I am about to share an exchange with a notable industry analyst and personality that was quite frankly interesting, shocking, and disappointing.
Now, right off the bat, I am going to tell you that I am redacting the person’s name in the hope that they will step forward. They should have no problem putting their name into this discussion if they feel good about what they are saying.
And look, I don’t have all the answers, but I get great satisfaction in being challenged for the right reasons. At 65, I know enough to know I don’t know enough. But I will vigorously advocate open, honest discussion because that is how we all grow as a community.
Here we go – tell me what you think:
Analyst: The goal of the demos is to generate high level awareness. Not to cover 100% of their functionality nor put them on trial… If you want to get in touch with them afterwards to do a detailed analysis starting with the PT demo as a baseline, I encourage it.
But please don’t throw tomatoes at vendors who have agreed to come to the public square… (And I know that’s not your intention but that’s how it can be perceived on the other end)
What you can do is throw tomatoes at the vendors who refuse to come on the public square.
JWH: Please tell me you don’t believe what you are saying.
Asking reasonable questions and stimulating meaningful discussion based on actual experience and expertise is not throwing tomatoes or being contentious.
It is being diligent, and, quite frankly, my questions reflect many of the concerns of the C-Suite. Why do you think there is a growing build versus buy movement per the presentation at DPW?
Also, I invited (the Solution Provider) to provide measurable outcomes. I didn’t really get an answer, did I?
Analyst: Jon – You basically told them you had a better solution than them in the year 2000…
If you want to be diligent, you need a full demo where you really challenge them in private before jumping to conclusions.
I think the build vs buy thing from DPW is shaky at best. The survey method is rubbish.
JWH: At the end of the day, my priority is to get it right rather than be right.
And yes, based on the response I have received so far, what I did in 2000 was – at least for MRO product acquisition.
Analyst: Ok – But they don’t do MRO lol They don’t claim to do MRO…
Saying they are not good at MRO is like saying American Express is not a good Butcher Shop…
Let’s reconnect tomorrow. I’ll let you reflect on this… Happy to connect live to discuss.
JWH: Jumping to conclusions?
Why do I have to ask questions in private? Come to think of it why are we having this discussion in a side bar?
Then why did they mention MRO’s and auctions?
By the way, the agent-based model leveraging the same logic for MRO would also work for Direct Material acquisitions.
Again, why aren’t you sharing your thoughts in the discussion stream?
Analyst: Well, you can certainly ask them questions in public if they are open to it!
JWH: Let me ask you this question, – why aren’t we – you and I discussing this dialogue openly in the discussion stream?
And by the way, the moment you publicly present your solution or platform in public, you have to expect to get questions – sometimes difficult ones.
Analyst: Because I’m telling you you’re going over the top and that’s always best done in private – At least at first đŸ˜‚
JWH: I disagree.
My questions are valid, factual, and presented reasonably.
Analyst: That’s why I say sleep on it, rewatch the video, re-read your post, put yourself in everyone else’s shoes and come back to me.
There’s got to be a little bit of light creeping out of your position because you’re smart and I’m right here.
Talk again soon. Have a great weekend
JWH: You have a good weekend too.
My Takeaway, What’s Yours?
I would love to share the discussion stream that led to this sidebar, but I won’t unless the analyst in question comes forward.
My genuine concern is that we have to coddle solution providers to coax them into demonstrating their products with the assurance that the audience will, with goldfish eyes and attention spans, not offer feedback that is deemed to be negative or ask questions that would make them uncomfortable?
Then what is the point of a demo?
The real takeaway is to avoid getting caught up in the tech hoopla. Base your decisions on the quality and caliber of the people behind the solution because those are the ones who will stick with it to make it work. In short, they aren’t interested in accolades and acceptance; they are more interested in getting it right.
30
Procurement Insights
Why do we hesitate to ask the honest, hard questions?
Posted on October 11, 2024
0
I am about to share an exchange with a notable industry analyst and personality that was quite frankly interesting, shocking, and disappointing.
Now, right off the bat, I am going to tell you that I am redacting the person’s name in the hope that they will step forward. They should have no problem putting their name into this discussion if they feel good about what they are saying.
And look, I don’t have all the answers, but I get great satisfaction in being challenged for the right reasons. At 65, I know enough to know I don’t know enough. But I will vigorously advocate open, honest discussion because that is how we all grow as a community.
Here we go – tell me what you think:
Analyst: The goal of the demos is to generate high level awareness. Not to cover 100% of their functionality nor put them on trial… If you want to get in touch with them afterwards to do a detailed analysis starting with the PT demo as a baseline, I encourage it.
But please don’t throw tomatoes at vendors who have agreed to come to the public square… (And I know that’s not your intention but that’s how it can be perceived on the other end)
What you can do is throw tomatoes at the vendors who refuse to come on the public square.
JWH: Please tell me you don’t believe what you are saying.
Asking reasonable questions and stimulating meaningful discussion based on actual experience and expertise is not throwing tomatoes or being contentious.
It is being diligent, and, quite frankly, my questions reflect many of the concerns of the C-Suite. Why do you think there is a growing build versus buy movement per the presentation at DPW?
Also, I invited (the Solution Provider) to provide measurable outcomes. I didn’t really get an answer, did I?
Analyst: Jon – You basically told them you had a better solution than them in the year 2000…
If you want to be diligent, you need a full demo where you really challenge them in private before jumping to conclusions.
I think the build vs buy thing from DPW is shaky at best. The survey method is rubbish.
JWH: At the end of the day, my priority is to get it right rather than be right.
And yes, based on the response I have received so far, what I did in 2000 was – at least for MRO product acquisition.
Analyst: Ok – But they don’t do MRO lol They don’t claim to do MRO…
Saying they are not good at MRO is like saying American Express is not a good Butcher Shop…
Let’s reconnect tomorrow. I’ll let you reflect on this… Happy to connect live to discuss.
JWH: Jumping to conclusions?
Why do I have to ask questions in private? Come to think of it why are we having this discussion in a side bar?
Then why did they mention MRO’s and auctions?
By the way, the agent-based model leveraging the same logic for MRO would also work for Direct Material acquisitions.
Again, why aren’t you sharing your thoughts in the discussion stream?
Analyst: Well, you can certainly ask them questions in public if they are open to it!
JWH: Let me ask you this question, – why aren’t we – you and I discussing this dialogue openly in the discussion stream?
And by the way, the moment you publicly present your solution or platform in public, you have to expect to get questions – sometimes difficult ones.
Analyst: Because I’m telling you you’re going over the top and that’s always best done in private – At least at first đŸ˜‚
JWH: I disagree.
My questions are valid, factual, and presented reasonably.
Analyst: That’s why I say sleep on it, rewatch the video, re-read your post, put yourself in everyone else’s shoes and come back to me.
There’s got to be a little bit of light creeping out of your position because you’re smart and I’m right here.
Talk again soon. Have a great weekend
JWH: You have a good weekend too.
My Takeaway, What’s Yours?
I would love to share the discussion stream that led to this sidebar, but I won’t unless the analyst in question comes forward.
My genuine concern is that we have to coddle solution providers to coax them into demonstrating their products with the assurance that the audience will, with goldfish eyes and attention spans, not offer feedback that is deemed to be negative or ask questions that would make them uncomfortable?
Then what is the point of a demo?
The real takeaway is to avoid getting caught up in the tech hoopla. Base your decisions on the quality and caliber of the people behind the solution because those are the ones who will stick with it to make it work. In short, they aren’t interested in accolades and acceptance; they are more interested in getting it right.
30
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