Mike..
It's also a bit hard to believe that the Teutonic SAP, known for it's complexity and difficulty of use, will be the one to devise software that salespersons actually want to use, because it puts them closer to the customer, and this helps them sell. It's not enough for a company to be product centric today, they need to be centered on their customer's needs. In the past SFA automation has been introduced from the top down , only to be sabotaged at the sales level, who considered it intrusive and time consuming. Siebel 99 is an attempt at a different approach, one where the salespersons directly benefit. Will it work, will they use it? I don't know, but I do feel it will the SFA equivalent of an Apple rather than a SAP or MSFT to do it. Seibel has the vision, but whether they have the goods remains to be shown. As you suggest, whoever does it will be big, big winners. This is a revolution that will happen, and I want to be there as an investor when it does. What's the point of a company spending a fortune to gather and process information about present and potential customers if the grunt on the front lines doesn't use it? That's like not calling for air or artillary support because the radio is too hard to use.
I don't mean to sound like I'm preaching to the converted. I have lot's of doubts about both SEBL and CTXS. I also had lots of doubts about the Intel I bought nearly 10 years ago -many considered Apple would be the big winner. Lack of doubts and worries is a dangerous sign <g> |
