| As IT veterans and able to reflect honestly on sins of | | | | certainly we were not willing to bet our jobs on the |
| the past as Information Systems service providers and | | | | "availability" of water cooled machines of the 70's ! But |
| motivated by an overwhelming trend of generosity | | | | the point is, an effort of that magnitude managed to |
| towards a our fellow man, demonstrated by the | | | | give so little importance and participating role to the |
| hundreds of publications on the subject (See | | | | only reason for our Information Technology existence : |
| Bibliography at the end), we feel compelled to state | | | | The Customer! However, to be absolutely fair (... and to |
| the following: | | | | put my conscience to rest), that type of a belief was |
| 1.- The Internet support organizations are beginning to | | | | backed by IT upper management, which was often |
| recognize the potential contribution presented by the | | | | demonstrated by public statements such as this ( In |
| lack of effective training programs and the | | | | response to a user question about the service quality |
| seriousness of insufficient exploitation of Internet and | | | | to the Director): "Service Level is whatever I chose to |
| Network Marketing in the country. | | | | give you!" . In other words, take whatever is coming |
| 2.- Encourage all marketing active people, to familiarize | | | | and don't complain. Thirty years later, in spite the |
| themselves with the existing current trends and | | | | recognition of all and many more huge mistakes made |
| objectively compare them against the old models, | | | | by the Information Technology people, we seem to be |
| particularly those proven to be ineffective in today's | | | | still going down similar paths of non involvement |
| environment and take advantage of this new attitude | | | | between end-users and technology service providers. |
| coming from the technology people. | | | | The providers, developers and keepers of the |
| Background: | | | | technology, don't seem to be taking forward thinking |
| Over 30 years ago, when we were part of a large | | | | initiatives to broaden the utilization of what is their |
| Information Technology organization, we had the | | | | contribution to the business world. |
| opportunity to participate on the resolution of an | | | | However, we see some encouraging signs reversing |
| operational problem within a manufacturing division of a | | | | that trend (which appears to be a trend of this |
| very successful Fortune 500 company. The | | | | century!). Is for that reason that looking at what some |
| problematic situation was being created, from our point | | | | service providers are offering today, as purely Internet |
| of view, by two distinct practicing philosophies within | | | | WEB 2.0 based solution to support the so called |
| the company. | | | | "Attractive Marketing", seems to be a remarkable |
| The number one philosophy/practice was a pragmatic | | | | change to past attitudes and a clear spirit of |
| one: "Services and products should be provided by | | | | cooperation for the troubled user world appears in the |
| internal resources, unless exceptional situations would | | | | horizon.. Some of the most appealing characteristics of |
| justify otherwise" . Simple to understand and simple to | | | | these offerings, is the lack of affinity to any given |
| execute ... very difficult to live with when you are trying | | | | industry, sharing only the desire to elevate the degree |
| to differentiate yourself on the aspect of service | | | | and sophistication on what Internet has to offer in |
| quality and technological leading edge initiatives. | | | | terms of comprehensive business communications. |
| The second practice, was somewhat less publicized, | | | | Reasons for focusing |
| nevertheless it was something widely practiced: | | | | The time has come to concentrate on a single industry |
| "Organizations were by definition confrontational" (i.e. | | | | to prove the merits of the new philosophies and the |
| "Let the best man win") In the development areas that | | | | logical approach should be to help the one in most |
| was much easier to practice: you either had a better | | | | severe problem: the MLM practitioners. |
| product or not and the decisions were made swiftly | | | | After several uneventful personal MLM experiences |
| and decisively. | | | | following our technological careers, it became |
| In the manufacturing arena was slightly different. There | | | | necessary for us to build what could be considered |
| were no clear winners. There were just weekly | | | | the "successful profile of an MLM venture" thus |
| casualties due to the wear and tear of the daily battles | | | | increasing our probability of success the next go |
| measured by personnel transfer requests, resignations, | | | | around. Our experiences were sufficient to get us |
| removals from permanent assignments and other | | | | started. However, our attention was somewhat |
| subtle measurements such as medical leave of | | | | erroneously placed on the traditional business |
| absence, absenteeism records, etc. | | | | parameters, such as: the product(s) involved, the |
| If you take these two philosophical practices for a | | | | management team experience, manufacturing |
| moment and picture the Data Center Manager | | | | conditions, investors background, the team |
| responsible for several Data Centers in this | | | | competence in general, etc, etc. It is not the intent of |
| environment, charged among some other things with | | | | this article to attempt a diagnostic of the industry's |
| the job of obtaining services from the Field Engineering | | | | problems. It certainly would be pretentious, to say the |
| organization, you have the ingredients for a typical | | | | least. But, having being part of several initial sales |
