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AberdeenGroup
Business Value Research Series
Sales Performance Management
January 2005
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Executive Summary
Executive Summary
Key business value findings from this research include:
The most important strategy to generate successful sales performance management isperceived as implementing a culture of continuous improvement (91%)
The key influences on sales performance management today include the inability toplan for strategic sales (83%), and the lack of actionable data (78%)
The business capabilities with the greatest positive impacts are improved sales plan-ning data for forecasting and strategic planning, and increased visibility and timelyaccess to data relevant to future planning
Better, more accurate software solutions were seen as providing the greatest positiveimpact by 50% of the respondents
Companies seek to better coordinate their overall sales activities and plans with visibilityto ongoing sales performance. They seek to motivate and reward top performance,thereby retaining their top revenue-generators and sales talent. Successfully managedsales-driven enterprises strive to deliver definite benefits, such as the following:
Focused employee activity and behavior (sales and the rest of the workforce)
Increased productivity potential
Profitable sales and channel operations
Increased likelihood of shareholder value
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Table of Contents
Executive Summary .............................................................................................. i
Executive Summary........................................................................................ i
Chapter One: Sales Performance Management: Issue at Hand .......................... 1
Introduction:................................................................................................... 1
Business Drivers: Key Issues at Hand........................................................... 1
Barriers to Improvement: Why Isnt Sales
Performance Management Better Today? ..................................................... 2
Overcoming the Challenges.................................................................... 2
Chapter Two: Managing a Sales Force What Keeps Executives Awake ........... 3Pressures, Actions, Capabilities, Enablers (PACE)........................................ 4
Chapter Three: Plan of Action: Improving Sales Performance Management........ 7
SPM in the Sales-Driven Enterprise .............................................................. 7
View of Technology........................................................................................ 7
What Should Managing a Sales Rep Cost?................................................... 8
Conclusions and Implications for Action ........................................................ 8
Author Profile ..................................................................................................... 11
Appendix A: Research Methodology .................................................................. 12Demographics of Respondents ............................................................. 12
Appendix B: Related Aberdeen Research & Tools ............................................. 15
About Aberdeen Group ...................................................................................... 16
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Figures
Figure 1. Key Issues in Sales Performance Management....................................2
Figure 2: View of Strategic SPM vs. the Competition...........................................3
Figure 3: Executive Views of Sales Performance Management...........................6
Figure 4: State of the SPM Art..............................................................................7
Figure 5. Titles or Positions of Respondents......................................................12
Figure 6. Respondent Breakdown by Company Size (Employee Count) ........... 13
Figure 7: Respondent Breakdown by Annual Revenue (2003)........................... 13
Figure 8: Payees on Plans in Responding Companies ...................................... 14
Tables
Table 1: PACE Framework ................................................................................... 4
Table 2: PACE (Pressures, Actions, Capabilities, Enablers)................................. 5
Table 3: Cost and Optimal Cost Per Sales Representative Per Month................. 8
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Chapter One:Sales Performance Management: Issue at Hand
Introduction:
Sales performance management is the business process that structures the oversight of allaspects of sales planning, performance, visibility, and review. As such, it exceeds inbreadth such disciplines as sales force automation (SFA), customer relationship manage-ment (CRM), or enterprise incentive management (EIM). Past technology solutions havefocused on the automation of sales compensation, forecasting tools, and territory andquota management, among others. These solutions often provide valuable data, yet fail toprovide full sales performance management support due to a lack of full integration andanalysis capability.
This research, conducted by AberdeenGroup in December of 2004, surveyed the chal-lenges and solutions that motivate companies to use technology in support of corporate-wide sales performance management and the kinds of choices they see as valid.
Business Drivers: Key Issues at Hand
The lack of visibility into sales activities on an ongoing basis haunts the majority of ex-ecutives today who rely on a sales team to generate corporate revenue. They often simplycannot tell how a quarter or period is going until it is too late and course corrections areimpossible. Many of these companies are basing much of their decision making onspreadsheets, a medium that they report does not provide the quality of decision-supportdata that they need to remain competitive. The effect is more often the reporting of past
results, than accurate forecasting of revenues in process. Striving to be proactive, theseexecutives seek improved decision-support data data that is accurate and timely. Con-comitantly, sales managers seek to decrease the time their field members spend onshadow tracking, as they calculate their own commissions because they do not trust theaccuracy of legacy corporate plan management programs.
