The following is a guest post by Craig Rosenberg, CEO and Editor of Funnelholic Media.

Crowdsourcing is sexy.  I took the question: “Why is enterprise sexy again?” to a number of enterprise software thought leaders to get their takes.  It was the best move I could have made.  Or put another way, I would not have said it better myself….

The result, three reasons why enterprise is sexy again:

 

1. Revenue is sexy

“Because customers actually have money and will spend it. Because the problems that can be solved have real value”
— Chris Selland, VP of Marketing for Vertica from HP Software

“First, I think we’re seeing the crest of the replacement cycle rolling around, delayed by several years of recession. Money makes everybody seem sexy.”
— Chris Bucholtz, Editor in Chief for CRM Outsiders

2. Software that actually works and delivers value is sexy

“For the first time ever, enterprise software is becoming flexible, adaptable and unshackled from the stringent control of central IT. Autonomy comes high on Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and modern enterprise software is enabling autonomy in spades. Given this fact, and the fact that these new, easy to use tool are finally allowing business units to remove technology as a blocker to achieving their strategic outcomes, is it any surprise that some would describe this as enterprise software being sexy?- I think not. Add to this the fact that, from the investment side, enterprise software companies are providing the returns that consumer plays sadly do not, and you have factors that both from a supply and a demand side perspective result in enterprise being different to what it ever has before.”
— Ben Kepes, Advisor, Investor, Commentator on Cloud Computing and Technology Generally

“Enterprise software vendors have a new sense of confidence: the current generation of tools is more refined and more aligned with user needs, and the vendors are becoming smarter about telling the story of how the software can help users. They’re increasingly skilled at using the language of the customer instead of the language of the software industry. To put it in dating terms, they’ve learned to say, “enough about me – let’s talk about you” – and then they’ve learned to talk about themselves in the context of the customer’s problems. And finally, you can’t underestimate the value of software that draws a straight line to ROI. Enterprise software does that very effectively.”
— Chris Bucholtz, Editor in Chief for CRM Outsiders

3.  Money, power, and intelligence are sexy as hell

“Enterprise software spend is about $250 Billion each year, and growing circa 8% each year.  Money is sexy in my book.

Enterprise software lets companies do what they do, without it you would not be able to use your cellphone, get on an airplane, buy food, clothes, books, music, and most anything else.  Intelligence is sexy in my book.

Enterprise software uses technologies that most consumers don’t even know about (try WebRTC for real-time video and voice communications, in-memory analytics just from the recent batch) and hardware that makes grown men and women drool when they hear the specs.  Leading edge technology is sexy in my book.

Enterprise software has defined, limited, and ended more careers that most anything else in this world for people who underestimated it.  Power is sexy in my book.

Any way you look at it, money, power, intelligence – those are sexy attributes.  Aaron said it is sexy again because he has not had sufficient experience with it.  Enterprise software never stopped being sexy from the very first COBOL program (talk about a sexy language) implemented in time-share.”
— Esteban Kolsky, Independent Analyst on Customer Strategies and Principal and Founder of Thinkjar

 

About Craig
Craig Rosenberg is the CEO and Editor of Funnelholic Media.  Craig works with companies to design, build, and optimize their Demand Chain Strategy.  What is the Demand Chain?  Whereas the supply chain which has repeatable, metrics driven processes that deliver products on time, the Demand Chain is a systematic process built to predictably deliver/over-deliver revenue on time.  Craig helps companies with their overall Demand Chain strategy and advises them on the critical components such as online marketing, demand generation, social strategy, content marketing, inside sales, and sales processes.  

Craig speaks frequently at both live and virtual conferences and other events on a number of b2b sales and marketing topics.  He also contributes to e-books, webinars and a range other digital content. Many in the industry also know him as The Funnelholic. On his popular blog, Craig waxes poetic on topics of interest to those who live and work in the B2B Demand Chain from the top of the funnel to close.