Why Top Gun Training at IBM?...Why Top Gun at IBM? From the Student’s Perspective 2 IBM’s Top Gun Program is an intensive sales, solutions, and competitive training program targeted

Why Top Gun Training at IBM? From the Student’s Perspective

Jan Burford [email protected] T/L 262-6219

October 15, 2008

Why Top Gun at IBM? From the Student’s Perspective 2

IBM’s Top Gun Program is an intensive sales, solutions, and competitive training program targeted at IBMers and Business Partners new to their positions or those who simply need to “re-charge” their skills and enthusiasm for IBM and its vast portfolio of products and solutions. Based on recent student comments and results, we have identified the top 16 reasons why sales people value this IBM resource.

Top Gun Program Contacts: Jan Burford - Top Gun Program Owner and Responsible Manager, Systems & Technology Group T/L 262-6219 or 1-301-803-6219; Jan Burford/Bethesda/IBM@IBMUS or [email protected] Sarah Edwards - Responsible Manager, Software Group T/L 826-1768 or 1-914-766-1768; Sarah Edwards/Somers/IBM@IBMUS or [email protected] Ginger Boone – Team Lead, Class Managers T/L 262-6229 or 1-301-803-6229; Ginger Boone/Bethesda/IBM@IBMUS or [email protected] Sharon Henderson - Administrative Team Lead, web site & enrollment database T/L 262-6236 or 1-301-803-6236; Sharon Henderson/Bethesda/IBM@IBMUS or [email protected] Class Managers: Advanced Software TOP GUN Mary Fisher – T/L 975-3320 or 1-561-862-3320; Mary Fisher/West Palm Beach/IBM@IBMUS or [email protected] IBM Power Systems TOP GUN Marion LeBleu – 1-919-571-4363 ; Marion LeBleu/Raleigh/IBM@IBMUS or [email protected] IBM System x & BladeCenter TOP GUN Roman Kantar - 1-905-727-4740; Roman Kantar/Bethesda/Contr/IBM@IBMUS or [email protected] IBM System z TOP GUN Dave Brown - T/L 542-4134 or 1-972-280-4134; David E Brown/Dallas/Contr/IBM@IBMUS or [email protected] IBM System Storage Portfolio TOP GUN Dave Whoolery – T/L 930-4543 or 1-610-717-4150; Dave Whoolery/Bethlehem/IBM@IBMUS or [email protected] Oliver Stark – T/L 122-5470 or 49-6131-84-5470; Oliver Stark1/Germany/IBM@IBMDE or [email protected] IBM Systems TOP GUN Joe Sitter - T/L 223-8879 or 1-919-467-3180; Joe Sitter/Cary/IBM@IBMUS or [email protected] Don Cleveland - T/L 930-1728 or 1-877-463-3025; Don Cleveland/Cary/IBM@IBMUS or [email protected] IBM Client Value Systems TOP GUN for Enterprise Sellers Joe Sitter - T/L 223-8879 or 1-919-467-3180; Joe Sitter/Cary/IBM@IBMUS or [email protected] Don Cleveland - T/L 930-1728 or 1-877-463-3025; Don Cleveland/Cary/IBM@IBMUS or [email protected] Information Management TOP GUN Ralph Barbato – 1-775-857-1535; Ralph E Barbato/Reno/Contr/IBM@IBMUS or [email protected] Lotus TOP GUN David Herder – T/L 693-8828 or 1-617-693-8828; David Herder/Cambridge/IBM@LOTUS or [email protected] Rational TOP GUN Colethia Evans - T/L 268-5244 or 1-919- 882-6306; Colethia Evans/Raleigh/IBM@IBMUS or [email protected] Software TOP GUN Ginger Boone - T/L 262-6229 or 1-301-803-6229; Ginger Boone/Bethesda/IBM@IBMUS or [email protected] John Ayo - T/L 542-6092 or 1-972-280-6092; John Ayo/Dallas/IBM@IBMUS or [email protected] Martin Buckley – T/L 70-88279 or 61-2-9478-8279; Martin Buckley/Australia/IBM@IBMAU or [email protected] Mia Schulz-Rittich - 49 221 297 83581; Mia Schulz-Rittich/Austin/Contr/IBM or [email protected] Tivoli TOP GUN Art Ambrose – 1-949-682-4798; Art Ambrose/Costa Mesa/Contr/IBM@IBMUS or [email protected] WebSphere TOP GUN Mark Buchner – 1-905-727-4740 ext. 502; Mark Buchner/Bethesda/Contr/IBM@IBMUS or [email protected] zSoftware TOP GUN John Anderson – T/L: 315-1202 or 1-905-315-1202; John R Anderson/Ontario/IBM@IBMCA or [email protected]


1. An intensive program that as one IBM Executive explains it “puts a little tension on the wire to ensure students are properly motivated and keep their focus.” “The sessions were intense. Tests were stressful but quite beneficial. Literally, required hard-nose studying/preparation.” Kellie Hardy, Territory Service Leader, August 4, 2008, Software Top Gun in Washington, D.C. “Very intense, would do it again.” Marc Laframboise, Toronto Inbound Lead Generation/Second Life Sales Avatar, January 28, 2008, IBM Systems Top Gun in Toronto, Canada “The strict instruction at the beginning of class, to penalty for mobile ring tones or late comers, or not attending class was a good initiative, which kept the environment peaceful, helping us to focus on the subjects.” Sudarshan Bhate, Software Sales Specialist, July 7, 2008, Information Management Top Gun in Mumbai, India “The course was extremely intensive and exabytes of information, but considering IBM’s huge portfolio I wouldn’t imagine a better alternative.” Eran Shlomi, Server Sales Specialist, May 26, 2008, IBM System Storage Portfolio Top Gun in Mainz, Germany “The methodology of the Top Gun is great! It is very interactive and intense.” Renan Rendon, Software Sales Specialist, July 21, 2008, Lotus Top Gun in Sao Paulo, Brazil “OUTSTANDING CLASS! Just the right level of detail, pace was intense but not overwhelming.” Jonathan Levy, Toronto Executive IT Architect, January 28, 2008, IBM Systems Top Gun in Toronto, Canada