Issues of primary importance to responding executives are shown in Figure 1. Respon-dents rated the items on a five point scale from not at all important to extremely im-portant. Results of the important, very important, and extremely important aresummarized here. Ninety-three percent stated that visibility into sales activities on an on-going basis is the most important issue. Some issues did not resonate with the respon-dents: only 46% thought the ability to better comply with Sarbanes-Oxley was importantto sales performance management, with 27% noting it as not at all important. The abil-
ity to model sales outcomes based on business simulations was only seen as important by28% of the population surveyed.
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Figure 1. Key Issues in Sales Performance Management
0 20 40 60 80 100
Increase visibility into sales activities
on an ongoing basis
Obtain better decision-support data
Decrease reliance on management-
by-spreadsheet
Decrease sales reps time spent on"shadow tracking"
Percentage of Respondents
Source: AberdeenGroup, January 2005
Barriers to Improvement: Why Isnt Sales Performance Management
Better Today?
Given these clear issues keeping sales executives up at night, what is preventing salesmanagement improvement? Two areas tied at the top with 50% response each: budget
constraints, and lack of a compelling business case or unclear ROI. Forty-five percentcited the lack of active executive support as a barrier to improve sales performance man-agement.
Overcoming the Challenges
Respondents report three top ways to overcome these challenges:
Demonstrable effects of improved sales performance management on revenue
Demonstrable effects of improved sales performance management on sales forceproductivity
And a tie for third:
o An ROI-based case-for-action or demonstrated proof of savings in acompany like ours
o An easy-to-use business application
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Chapter Two:Managing a Sales Force What Keeps Executives
Awake
For the most part, companies in this study perceive themselves as average in their overallmanagement of their strategic sales force initiatives compared to their competitors. Nonethought they were dramatically worse than their competition; three percent thought theywere dramatically better (Figure 2). Close to a quarter thought their company was aboveaverage compared to their competition.
Figure 2: View of Strategic SPM vs. the Competition
0%21%
52%
24%
3%
Dramatically Worse
Below Average
Average
Above Average
Dramatically Better
Source: AberdeenGroup January 2005
Yet even when seeing themselves as average or better, these sales-driven companies
readily identified the business drivers that challenge their sales processes today.
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Pressures, Actions, Capabilities, Enablers (PACE)
Aberdeen applies a methodology to benchmark research that evaluates the business pres-sures, actions, capabilities, and enablers (PACE) that indicate corporate behavior in spe-
cific business processes. These terms are defined in Table 1.
Table 1: PACE Framework
PACE Key
Pressures external forces that impact an organizations market position, competitiveness, or businessoperations (e.g., economic, political and regulatory, technology, changing customer preferences, com-petitive)
Actions the strategic approaches that an organization takes in response to industry pressures(e.g., align the corporate business model to leverage industry opportunities, such as product/service
strategy, target markets, financial strategy, go-to-market, and sales strategy)
Capabilities the business process competencies required to execute corporate strategy(e.g., skilled people, brand, market positioning, viable products/services, ecosystem partners,financing)
Enablers the key functionality or technology solutions required to support the organiza-tions enabling business practices (e.g., development platform, applications, network con-nectivity, user interface, training and support, partner interfaces, data cleansing, and man-agement)
Here the PACE methodology is applied to a study of sales executives (CXO level, execu-tive management, VPs outside of sales, and sales management) to determine and priori-tize the business drivers and challenges they face managing sales performance in theirorganizations.
Respondents noted their pressures (what keeps them awake at night), the actions theyforesee as responding to those challenges, the capabilities that need to be in place to re-spond successfully, and the enabling technologies in use today that may assist in alleviat-ing those pressures. The inability to plan for strategic sales ranks as the number onepressure. (Areas where responses tied are noted with both items in the same box, con-nected with AND.)
