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From: ehopper@ehpcb.wlk.com (Ed Hopper)
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom
Subject: An AT&T Salesperson Responds to 'Heaters and Eskimos'
Message-ID: <13610@accuvax.nwu.edu>
Date: 17 Oct 90 02:10:57 GMT
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X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 10, Issue 740, Message 4 of 9


john@bovine.ati.com (John Higdon) writes:

> I guess AT&T would still have trouble selling heaters to Eskimos.

As one of the much-maligned AT&T sales people, I have to speak up.  I
will not contend that there aren't problems.  Particularly with people
who sat on their a** during the old Bell days, but AT&T Mail *IS*
being aggressively promoted.  If you're a Fortune 500 company, I'll
bet you've had a proposal.  The problem, and it is the same problem
that has been plaguing most lines of business in the company for
years, is not in the people, it's in the upper-level management
direction.  In the past, they have stuck exclusively to large
accounts.  That is starting to change now and with the WU acquisition,
should increase.  I would imagine that a call to 800 directory
assistance would have yielded the appropriate numbers quickly.
Unfortunately, the mass 800 numbers (800 222-0300 & 0400) are easily
thrown by the slightest out of the normal question.


Ed Hopper
AT&T Computer Systems Division


[Moderator's Note: Unfortunately, 800-555-1212 was *exactly* where I
tried to find the number in reference to SJR's original note. To be
certain it was not just a fluke or an inexperienced operator, I called
a second, then a third time. They had loads of listings for AT&T, but
none for Mail.  PAT]