One Step Forward, Ten Steps Back

Posted on March 11th, 2010 by Dave Stein

I picked this up on the web this morning.  A training company is looking for a software application to deliver sales training to 3000 people in 20 countries for $500.

Here it is:

Description:

We are a Training and Development Organisation carrying out a Global Sales Training Program in different languages over the coming 12 months. We expect 3000 people will be trained in 20 different countries.

Categories:Software Application

Budget: Under $500

Is this any worse than when a sales leader brings in a motivational speaker once a year and calls that sales training?

Someone please talk me down…

Filed under: Technology

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11 Responses to “One Step Forward, Ten Steps Back”

  1. Maureen Blandford, on March 11th, 2010 at 12:05 pm Said:

    It’s crazy.

  2. Enrique Maldini, on March 11th, 2010 at 3:04 pm Said:

    Dear Dave,

    I suppose that situation is coming from US…but don´t worry.
    Our company is stablished in Latin America and here, this kind of ununderstandable situations are very common, sadly.

    Regards

    Enrique

  3. Phone Sales Training, on March 11th, 2010 at 8:41 pm Said:

    Dave:

    I’m not even sure it warrants a response. The person who is spearheading the search most certainly isn’t the decision maker. I wonder if they would be willing to sell 3,000 people whatever product or service they offer for $500.

  4. wendy reed, on March 11th, 2010 at 11:02 pm Said:

    Are there more details available. This could range from elearning tech to web delivery tedchnology to dealmaker type application technology. What is the need specifically. I am happy to speak to them on what is out there if that is helpful.

  5. Bruce Ellis, on March 12th, 2010 at 8:30 am Said:

    Typo?

  6. Dave Stein, on March 12th, 2010 at 1:41 pm Said:

    No Bruce, I just copied and pasted from the query. FIVE-HUNDRED (500)!!!!

  7. Michele Balcom, on March 16th, 2010 at 10:03 am Said:

    Could it be $500 per user/liscence for the software?

    It is an intriguing opportunity for someone to have to sell through price! Best of luck and please share when you win the business…

  8. Mark Dorosz, on April 14th, 2010 at 6:31 am Said:

    Now let’s see what we can can get for $500….

    – a couple of weeks stationary for inside sales?
    – half a plane ticket to meet a prospect in Arkansas?
    – 30 minutes of an open bar for the sales team’s Holiday party?

    In thinking about this, a search for an open source application such as Moodle with a price tag of zero would have made more commercial sense than $500.

    As long as they are people in sales as short sighted as as this, there will always be a job for the Mr Stein’s of the world to pick up the pieces when things go wrong.

    Happy Closing
    Mark

  9. Dave Stein, on April 14th, 2010 at 9:36 am Said:

    Thanks for the comment, Mark. Hope your business is doing well.

  10. Michel Meuwszen, on April 16th, 2010 at 4:51 pm Said:

    Hello Dave,

    Just working on pricing for a sales training for between 8 – 20 people when I start reading this article and started smiling! This must be or a typo ar a price/user budget.

    Maybe you can send him a T-shirt with the phrase
    “trust me, i’m in sales!”

    Regards,

    Michel Meuwszen
    Netherlands

  11. Dave Stein, on April 17th, 2010 at 3:28 am Said:

    LOL. Sorry to say I think it’s real, Michael.

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