Seibel Systems Case Study

Siebel Systems Case Study

1. What is Greg Carman's dilemma?

Greg Carman wants to make a multi-million dollar sale to Quick & Reilly, however, one of Carman's leading clients, FleetBoston, recently acquired Quick and Reilly and wants to veto the sale. Carman must decide whether to continue pursuing the sale or stand by FleetBoston's wishes and allow the sale to be vetoed.

2. What did Carman learn at his first meeting with Quick & Reilly?

At his first meeting with Quick and Reilly, Carman identified Cathy Ridley as a prospective customer. He then gathered information and learned that Q&R was about to become a part of the company FleetBoston. Carman then attempted to try and figure out what requirements Quick and Reilly may have for a new software system. Carman quickly assumed that his customer, Cathy Ridley, was knowledgeable about the complexity involved in implementing CRM systems. He later learned that Cathy Ridley was an influential figure in the decision-making process of which software system to purchase.

3. What did Carman conclude after that first meeting?

After the first meeting with Quick and Reilly, Carman concluded that he needed to do three things in order to ensure that he got the sale. He needed to prove to Q&R that Siebel had a superior product, he needed to convince them that he was willing to collaborate with them to implement the system, and he needed to meet the right set of executives to convert his opportunity into a sale. Carman needed to take a consultative sales approach in order to create value for the customer, Q&R.

4. What are Q&R's business issues that would drive the purchase of customer relationship management software?

Q&R was currently using a primitive PC system known as MDFS which was turning out to be very time consuming and ineffective in managing customer acquisition. Cathy Ridley wanted to introduce sales force automation in 1996 in order to more effectively manage the firm's 100 offices, 500 brokers and 1 million customers.

5. What are the organizational/political issues that may affect the Greg Carman's sales cycle?

Greg Carman has several issues to consider when undergoing this sales cycle. Carman needs to remember to stick to Siebel's core values when working with Q&R. The core values are based primarily on customer satisfaction, so Carman must determine which customer to satisfy- FleetBoston or Q&R? Carman may have to wait and see how the company aligns itself once FleetBoston acquires Q&R and determine whether or not he should proceed based on how this transition takes place. It also depends on who will be in charge of making the purchasing decisions