techslog

Oracle reported strong revenue growth that aided higher profit margins for their 4th Quarter.

Oracle reported that their quarterly revenue rose 20% over last year to $5.8 billion and their net income increased 23% to $1.6 billion- makes me want to still own my Oracle stock back from my employee purchase days. Because of this news their earnings rose 27% to 31 cents per share.

The company claims database revenue from the new database plus middleware licenses, new application fees and services helped boost these number. Apparently they beat estimates by analysts who had expected a slightly shorter gain.

As Safra Catz put it -“It was a great year”.

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I am sure you are on this "treadmill" of the never ending work day. One project leads to another which leads to more work etc. And while technology can help, it can also hinder- as an afternoon out at a client results in an overflowing inbox! You do more, you try harder and why does it feel like your never caught up?

First, we have to get a grip on what is truly necessary. More More More seems to be the mantra of our country and also what lures us into more work as well. How do we know what is enough?

Set YOUR OWN GOALS. That's right, you’re in a highly measurable business, and you’re constantly being measured in your sales efforts. So set some personal goals, and let those goals dictate where you should spend your time and energy. Work on developing new skills, such as pacing, timing, introspection and also update your expectations on rest, relaxation and down time.

We can't always be on the go, plus studies have proven the value of rest and other non-work activities that essentially allow you to be more creative and sharper in your job. Learn the fine art of discipline- to carve out time for yourself, to pull yourself away from your desk, and to plug into good things around family time, you time and community time as well. Define what's enough and learn to discipline yourself to hit that "off switch".
Heck, any coach will tell you, knowing when the game is over or is it time for a new game is as important a strategy as forging ahead.
Where do you start? Become a little non-conformist. Define YOUR goals and what works for you. What might work for the sales rep in the next cubicle, might not work for you.
Don't: Work harder because you think everyone around you is working harder. They might have different goals that you, and thus chose to spend more time at the office.
Do: Select where you put your time and attention and determine it by watching and reflecting on things. Wherever you align your energy must reciprocate with something. This will help you to "cut and run" on some sales cycles, that you might have chosen to participate in, even thought you knew they had a slight chance of evolving into anything.
Do: Breathe. This is the best centering and calming tool and everyone has it. While everyone is running in circles and going crazy over deadlines and such, this one act can help jump start your brain and help you out of the chaos.
Do: Guard your time like it is a limited commodity-because it is. Whatever time is wasted at work, you certainly don't want to sacrifice the time from home, so be present in everything you do.
Don't: Waste time pushing boulders up hill. Set realistic goals and expectations, and set your own rewards for accomplishing your goals.
Do: Observe people and situations objectively, there is tremendous wisdom gained from sitting and reflecting and observing. Realize that no matter how old you are, there is always something you can learn from everyone.

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Selection of Virtual Team Members

While the last posting was related to establishing the “virtual” team in a forum, this post will help to clarify who that team might be. As a sale rep, sometimes I did not have the luxury to “choose” the team to help support me in a specific industry or even a certain product, so I realize this might be a mute point. However, there was occasions where I learned more about certain team members and realized they had certain background experience in their past, that could help me advance my sales- yet it was not in their title etc.
This 411 only came from asking them questions about themselves and listening to their answers. Not in any “Spanish inquisition” manner, but a laid back approach of letting them explain how they might approach a particular sale etc.
Now, I know this is hard to fathom; for as long as it seems sales reps like to tell the SC what is needed etc, and vice versa- but hearing what other team members think and learning why (which could possibly mean they were in this type of sale, for another company, and banged their head around and this was how they resolved it) could save you a lot of precious time. Virtual teams are more productive and innovative if this is a free- form brainstorming zone, not one tied down by roles and rules. While boundaries are important, let the ideas flow and do not discount ideas, because an SC suggested something that might be more likely from an industry expert etc.
Also teams that have some members, who have some history together, can help get the ball rolling quickly. Although the other side to that, can be how teams that are very familiar fall into a predictable and stale path too, adding new people can help stoke the creative juices, as well as offer clearer insights.

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If the way to expedite business development or rainmaking results is by integrating networking, marketing, and sales, how can professionals who are trained salespeople reconcile that? Suzi Pomerantz author of "Seal the Deal "answers.......

