The word "value"
Welcome to my inaugural blog entry. I've been at Sun for seven years and in front of customers for every bit of it. I spent the first four years as a Senior Java Architect, 2 years as an Engagement Manager and now I am an Engagement Architect (or Systems Engineer). I figure I've been around the block a couple times and keep running in to interesting things that I think are worth sharing. I hope you think so, too.
The Word "Value"
I hear the word "value" a lot from customers and, like most terms in our industry, it seems to mean different things to different people. One meeting I had with a customer a couple years ago still stands out in my mind.
I, my director at the time, and the sales rep were meeting with a manufacturer of sports apparel. They make nifty synthetic fiber T-shirts that promise to actively siphon sweat away from your body and increase your prowess on the field. These garments are very expensive compared to, say, a Hanes Beefy T, costing from two to five times as much. The company is very proud of its products and is indeed very popular. They believe that the value one gets from their products is easily worth the price.
Our primary purpose for being there that day was to do an overview presentation of Sun Microystems' company direction for the CIO. We also talked about three mission critical V880's they had, how they had never went down in three years, and what our relationship would be going forward. Interestingly, the CIO and his next-in-command spent quite a bit of time focusing on price and how our relationship might be in jeopardy because our competition could always push a box for a lower one.
About mid way through the director and the CIO were shooting the breeze a bit.
"It seems like your lines are really popular, all the teams wear it", said my director.
"It's great, isn't it?", the CIO responded.
"Yeah, my kids really like it, too, but it's kind of expensive."
Then, with a big smile, the CIO says,
"Hey, it's all about the value!"
It was like one of those slow-motion sequences where the audible and the visual just seem to blend. What a fantastic juxtaposition! As a consumer, I should find value (and many people do) in a $50.00 synthetic fiber T shirt that might keep me a little drier than a $9.00 cotton Hanes Beefy T. However, when it came to running his business, the CIO couldn't see the value in staying with the vendor that had provided over 1,100 outtage-free days on it's platform, operating system and support. What was the price of those systems as compared to the value they got?
This is one of my greatest day-to-day challenges in front of customers. There is a complete paradox between value that is perceived in a personal role versus value perceived in the professional role. For example, the person who drives a BMW, cooks on a Viking range and goes to an expensive salon for a haircut can be the very same person who mercilessly crushes vendors in a press looking to squeeze out every last dollar. A consistent person would drive a Fiat, worship the microwave and still be annoyed at paying a barber eight bucks to crop his do.
Now, let me say that I recognize the myriad reasons for this. The old saying "No one was ever fired for buying IBM" has now turned in to "No one will ever be fired for buying cheap." However, companies must recognize the folly in the approach. They must demand that solutions be driven by TCO and value to their business.
Sun is about value. A corporate IT structure is about finding solutions that support business initiatives. My job is to bring those to together in a way that none of our competition can touch.