Taking exams Students presenting their win plans

Viewing their test results

Class Top Guns/Top Performers (Top 10% of their class) Elevator role playing Focus


“As a new business partner, I was quite apprehensive about being successful in the class. However, after the first day, I was totally blown away. You put together a top notch set of speakers who were truly experts. I also had a chance to connect with fellow IBMers in my territory that I have met with since the class. Nothing closed yet, but we’re building a good pipeline!” Paul Mandel, Tescom USA, February 12, 2008, IBM Rational Top Gun in Atlanta, Georgia “It has past 4 months since we met. Top Gun was an exhausting training but still helped me a lot. I was a new worker so even if I didn’t understand technical details then, now I am using materials from TOP GUN very often. For example, I was preparing presentation of Lotus system for Ministry of Work and the Quickr was one of the advantages. I even used the slide from presentation I received. Presales helps me to compare Quickr to Sharepoint.” Ewa Wozniak, Software Account Manager, October 15, 2007, Lotus Top Gun in Munich, Germany “The course is absolutely great and helpful, and I loved every single minute of it. Even though it was extremely stressful and demanding, I would recommend it to anyone who sells software.” Andreas Ottenberg, IBM Telemarketing Rep., July 7, 2008, Software Top Gun in Nice, France “In an age of web cast…TOP GUN ROCKS as an education format. The in person instruction, class participation, team projects (i.e. homework), and complete FOCUS on the materials (no ST, email, blackberry, etc) truly make TOP GUN the ultimate format.” Brian Laney, IBM US Tivoli Sales Specialist, July 17, 2007, Business Continuity Top Gun in Atlanta, GA “Long week but very interesting and fun and hard for me” Yoichiro Torii, Technical Specialist, July 23, 2007, Tivoli Top Gun in Narita, Japan 2. Demonstrating commitment to IBM Business Partners "The class has been fantastic. I learned so much more on System i and System z than in my 12 years of selling IBM." Saiful Zahari, IBM Business Partner Server Sales Specialist, July 8, 2008, IBM Systems Top Gun in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia “I take this opportunity to thank you and your team again for the knowledge transmitted to us, and for the “buena onda” (I think you can translate that as ‘good vibes’ or ‘make things enjoyable’).” Flavio Denicolay, IBM Business Partner, IBM Certified Sales Specialist, August 12, 2008, IBM Power Systems Top Gun in Buenos Aires, Argentina


“Class was great! It provided a “single source” for learning about what is important in the System x and BladeCenter space and how to sell this product category.” John Leavitt, IBM Business Partner, Client Rep., October 6, 2008, IBM System x & BladeCenter Top Gun in Raleigh, North Carolina “First of all, as a Business Partner, I’d like to thank you for IBM to share this education and opportunities to learn how to get access to IBMer and assure your capabilities. These are what I have been aware in these 4.5 days.” Yanisa Rianrungroj, IBM Business Partner, Software Sales Specialist, July 14, 2008, WebSphere Top Gun in Bangkok, Thailand “My first time with IBM, so I’m very happy with your solutions.” Frederico Martins, IBM Business Partner, Server Sales Specialist, August 5, 2008, IBM Power Systems Top Gun in Sao Paulo, Brazil “This is a great opportunity to learn more about IBM and the way to do business. It gives us a lot of tools and experiences for our job. All the Business Partners should take the course.” Maria Luisa Ramirez, IBM Business Partner, Server Sales Specialist, August 19, 2008, IBM System x & BladeCenter Top Gun in Buenos Aires, Argentina “I am absolutely happy with the course because I learned a lot and really enjoy it. Roman is a top notch class manager.” Julian Bagnasco, Sales Executive, August 19, 2008, IBM System x & BladeCenter Top Gun in Buenos Aires, Argentina “As a Business Partner and ex-IBMer, my team felt very welcomed and completely part of the overall IBM family. I learned a tremendous amount concerning the 5 product groups of IBM. I believe that my team is more ready to sell and provide services for the IBM offerings.” Paul M. Faustin, IBM Business Partner, Manager, August 4, 2008, Software Top Gun, Washington, D.C. “IBM Top Gun event is very useful because you always update your skills, and update the technology and storage portfolio.” Flavio Lopes, IBM Business Partner, Software & Storage Sales Specialist, September 22, 2008, IBM System Storage Portfolio Top Gun in Lisbon, Portugal “These type of classes should be brought to other cities too. This was an excellent teaching course for the sales rep. We can really get our business booming through these kinds of trainings.” Harish Bhatia, Business Partner, February 4, 2008, IBM Power Systems Top Gun in Bangalore, India “I have been working with Lotus Solutions for four months, so for me it was very important to participate in this training. I have opportunities (and competitors!) for these solutions, and I have had difficulty finding information....now I can identify other opportunities for even more Lotus solutions!” Flavia Regina Ideriha, IBM Business Partner, July 27, 2007, Lotus Top Gun in Sao Paulo, Brazil “My 1st storage training course and this is so helpful, not only the product information but also the presentation techniques and emphasis on deal closing. I wish to attend other


