Private V Public the cloud debate continues.

Tim Negris, Cloud Computing Journal, writes, "the private cloud enables elastic computing but the public cloud enables the elastic enterprise, a new business model where IT is resource that is shared with partners and customers. It can create new business processes that have greater richness, flexibility, and efficiency than those used in the locked tower of the vertically integrated corporations of the past hundred years. As with any new paradigm, nobody should plunge into it this new world without caution or knowledge. But, plunge they should. Private computing is soon to go the way of on site power generators and telephone PBXs."

For the full article:  Public Cloud Computing: Enabling the Elastic Enterprise

Thank you Tim for letting me share!

Today its all about price or is it?

Lately, I have really touched a nerve with my boss.  We are working on a number of opportunities and it seems all the conversations have become centered on price.  I am being accused of not of focusing the full suite of benefits my company has to offer and jumping right to price.  As a disclaimer, and clearly sucking up to my boss, he is very fair and a tremendous sales person.  In fact I have the freedom to write this because he trusts our relationship.  So, as much as he might be right, I am exploring if leading with price is a good tactic or not?

As a sales professional sometimes we make decisions based on what our gut or what a prospect is telling us.  There are definitely opportunities, usually the "Whale" type, that require submitting a best price just to get a seat at the features and benefits table. What is the best way to handle these?  Here are three things you can do to gage the validity of the RFP:

1.   Ask the right questions:

-Is this a real opportunity or a budgetary exercise?
-What is driving the cost analysis?
-Will price be the determining factor in choosing a vendor?
-Who are the getting quotes from?
-Ask for a meeting or a 15 minute phone conference?

What I'm looking for is detailed answers, the more information the prospect can provide me the better chance this is a real opportunity.  This may give me indication to put a strong enough quote on the table to get a seat at the meeting.  If the questions cannot be answered, chances are this is a fishing expedition, I give pricing without incentives and follow up regularly.

2.  Ask the right people:


-I check my LinkedIn connections, there is a good chance I am connected to someone at the company.
-Ask at networking events, on occasion I have even ask a competitor, "What did you think of that RFP from XYZ"
-Ask your boss for permission to discount outside of normal parameters!   If I ask the right questions, it helps my boss make the best decision.

3.  Sell into the opportunity:


-This is the strongest advice I have received and if your not involved in a group like the salesplaybook on LinkedIn, you are missing some great sales tips.  With tools like LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook I now have the ability to stay close to prospects and to my competitors.  I can follow company blogs to see what if any challenges they may be facing.  I can post relevant content in groups they are members of, I can provide helpful links to industry information or post success stories similar companies have experienced with a similar solution.

I am a big believer is selling something you believe in and asking for a fair price, but when I find myself stepping onto the price war field, I want to make sure I am prepared. Before you fire the first shot make sure you have all your basis covered and have a plan to sell into the opportunity.

3 Steps to move DR into the cloud.

Its time to start planning to expand DR beyond "tape in a briefcase". This is no easy decision; there isn’t reference material with a formula that defines when or what to invest in for an appropriate DR solution. Everyones situation is different, but with public cloud models generating more support, it seems like now is a good time to revisit DR planning.

Step1: Answer the right questions.

How long can I be without my applications and data?
How much am I willing to invest in my plan?

What is the risk of a disaster impacting my business?

As is everything else in life, time and money are critical factors.

To start with I can't confuse the terms Disaster Prevention with Disaster Recovery. I may have redundancy built into my servers and infrastructure with RAID, UPS Systems, Multiple Power Circuits and even a Generator, but this only helps prevent. I need to expect the best, while planning for the worst.

The reality is the "tape in a briefcase" solution is not a bad one. Let's face it, the majority of businesses don't need nor can they afford standing up duplicate infrastructures in multiple regions all synchronizing data across multiple networks. Even if I could afford the infrastructure I'm only dealing with 25% of the equation. When I add in the necessary expertise I need from my ERP consultant, CRM specialist and database architects, working together rebuilding my system...now we're talking a price tag! This reason alone is why most companies are satisfied with "tape in a briefcase" strategies.

