Trick or Treat

Little ghouls and goblins will be out this weekend, so beware. There are some religious groups that wanted the holiday to be celebrated on Saturday instead of its actual holiday Sunday. Now let me get this right, religious groups want a holiday that is wrapped in witches, ghouls and demons to be moved so their kids can go out and grab some candy from the neighbors, priceless. I truly enjoy the little ones dressed up in costumes, not so much the teenagers. But, let's face it, the only winners on Halloween are the dentists!

Election Season

There is a another serious mood for change in American politics as we near November 2nd. It feels like 2 years ago, only in reverse. No doubt, many incumbents will be unseated as the dissatisfaction for the current economic struggles hammer mainstream America. Change is good and often necessary to flush the system of "business as usual". Let me add this thought to the process, just make sure the change you seek is in the candidate you vote for. The stream of dirty unsubstantiated campaign ads makes it very hard to know what the truth is. All sides are guilty, so I am not taking sides. If you want change that sticks, then look under the covers, check the voting record of candidate and take a hard look at what they said before they got steered into positions by their party controlled campaign manager. My real concern is that when you look under those covers, you may find that the choices you have are very limited.

Sales Process

How often do you sit down and review your sales process, I mean seriously? You probably review deals in the process, but not the process itself. My personal recommendation is that as a sales manager, you should shut the doors and take a hard look at this every 3 months. One of the first critical steps is to see if your sales process and marketing messaging are aligned. Both of these processes evolve but are oftened not in sync. Are the reports from your CRM system telling you enough about how you want to view your sales process? You probably focus on how long deals are in specific stages, but do you track it back to how and where you got the lead? Different types of leads (ie Cold Calls vs. Marketing Events) will have different incubation periods in the sales process. Finally, is the process your most successful reps using the same as the process your underachievers are using? The best reps innovate and extend the sales process, take the hint and integrate the best practices into the norm. Oh, by the way, you need to really do a good job of communcating the changes made to your sales team; this seems trivial, but believe me it is often the most skipped step in the process.

Those are just a couple of ideas, let us know if you need some more.

2 Billion and growing

There are some staggering statistics on the adoption of the internet, especially in developing countries
http://www.cio-today.com/story.xhtml?story_id=12200F0VUPM2

This may not be new news, but the growth curve is amazing. If I was to look into a crystal ball, I believe the biggest issue in the future will be security, both personal and cyber. I also predict that some great application will evolve in personal communication world. And it is going to be very hard to play hooky from work or school in the future given access people will have to your location! Here's a clue, leave your cellphone/PDA at home.

Cold and Flu Season

You are asking what's up with this topic. Well, I was reading about how devastating to businesses it is when their people our out sick. The lost productivity is staggering; if 25 people are out for 2 weeks, you lose a whole man year of productivity. So, if your company sponsors a flu shot program, get it done. If they don't, take the time off to get it done. If you are sick, stay home. You have a myriad of options to work remotely. Many managers come into work sick to show they are tough, this habit becomes contagious, literally.

Social Media Sifters

I will keep it short this morning, but I will guarantee you that the first company to crack the code on determining behavior from Social Media posts will become a behemoth in the industry. Read this and see if you agree:
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/10_44/b4201020317862.htm

Executive involvement in Sales cycle

We are often asked, "when should the VP of sales get involved in a deal?" Let me give you a couple of thoughts. Traditional wisdom would say that the VP is the guy that can come in and close the deal, play either good guy or bad guy, rescue or resuscitate the sales rep. I believe that when you do that, you will lose some value on your deal. It is often seen by the buyer as a sign of weakness and a chance to gain additional discount.

My view is that your sales executive should be involved early in the deal (and then again later). If your VP can gain an executive level relationship with the customer early in the sales cycle, he opens up future dialogue to find out the status of the potential deal and hppefully remove any roadblocks to finalizing the deal. Introduced early in the cycle, a VP can open the door to invite the customer to events or share key industry information with his counterpart. Finally, if it comes to closing the deal, there is so much more credibility if there is already a relationship in play. It lessens the feeling of "Let's make a deal" and furthers a trusted advisor role. The only concern with a "VP in early" approach is sometimes the chemistry of the executives involved is caustic and may prematurely end the deal. My view is that is better done early in the cycle than when the VP is at the closing table.