similar courses to strengthen my skills.” Robert Ren, Server Sales Specialist, Jump Point Technologies, September 10, 2007, IBM System Storage Portfolio Top Gun in Toronto, Canada “This class is absolutely amazing. While not all of it is relevant to my job, the skills gained will allow me to better serve my channel partners. I will not be as reliant on m System x sales rep and System x FTSS to educate my resellers on the System x portfolio.” Melanie Wright, HV channel Manager West Region, November 12, 2007, IBM System x & BladeCenter Top Gun, Raleigh, North Carolina “This was my first experience regarding any IBM sales training and was excellent, a must for any person involved in the selling of IBM solutions.” IBM Business Partner Manager, August 27, 2007, IBM Systems Top Gun in Johannesburg, South Africa “Excellent class!!! As a business partner new hire, I came to this class with minimal knowledge of the IBM software offering. After the class I feel confident in my knowledge of solutions offered.” Dave Adkins, Business Development Manager, Miracle Software Systems, Inc., July 9, 2007, Software Top Gun in Seattle, Washington 3. An investment that yields documented results 90-120 days after completing a class students are asked to provide information on what business they have been able to close as a result of their training, as well as identify what is in their sales pipeline. “You should know that in Q3 I was the top rep in the Mid Atlantic region closing over 34 new accounts (90% of which were brand new whitespace accounts to IBM). I won the award for top Whitespace rep in Mid Atlantic. I obviously contributed this to what I learned at Top Gun as well as the information I was given to take home. I look at the presentation material almost every week in an effort to continue to grow my knowledge of security, storage, pa and ba.” Christopher Teefy, Tivoli Security, Storage, and Automation Specialist, August 13, 2007, Tivoli Top Gun in Dallas, TX “This is my first Top Gun, and I really like it. It’s good for us to take this kind of education because it helps us to close more business and to detect opportunities.” Isabel Hernandez Vega, Server Sales Specialist, August 4, 2008, IBM System x & BladeCenter Top Gun in Queretaro, Mexico “Lotus Top Gun was a true top training method, giving me tools needed for success…and that’s what happened! Basically, I was able to reach my fast start bonuses, was rated top sales performer (+2), closed two big SMB deals (about 200K EUR) – another one was my Top Gun opportunity (Polar Electro).” Caj Eklund, Portal & Collaboration Sales, October 15, 2007, Lotus Top Gun in Munich, Germany "The info we got at TOP GUN correlates directly to the above transactions. It's forced us to ask more and deeper questions of our prospect and in return we provide greater "client value" to those prospects. We get bigger deals, we get better positioned than our competition, and hopeful we get a shorter sales cycle.” Brian Laney, IBM US Tivoli Sales Specialist, July 17, 2007, Business Continuity Top Gun in Atlanta, GA


“This was a great investment of my time to come up to speed with the System x product. I picked up the x brand two months ago as my third brand. The content and teaching method were excellent.” Craig Jackson, IBM Server Sales Specialist, IBM System x & BladeCenter Top Gun in Raleigh, North Carolina 4. Instilling confidence and credibility

Many times students come into class with anxiety and resentment for often mandatory training but they leave saying that everyone should attend this class.

“Great class, delivers content and provides confidence to sales/account reps. This confidence can be positioned in front of our customers and eliminate the competition.” Cameron Hindle, Server Sales Specialist, August 18, 2008, IBM System Storage Portfolio Top Gun in Washington, D.C. “Fantastic course, very beneficial and served its purpose in empowering myself as a software seller.” Andrew Mailer, Client Rep., July 14, 2008, Software Top Gun in Bangkok, Thailand “Brilliant course, thoroughly enjoyed and feel extremely confident about cross brand software and the overall strategy. I can’t wait to put it all into practice so THANK YOU!” Natalie Russell, IBM Software Sales Specialist, February 4, 2008, Software Top Gun in London, UK “Top Gun gives me confidence to speak to a customer.” Paul Wilson, Storage Sales Specialist, August 18, 2008, IBM System Storage Portfolio Top Gun in Washington, D.C. “Excellent program. Makes you feel proud to be an IBMer!” Naveen Hiremath, Server Sales Specialist, May 14, 2007, IBM System z Top Gun in Hong Kong, China “This program is really very useful to me on technical and sales perspectives of System p. I’m more confident now to address my customer with high end of System p. N. Gopala Krishnan, IBM Business Partner, February 4, 2008, IBM Power Systems Top Gun in Bangalore, India “My morale was down before Top Gun and now it’s up high. I have now got all the enthusiasm to go out into the market and bag big business deals for IBM and generate lots revenue for my company.” Naveen G., Business Partner, Febuary 23, 2007, Software Top Gun, India “Great class. I have learned so much this week. I really feel more confident about approaching CSSR/Client Reps and clients.” Gary Madey, Software Sales Specialist, August 20, 2007, Lotus Top Gun in Potomac, Maryland “Improved my old and rusted knowledge vastly!! Will now be able to conduct myself at clients with conviction.” Stuart Huiskamp, Sales Executive, Business Connexion, August 27, 2007, IBM Systems Top Gun in Johannesburg, South Africa


5. Many feel Top Gun is simply different!

“Great material. I felt like I am in 4 days version of 4-year college program. Tape Thursday was phenomenal. I would recommend every storage person in IBM to attend this. It gives you a different perspective along with excellent material.” Nishant Shah, Technical Specialist, August 18, 2008, IBM System Storage Portfolio Top Gun in Washington, DC “The class offers excellent value and is unique in the ability to cross the traditional divide between H/W, S/W and Services. It provides attendees with a new view on offering value to new or existing clients.” Hennie Kok, Server Sales Specialist, August 12, 2008, IBM Client Value Systems Top Gun in Johannesburg, South Africa “I think is a valuable experience where you get motivated to participate and to succeed, thanks to the environment and instructors approach. My everyday job will get a lot of benefits from this course.” Mariana Sabater, BDR for SW Channels, August 11, 2008, IBM Software Top Gun in Sao Paulo, Brazil “Excellent the logistics. Excellent speakers with a great customer focus. Great tips for selling.” Rodrigo Manjarrez, Storage Sales Specialist, August 18, 2008, IBM System Storage Portfolio Top Gun in Washington, D.C. “Great class. This is really needed for the success of IBM. This would be a great cross business class, STG, SWG & Services.” Tom LaRock, Services Specialist, August 25, 2008, IBM Client Value Systems Top Gun in Washington, D.C. “The role playing was very helpful in driving home the process we should use and the skills we should have when selling.” Technical Specialist, August 12, 2008, Rational Top Gun in Dallas, Texas “Great balance between business value content and deep product education.” Joe Tabone, Server Sales Specialist, August 18, 2008, IBM System Storage Portfolio Top Gun in Washington, D.C. “It was a great class and will benefit me tremendously in my job. I am in Telecom Industry Group and did not know such training existed until it practically fell in my lap. You kept the class productively stressful but cheerful.” Furrukh Fahim, Solution Sales Executive, March 3, 2008, IBM Software Top Gun in Washington, D.C. “Excellent class. Great delivery & content. Highly motivational. Wealth of information, highly valuable information to be conveyed to our customers.” Gombal Pratts, Software Sales Specialist, August 18, 2008, IBM zSoftware Top Gun in Washington, D.C. “It was really good. The integration of STG, SWG & Services was a great idea.” David Van Schalkwyk, Client Rep., August 12, 2008, IBM Client Value Systems Top Gun in Johannesburg, South Africa