| business production environment melodrama. | | | | teams, one clear characteristic became known to us : |
| To shorten the length of this article, let's summarize the | | | | Instability and competence of the sale teams was an |
| best way possible what was the natural end result on | | | | endemic problem. |
| most every day situation: | | | | Our experience identified four generalized reasons for |
| 1) The Data Center requested services (urgency = | | | | this situation: |
| variable) from Field Engineering | | | | # 1 - Lack of systematic adequate tools and |
| 2) The service provider (Field Engineering), redefined | | | | associated support |
| the urgency responses based on external factors (i.e. | | | | # 2 - Lack of structured and consistent training |
| paying customers requests received top priority - | | | | programs |
| outside the company) | | | | # 3 - The relentless pressure on sales to "recruit at all |
| 3) The Data Center attempted to respond to its | | | | costs" |
| internal users based on production priorities | | | | # 4 - An insane lack of objectivity to analyze the |
| 4) 100% of the time = Field Engineering would respond | | | | situation with a business mentality |
| preferentially to paying customers (i.e. outside | | | | Insufficient leadership of management was |
| companies) and relegating as "low priority" the service | | | | demonstrated time and time again with the band-aid |
| requested from the Data Center creating a service | | | | solution approach, as demonstrated by the existing |
| obligation default to their users. | | | | drive on solutions such as:a) Buy cheaper leadsb) Buy |
| After two years of operating at this high level of | | | | larger volumes of leadsc) Buy better quality and more |
| excitement, reasoning prevailed and the "survivors" | | | | expensive leadsd) Buy better/faster tools to automate |
| were asked to join forces and form a work group, | | | | the lead processing phasee) Etc, etc, etc |
| composed of Data Center and Field Engineering | | | | It is no secret that for some time now, the poor |
| personnel. Its purpose: to develop a working | | | | performance of the new sales people continues to be |
| agreement that brought peace and tranquility to the | | | | tied to poor quality leads. Not to be cynical, but this |
| location. (The real purpose? To defuse a situation that | | | | situation brings to memory the definition of "insanity" !: |
| was threatening large groups of people get involved in | | | | Haven't we spent enough time trying to improve |
| countless hours of unproductive and emotionally highly | | | | unsuccessfully the quality of leads?. And ... If we |
| charged meetings). Note: The "End User" was not | | | | conducted a survey of new and old MLM participants |
| represented or invited to participate | | | | with the main question being :"Give us your opinion of |
| Eighteen months later and after a few hundred writing | | | | the quality of the leads acquired in the past year", do |
| iterations with no volunteers to assume the paternity | | | | we have any doubts that 100% will complain about the |
| of the end product document, we finally published what | | | | extreme low quality of what is circulated today. |
| was called then the "System Management Disciplines". | | | | We would like to take the role of the newscaster on |
| The name stuck ! Without knowing it we had coined a | | | | the movie "Network" and shout as loud as possible: "I |
| new term for the industry which went to be used very | | | | am mad as hell and I am not going to take it |
| quickly by the (then) called Big 6 Auditing Firms (e.g. | | | | anymore!!!" |
| Arthur Anderson, Deloitte & Touche, Coopers | | | | Well, we firmly believe that there are better, more |
| & Lybrand, etc, etc) with only slight variations on | | | | innovative and productive solutions to the sales |
| our original definitions. What did it contain? It simply | | | | problem in the market today, but they require work, |
| defined "rules of engagement" between the | | | | education, training, cooperation, etc. It is not going to be |
| participating organizations (Note again: User | | | | FREE and that is something that probably not too |
| Organizations not involved) and wherever possible, | | | | many people want to hear! |
| established some quantitative performances to be | | | | So, as the newscaster of the movie Network cried |
| "aimed" at measuring the Data Center and Field | | | | out loud, you simply DON'T HAVE TO TAKE IT ANY |
| Engineering organizations. In practical terms, we had | | | | MORE ! |
| finally established boundaries between the conflicting | | | | Fortunately we have alternatives and more intelligent |
| organizations, protocols to deal with each other and | | | | choices at our disposal. |
| definition of transgressions. | | | | Listening to one of Seth Godin videos, sponsoring his |
| There were seven or eight "Disciplines" ... but only one | | | | book "Tribes", it occurred to me that the time had |
| talked about what was owed to the most affected | | | | come to stop this situation and effectively lead the |
| party by the success or failure of this work : The End | | | | thousands of MLM "victims" that compose that 97% |
| User. That Discipline dealing with what was visible to | | | | who quit after 3 months of trying to sell unsuccessfully |
| the user, was labeled : Service Level Commitment or | | | | not ever finding the compelling reasons for their failure. |
| SLC. This was in reality a misnomer since from the | | | | There is enough literature available today to |
| beginning we, the Data Center management, talked | | | | demonstrate that there are technologies, tools and |
| about "performance AIMS" , never COMMITMENTS, | | | | processes available to break the old patterns and bring |
| because we clearly felt that we would be betting our | | | | success to all these people who have been ignored |
| jobs if those commitments were not met and most | | | | for so long. |