Sometimes, even the best technology companies such as Google and Apple can miss a step (Adobe missed out on this one but they were a suspect) leaving us holding the bag as it were. In this case, I had the pleasure of discovering the convergence of Google Apps and Mac OS X Lion and how it can drive one mad. This mad tale begins with my high performing Macbook Pro finding itself unable to shut itself down in the last few weeks. Googling around, I discovered many different thoughts on how/why it wouldn’t shutdown. Unfortunately, my searches found many different, irrelevant and obsolete results with no definitive smoking guns and, more importantly, no vendor taking any definitive responsibility for anything. Old habits die-hard and I set about attempting to isolate the cause of my problems but to no avail. I even went so far as to rebuild my hard disk from scratch with a full, fresh install of Lion. Although it did help clean up the detritus from laptops past, it did not solve my problem.

Perhaps my hardware is at fault. It is a laptop and I do have Apple Care. So off to the Apple Care provider who thought it might be a logic board. After two visits, with boards swapped. I found that shutdowns weren’t still a part of my future. More googling about hidden processes secretly installed by apps sent my down even more fascinating rabbit holes. Of course, Adobe, loads plenty of stuff secretly but they turned out to be innocent. Wait a minute, I did upgrade to iCloud and I know that some of the MobileMe stuff didn’t necessarily get tidied up throughout the transition. What made this even more maddening was discovering that when I had borrowed one of my staff’s new Mac Pro desktop to get some work down absent my laptop, the mysterious problem moved there too.

Sorry, that is too much coincidence for me. Finally, I read through my log files, line by line. And there are plenty on OS X. I noticed something called Google Keystone. What the heck is that? More googling and I found out that Google too installs secret stuff when using Google Apps. Hold the presses. A client sent me a spreadsheet through Google Apps a couple of weeks ago and didn’t I also just open it up on the Mac Pro while my laptop was in the shop? There it was, nestled in the Library folder that Apple conveniently, not, hid from users in Lion. There it was in the log files. With some clever deletions, I discovered that the Google Software Updater was being a bad citizen and not cooperating on shutdown. Dang. What a waste of time and who knew?

So what can all you budding tech companies take away from this little experience?

Full-disclosure is mandatory. Respect the dignity of every user and make sure that they clearly know what you are doing to their machine.

Always provide a means of escape. Give the user control over everything you place on their system.

Document, document, document. Provide an up to date reference (websites are great for this) where users can meaningfully and easily find what they need to know.

Support your customers. When there is a problem, especially knowing that systems and apps are highly interoperable and integrated, be there and help. Don’t leave us captive to incomplete information, forums and hearsay when disseminating knowledge is so easy on the web.

Test. Testing is almost as neglected as documentation is in the industry. When you know that apps are being deployed cross-platform and will interoperate in a variety of environments, it is contingent on you, the vendor, to ensure that the software is sufficiently tested across all boundaries. Looking for collateral damage such as failure to respond to a shutdown request should be obvious and common sense.

Take ownership. If it is your software, your operating system or your hardware, you should be committed to solving the customers’ problems first. Pointing fingers at other vendors and saying it is their problem is a weak response. Customers come first even if you are giving the software away.

Computing is approaching ubiquity. Savvy vendors have the opportunity to grab customers for life when we treat them with respect and truly put their needs first.

If you’d like to learn more on how to do just that, drop me a line and we’ll talk.

I do dig the cool translating glasses (at least for those of us who like to travel and wear glasses).

Form follows function. Right? Well, Bret Victor, designer extraordinaire points out something that is glaringly obvious, yet accepted pretty much as the status quo. All these user interfaces are in essence, an incremental step beyond what he calls Pictures Under Glass. His rant on the future of interactive design points out one the most important things overlooked in designing software for human beings. That is, HUMAN CAPABILITY! (Yes, I’m looking at you Redmond.)

If you think it through, this makes real sense. The keyboard keeps you pretty detached from the real world. A mouse gives you some tactile connectivity but still you are pretty disconnected. The iPad cuts out some of that disconnection, yet, you are justing sliding a finger on glass.

Taking into account what humans are capable of and designing these software tools to match ought to be first and foremost on every developer and designers mind. True interaction. True utility. True connection. They all appear when we not only service the needs of the customer but when we do it such a fashion as to make it truly second nature, dare I say, more humanly? Bret’s rant hopes to inspire a greater vision to find that more integral and useful interface and hurry through this transitional phase. My hope would be that those of us in the creative technology biz will take these to heart and never forget that added dimension in the human equation since that connection can mean real dollars and cents for your business.

Food for thought the next time you think about deploying an app, website or something intended for human consumption.

A promising software startup wasn’t enough for this aggressive software start-up in construction project collaboration. They struggled in a large, but idiosyncratic market that was full of competitors looking to make a quick buck. The underpinning technology offered significantly more advantage than the construction market was capable of exploiting. Was there a better way?

What we did!

We repositioned the existing product, as it was, for manufacturing project collaboration. We knew that the potential for growth here was significant. We marketed the product into manufacturing and found a select number of key reference accounts. We used their hands-on insights and defined the future product roadmap and growth path for servicing the manufacturing product lifecycle market. We built their channel program from scratch as we developed the program materials, located and trained the initial wave of systems integrator and consulting partners. They were recently acquired by one of the major players in the product lifecycle management space.

Exit strategy achieved: acquired by a major player in the space.

