Early last November I sat with Chris Larsen over breakfast as he explained his perspective on Progress‘ market presence. Chris had been following Progress for years and had recently joined Progress as Executive VP of Sales. He summed up the challenges faced by the company with a story of a recent customer visit.
This big bank he visited had no idea who Progress was. They were a customer of OpenEdge, DataDirect and Sonic, and there was a big Apama deal on the table. We were late to the deal, and didn’t have the strategic relationship with the bank that we should have had as a long term technology provider. A relationship, I might add that was critical to beating some of the smaller startups competing against Apama for the business. Chris was frustrated that there were four sales teams in at the bank, none of which showed a whit of interest in working with the other.
Tons of reasons, obvious to anyone at Progress, as to why that was the case.
Just 8 months later, I’d like to share an experience. The experience was fittingly my final Progress performance. Read more…
…I would have resigned years ago.
After 26 countries, almost 8 years, and (depending on how you count) 5 significant corporate changes, I’m pleased to announce my resignation from Progress (Actional).
I made the very difficult decision to leave about 9 weeks ago. It’s been a whirlwind of self-reflection, networking, and interviewing. During this time I’ve learned a tremendous amount about myself, and about looking for a new role. I hope to share my insights now that my resignation is public.
I will be taking the next few weeks off to work on Where’s Your Heart? and my yoga practice, and visiting Oshita Sensei in Munich for a 3 day iaido seminar before starting my new role. Stay tuned.
PS Please remember to connect with me if you’d like to stay in touch. Either Facebook or Linked In. And, if you’re so inclined I welcome Linked In recommendations.
Got in very late last night after my drive home from Bedford. Not too bright this morning as a result. And, distracted. And, have start a 2 week business trip this weekend (so a little self-absorbed).
In any case, I followed an older man using a walker into the elevator. He was accompanied by his wife who still moved gracefully, if slowly.
As we hit the ground floor, he immediately shooed me through the door, as if to say “you’re faster than we are, go.” But there was more too. I could “see”.
I patiently waited for the lady to leave the elevator first, as is appropriate. Stubbornly ignoring his “shooing me” with my body language.
Once she was out, and without saying a word he shooed me again. I saw the same thing in his eyes as before. So, I deliberately turned and pushed the “hold door” button, and without a word told him “you’re not in the way because your old or slow”.
Got that awesome smile in return that you only get from babies and old people. You know which one I’m talking about? The one that is pure delight.
Now, I’m better equipped for today.
Let me first give credit for that phrase to Fred Wilson, a NYC venture capitalist who blogged about email overload earlier this week. I came across his post, and a post by Mark Suster in response (continuation) to Fred’s. These guys are speaking out about a real problem for people like us who want to be available and need to keep track of what’s going on.
The purpose of this post is mostly to say “me too”, and also to point out a couple of startups they link to that I’m excited to have found. I setup accounts for both, and am pleased they exist. Read more…
Yah. I said it. I’m doing something very wrong. In fact, with respect to blogging and social media, it relates to one of the biggest pieces of advice I’d give other people. Not that I’m such a big advisor, I just have a big mouth and am “a little” opinionated. Read more…
Here’s a tip for presales engineers selling complex technology.
There we go, I’m already off on a tangent. My poor brain.
You see, I said “…engineers selling…” Yep, that’s the job of the sales engineer. Don’t fool yourselves. You get paid to sell. You’re the people with the credibility. Where the sales person manages the mechanics of the sales process, it’s the sales engineer that establishes credibility and demonstrates value.
I was once questioned by a customer about a higher price than a competitor (a distributor who took my design and priced it). My response… “you pay more because you get me.” It’s a funny story, but suffice it to say that I was lucky my sales guy was on vacation that day. He would have had heart failure at my response, and he would have just matched the distributor’s price. I sold the value (along with a little humor) and the customer agreed. They purchased at our higher price.
Anyways, back on track. Read more…
There’s a ton going on here at Progress, and a lot of it affects me. I’ve been particularly quiet, in part because the things happening aren’t necessarily what I’m able to speak about openly. It’s a judgment call of course, as I have no editor but my own ethical conscience.
In particular, I’d like to weigh in on the Savvion acquisition we just completed and my new role. But, I don’t feel comfortable doing either just yet.
I recently had the opportunity to present to the entire company during our annual sales conference keynote; a presentation that was streamed out to all our offices. I’ve got the recording, and I believe it to be appropriate to share that experience as part of my online resume/blog.
So, what you’ll hear/watch/read here is a bit about our go to market strategy and message through the charade of an executive sales call that uses a solution demonstration to convince a fictional CEO, Pete, of the value that Progress can help him and his company achieve.
As some of you know, I’m working on starting a non-profit that will improve people’s lives through charitable living. My idea is to bring people together around global events and generate infectious positive energy that will give participants a sense of fulfillment and purpose. The rewards we’ll receive by participating will reinforce our place in the community, rather than our current materialistic habits. I believe our culture is changing, and we’re going to lead the charge.
Read more…
I was at a sake tasting last night listening to a lecture on how sake is made. I got a real sense for the craftsmanship that goes into sake making. It seems that high end sake almost exclusively does one key part of the process by hand, though they could easily get machines to do something almost as good.
Read more…
Was just on the phone with my hand surgeon’s office making an appointment. Turns out, I need x-rays before the appointment. The receptionist says “would you like to hold so I can call and make the appointment with the x-ray lab for you?”
She must have taken my stunned silence for yes, because she efficiently left and returned confirming my appointment and answering my question before I could even verbalize it (Yes, I do need to wait for the film to be developed and then bring them and my hands to the office).
How’s that for service? Surprised. Maybe you wouldn’t be if I told you that this doctor is not in my insurance plan.
Read more…