6. New hire retention, a must for IBM college new hires "As a new hire professional, I should have been told to take this course in months 0-6." Matthew Avery, IBM Server Sales Specialist, September 9, 2008, IBM Systems Top Gun in IBM UK “It’s a very motivating and informative class for a new hire like me to be able to understand all Lotus offerings.” Chee Hau Phan, Technical Specialist, August 4, 2008, IBM Lotus Top Gun in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia “The class was extremely informative, and I learned a lot. I am new to the whole world of IBM as well as the industry in general and this class provided very useful information.” Chad Robinson, Intern for Avnet, July 14, 2008, IBM Power Systems Top Gun in San Antonio, Texas “This is a great course – very useful for new hire like me, but it was really a super high intensive training. I came in with “0” knowledge about IBM, SW and Tivoli, but at the end of the day, I have good info on all this. I flunked during my pretest but in end, I passed!” Suanne Lai, IBM Software Sales Specialist, July 14, 2008, Tivoli Top Gun in Singapore “Great learning experience, very informative, interactive. Learning made fun. As a new hire, I have not enjoyed class learning before like I did this class.” Dumisani, IBM Storage Sales Specialist, July 21, 2008, IBM System Storage Portfolio Top Gun in Johannesburg, South Africa “For me personally, coming from an HP background it was excellent. It was fast paced, which I appreciated. I got exactly the kind of information I needed. Thank you.” Mark Stone, IBM Business Partner, October 6, 2008, IBM System x & BladeCenter Top Gun in Raleigh, North Carolina “I’m really glad to have this opportunity. It was just awesome for my initial days on IBM. I used to work in a bank and for sure this is the kind of training that I would have liked to take there and I never had. Thank you for the opportunity.” Luciano Bonillo, IBM Software Sales Specialist, August 18, 2008, Information Management Top Gun in Sao Paulo, Brazil “I got SO much our of this class...every new hire should attend as many Top Guns as possible. I came in knowing little, and I'm going out knowing tons (and knowing more people!) Zach Stanard, new hire IBM Technical Specialist, August 24, 2007, Lotus Top Gun class in Potomac, Maryland “I have increased my systems and software knowledge 10 fold! The information offered was presented fantastically and with such a contagious passion. I have been selling with IBM for 1 year (February 2008) successfully and look forward to using this information.” Bonnie Trott, IBM Dot Com, January 28, 2008, IBM Systems Top Gun in Toronto, Canada


“I got so much out of this class. Every new hire should attend as many Top Guns as possible. Came in knowing little, going out knowing tons and more people.” Zach Stanard, Technical Specialist, August 20, 2007, Lotus Top Gun in Potomac, Maryland 7. Preparation for IBM Sales Certification exams “I took and passed both the pSeries and iSeries certification tests following the class – so it was a good investment of my time all around.” Greg Spencer, Account Executive, Mainline Information Systems, August 25, 2008, IBM Power Systems Top Gun in Atlanta, Georgia. “Just to tell you that I’ve just revalidated my Storage Sales Certification today, and much of it is due to the material you brought us in last Top Gun at Guadalajara.” Carlos Jardi, Prosic Servicios, SA de CV, Feb. 19, 2007, IBM System Storage Portfolio Top Gun in Mexico “Due to the excellent Top Gun training, I passed my System p test easily.” Patrick Wanningen, Digihuis, February 6, 2007, IBM System p Top Gun in Amsterdam, Netherlands 8. Networking is always key to a

salesperson’s success “Was a really good and important training, for it will help me a lot. This was not only a study class, also was a networking class, it will help us with cross selling.” Leopoldo Fernandes Braga Neto, QA Engineer, August 11, 2008, IBM Software Top Gun in Sao Paulo, Brazil “The Top Gun is an excellent way to get more knowledge, do networking and also spend a great time with great people.” Celi Tsubouchi, Technical Resolution Manager, August 11, 2008, IBM Software Top Gun in Sao Paulo, Brazil “It was phenomenal, the interactiveness and the networking aspects were great. The content was relevant and precise.” Roelof Barkhuizen, IBM Business Partner, SSR Manager, July 28, 2008, Information Management Top Gun in Johannesburg, South Africa

IBM Confidential. External Distribution Not Permitted.© 2005 IBM Corporation 19

4 Rules to Outlast the Competition

#1 – Don’t stop selling

#2 - Network, network, network

#3 - Relationships are long-term, show the prospect you care with regular contact

#4 - Regularly upgrade your selling skills with a seminar, mentor, coach, inspirational speaker


“I love and need Top Gun classes. It’s a great opportunity to learn from very experienced people.” Flavio Denicolay, Client Rep., August 12, 2008, IBM Power Systems Top Gun in Buenos Aires, Argentina “Fantastic! Very relevant education around; x 86 market, IBM product portfolio (x & Blade & Storage) competitive analysis, future technologies and innovations (VD1, HC10, x5 etc.) Presenters were all world class, a great opportunity to network & a well structured assessment plan.” Ryan Joyce, Server Sales Specialist, Oct 8-11, 2007, System x & BladeCenter, London UK 9. Learning from some of the best subject matter experts in the industry "All speakers were excellent and really knew their subject matter. I was really open to hearing the views of other people about their selling. Instructors didn't try to ram the corporate message down our throats. Good speed, right length of course. Excellent!" Lloyd Jenvey, IBM Software Sales Specialists, September 9, 2008, IBM Systems Top Gun in IBM UK "The experienced teach team could answer every question, and it gave me the feeling of a real Top Gun. Top Gun: Best of the best. I really like the exercises, not just listening, doing is much better! Please continue with student lab.” Timo Hahule, Technical Specialist, July 15, 2008, IBM System z Cost & Value Top Gun in Montpellier, France "This is an eye-opening class and a great opportunity to listen to the very experienced speakers. I would recommend others to attend this course" Bee Fui Soo, Technical Specialist, August 11, 2008, IBM System z Top Gun in Singapore "This exceeded expectations. Fantastic introduction to many platforms, with world class speakers. With Sales School, this is the best possible training I could have received." David Harkin, Server Sales Specialist, September 9, 2008, IBM Systems Top Gun in London, UK "Two thumbs up!! The instructors were very informative and kept the momentum and energy going!." Sterling Lee, IBM Server Sales Specialist & Storage Sales Specialist, October 6, 2008, IBM System x & BladeCenter Top Gun in Raleigh, North Carolina


