白领商务英语－经典案例1：Gateway 2000

    1. Foundations and challenges of business

Facing Business Challenges at Gateway¹ 2000

From Farm Boy to Billionaire

Computers. The odds² are slim you will survive, much less thrive, in this industry. You have to guess what customers will want more than a year in advance, even though technology is changing at an incredibly fast pace. It's hardly a business for cowboys-unless you're Ted³ Waitt.

Son of a fourth-generation cattle broker⁴ , Waitt (currently 34 and worth an estimated $1.7 billion) rides herd⁵ over Gateway 2000 . They tell stories about Waitt, and not just in Sioux City, South Dakota -Gateway's homeland. They talk about how he built a fortune by trusting his instincts and making gutsy calls that led the industry. How he borrowed $10,000 from his grandmother to start a mail-order computer business , and how he turned a two-man, farmhouse⁶ operation into a global giant-in only ten years. And they talk about the pony-tailed farm boy clad in deck shoes and a polo shirt who knew that someday he was going to run his own company.

It all began while Waitt was working for a local computer store; he was amazed by how easy it was to sell computer equipment to acknowledgeable computer users over the phone. So in 1985 Waitt (the marketer ) teamed up with his buddy⁷ Mike Hammond (the technical whiz), and the two started a small mail-order computer business of their own. Waitt and Hammond worked long hours-from their upstairs office in Waitt's family farmhouse.

Their big break came in 1987, when Texas Instruments (TI) decided⁸ to stop manufacturing its own computers and instead sell only industry-standard IBM-compatible personal computers (PCs). Of course, owners of TI computers could trade in their equipment for newer IBM-compatible computers, but first they would have to cough up $3,500. Waitt and Hammond knew they could provide the same computer equipment TI was offering-and at a much cheaper price ($1,955). They did this by finding the best deals on cutting-edge computer components⁹, and assembling the components to build top quality custom PCs . Because all sales were made-to-order and transacted¹⁰ over the phone , Gateway could afford to give customers more computer for their money-a strategy from which the company has never veered¹¹ .

Within three short years, the company was shipping¹² 225 PCs a day (each one in a black-and-white cow-spotted box), and sales reached $70 million. By 1993 sales topped $1.7 billion, and the company sold its stock to the investing public. In spite of Gateway's speedy trip to the top, the company was at a treacherous¹³ intersection¹⁴ . Gateway was run essentially¹⁵ by one guy-Ted Waitt-who relied on his instincts. And the company was getting too big to depend on only one man's judgment¹⁶. In order to survive in this competitive industry, Gateway would have to find ways to expand its customer base and manage the company's growth.

If you were Ted Waitt, what steps would you take to beef up business ? Would you compete on price, speed, quality, or innovation? Would you consider other sales approaches besides telephone selling?

Meeting Business Challenges at Gateway 2000

Relying on his instincts, Ted Waitt made a number of critical calls that put Gateway in the lead. Of course, Waitt was no longer a one-man show. Beginning in 1991, he brought in experienced executives (from top companies like Digital Equipment, Texas Instruments, and IBM) to help manage the company's growth. Together they brought Gateway to new heights while sticking with its efficient, bare-bones assembly operation-no showroom, little inventory¹⁷, and no retail¹⁸ outlets¹⁹. In fact, Gateway's simple direct-sales operation allows the company to compete on speed, quality, and price.

Speed and quality in manufacturing give Gateway the biggest advantage. Not only can speed and quality win customers, but they win the right kind of customers-those who are willing to pay a bit more for computer equipment. Gateway moves like lightning: It gets new computers out the door in a hurry. They include all the latest technology-like top-quality color monitors, the latest operating system and software, and the most powerful computer chip.

Of course, buying a computer over the telephone and not seeing the equipment until the truck delivers the cow-spotted boxes to your doorstep is not for everyone. Gateway attracts computer-savvy buyers who need a lot less hand-holding and are comfortable purchasing from a catalog or an advertisement. Here's how it works: The customer calls in and, over the phone (or Internet), designs a custom-configured computer system using cutting-edge technology. In about five days, the custom system is built and shipped. Because there is no inventory to speak of (computers are made-to-order), as technology gets cheaper, Gateway can compete on price by changing prices daily and passing the savings²⁰ on to customers.