The good news is that if you are trained in sales, you have a distinct advantage in this integration process.You already know that sales is a numbers game. You already know how to articulate the value proposition. You already know the importance of tracking your hit rates and you already know that sales is a systematic, repeatable, predictable process. You know how to handle gatekeepers and objections. You know how to close. What if you could do it all faster? What if you could expedite the entire process? What if you could save time and produce increased results? What would that be worth to you?

Well, here's how you can intentionally cause a quantum leap in how quickly you generate results. Integrate, integrate, integrate. Sales alone is good, sales with networking is better, sales with networking and marketing is best! You must find a way that is aligned with your (and your organization's) core values to have consistent actions in all three domains.

In responding to the first question from Techslog last week, I spent a little bit of time distinguishing between the "critical trinity" of Networking, Marketing and Sales. Techslog archive If you are active in all three domains, you will find the sweet spot where networking, marketing and sales intersect. When you are hitting your stride in terms of your networking, when your marketing materials and message are clear, and when you understand how to leverage your strengths in sales, you will reach that tipping point where it all comes together to yield results in terms of clients, dollars, contracts, business. That sweet spot is the place where you most effortlessly Seal the Deal.

So, what does that mean for you, as a salesperson? It means that you already have the one domain handled...sales. So, by focusing a bit more on generating activity in the other domains of networking and marketing, and finding ways to incorporate those actions into the sales activities you are already masterfully engaged in, you will find that your sales numbers start to pop more quickly, and that you create an action-circuit that hums along in strategic concert.

If sales is the musical staff, networking and marketing add the notes and the chords. Now, with you as the maestro, let the music begin!

Learn more about Suzi and her book "Seal the Deal" here http://www.innovativeleader.com/

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Using Online Resources to build teams........

Online Team Resource
Because of the physical separation- one of the biggest challenges facing virtual sales people is the inability to learn about one another quickly, such as might have occurred at a happy hour after work or on a lunch etc. These impromptu sessions help team members learn more about one another as well as what each person brings to a project and or how they can help a sales person advance a sale.
Ironically on-line tools can help, much in the same way that social networking sights have helped college and high school students get to know their communities. While this type of forum might be unfamiliar with team members, it has been proven that this type of “community” is very powerful in building virtual teams.
Find a secure internet based community where you can isolate your “team” to your company or even include your partners. Whomever you feel would work within your sales cycle.
Invite members and let them know the emphasis is on sharing knowledge and making their job easier as well- no one wants to spend an hour setting up an online profile for fun anymore. Use it as a forum to discuss some “new ideas” that perhaps your customer’s surface in sales calls. I had customers asking about linking certain applications- which we really did not do, but to put them out there in a discussion format and let some of the technical people address those concerns might be helpful for everyone.
These types of capabilities, as well as Q&A type sessions, can help each person rapidly get up to speed on each team member, vs. the cumbersome conference calls- where not everyone is available. Try it out, perhaps your company already has a venue to support this, and can allow your virtual team access to a forum that is more secure.

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Computerworld has their annual survey listing the best 100 Places to Work in IT- what companies might be good for sales people?

The Computerworld annual survey was posted today, they identified the top places to work for IT professionals. I culled the list to find technology companies that also might be a good place for sales people. Sadly there was only 9 technology companies from the list, maybe we will luck out next year……

BAE Systems

BAE Systems was listed, and I extracted some information about what might make them a good place to work, For 2007, the company has earmarked more than $30 million for training and development programs, ranging from pure IT training and advanced leadership skills to improved communications skills. "

SAS Institute

Always a favorite on these top places to work lists. I included it, because if you work in the Cary facility, it has a lot of nice perks. If not, then you might want to pass, since SAS has always been strong on tech people, but very weak in sales and especially sales leadership.

Qualcomm

I pulled this from the list as they are a nicely diversified organization and could offer this:
Financial rewards include bonuses and stock options, promotions and employee recognition awards

USinternetworking Inc.

They provide hosted applications via the Internet for large companies. Almost 40% of employees have worked for the company for at least five years, so at least you might find some tenured support people to support your sales efforts.

Cerner Corporation

A promote-from-within philosophy at this clinical and administrative information systems provider opens up many avenues for career growth and development in both technical and management roles. In 2006, 19% of workers transferred to new careers within the company. The Cerner Virtual Library allows access to a collection of books, audio books, magazines, videos and articles.