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Table 2: PACE (Pressures, Actions, Capabilities, Enablers)
Priorities
Prioritized
Pressures
Prioritized
Actions
Prioritized
Capabilities
Enablers in Use
Today1
Planning
Inability for strategic
planning
Implement a culture
of continuous im-
provement
Improved sales
planning data for
forecasting and stra-
tegic planning
Sales force automa-
tion
AND
Customer contact
management sys-
tems
2
Data
Lack of actionable
data from current
use of spreadsheets
Achieve a more
flexible environment
for plan manage-
ment that is easier
to change
Increased visibility
and more timely
access to data rele-
vant to future plan-
ning
Customer relation-
ship management
system
3
Performance
No compelling evi-
dence of use of
SPM in our enter-
prise
Improve reward
structure to retain
star performers
Better, more accu-
rate software solu-
tions
Sales rep access to
static customer in-
formation
4
Cost
Cost of new soft-
ware, hardware and
implementation time
Eliminate reliance
on spreadsheets
Move to hosted ap-
plications for sales
planning, compen-
sation tracking and
management
AND
Cheaper software
solutions
Territory manage-
ment system
5
Timeframe
Protracted time to
ascertain and deliver
commissions
Reduce administra-
tive costs by de-
creasing in-house
software, hardware
We are great the
way we are today
Quota management
system
AND
Sales rep access to
dynamic information
on progress toward
quota achievement
AND
Integration of the
SPM and the CRM
systems
6
Error Rate
High error rate in
tracking, allocating
commissions
Create a less error-
prone commission-
tracking environ-
ment
Source: AberdeenGroup, December 2004
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Sales executives see their sales-supporting technologies as insufficient for their needs.Overall, they rarely perceive that their companies are excelling in sales performancemanagement, while believing that improving SPM is a valuable strategy for competitiveadvantage (Figure 3).
Figure 3: Executive Views of Sales Performance Management
0% 20
%
40
%
60
%
80
%
100
%
Our current SPM is excellent today
Our company should not spend
money on SPM software
Improved SPM is a valuable strategyfor competitive advantage
SPM applications are nice to have,
but not mission-critical
SPM is best provided as hosted,
web-accessed solutions
Disagree
Neutral
Agree
Source: AberdeenGroup, January 2005
Overwhelmingly, improving sales performance management is viewed as central to com-petitive advantage and mission-critical. The majority saw SPM as meriting expenditurein their companies.
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Chapter Three:Plan of Action:
Improving Sales Performance Management
SPM in the Sales-Driven Enterprise
Over half of the respondents in this research described their companies as sales-driven,with nothing more important than the efforts and outcomes of sales, hence the importanceof sales performance management on an ongoing basis. These sales executives cite alitany of needs towards the improvement of their sales performance management:
The sales-supporting technology is insufficient
The technology they do use is not integrated so planning information is incompati-
ble
They selected their current solutions on price, not best functionality
Their views are presented in Figure 4.
Figure 4: State of the SPM Art
43%
37%
20%
Insufficient sales support
technology
Unintegrated technology,
thus incompatible data
Picked o ur current
solution on price
Source: AberdeenGroup January, 2005
View of Technology
Given disparate, unintegrated solutions, and an overall lack of technology supportingsales today, many companies are ready to consider a move to a better solution. Some areindeed satisfied with the methods in place in their companies today, and some bemoantheir original selection criteria price over functionality.
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What Should Managing a Sales Rep Cost?
Managing the cost of sales is always an issue for a sales-driven company. In addition to
the strategic planning behind successful sales execution, the sales effort is generally la-
bor-intensive. It is also typically an area of fairly high turnover, with ensuing reiterativecosts of training, and potential negative effects on customer relations through churn.
Aberdeen surveyed sales executives on their current costs for sales performance man-
agement today on per sales representative basis per month. We also inquired what they
though the optimal cost per rep should be (Table 3).
Table 3: Cost and Optimal Cost Per Sales Representative Per Month
$1-20 $20-50 $50-75 $75-100 $100-200
Over$200
Cost
perSalesRepToday
6% 14% 17% 14% 25% 25%
OptimalCostperSalesRep
14% 33% 25% 22% 3% 3%
Source: AberdeenGroup, January 2005
Today, half of the surveyed organizations pay over $100 per sales representative in inter-
nal performance management activities. For this population, with payees on plan, the
cost ranges to $1,000,000 a month in sales management costs, excluding commissions.
