(re: re: re: re: re: If it were me…) Here’s a funny story (actually it’s a story that really irritated me):
Last year, I met with the guy running Sierra to see if I could do anything to help (a guy who has already come and gone). He mentioned that prior to his arrival, the people above him had commissioned a research group, for a huge pile of money, to study why Sierra was failing.
During the 18+ years I ran the place we consistently grew and were profitable. Since then, I really have no idea how they’ve performed – but it’s fairly obvious if you go into a software store that they’ve lost market share.
So… what did the research say? It said they should try to “go back” to the Sierra that existed before – including bringing back some of the old series. I never actually saw the report. But, that is how it was summarized to me.
Here’s the part that bugs me. If it were me doing the report, and the company had been profitable for 18 years, then lost money for 7 years. And, if I were charging someone huge money for the report: I would call the guy who ran it profitably and ask his opinion. How they were able to turn in a thick research report and never call me I can’t understand.
I know this makes me look petty, and ego-istic. Yes – my feelings were hurt. But, all that said – it just seems obvious to me they should have at least asked – even if they ignored everything I said.
Oh well…
-Ken W
