The very best of Tom Siebel - a memoir

Tom Siebel interviewed me for a job working for him in August 1988. A headhunter set up the interview. Apparently he had interviewed many people and none fit the bill for what he wanted in a Division Controller for the Direct Marketing Division. Well that's because he expected a weird combination of skills. Finance, Marketing, Sales, Software, Good people skills and a propensity for risk-taking.

It was a pivotal hour in my life to interview with him. He talked about what he wanted to do: REALLY make it possible for technology to transform sales and marketing. A vision of the future where technology could support the prima donnas of sales in a way that was completely supportive of the quirks of the individual salesperson.

My most recent work at Intel up to that point had been as the alpha user for the Intel Distribution Marketing System - which involved setting up the Intel methodology of forecasting for distribution sales out and bookings. Stagger charts, Actuals vs Forecast variance analysis, rigorous accountability for making projections and tying them to what actually happened.

Tom's boss was head of US Sales, Gary Kennedy who had been an ex-Intel guy. In a way, it was a marriage made in heaven, I was perfectly matched to what he needed. What he wanted to do was make into reality what he had been selling to Oracle customers: The ability of the relational database to truly transform business practice in sales and marketing to support customers in a way they had never before experienced or imagined.

When he told me his vision, I could see that it involved taking what I had just done at Intel and applying it to direct B2B sales - an extraordinary exciting vision.

That was the beginning of the best working experience I ever had, the two years working for Tom Siebel - and the skunkworks project that Kevin Kraemer and I kicked off in September 1988. Oracle MIS told Tom it was impossible, fergedaboutit.

Tom set me, his Division Controller and Kevin Kraemer, the top pre-sales technical guy in the group on moonlighting to create the first integrated sales and marketing application, OASIS, which was the genesis of the CRM industry.

Direct Marketing Division spawned two billionaires so far: Tom Siebel and Vinny Smith, and transformed software sales and marketing, making telemarketing and telesales the most critical sales function for all software companies. People who worked for DMD - Direct Marketing Division and who had used OASIS - the Oracle Automated Sales Information System, were recruited by software companies in order to replicate the "Oracle Sales Model". The next potential billionaire of course is Marc Benioff who took over from Tom when he left Oracle.

The very best of Tom Siebel is shown in his commencement address at the University of Illinois Champagne Urbana where he was awarded an honorary doctorate. Tom's speech is below.

University of Illinois-Urbana Commencement Address
Thomas M. Siebel
14 May 2006

President White, Chancellor Herman, members of the faculty, graduates, ladies and gentlemen,

I'm profoundly grateful and touched by the distinction and honor and great compliment accorded me by the University of Illinois. I am overwhelmed, as a matter of fact.
In this important place, on this important day, and in this very wonderful assembly, it is a tremendously impressive thing to an individual in my position.

I want to join with your families in congratulations for your accomplishments. And I want to talk about what happens next.

I want to talk to you about some decisions that you will have to make. I want to talk to you about what you can expect and opportunities that you are likely to encounter. I want to talk about making a difference. About leaving the world a better place than you found it.

There is a story attributed to the notorious oil magnate, John Paul Getty, Sr. When asked about the keys to success by a young intern, he explained that there were three such essential elements.

First, get a great education. Attend the best schools. Study hard. Be prepared. Become an honor roll student.

Secondly, work hard. Be the first to show up for work. Be the last to leave. Work weekends. Nights. Always do your best. Be a top performer.

The third key to success --- and most importantly -- find oil.


There is some truth in this story.

Think for a moment about the immense opportunities that are before each and every one of you. Your productive careers will span the next six decades.

Six decades.

Think about it. Six decades.

In the next six decades the body of scientific knowledge as we know it will increase by a factor of three or more. You will have the privilege of participating in that phenomenon. Many of you will participate significantly in some of the most exciting developments in the history of mankind.

