The "customer response date" was ...

    


    				NOVEMBER 11, 1991 !!!!


    If we wait just a few more days it will be T-W-O  M-O-N-T-H-S  O-L-D.

      "Good morning, Mr. Potential Customer.  I'm with Digital Equipment
       Corporation, worlds 2nd largest computer vendor.  We just got your
       bingo card that you mailed in November and I'd like to discuss your
       needs"

    Arggggggghhhh!!!

    I found the best response to be from note 1686.9
    
                      Base Noter  Bob Desmarais

    Today, another example, but, with a step forward in technology (this
    was FAXed to me).
    
    Data data collected: 11/22/91
    
    Date of this report: 12/27/91
    
    Date received by sales: 1/6/92
    
    The "kicker" ... 
    
    		"Is planned system budgeted?"	YES
    		"Has budget been approved?"     YES
    		"Buying process started"	9/91
    		"Decision Date"			1/91
    		
    Why does it take so bloomin' long to get to the field?  Sure would have
    been nice if we could have had this lead very shortly after 11/22/91.
    
    Jerry

RE: .9 -< CCR Takes Leads >-

>    		The Main Number 	508-493-7161
>    		The DTN Number		8 + 223-7161
>    		Outside Number		800-DEC_INFO
    
The CCR no longer takes leads :-(.  The -7161 number has been disconnected,
and the people at the DEC-INFO number didn't have any idea how to get hold
of a sales person.

The best method is still to combine a map and the Digital phone book to find
the closest Digital Sales Office, and call the general number.  Generally
somebody will answer the phone and put you in touch with the Sales Rep (or
at least their voice-mail...).

-- Ken Moreau
   who just went through this with several leads from a show

  None of the numbers listed in the previous replies are still in service.  Who
  would be the contact for a corporate sale to FedEx? They have had no luck in
  getting a response from Digital Sales.

  To whom should I refer them? Either EMAIL addresses or phone numbers would be
  helpful...  this could be a large volume sale (if any sales representative
  wants to take the lead).

  -Erik


  The text of the message from a former DECcie now FedEx employee is...
  -----------------------------------------------------------------

Subj:	Digital laptop technology

Erik,

A woman I work with is involved in the development of a laptop hardware/
software environment for people in my position.  They have selected Lotus
Notes as the software platform on which the application will be developed
and they are in the process of evaluating hardware options.

Digital has been asked to present/respond, but the request must have
gotten lost in the layers somewhere.  What they are looking for is a
presentation on the range of technology available, costs, etc.,
probably from someone in a Marketing/Sales type of role.  Any contacts
you might suggest as to where we might start with this request?

Thanks,

    From CALOOK Fed-X is listed in many states.  The following is the
    information for Tennessee (I believe thats their headquarters????).
    
    SBU IB ACCTS - SOUTHEAST  JOSE QUEZADA         @MKO 264-4304 X7518
    
    This gentleman is the TelSales Rep as this is an SBU, NOT and ABU
    Account.  There is also a note that there are MANY VAR's in this
    account as well.
    
    Hope this information helps..
    
    Toodles......JPs