Relying on word of mouth and a strong advertising²¹ campaign (about $90 million a year), Gateway rode a wave of success fueled by computer buyers hunting for good equipment at bargain prices. Gateway's success, however, did not come without its share of growing pains. Gateway's first portable laptop computer was a disaster. Failing to recognize that customers had to see and touch the product to appreciate its smaller size and capabilities²², Gateway ran into a wall because the company's computers were not sold in retail stores where customers could experience the product's features. This lesson would not be forgotten. Other mishaps²³ included sending out machines that did not work and busy phone lines that kept customers waiting-sometimes for hours. Fortunately, Waitt corrected these problems early on by instituting various quality-control measures to increase customer satisfaction. And his efforts paid off. By 1996 Gateway was shipping 5,000 to 6,000 computers daily and sales skyrocketed to roughly $5 billion.

That same year Gateway launched a product that was way ahead of its time. Called Destination, it was a combo PC and 31-inch television set with a wireless²⁴ keyboard, a mouse, and a home-theater sound system. Learning from past mistakes, Waitt knew he would have to get the product in front of consumers so that they could see its features. This time Gateway cut deals with retail stores. None had ever carried Gateway's stuff before.

But Waitt's biggest challenge has been trying to crack the corporate²⁵ market. Whereas Gateway sold most of its computers to individual users and small businesses, rival Dell set its sights on the lucrative²⁶ Fortune 1000 corporate accounts and made some expensive investments-like $22 million in research and development (Gateway spent practically zip). Despite doubling its sales force, Gateway discovered that selling computers to corporate customers was not an easy task. First of all, competitors like IBM and Hewlett-Packard (HP) have large, well-trained sales and service staffs who have been doing business with big companies for years. Furthermore, IBM and HP products can be purchased at traditional retail stores.

Still, relying on a cost-efficient, bare-bones, direct-sale operation is Gateway's stronghold in this cutthroat industry. The company has no plans to alter its fundamental selling strategy. "If you come see us in the next century, we'll be bigger, better, and smarter, but fundamentally we'll be the same," notes Waitt. That is, Gateway will stick to what it does best: churning out huge volumes of PCs that are equipped with the latest technology at affordable-but not rock bottom-prices and selling them to customers over the phone.

1 gateway   

n.大门口，出入口，途径，方法

参考例句：

• Hard work is the gateway to success.努力工作是通往成功之路。
• A man collected tolls at the gateway.一个人在大门口收通行费。

2 odds   

n.让步，机率，可能性，比率；胜败优劣之别

参考例句：

• The odds are 5 to 1 that she will win.她获胜的机会是五比一。
• Do you know the odds of winning the lottery once?你知道赢得一次彩票的几率多大吗？

3 ted   

vt.翻晒，撒，撒开

参考例句：

• The invaders gut ted the village.侵略者把村中财物洗劫一空。
• She often teds the corn when it's sunny.天好的时候她就翻晒玉米。

4 broker   

n.中间人，经纪人；v.作为中间人来安排

参考例句：

• He baited the broker by promises of higher commissions.他答应给更高的佣金来引诱那位经纪人。
• I'm a real estate broker.我是不动产经纪人。

5 herd   

n.兽群，牧群；vt.使集中，把…赶在一起

参考例句：

• She drove the herd of cattle through the wilderness.她赶着牛群穿过荒野。
• He had no opinions of his own but simply follow the herd.他从无主见，只是人云亦云。

6 farmhouse   

n.农场住宅（尤指主要住房）

参考例句：

• We fell for the farmhouse as soon as we saw it.我们对那所农舍一见倾心。
• We put up for the night at a farmhouse.我们在一间农舍投宿了一夜。

7 buddy   

n.（美口）密友，伙伴

参考例句：

• Calm down,buddy.What's the trouble?压压气，老兄。有什么麻烦吗？
• Get out of my way,buddy!别挡道了，你这家伙！

8 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

9 components   

（机器、设备等的）构成要素，零件，成分； 成分( component的名词复数 )； [物理化学]组分； [数学]分量； （混合物的）组成部分

参考例句：

• the components of a machine 机器部件
• Our chemistry teacher often reduces a compound to its components in lab. 在实验室中化学老师常把化合物分解为各种成分。

10 transacted   

v.办理（业务等）( transact的过去式和过去分词 )；交易，谈判

参考例句：

• We transacted business with the firm. 我们和这家公司交易。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Major Pendennis transacted his benevolence by deputy and by post. 潘登尼斯少校依靠代理人和邮局，实施着他的仁爱之心。 来自辞典例句