Not surprisingly, these executives see lower per capital management costs as more attrac-
tive, citing ranges from $20-$100 per representative per month as optimal ranges for in-
ternal management costs.
Conclusions and Implications for Action
Efforts at enterprise-wide sales performance management are fragmented. The fragmen-tation is due to both a hodge-podge of tools (spreadsheets, for example) and unintegratedapplications (SFA, CRM, quota, or territory management). Often these latter applica-tions were selected on the basis of low cost, rather than their ability to manage the task at
hand.
The larger challenge for sales executives is the inability to manage current sales activityand to accurately plan a sales strategy for the future. The data simply is not there, andwhat data is available is often inaccurate and out of date. The business process is broken.
The key issue is really twofold: the lack of visibility into current sales activities and pro-gress and the inability to get solid decision-support information for future planning. Inboth cases, the result is the same: you cannot control what you do not know.
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Yet, sales executives are very pragmatic. Perhaps burned in the past by poor technologychoices, they look for a solid business case behind future solution decisions; a businesscase that demonstrates a clear return on the investment and, if possible, demonstrates theability of the investment to positively impact revenue acquisition or sales force produc-
tivity. They also ask for references to validate savings in companies similar to theirs.
Companies, for the most part, express neutrality as to whether the solution resides in-house or is a hosted solution, but all express reticence for expensive infrastructure over-hauls or protracted implementation cycles. In any event, they articulate a requirement fora more flexible environment for plan management, an environment that is easier tochange. And the majority sees business solutions that address sales performance man-agement as mission-critical.
Companies cited perceived barriers to entry:
37% thought that investments in SPM were not perceived as feasible for a com-pany their size
37% thought the added cost of infrastructure was prohibitive
34% saw a lack of technology maturity or functionality to support such an en-deavor
29% thought that implementations were too long or costly
AberdeenGroup, which has been following the enterprise incentive management marketsince 1998, notes that either Excel spreadsheets or rudimentary and fragmented function-ality were used to manage sales performance in the past. Implementations were indeedoften both protracted and expensive. Todays technology, however, far better addressesissues of performance and functionality than earlier predecessors. Optional deliverymethods, including hosted on-demand support or total business process outsourcing,
address both the pressure of infrastructure investment and of long implementations. On-demand solutions hosted at a third party site also provide lower entry opportunity forsmaller companies through subscription pay as you go pricing.
Only recently have technology providers begun to address the fragmentation of the busi-ness process, as functionality characteristically provided in sales force automation andcustomer relationship management tools and commission management and tracking pro-grams are combined or integrated.
Overall sales performance excellence is beyond simply the application of automatedmanagement programs. Automating a bad plan provides no business value. Best practicesin plan development and compensation management are required to create motivatingplans that incent a sales force. Professional plan designers can provide those best prac-
tices, and some vendors have incorporated best-practice plan templates into their solu-tions to speed implementations. Once created, automated solutions can be modeled andmanaged to provide the ongoing, dynamic tracking and information analysis required forcontinuance improvement initiatives.
Sales performance management is an end-to-end business process and has to be viewedas such. Technology suppliers have addressed a great many of the parts, from the cus-tomer to the commission plan, but savvy companies today will require the integration ofthe parts into a comprehensive solution, a solution that provides actionable data points
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early in the sales cycle and reduces the overall cost of ownership. Executives shouldevaluate new solutions, both hosted and on-premise, that provide this integration to helpcompanies achieve competitive advantage through optimized sales performance man-agement.
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Author Profile
Katherine Jones,
Research Director
Enterprise Applications
Aberdeen Group
Area of Focus
Katherine Jones provides research and consulting services in business applications -those software solutions that are essential to the conduct of enterprise-wide business intoday's challenging environments. She focuses on the fundamental processes of businessoperations and strategy, and the effects of technological change and innovation on theseprocesses within the global organization. In addition to traditional Enterprise ResourcePlanning (ERP) environments such as business, industry, and manufacturing, Jones ad-dresses the application of enterprise solutions in education, the public sector, and the fed-eral government. She provides consulting support and market positioning to new andgrowing companies.