A promising Software as a Service (SaaS) provider was struggling with sales and profitability. They have superb intellectual property (with patents no less) and some good success stories to tell but no profits to speak of. Why weren’t they growing?

We analyzed their business from top to bottom. Selling features and functions wasn’t happening. All you can eat pricing did just that. Eat at any profit potential. Furthermore, as a startup, they weren’t in a position to field a significant direct sales force.

What we did!

We rebuilt the business plan from the ground up. We developed rational pricing and packaging that provided healthy margins while remaining competitive with the other players in the market. We added complementary professional services which further sweetened the pot. We crafted a “go to market” plan that included a channel program that worked WITH direct sales. In the end, they had a cogent, viable business plan that they were shopping for second round investment.

Since then, they have made some key executive hires and successfully entered a second market segment within the manufacturing arena.

Getting in the Tradeshow FAST

A growing regional packaging systems manufacturer wanted to push their brand at a major trade show. They needed to make a splash on a tiny budget. With a couple of new product lines acquired, the old booth materials were both inadequate and not at all representative of their broader array of products. Oh, and did I mention that the show was less than 10 days away?

What we did!

Our team kicked into high gear as we designed their new look for the booth from scratch. Furthermore, we sourced the booth material suppliers who could and would deliver in our timeframe with no rush charges. We coordinated the integration of the booth and design approvals with enough time to ship it to the exhibit hall in plenty of time to setup and sell, sell, sell. The booth was a hit, we stayed within budget and delivered it all in 3, count ‘em 3 business days. We deliver in a crisis and did I mention, no rush charges?

An international software division of Lockheed-Martin was looking to fix the relationship with one of their largest European customers and improve the profitability of their professional services contracts. A $10 million contract was in jeopardy and the systems integration team was disorganized at best. The customer was ready to walk.

What we did!

…earned the trust of the customer by negotiating a set of deliverables that met the customer’s precise business needs while fitting the cost/profit structure of the booked contract. We then developed a project plan that made sure the customer received what they were expecting within their business timeframe. Third, we created and implemented a methodology that helped the team analyze, estimate, track and deliver the work on time, with high quality while guaranteeing that it met the customer’s business requirements. As a result, this European consulting organization became competitive and profitable to the tune of 40% gross profit on services for the first time.

Achieved 40% gross profits for the first time on professional services.

A medium size credit union was looking for ways to extend beyond their physical branches and grow the business over the web (reach out, find and touch more members). Of course, looking to the web without the right IT infrastructure is a recipe for disaster. Oh by the way, they were looking to increase their competitiveness on a region-by-region basis—even down to an individual branch or zip code.

What we did!

We designed the database infrastructure to manage their products, automate their promotions and zero in on the competition through targeted web promos, targeted mailings etc. As a result, they could flex their competitive muscle across the web anywhere their charter allowed and in spite of the competition.

Not Selling Enough Software

A large international manufacturer was just not selling enough enterprise software. Their well-deserved reputation in manufacturing was not helping them move product. Furthermore, the number of dedicated software sales reps was dwindling. A quick analysis of their marcom and sales approach revealed their hardware “speeds and feeds” orientation. Lost amongst all the features and techno-babble was any notion of what was in it for the customer.

What we did!

Understanding what’s in it for the customer is crucial if you really want to move product. We developed and articulated a value proposition based on the business impact realizable with their software. We rewrote every spec sheet and brochure from the business value point of view. In addition, we developed new sales training that emphasized solution selling and consultative sales techniques. As a result, they held their own in a down market with fewer reps on the street.

Software sales doubled!

The Workshop will cover the following:

Marketing and Sales Techniques for Technologists, Engineers, Inventors and IT Pros

You’ve done it! You have created the next big thing that every business or person needs. You’ve written blockbuster software. You’ve built the better mousetrap. You offer cutting edge services that save like none other. BUT, no one knows you exist. Worse, you aren’t even selling enough products or services to make ends meet. When the market is not well defined, usually the case for high tech innovators, the problem is significantly amplified. How do you define the market so that your value proposition makes sense? How do you educate the prospect about a need that they didn’t know they had? How do you instill urgency and calls to action in the face of disruptive change? This session will teach you the essential tips, tricks and approaches that will help you effectively marketing and sell your technology to your desired market. More often than not, buyers don’t even know they have a need for your product or services let alone that you exist. Entrepreneurial innovators have a unique challenge when entering the market, especially if they are creating a market that didn’t previously exist. You know your business inside and out but prospects and customers don’t! Learn how to enlighten your prospects helping them discover and articulate the hidden needs that only you can address. Frame your marketing with the right words and dialogue that brings customers to you. Build their trust and confidence ad you help them feel and act upon that previously unmet demand—driving them to buy from you. Engage them on their terms as you walk them through the sales steps, handle objections and close the deal. This seminar will consider real life examples that innovators encounter as they ply their trade.

After this session, you will:

• Identify your target market and learn to speak their language and build your market.
• Learn how to engage and educate your audience rather than confuse them and create demand.
• Establish trust and build customer relationships based on your expertise and as a business peer.
• Refine the art of asking questions relevant to your products and their needs.
• Describe your product or service in terms that are understandable and appreciated by your audience.
• Discover the motivating benefits and rationales that compel your prospects to buy from you.
• Find the best way to present your product or service that builds consensus and leads to an order.
• Embrace the steps necessary to educate, qualify and close customers consistently and confidently.