11 veered   

v.（尤指交通工具）改变方向或路线( veer的过去式和过去分词 )；（指谈话内容、人的行为或观点）突然改变；（指风） （在北半球按顺时针方向、在南半球按逆时针方向）逐渐转向；风向顺时针转

参考例句：

• The bus veered onto the wrong side of the road. 公共汽车突然驶入了逆行道。
• The truck veered off the road and crashed into a tree. 卡车突然驶离公路撞上了一棵树。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 shipping   

n.船运（发货，运输，乘船）

参考例句：

• We struck a bargain with an American shipping firm.我们和一家美国船运公司谈成了一笔生意。
• There's a shipping charge of ￡5 added to the price.价格之外另加五英镑运输费。

13 treacherous   

adj.不可靠的，有暗藏的危险的；adj.背叛的，背信弃义的

参考例句：

• The surface water made the road treacherous for drivers.路面的积水对驾车者构成危险。
• The frozen snow was treacherous to walk on.在冻雪上行走有潜在危险。

14 intersection   

n.交集，十字路口，交叉点；[计算机] 交集

参考例句：

• There is a stop sign at an intersection.在交叉路口处有停车标志。
• Bridges are used to avoid the intersection of a railway and a highway.桥用来避免铁路和公路直接交叉。

15 essentially   

adv.本质上，实质上，基本上

参考例句：

• Really great men are essentially modest.真正的伟人大都很谦虚。
• She is an essentially selfish person.她本质上是个自私自利的人。

16 judgment   

n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见

参考例句：

• The chairman flatters himself on his judgment of people.主席自认为他审视人比别人高明。
• He's a man of excellent judgment.他眼力过人。

17 inventory   

n.详细目录，存货清单

参考例句：

• Some stores inventory their stock once a week.有些商店每周清点存货一次。
• We will need to call on our supplier to get more inventory.我们必须请供应商送来更多存货。

18 retail   

v./n.零售；adv.以零售价格

参考例句：

• In this shop they retail tobacco and sweets.这家铺子零售香烟和糖果。
• These shoes retail at 10 yuan a pair.这些鞋子零卖10元一双。

19 outlets   

n.出口( outlet的名词复数 )；经销店；插座；廉价经销店

参考例句：

• The dumping of foreign cotton blocked outlets for locally grown cotton. 外国棉花的倾销阻滞了当地生产的棉花的销路。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• They must find outlets for their products. 他们必须为自己的产品寻找出路。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

20 savings   

n.存款，储蓄

参考例句：

• I can't afford the vacation,for it would eat up my savings.我度不起假，那样会把我的积蓄用光的。
• By this time he had used up all his savings.到这时，他的存款已全部用完。

21 advertising   

n.广告业；广告活动 a.广告的；广告业务的

参考例句：

• Can you give me any advice on getting into advertising? 你能指点我如何涉足广告业吗?
• The advertising campaign is aimed primarily at young people. 这个广告宣传运动主要是针对年轻人的。

22 capabilities   

n.能力( capability的名词复数 )；可能；容量；[复数]潜在能力

参考例句：

• He was somewhat pompous and had a high opinion of his own capabilities. 他有点自大，自视甚高。 来自辞典例句
• Some programmers use tabs to break complex product capabilities into smaller chunks. 一些程序员认为，标签可以将复杂的功能分为每个窗格一组简单的功能。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

23 mishaps   

n.轻微的事故，小的意外( mishap的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a series of mishaps 一连串的倒霉事
• In spite of one or two minor mishaps everything was going swimmingly. 尽管遇到了一两件小小的不幸，一切都进行得很顺利。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

24 wireless   

adj.无线的；n.无线电

参考例句：

• There are a lot of wireless links in a radio.收音机里有许多无线电线路。
• Wireless messages tell us that the ship was sinking.无线电报告知我们那艘船正在下沉。

25 corporate   

adj.共同的，全体的；公司的，企业的

参考例句：

• This is our corporate responsibility.这是我们共同的责任。
• His corporate's life will be as short as a rabbit's tail.他的公司的寿命是兔子尾巴长不了。

26 lucrative   

adj.赚钱的，可获利的

参考例句：

• He decided to turn his hobby into a lucrative sideline.他决定把自己的爱好变成赚钱的副业。
• It was not a lucrative profession.那是一个没有多少油水的职业。