Apple vs IBM

In an earlier blog, I posted about some of the traditional rivalries of technology past, ie Oracle vs SAP. Yesterday I looked closer at the earnings release of Apple and subsequent release of articles. A WSJ article caught my eye:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304410504575560510623029090.html?mod=WSJ_Tech_LEFTTopNews

Apple actually had more profit in the previous quarter than IBM, WOW! Who would have thunk it. While traditionally people look at Apple's big competitor as MS or Google, they might start thinking about what influence Apple will have behind the doors of corporate America. They have won many of the hearts and souls of the consumer and believe the iPad will give them the entree to the glass house. If you would have asked me 5 years ago about Apple inside the corporation, I would have coughed, laughed and then sputtered some kind of cult related expletive. If you would have asked me 5 months ago, I would have probably just had a puzzled look on my face. If you ask me today, I would tell you to take a hard look and listen, they will find a way. As for IBM, they will continue to be a major player in corporate IT infrastructure, but they had better not take Apple lightly.

Productivity and Smartphones

Just read a survey from Cisco talking about productivity outside the office.
http://content.usatoday.com/communities/technologylive/post/2010/10/cisco-survey-show-workers-are-productive-outside-of-the-office/1

No real surprise in that 60% of those polled felt productive outside the office environment. The fact that only 37% were using smartphones was a bit of a stunner. I thought the number would be well over 50%.

60% felt IT should allow them to connect from any device they own, now there is a nightmare of connectivity and security.

Website redesign PNWR

Folks, we relaunched our website this weekend.
www.pacificnorthwestrainmakers.com

We are extremely excited about the depth of our offerings that can help businesses, large and small, scale to the next level. I would encourage you to take a look and let us know what you think. We appreciate your interest and look forward to talking with you.

Thank you from PNWR - Pacific Northwest Rainmakers

Teens and Texting

The title of this article reads "Average teen sends 3,339 texts per month", that's 6-7 texts every waking hour. Females average 4,050 per month.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/TECH/mobile/10/15/teen.texting.mashable/index.html?eref=mrss_igoogle_cnn

It's stunning to me, even thought it shouldn't be, I saw it with my own kids and it has accompanied them into their twenties. There are social implications, but I can't help but wonder if these kids won't have something akin to Carpal Tunnel Syndrome when they get older.

Leadership

Leadership, how important is it? It will save your life. I, as were many, was struck by the scene in Chile, where 33 miners were rescued after being a half a mile underground for 69 days. The scenes of joy brought tears to many an eye, including mine. There were a lot of lessons to be drawn from this experience, but the one that stuck with me was the power and conviction of the foreman in charge of the mining crew. He immediately determined a rationing plan for there critical resouce food and worked with his team to find a source of water. Morale was key and he spent a lot of time reinforcing the team and encouraging a "can do" attitude amongst all the members. The foremans name, Luis Alberto Urzua, is not only an exceptional leader but also was the last miner out of the mine. When the details of this disaster turned success become available, I look forward to reading more about the man, he is what leadership is and should be.

Customer Relationship Management

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) has become one of the largest growth areas of application technology development over the last decade. Companies like Siebel started the hypergrowth area and now there are hundreds of companies taking up the mantle, Salesforce being one of the most popular. There are literally hundreds of defined areas of business processes that can be defined within the CRM window. Let me focus very simply on one area, the customer.

The relationship between the provider and customer has matured beyond the trusted advisor role sought by the ERP companies of the last decade. Many firms restrict their technology buy to 4 or 5 key suppliers. My experience has taught me that customers expect you to keep them informed of advances in technology, industry trends and in some cases competitive information. A lot of this can be provided via technology links and email, but it is incredible what a face to face meeting can do. Instead of being restricted to an email template or a web link, the conversation can move from personal to professional and back in a matter of seconds. The insight of seeing a face respond to what you are saying is priceless. I could go on and on, but let me leave you with this. Make sure you bring your best information to your customers and make sure you deliver the best of the best in person.

Taking more time

Increasingly, executives are finding themselves in a time crunch. They are scheduled for more hours in a day and are bombarded by up to ten times more email, texting and social communications than they ever have been. But, I am going to make the case that they need to spend more time on communications. Mobility has increased our access to email and other social technology applications. It is amazing how easy it is to send a quick update by phone or network device. But, I am seeing a propensity of making many of these communications very short and even more cryptic. Now a quick response is great and sometimes necessary, but if it is confusing or misunderstood it cause more interaction and, with the usual 3-5 responders on an email, eats more time. So, make sure you respond in a manner that is complete and understandable.

