Dilbert...LOL!

[Angryred]

Have a look at these!...PMSL!

[little dave hedgehog]

****ing dilbert

[sambirken]

WTF is that about? Can someone remove the LOL from the thread title. It's misleading.

[Kenneth]

[dom9]

I came across this one earlier. It sums up my working life quite neatly.

[RichC]

That sounds exactly like my place

Why sell something we've already got when we can go something completely different

[dom9]

It is madness.

I had a reasonably heated debate with some consultants / account managers just last week about a similar situation.

Them: This prospect wants something that does not exist in the marketplace. Can you re-use X and Y standard components for this prospect?

Me: But you'd have to customise a lot of the underlying functionality of X and Y, so why not just quote for a piece of bespoke work where they can get what they want, and we cost it accordingly?

Them: But we want to offer them the standard functionality so as to keep the costs down.

Me: Once you have changed X and Y, what standard functionality will you have left? It will look different to the standard (X) and the underlying nuts and bolts will be unique to this prospect (Y). So you will end up with a bodged customisation of something that was not built for the purpose you're asking for.

Them: I see. What's the alternative?

Me: Build a bespoke solution, make sure you're really tight on the scope and requirements, and cost it in such a way that we don't lose money.

Them: That'll be too expensive.

Me: I've had enough of this. Bye.

[Rich]

Way of the world.

[dom9]

Way of the world.

Yes and no.

It is too often. It can be less often.

[EwarWoo]

A conversation which happens on an almost daily basis.

Me: "Why didn't this go through Focus?"
Sales guy: "Because it's standard"
Me: "X, Y and Z are definitely not standard, and I'm not even sure they're within capability even if they were costed"
Sales guy: "The customer's signed so we'll just have to find a way to support it."