Profit Magazine - May 2008

“When you show a customer how to get from A to B and derive more
value, you’ve got a relationship that will last a lifetime.”

—Keith Block, Executive Vice President of North America Sales and Consulting, Oracle

responded incredibly well,” he says. “I can’t say enough about Rand, a multibrand commercial products manufacturer head-
the management and sales teams’ ability to adapt to this model. quartered in Montvale, New Jersey. “There will always be
Those who didn’t adapt aren’t here.” challenges, but our relationship with Oracle has improved dra-
matically over the years. There’s accountability, there’s commu-
nication, and there’s a sense of trust.” Steve Prince, CIO of Pella,
Iowa–based door and window manufacturer Pella Corporation,
agrees. “It was rocky back in the day. We’d see Oracle reps at the
end of a quarter, and they’d resurface exactly three months later.
That’s a thing of the past. Our relationship is now about collabo-
ration and long-term partnership. That’s a good place to be.”
Customer outreach is another crucial element. The organi-
zation does quarterly customer satisfaction surveys that show
clients that are very happy with both the strategy and its execu-
tion. “Customers love the way they are being treated,” says
Block. “It’s not perfect, but they do believe in the strategy.”
One particular area of interest is integration. Oracle has
focused on helping customers simplify integration through the
Oracle Application Integration Architecture initiative. “Our
message is simple: Don’t be in the integration business when
we can provide you with best-in-class solutions for your indus-
try. We’ll do the integration for you, and you can take that
integration money and apply it to something else,” says Block.
In keeping with the customer focus, Oracle turns to customer
groups to help prioritize the creation of integration packages.
“Some customers even help us build them,” he says.
Block believes that Oracle’s sales transformation has been
instrumental in Oracle gaining mind share and market share
across the board. He adds, “We’re incredibly excited about
having increased our lead over our competitors. Especially SAP!”
But the work is not done. Block believes that the next level
for his organization involves yet another transformation: from a
traditional sales force to one that truly functions collaboratively
with its customers as a trusted advisor. He adds, “We’ve acquired
our way into the hearts and minds of many companies. Now we
have to earn the right to stay there and improve our impact on
customers. We will do that only by being in it for the long term.”

In fact, he has challenged his organization to achieve this next level. “For us to declare success, customers have to think of us as partners who will help them, advise them, and work with them on their vision. When we can have a customer invite us into the boardroom and share business challenges and we can respond with impactful advice, we will have arrived.”

Block says that Oracle is just at the beginning of this shift to trusted advisor, but he predicts that the effort will pay off as customers benefit exponentially from this type of relationship. “We’re not just selling software but advising them on how to grow their enterprise and thrive. If we can demonstrate that and help them unleash their business potential, that’s powerful.” <>

PRODUCT AND INDUSTRY SPECIALISTS

Oracle CEO Larry Ellison had long talked about the importance of deep product knowledge in sales, especially in light of his vision for expanding the breadth and depth of Oracle’s portfolio, says Block. To this end, Block segmented the sales force from generalists with a thin but broad knowledge base to specialists who can drill into the details of a specific technology or industry.

In the previous model, salespeople would have to talk to a customer about enterprise software one day, and then sell database technology the next. Being generalists put them at a disadvantage next to competitors who sold only one kind of software. “Our person was asked to do everything, but you can’t do that and be effective. We were spread too thin,” emphasizes Block.

With the new model, the sales force was segmented into specialty areas. Now solely focused on applications or technology, as well as industry verticals such as financial services and retail, the Oracle salesperson brings more product expertise and industry knowledge to the customer. “Even at the division level, we have folks who are focused on just one industry,” says Block. “Many people came from that industry and have that background. Good sales reps will do their homework, pick up the trends, and understand the business issues in that industry. Specialization brings more value to the customer. Period.”

Oracle has also created service organizations and programs to support the relationships, solutions, and strategy directive. One of the most successful programs is Oracle Insight, which was launched five years ago in North America and has since expanded globally. The Oracle Insight team will come to a customer’s site, determine what capabilities the customer needs to realize its goals, analyze the solutions it has in place, and recommend methods to help the customer get the most value from its software. “They might find more-efficient ways to deploy, or find ways to use features better,” says Block. “When you show a customer how to get from A to B and derive more value, you’ve got a relationship that will last a lifetime.”

The sales team can also draw on the industry-focused business units. These are global groups made up of experts in specific industries. “You name the industry, we have people who are experts, and it helps us have meaningful conversations with customers,” Block says. “On top of all that,” he adds, “we have a world-class consulting organization that can help customers realize long-term, sustainable, and measurable benefits.”