RE: Configuring a new iSeries

[Jim Damato <jdamato@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

> Syd Nicholson
>If is often a slow and cumbersome business obtaining iSeries prices
>from IBM and its business partners. It is very easy for the
>potential client to perceive that buying from IBM is difficult.
>It much easier to price/buy a PC system and many potential sales
>can be lost. This is an area where IBM does need to sharpen up its
>act, or is IBM full of sales prevention officers.


I've worked with BP's who can turn on a dime.  They apparently have access
to the configurator and know how to use it.  I call with my "this will
probably never pan out" budgetary requests and get accurate numbers in short
order.  Resellers who don't really know the product or don't want to deal
with you unless they're sure there's a sale suffer by comparison.  If you
can't get a decent quote out of your BP you should tell them that you're
soliciting a competitive quote and give them a deadline.

The ones who are too lazy or inexperienced to work out a detailed budgetary
quote for you are the ones who are going to screw up when you place a real
order.

Historically the worst part of buying from IBM was, well, buying from IBM.
If you didn't like your account rep you didn't have a lot of options.  There
are a lot of BP's out there, and some of the big regional or national ones
are quite good at shaking up the local ones.

-Jim

James P. Damato
Manager - Technical Administration
Dollar General Corporation
<mailto:jdamato@dollargeneral.com>