Monday, December 29, 2008

Wii Fit - Do You Have One

One of the things I purchased for my beloved bride this Christmas was a Wii Fit. We bought the Wii a few months ago and it has been an interesting thing to play with - good graphics and games - but it was under utilized and really not something we were getting a lot of value from. Good friends from HTG3 - Dave and Lisa Seibert - shared the fun they were having with their Fit and even brought it to show us at the last HTG3 meeting in Burbank in November. I figured as much as they were convinced, it was worth a shot. Of course some of my best (?) friends tried to spin this gift as an indication that my bride was overweight or out of shape. Not the intent at all, and she knows I am not stupid enough to send that kind of message, so it was well recieved.

The buying process was quite interesting. Those little critters are hard to find. I looked all over the Internet to try and find one online, and had no luck around Thanksgiving. Mid December I decided to give it another shot and this time found some but they were marked up almost double the list price. Now that is marketing. Getting an old tightwad to give up enough cash to pay way over list for a product is quite a feat. But they did, and I am really glad I did.

I am not sure how much value there is to the exercise part of the Fit, but the fun part is definitely a good thing and even old people can enjoy it. It gives us an outlet for the competitive nature we all experience and is the kind of enjoyment that will last year after year because I am convinced I will never conquer the activities it comes with. We have had a lot of fun as a family and with friends trying out the various activities. And it is somewhat adictive so it keeps one coming back to try it over and over again. The most frustrating part is the reporting on weight control or lack there of, and its sometimes harsh words about my lack of exercise or work ethic toward exercising. But I have a pretty thick skin when it comes to mechanical women beating up on me because my GPS does the same thing when I don't do what she thinks either. Good thing I still remain completely sensitive when my bride gives me her play by play advice. I only tune out the electronic voices......

So my advice is - check this Wii Fit thing out. It really is fun, I think has some actual exercise value which all of us in IT can use a lot more of, and most of all, can help reduce stress at the end of a long day. I am going to try and figure out how to set things up so I can be ski jumping while I am on a con call or maybe doing a tight rope walk while negoitating a deal. Thankfully my balance on the Wii does not directly correlate to my ability to walk although I do get asked that question a lot by my Wii trainer - if I fall down often when walking.

One other short note - my grandson loves to race cows with me on that little box. He can kick my butt as we knock over trees and fences but it is a fun thing to do together. Fishing is a lot less messy on the Wii too......

Ready to Review 2008?

We are on the edge of closing out 2008, and it is time to do some review. This week Stuart Crawford hosts several HTG members including Sean Fullerton and Joddey Hicks among others to talk about the good, the bad and the ugly from this past year. It is open mike format so you can call in and put your 10 cents into the discussion as well. Catch it at 3 PM Eastern on Tuesday Dec 30 at http://www.smallbusinessitradio.com.

Make sure to use these last days to evaluate what you need to continue in 2009! And what you need to quit doing too!

Thursday, December 18, 2008

Zenith Addresses AVG Issues

Those who are partnered with Zenith know that there has been an attempt to move from AVG to Bit Defender as an AV solution in their MSP platform. It hasn't gone well for many, so we have had lots of chatter on the topic over the last few weeks. This morning the official word came out that they are extending the AVG licenses until March 2009 while they address the challenges. Here is the official word that came out this morning:

We will be extending the licenses for AVG until March 2009. The license extension will be for existing Sites where AVG is installed and has expired or will expire before March 2009. We are working out the details for Partners to request the AVG license extension and will update you as soon as possible. Please check the RSS feeds on the Partner Support Portal for the latest news.

I spoke with Clinton this morning and they have committed to share their roadmap for AV as soon as it is fixed. It will likely be after the first of the new year before that is settled. As soon as they have a roadmap, it will be shared with the channel so keep your eyes open for that news.

Monday, December 15, 2008

A Word of Correction or at Least Reason

Ingram Micro released a press release today about the relationship with HTG (which we announced months ago actually – July in Houston to be exact) and because of their clout it is on every news service known to mankind. That is one of the benefits of working with Ingram – they do know how to get attention from press and vendors. If you haven’t read it, check it out at these two links currently with more coming I am sure:

CRN Story - http://www.crn.com/it-channel/212500324;jsessionid=OIG5Q1TGN12OGQSNDLOSKH0CJUNN2JVN

Echannel Story - http://www.echannelline.com/usa/story.cfm?item=24025

So there is need for a few words of clarification. Always interesting to see how news comes out. Here is the real skinny.