Applera Corporation

This instrumentation systems company, which makes software and services for the life sciences community, offers the services of a health advocate to all eligible employees, including spouses, children, parents and parents-in-law. This service includes confidential help in choosing health care benefits and services, answering many medical questions and issues, helping to locate primary care and specialist physicians or special medical institutions, and helping to resolve claims, billing and related administrative problems. The company also offers an annual bonus program based on the individual goals set with employees’ manager at the beginning of the year. That bonus is in addition to merit and promotional pay increases offered to qualifying employees. The company also offers Distinguished Notable Accomplishments awards for specific achievements beyond expectations.

Acxiom

This global company, which develops software for direct marketing and customer relationship management, is currently migrating its internal processing fully from mainframes and servers to a “grid” comprised of high-end PCs networked together in a massively parallel computing environment. Two percent of the company’s total payroll, or about $6 million, is allotted for merit awards, which are given to employees for notable performance. The Excellence Award is the highest award an employee can receive; honorees receive 10 shares of company stock, $1,000 and a crystal plaque. I have spoken to them in the past and they have a lot of people who come and stay and apparently a good work-life culture.

Informatica Corporation

Employees at this software maker set their own career objectives and work with their managers to achieve them. Very few IT employees feel a need to leave: All employees have formal monthly one-on-ones with their managers and a quarterly skip-level one-on-one to ensure quality management. To develop strong managers, each manager is assigned a professional coach to work with one-on-one. All employees have formal annual reviews and development plans, with consistent feedback at their one-on-one meeting. On average, employees attend two weeks of classroom training per year and currently 4% of the IT staff is attending an MBA program.

Deloitte & Touche LLP

This financial services firm (the U.S. member firm of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu) firmly believes in the benefits of flexible work schedules. The company’s Flexibility and Choice initiative promotes programs that offer employees work/life scheduling options. Internal surveys show that most employees feel they are working a flexible schedule. On monthly “Fuel-up Fridays,” four hours are set aside for each IT employee to take part in professional development activities that support performance and career goals.

Best Place to work for IT article

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Techslog speaks to Suzi Pomerantz, Executive Coach and author of Seal the Deal, about how sales people can short-circuit the sales process and be more efficient in closing sales.

How do you coach sales reps to be more effective in closing sales?

If by effective we mean fast-track results, or an expedited business development strategy, the key is in taking integrated action. Business development, or rainmaking, is comprised of three distinct domains:Networking, Marketing and Sales. If we are only focused on the sales piece of that picture, we will have results that are fairly predictable and depend on how we are working the numbers game of the sales process.Likewise, if we are only focused on the networking piece or the marketing piece, we will eventually have results, but not in a timeframe that anyone would consider reasonable.The secret lies in the intersection point of all three. I find many people have a clouded definition that combines some elements of all three, but incorporates mindsets and beliefs about each one where we get in our own way.

Lets distinguish these first, then look at how you can get out of your own way to get all three to work in strategic concert to get business.

Networking is the relational aspect of your business. It is connecting with others for the purpose of sharing resources, information, leads, referrals, ideas, etc. Cultivating a working network of relationships is crucial to your business development system, but in and of itself will not be the way you build or expand your client base.

Marketing is about preparation...how you will prepare yourself to take your company's products, services, unique identity package, irresistible offer, and message to market. This involves a lot of strategy, design work, writing, and outreach, but those things alone will not get you the clients you want. Branding is part of marketing, and so is PR to some extent.

Sales activities are about implementing your business development strategies. Simply put, Sales involves making appointments, seeking to be of service, making fabulous and bold offers, and asking for the business. It is possible to transcend dysfunctional sales practices and simply help people in ways that they will appreciate. Sales feels uncomfortable when it is not aligned with core values. When it is integrity-based, it gives you energy because it is linked to your core values.

Identify your current mindsets and assess if they are supporting your growth sufficiently to achieve your goals.� Ask yourself these questions: What am I already doing in each area? What else could I be doing? What percentage of my time is spent in each? Where have I collapsed these distinctions? Where and how might I integrate my activities across all three domains? What would the impact and value be if I were to generate a quantum leap in my rainmaking results? What mindsets or beliefs do I notice that are limiting my ability to easily and effortlessly seal the deal? What shift is required to align my beliefs with my core values and my organization's mission?