"One of the most effective and learning classes I ever attended. Even though it is long hours you are awake al the time as the instructors are very enthusiastic and very inspiring." Kim Pedersen, CSSR, November 12, 2007, Software Top Gun in Washington, DC “The overall pace of the class was excellent. Professors were very articulate, knowledgeable, and accommodating.” Rodrigo Sampler, IBM Technical Specialist, July 17, 2007, Business Continuity Top Gun in Atlanta, GA “It is very good classroom style session. Room size and number of students are good for exciting discussion and easy to communicate with teachers during session.” Eiko Fukami, IBM SSR, January 28, 2008, WebSphere Top Gun in Tokyo, Japan 10. A format to re-enforce solution selling "Excellent approach to sell solutions to customers, not just theory, but real examples. Excellent messages to attack the competition." Elmer Schorndorfer, IBM Systems Architect, August 12, 2008, IBM Client Value Systems Top Gun in Johannesburg, South Africa “It was a great course, I would strongly recommend it to anyone who is intending in creating solutions and understanding the WebSphere product set. The WebSphere Top Gun allowed me to see the product set and visualize how it all fit together, not mentioning meeting the IBM Specialists, new contacts and peer interaction. The course gave me more confidence in talking about the solutions and allowed me to engage in more meaningful discussions with the clients. It allowed me to identify opportunities and discuss the topics with confidence." Jim Athos, IBM Business Partner, July 21, 2008, WebSphere Top Gun in Sydney, Australia “Best training I ever had. Solution based selling is the perfect and right idea." Reinwald Henne, CSSR, August 11, 2008, Advanced Software Top Gun in Chicago, IL “Excellent approach to sell solutions to customers, not just theory, but real examples. Excellent message also to attack the opposition." Elmar Schorndorfer, Systems Architect, August 12, 2008, IBM Client Value Systems Top Gun in Johannesburg, South Africa “This was the best Software Sales training I have attended. The knowledge I gained throughout the course will be applied daily in my role – both directly when working with customers and with my IBM teammates to develop stronger business cases for our solutions." Libby Levine, IBM Software Sales Specialist, August 4, 2008, IBM Software Top Gun in Washington, D.C. “I think that Top Gun is very very important and useful education. Especially client business value and competitive information. I learned client storage innovations. Thank you very much!" Hiroyuki Katoh, IBM Manager, July 8, 2008, IBM System Storage Portfolio Top Gun in Tokyo, Japan


“Top Gun has given me, as a client rep., the information, values and process I need to intelligently spot and pursue opportunities to add value to my client’s business." Andrei Lopez, Client Rep., July 14, 2008, IBM Software Top Gun in Bangkok, Thailand “Top Gun assisted these activities greatly by providing the ability to understand and articulate the business benefits of our solution to our customers. It also provided the ability to recognize when something was positioned incorrectly and change tack for success." Cameron Ord, Solution Architect, April 14, 2008, Tivoli Top Gun in Beijing, China “Overall, the course was too good. It gave me the perspective and the approach we should follow in selling storage solutions." Vinoth Vijayan, Cross Brand Sales Specialist, July 14, 2008, IBM System Storage Portfolio Top Gun in Mumbai, India “I have a much broader understanding of what Rational Tools can do together as a solution vs. the details of what a product can do alone." Matt Hill, Rational Software Specialist, February 12, 2008, Rational Top Gun in Atlanta, Georgia 11. Because many will say it is simply the best training they have ever experienced

in conjunction with IBM “Awesome. Probably the best class I have attended in my 20-year career." Brian Harris, Diligent Architect, August 18, 2008, IBM System Storage Portfolio Top Gun in Washington, DC “This was the best class of my IBM career (24 years)! The info is well presented and flawlessly organized and managed. Thanks, Ginger and Lonnie!" Rob Burdick, CSSR, August 4, 2008, IBM Software Top Gun in Washington, DC “One of the best classes I’ve ever attended in my 29 year career at IBM." Kevin McCusker, IBM Server Sales Specialist, October 6, 2008, IBM System x & BladeCenter Top Gun in Raleigh, North Carolina “I really think this rates as one of the best classes I have attended in my 27-year career. Hats off to Ginger for keeping us focused. The days were long but worth it." Rob Sanazaro, SWITA, August 4, 2008, IBM Software Top Gun in Washington, D.C. “Quite easily the best training program that I have attended recently. Very comprehensive course material and immaculate delivery mechanism." Anindya Mukherjee, SSR, April 28, 2008, IBM Software Top Gun in Delhi, India “It was definitely the best education I participated since joining IBM." Wataru Arai, Server Sales Specialist, July 8, 2008, IBM System Storage Portfolio Top Gun in Tokyo, Japan “The best course I ever attended." Li Lian, Services Specialist, July 14, 2008, IBM Tivoli Top Gun in Singapore


