Pros
IBM is an interesting place to work. There are lots of things to like about the company if you are interested in selling by committee - having 10 plus people, most having different opinions and know very little about the client's needs, on an strategy and tactics conference call. It's the client representative and their manager who holds the quota for the deal. Therefore, it's the client representative and their manager who should be in control the "going forward plan" for the deal... and not a gang of 10 bureaucrats.
Cons
There are too many people involved in every deal. In my experience, a meeting to establish strategy and assign tactics would be held and people I didn't know would attend. It got so bad that I ultimately started my con calls asking attendees to state their name and what value they offer to winning the deal. If the person on offered their name and some bogus value I asked them to drop the call. Not unexpectedly, I did not win friends or influence many using this tactic. Sales teams (in this case, those responsible for proving the technology and winning the deal) must remain small. It's the sales person, their manager and the systems engineer who must take the lead position. Anyone else who participates in helping should: a) be invited before attending any meeting or con call, b) to execute based on the sales teams objectives and c) get commissions for the work they delivered once the deal closes.