- HTG is still HTG and will be called such and continues to be totally independent from Ingram – they are contracting with HTG to provide peer group services for their members that qualify
- HTG is managing all peer groups and activities (contrary to what the story in CRN says)
- Much of the activity will involve online groups
- Ingram is providing help with vendor management and backend infrastructure
- Ingram is allowing all HTG members to receive the benefits of their SMBA program and will help recruit partners that are a fit
- Ingram is helping with vendor recruitment, vendor contracts and fundraising

So the reality is that we as HTG are getting the industry leader’s help in building out our program and bringing additional benefits to our members, and we are helping them provide value to partners in their program that want and qualify to get involved in a peer group. It really is that simple. A win for both of us. So if you read the article and got excited – take a deep breath – it is business as usual for HTG. We didn’t sell out or give away the farm. Quite the opposite. Actually it is not just business as usual but business much better than usual with HTG 2.0. We are going to have a fantastic year as we add more and more value to this program. There are some fantastic changes happening to companies that leverage their peers in our community, and the best is just beginning. I look forward to making it even better as we continue down the path together. Have a Merry Christmas!

Looking for the Perfect Gift

If you are looking for the perfect holiday gift, check out the holiday offers from MSPU.

http://www.mspu.us/en/store/holiday-promotions.htm

If you need a great book to have your loved one wrap and put under the tree, this is a great source. The gift of learning is one of the best gifts you can ever give or recieve!

Saturday, December 13, 2008

Link to our Discussion on Blogtalk Radio

Here is the link to the recording on the blogtalk radio show from Friday that Stuart Crawford hosted. Check it out if you are interested at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/smb/2008/12/12/marketplace-ministry. Have a Merry Christmas!

Thursday, December 11, 2008

A Blogtalk Radio Discussion on Friday

Join Stuart Crawford, Jeff Wood, Brad Schow, Rick Bahl and me (all HTG members) on Friday at noon eastern on blogtalk radio. We will be talking about ministry in the workplace and how faith and business do not have to be separated and kept apart. It will be a lively discussion about how the things that are part of who we are as business owners can’t just be checked at the door when we arrive at work, and will address ways to be respectful of employees and others we work with but true to the inner beliefs we all possess. Join us on Friday at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/smb and join the conversation.

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Lessons from a Cabbie

I spent a few days this week in Houston to attend the HP SMB Partner Advisory Council. Great meeting and more than ever I know why HTS is an HP partner and why I own stock in that company. Great company - they do get the channel - and they are going to dominate the marketplace in time. They have their act together, great people driving the bus, fantastic technology and a deep understanding of the need for a strong partner base with deep customer relationships. So good meetings and I feel proud to be a partner.

But the real learning for me happened after the meetings ended. The biggest learning of the time in Houston happened on my ride to the airport. Herb Charles was the cabbie that picked me up Monday afternoon at Hobby and drove me all the way up to north Houston. He runs an independent cab and treats his fares as clients. We had a delightful visit on the way up to the hotel, and when we arrived I asked if he would be willing to pick me up and take me back Wednesday. I don't do that with most cabbies - I am just glad to have survived the ride. So I called Herb in the morning and he agreed to be there at noon to grab me. He was there 15 minutes early and waiting when I hit the lobby. Now this is a regular cab driver – not a limo or town car guy. We talked about how he runs his business and the reality that a lot of his business comes from repeat customers which is far better than finding new ones. He said many people call him when they return to town, and most who travel do come back at some point. That is some forward thinking - long term - they will be back and he wants them to remember him. He has been hauling rides for 17 years and does pretty well. Much happier now that he paid $1.36 a gallon for gas this week, but the reality is that he understands customer service. When I dug a little deeper it quickly came to light that his success is all because he pays attention to the details. He talked to me about things of interest and made sure I was comfortable and happy with his service. He had business cards and a few things on there really stood out. Remember, Herb drives a cab, a Caravan to boot.

Prompt, professional and courteous service
Spacious, comfortable and immaculate
Appointments welcome

And he has an email address listed on his card – he gets his email on his phone, suggests his “clients” text him or email their schedules and he will reply with an appointment. This is a cab driver folks – he gets it. No he didn’t polish my shoes or hand me a newspaper or bottle of water, but he gave me a great ride, down to earth conversation and taught me something about life too. Herb demonstrates how taking care of the customer is always the way to grow your busienss and your future. Lessons from a cabbie - I learned some, or was reminded of them in a very real way today!

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

When Things Don't Go as Planned......

