| T.R | Title | User | Personal
Name | Date | Lines |
|---|
| 2854.1 | | POCUS::OHARA | Reverend Middleware | Sat Jan 15 1994 23:50 | 4 |
| Ah, just wait a few months. It'll change again.
That is, if anybody's left.
|
| 2854.2 | Simple question? | POCUS::BOESCHEN | | Sun Jan 16 1994 10:40 | 5 |
| I always wondered why "sales" support ever reported to anyone else.
Was it ever named "services" support?
|
| 2854.3 | past, present, future? | KLUSTR::SOUTHY::Gardner | South Boston Mudshark | Sun Jan 16 1994 15:12 | 33 |
| once upon a time, sales support was provided by Software Services,
a group comprised of both presales and delivery specialists and
consultants...there was an equivalent internal organization,
Internal Software Services, that provided the same function for
organizations inside DEC..err Digital....
then started the age of Great Change, the primary of which was
the funding of the presales efforts directly by the local sales
organizations...there were also many other changes including the
delivery function being included, then not....we were industry
aligned, then not....and too many others changes to remember
accurately....ISWS was disbanded....EIS was formed....presales
consultants could also be "deliverable", then not, then could again...
some of these decisions were local, some geographic, some corporate...
in a strange way, Digital Consulting and the PSCs most resembled
The Way It Used To Be.....and that may be one reason why at least
the presales aspect of it was doomed from the start....but there are
also some partly credible conspiracy-theory-type suggestions that
either a) Lucente wanted more control over a fairly significant
contributor to his bottom line and/or b) Brebach wanted to "purify"
his organization so he get on with doing "real" consulting....in any
event, the difference of opinion between Ed and Gresham about exactly
what Digital Consulting's primary task should be (SI revenue vs.
product revenue) has been well discussed (see eg 2685)....
btw - the companion stream to this note is 2819 which discusses
what is to become of Digital Consulting....
anyway, what we've been told is that those single contributors
and managers who are coded presales will now report to the regional
RMCs unless they feel "strongly" about staying in DC.....
|
| 2854.4 | | HAAG::HAAG | Rode hard. Put up wet. | Sun Jan 16 1994 22:47 | 4 |
| i was going to start a note on the "disaster" of the FY94 sales support
issue, but said the heck with it. only question left is if this company
can make it even more messed up that it is. i used to say naaaa... now
i really don't know.
|
| 2854.5 | Variable comp coming... | ODIXIE::SILVERS | dig-it-all, we rent backhoes. | Mon Jan 17 1994 12:25 | 8 |
| In addition, there is a move afoot to get sales support to apply for
positions in sales, with an S code, and variable comp - this was
presented to the folks at workgroup systems expert training this week -
the sales manager thought that this was a great opportunity for sales
support, however, the general response was 'Oh, yes, I certainly want
to poke myself in the eye with a sharp stick for less money....'.
|
| 2854.6 | what I heard | PHDVAX::RICCIO | Respect All... Fear None! | Tue Jan 18 1994 16:34 | 26 |
|
It is my understanding that this was because Mr. Lucente didn't
think is was wise to have people working in a sales environment, and
being "pushed" to do on site/delivery consulting. Obviously in some
cases it makes sense to deliver, but being driven and messured that way
didn't. Sounds like dejavu all over again.
Personally, I think it's back to the way it should be.
In regards to the open sales slots, and folks being "asked" to
consider these. Our DM and PSC managers told us this really depended
on how many are open in your district, how the business and the head-
count looks in that district. If the business forecast is "low" and
the headcount is "high", you might be "asked" to look into a career
change. We were told that this is not going to be the case here and
that if you are interested, that this is NOT a trivial move. Having
done both (Installed Base Sales back in 87 & 88) I would agree.
Phil...
|
| 2854.7 | Techy's dying to be peddlars? | POCUS::BOESCHEN | | Tue Jan 18 1994 20:50 | 5 |
| So, how many of you sales support people want to move to the "exciting"
and "rewarding" world of sales? Oh, by the way, how many want that
"sales incentive" compensation plan we have and take a pay cut?
Peddlar in NY.
|
| 2854.8 | My 5 cents worth... | SWAM1::MORRISON_DA | | Tue Jan 18 1994 20:51 | 8 |
| Having also done both for some time - and now on the support side, I
would caution those in support to watch out for the grand "set-up". At
best this will be a slow ramp up for those not trained in or "tuned-in"
to sales and you could be making a risky move given all the factors
you'll have to deal with in DEC these days. Maybe you'll like it but -
move carefully. I've been fairly succesful in both and appreciate both
areas but they should not be mutually confused. I would not go back to
pure sales given the flakey metrics and a host of other reasons.
|
| 2854.9 | | POCUS::OHARA | Reverend Middleware | Wed Jan 19 1994 00:31 | 7 |
| This whole thing smells like the IBM "Back to the Field" program of a couple
of years ago. Dump excess people into sales; those that swim get to stay,
them that sink, sink.
