EMC's Secret Sales Force

I try to read everything that's written about EMC.  It's getting a lot harder to do this these days, but I try.

One of the themes that seems to come up in articles is EMC's crack sales force.  And it's true -- we've got a direct sales force that's legendary in bringing EMC's value proposition to customers and making them successful with it.

But today, I'd like to use this post to talk a bit about EMC's "secret" sales force -- our Technical Consultants, or TC's.

There's A Gathering Going On ...

As I write this, I'm down in Orlando where there's a multi-day session for EMC's TC community.

We're talking about the several thousand technology consultants who live and breathe EMC's technology in front of customers each and every day.

I think -- in some regards -- this community of dedicated professionals probably deserves more focus and attention than is usually paid to it.

Walking The Walk

Let's face it -- technology at scale is complicated and difficult.  The ideas and concepts are easy enough to formulate and make understood, but applying the concepts to a specific customer environment can be really, really hard.

I don't think there's any substitute for a technologically knowledgeable individual who's passionate about seeing customers successful with the technology.

These are the people who walk the walk.  And I think they're an essential element to EMC's success.

Early Days

Many years ago, I was a product marketing type, and I'd create these great presentations about all the cool things our product could do.

I once was set straight by a knowledgeable and patient field technology consultant who basically said "all that is great, but let me tell you how this really works in a customer environment".  And I got a big wake-up call that just because some corporate type thought something was a great idea didn't mean it'd play out in the real world.

Since then, I've sought these people out to understand real-world customer environments better, and to help make sure that EMC solutions deliver real (vs. theoretical) value.

Another experience I've had relates to the role that technology consultants play during customer calls. 

I'll be talking about something, and the customer will look over to the technology consultant (rather than the sales rep) for validation and opinions that are specific to their specific environment.  It's prettly clear to me the role these people play for customers.

And It's Getting To Be A More Important Role

Customer environments are getting more complex.  EMC's portfolio has gotten wildly more complex.

It's not just about storage anymore.  It's about backup, replication, security, virtualization, content management, model-based management -- and there's even more coming.

The need to have someone who's (a) technically knowledgeable, and (b) looking out for customers' interests is becoming even more important.

IT staffing levels aren't what they once were.  Customers need to depend more and more on vendors to provide the technical expertise in more and more areas.  And our TCs play an ever-increasing role in meeting this growing need.

It's Also A Barrier To Entry For Our Competitors

I don't think there's any argument that the role of a trusted technology advisor is an important one between customers and technology suppliers.

But it's not easy or cheap to create this capability, and to deliver it on a consistent, reliable basis.

First, the best people have a lot of choices who they'll go work for.  You've got to make it interesting and worth their while to work for your company.

Second, maturity matters.  Someone who's new in the role, or who moves from customer to customer and doesn't have time to engage deeply isn't as valuable as a more seasoned individual who has the time to get to know a customer's environment in depth.

Third, you have to grow with your people.  And the more seasoned an individual is, the more challenging it is to keep it fresh and interesting.  Fortunately, EMC has done well for our TC community in this one regard by making a whole lot of interesting technology acquisitions that are hot topics with their customers.

I've been with EMC for almost 13 years, and there was a strong TC community when I got here.  Since then, it's been getting bigger, stronger and better.  And that's a hard barrier for any new entrant to match.

It's Not An Easy Job

We could do better by making accurate technical information easy to find for these folks.  The most skilled practitioners have all sorts of formal and informal information sources.  There's no "single place" to go for authoritative technical information, and that's not ideal.

It'd be great if we had a way to give these practitioners more hands-on time with new versions of products, or entirely new products.  No matter how much we do of this, there's always a clear need to do more.

And it's not like there are free hours in the working day to go learn new stuff, or poke around in new areas that are becoming important to their customers.  Many of these folks use evenings and weekends to learn more and find new solutions to customer problems, and it'd be great if they didn't have to do this.

Let's face it -- many times our TCs are the first ones to try a unique application of EMC's technology.  We test our stuff perhaps more than anyone, but because of who we are we often end up getting into all sorts of interesting use cases, and occasionally there will be a "surprise" out there that no one could have predicted, and it's our TCs who have to understand the problem and drive to a resolution sooner than later.

And, let's be clear, it's not only EMC technology that they have to know about. 

Because our stuff plugs into all sorts of other stuff, they're expected to be knowledgeable on operating systems, for example: Windows, Linux, Solaris, AIX and many more.  Sometimes I think we know more about these operating environments than the people who build them.  As a special case, I'd argue we have more advanced Linux infrastructure expertise than just about any other company out there.

They're expected to be knowledgeable about databases: Oracle, SQLserver, UDB, etc.  And popular application environments: Exchange, SAP and others.  And networks.  And tape devices.  And management frameworks.  And ... well, you get the idea.

They're also expected to get real smart really quickly on things that have become real important to customers real fast.  Things like VMware at scale, or energy efficiency.  In the past, maybe it was things like Y2K or other fast-moving topics.  And ... time and time again ... they rise to the challenge and step up to the new demands of their role.

But They Tell Me It's Rewarding

The people I know who love this job probably won't be looking for another one anytime soon. 

They love working with customers on a variety of topics, some old, some new.  They love learning about new technologies, and they get exposed to some of the most interesting stuff out there.  They love making a difference each and every day.

It seems that the positives more than outweigh the negatives.  But I don't think it's for everyone.

So, Here's To You

When I think about EMC's success over the years, it's hard to imagine it happening in any regard without our TCs.  They're an important part of the backbone where technology meets the real world.

I'm glad that the company is investing in an event to bring you together, not only to brush up on new skills, but to acknowledge and celebrate the contribution you collectively make to EMC, our customers and the industry as a whole.  I can point to dozens of technologies that wouldn't be in widespread use today if it wasn't for you.

And I'd like to thank each and every one of you on behalf of EMC -- and, more importantly -- the customers that you serve.

Comments

[Nigel Poulton]

Chuck,

Im sure your technical consultants are as great as you say. In fact I would say the same is almost universally true of all technical consultants - they are all decent down to earth people who are trying to do a good job. And generally in storage I have found that they tend to be genuinely passionate about the kit they specialise in.

Sadly they are often under-appreciated by upper management and among the first set of people to be laid off when costs are being cut.

Nigel

[Dave]

As one of the TC's mentioned here, thank you for your recognition of the hard work we do for EMC. The next time a Sales Rep wins a Rolex for a big deal, send a Timex on down for the TC that helped out.

[Ted Matej]

Chuck

As a systems engineer I see that EMC truly appreciates how it's technical community is dedicated to serve customers. Technical specialists must deal with business requirements that are wide ranging and different from one customer to another. After nearly 19 years in this industry, long hours of work are the norm. New technologies are constantly appearing on the horizon changing business rules. I for one have always found this challenge to drive my passion.

[Erica]

I'll buy you a Timex! How do you get into sales at EMC?