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April 2007 - Posts

Monday, April 30, 2007 10:12 PM

When 50% of your attendees become leads...

I've got to hand it to Parker and the team at ALI . For weeks leading up to their event, I was asking about their registration numbers...as in they weren't moving at all . "Don't worry," Parker would tell me, "this is Roanoke Virginia. It always happens
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Monday, April 30, 2007 3:42 PM

Event Execution Excellence...

About a week ago, I posted on how incredible Infotec was in driving demand for their event. And they delivered, big time! Over 138 people attended and a whopping 94% of the people who registered more than 3 weeks out showed up! A tremendous conversion
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Monday, April 30, 2007 11:16 AM

Bring on the feedback...

Jill at DP Solutions read the story about BEI's trouble with the Microsoft-led assessment program . She was inspired and offered the following: I have two suggestions for the Click to Attend registration page: Make the “How Heard” a required field. Don’t
Posted by jerman of the board | 1 Comments
Monday, April 30, 2007 10:33 AM

How Healthy is Your Email List...

In the old days (read: 10 years ago), you were rewarded for having as many "subscribers" to your email list as possible. Hearing what CBS SportsLine is doing shows that quality over quantity is the new benchmark. How's this for an idea? Actively unsubscribe
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Friday, April 27, 2007 1:37 PM

Top 10 Reasons to Close Business...

One of the things that differentiates you as a partner is the value you bring to customers by the nature of your close relationship with Microsoft. Attached (pdf file) is a list of GREAT reasons why customers should buy software now. Be the trusted advisor...help
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Attachment(s): Top Ten Reasons to Close Business2.pdf
Friday, April 27, 2007 11:38 AM

Telling a Story...

When we talk about events, we talk a lot about how you "tell the story" to get a customer engaged. Dave from Evolve and I were chatting a few weeks ago and he's taken a great story idea and run with it. In the book, Moneyball ( Book Review: Moneyball
Posted by jerman of the board | 2 Comments
Friday, April 27, 2007 11:31 AM

More on...Is Microsoft Dead?

Some of you may remember Nicholas Carr who wrote the article, “Does IT Matter?” Well, he’s got a good post today on the topic of “Is Microsoft Dead?” You may be surprised by his opinion . His post links to the original article that started the debate..
Posted by jerman of the board | 1 Comments
Friday, April 27, 2007 11:05 AM

Little Things Make a BIG Difference...

How can you make your customers love you? Check this out from a business that is about as commodity as it gets... printing t-shirts . From: Personal Touch < personaltouch@customink.com > Date: Apr 26, 2007 9:10 PM Subject: Brain Tumor Society donation
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Friday, April 27, 2007 12:12 AM

Partner Resource Desk...

The whole objective of what we are trying to do for partners who put on events is to make it as (choose buzzword here) "plug and play" "synergistic" "leveragable" like a recipe/assembly line ....as possible. The point is: Microsoft has a gazillion resources
Posted by jerman of the board | 1 Comments
Wednesday, April 25, 2007 7:16 PM

Laptops Up...

There's a saying at Microsoft "Laptops Down," which is when your boss (or her boss, etc.) wants your undivided attention and tells you to stop e-mailing. I began my discussion this AM saying "Laptops Up. And please open up Outlook." (note: it wasn't a
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Wednesday, April 25, 2007 6:38 PM

Guess who's listening?

Remember how Mike wrote in with some pretty candid feedback about how Microsoft was letting him down ? Well, he wrote in again today again: Well, its obvious you guys rattled some cages somewhere! I just had a nice call with the XXXX telemarketing people.
Posted by jerman of the board | 1 Comments
Wednesday, April 25, 2007 2:59 PM

Where Everyone Knows Your Name...or at least can quickly find it online....

More from Mark Cuban's blog about the good and the bad of having everything about our lives only a search query away . My favorite line (as a father of a daughter): By the time she starts dating, I wont need to great her dates at the door with a shotgun,
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Wednesday, April 25, 2007 2:29 PM

The Economics of Open Source Software

An interesting piece asking the questions: do customers save $ by using open source? are programmers better off going to open source?
Posted by jerman of the board | 0 Comments
Wednesday, April 25, 2007 1:37 PM

"I know it's an eye chart"

If you ever get up in front of an audience and say "I know it's an eye chart," your presentation is headed down the wrong course. If I can't see (or have to strain) to figure out the story you are trying to tell, your message is being clouded out. Do
Posted by jerman of the board | 1 Comments
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Wednesday, April 25, 2007 1:03 PM

$500 Ready to Go...

