Dell's Brent Batis Speaks at
John Clements's Monthly Sales Conference
by Paul Catiang

During John Clements’s monthly sales conference on August 20, 2005, Brent Batis, Director Human Resources for Dell International Services (DIS), gave a very informative talk about working with fortune 50 companies like Dell. The Dell man was bombarded by questions from the associates and consultants of John Clements, all eager to know more about the workings of an industry leader like Dell.

When asked how it was to provide services for a company like Dell, Mr. Batis minced no words and immediately said that they are a difficult client to work with. Given the speed at which Dell needs to move on a daily basis, the level of quality we demand and the fact that their internal workings can take some time to get things approved, they need vendors who can deliver quickly and reliably. He cautioned interested parties that they should be careful what they commit to deliver because frequently service providers underestimate how demanding working for Dell can be and are not ready to take on those demands.

Obviously, Dell’s success is well-known, and many people wanted to know the inspiration for their achievements. Mr. Batis attributed their success to two things: one, their intense focus on the customer; and two, their belief that they are the underdog. Focusing on the customer ensures quality customer service and repeat business which distinguishes them in the market; as a company that has virtually no inventory, Dell is able to come out with new products and deliver them to their customers 30 to 60 days ahead of their competition. Additionally, this allows them to provide the first feedback to their vendors on any issues or enhancements with their products. Second, in believing that they’re the underdog results in Dell constantly looking at how they can reinvent themselves and drives employees to be motivated to try harder and to be more creative all the time.

Mr. Batis describes the corporate culture of Dell as fast paced and requiring a lot of improvisation. “We do a lot of things on the fly at Dell. Perfection isn’t the goal; we get something out there and improve as we go along. People who are very flexible and adaptable will do well with us. They can figure out how to get things done across the various business units, geographies and cultures we operate in,” he says.

He continues: “drive for results are also important to us, but we always ask two questions: first, what did you achieve? Second, how did you achieve those results?” If both of those are not positive, then employees will not be successful in our environment.

The talk lasted for 45 minutes, which the consultants and executives of John Clements found to be very informative.