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Technology Stocks : Siebel Systems (SEBL) - strong buy? -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Amsterdam who wrote (2317)	10/27/1998 7:20:00 PM
From: Melissa McAuliffe	Respond to of 6974

Amsterdam, You don't have to apologize. But if we're going to work together we need to discuss our strategy first before you announce it to the world. I'm ok with everything you said....ths time. But I draw the line at spending time with him in Bermuda. You're going to have to do that. But we won't tell him until we get there.....Wait...I just had a thought...this strategy will work if the VP is a woman too. We'll just change roles. Except you can spend the time in Bermuda with her too. Aside from that I like the plan...seems like you've covered all the bases. Now I hope anyone who was uncertain about whether they should buy this stock or not is finally comfortable and can buy some so the price moves up.....I'm sure the sebl sales reps can implement the strategy we came up with.......in the very unlikely event it's even necessary.

To: Amsterdam who wrote (2317)	10/28/1998 12:41:00 AM
From: treetopflier	Respond to of 6974

Most excellent and worthy response yet! I've always known the sales VP was better looking. But I do beat him at golf. He has been sucking up to me for years. Two years ago it got him all the new Dell laptops, this year we did the distributed email stuff and wrote the check to site license all this 'sales support' stuff that runs on the laptops. He had to have it. We'll I can see the email, and the lan enhancements in the field offices, and the nice printers, including the color ones, and the fax software and the integrated modems for their car phones. He has really cranked up sales. I think he could probably justify private jets at the rate they were going until we came off the sales pace a hair end of Q1 and a full 5% less than internal projected in Q2. The numbers we gave the analysts were pessistimic, so they don't know we are seeing the slowing, but he sure as hell knows it. So does the Pres. We just did the last round of 1999 budgeting and I got no more headcount and a flat budget for the year. Sales VP was told point blank that his request for another 200 reps next year will only be possible if we can reduce backoffice expenses. Now when VP Fin said the new Oracle apps would improve backoffice productivity, he didn't know it was going to come out of his headcount so soon. After all we were flying high. So VP of Fin looked a little glum when we was told to cut 10% of headcount and reduce the non-FTE expenses by 40%, i.e. the temps GO. Well I pretty much just do what everyone wants, seeing as how I'm just a CIO and really don't have any power as these guys just go buy apps and throw money at me to put them in, but John the sales VP was a little glum last Saturday at the club. I asked him why he was in such a shitty mood as he put another ball in the pond on 4 and he said that he is really torn. Do the SFA software install next year, which he really wants and I'd love to do as well, or push the headcount addition. I said, well we would certainly be in a much better position next year (2000) to do the SFA stuff with internal people and I'd be a lot more aggressive on it then, not having Y2K distractions. Hell, I have 200 people coming off Y2K projects in late 1999 that would LOVE to dig into this, but they aren't free til then. How about if you do the headcount add. We really need the coverage with the increasing sales cycle duration and customer handholding it requires. I'll be sure they get the latest laptops and other tools you already have. And we do SFA as priority #1 in 2000. I'll have the staffing plans done, vendor negotiations complete and PO ready by 11/1/1999. Best part is I can save you 1/2 the license fee. His head rises and he tops another one. What did you say? I can cut 1/2 off the license fee from SEBL. We'll send RFPs to SEBL, PSFT, SAP and ORCL. We'll play ORCL against SEBL since we have financials and manufacturing from ORCL. SEBL will HAVE to buy the business and next year they'll really need it because they have set expectations so high. We'll negotiate price at the end of the summer, near their quarter end. 1/2 off the top, guaranteed. He puts one on the green near the cup. So you are telling me that if I wait until 2000, you can save me $1M on the license, do the project internally saving me $5M in consulting and tackle it as priority #1? Yup. He one puts. Takes a 2 and we forget the three mulligans. ttf