You can win a $500 marketing subsidy by attending an upcoming Ready to Go Webcast. Beyond that, it's worth a look to see if these the tools can help you update (or begin) your marketing best practices through the use of Microsoft Ready-to-Go Campaigns.
Posted by jerman of the board | 0 Comments
Tuesday, April 24, 2007 11:46 AM

The Long Runway...

If there's one factor that determines event success, it's having a long ti me horizon to prepare and generate demand . Looks like our business isn't the only one where this is true. I saw this morning that the first Democrat Presidential Debate is next
Posted by jerman of the board | 5 Comments
Tuesday, April 24, 2007 2:03 AM

If I ran the Microsoft customer database...

Anyone who has ever been to one of our Shark Tank blitzes knows a few things. The good you get focused calling time you get to network with the MS employees and other partners you get pizza and have a good time The bad the quality of the list is not the
Posted by jerman of the board | 1 Comments
Tuesday, April 24, 2007 1:37 AM

Nice Little Windows Mobile Feature...

I get off the plane in Chicago and look at my T-mobile Dash. Bang...the timezone was automatically updated. Love that!
Posted by jerman of the board | 1 Comments
Tuesday, April 24, 2007 1:35 AM

Inconsistent Experience...

Flying to Redmond for a few days. I get an email last night from United re: automated check-in. Great! I go through the process and then I see an offer. Redeem 15,000 miles for a First Class Upgrade. I figure, what the heck, let's give it a whirl (redeeming
Posted by jerman of the board | 0 Comments
Monday, April 23, 2007 11:47 AM

Nickel and Diming...

Read an article a few weeks ago in SmartMoney about high-end spas/resorts where the rich go to refresh themselves. They are in unusual locales, or at least that was the theme of the article. For a work retreat last week, I went to Nemacolin which may
Posted by jerman of the board | 1 Comments
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Saturday, April 21, 2007 10:52 PM

Perception vs. Reality...

If someone asks you, "which is more secure a Mac or Windows machine?" Everyone will say Mac, right? I'm not saying that's incorrect, all I'm saying is that I think there's a perception out there that Macs are invincible. Link to Myth crushed as hacker
Posted by jerman of the board | 5 Comments
Friday, April 20, 2007 11:01 AM

Participation...Part 2

Some may have thought I was a bit harsh after the last partner marketing call , but our awesome partners didn't (see the comments on the post ). What a GREAT response and some great conversation! They took Seth Godin's advice on meetings to heart (we
Posted by jerman of the board | 2 Comments
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Friday, April 20, 2007 10:56 AM

End of Fiscal Year Reimbursement Info..

If you are doing an event before June 15th and have funds allocated for reimbursement, here's a PSA from the Partner Events Team. If you could instruct each partner that in order to receive reimbursement funding, there are a few “rules” they need to follow.
Posted by jerman of the board | 2 Comments
Attachment(s): MPE Reimbursement and Fax Sheet.doc
Thursday, April 19, 2007 4:37 PM

Humor in North Dakota....

For those of you who are "tele-managed" partners, there's a good chance that your PAM sits in our Fargo, ND facility (a legacy of the Great Plains acquisition, I believe). I had never met Gail, one of the reps who handles Mid-Atlantic partners until this
Posted by jerman of the board | 0 Comments
Thursday, April 19, 2007 8:45 AM

Advertising in the Million Channel World...

With DVR's, it's old news that people don't watch commercials anymore. Product placement was the next evolution and as I watched the Apprentice lat night, (yes, I still do), the bulk of the storyline centered on Renuzit's Super Odor Neutralizer . So,
Posted by jerman of the board | 1 Comments
Thursday, April 19, 2007 8:32 AM

People and Praise...

So my mom sends me an article by Po Bronson called How Not to Talk to Your Kids . The basic point...praising someone by calling them "smart" or just focusing on results can have negative ramifications . Instead, you should praise effort even if the result
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Wednesday, April 18, 2007 4:57 PM

Proving Your Worth...

