Artificial Intelligence, Business Development, IT Services, Sales & Marketing, Training

How to improve Software Technology Sales?




This video is about software solution sales and marketing, but equally applicable to other technology sales. There is a great pressure to achieve results fast by trying to qualify a buyer and trying to move ahead. And to make things more difficult, a Booz Allan Hamilton study found that 85% of a company’s brand value is projected through the interaction between the buyer and seller (so all the previous branding can fall flat easily)- that makes it very challenging to differentiate yourself when you have just about 20% of the buyer’s time.

So one of the biggest challenges facing today’s software sales forces is their ability to have “perfect conversations” with executive buyers. Too many conversations are centered around value propositions that are not aligned and not tailored to an executive buyer’s key business issues and personal motivations.

Chris Deren, CEO of SellMasters, was a keynote speaker at the SLAM (Sales, Licensing, Alliances & Marketing for Software Companies) 2006. He defines “the perfect conversation” and its essential ingredients — and how software companies can align and optimize their sales, marketing and product teams for them. In this video, Deren discusses how to:

  • See the world through the eyes of executive buyers – Avoid being delegated to—and filtered out by—procurement. 90% of all IT vendors are considered non-strategic by buyers. So how do you move into the elite 10% club? Become executive centric to understanding their motivations and their cherished initiatives. Its difficult but that’s the differentiator
  • Turn complex product portfolios into simple value-driven stories
  • Create “last mile” marketing content that salespeople crave
  • Achieve and maintain “trusted advisor” status critical to success

About the Presenter: Chris Deren is the CEO of SellMasters, which offers sales performance optimization (SPO) services. He is a high-tech industry veteran with over 25 years of experience in building entrepreneurial teams, leading world-class sales organizations, and identifying and executing against winning go-to-market strategies for companies such as IBM, Xerox and Dun & Bradstreet.

IT Services, Risk Management

SOX Compliance Experience Sharing

Thanks to SOX Television for sharing this video with us. Lane Butler and Adam Kaiser are doing a great job out there and we wish them great success.

In the following video, Ron Edmonds, the Global Accounting Director of The Dow Chemical Company, provides rare insight into how a Fortune 500 company with 30,000 internal controls tests, 19 finance systems and 4,500 self assessments manages its Sarbanes-Oxley and compliance programs. Topics discussed include organizational structure, team roles and responsibilities, communication, procedures, documentation and the use of technology.



And the following video features Sean Ballington, Regional Systems & Process Assurance Leader with PricewaterhouseCoopers discussing how companies can reduce compliance costs by working ahead of the auditor, correctly identifying key controls, and successfully employing these techniques to increase operational efficiency.

FAQ, Healthcare

Ayurveda – A Natural Way to Health and Happiness

Ayurveda is the oldest form of complimentary medicine known to man and is more popular than ever, as people seek natural ways to live healthier and happier lives. If this is what you are looking for look no further than Ayurveda.

 

History and Origins

 

Ayurvedic medicine originated over 5,000 years ago in India is the oldest form of holistic medicine known to man. Ayurveda is a Sanskrit word meaning: ayu-life; veda-knowledge of); this knowledge of life is the key to harmonizing our body and spirit, which enhances wellbeing and helps us fight and prevent disease and ill health.

 

The knowledge of Ayurveda is believed to be of Divine origin and was communicated to the saints and sages who received its knowledge through meditation.

 

Ayurvedic knowledge was passed down from generation to generation, by word of mouth and then finally put into writing in the Vedas, which are believed to be the oldest writings in the world.

 

Ayurveda is part of the spiritual tradition of the Sanatana Dharma Universal, or Vedic Religion. VedaVyasa and shaktavesha avatar of Vishnu, put into writing the concepts of Ayurveda, along with writings on spiritual insights of self realization contained in the Vedas and the Vedic literatures.

 

Current practicing of Ayurveda is generally taken from later writings, primarily the Caraka Samhita the Ashtang Hrdyam, and finally, the Sushrut Samhita.

 

These describe the basic principles and theories from which Ayurveda has evolved.

 

Ayurveda

 

As with any holistic form of medicine it sees treatment of the whole as the key to wellness – this does not just mean treating the symptoms of an illness but looking at the broader picture of our total being.

 

Ayurveda aims to facilitate the union of our Spirit with the Divine Universal Power (God consciousness) – In essence a healthy mind and body forms a temple for our spirit.

 

Principles

 

Ayurveda works on the principle that our being is the result of a combination of the five elements:

 

Ether, air, fire, water and earth all combine, in variations called the three doshas, Vata, Pitta and Kapha.