Closing a sale becomes as easy as saying, "yes, we can do that" when you've lined everything up in all three domains simultaneously. The close means that your prospect got clarity about the value your organization, service or product provides, it is not about you getting the sale. There's only one thing that has people buy...the moment of the sale is when they become crystal clear about the value of what you are selling.

*Suzi will be answering questions all week, so please fee free to send your questions via a comment and we will get you the answers fast!

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Techslog addresses the needs of virtual sales people in a series of articles that help you be more productive and advance your career from afar……

The Wall Street Journal last weekend ran a great article about virtual workers. I have seen a few of these articles recently as more companies are moving towards virtual teams to be more competitive and to access talent across the globe.

How can you be effective as an enterprise sales person when your support team is scattered across the nation, and sometimes the globe, and your manager is in a different time zone? Techslog has culled the articles and will run a series of blog postings to give you some “info bites” to help you navigate the virtual landscape and use it to your advantage.

The rise of the virtual teams is occurring at a time when technology is more advanced to support the technical needs of teams in different locations, and talent is at a premium.
However, all the technology in the world can’t address the remaining hurdles that come with managing a virtual team. WSJ quotes the hurdles as: time-zone difficulties, cultural miscues, Team chemistry, and element that is instrumental in making teams more productive.

As a salesperson who worked virtual for many years, I can also add accountability. As a sales rep you are the face to the customer, but the inability to schedule or secure the other virtual resources always falls back on the sales person- at the end of the day- and the ability to hold these resources responsible is tough.

A recent study found that virtual teams were beleaguered by just these kinds of challenges, while other virtual teams were high performers and able to work through the distant blues. What makes one team thrive and yet another falter?

While the WSJ article was written in general terms, I am tweaking it to address the needs of sales people. These “tips” will be printed every day this week, so please check back daily to learn how you can be a more effective virtual sales person.

WSJ- Working Together when apart article

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Enterprises are giving more users access to business intelligence tools, Optimize Magazine believes the next 2 years will be pivotal…..

While we all can now articulate the value of BI tools in an enterprise, the main users or areas it was employed tended to be in the Finance arena, as well as at the Executive level. The benefits were so profound that BI trickled down into customer service, sales, suppliers etc, but generally it has not been found in the entire enterprise. Adding users across the enterprise is vast- from integration with their applications, to information issues, and frankly the cost.
But as we have seen most advanced enterprises are well beyond the financial only BI use, and have already rolled it out in HR, CRM and most other areas. However they are still struggling to achieve a seamless, integrated environment where all these areas are rolled up into a single corporate dashboard or scorecard.
At SAS we called this “One version of the Truth”. The ability to see the enterprise from one set of data rolled together, and then of course, the next step would be to drill into the data and cross analyze. Seemed like a dream.
Well apparently Optimize magazine polled CIO’s and this “dream” is coming together by bits and pieces over the next two years. BI is expanding beyond the technically savvy users, as the application is getting more user friendly and the pay off’s more apparent. Many business are planning to expand use of BI applications outside the finance, sales and marketing departments. The idea is that spreading the technology will allow more data sharing and collaboration throughout the value chain.
While this is all a wonderful dream, having been there to try to help some maverick companies achieve this goal, please check to make sure the data you are sharing and collaborating is “clean”. While this step might sound so basic, companies tend to feel this step might be avoided, and it tends to be smaller groups who feel they have a handle on their data. Wrong.
The Optimize survey is very helpful to learn about this topic, and the impediments that remain from this “One version of the truth”.

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To be successful today, you must have a clear and compelling online identity. People are googling you and making decisions about you from what Google reveals. Whether you are an employee looking to advance in your company, a professional seeking your next role, or a consultant looking to land your ideal client, you should plan on being googled. And you should prepare for it.

Google your name and see the multitude of articles and associations that have your name associated with them, what does this mean to your career?
I had a friend who worked as a consultant. She relied upon her reputation to gain work and knew that potential customers would “google” her to learn more about her and her work. She had a client that was not paying and had a hard time understanding the value in my friends work, despite the clients initial pleas that my friend work for her to help her business. The customer, instead of paying for the services provided, decided to hold my friends reputation hostage by posting incredible “Letters to the DA” to malign the consultant, and posted them to high ranking sites that came up in the top three rankings when you googled my friends name!
My friend reached out to her attorney who pretty much stated there is not much he can do since the internet is a public domain.
This situation is one of a few I have heard in regards to a google profile-
I heard of an IT consultant passing their tech screens and interviews only to be denied the job because his “My Space” profile was pretty raunchy.
Woman Google potential internet dates, to make sure they are not having lunch with a pedophile.
I recently had a member of my playgroup Google me to make sure I was not hosting a “playgroup” for financial gain, or to exploit the members. There is a lot of googling going on how does it affect your career?

