Whenever we see the name IBM the first thing that comes to our mind that it is a huge IT company. We never think of it as a Marketing Organization. But ever thought what has led to the success of this billion dollar empire that is considered one of the leaders in its field? The answer is simple. Every employee & customer associated with IBM has played a role in its success, but when it comes to recognition of this success generally people forget appreciating the sales force that has led to this success. Lets face it, the salesperson is the source from which everything in business starts. No business today can survive without an efficient & intelligent sales force.This is precisely what Buck Rodgers, one time marketing president of IBM explains in his book The IBM way:Insights into World’s Most Successful Marketing Organization.
This was the first book ever written about IBM by an IBM officer. The book was published in 1984.The IBM Way exposes the heart & soul of IBM: how it thinks & behaves behind closed doors, what goes into its decision making, what it deems important and how it stacks its priorities, why IBM’s hundreds of thousands of employees never had a union & many othe major issues.It talks about everything that makes IBM IBM.
The book also explains what it means to be a customer-driven organization, how IBM’s marketing & sales orientation permeates every aspect of its operation & how the IBM personality is shaped by the company’s insatiable quest for excellence. The book also reveals the fact that IBM has till today been run like a small private organization. That is why the traits & characteristics that make IBM great can be emulated by any company of any size.
The various chapters in the book talk about the beliefs & leadership style at IBM. It also gives insight into how to build a superior marketing organization & also focuses on future oriented marketing. It also teaches us how important after sales services are which have the power to make or break an organization. It also talks about the work culture at IBM. The book also has excerpts from IBM’s ’’Business Conduct Guidelines’’ given to its every employee.
The only drawback of the book is that it was written at a time when Globalization had not taken much heat. Also extensive competition did not exist. Hence issues like this are not covered. But still the book has a lot to teach about customer orientation to various marketing tactics used by IBM.
A good read for anyone wanting to follow a career in management. Check out what makes IBM todays Big Blue.