A few months ago, I saw Infotec in Norfolk, VA signed up to do a self-serve event INFOTEC NORFOLK VA presents- Microsoft Across America Truck ). I was impressed by how far in advance they had made their plans. I reached out to them. They had everything
Posted by jerman of the board | 2 Comments
Wednesday, April 18, 2007 4:49 PM

Candid Feedback to MSFT

Working with partners is a two way street. When I think you're headed down the wrong path (or we, I should say), we'll tell you. But, don't be afraid to share with us what doesn't work. It shows that you are committed to the relationship, excellence,
Posted by jerman of the board | 2 Comments
Tuesday, April 17, 2007 5:39 PM

Earning Event Support...

Got an email from a partner doing an event for the first time saying, "we will guarantee 25-30 people at our event in return for $1,000" Here's the thing. I pay for performance. When you start registering people and you are trending towards a successful
Posted by jerman of the board | 1 Comments
Monday, April 16, 2007 11:12 PM

It is Q4...And what that means...

If you work with Microsoft, you need to know this...the quarter and the fiscal year ends on June 30th. That means between now and then, your MS contacts are focused on one of 2 things. closing Q4 opportunities closing Q4 opportunities Well, there are
Posted by jerman of the board | 0 Comments
Monday, April 16, 2007 11:05 PM

The Search Wars...

Ok, I admit it. I use Google for my web searches. I've tried to be a good corporate citizen and use www.live.com (and sometimes I still do). but let's be honest, I don't get the results I want. It's frustrating, particularly as an MS employee. Though
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Sunday, April 15, 2007 10:31 PM

A Simple Solution...

Anyone who has more than 3 gadgets plugged into a surge protector has run into this problem. What about devices with those large bulky adapters that cover more than one outlet? You end up 'wasting" outlet space and, like me, buying at least 1 more surge
Posted by jerman of the board | 0 Comments
Friday, April 13, 2007 2:47 PM

Intro to Economics...

From the StandupEconomist
Posted by jerman of the board | 0 Comments
Friday, April 13, 2007 12:55 PM

Bubbling Ideas Up...

A friend of mine works at Staples and every year, the company sponsors a competition soliciting ideas from employees for innovative products (the elusive Purple Cow , right?!). The winner gets $30,000!! It's like the Apprentice, sort of. You can see all
Posted by jerman of the board | 1 Comments
Thursday, April 12, 2007 10:31 AM

Aligning Your Salesforce Behind an Event

Jeff Meeks and DocuTech have an event scheduled for May 17th. I pinged him yesterday to see how the registration was going (I knew, of course, but wanted him to focus :-). Got a VERY interesting response to their approach: Yes, the registration numbers
Posted by jerman of the board | 2 Comments
Wednesday, April 11, 2007 3:26 PM

Another Nice Outlook/Exchange Time Saver...

Just got back from vacation. Thanks to the new Outlook 2007, I didn't have to do anything about my Out of Office message. It turned off automatically (and I sent different messages to internal and external senders) Just a nice little feature...
Posted by jerman of the board | 0 Comments
Wednesday, April 11, 2007 1:22 PM

Microsoft Caller ID at the Blitz

Tim Wilson from Enabling Technologies was at this morning's Shark Tank Blitz . My CEO gave me a direct order. Get into Micros and build a relationship with them. I've called the Director of IT 'hundreds of times' and left 'dozens of messages.' Today,
Posted by jerman of the board | 0 Comments
Friday, April 06, 2007 11:10 AM

Participation...

I tell people that the bi-weekly call with partners discussing event marketing strategy is one of my highlights of the month. Not this morning. For some reason, most people weren't in to it. I don't know why...usually, there are those who are facing a
Posted by jerman of the board | 4 Comments
Thursday, April 05, 2007 5:08 PM

Book Review: Moneyball

If you are one who analyzes problems and enjoys it, read this book. If you like baseball, read this book. If you like statistics, economics, or understanding how the market isn't always "perfect," read this book. In Moneyball , Michael Lewis explains
Posted by jerman of the board | 5 Comments
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Monday, April 02, 2007 12:53 PM

New Windows Server Offer

If a customer is considering a purchase of new Windows Server licenses, they can receive a rebate from Microsoft in the form of partner subsidy dollars. $400 for each copy of Windows Enterprise, $120 for standard. Made out in a check to the partner .
Posted by jerman of the board | 1 Comments
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Sunday, April 01, 2007 1:28 PM

E-Commerce Day...

When I started out in the Internet business professionally (c. 1996), the driving force that motivated me was e-commerce. Snickelways' (one of my first employers) guiding mantra (it's name in fact) came from the idea that the Internet would simplify transactions
Posted by jerman of the board | 2 Comments
 
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