Information is often the greatest asset in business. In many cases, it determines leaders from followers, winners from losers.  Cincom Systems, the world's most experienced software and services provider, has helped many of the world's leading organizations transform corporate information into competitive advantage.

We recently interviewed Patricia Sledge, Manager, Staffing and Placement, with Cincom:

Tom Nies is the longest standing CEO in the computer industry.  Tell us about Mr. Nies’ background and the impact he has on Cincom.

When Thomas M. Nies decided he wanted to sell software, he never thought he'd have to start his own company. But with very few software companies in the country and none in his hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio, it was "the only way to have a job in a field I wanted to work in." So in 1968, Thomas M. Nies founded Cincom Systems, today, one of the world's largest and most experienced software companies.

What Thomas M. Nies didn't realize at the time, was that he was also founding the then-radical idea of selling computer software as a product. Today, when there are thousands of software firms in an industry worth hundreds of billions of dollars, it's difficult to conceive of a time when software was freely given away with hardware. But that is the way it was before 1968, when Nies was a leading sales representative for IBM.

In those early days of the software industry, Nies was one of the first to promote the concept of a database management system. Today there are thousands of database products, but when Cincom introduced TOTAL®, it was a revolutionary event. TOTAL went on to become one of the best-selling mainframe software products ever. Under Nies' guidance, Cincom was also responsible for organizing the first national system software user conference, became the first U.S. software firm to establish international offices, and pioneered emerging new software technologies for virtual operating systems, relational databases, interactive/interoperative integrated network management systems, fourth-generation application development tools, and integrated manufacturing and financial applications.

In 1984, Nies was recognized by President Ronald Reagan as "the epitome of the entrepreneurial spirit of American business." Nies has a bachelor's degree in marketing and a master's degree in finance, and has served on the board of directors of the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, one of 12 regional reserve banks that, along with the Board of Governors in Washington, D.C., comprise the Federal Reserve System.

Thanks to the dedication and vision of Thomas M. Nies, Cincom has remained one of the largest independent software companies in the world for more than 30 years. While many of Cincom's peers from the software industry's founding times have now disappeared from the scene, Cincom continues to thrive. This ongoing legacy continues to shape and invigorate the industry Nies and Cincom helped found.

What are some of the key openings in sales at Cincom right now, and what are you anticipating for the rest of 2003?

We want to place in key U.S. cities four Account Executives who can establish new business in the government, healthcare, education, retail, and utilities markets. These aren’t new areas to us, but they will be Cincom’s renewed worldwide focus beginning in the second quarter this year. And these are in addition to our on-going need for sales talent in manufacturing and financial services.

Cincom will position these sales reps in Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, and the New York-New Jersey area.

What kind of experience does Cincom look for in sales candidates?

Especially for these focus markets, Cincom needs aggressive, pioneer mentalities, people who can find and open new accounts. They’ll have to be self-reliant, because they’ll work independently. They’ll have to be able to coordinate and communicate on the executive level. They’ll have to be quick-starters, too — people who made quota in the first quarter — as well as self-starters who can conduct a thorough needs analysis and a detailed cost-benefit analysis. This is not a product-focused sales opportunity, but a total solution. And they can expect to manage multiple sales opportunities  ­— quite challenging at times.

Cincom’s business solutions involve a complex sales cycle, working with virtually all the C-level executives and many of the senior managers. Even techies participate, doing technology assessments and the like, although we’re not primarily product-focused. Our solutions are in document management, sales automation, application development, data access, and call center management, besides manufacturing and financial services.

As to background, five years in solution selling should be the minimum, degreed, with vertical market experience.

How did Cincom perform in 2002, and what are you expecting for 2003 and beyond?

Although 2002 was a rough year for a lot of software and tech companies, we pulled in our belts and not only sustained profitability but doubled performance profits over the previous calendar year. Moreover, all our internal performance measures were up for the year, some at record levels. This quarter we’ve already logged important sales, including one that is our largest ever. So despite tough markets and tight budgets, opportunities persist for the persistent, and that’s who we’re looking for.

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