The second area of bother is when people respond to a communcation after only reading the first bit of the email. Often times you are asking for more than one response or input on more than one question/thought. (You could just use one thought emails, but that too could add up to time wasted). Take the time to read the whole email before responding and even more importantly, you don't have to respond to every email unless asked to. It's OK not to respond to everybody and every email, people appreciate honest thoughtful responses. So, in the world of communications at a fingertip, take a little time and you may save a whole lot more.

Self Service Kiosks

The airline industry has been a leader in developing self-service kiosks to replace the human factor:
http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/travel/2010-10-11-airportcheckin11_ST_N.htm

While I applaud the technologies being applied and the fact that customers actually want to use the kiosks, I can't excape the real reason as to why this is gaining traction. I believe that the reason these people initially started to use kiosks was due to their incredible dissatifaction of the people working behind the counter. Airlines spent more time focusing on machines that humans. To the frequent traveler it makes total sense, they know the drill, they print their tickets the night before and in most cases never take more clothing than can fit in a carry on bag. But, the recreational traveler is really getting a hose job here. When you have questions anymore, you are forced to first use the kiosk before approaching the same gruff understaffed counter personnel. If you were confused by the kiosk, which a lot of elderly people are, then you don't appreciate the attitude usually shown by the next line of defense. If you are a first time traveler, or are unfamiliar with the airport you need a kind person to help you through the daunting task of checking in and getting through security. The kiosks are great, just don't forget the personal touch.

iPhone vs Android

It rings like the main event at a WWE venue. First it was IBM vs. DEC (remember that one), then we had Oracle vs. SAP, Windows vs. Linux, Yahoo vs. Facebook, and lately Microsoft vs. Google. Competition drives innovation. Apple's iPhone drove phone innovation to a new level and the ability to shop for cool applications on the phone went the next mile. But, Apple watch your rear view mirror. Android is gaining traction and the announcement that Amazon will be selling Android apps through its online market is huge for Android phones. The Amazon channel is the most mature form of online shopping ever and it has been rationalized by millions of buyers. Watch this horserace and see who moves into the dominant position; it is hard to believe but I think RIM will be the last horse to the wire.

Thinking like Amazon

First of all, kudos to Kevin Coupe of the Morning News Beat for reporting this yesterday. I believe that retailers are finally getting the picture. To run with the big dog Amazon, they are adopting the tactic of a $79 loyalty card that will give the consumer unlimited two day shipping which will encourage shoppers to buy more to get a return on their investment. They key here is that this loyalty card will work with multiple retailers: Baby's 'R' Us, Petsmart, and GNC to name a few. Shoprunner which is the program name, will even offer free returns to cardholders. Not sure there will be enough affinity for the brands in this program to outweigh the loyalty that Amazon has already amassed, but it was imperative that brands like Borders did something like this to survive. I will be interested to see the numbers post holidays.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703843804575534062509989530.html?mod=WSJ_Tech_RightMostPopular

Creative thinking in business

USA Today had a superb article on the power of creative thinking. It comes from a source most people would think of, not Tony Robbins but Chris Peterson, coach of the Boise State football team; the winningest Div 1 program since 2000. He gathers ideas from a group of very different folks, from a computer programmer to a ballet dancer to the sheriff. The message is powerful, get out of the box and realize how many different ways there are to approach and solve a problem. People get hung up on Boise State's blue field and forget that Peterson beats many teams with his approach and execution. Enjoy the article and Go Broncos
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/football/wac/2010-10-06-chris-petersen-creative-coaching_N.htm?POE=click-refer

Technology Bum

Lately, with the economic crisis in this country, many street corners are populated with folks holding signs asking for monetary help. Today, I saw something unique. One of the homeless (at least that is the assumption, knowing there are some scam artists), was on a corner this morning huddled behind the street light post. There he was, texting away on his phone. Now maybe he was checking his stocks, or maybe he was communicating with his family. Anyway, it struck me funny. Given it was raining, just maybe he texted a friend for a ride. On the positive side, at least he wasn't texting and driving!

Microsoft sues Motorola

I just read an article that completely echoes my feelings on the news that Microsoft is suing Motorola over Android patents:
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/fasterforward/2010/10/microsoft_sues_motorola.html

It seems that Bully Ballmer is trying to promote his Windows Phone 7 release, but covering the backside of his incredibly late entry (after the great Kin) to the market. He got his bonus whacked last year because of his missteps in the mobile marketplace, while the iPhone and Android devices were seeing double/triple digit growth.

I still believe Microsoft has a huge impact on the technology market as a whole, but I am not so convinced anymore that Mr. Ballmer is the man to lead them, just my opinion.