So what are my REAL options if a Fire, Tornado, Hurricane, Power Outage or a simple Thunderstorm damages my server infrastructure. What good is my tape without infrastructure to restore too? As I think this through and accept the fact that I'm at a minimum of week to replace hardware, load OS, reinstall network connectivity and install applications before you are ready to restore. The reality is a week is making good time! This can get costly, but all in all a manageable solution for some companies as long as day to day order fulfillment, customer service and billing can continue manually.

Caution: A week can easily turn into two weeks, without having had the ability to fully test a Disaster Recovery Plan and according to Disaster Recovery Planning.Org companies without access to mission critical data for more than 48 hours, will more than likely be out of business in less than a year. 

Step 2: Understand what a public cloud can do.

I must decide what applications and data are critical to the survival of my business. Once established the cloud presents an alternative to DR planning that is worth real consideration. Without a high dollar investment in redundant infrastructure, I only pay for what I need when I need it.  Appica is in its full scale launch mode and is stacked with features.

Within seconds I can login and create a virtual instance, choosing from a variety of Operating Systems and configurations.  I select storage quantities and in less than 3 minutes I have a server at my disposal.  What I was not expecting was the ability to use images, ISO’s and templates that mirror my existing servers!  Not only can I select a generic install of a Windows or Linux Operating systems, but I can get my exact configuration, patch level and applications by taking a snapshot and creating a custom template.

Additionally I can scale on demand by simply shutting down an instance and changing my service to add more power.

If a disaster strikes the Appica cloud gives me the flexibility to take snapshots of my data, create templates, add volumes, create load balancing and manage my firewall from a user friendly console.

Step 3: Choose a vendor

Appica is one of a handful of Infrastructure As A Service public cloud offerings, I would look at your current trusted relationships and see who might be offering a public cloud.  Will they allow you to test the environment? What is their track record for releasing new products or services?  

When it comes to public cloud service offerings understanding the billing is key.  Do they have add on charges for load balancing, fire-walling and IP addresses?  Do they have limitations on storages, snapshots and templates?  How is the storage provisioned and what is the architecture? Ideally you want multiple storage SAN's available to provide the ultimate protection for your data.

As the cloud becomes more readily adopted, functionality will continue to improve.  I am seeing more and more companies investigating cloud services as a feature of their overall DR strategy.  It seems everyone has an opinion and definition of what the cloud looks like, I suggest using the cloud for your next project and let the products speak for itself.

Monday Night Raw and Sharpening your Sales Skills.

In 1991 at The 84 Lumber Company, I was taught the importance of engaging customers, "What are you building today?" is what we were trained to ask everyone who walked through our front door.

At the time I didn't realize the questions greatness, but it steers the customer to talk about their project. We were so well trained in our products that customers relied on our expertise to make sure they got the best material's to finish the job.  We also made sure they didn't leave without basic necessities like screws, nails, joist hangers or paint.  To the customer we were customer service/product experts, the exact place every sales professional should strive to be.

As a Dad in a blended family of eight (8), yes EIGHT, we are constantly working to sharpen our parental sales skills.  Most families have similar core values they want to instill in their children. We are no different, we want our kids to be respectful, resourceful, self-advocates and productive people, but when they walk into the room it is sometimes difficult to engage.  "What are you working on today"...it just doesn't carry the same luster as it did 20 years ago.

I have to work hard to engage my children and meet them right where they are in life, and trust me, the junior high humor days are some of the toughest I have experienced, I would much rather change the diapers of my 1 year old than sit through Monday Night Raw (Which I actually did last night!).

But, in order to learn about what's going on in their life I engage in knock knock jokes, punch buggy, Gin Rummy, Monopoly debates and even watching WWE !  I find the more intimate activities I do with my kids the more they open up and share about their life.  Most of the time I don't have to lead a discussion, I can just listen!

