Marc, This is a mailing listing, please unsubscribe.
https://launchpad.net/~openerp-community Peter 2014-02-19 23:08 GMT+01:00 Marc Pierlot <mpier...@gmail.com>: > I dont like you. > > > 2014-02-19 21:08 GMT+01:00 Wouter Tebbens <wou...@freeknowledge.eu>: > > some brief thoughts from my part: >> >> * keep the name "OpenERP" >> * explain both the Apps and the ERP (if it stays in the name, so you >> wouldn't drop it, right?) >> * emphasise the importance of open source and software freedom (no >> lock-in, free/open license, competitive market place, community, dynamic >> innovation through open development, standing on shoulders of giants >> (PostgresQL, Python, ...)) >> >> As Nhomar said, open source IS a very important customer value. And even >> if some people don't understand much of it, I think it is very important >> to explain the enormous differences between free software/open source vs >> proprietary/closed software. It's the end of monopolies.... and >> customers generally do appreciate the strategic value of freedom. >> >> best, >> Wouter >> >> On 02/17/2014 12:11 AM, Carlos Vásquez wrote: >> > Hi Fabien, >> > >> > I do like your thoughts about the marketing strategy in general. I agree >> > with the communication techniques you propose. >> > >> > >> > *ERP vs. Apps* >> > >> > As our fellow partners stated, the main discussion point is which image >> > we do want to market to our customers. Speaking about the ERP vs. Apps >> > approach, I kind of agree with both you and the other partners. We do >> > not spend one cent in marketing, we only follow-up sales of people that >> > contact us. For now it has been enough to keep us busy and running. >> > Those people who contact us are almost always looking for an ERP. We >> > usually have to sell an implementation project where other ERP solutions >> > are also participating, sometimes there are big ERP solutions (SAP, >> > Dynamics, Oracle, etc), and usually there are local ERP solutions. I >> > think dropping the ERP solution as a marketing point, would affect us in >> > this market. >> > >> > But, we have more and more calls from people looking for a cheaper and >> > faster solution for their problems. An ERP implementation is not >> > affordable nor suitable for their business. We are getting ready to >> > offer OpenERP in a way very similar to your SaaS offer. This offer will >> > be ready very soon and we already have several customers waiting to test >> > it. Also, we started doing fast, out-of-the-box implementations about 3 >> > months ago to gain experience for our new "SaaS" offer. It has proven to >> > be very successful. These customers are more prone to identify >> > themselves with a solution marketed as business apps running together. >> > Here I do understand your point and it will help to bring more customers >> > for this line of service. >> > >> > >> > *Open Source* >> > >> > Also, the first kind of customers are usually more interested in an Open >> > Source solution and they often understand its benefits and it can be an >> > important sale point for them. The later kind of customers, usually do >> > not know about Open Source, and they do not care. They need a good, >> > affordable and reliable solution for their needs. Open or closed is the >> > same for them. So again, we do have here 2 ways of marketing this >> > because there is in fact (as Ana said) 2 targets. >> > >> > The one thing that help us in the sale process is that our customers can >> > easily find us in the partners directory. The new partners page with >> > automatic country filter is doing a great job with this. Also the way >> > you redirect all kind of leads to us. >> > >> > >> > Maybe it is a good idea to separate the ERP/OpenSource and the >> > Apps/Product approach. Is it really necessary to choose only one way? I >> > always like simplicity, but in this case, focusing only one target may >> > be wrong, it is worth the discussion. >> > >> > >> > *Pull strategy* >> > >> > There is one more thing I think I can give some valuable feedback. The >> > services you offer to partners are somewhat rigid in some cases. I would >> > love to sell an Enterprise contract with every OpenERP implementation. >> > But this is not possible. The OPW is not made for end-users, us partners >> > we have to take part in the process. We have worked out several bugs >> > with the support team. Our experience has been varied. Sometimes the >> > person assigned to the bug can solve the problem in a reasonable time >> > frame, other times we have ended up fixing it ourselves. In all cases we >> > have to spend at least a couple of hours in total