Not that support people are "excess". Far from it. But it's a start.
Bob
|
| 2854.10 | Most of it seems logical | GUCCI::HERB | New Personal Name coming soon! | Wed Jan 19 1994 01:47 | 14 |
| I recall hearing that the Company realized that we had actually cut
sales headcount too much. Based on the memo I received, certain
geographies (for a total of 150 for all) have sales headcount
shortages. Seems that several things are actually taking place, one
being the movement back to sales of support people that contribute to
Sales (vs. service) revenue and the other looking at this pool of
people being a good source of potentially good sales people with
existing product knowledge. There appears at least to be an interest in
"product" sales specialists in the RMCs which might cover multiple
customers. These people would have a sales goal/metric as opposed to
simply supporting sales without the measurement (or compensation). From
the little I've seen/heard in the way of facts, most of it seems to
make sense and there could actually be opportunities for some of the
support people affected.
|
| 2854.11 | not for me but... | KLUSTR::SOUTHY::Gardner | South Boston Mudshark | Wed Jan 19 1994 12:26 | 206 |
| (Many distributions and forwards removed)
**************************************
*MEMO FROM SCOTT ROETH AND MAX MAYER *
**************************************
This is to announce an exciting new program opening Sales positions,
exclusively for Sales Support individuals. For a Sales Support person
who's ever thought of joining the Sales profession, this program will
pave the way!
The goals of the program are to increase account coverage and Sales
technical excellence by moving 150 Sales Support Consultants to direct
Sales positions. These Sales Support people will come from all PSCs;
Industry, Territory, Competency and Government.
It is important to note that this program will select those candidates
best suited for careers in selling. Therefore, we will recruit and
select all qualified Sales Support individuals interested in a sales
career. The selected candidates will become the Sales Specialist on
opportunities in their technical disciplines.
We request your leadership to support this program. PSC Managers are
requested to advertise the program to all Sales Support individuals,
encourage them to apply and provide recommendations to Sales
Management. Sales District Managers are requested to ask their Branch
Managers to interview and hire the new Sales Specialists. RMC
Operation Managers are responsible for posting of the requisitions and
defining the breakout by Branch and specialty.
When you talk to Sales Support Consultants tell them that NOW is an
excellent time to join DIGITAL SALES. Alpha is on its up-ramp, new
applications are coming on line, the opportunity to win and earn BIG
incentive checks is REAL.
Attached is a Q&A to assist you in answering questions. This program
has been approved by the U.S. Management Team. Implementation will
commence January 17, 1994. If you would like to receive a copy of a set
of slides that can be used in explaining the program, please contact
Bill Horzempa @MKO or MKOTS3::HORZEMPA.
QUESTIONS & ANSWERS FOR
MOVEMENT OF 150 SALES SUPPORT CONSULTANTS TO
SALES SPECIALIST POSITIONS
1. What are the goals of the program?
The goals of the program are to increase account coverage through
additional Sales Representatives and increase Sales technical
excellence.
2. Who is eligible for the program?
All Sales Support individuals in Territory, Industry, and Government
PSCs.
3. What technical skills are especially needed?
While all individuals with technical skills are encouraged to apply,
we strongly need individuals with expertise in:
Workstations PCs
Storage VIPs
Networks POLYCENTER
Workgroup Information Management
CASE TP
UNIX Industry Applications
4. Why should a Sales Support individual apply for one of the new Sales
positions?
- For individuals wanting a career in Sales this is an excellent
program to initiate the change
- With the incentive compensation plan there is the opportunity for
increased earnings
- Sales Support individuals often state that they lead many Sales
opportunities when Sales Representatives are over extended. This
move will allow them to be rewarded for their selling effort.
5. What will the new Sales Specialist be coded and will they be on a
budget?
The new Product Sales Specialist will become "S" coded and they will
be on a budget after completing their training, while budget will be
determined locally the recommendation is $150-200K per quarter,
pro-rated after completion of training.
An Industry Sales Specialist will be "S" coded and assume an
appropriate pro-rated budget after completion of training.
6. Who will receive credit for Sales into existing accounts?
The Sales Specialists will be shadow booked to the Account Sales
Managers.
7. Will the new Sales Specialists be on the new Sales Incentive
Compensation Plan?
Yes, the Sales Specialists will be on the Incentive Compensation Plan.
After completion of their training they will be on a 90 day
recoverable draw.
