Sep 1, 2006
Print this post
Why Project Management Software is Not a Commodity - Part 1
Why Project Management Software is Not a Commodity
The person on the other end of the phone line is a new buyer and he keeps saying to me that buying project management software is a confusing and difficult process because all these project management products look the same. I answer saying that I agree on the surface that it looks that way, and that it is frustrating because everything does seem to do the same thing. I continue to explain that I understand their pain and then my real job comes into play.
That is when I pause for a moment, take in a deep breath, take off my sales hat and with a flare toss on my teachers hat. My teachers hat looks just like my sales hat, but I assure you, here too, there are significant differences in intent and approach even if they look similar.
I explain on the phone that choosing project management software is just like buying a car. Ok, maybe not exactly like buying a car. On the surface of things, a car typically has four wheels, an engine, and will usually get you from point A to point B. The big however, however, is that the style, manner, and method, of getting from point A to point B can be the difference between a Motel 6 situated upon a lonely highway to a Four Seasons in Midtown Manhattan. Perhaps a better way of putting it would be to say that I can drive a go-cart or I can drive a BMW, and even though they share a lot of the same attributes there is a vast ocean of difference.
At this point in the conversation the customer’s interest in aroused. Listening is my sales mantra, and understanding the essence of why someone wants to buy – this is my key to finding excellent customers for my product. So with my listening skills I have the customer’s ear – I understand what difficult road they are coming from and how to get them on to the right road.
This is when I respond by saying that it all comes down to why someone, or some company decide to build their software system in the first place. After all, what is the essential reason for their act of programmable creation. This is the first step in clearing the obscurity of project management software multiplicity. Once we clear up the philosophy behind their software, we can start to understand how this product is not like the others and what makes it unique.
End of Part 1
Leave a Reply