of our time. If our >> > customer reports a bug, we have to test to know where is the problem. If >> > there is something wrong with some official code and there is an OPW >> > contract we can send it to your team. In most cases, your team needs >> > several replies from us. They usually do not do a very good job finding >> > the problem, we have to do some heavy testing for them as they keep >> > rejecting the issue of proposing some simplistic workaround. For >> > important bugs, we end up spending more than 2 hours answering mails and >> > doing remote desktop demo sessions. At the end we have to integrate and >> > deploy the solution. I explain all of this because we have to charge >> > several hours to our customers on top of an Enterprise contract. And we >> > also need to support the localization and customizations. The total cost >> > of support gets expensive. Of course your contract also includes >> > migration. But if we want to use this service, we also need to charge >> > some extra fee to migrate the localization and customizations. This is >> > the main reason we do not sell Enterprise contracts very often, and the >> > ones we have sold, are not renewing. >> > >> > For partners which do develop and do heavy customization, I find the >> > Enterprise service and its pricing method very rigid. I am worried >> > because we could work much better with your team and get you to earn >> > more money, which is good for all of us. And for our new "SaaS" offer, I >> > contacted you guys to work out something to include support from your >> > team in our cost structure, but the only thing you have to offer is the >> > regular Enterprise support with the usual "per user" pricing method. >> > This will at least duplicate our cost for each user. This is not >> > acceptable, nor is reflecting the reality. You know that in this kind of >> > service, the amount of support is deluded because everyone is using the >> > same exact code base. So we decided to go on our own, without your >> > support. We ran some numbers, and we think it will be cheaper to support >> > the platform ourselves, even with the migration process. >> > >> > So as of now, I do not think you have good service offer for us. The >> > pricing structure do not work outside Europe of North America. I know >> > and appreciate you are making efforts to adapt your prices. It has been >> > a very good first step. But it is not enough. You have to differentiate >> > configuration only partners, from development ones. We are more than >> > open and willing to work with you. So, even if you make a great >> > marketing strategy, the pull strategy you propose will not work very >> > well in our particular case. I think it is the best way to go, we need >> > to improve who does generating partners revenue will create revenue for >> > OpenERP S.A. >> > >> > >> > *Recap* >> > >> > All of this said. I do appreciate your efforts to involve the community, >> > and do think that there are great things we (the partners) can do with >> > you (OpenERP S.A.). A marketing investment in marketing will benefit us. >> > And I do trust your judgment to integrate internal ideas with community >> > suggestions into an excellent marketing strategy. >> > >> > Regards, >> > -- >> > Carlos Vásquez >> > CTO · Director de Ingeniería >> > CLEARCORP S.A. >> > >> > carlos.vasq...@clearcorp.co.cr <mailto:carlos.vasq...@clearcorp.co.cr> >> > Cel: +(506) 8351 4484 >> > CR: +(506) 4000 CORP (4000 2677) >> > US: +1 (786) 472-4267 >> > skype: crvasquez >> > twitter: cvclearcorp >> > >> > 300 m. Este de la Escuela >> > Calle de Platanares >> > 11402 San Jerónimo, Moravia >> > San José, Costa Rica >> > (GoogleMaps: http://goo.gl/8YqM4S) >> > >> > http://www.clearcorp.co.cr >> > >> > >> > _______________________________________________ >> > Mailing list: https://launchpad.net/~openerp-community >> > Post to : openerp-community@lists.launchpad.net >> > Unsubscribe : https://launchpad.net/~openerp-community >> > More help : https://help.launchpad.net/ListHelp >> > >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Mailing list: https://launchpad.net/~openerp-community >> Post to : openerp-community@lists.launchpad.net >> Unsubscribe : https://launchpad.net/~openerp-community >> More help : https://help.launchpad.net/ListHelp >> > > > _______________________________________________ > Mailing list: https://launchpad.net/~openerp-community > Post to : openerp-community@lists.launchpad.net > Unsubscribe : https://launchpad.net/~openerp-community > More help : https://help.launchpad.net/ListHelp > >
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