 

Vata is a combination of ether and air, Pitta is mainly fire and some water and Kapha is a combination of both water and earth.

 

When one has a perfect balance of these three doshas, a person is at the peak of health however, when an imbalance of these three doshas occurs, disease, illness and poor health follows.

 

How Ayurveda Works

 

Ayurveda operates to prevent illness by understanding the function of the body, the relationship of body and mind and the particular individual nature of the individual being treated.

 

Each individual has a specific constitution and Ayurveda offers a systemic approach to well-being customized specifically to the body type of the individual.

 

Treatments

 

Ayurvedic medicine uses the following in the healing process

 

Advice on diet

 

The provision of specific ayurvedic medications

 

Herbal medicines

 

Massage

 

Meditation

 

Yoga, Breathing and various relaxation techniques

 

Depending on your particular health problems, an ayurvedic therapist may suggest any or all of these treatments.

 

– Increase energy and promote overall well being

 

– Balance mind, body and spirit

 

– Reduce Stress

 

– Prevent and cure ill health and disease

 

Ayurveda for Life

 

Ayurveda is the art and science of harmonious, healthy living and is a way of life.

 

Its emphasis is on education, and promoting self-healing by self-realization, to help the body return to and stay, in a natural state of balance.

 

Ayurveda is growing in popularity and many companies today are promoting wellness retreats in its country of origin – India.

 

With cheaper flights than ever combined with well qualified therapists and a beautiful culture to explore more people than ever are taking advantage of this ancient form of healing to treat a variety of conditions and achieve better overall health.

 

The Best In Healthcare At Lower Cost

 

FREE Quotes / Reports & Info

 

And More on medical treatment in India [http://meddetour.com/articles.html] and how to reduce the cost by up to 80% , receive the best treatment and take advantage of a variety of holiday options contact us at: [http://www.meddetour.com/home.html]

 

Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Kelly_Price/23580

 

 

 

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/707097

Leadership

Leadership Found in the Few and the Small

Introduction

Envision an army of ants, multitudes of them carrying food and piling the food on a large rock. These ants are performing their task in uniformity and in a sequential order. The leadership is responsible for delivering the goods in order to maintain the survival of the ant colony.
On the human side, imagine a commanding officer of a unit assigned to a foreign country, responsible for his troops’ safety, operating an efficient command post, defending his country, and operating as an assumed dignified commander.

“Success in leadership, success in business, and success in life has been, is now,

and will continue to be a function of how well people work and play together (Kouzes & Posner, 2002, pg. 21).”

The two films which were selected represented a virtual-time situation, “A Bug’s Life” and a real-time situation “A Few Good Men.” Each film demonstrated a leadership style conducive to its environment and a communication style which revealed its strengths and weaknesses. Both films illustrated deception in leadership, the revelation of power in numbers, and the success and failure of leadership in action.

Analyzing Leadership in the Ants

The main character of this movie was an ant name Flik. Flik was an army ant who had a creative imagination. His role brought challenges to the leadership team and forced them to make a decision to send him away to find an answer to their dilemma of confronting the grasshoppers. In the beginning of the movie, the ants are gathering food and marching the food up to a rock. This gathering of food serves a two-fold purpose:

 

  • First, to feed the swarm of rebellious grasshoppers, led by “Hopper” their leader, and
  • Second, to secure the survival of the ant colony.

 

The story focuses on a colony of ants who seasonally gather food for themselves and a wild gang of rowdy grasshoppers. When bumbling worker-ant Flik (David Foley) destroys the food supply, the angry grasshoppers, lead by the maniacally warped Hopper (Kevin Spacey) threaten to kill the ants if they don’t produce a new supply of food by the time they return, an impossible feat. Flik leaves the anthill in search of help in the form of bigger bugs to wage war against the grasshoppers. What he doesn’t know is he has actually discovered a group of down-on-their-luck traveling circus insects in need of a job. When the ants realize that their heroes are really circus performers (and the circus bugs realize that these grasshoppers are really big and mean) the situation goes from bad to worse. Ultimately the ants use their large numbers to overcome the grasshoppers. (Gore, 1998, http://www.allmovie.com).

Yukl’s definition of leadership basically defined the process in which leadership was demonstrated in “A Bug’s Life.”

 

Leadership is the process of influencing others to understand and agree about what needs to be done and how it can be done effectively, and the process of facilitating individual and collective efforts to accomplish the shared objectives (pg. 7).

