Sterling-Hoffman Executive Search

Software People's Verdict

Every month, The Sterling Report poses a special question to the Software Industry.

With the recent recession, are more software vendors switching to an open source model?

What function does the smartest person you've ever worked with come from?

Will the next set of leading software vendors come from the U.S. or overseas?

What will be the trajectory of the open source market in 2010?

How will software M&A shape up during the last quarter of 2009?

Are IPOs slowly making a comeback?

Are SaaS vendors better positioned than other software companies to survive the recession?

IBM’s Sam Palmisano and SAP AG’s Leo Apotheker are the two best known examples of sales professionals becoming CEOs. Does hiring sales professionals for CEO positions help companies sell faster in a slow market?

A government stimulus package to SaaS companies will help the software industry grow and boost the economy.

Obama's stimulus package holds the promise of laying a lasting foundation for more business innovation and efficiency in the software industry.

Will the current economic slowdown threaten innovation in the Software industry?

Does a software company need to insulate itself from the slowdown in the US economy by concentrating on overseas markets?

The economic slowdown in the US will increase outsourcing to countries like India and China.

The 80/20 rule applies to much in business. Does 80 percent of your sales come from 20 percent of your sales force?

Will software sales in the US be affected due to the sluggish economy?

Is it tough to find leadership talent required to sustain offshore operations in India and China?

Does consolidation breed software product mediocrity?

Is overfunding of startups creating a new tech "bubble"?

Is the pace of software M&A increasing again?

How will SAP's acquisition of Business Objects impact its M&A strategy?

Will the looming recession have a negative impact on the enterprise software market?

How critical is M&A to software vendor growth today?

How many years does it take to build a profitable SaaS company?

What is the most effective growth strategy for software vendors today?

Do you think antivirus software developers create viruses in order to increase the use of their products?

Which company will have the most impact on shaping the enterprise software industry through 2017?

What phase of the product lifecycle will the enterprise software industry be in by the year 2017?

Do outsourcing firms help boost enterprise software business?

Will consoles like XBOX or PS2 ever replace the personal computer in the home?

Which softwares vendor do you trust the most when it comes to quality?

Has the Software AG acquisition of webMethods made it...

Has industry consolidation made it harder for senior software executives to find high paying jobs?

Is your CEO the smartest person in the company?

Do large companies like IBM, Microsoft and Oracle produce the best sales people?

Will the enterprise market spend significant IT budget on Windows Vista in 2007?

How did your software company (or software portfolio companies) perform overall in 2006?

Have you ever worked in an 'entitlement culture'?

Which group adds more value to an early stage software company?

Do you believe you would be happier starting your own company than building a 'corporate career'?

Will the layoffs at CA (formerly Computer Associates) help or hurt the company in the next 2 years?

Will Sales Forces grow in Q3/Q4?

Will Bill Gates' departure from Microsoft hurt the company over the next 5 years?

Is industry consolidation good for software buyers?

Which vertical will be the hottest for enterprise software in 2006?

Should CIOs trust what analysts like Gartner or IDC say about software companies and the quality of their products?

Generally, are Sales Executives overpaid or underpaid for the value they bring to software companies?

What will be the most lucrative, fastest growing vertical for software vendors in 2006?

How did your software company (or software portfolio companies) perform overall in 2005?

Which legendary software entrepreneur would you most prefer to spend 1 year reporting to?

Which would be a better overseas R&D location?

Has the Oracle acquisition of rival Siebel made it...

To save jobs in the US, should software CEOs refuse to outsource jobs to India or China?

Which would you prefer to join: an early stage high risk company that offered lots of equity, or a large company that offered job security but very little upside?

Would you rather be CEO of a software company that had:

Which is the most important trait in a VP of Sales at a small software company?

When accepting money from a venture capitalist, what kind of background would you most prefer in the Partner who joins your board?

Are Sales Executives who have previous experience at large software companies (eg. Oracle, SAP, BEA, Siebel) better at selling than Sales Executives who have spent their entire careers at startups?

Where do the best Infrastructure Software Sales People come from?

The Oracle acquisition of PeopleSoft has made it...

If your company had plans to give away 2% of its revenue, which of the following options would you prefer?

Which of the following companies produce the best application software sales people?

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