Re: IBM Spin Doctors on AS/400 Marketing

[Neil Palmer <NPalmer@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Al,

Knowing that the only IBM'ers on this list are the good guys (ie. not
the ones who need to hear the message about marketing) maybe you could
post an e-mail address or two of some of the Ostriches who need to have
this message reinforced, and everyone one the list (especially - but not
exclusively - those who can identify themselves as Customers and not
Business Partners) could try to enlighten them.  Maybe then they'll
start to understand it's not just you and a couple of BP's bitching
(although is there a hidden message there that they don't give a damn if
it's ONLY BP's who are complaining ?).  :-(



Al Barsa, Jr. wrote:

        < snip >

> Well, as it turns out, Rochester is very upset about what I said about
> marketing.  (I did not blind-side them about this fact, they knew
> in advance.)  In fact there is a broad tradition of IBM being unhappy
> about
> what I say at Soundoff. The last time they were unhappy, I was
> complaining
> about V3R1 quality.  (20/20 hindsight being what it is, I probably
> shouldn't have used the word 'sucks'.)
> 
> I spoke about the effectiveness of AS/400 marketing, Bob Tipton spoke
> about
> it, and the audience applauded robustly and lengthy for each of us, as
> they
> did for the others that followed us.  In fact, this is documented in
> IBM's
> internal minutes from Soundoff.
> 
> Personally, I've taken a lot of heat from Rochester.  When I attended
> the
> Rochester Summit (a Business Partner event) two weeks ago, an IBM VP
> attempted to perform rectal surgery on me (a polite way of saying... -
> something better done by the Mayo clinic).
> 
> Now, the IBM spin doctors are saying that it was non-customers who
> were
> complaining, not customers.  Let me say once and for all, the AS/400
> Division has a communications problem.  I hear it every day from my
> customers, and from AS/400 users throughout the world.  IBM would like
> you
> to feel that this is a Business Partner issue, however this is a
> diversionary tactic.  This is the equivalent of putting their heads in
> the
> sand. (You would need a big desert, *SAHARA.)
> 
> The AS/400 is the best computer platform in the world, and the AS/400
> is
> IBM's best kept corporate secret.  (After all, Microsoft uses it!  Not
> to
> mention a wealth of other technology firms like Gateway 2000, Packard
> Bell,
> COMP USA and Nintendo.)  We (AS/400 Divison, IBM BPs and AS/400 users)
> are
> ineffective at communicating this message to the general public.
> 
> If you hear this response from an IBM spin doctor, please set them
> straight.
> 
> Al
> 
> PS:  This message has been blind copied to the appropriate people at
> IBM.
> I purposely decided to not list them to avoid them being bothered.
> I've
> bothered them enough recently.

Right - YOU'VE bothered them enough already, now it's our turn.
Who are they ?

> 
> PPS: An IBM exec asked me to take the word 'bullshit' out of this
> memo, and
> I was happy to oblige.


Maybe we could have a contest to see who can guess where the word
belongs ?
(Maybe Rochester would like to donate a prize ?).   :-)


-- 
... Neil Palmer                                      AS/400~~~~~      
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