8. What will the job level be of the new Sales Specialists?
The new Sales job level will be determined by the Branch Sales Manager
based upon an individual's experience. The following are recommended
guidelines:
- Consultant I, II and III with prior Sales experience to Sales
Exec. I
- Consultant I, II and III with no Sales experience to Sales Rep III
- Specialists I - IV to Sales Rep I or II
9. Will there be training for the new Sales Specialists?
Yes, there will be a 30 day training period including 2 weeks of
formal training and 2 weeks of self study/mentoring. Sales Training
will be publishing the schedule.
10. As a Sales Specialists I will need to maintain my technical skills.
Will I be able to attend technical courses?
Yes, most of the training programs that Sales Support participates in
will be available to the new Sales Representatives. This includes:
EY Classes, Symposiums and CBIs.
11. Who will be the Sales Specialist's Manager?
The Industry Sales Representatives will report to an appropriate Sales
Branch Manager. For product areas such as Workstations and PCs that
currently have a dedicated Regional Sales Manager, the new Sales
Representatives will report to that manager. For the software
positions, that do not have a focused manager, the RMCs will be hiring
Sales Managers as appropriate.
12. Are the new Sales Representatives eligible for Sales Recognition
Programs?
The current guidelines for participation in Sales Recognition programs
will be used. Due to their joining Sales late in the year, the new
Sales Representatives will not be eligible for many of the FY94 Sales
programs. To compensate for this we are determining how to bridge an
individual's performance in Digital Consulting, with their selling
performance for FY94 for recognition, and will be communicating the
plan as soon as possible.
13. Who will post the requisitions and what are the specific jobs and
locations?
The requisitions will be posted by the RMC Operations Managers, and
will include details on the job and location. The follow lists the
number of positions by RMC and the name of the RMC Operations Manager.
NUMBER OF SALES
RMC RMC OPERATIONS MANAGER REPRESENTATIVE POSITIONS
Northeast Don Armagnac 29
Mid Atlantic Robin Sloan 21
Central Randy James 32
South Rick Valenzi 23
Western Art Clark 47
14. How does Sales Compensation work?
The FY94 Plan is based on pay commensurate with meeting and/or
exceeding goals. Sales Individuals and Sales Managers are rewarded
for their performance through:
- An annual "Sales Salary" representing compensation for total job
performance.
- "Performance Incentives" and "Over Achievement Incentives" for
meeting and exceeding 100% of their budget.
- "Bonuses" offering rewards focused on specific objectives, for
example, selected services or products.
"Sales Salary" is paid on a weekly basis and is compensation for
total job performance. It is a percentage of a Sales person's total
Target Earnings, typically 70%, 80% or 90%, depending on Sales
Assignment.
"Performance Incentives" are incremental dollars based on a person's
year-to-date achievement of budget and are paid monthly to Sales
people as they achieve 1% to 100% of their annual budget.
"Over Achievement Incentives": are paid to Sales people for
performance above 100% of their annual budget. The value of the Over
Achievement Incentive is a multiple of the Performance Incentive,
paid to the individual monthly.
"Bonuses" could be offered for the sale of targeted products,
services, new accounts, etc. They are unique to particular Sales
Assignments and may be independent of the Performance and Over
Achievement Incentives.
15. What process will be used to fill these Sales positions?
Each RMC will be allocated a number of slots based upon the current
number of Sales Support personnel in PSC's that are in closest
alignment with the RMCs. The Regional Sales VP in conjunction with
geographical Recruiting/HR support will post requisitions and manage
the staffing process.
|
| 2854.12 | Simple physics, really | DECWET::FARLEE | Insufficient Virtual...um...er... | Wed Jan 19 1994 18:09 | 2 |
| The less mass at the end of the pendulum, the faster
the pendulum oscillates... Hang onto your hats!
|
| 2854.13 | Tapping the cheap labor pool ... | DPDMAI::UNLAND | | Wed Jan 19 1994 18:11 | 22 |
| re: .10
>I recall hearing that the Company realized that we had actually cut
>sales headcount too much. Based on the memo I received, certain
>geographies (for a total of 150 for all) have sales headcount
>shortages.
Not only did Sales cut headcount, but they have lost many excellent
Sales reps who got tired of being jerked around and went out and got
better jobs with distributors and competitors. Sales Management has
been scrambling for some time to backfill key account positions.
> ... and the other looking at this pool of
>people being a good source of potentially good sales people with
>existing product knowledge.
From a purely financial point of view, it's a lot cheaper to hire
from internal technical groups (who are already behind the industry
pay-curve in their existing jobs) and make them sales reps. Hiring
experienced Sales people from the outside is *much* more expensive.