As part of Aberdeen's Human Capital Management practice, Jones covers variable com-pensation management, staff hiring and retention issues, application service provider(ASP) solutions, and employee self-service.
Current Research
Jones is charged with forwarding Aberdeen's research efforts in process manufacturing,supply chain management and execution, and alternative delivery methods for business
applications, such as application hosting through ASPs, mid-market programs, and Web-based access.
Experience
A veteran in enterprise applications, Jones has been responsible for technical productmarketing and strategic alliance management in several computer companies since 1984.Prior to a high technology career, Jones was a university dean, involved in academic ad-ministration, research, and teaching.
Jones is a frequent speaker and is widely published in the U.S. and abroad.
Education
Jones has a PhD and MA from Cornell University and a BS from the University of Min-nesota. She conducted post-graduate work at the University of Connecticut.
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Appendix A:Research Methodology
Demographics of Respondents
This study surveyed populations intimate with sales management. The majority was insales management or were vice presidents in areas other than sales. The breakdown bypositions is shown in Figure 5.
Figure 5. Titles or Positions of Respondents
14%
11%
34%
35%
3%3%
CEO,CFO, COO
EVP
Non-sales Sr.Mgnt
Sales Mgnt
Sales Ops
Comp Admin
Source: AberdeenGroup, January 2005.
Respondents company sizes ranged from small (1-50 employees) to over 5,000 employ-ees. The majority of the surveyed population was from companies with fewer than 1,000
total employees. The distribution is shown in Figure 6.
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Figure 6. Respondent Breakdown by Company Size (Employee Count)
31%
11%12%
13%
11%
3%
3%
0%
3%
13% 1 to 5051-100
101-200
201-500
501-1000
1001-2000
2001-3000
3001-4000
4001-5000
5000+
Source: AberdeenGroup, December 2004
By annual revenue for fiscal year 2003, the majority of companies were less than $50million, with the next greatest range up to $249 million (Figure 7).
Figure 7: Respondent Breakdown by Annual Revenue (2003)
56%
18%
5%8%
5%8%
Less than $50M
$51-$249M
$250-$499M
$500-$999M
$1-5B
Over $5B
Source: AberdeenGroup, December 2004
Of greater interest in a study of sales performance management, however, is how manyof the employees were payees on plans those employees that are paid through variablecompensation or commission programs. Fifty-three percent of the responding companieshad between one and 50 payees on plans; 18% had 51-100 payees on plans; and 16% had251-500 payees on plans. The remainder ranged from 100 to over 10,000 payees on vari-able compensation plans (Figure 8).
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Figure 8: Payees on Plans in Responding Companies
52%
18%
3%
16%
0%3%
5% 0%3%1 to 50
51-100101-250
251-500
501-1,000
1,001-2,500
2,501-5,000
5,001-10,000
10,000+
52%
18%
3%
16%
0%3%
5% 0%3%1 to 50
51-100101-250
251-500
501-1,000
1,001-2,500
2,501-5,000
5,001-10,000
10,000+
Source: AberdeenGroup, December 2004
Industry Representation
Forty-one percent of the companies responding were high technology or software com-panies; 24% were finance, banking, or accounting. Other industry areas represented in-clude computer equipment and peripherals; consumer durable goods; consumer electron-ics; education; healthcare, including medical and dental services; industrial equipmentmanufacturing; insurance, real estate or legal services; retail/wholesale; or telecommuni-cations equipment.
Geographies Represented
Eighty-two percent of respondents were from the United States. Other companies repre-
sented included Argentina, Canada, Germany, India, the Netherlands, South Africa, andthe United Kingdom.
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Appendix B:Related Aberdeen Research & Tools
Related Aberdeen research that forms a companion or reference to this report includes:
Enterprise Incentive Compensation 2003: Buyers Guide for Variable and TotalCompensation (December 2003)
Enterprise Incentive Management: Variable Compensation 2002 (April 2002)
Compensation Management in the Internet Age. (November 2000)
From Bricks to Clicks: The Effect of the Web on Sales Compensation Management,(July 2000)
Information on these and any other Aberdeen publications can be found atwww.aberdeen.com
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AboutAberdeen Group
Our Mission
To be the trusted advisor and business value research destination of choice for the GlobalBusiness Executive.