Some of you will discover cures for cancer. Some will perfect the hydrogen fuel cell. Some of you will control influenza pandemic. Some will lead the colonization of outer space. Some will create new companies. Make new products. Create Jobs. Develop new food sources. Foster Prosperity. Husband Peace.

The world will be a better, healthier, happier place for what you will do.
Those of you who take this route will make sacrifices. Lots of sacrifices.
You have all studied history. Think back upon those individuals who have made a difference. Really made a difference.

Think about it. Think about Winston Churchill, Michelangelo, Louis Pasteur. Think about Ben Franklin and Thomas Jefferson, Isaac Newton, Johannes Gutenberg, Steve Jobs. Think about Sally Ride and Margaret Thatcher. Think about Martin Luther and Martin Luther King

You have all studied these people. These great leaders are representative of that group who collectively articulated those concepts and principles, the sum of which constitute our perception of the universe, as we know it.
Those great people brought us gravity, electricity, germ theory. They invented the printing press, movable type, the Internet, the Basilica, the public library, the modern university. They created nations, our religions, and democracy. They discovered outer space. And they brought us the very concepts of individual liberty and human dignity.

These people changed the world, each of them. Collectively, they, and their like, conceived of the world, as we understand it today. Let’s look upon this group and see what they had in the way of common traits.

How about education? Some were exceptionally well educated. Some were mediocre students. Many were uneducated.

Work ethic. In general, these people were driven. They were focused. They got up earlier. They worked longer. They were tireless. Some were out there. Eccentric. Almost maniacal. Some were troubled.

They all achieved – and they all achieved at great personal cost.
In addition to amazing work ethics, it seems that these people were unusually sensitive to what was going on around them. They heard things that other people could not hear. They saw things that others could not see.

You might call it vision. A moment of clarity. Insight. Inspiration.

Whatever you call it, at one or more moments in their lives, they saw something. Something different. And they were able to recognize that it was different. That is was potentially important. And they did not let the moment go unnoticed. They did something with it.

Be sensitive to that moment.

It will happen to you.

Do not let it go unnoticed.

So we have a group of mixed education.

Tireless work ethic.

Great vision.

Perhaps most importantly however, they also were very, very lucky – each and every one.

Now don’t discount luck. It will be a critical component of your success. Some people say you make your own luck. There is clearly some truth to that. These concepts of work ethic, vision, and luck seem to be interrelated.

Take Tiger Woods, for example.

Work ethic. He is arguably one of the hardest working, best-prepared athletes in sport. His physical conditioning and practice regimens are second to none.
How about vision? Well, Tiger Woods can see every shot before he takes it. He can see the launch angle. The trajectory. The landing, the bounce, and the roll. He can literally see it every time before he takes a swing. Think about that.

And luck? Well, let’s just say it might not be entirely a coincidence that he seems to get more lucky bounces than any person in golf.

There is most certainly truth to the idea that you make your own luck. I encourage you to be very alert to what is going on around you. Let’s explore this luck thing a little bit further.

There will be some moments in your life when the stars simply seem to align. You will flip a coin 10 times in a row – and it will come up heads every time. You will look up and you will notice that the wind has been at your back every day for a week.
Be ready for that moment. It will happen to you. Some of you will recognize it and know it for what it is…great, good fortune.

Some of you will be preoccupied with matters of the moment to notice. Perhaps stress or simply the distractions of daily life will get in the way. Others will see it for what it is.

There will be such moments in your life. Seize that moment. That is the start of the next company. The cure for cancer. The hydrogen fuel cell. The next great thing.

There is clearly a non-rational process at the heart of such ideas. It’s an idea. It’s a vision. It’s a feeling. It is something that you know to be true. Take it and run with it.

Take it. When it happens, take it and run with it. Run with it. Don’t listen to all the naysayers. The experts. The authority figures. They will stand in line to tell you your idea is impractical, impossible, unrealistic. Don’t listen to them. You know it to be true.

