Michael Dell Customer Quotations

We believe we're doing so to a much greater degree than anyone else in our industry, and it is already a compelling difference in winning and retaining customers of all types.

What we are trying to do is appeal to customers with technological experience.

We're winning new customers at a rapid rate and successfully managing our operating expenses, ... Those strengths in the midst of a trying period give us great confidence for the long term.

Last year we dramatically extended the capabilities of the Dell direct business model through opportunities with the Internet, ... Our online customer mix moved from a predominantly consumer-oriented base to a far broader base including business and government customers.

As we come to the end of the calendar year, industry conditions remain healthy, ... Processor and operating system transitions and component cost declines continue to position our industry for strong customer demand.

It's customers that made Dell great in the first place, and if we're smart enough and quick enough to listen to customer needs, we'll succeed,

Our business continued to grow profitably in all customer segments and regions around the world,

The key to our performance in the fourth quarter was focus. By remaining focused, we have helped our customers benefit from the superior performance, service and value that our unique direct model delivers.

Customers are voting with their dollars and their feet today,

The old industry approach was proprietary technology and vertical service solutions, ... Customers now universally reject these notions.

The best part was the wisdom of the restaurant owner, which I could capture if I came to work a little early. He took great pride in his work and cared about every customer who came through his door.

This is a huge and very important leap forward in terms of what customers want from their PCs and the related products that go around them,

Based on what customers are telling us, we expect sequential industry growth to follow historical trends, Y2K notwithstanding,

Our business is about technology, yes. But it's also about operations and customer relationships.

We're increasingly applying the Internet to our entire business, from component design to end-user support, in the process making it easier to do business with Dell, enhancing relationships with customers and suppliers and reducing costs for all of us,

A lot of the larger customers are looking at the end of February before major rollouts start taking place. We don't know exactly at what rate the turn-on is going to go, but it looks like February is not going to be tremendously strong for the industry.

Our second-quarter results and expectations for strong industry demand in the second half of the year keep us on track toward our goal of 30 percent full-year sales growth. There remains tremendous room for expansion in all product categories, customer groups and regional markets, and the fundamental advantages of our direct model are more compelling than ever.

Our strong results continue to differentiate us from our competitors, several of which are attempting to imitate aspects of Dell's unique direct business model. We believe that our customers around the world recognize the Dell difference and increasingly appreciate the benefits, stability and strength of our direct model,