cazalea[Seiko Moderator]
17144
I can see how the A-team is a good strategy, but there's a hitch
Mar 28, 2024,18:32 PM
I was involved in a similar project (if I may say so) in a completely different industry.
My squad were the best in automotive information. We partnered with IBM for the hardware and service (this is before Dell or Apple). We chose NAPA Auto Parts for their parts catalog and distribution. We put together a great package.
The problem was egos and margins. There weren't any meeting rooms large enough to contain the egos of the product champions from each company, and thus a never-ending discussion over which one of us was driving the bus (and deserved the biggest slice of the pie).
Each party got less than they wanted and so diluted their contribution to the deal, either in length of support, MB of memory, years of vehicle coverage, sales commission, etc.
End result - mediocre product, meh sales, and all walked away before too much reputation or money was lost.
This smells like the same sort of deal to me.
Cazalea