 

Leadership was prevalent in all parts of the movie. The “Queen Ant” and the “Princess” were the female leaders who were born into their natural assignment by virtue of the fact they were the reproducers of the colony. They performed their assignment with the utmost of integrity, considering the safety and well-being of the colony. Because of this demand, their leadership skills reflected, “….consensus building, inclusiveness, and interpersonal relations, being willing to develop and nurture subordinates and to share power and information with the colony (Carr-Ruffino, 1993; Grant, 1988; Hegelsen, 1990; Rosener, 1990) (Yukl, pg. 412).” The movie demonstrated how each ant was committed to the survival of the ant colony; thus, demonstrating the shared power from the leadership. Leadership’s goal was to organize and protect the colony, laying down their life for one another if necessary.

 

A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another (John 13:34, NIV)

 

Although there was a Hierarchical type of leadership, the movie shifted the spotlight to the workers who were part of a “networking” which reflected the Paradigm Shift stated in Benus and Nanus book, written by Chronicler John Naisbitt (1997, pg. 13).

Communication in the Colony

When Flik was sent away to seek help, he heard the colony cheer for his leaving. The colony was communicating a cheer of “yea, he is leaving” but Flik thought they were communicating a cheer of “yea, he is going to find help.” Communication was the main element in this movie. There was:

 

  • Miscommunication – When the colony sent Flik away to seek help, they did not communicate the real reason of why he was being sent away.
  • Non-communication – When Flik hired the circus bugs, he did not communication to them the real purpose of their going to the colony.

 

Body language was prevalent in the movie and reflected powerful emotions throughout
the movie:

 

The face is the language of emotions. Different parts of it are used to display different emotions. Fear is usually looked for in the eyes, as is sadness. Happiness is seen in the cheeks and the mouth as well as in the eyes. Surprise is seen in the forehead, eyes and mouth (Latiolais-Hargrave, 1999, pg. 39).

 

Communication was a powerful tool within the colony expressing emotions, surprise, anger, and deception. The biggest turnaround in the movie took place when the Princess communicated to the colony to rally together and unify for the purpose of saving what generations of ants have fought for. Once the Princess realized the colony was more powerful in number and unity, they were able to defeat the grasshoppers and end their harassment. The model of communication which this movie followed was the Superior and Subordinate Nonverbal Relationships: Appearance, Gesture and Movement, Face and Eye, Vocal Behavior, Space, Touch, Environment, Scent, and Time. This reflected the Higher Status definitions and the relationship to the Lower Status relationships (Goldhaber, 1993, pg. 197).

Analyzing A Few Good Men

The main character of this movie was Navy lawyer Lt. Daniel Kaffee. He was assigned to defend two Marines who were facing a Court Martial for the death of a fellow Marine. The intensity of the movie bounced leadership off the wall in almost every scene. From the beginning of the assignment of defending the accused until the end of the trial, the leadership and the tremendous interaction revealed a range of leadership from the ethical down to the dark side of charisma.

In this military courtroom drama based on the play by Aaron Sorkin, Navy lawyer Lt. Daniel Kaffee (Tom Cruise) is assigned to defend two Marines, Pfc. Louden Downey (James Marshall) and Lance Cpl. Harold Dawson (Wolfgang Bodison), who are accused of the murder of fellow leatherneck Pfc. William Santiago (Michael DeLorenzo) at the U.S. Navy base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Kaffee generally plea bargains for his clients rather than bring them to trial, which is probably why he was assigned this potentially embarrassing case. But when Lt. Commander JoAnne Galloway (Demi Moore) is assigned to assist Kaffee, she is convinced that there’s more to the matter than they’ve been led to believe and convinces her colleague that the case should go to court. Under questioning, Downey and Dawson reveal that Santiago died in the midst of a hazing ritual known as “Code Red” after he threatened to inform higher authorities that Dawson opened fire on a Cuban watchtower. They also state that the “Code Red” was performed under the orders of Lt. Jonathan Kendrick (Keifer Sutherland). Kendrick’s superior, tough-as-nails Col. Nathan Jessup (Jack Nicholson), denies any knowledge of the order to torture Santiago, but when Lt. Col. Matthew Markinson (J.T. Walsh) confides to Kaffee that Jessup demanded the “Code Red” for violating his order of silence, Kaffee and Galloway have to find a way to prove this in court. A Few Good Men also features Kevin Bacon as prosecuting attorney Capt. Jack Ross, and Kevin Pollak as Kaffee and Galloway’s research assistant, Lt. Sam Weinberg. — (Deming, 1992, http://www.allmovie.com).

