Talking to marketing people about Python

[Steve Holden]

Roy Smith wrote:
> I'm working on a product which for a long time has had a Perl binding for 
> our remote access API.  A while ago, I wrote a Python binding on my own, 
> chatted it up a bit internally, and recently had a (large) customer enquire 
> about getting access to it.
> 
> I asked for permission to distribute the Python binding, and after a few 
> weeks of winding its way through the corporate bureaucracy I got an email 
> from a product manager who wants to meet with me to "understand the market 
> demand for Python API before we commercialize it".
> 
> Can anybody suggest some good material I can give to him which will help 
> explain what Python is and why it's a good thing, in a way that a 
> marketing/product management person will understand?

No, but if you gave him a piece of paper with "please turn over" written 
on both sides you could perhaps keep him otherwise occupied to the 
company's benefit.

Seriously (and I suppose as a PSF director I should be serious from time 
to time), you could point out that it will increase the availability of 
your base product. Point out that there are Python APIs for many 
services (Amazon S3, del.icio.us, digg to name just a few) and that 
these bring the services within the scope of many more people.

Lastly, remind him that the customer is always right, and the large 
customer usually even more right. You already have evidence of demand 
from the customer base: aren't large customers a part of your market? 
Show him the enquiry!

regards
  Steve
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