RE: Sales/Marketing Driving Documentation Approach

["Grant, Christopher" <CGrant -at- glhec -dot- org>]

Hi Karen,

> I have a feeling that what I am about to experience is not 
> unique. Do any of you work in organizations where sales and marketing
needs 
> drive the way in which document your products?

They do not _drive_ the way in which we do documentation, but where I work
it _is_ a contributing factor.

> viewed/managed/used in the GUI on a pc. Now, the floor 
> operators usually don't have any access to a PC. They are also constantly 
> moving around the warehouse, so it is unlikely that they would carry
around a 
> manual with them.

But if they don't have access to a PC, how is an online help system going to
be any better than carrying around a manual?  Instead of lugging a paper
manual around, they'd need to lug a whole computer around with them.  Maybe
I'm misunderstanding your situation, but from your description it almost
sounds like something easily portable like a printed manual would be better?

Regardless:

> is at. However, on several occasions I've been approached by 
> some of our sales reps asking for documentation they can show in meetings
with
> prospects. 

Right.  This is exactly the same type of request we get from our marketers.

> RF documentation. Obviously, they can't show RF help in a 
> sales meeting - they probably won't even have an operating RF unit in the 
> meeting.

Why _can't_ they show the RF help in a sales meeting?  Do the sales reps
carry laptops?  If they don't carry computer equipment of any kind I can
understand why they can't show the help.  But don't let the sales reps tell
you that a printed document is the _only_ thing that can be "shown."

> And the primary purpose of showing the documentation is really to 
> show off some of the system features (not to show off the documentation),
complete with
> screen shots.

And THIS is the most important piece of the puzzle.  The sales reps do NOT
need a User Manual (or help system) to show off at marketing meetings, they
need a "List of Features".  Totally different publications.    This is
exactly the situation we have at my work, and our solution is to produce
these two different publications:

- One is the printed "List of Features" (or named otherwise), a laminated,
full-color, two-sided deal that can be physically distributed, and lists the
major features of our application complete with screenshots and the type of
information that would sell the product (i.e.... "features" :).

- The other is either a printed manual or an online help system.  The
purpose of this thing is obviously to document the product, and NOT to sell
the product. 

> point. But how do I convince the PHB that we should put the needs of our
current 
> users over those of our sales force?

You don't.  Satisfy both sides.  The amount of time required to produce the
"List of Features" should be a drop in the bucket compared to the total time
to create the user manual or help system. 

Hope this helps.

-Chris Grant


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