Archive for April, 2009

VARs, Systems Integrators, Solutions Providers, IT Consultants, and their Channel Partners should enjoy a good laugh watching this video.  

It’s Friday.  You deserve it!

When I grow up, I want to be a CRN Channel Champion…

How many times has this happened to you? 

You discover an urgent need with one of your customers or prospects.  They have budget.  They’re raring to go.  They are a qualified lead in every way – EXCEPT the product or service isn’t something you can deliver.  You either don’t have the training, you don’t love doing it, or it’s just not part of your business model.  What do you do? 

Sometimes, you can refer that client to someone you already know and trust.  Of course, you have a go-to business network that you can usually rely on.  However sometimes, you don’t have anyone in your Rolodex who is a perfect fit….but you want to be helpful.  You may gain future business from this client – and it’s just nice to be nice, right?

I’m encouraged to see lots of good online matching programs popping up to fill this void.

For any industry, check out Referral Key, which allows you to easily expand your circle of trust to give an receive qualified lead referrals.

If you are a Microsoft Partner, check out  Microsoft Matchmaker.  Microsoft Platform Partners will get paid $250 for every Microsoft Dynamics lead they enter into the system.   Use the link above to register for the free introductory webinar they’re hosting on April 30, 2009 at 10:00 a.m. PT. 

For dental industry referrals, look into DDS Weblink, a program that allows you to make sure your patient recieves the proper care and follow up. 

Know of any other programs that fit this niche?  Post a comment with a link to the referral lead service.  We all know that referrals are the BEST source of business.  The more you give, the more you’ll get!

Businesses are constantly trying to balance marketing hype with reality.  Of course, you want your marketing materials to grab your prospect’s attention, but you also want to set some expectations — because after all, you have to deliver on your promise, right?!  

Request a copy of our marketing kit!

Head on over to HP’s Small Business Marketing Guide to see the article I wrote on creating incredible, credible marketing materials.   I gave readers seven practical tips for creating do-it-yourself marketing materials.  Enjoy!

Today, Abra Gilman from Borek Business Solutions is writing a guest post.  Borek Business Solutions is a Microsoft Dynamics GP partner in Bend, Oregon.  Abra Gilman is their Existing Customer Sales Manager.  I used to work with Abra, and I can tell you she’s one of the best.  She’s deeply committed to her customers, and in return, they trust that she’ll lead them in the right direction. So for all you Microsoft Dynamics Partners, here are some tips for a strong year-end.

Microsoft’s fiscal year end is coming, how’s your forecast?

by Abra Gilman, Borek Business Solutions 
email: abra [at] borekbusinesssolutions.com

Abra Gilman, Customer Sales Manager at Borek Business Solutions

A timely email from my Microsoft PAM informed me there are 62 selling days left until the end of Microsoft’s FY09 year.  So, how do we keep the inspiration going from Microsoft Convergence last month, pass it along to our customers, and end this quarter with numerous existing customer add-on sales for our Microsoft Dynamics GP practice?

Through the years I’ve learned to start with the resources that Microsoft and our own staff have already created for our customers – and build upon them.  We know there are current promotions – so keeping that in mind, I did the following:

1.  I thought about the exciting news and products I saw at Microsoft Convergence that still excite me.  I’ve downloaded most of the Microsoft Dynamics GP, CRM, and SQL session material through my Convergence Session Builder. If  you haven’t done that, I encourage you to take a look.  The Microsoft Convergence site has a great overview of most of the concurrent sessions.  I picked a couple of the most inspiring sessions and looked for useful content within the powerpoints. For me this year, I found Smartlist Builder/Excel Report Builder to be of particular interest.

2. I emailed the presenter (email addresses are almost always listed on the last PPT slide), who was more than eager to send me her notes/steps to creating the actual demo portion of the session.

3.  I emailed my customer base and announced a free webinar to introduce and give Microsoft Dynamics GP Tips and Tricks using Smartlist Builder and Excel Report Builder (SLB & ERB).  We’d already told them through a ‘Post Convergence’ Newsletter that we had seen exciting features in this module while we were at Convergence – now we want to share what we’d learned with them.  We mention the benefits of SLB/ERB  to any customers when speaking to them, and add taglines to our emails for a couple of weeks to advertise the upcoming webinar to our customers.

4.  As attendees started registering, I made sure we geared the presentation to show the capabilities within those areas that SLB/ERB will extend (ie. Quantities in Inventory crossing several tables).

5.  During the presentation (which was simpler to create because I started with the Microsoft presenter’s materials), I used the current Microsoft promotion to make the product pricing more attractive.  We also offered 10% off installation/training for this module within the current month for attending the webinar (whether they already own the product or not).

Using this method, we usually get 2 sales of a product immediately. But following this example, we may also get:

• 2 customers upgrading to Microsoft Dynamics GP Version 10, or at least the latest service pack, to take advantage of the capabilities I’ve shown.
• Several hours of consulting for installation, planning, training, and implementation of the product.
• Another touchpoint with our customers through them even glancing at the webinar announcement or attending the demonstration. We’ve planted a seed throughout our customerbase of this product.
• Plus, we’ve made sure our customers know we are staying up with the latest enhancements so we are the “go to” resource for them for their ERP system.

We just met with a customer last week who wants to see a product we did this exact type of campaign for last year.  They saw it briefly and now want to plan for the implementation/rollout of it this quarter.

Next installment – using our Microsoft Dynamics ISV partners to extend our expertise and offerings to our customers…

Thanks Abra. Thanks Borek Business Solutions! 

 

I’m speaking around Orange County in several public venues this month.  If you’re available, I hope you can join us.

If you’re in the Orange County area and you’re interested in learning more about how to use Twitter, the popular micro-blogging tool, to grow your business, come join us on April 29 for margaritas and networking at El Torito in Laguna Hills.  The cost = $10 bucks. 

To get more details or register, visit the OC Small Business & Entrepreneurs Group.

Also, tomorrow night, April 7^th, I’m speaking on a panel with other women entrepreneurs in Ladera Ranch.  We’ll talk about the lessons learned the first year in business.  If you are a woman entrepreneur, and you are interested in coming, please send me an e-mail.  The first two women to respond can come for free as my guest.  For everyone else, the cost is $15. (Sorry guys, this event is ladies-only).