The lawyers and the Marine Officers each formed their leadership relationships which described the Leader-Member Exchange Theory (LMX). This theory “…describes the role-making processes between a leader and an individual subordinate (Dansereau, Graen, & Haga, 1975; Graen & Cashman, 1975) (Yukl, pg. 116).” The exchange relationship usually takes one of two different forms. According to the theory, most leaders establish a special exchange relationship with a small number of trusted subordinates who function as assistants, lieutenants, or advisors (Yukl, pg. 116). In the case of the Marine Commander and the LMX Theory, his intention in usurping his authority was for deceptive purposes. The lawyers utilized the LMX (Yukl, pg. 116) Theory to produce a values and ethical outcome for the Marine prisoners.

Continue reading →

Leadership

Defining Leadership – Trying to Understand

You can ask ten different people what their definition of leadership is and you will probably get ten different answers. Leadership doesn’t have a specific definition. By giving it a definition, you are putting restrictions and limitations on the word and the true value of leadership. Leadership is something that is complicated to explain and understand. It is formless; it doesn’t take on a particular shape or form, nor does it go in one particular direction. A great leader can adjust to any situation at any given time, under any circumstance, and still come out successful.

Leadership is something that can’t be measured or tested by science or technology. Leadership theories are based on an opinion of an individual, i.e., human factors, and no two humans are the same. Although it can’t be measured by science, it is considered a soft science, because you really can’t base it off of experimental data. No one can prove what it is, but they can show what it does. It is like fine art, it crafts in a formless way that tends to go in many different directions at any given time. Leadership is rational and emotional; it involves both sides of human experience, which can include your “firmness, fairness, dignity and compassion.”

Some people believe that being a leader is either in one’s genes or not; others believe that life experiences mold the individual, and no one is born a leader, hence the saying “Leaders are made, not born.” Who’s to say which is right? This saying has been an ongoing debate for years and always will be. But in a sense, they both are right and they both are wrong. “Both views are right in the sense that innate factors, as well as formative experiences, influence many sorts of behavior, including leadership. Yet, both views are wrong to the extent they imply leadership is either innate or acquired” (Hughes, 2006). What matters most is how well a leader makes these factors interact with one another.

Leadership can be created from inspiration and a leader must have a true passion to lead. A true leader understands that leadership is continuous and is a constant learning process. He also understands that leadership is a process and not a position. There are great leaders, but there are not perfect leaders. A great leader must have failed at something in order to succeed. If you have never failed at anything, you can never appreciate the true value of success.

A good leader is someone who utilizes effective leadership skills in dealing with people. They are someone who respects their subordinates as well as their leaders. In reality, a leader is a servant for his subordinates; he works for them just as much as they work for him. A leader must work to make sure that his subordinates are taken care of to the best of his ability by utilizing all of his leadership skills. In turn, his subordinates will take care of him.

Subordinates expect leaders to show them the standard and train them to reach it. They expect leaders to lead by example. Additionally, they expect leaders to keep them informed and not withhold the truth. Leaders may have to ask others to make extraordinary sacrifices to achieve goals. Leaders may have to call on them to do things that seem impossible. “If leaders have trained their people to standard, inspired their willingness, and consistently looked after their interests, they will be prepared to accomplish any goal, anytime, anywhere” (Reeves, 2004).

In reality, most subordinates are leaders. A lot of them just haven’t exercised their true ability to lead. Not to mention the exemplary subordinate who is a self-leader per say. Like a good leader, he can adjust to any situation at any given time. He is very independent and can be depended on. This type of subordinate can help a good leader become better.

Many believe that leadership implies power, but it shouldn’t imply power, it should influence the ability to apply powerful leadership. Power is something that isn’t measured by a position or billet; it is merely a function of the leader, the subordinates, and the situation. Leaders have the potential to influence their subordinates’ behavior, attitude, and growth.

“Leadership allows leaders to have different styles of interaction styles when dealing with individual followers” (Hughes, 2006), hence one of the reasons why leadership will always be open to many different opinions and debates. Study after study has been done on leadership and no one still knows what it is and what makes a true leader. Even those with the most extensive knowledge in leadership research can be poor leaders, which proves, it is not about how much research or studying you do, it’s what you do with it that can make you a success.

In conclusion, we can spend five lifetimes trying to figure out what leadership really is, where it comes from, and which is right or wrong. But it’s not about defining it (it can never be defined, just shown). It’s not about where it comes from, and it’s not about which is right or wrong. It’s about continuous learning, trying to understand it, and which style to use at the right time.

Hughes, R.L., Ginnett, R.C., & Curphy, G.J. (2006). Leadership: Enhancing the Lessons of Experience. New York: McGraw-Hill.

Reeves, R. (2004). Changing Your Style. In Leadership.. Retrieved December 12, 2006, from United States Marine Corps Web site: http://www.usmc.mil

Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Darnell_E._Patton/119217