Harper Thorpe

Harper Thorpe’s oral history offers a fascinating glimpse into the evolution of HP’s sales and marketing strategies, particularly its embrace of independent software vendors (ISVs) and value-added resellers (VARs). Thorpe’s personal journey from systems engineer to sales leader highlights his problem-solving skills and adaptability, traits that proved crucial in navigating HP’s transition from a hardware-focused company to one offering complete business solutions.

Thorpe’s pioneering work in building and managing HP’s third-party channels directly addressed the company’s limited sales capacity and paved the way for significant revenue growth. He championed the importance of cultivating strong relationships with ISVs and VARs, emphasizing the need for consistency, trust, and mutual benefit. His efforts not only transformed HP’s approach but also established a model for other companies in the industry.

This interview holds significant importance in tech history for several reasons:

• It documents the challenges and successes of a major company transitioning from a direct sales model to an indirect channel model. This shift was crucial for HP’s growth and is relevant to many companies navigating similar transitions.
• It highlights the critical role of ISVs and VARs in the tech ecosystem. Thorpe’s insights into building and managing these relationships offer valuable lessons for companies seeking to leverage third-party channels.
• It provides a firsthand account of the HP Way and its impact on the company’s culture and decision-making. This offers valuable insight into HP’s historical success and its enduring legacy.

Thorpe’s story is an inspiring example of leadership, innovation, and perseverance. He not only identified a critical need for change but also spearheaded its implementation, overcoming internal resistance and external skepticism. His dedication and strategic thinking helped HP achieve remarkable success and left a lasting impact on the tech industry.

On HP’s Culture:

• “The HP way was so strong that it wasn’t like we were indoctrinated as much as we were led, and had role models to look to at the highest levels of the company.”
• “Taking care of the legacy of Bill [Hewlett] and Dave [ Packard], as we used to say, (at least I personally felt that) was important.”

On HP’s Approach to the Market:

• “HP had always been and still was a hardware company.”
• “We were very much alone, at least from my perspective and maybe it was just that I thought nobody had anything that measured up and I went into the marketplace self-confident that I had the best that there was to offer.”
• “The job was to use the marketing air cover, and then to do the sheer work of getting out there in your geography and understanding what customers might be part of your available market.”

On Selling the HP 3000:

• “I often likened [sales] to being an umpire where if you call a perfect game, that’s what’s expected, but don’t ever expect credit.”
• “The common thread in both [technical and business problems] is solving a problem.”
• “We can now bring to you an affordable solution that fits the size company that you are, and a solution that can scale as you become a bigger company.”

On Working with ISVs:

• “My approach was actually to figure out what solutions I had first.”
• “We were delivering more leads to them than they were delivering to us, I would say almost for sure.”
• “The good software providers who were developing solutions for customers were probably consumed by one or two customers at any point in time.”

On Building a Third Party District:

• “That district, that had not made quota for a couple of years, made quota that year. And the following year, I think we made 150 percent of quota.”
• “We were essentially assigned to build a portfolio of partners that were going to help the rest of the districts be successful in selling solutions and solving business or technical problems.”

On Resellers and Distributors:

• “The only way we’re going to develop that capacity is to develop a robust reseller and, ultimately, distributor capability.”
• “IDC said it’s a high risk, low return foray for HP to imagine they’re going to develop value-added resellers who can deliver complex business systems to the marketplace.”
• “We put distributors in place and our resellers and cultivated that.”

On TAMO (“Then A Miracle Occurs”):

• “I was responsible, I used to say, ‘I’m responsible for the miracle.’”
• “We began to bring the programs to them, and the consistency of execution that allowed them to believe if they made investments alongside their good partner HP that those investments would yield results.”

On Communicating with Corporate Management:

• “There was a disconnect between the way that you developed capacity, both direct and indirect, to get product to market and the traditional way of doing business.”
• “This reselling thing was not only the cultivation of a capable set of resellers who could compete on our behalf…but now back at the factory we had to change a lot of people’s expectations as to what we needed to do to properly support such a channel.”

On HP’s Legacy:

• “I don’t know how many people would say, ‘Those were the best of times, Harper led that charge,’ and associate me with those successes.”
• “The HP experience helped in both tangible and intangible ways. First of all, the HP way was ingrained in me, so people who did business with me…enjoyed the interaction.”