Geoff
|
| 2854.14 | | HAAG::HAAG | Rode hard. Put up wet. | Wed Jan 19 1994 21:30 | 6 |
| what happens when (not if) the target number of 150 sales support
peoples that are to become "new found" sales reps falls way way short
of 150?
i have my ideas and none are terribly "exciting".
|
| 2854.15 | New Speak - revisited | BKEEPR::BREITNER | Field Network Mechanic | Wed Jan 19 1994 21:50 | 7 |
| re .11
... talk to your "Sales Managers and Branch Managers" - indeed a
novel concept. As far as I can tell there are no "branch" managers in
the newest Digital since branches are a "territory" term and
territories were outlawed in July (but stay tuned ...)
|
| 2854.16 | Progress Through Reorganization | POCUS::OHARA | Reverend Middleware | Thu Jan 20 1994 11:10 | 12 |
|
>> ... talk to your "Sales Managers and Branch Managers" - indeed a
>> novel concept. As far as I can tell there are no "branch" managers in
>> the newest Digital since branches are a "territory" term and
>> territories were outlawed in July (but stay tuned ...)
Actually, as of July sales unit managers became sales branch managers. "New"
title, same responsibility.
Bob
|
| 2854.17 | RE: Simple physics, really | COOKIE::MARSH | | Thu Jan 20 1994 15:35 | 12 |
| RE: .12
> The less mass at the end of the pendulum, the faster
> the pendulum oscillates... Hang onto your hats!
Pardon the rathole but...
Sorry, the period of a pendulum is independent of the mass of the
bob. It depends only upon the length and the local acceleration of
gravity.
|
| 2854.18 | Mystery Explained :-) | HLDE01::VUURBOOM_R | Roelof Vuurboom @ APD, DTN 829 4066 | Wed Jan 26 1994 11:53 | 14 |
| Re: .17
>
> Pardon the rathole but...
>
> Sorry, the period of a pendulum is independent of the mass of the
> bob. It depends only upon the length and the local acceleration of
> gravity.
Ahh, that must be it then. The local branch managers probably
all have different lengths and rates of acceleration :-)
re roelof
|
| 2854.19 | We've been here before...and will be again | GLDOA::TREBILCOTT | I can't believe it's only Wednesday | Wed Jan 26 1994 15:25 | 8 |
| Actually, as a comerade pointed out...Digital did this same
thing...about four or so years ago. He made the move, was trained and
then, WHAT HOA? TFSO!
And what do you know...the "Junior Person on the block" in sales was
the first to GO!
|
| 2854.20 | Why aren't the positions strategically alligned? | STAOFF::SMITH | All that is gold does not glitter | Wed Jan 26 1994 17:17 | 13 |
| 2854.21 | a new record, org chart | SWAMPD::ZIMMERMANN | I'm a DECer, not a DECie | Mon Feb 28 1994 22:53 | 23 |
| As I understand it, this is the new organizational structure for Sales
Support in the U.S.
9 Palmer
8 Lucente
7 Gullotti
6 Roeth
5 regional VP
4 RMC manager
3 RSSM (Regional Sales Support Mgr)
2 DSSM (District Manager of some sort?)
1 UM
sales support specialist
For Digital Consulting, I understand it to be:
6 Palmer
5 Brebach
4 Max Mayer
3 regional VP
2 DM
1 UM
specialist
|
| 2854.22 | | THEBAY::CHABANED | Spasticus Dyslexicus | Mon Feb 28 1994 23:29 | 7 |
|
Supposedly there is also a VP of Sales Support position that is going
to be created. Also, Sales Support will be called something different.
-Ed
|
| 2854.23 | I've been told it goes like this... | NYOS01::DILLARD | Happiness is a 1300 with one end to go. | Tue Mar 01 1994 20:12 | 26 |
| SS Specialists will report to unit managers
SS units will report to sales district managers
Sales districts will report to regional VPs
Regional VPs report to Scott Roeth (US VP Sales & Marketing)
Gullotti is responsible for sales, marketing and other stuff for
Canada, US, and latin america. Lucente is responsible for sales,
marketing and the systems business unit worldwide. Palmer is responsible
for everything worldwide.
For the remainder of this fiscal year, SS units will report to regional
sales support managers who report to a new position (director of
marketing) that is part of the regional sales VP's staff. The new
sales district structure will be implemented with the start of FY'95.
At that time SS units will report to sales district managers.
Everyone in sales below the level of the DM will continue to report
to the same people and will be measured on their current budgets for
this fiscal year.
This information comes from the Russ Gullotti DVN that featured Scott
Roeth and from Scott's visit to NYC where he introduced our new
Regional VP, Tom Colatosti.
Peter Dillard
NY FPPS Sales Support Manager
|