“Excellent! The best course I have ever attended in my whole 26 years as a professional in IT." Bulent Sapolyo, Sales People in IBM, July 21, 2008, IBM WebSphere Top Gun in Sydney, Australia “Really the best learning experience I have ever had! No doubt the most enjoyable course." Julian Bagnasco, Worknet (IBM Business Partner), Software Top Gun in Buenos Aires, Argentina - August 17, 2007 “Great job! Best ever training experience I had! Perfectly balanced and user friendly way to skill up for success!" Alexander Madzhirov, Technical Specialist, August 25, 2008, WebSphere Top Gun in Prague, Czech Republic “This is one of the most valuable and well organized courses I can remember.” Razvodov Evgeny, System Architect, November 12, 2007, IBM System Storage Portfolio Top Gun in Moscow, Russia “The best education week within IBM that I ever followed. Everything was well prepared, all the speakers and topics were pretty good. “Top Gun z” a really added value for my current activities.” Sizing specialist, October 8, 2007, IBM System z Top Gun in Montpellier, France “Fabulous education…the best I have had in IBM (10 years). I discovered a new way to deliver on an existing opportunity.” Chad Greeley, Software Sales Specialist, August 6, 2007, Software Top Gun in Palisades, New York 12. A great program for technical people to understand business value and where their area of expertise fits into the larger picture "I have realized that most of the client calls that I make I usually speak about most, if not all of what I learned as a technical specialist. At least now after four days I can talk more comfortably about the value with my clients." Yuren Rooplal, IBM Servers Sales Specialist, August 12, 2008, IBM Client Value Systems Top Gun in Johannesburg, South Africa “Thanks for the opportunity to take this class. It has been very helpful and a real eye-opener. I think everyone in Client Support should take this class, or maybe a shorter version. From my perspective, it showed the tremendous amount of work it is to be in sales. And I can see that when client problems arise any time spent by the sales team on those issues takes a lot of time away from potential sales. Again, just wanted to say thanks and how much the class meant to me.” Mike Elles, RTP STSM, System x Product Engineering, April 22, 2008, IBM Client Value Systems Top Gun in Washington, D.C. “I am definitely more excited about sales. As a technical sales resource I come from a technical background and was always excited to do the demo and technical presentations, but as a result of the class, I have learned to be more proactive rather than reactive in terms of selling towards accounts. I’ve learned to raise my level of abstraction and think of the larger technical and strategic wins, not just point products. Top Gun made a dramatic impact on my career, my confidence, and really lit a fire for me to passionately push into


more and more accounts the Rational and IBM messaging." John Lanuti, Rational Sales Specialist, February 12, 2008, Rational Top Gun in Atlanta, Georgia “Every employee at least in SW Group should be made to attend it mandatory within max. 3 months of joining. I attended after 7.5 years, and I feel it would have helped me much more if attended earlier." Bhavesh Adhia, SWITA, April 28, 2008, IBM Software Top Gun in Delhi, India “Although this is a sales class, and I am from services team, it gives me a good overview of all our product, and I now understand how I can sell it in my customer place." Chew Eng Peng, Technical Specialist, August 4, 2008, IBM Lotus Top Gun in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia “I’m a Project Manager and I spend a lot of time on client, so I’m a potential seller. Now I can make a difference because I know IBM software better and how to make a difference!." Renato A. Polins, Project Manager, August 11, 2008, IBM Software Top Gun in Sao Paulo, Brazil “It was amazing. It was the best course than I did in IBM. The class manager has lots of experience in the class and managed very well." Alessandro Quesada, IT Architect, August 18, 2008, Information Management Top Gun in Sao Paulo, Brazil “Really valuable. As I am a technical person, I am not the target audience, but I will definitely recommend other technical people from ISSN and GBS to attend. Provided good insight in all the products and value props for them." Mads Clausager, IT Architect, August 29, 2008, WebSphere Top Gun in Prague, Czech Republic “I found this event to be outstanding to come to speed on System x BladeCenter, storage and system management topics. Workshop was very valuable and listening to presentation was very valuable.” Santosh Gaur, IT Architect, November 12, 2007, IBM System x & BladeCenter Top Gun in Raleigh, North Carolina “Allowed me to understand the business value of the brands without becoming mired in the technical." Kathy Filkins, SWITA, Software Top Gun, August 6, 2007 in Palisades, NY “This class gets you fired up about selling IBM VALUE!” Dan Dunham, Business Partner Technical Specialist, August 6, 2007, IBM System Storage Portfolio Top Gun in Chicago, IL “It was an excellent, excellent course. Even though a very complex area of the business, it was very simply articulated. I have gained a lot and can’t wait to put these newly acquired skills knowledge to use.” Software Sales Specialist, August 6, 2007, z Software Top Gun in Seoul, South Korea “What a remarkable course! Glad to have taken it, changed my perspective about Top Gun. I’ve become very positive now. Look forward to taking WebSphere and zSeries Top Guns as well!” Ali Khan, Client IT Architect, August 6, 2007, Software Top Gun in Palisades, New York


13. An opportunity for IBM Executives to inspire and also to solicit feedback from the sales force concerning their struggles and challenges

“Solutions focus is tremendous. I liked the IBM executive perspective. Presenters were top notch.” Kenji Yamanouchi, IBM System Seller, August 6, 2007, IBM System Storage Portfolio Top Gun in Chicago, IL 14. Students return time and time again for motivation, learning and re-motivation “It was great. I cannot wait for next year Top Gun. I learn a lot!.” Carlos Ramirez, IBM Business Partner Manager, August 4, 2008, IBM System x & BladeCenter Top Gun in Queretaro, Mexico “Excellent course, thought provoking. I now want to do Software Top Gun.” Jonathan Bulmes, eSM/tSM, August 12, 2008, IBM Client Value Systems Top Gun in Johannesburg, South Africa “Very brilliant! Will attend again next year.” Danisa Chimbane, IBM Business Partner, Server & Storage Sales Specialist, July 21, 2008, IBM System Storage Portfolio Top Gun in Johannesburg, South Africa “I have been in Top Guns for three times, and I think this is an excellent way of improving skills and learn about strategies.” Alessio Dimare, Server Sales Specialist, August 25, 2008, IBM Power Systems Top Gun in Atlanta, Georgia

Jim Stallings, GM, Enterprise Systems Division, IBM Systems &

Technology Group

Bob Samson, IBM Sales & Distribution, Executive Staff

General Manager, Global Public Sector

Bill Donohue, VP, General Business, Global Business

Partners Executive, IBM Systems & Technology Group

Jim Gregory, IBM Sales & Distribution, STG Sales

VP of Business Systems Division, STG

Francois Vazille, IBM Sales & Distribution, STG Sales

Director, Storage Pltfm Stg AP Anne Altman, IBM Systems

&Technology Group, System z Platform, General Manager

Steve Leonard, WW Vice President System p5 Sales


Student Name Company Country Class History Dubravka Ivanisevic IBM Croatia Base Top Gun (2000)

Software Top Gun (2001) IBM eServer Top Gun (2002) Linux Top Gun (2002) Disaster Recovery Top Gun (2002) zSeries Software Top Gun (2004) zSeries Hardware Top Gun (2005) Business Continuity Top Gun (2005) IBM Systems Top Gun (2006) IBM System z Cost & Value Top Gun (2008)