Our Approach
Aberdeen delivers unbiased, primary research that helps enterprises derive tangible busi-
ness value from technology-enabled solutions. Through continuous benchmarking andanalysis of value chain practices, Aberdeen offers a unique mix of research, tools, andservices to help Global Business Executives accomplish the following:
IMPROVE the financial and competitive position of their business now
PRIORITIZE operational improvement areas to drive immediate, tangible valueto their business
LEVERAGE information technology for tangible business value.
Aberdeen also offers selected solution providers fact-based tools and services to em-power and equip them to accomplish the following:
CREATE DEMAND, by reaching the right level of executives in companies
where their solutions can deliver differentiated results
ACCELERATE SALES, by accessing executive decision-makers who need a so-lution and arming the sales team with fact-based differentiation around businessimpact
EXPAND CUSTOMERS, by fortifying their value proposition with independentfact-based research and demonstrating installed base proof points
Our History of Integrity
Aberdeen was founded in 1988 to conduct fact-based, unbiased research that deliverstangible value to executives trying to advance their businesses with technology-enabledsolutions.
Aberdeen's integrity has always been and always will be beyond reproach. We provideindependent research and analysis of the dynamics underlying specific technology-enabled business strategies, market trends, and technology solutions. While some reportsor portions of reports may be underwritten by corporate sponsors, Aberdeen's researchfindings are never influenced by any of these sponsors.
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Aberdeen Group, Inc.
This research study is the result of research performed by Aberdeen Group.
Founded in 1988, Aberdeen Group is the trusted advisor to the Global 5000 for value chain strate-
gies and technology advice. Through its continued benchmarking and analysis of value chain prac-
tices, Aberdeen offers a unique mix of research, tools, and services to help G5000 executives assess
their value chain performance, develop improvement strategies, and select value chain solution
partners.
Aberdeen delivers unbiased primary research that helps enterprises derive tangible business value
from technology-enabled solutions. Through continuous benchmarking and analysis of value chain
practices, Aberdeen offers a unique mix of research, tools, and services to help G5000 executives
accomplish the following:
IMPROVEthe financial and competitive position of their business now
PRIORITIZEoperational improvement areas to drive immediate, tangible value to
their business
LEVERAGEinformation technology for tangible business value.
Aberdeen also offers selected solution providers fact-based tools and services to empower and
equip them to accomplish the following: CREATE DEMAND, by reaching the right level of executives in companies where their solu-
tions can deliver differentiated results
ACCELERATE SALES, by accessing executive decision-makers who need a solution and
arming the sales team with fact-based differentiation around business impact
EXPAND CUSTOMERS, by fortifying their value proposition with independent fact-based
research and demonstrating installed base proof points
Aberdeen was founded in 1988 to conduct fact-based, unbiased research that delivers tangible
value to executives trying to advance their businesses with technology-enabled solutions.
Aberdeen's integrity has always been and always will be beyond reproach. We provide independent
research and analysis of the dynamics underlying specific technology-enabled business strategies,market trends, and technology solutions. Although some reports or portions of reports may be un-
derwritten by corporate sponsors, Aberdeen's research findings are never influenced by any of
these sponsors.
To provide us with your feedback on this research, please go to
www.aberdeen.com/feedback.
The information contained in this publication has been obtained from sources Aberdeen believes to be reliable, but is notguaranteed by Aberdeen. Aberdeen publications reflect the analysts judgment at the time and are subject to changewithout notice.
The trademarks and registered trademarks of the corporations mentioned in this publication are the property of their re-spective holders.
Warning: This publication is protected by United States copyright law and international treaties. Unless otherwise noted,the entire contents of this publication are copyrighted by Aberdeen Group, Inc. and may not be reproduced, stored in aretrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means without prior written consent. Unauthorized reproduction ordistribution of this publication, or any portion of it, may result in severe civil and criminal penalties, and will be prosecutedto the maximum extent necessary to protect the rights of the publisher.
2005 Aberdeen Group, Inc., Boston, Massachusetts
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