Sales Representative

And we also talked about employees - more precisely: about the lack of employees and young talent in the SAP community. I mentioned that our business is going really well, there are many possibilities and opportunities based on new print products, web, video and social media - only a powerful sales force is missing.

My counterpart was astonished that we, as a special interest magazine, needed a sales department at all. As the leading magazine in the community, business relationships should be established by mutual agreement without elaborate sales activities.

I felt flattered and amazed: Yes, maybe the "E-3" product could sell like hot cakes? And what about SAP? Does SAP need a marketing and sales force? Obviously, because the top guy, SAP CEO Bill McDermott, sees himself as a salesman.

In mid-August, Spiegel Online once again featured a report on Bill McDermott: He looks at everything from the customer's point of view. He feels 100 percent committed to his customers. He has lived for sales and for customers since he started his career at Xerox.

So even products as successful as "SAP" need a powerful sales team? The Spiegel author sees a direct connection between SAP's above-average growth in recent years and Bill McDermott's activities.

Obviously, the "salesman" McDermott is doing a better job than his predecessors, the "technicians" Hasso Plattner and Henning Kagermann (the short reign of "salesman" Léo Apotheker shall be left out here).

Is SAP's current success really due to the eternal optimist and "sales genius" Bill McDermott? Or perhaps the existing customer base built up in recent years by Dietmar Hopp, Hasso Plattner and Henning Kagermann?

The economy has recovered since 2008, there is a lot of money in the market, companies are investing and growing - and thus buying SAP licenses and services because they need it.

R/2, R/3, the enterprise version, ERP/ECC 6.0 and S/7 (SAP Business Suite 7) were and are excellent products - why not buy them if your own company can benefit from the software.

My opinion:

People buy SAP because there is a scene, a community, a community of values. Thousands of SAP partners around the world provide advice and support. Every year, very well-trained experts come from universities and colleges where SAP is part of the teaching material.

The SAP university alliances are doing an excellent job here internationally. In summary: SAP may be complex and expensive - but with SAP you are almost always on the safe side. And this community is alive and well, which is the best reason to continue investing in SAP.

A successful salesman at the top of SAP is fine, but I will not accept the reverse conclusion: SAP is growing because Bill McDermott is at the top - SAP is growing because it has a stable and reliable existing customer base and an agile SAP partner ecosystem as a result of years of hard and successful work.

A sales department will always be necessary because it needs an interface to the customers - but the quality and competence of the other employees is just as important. And we are still looking for sales staff for our new office in Freilassing (Bavaria)!