Emil Sarich VICOM INFINITY USA Top Gun 1 (1993) Top Gun 2 (1993) Parallel Top Gun (1994) Server Consolidation e-business Top Gun (1997) Tools Top Gun (1999) Storage Top Gun (1999) Enterprise TotalStorage Top Gun (2002) IBM System Storage Portfolio Top Gun (2007)

Gilvanita Mendonça IBM Brazil Business Intelligence Top Gun (1998) Systems Solutions Manager Top Gun (1999) TotalStorage Top Gun (2002) Linux Top Gun (2004) IBM eServer pSeries Top Gun (2004) TotalStorage Mid-Range Top Gun (2004) IBM Systems Top Gun (2007)

15. Because both management and their student employees receive positive feedback when they are identified as a top performer (TOP 10%) in their classes. “Wow! Great work, Richard!! You just put Trinidad on the IBM map! Thanks for letting me know, Marion.” Elizabeth Ammon, Manager, Sales, August 25, 2008, IBM Power Systems Top Gun in Atlanta, Georgia “That is very nice of you to recognize our people. I think they’re the best. By the way they all came back and said it was a terrific course. Often they come back from training and think it’s a little light or not pertinent to their jobs. To a person they all said what a great job you did and that it was very worthwhile. Hopefully we’ll get a chance to meet in person in the not too distant future. Until then Go IBM/Mid-Range Go!” Daniel T. Duffy, President, Mid-Range Computer Group Inc., Jan. 22, 2007, IBM Systems Top Gun in Toronto, Canada “David, I was delighted to have one of your employees, Lener Pacania, in the recent Software Top Gun class. I wanted to let you know that he was selected as one of the 5 Top Guns in May 21 class. As you may know, to be selected as Top Gun, the students are truly the Best of the Best in terms of graded components and in terms of leadership. Lener did a great job in setting an example in both areas. It was indeed a pleasure to meet and work with him!” Ginger Boone, Class Manager, May 25, 2007, IBM Software Top Gun “This is great to hear. Juha is our top talent and it is great to see that other people feel the same. I attached our SWG Country Manager to let them know how enthusiastic we are towards Software. Ginger, thank you for great training. Tero and Juha were very pleased


about it.” Antti Partanen, Territory Sales Manager, October 6, 2008, IBM Software Top Gun in Rome, Italy. 16. Finally, with a decade long program with a “Reputation for Excellence” students often set expectations high and later say that IBM delivers “Far beyond my expectations. Not a traditional IBM learning course. Instructors spend real time for us!” Alberto Delgado, IBM Storage Sales Specialist, January 21, 2008, IBM System Storage Portfolio Top Gun in Guadalajara, Mexico “You surprised me! Wonderful class!” Yin Hong Mei, SSR, July 7, 2008, Information Management Top Gun in Mumbai, India “I thought it was a phenomenal class.” Tiffany Walker, eSM/tSM, August 25, 2008, IBM Power Systems Top Gun in Atlanta, Georgia “Far better than I expected; great value for me in my new generalist role.” Paul Stevens, Tivoli Generalist, August 25, 2008, IBM Tivoli Top Gun in Prague, Czech Republic “The Top Gun was really significant and important to increase my knowledge in IM area. I’m an IM marketer and this Top Gun gave me a different view of the brand.” Renata Zanuto, IM Marketing, August 18, 2008, IBM Information Management Top Gun in Sao Paulo, Brazil “Overall, the class was a huge success. I retained a huge amount of information, and I definitely think it will be beneficial when calling on my customers. Thanks again!” Hayward Evans, IBM Software Sales Specialist, August 18, 2008, IBM zSoftware Top Gun in Washington, D.C. “Class was excellent – jammed full of great information. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!” Chris McMahon, IBM Server Sales Specialist, October 6, 2008, IBM System x & BladeCenter Top Gun in Raleigh, North Carolina “Outstanding learning experience. It would have taken me months of self study to learn what I was taught in one week of Top Gun. Content was excellent.” David White, IBM Business Partner, Software Sales Specialist, August 4, 2008, IBM Software Top Gun in Washington, D.C. “I started my software training with Top Gun and this opportunity is a lifetime opportunity. I feel that this training will definitely help me in long run..” Siddharth Kaptor, IBM Business Partner, BDM, April 28, 2008, IBM Software Top Gun in Delhi, India “Top Guns are definitely excellent training courses.” Osman Pulgar, IBM Business Partner, Server & Storage Sales Specialist, June 2, 2008, IBM Power Systems Top Gun in Caracas, Venezuela


“Thank you for delivering such a great training to pump up storage skills in Japan IOT. Great job!” Toru Yamazaki, Manager, July 8, 2008, IBM System Storage Portfolio Top Gun in Tokyo, Japan “Outstanding delivery of material. I noticed a huge improvement over my knowledge.” Joseph Blake, IBM Business Partner, Client Rep., August 25, 2008, IBM Power Systems Top Gun in Atlanta, GA “Everyone of z client-facing team members should have attended a class just like this one.” Yu Wei Wang, Technical Specialist, August 18, 2008, IBM System z Cost & Value Top Gun in Singapore “I think Top Gun class is so valuable and necessary to WebSphere Sales Rep. I learned a lot in this class. Three of our WebSphere sales team applied to attend this class. But CFO in Korea approved only one of them to attend it. I think this is huge mistake because skill is the most important for SW sales.” Seok Kim, IBM Software Sales Specialist, July 14, 2008, WebSphere Top Gun in Bangkok, Thailand “It was a wonderful training program where we understood hidden aspects about storage and its positioning and a lot about competition.” Dheeraj Gautam, Storage Sales Specialist, July 14, 2008, IBM System Storage Portfolio Top Gun in Mumbai, India “My 1st storage training course, and this is so helpful… not only the product information, but the presentation techniques and emphasis on deal closing. I wish to attend other similar courses to strengthen my skills” Robert Ren, Business Partner Server Sales Specialist, September 10, 2007, IBM System Storage Portfolio in Toronto, Canada “Simply the best IBM education I ever attended. Lots of useful information that can be applied right now in daily business. When I first came to SWG, I was overwhelmed of the vast size of IBM SW products…those names, names meant nothing to me, and I had no clue where to start to study SW. After attending Top Gun, the SW portfolio is organized in my head and now I understand IBM SWG much better than before.” Andrew Nam, IBM Marketing Manager, January 21, 2008, Software Top Gun in Sydney, Australia “The information presented was an excellent broad brush stroke for learning about all the brands. As a new CSM this hit the mark right on the head.” Kelly Moshier, IBM CSM, January 28, 2008, IBM Systems Top Gun in Toronto, Canada “This is by far the best class, tech or non-tech. Outstanding people and presentations; outstanding focus. This class gets you fired up about selling IBM value.” Dan Dunham, Technical Specialist, Berbee, August 6, 2007, IBM System Storage Portfolio Top Gun in Chicago, Illinois “Excellent facility, the course reflects currency and the focus of the IBM Corporation strategy and values.” Technical Specialist, August 6, 2007, IBM System z Top Gun in Potomac, Maryland