If I were looking for a job I would absolutely google my name to see what kind of information came up- So how can you safeguard your Google profile?

First recognize that whenever you post on the internet with your name, there are three audiences you should recognize-
One -is your target audience, or just the folks you are crafting this post for today.
Second- is the Public Audience, folks that stumble upon your post accidentally, or were sent to your post via a search engine, perhaps as a potential customer, or as a match to whatever key word they Googled.
The third is for people researching you- they may be benign in checking you before they call you for work etc. They maybe competitors, scoping out who you are or what you do. But they just could be all sorts of people I would rather NOT see any soft underbelly I might have or my “dirty laundry” that is private.

What if I don’t like what I see in my google search? How can I erase this misconception of my profile so others don’t see the “dark underbelly”?

Building up a web profile is like starting a marathon, takes a bit of time to get going on the long journey,; and alas breaking down a web profile can be the same slow process.
Search engines cache pages and some make a point of keeping copies and content over the years.

Tips-
Visit posts on forums you wish you had not posted, and where you can edit them. Where you can’t, send a friendly message to the administrator, and ask for their help.
Alter pages that you can’t control yourself to remove the problem content and perhaps provide a “Graveyard page”. That’s far better than deleting the page, as anyone who searches for the page should be given the new copy (what you want) and not the cached copy (what you don’t want). With a deleted page, all the search engine can offer is the cache.
Where you don’t control a page, you may control or influence come links to it. Change these.
If you’ve access to the robots.txt file, tell the search engines to exclude pages that you no longer want indexed.
In an extreme case, you may wish to ask search engines to de-list you; you should find details of how to request ths on their sites.
If you don’t like content on a page that’s NOT under your control, you should go through and ask the information provider, then the webmaster to remove the content. Friendly is usually the best way to approach this, since you re giving them more work.

1. KEYWORDS are your friend. Use them. EVERY photo. Make them meaningful. Here's our help section on them: http://www.smugmug.com/help/keywords-tags

2. Captions, descriptions: be sure and write good ones, and make them search friendly!

3. Start a BLOG

4. Post to other blogs, forums, etc - and have your website linked!

5. Get other sites to link to you

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Computerworld named their top gadgets for 2007, but do sales people need any of these goodies? Techslog took a look and had this to say……..

GPS. Frankly if you asked me three years ago if this was “necessary” I would have laughed out loud- that was before I bought my Land Cruiser which had an integrated GPS in the dash. Three years later and I am hooked- it has helped me to find alternate routes while on the way to a sales call when I encountered a traffic snarl. It has the best “homing” device feature to just get me back to “Home” or the “Office” from anywhere. And when I feel a little cheeky, I switch to French and allow the GPS lady to instruct me in French. So, while it might not be necessary, I am a convert and love the convenience of this particular gadget. Heck the real “trend” here is a GPS integrated into your Blackberry- don’t tell my husband or he will be addicted to this combined play toy real soon! But the integration would allow you to utilize the GPS feature, in someone elses car or rental cars. Sweet....

Some of the other trends are cheaper digital cameras and televisions. While I am not sure how they may benefit sales people, please feel free to comment on these gadgets for ideas.

Of course one hot trend folks are keeping an eye on- literally is the new cell phones being introduced with the introduction of the I-phone. These phones have built in music capabilities, 5- megapixel camera, double sliding keyboards, and search capabilities that triggers a browser- which has an answer in 8 seconds. The interface is very modern and concise.
Not bad, I could easily see how this type of tool could aid a sales person who travels, or needs information on the fly, as we don't always travel with a laptop.

There a re a few more technologies the article highlights, Apple TV and such, for more on this please read the article here.

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Through the month of June Techslog will be diving into how the web and technology in general can help aid Sales Reps in being more productive and helping them to increase their sales. Check back often!

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