I also believe leading my kids through my actions is far greater than any lecture I can deliver.  I can talk to them all day long about respect, but what they see, is how I choose to treat people.  I have learned to choose my words wisely, remain calm and always display self-control no matter what emotions are going on inside me.  This philosophy is one I adopted in my sales career and being a father helps remind me how crucial these 3 things are in my parenting and professional life:

1. Engage - Much like I was taught 20 years ago at 84 Lumber and in the same way I connect and learn more about my kids, I engage my customers.  I regularly read blog post about their industries, send pertinent information on business or success articles from companies that have implemented new technology.  Schedule regular coffee meetings to talk about their businesses and see if there are any challenges they are currently facing, even if I can't help, I might know someone who can.
2. Listening - One of the greatest things a person can do is repeat back what you have heard to the person you are listening too.  This shows you are interested and you understand exactly what the person is trying to say.  There is an amazing amount of credibility that comes with someone who really knows how to listen.
3. Lead - Customer want to work with people who are experts in their field.  I can put any title on my business card, but the real expertise comes in being an advocate of my products and industry.  I believe in taking leadership roles on committees, supporting the mission of organizations in my industry.  Where is the value in a passive membership in anything?  The real value is participating, voicing your opinion and listening to the opinions of others.

I would never have thought that parenting could be related to sales, but its become very clear to me that no matter what your background is, the "golden rule" apply's in all facets of life.

5 Reasons fishing makes you better at selling.

During my summer break I spent time reflecting on what I can do to be a better Husband, Dad and Sales Professional. I decided to take up fishing.  I've been feeling the need to disconnect from the regular routine, and I enjoy the outdoors, so fishing seemed to be a good candidate.  I am quickly learning the difficulties with fishing and its really helped me understand my need to be more patient.  


There are many factors that make a good sales person and there is a fascinating debate about what are the better characteristics to have:  The Hunter philosophy or The Farmer philosophy. 

The debate centers around two core characteristics of most sales professionals, persistence and empathy. There isn't a right or wrong answer to the debate as there are many factors that need consideration and either trait can be developed to create a winning strategy.  There is a certain amount of wisdom that is required to go from being a good sales professional to being a trusted advisor, consultant and a partner.

There are many ways to draw analogies to the world of selling, but fishing is  helping me with my quest to be a better sales professional.  Here are 5 things I am applying to my sales routine:

1. Preparation:  I spend several hours the night before planning my day on the lake, prospecting maps for the best places to fish and checking water depths (I am usually fishing shallow waters for bluegill and crappie).  I make sure I have all the right tools, a variety of live bait, spinners and lures to handle any situation.  I even take several rods, each uniquely rigged.  I am scheduling prospecting time in my calendar, cold calling, social networking and follow-up are all getting specific time in my calendar.
2. Start Early:  Everyone has an equal playing field when it comes to managing time and fishing, like selling, is no different; I need to rise early and beat the competition to the water.  When the alarm goes off at 5:00 am I am eager with anticipation, wanting to get on the lake to see if my planning will pay off! 
3. Manage my expectations:  As much as it is important to plan, it is equally important to be prepared for stumbling blocks.  When I arrive a the water a mild breeze can make the difference in what bait I start with, cloud cover, wind direction and water temperature are also factors that I need to analyze.  On sales calls I have a plan going in, but I also understand how to adapt to a clients needs.
4. I don’t assume going in I know the solution:  I am expecting the fish to respond to my new “rooster tail”, but it’s still dark and those work best with a little reflection with the sunlight.  On this day my new rooster didn’t make it out of the box, it was a small rubber wax worm with a red tip (A dozen for 1.99 at walmart!!) that is killing the crappie…they can’t get enough.  In sales I must be armed with good questions and never lead with a product or solution until I have exhausted my discovery!
5. I work the entire area:  When prospecting for the best fishing spot I will make 7 or 8 attempts to cast a line to see if I get a nibble or two.  I repeat this process changing bait every so often, listening to the water to see if I hear any fish hitting the surface.  If I am not successful luring something in, I need to cut my losses and find a new spot.  Just like in sales, sometimes I just need to move on.

I enjoy my time on the water, it gives me the opportunity to reflect on what I have tried in the past, whats worked and what doesn't.  Packing down is sometimes the greatest opportunity to learn, as I will often engage others who have an ice chest full of fish.  Thankfully like most sales people, anglers love to share the success too!