Explaining Sun's Share Gains

When Sun was in trouble a few years back, I was really frustrated by a simple reality of open markets: when you're down, it's not your answer to the question "why?" that matters. It's your competition that's quoted everywhere. "Here, let me tell you why Sun's having a hard time." It drove me nuts. (You'll recall, "Why is Sun down?" "Because they're proprietary and expensive, and all customers want is a cheap box.") So over the past couple weeks, spiking yesterday with the release of industry market share numbers showing we outgrew the market (in my new role, I've been counseled, not by our general counsel, to avoid saying "we spanked the market"), I've been getting a lot of questions going the other way - wanting my view on why our peers are shrinking or troubled. My answer? I have no idea, go ask them. I don't spend a lot of time thinking about it. I can tell you why I believe we are succeeding, however. I do spend a lot of time understanding our pipeline, wins and losses. We've been saying for a while, for the customers we serve, innovation is about the only thing that matters in winning business. Cost of acquisition is a nit - compared to the cost of operation and management. A cheap Ferrari doesn't help a transport company that needs to move 10,000 people every day. They want a bus. And no, this message doesn't resonate with everybody. It goes over like a lead balloon w...

Date: August, 25 2006
Url: http://blogs.sun.com/jonathan/entry/explaining_our_share_gains

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