In the mobile world, it’s not uncommon to see specialists move from one manufacturer or carrier to another, but it seems like Apple is making a concerted effort to nab enterprise sales staff from BlackBerry-maker Research In Motion. Digging around on LinkedIn has revealed that at least five employees in corporate sales have left RIM for Apple in the last 18 months. The old positions of the defectors include a head of strategic sales for five years, a senior global sales manager, a strategic account manager, and a global account manager.
I’m tempted to think that’s a relatively small section of RIM’s total enterprise sales force, and part of the standard ebb and flow of human resources, but there’s no doubt that Apple wants a piece of the enterprise pie. iPad trials in enterprise are ongoing, and a few brave ones have gone so far as a proper roll-out at the suggestion of some big players. The BlackBerry PlayBook will give those enterprise buyers an reliable alternative, but if RIM lacks experienced sales staff, they may be hard to move. Of course, RIM’s home is selling BlackBerry smartphones to businesses, but at least one analyst has gone so far as to say the iPhone is better-suited for a business environment.
Sales in particular will be a tricky transition for these five – does the staff get to bring their leads and contacts with them? How would RIM even check if they’re being used in a remotely shady way?
[via AppleInsider]