Comments on: Oil and Water? (Software and Services) http://www.bp-3.com/blogs/2010/02/oil-and-water-software-and-services/ A Blog about Enterprise BPM and Business Process Improvement by the folks at BP3 Sun, 12 Feb 2012 05:30:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Love Mark Suster’s Blog on Crappy Little Services Companies » Process for the Enterprise http://www.bp-3.com/blogs/2010/02/oil-and-water-software-and-services/comment-page-1/#comment-6070 Love Mark Suster’s Blog on Crappy Little Services Companies » Process for the Enterprise Mon, 02 May 2011 03:59:27 +0000 http://www.bp-3.com/blogs/?p=1685#comment-6070 [...] times as well.  In fact, Giff Constable had a great article about it.  We’ve even written a few ourselves.  Mark hits on pretty much all the points I would have made about a services business.  It [...] [...] times as well.  In fact, Giff Constable had a great article about it.  We’ve even written a few ourselves.  Mark hits on pretty much all the points I would have made about a services business.  It [...]

]]> By: sfrancis http://www.bp-3.com/blogs/2010/02/oil-and-water-software-and-services/comment-page-1/#comment-1500 sfrancis Tue, 16 Feb 2010 22:56:01 +0000 http://www.bp-3.com/blogs/?p=1685#comment-1500 Ah well, just saying "keep it separate" wouldn't have generated all the discussion! I did think it was interesting that I you wrote the whole thing from the software perspective, but at the end came back to "So a consulting business can’t create a product?" - Which, if you start with that question, puts a different spin on your article. <br><br>I think even when companies have a product with traction, they still have trouble managing that services arm - the morale issues, the distraction, the differences (potentially) in compensation. There's a way to run these services arms successfully and without that friction, but I've found that the folks running sales and product generally don't want to play it that way - to everyone's detriment. I think if you can't treat services as a valued component of your team that you're really glad to have around, then you should not have a services team. Interestingly, BazaarVoice in Austin is one company that has the proper mindset/outlook on services within a software company - perhaps because they're in an ASP/SaaS model. Ah well, just saying “keep it separate” wouldn't have generated all the discussion! I did think it was interesting that I you wrote the whole thing from the software perspective, but at the end came back to “So a consulting business can’t create a product?” – Which, if you start with that question, puts a different spin on your article.

I think even when companies have a product with traction, they still have trouble managing that services arm – the morale issues, the distraction, the differences (potentially) in compensation. There's a way to run these services arms successfully and without that friction, but I've found that the folks running sales and product generally don't want to play it that way – to everyone's detriment. I think if you can't treat services as a valued component of your team that you're really glad to have around, then you should not have a services team. Interestingly, BazaarVoice in Austin is one company that has the proper mindset/outlook on services within a software company – perhaps because they're in an ASP/SaaS model.

]]> By: giffc http://www.bp-3.com/blogs/2010/02/oil-and-water-software-and-services/comment-page-1/#comment-1498 giffc Tue, 16 Feb 2010 21:33:25 +0000 http://www.bp-3.com/blogs/?p=1685#comment-1498 Thanks for writing this up Scott. A lot of wisdom here. I probably could have boiled down my entire post to the message "please just keep it separate!" -- and of course I'm talking about the early startup stage. If you have a product with traction, and then create a services arm to support and fuel that product, that's completely different.<br><br>Also agree with you that an experienced team can be both rainmaker and execution, rather than needing a separate sales staff. Good point missing in my original piece. Thanks for writing this up Scott. A lot of wisdom here. I probably could have boiled down my entire post to the message “please just keep it separate!” — and of course I'm talking about the early startup stage. If you have a product with traction, and then create a services arm to support and fuel that product, that's completely different.

Also agree with you that an experienced team can be both rainmaker and execution, rather than needing a separate sales staff. Good point missing in my original piece.

]]> By: When it comes to startups, products and services don't mix — giffconstable.com http://www.bp-3.com/blogs/2010/02/oil-and-water-software-and-services/comment-page-1/#comment-1499 When it comes to startups, products and services don't mix — giffconstable.com Tue, 16 Feb 2010 16:35:54 +0000 http://www.bp-3.com/blogs/?p=1685#comment-1499 [...] UPDATE: great response from Scott Francis [...] [...] UPDATE: great response from Scott Francis [...]

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