Coming back..

You must have seen Tarzan swinging in rythm in order to cross the jugle using the hanging vines.  What happened with me is that this blog got stuck and out of rythm sometime last year.

From then it’s been all about swinging back and forth to try catching the next hanging vine and get a forward momentum.  I think I’m making headway and gotta get back to writing stuff.

What’s happened in the meanwhile is the world seems to be moving to the – “Internet of things”, and I hope this event – http://blogs.developerforce.com/developer-relations/2013/10/every-internet-of-things-thing-at-dreamforce-2013.html turns out interesting after machines got a life with the Dreamforce 12 event.  A very interesting concept was put forward –

 

 

Framing Opportunities

Speaking with a potential business partner and we see a common goal.  However on the way of speaking it looks like there are more opportunities on the horizon.  And yes, both of us agree.

It does not seem to end actually.  Question is, should we focus on that one opportunity and take baby steps or look holistically and develop a framework to work together.

What’s the best way to frame this opportunity?

Posted by Digvijay “VJ” Singh Rathore

How do you De-Commoditize a business platform?

2 ways from what I’ve learned:

a. Make service’s or products which make use of the product more effective( Ex For cars -better engines,better A/C’s, Wash-As-You- Go!!!)

b. Make Subsystems that drive the performance of the modular product( Ex – for an Accounting application add a communication subsystem)

What do you think?

Posted by Digvijay “VJ” Singh Rathore

 

 

Only if there was a process

Everything is already in a process and yet improvement calls for a change.
What should change?
Who should change what?
Should it get more complex or more simple?
Will the extra work of following the process bring in a significant ROI?
How to make people believe?
When will the process stop changing?
—
just some questions which come to mind. Sometimes.

Posted by Digvijay “VJ” Singh Rathore

Data in your CRM

Our SFDC org is constantly re-inventing itself.  Today, I had a chance to sit and look at the way data build’s up as we move through the sales cycle.

This is the standard workflow

lead -> qualification -> Opportunity & Accounts

Then these thoughts came to my mind :-

• How much of data capture should me made compulsory at the start in a lead?
• There are many suppositions at the start, how much of that should be allowed?
• It’s but obvious that the amount of data points increase as the sales cycle moves ahead, how can this be managed?

I made something work for myself and probably this will change. For now, there are no standard answers in my mind.

Posted by Digvijay “VJ” Singh Rathore

 

Holiday’s – To pitch or not to?

Ok, it’s a holiday for many businesses today and I just happened to reach a lead who was never available. The conversation turned out interesting and time was not a constraint.
So, for my test case: It works.
Note: Try it, but at your own risk 🙂
Posted by Digvijay “VJ” Singh Rathore

Ideas and where they come from

So, as always I’m thinking of – What kind of levers can I use to increase our business?

We are a services oriented company and marketing is different for us compared to a product based approach, which fills the market.  I’m thinking of other service based businesses I know of – My barber, My Mechanic etc.

What would happen if the mechanic offered a discounted haircut while my car was being repaired or alternatively a free tire pressure check while I was having my haircut?

So my service based business could use the partnership lever and I immediately called up another founder and explained. The call lasted 10 minutes but turned out good.  We’re now trying to build a business case and hope this works.  What I started thinking after this was – Why didn’t I think about this earlier?

I know partnerships can work but just did not act.  Was this an idea?  I don’t know but I surely like this talk by Steven Johnson on where good ideas come from.

Posted by Digvijay “VJ” Singh Rathore

 

 

 

 

 

Idea’s and Project Plateau’s

Someone said “Good ideas are worth a dime a dozen”. Taking the idea through to action is what actually counts.  I’m not lying when I say this – I go through this cycle and Scott Belsky put this across very well in this beautiful talk at the, 99% conference.  Have a look and  you might just agree with some things

Posted by Digvijay “VJ” Singh Rathore

 

 

No Idling – Do the work.

I went through this slide desk and got a kick in the…..

So simply had to share it and Do the Work

 

Posted by Digvijay Singh Rathore

Pitching it – What’s in a pitch?

A a sales rep, I’m doing it all the time.  I’m also always looking for the best way to pitch.  So, while reading this awesome article by Malcolm Gladwell, called, The Pitchman, I was amazed by the way the pitch works sometimes. Although infomercials are passe right now, what is to be watched is the way this person, Ron Popeil, could connect the dots and make the numbers ring.

More interesting stuff in the two videos below. You will really like it.

And here –

Posted by Digvijay Singh Rathore