Top Gun is now an integral and strategic part of IBM’s “Year Long Learning Program” and “Skills Mastery” initiatives. Investment in skills is critical to IBM’s success and there are simply no short cuts to high-quality, face-to-face and motivational education programs to achieve premium sales results.


APPENDIX

��

Shanghai, China - January 21-25, 2008

��

Shanghai, China - January 21-25, 2008

�� February 4-7, 2008Bangalore, India

Wipro Infotech Ingram Micro DM Systems Pentagon Systems & ServicesEsys Information Technologies Galaxy Office Automation Omnitech InfoSolutionsWysetek Systems Technologists CMS Computers Monarch Technologies PuneLauren Information Technologies Silicon Business Solutions Infosys TechnologiesQuantM Net Technologies Emerald Infosys Ontrack Solutions San Foray Tata Consultancy Services CDP India CMC Limited Redington

�� February 4-7, 2008Bangalore, India

Wipro Infotech Ingram Micro DM Systems Pentagon Systems & ServicesEsys Information Technologies Galaxy Office Automation Omnitech InfoSolutionsWysetek Systems Technologists CMS Computers Monarch Technologies PuneLauren Information Technologies Silicon Business Solutions Infosys TechnologiesQuantM Net Technologies Emerald Infosys Ontrack Solutions San Foray Tata Consultancy Services CDP India CMC Limited Redington


��First Distribution

KPMG

Business Connexion

Footprint Africa Business Solutions

Eirteic Consulting (Africa) (Pty) Ltd

Aptronics

NSI Technology C.a.T.S. Pty Ltd

E-Solutions (Pvt) Ltd

e-business infrastructure solutions

Net Solutions��

First DistributionKPMG

Business Connexion

Footprint Africa Business Solutions

Eirteic Consulting (Africa) (Pty) Ltd

Aptronics

NSI Technology C.a.T.S. Pty Ltd

E-Solutions (Pvt) Ltd

e-business infrastructure solutions

Net Solutions

��

ZAO I-Teco ~ IMS SSL ~ Verysell Projects ~ OOO Vostok ~ USP Compulink ~ CROC Inc. ~ Trinity ~ Andek Technologies ~ Infoteam ~ LLC “EC engineering” ~ SIBIS LLC ~ R-Style JSC ~ 1-st Architect of

Business ~ NvisionGroup ~ Computer Mechanics ~ Kvazar-Micro ~ MUK ~ IBA ~ IBS SI

SYSTEMS TOP GUN TRAINING

Moscow, Russia18-21 February 2008


Total BPs Trained:Total IBMers Trained:Totals:

Server Storage Software Totals812 527 872 2211

1244 530 2888 46622056 1057 3760 6873

Total BPs Trained:Total IBMers Trained:Totals:

Server Storage Software Totals812 527 872 2211

1244 530 2888 46622056 1057 3760 6873

Server Focus2056

30%

Software Focus3760

55%

Storage Focus1057

15%

Server FocusSoftware FocusStorage Focus

(21 Classes)

(86 Classes)

(41 Classes)

978

331

553

370

114

368

1046

564

148 179 142

0

559

464

152187

76 8641

235280

NA

SW Europe

NE Europe

CEEMEAJa

pan LA AP0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

StorageServerSoftware

2008 Top Gun Program Results, YTD and Projected 4QTop Gun Training Breakdown148 Classes : 6,873 Students

Total Top Gun Students Trained: 6,873

# BPs by Geo (32%) # IBMers by Geo (68%)

163

38

104130

1

117

319

149

46 50 62

0

397

128

54

106

2560

3

171

108

NA

SW Europe

NE Europe

CEEMEAJa

pan LA AP0

100

200

300

400

500


815

293

449

240

113

251

727

415

102 12980

0

162

336

98 8151 26 38

64

172

NA

SW Europe

NE Europe

CEEMEAJa

pan LA AP0

100200

300400

500600

700800

900



Total Number of Students

100

600

1100

1600

2100

2600

3100

3600

4100

4600

5100

5600

6100

6600

7100

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 pro jected

NA Europe LA AP


Number of Business Partners

473 590 776 767 10031272 1293

1957 2211

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

Projec

ted


eSM2%

FTSS1%

Management3%

Misc. Sales Rep25%

Sales Specialist27%

Technical Specialist11%

BP Management3%

IBM BP - Misc Sales22%

IBM BP - Technical6%

Who Attends Top Gun Classes - 2007

IBMers - 69%

Business Partners - 31%

eSM4%

FTSS2% Management

1%Misc. Sales Rep

18%

Sales Specialist23%Technical Specialist

9%

BP Management3%

IBM BP - Misc. Sales31%

IBM BP - Technical9%

Who Attends Systems & Technology Group Classes - 2007

IBMer - 57% Business Partners - 43%

FTSS & eSM1%

Management3%

Misc. Sales Rep31%

Sales Specialist29%

Technical Specialist13%

BP Management3%

IBM BP - Misc. Sales16% IBM BP - Technical

4%

Who Attends Software Group Top Gun Classes - 2007

IBMers - 77%

Business Partners - 23%

Documents

Why Top Gun Training at IBM?...Why Top Gun at IBM? From the Student’s Perspective 2 IBM’s Top Gun Program is an intensive sales, solutions, and competitive training program targeted