Vendors should recognize some professional standards.

I have received fine service from many midrange software firms. Vendors, in most cases, have been very helpful in all aspects of the purchase, installation and technical support for the software we've acquired for our system.

My complaint lies not with the professional software developers and marketers, but with the plethora of amateurs who now seem to have "found a home on the midrange."

As an industry service, I have compiled a list of five basic guidelines that vendors should adopt. Not only will these suggestions greatly benefit the IBM midrange user community, I believe they will also improve vendor sales and profits. Listen up, guys!

1. Print a brochure which clearly states the features and functions of your product. If you are not a writer, by all means get professional help. I can't begin to tell you how many times I have requested more information from a vendor, only to receive embarrassingly amateurish product literature which fell far short of delivering basic information. I want to spend my money with a company that can at least describe its product and the benefits of ownership.

2. Clean up your documentation. Some companies provide very good product information but fall flat on their wallets when it comes to documenting their software packages. Poorly written manuals riddled with technical errors, misspelled words and fuzzy installation instructions seem to be the rule rather than the exception. Again, if you're smart enough to develop a dynamite product, be smart enough to hire a competent writer to make certain your manual makes sense.

3. Answer your phone! Recently, I called a small vendor on eight consecutive days without a return call! His recorded phone message assured me that he "checked for messages regularly" and that "my call was very important to him." My check for $1,895 (the cost of his package) must not have been very important to him, so I decided not to order his product.

4. Bill me! I can't believe that some clown in Kansas is demanding a cashier's check from me with my order! This, mind you, is before I've had a chance to install and evaluate his software. Why would anyone expect advance payment with a cashier's check? Is my satisfaction not guaranteed? If it is, why must I send certified funds to a post office box in Wichita? Since software can easily be encoded with an expiration date to prevent stiffing the vendor, I advise all users to flatly refuse to do business with anyone who will not grant them 30 days credit.

5. Finally, advertise your product. Get publicity for your product. Virtually every MIS manager I know reads the trades. I don't want to spend my time trying to find a particular software developer with the right product for my needs. I'm tired of asking questions on the BBS or phoning up my fellow user group members. Why are you making it hard for me to find you? Spend a few dollars for modest magazine and directory advertising or, at the very least, get some free product publicity in the trade magazines. Hey guys, you're supposed to be trying to find me, sell me and keep me happy-not vice versa. Start doing your job.