This is the opportunity you have been waiting for. This is what you are here to do. Don’t take no for an answer. Make it happen

Let’s switch gears for a moment from the sublime to the mundane and talk about getting started. How do you get started? What do you do now?
Many of you have not yet figured out what you want to do for a living. Don’t feel bad. Most people don’t. I had no idea what I wanted to do when I left college. My first job out of undergraduate school was working as a cowboy on a ranch in Idaho. From there, I became a laborer on a construction site in Sun Valley. I managed a shovel.

How do you get started? First thing, you need to get a job. How do you do that? I guess there are a couple of ways. A common route is to get as many interviews as you can, until someone offers you a job. And then you take it and make the best of it. I do not recommend that route.

My suggestion to you is that you find an industry that you find interesting. Say biotech. Or travel. Perhaps entertainment. Communications. Aerospace. Automotives. Within that industry identify a high quality company that you would like to work for. Located in a place that you would like to live.

And then get hired there. Learn everything you can about the company. Study it on the Internet. Read its annual reports. Become an expert. And then figure out how to get a job there. Any job. It doesn’t matter.
Write the CEO. Write the VP of Engineering.

Get yourself an interview and explain that you want to work for that company – no other company -- and you are willing to take any job to get started.
Get a job in the mailroom. The help desk. The front desk. Customer service. Don’t worry about the salary or the title. Just get a job. After you get in the door, then the rest is up to you. Make it happen.

One closing thought. I want to talk about ethics.

Today is Mother’s Day -- a most appropriate day to talk about ethics.
Ethics. You will have the opportunity to cross the line every day of your lives, every day of your professional careers. In little ways. In big ways.
Some opportunities will be more tempting than others. Some will seem inconsequential. Some will appear common practice.

Here’s a litmus test that you can use.

What would your mother think?

What would she say if you told her about it?

If you use that test to gauge your behavior, you will do the right thing.

That’s it. Thank you, merciful God; we’ve reached the end of the speech!

But for you, it is just the beginning.

Work Hard.

Be attentive.

Always be watching for that lucky moment.

Good luck to you all.

And, most importantly, have fun.

Make it look easy.

Smile a lot.

I thank you for your kind attention.

Tom Siebel - Thank you for transforming my life and lifting my sights to what is possible when people embrace "Sheer Arrogance".

Singapore eGovernment Customer Service: Pushing the Envelope

Pretty hot off the "internet" press.... here's a quick read on how the Singapore government may be one of the top CRM pioneers. I can't believe how much my editor at CRMGuru, Gwynne improved the article from the piece I gave her initially. She's amazing! Thank you Gwynne!!!



May 1, 2006


Who Says Government Doesn't Benefit From CRM?

Singapore Pushes the Customer Service Envelope


By Mei Lin Fung, MLF Associates

Darius Cheung dreaded getting a business license because of all the bureaucracy he anticipated. Because it was his first time applying for a license for a new business in Singapore, he needed some personal guidance and advice, so he went in person to the business license department, all the while fearing massive paperwork and long waits. He was in for a surprise.

"All I had to do was go to a one-stop center and I got it done over the counter, contrary to what some people told me before about the multitude of forms and different counters," Cheung said. "I experienced a much smoother company registration process than I expected. Everything was done at one agency within an hour." He paid slightly more than S$300 (roughly equivalent to $200 in U.S. currency) for the business license. Only a few years ago, the same service would have been at least $1,200 in Singapore currency with the queues and papers Cheung dreaded.

The difference stems from Singapore's eGovernment Action Plan, (eGAP I and eGAP II) begun in 2000, to integrate government across all agencies, creating a one-stop government shop. Today, 1,600 e-services are available through eCitizen, the front face of the government for citizens and businesses. Access is through a special identification card called SingPass.

Total service delivery

A private-sector business license service-DP Bureau-was there for Cheung, as part of the latest innovation in the eGovernment Action Plan: Public-Private-People integration. The goal of 3Pi, as it is known, is to offer "total service delivery." That links in the government's Online Business Licensing Service (OBLS) to the privately operated DP Bureau.