This past week one of our best vendor partners - SonicWall - had a problem that has sent some chills through the channel. While this is not going to be a description of the problem - a licensing server failure after routine maintenance gone bad - it is my perception of how the issue was handled and some realities we need to face as solution providers. (If you want to read the internal Sonicwall analysis of the cause and the resulting actions taken - I have posted it with permission here: http://www.heartlandtechnologies.com/pdf_files/SonicWALL_LM_System_Root_Cause_Analysis_and_Corrective_Action_Report.pdf)

So what should our reaction be when a vendor has an issue? Some partners would say we should react strongly, move on to another vendor, get angry, string them up - lots of reaction out there in the channel when any vendor has an issue. While we can't just pretend it didn't happen, we can respond appropriately and act as the word used to describe us is put into action - partner. My opinion of partnering revolves around a few things:

1. No vendor is perfect. There will be days things don't happen quite as planned. Let's be honest, it happens in our businesses more than we want to admit. Technology sometimes doesn't work. People make mistakes. Things just happen. I am reminded of something I learned from scripture - "let him who is without sin cast the first stone". That won't be me - I am far from perfect and so is HTS. Reasonable is the way I think we have to approach it.

2. We should hold vendors accountable. At the same time, we also need to hold our vendors accountable to provide us the best service, products and information possible. That means we communicate constructively about what can be done better. We help make changes that are needed, offer suggestions where appropriate, and participate in the solution. It is easy to second guess things after the fact. Could SonicWall have communicated sooner? Probably. Hindsight is always 20/20.

3. We should evaluate how they take responsibility when there are issues. One of the things that I watch closely is how a vendor reacts when things don't go well. Some run and point fingers. Some deny that anything is wrong. In this case, SonicWall gets a strong grade from me for openly communicating with the channel. Multiple emails, phone calls and follow up communications. They admitted there was a problem and they put resources into action to work at resolution. I had multiple calls from key SonicWall team members making sure we were able to serve our clients well. They took the bull by the horns, ate some crow and appologized for the situation. That impresses me and tells me a lot about the leadership at the top of SonicWall. Matt Medeiros, CEO, personally called me yesterday to check on the status of our customers. That is class and much appreciated.

4. We should never forget that as SMB VAR's - the customer is our responsibility. More and more I am seeing SMB VAR's that seem to want to "hand off" the customer responsibility to a vendor. It is primarily happening with MSP and help desk relationships, but it seems to be slowly migrating everywhere. We want to sell a solution, leverage a service or product, and then pretend we are off the hook with our customer. If there are issues we just point fingers at the vendor we are partnered with. But our customers could care less why there is a problem. They only know that as their trusted business advisor they depend on us to take care of them. So yes in this case, SonicWall caused an issue. But at the end of the day it is an issue we own together. The customer is our customer and they entrusted their business to us. We can't pass that off on anyone. We have to take ownership of the customer relationship and stay focused on serving them no matter what. Selling any solution does not relieve us of the responsibility to make sure the customer is taken care of. No matter what......

My advice is to partner closely with your vendor partners. They will make a mistake now and then. They will try your patience and do things that don't make sense, at least on the surface. But they are your partner, and you need to put skin in the game to make investments, build relationships and work hard to be successful together. While I hope we don't have any more issues like this for a long time, I know that more than before this happened, we are partnered with a great company and will continue to build and grow our businesses together as we tackle whatever comes at us.

Need a Good Book?

Good friend and supporter of the channel - Karl Palachuk - runs a great little book store that actually goes by the name of Great Little Book Publishing Company Inc. He is in California, an entrepreneurial partner who saw a need for quality information for those of us serving the SMB, so decided to do something about it a few years ago and start a little sideline business selling books and other things to support the channel. He is having a year end close out on books and you can check out his resources if you need anything SMB at http://smallbizthoughts.blogspot.com/2008/12/end-of-year-sale.html. More and more I am learning that there is a lot of quality information out there that is really helpful if one just takes the time to read and put it to use. I should have probably tried a little more of that in school.......check it out and see if anything he has fits your needs!

Microsoft and HP announce combined SaaS Effort

From CRN - Microsoft Corp. and HP today announced a joint initiative that will enable value-added resellers (VARs) to benefit from a Software Plus Services (aka SaaS) business model by providing new revenue streams and helping them be strategic advisors to their clients. HP and Microsoft plan to equip VARs with comprehensive tools and guidance that will enable them to “private label” Microsoft’s solutions that are hosted by managed service providers.

So do you care? Should any of us care? The reality is we have to adapt to the changing marketplace if we want to continue to be relevant. I don’t see immediate impact in the SMB space with cloud computing, but I could be surprised as the economy could drive more companies to make the jump rather than a capital investment. But at the end of the day if we are doing our jobs well as trusted business advisors, most of our clients in the SMB will do what we lead them to do. I believe we need to understand the opportunities and requirements of being successful with the cloud and SaaS, TaaS or whatever other acronyms that will come up, but overall, we just need to always keep the customer needs top of mind and center of our actions and we will have a place in the technology ecosystem. Microsoft and HP are providing us tools to enable us to engage in this new playground that take out a significant portion of the cost of entry. There is a definite trade off in revenue opportunity as an expected result, but at least we can go to market with trusted technology partners that we can rely on to build a practice around. There is still much to learn and figure out, but it is time for all of us in the channel to get after the pending transition and prepare for the future. The waters will get muddy before they clear up again……my thoughts and I am sticking to them.

Sunday, December 7, 2008

So What About the Economy II

I wrote a couple weeks ago about some of the things I think are key to being successful when the economy is a bit out of the norm, and today's circumstances certainly fit that bill. While I am still not sure how much of the current situation is real vs perception, it doesn't matter any more. The actions being taken with job layoffs, cap ex spending cuts, travel lockdowns and the like make it real and an environment we all have to address. As I talk with a lot of partners across the country, there are still only a few that are seeing any significant change in business. HTS had another decent month in November, which is traditionally softer for us anyway. But the key is to keep your eyes and ears wide open and be ready to take action if warranted. It is time to PLAN and hope you never have to actually carry out the plan.

In a way you can consider the planning to be disaster recovery for your company. If the economy truly tanks for us in the SMB sector, the impact will be external to us, but it will be real none the less. We need to have a strategy in place to be able to pull the trigger and take action if things get bad, rather than be paralyzed by needing to figure it out under the gun. It is a lot better to take the time now to decide how you will adapt rather than get down to the last dollars in the good old checking account and have to take drastic action because you can't make payroll any more. I encourage you to put a plan in place with trigger levels that will cause aspects of that plan to be set in motion. It is time to prepare before any possible disaster strikes. It is different than a hurricane, tornado or earthquake in some ways, but the results can be just as devastating if we aren't ready. I would love to see how you are preparing to deal with a tough economy in 2009. Now is the time to get ready! HTG will be focused on making sure we are all ready to weather whatever storm comes our way this year. Together we can tackle it much better than on our own.

Friday, December 5, 2008

While we are talking about webcasts.....

Stuart Crawford notified me of a couple upcoming webcasts that may be of interest

The first is on the topic of goal setting. This is certainly the time of year to be working on that and now it is more important than ever with the economic conditions.

The second is around a new certification program coming out called the Trusted Business Advisor program. It is an interesting project and HTG has been looking into it as a possible tool for our members to differentiate in the marketplace. Here are the links with details:

http://sbsc.itsuccessmentor.com/?p=344

and

http://sbsc.itsuccessmentor.com/?p=340

Take a listen and share what you learn that is of value with those around you. That is the go-giver way!

A couple great webcast opportunities

During these tough economic times, it is more important than ever to leverage the resources available to us to keep business flowing. Erick Simpson from MSPU has a couple webinars next week with Microsoft that you should consider attending. Check out the details here:

First, join me on Tuesday, December 9, 2008 at 9:00am PST for our December State of the Industry live Webinar titled: "Leveraging the Microsoft Events Engine to Increase Your Sales Opportunities"...

REGISTER HERE

My special guest for this valuable session is our good friend Michael "MJ" Murphy, Microsoft Business Development Manager and Local Engagement Team member. If you haven't kept up with my blog on the LET team and their initiatives and goals, you're in for an extra special treat. MJ will walk us through all of the ways we can leverage Microsoft's resources and reveal how we can maximize our partnering relationship to receive the benefits that the LET initiative can provide. This will be a Webinar you won't want to miss! About Michael J. Murphy: MJ Murphy brings over 20 years of technology and entrepreneurial experience to Microsoft's Local Engagement Team. In his role as Business Development Manager he actively engages Microsoft partners who want to grow their businesses through deeper engagement with Microsoft. So join us on Tuesday, December 9th and learn how to leverage Microsoft's events marketing engine to drive new prospects into your business!

Next, join me on Friday, December 12th at 9am PST for a very special Microsoft 5W/50 Webinar titled: Maximizing Service Delivery Profits During Economic Downturns
2009 looks to be another year of belt-tightening for businesses, with the recession now a reality as markets decline and stock indexes hover near their lowest levels since the 1980's. How will our economic outlook affect Service Providers, and what can we do to weather the next 12 months to grow our businesses and become more profitable than we were in 2008? Learn how to reduce costs, increase revenue and leverage existing client relationships in order to sell more solutions as a Trusted Advisor during times of economic uncertainty.

During this timely Webcast I will discuss how the recession will affect your customers and prospects, and what you can do to weather the next 12 months to grow your business and become more profitable than in 2008. This discussion will include 10 key takeaways that will help you increase your profits in 2009 and beyond.

REGISTER HERE

This has been the most requested keynote and breakout conference presentation I have been asked to deliver this year, and you will be able to see it live on Friday, December 12th at 9am PST!