In the first year of operation, 22,000 companies filed for business licenses using OBLS, winning the 2005 United Nations Public Service award for the application of information and communication technology (ICT) in Government.

So, is CRM necessary in government? My answer is a resounding YES! Why should this kind of elegant streamlining that leads to improving quality, cost-effectiveness and customer service be confined to the private sector?

As I wrote in my 2004 CRMGuru.com article, "Looking for True E-Government? Singapore Gets It Right," many government web sites are simply static holding places, rather than interactive delivery mechanisms. Instead of providing full-service facilities online, all too often government web sites merely offer visitors a page with a telephone number, instructions about a manual service or a PDF form that needs to be downloaded, printed out, completed by hand and mailed in the old-fashioned way. Although national and regional governments are improving, with more offering links
to publications and databases, they have a long way to go, according to Inside Politics' report, Global E-Government, 2004.

But Singapore is showing what is possible. The January 2005 Leadership in Customer Service: New Expectations, New Experiences, Accenture's sixth annual global report on government service delivery, found that 65 percent of people in Singapore rated the job the government is doing in eG vernment as "good" or "excellent," the highest among the 22 countries surveyed.

Singapore, which tied for third place, behind Canada and the United States, in Accenture's study, has aimed at a broad multi-channel delivery of government services via counter, self-help kiosks, the Internet, mobile phone and intermediaries and 1,000 self-service terminals at 36 agency sites-as well as the use of new tools such as online polls and customer e-ratings, to get feedback and customer insight.

Behind the scenes

Singapore has spent $2.8 billion in Singapore dollars (1.75 billion in U.S. dollars) since 2000, to achieve this. A service-wide technical architecture provides a framework of standards, policies and guidelines, building in interoperability at the infrastructure layer. Building blocks let agencies develop, deploy and interoperate e-services with common features such as user interface, the transactional flow logic, database support, security and encryption and payment services.

Commercial CRM systems were used only at the periphery for such things as email management and frequently asked questions. The bulk of the spending was on consulting with stakeholders, developing customer-centric design processes, application system development, extensive user testing and evolving a set of key performance indicators (KPIs). The implementation went on in parallel with the rollout of the Balanced Scorecard in the Singapore public service. The benefit to customers and employees and the need to create opportunities to learn were explicitly balanced against financial KPIs.

"Start with the user in mind," exhorted Raymond Lim Siang Keat, second minister for finance in Singapore's prime minister's office. That directive has resulted in 75 percent of the eligible population having transacted electronically with the government at least once. A network of 42 eCitizen Help service locations helps those without Internet access or expertise.

Attention to customer service may explain why hit rates for the eCitzen portal increased from 240,000 per month in 2001 to about 14.4 million hits per month in 2003.

Just as commercial businesses benefit from a focus on the customer, so the business of government-including planning; permit processing; delivering health and social services; and tax-collecting-can benefit from well-designed customer-centric business processes and technology. Granted Singapore, with a population of 4 million, is a small country that can turn on a dime, relatively speaking, but there are CRM lessons that more populated countries and local governments, and even businesses in the private sector could be alerted to.

In 2004, when Singapore was in the midst of its eGovernment initiative, Singapore Minister of Finance Lee Hsien Loong, who was then deputy prime minister and is now the prime minister, spoke at the Managing for Excellence Forum on eGovernment. He urged government agencies to re-engineer their individual backend processes to provide more customer-centric services. He said that agencies "must strive to make
things as convenient as possible to the customers, rather than make things easy for themselves." Ultimately, Lee said, it is "not about IT but about changing the approach to government."

Now if you substitute the word, "business," for "government" in his comments, isn't that what we've been saying about CRM since the beginning?

As for Cheung? Keep an eye out for his mobile applications start-up company, Tencube.

Have license. Will grow!


Reprinted with permission from www.CRMGuru.com

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