The iPad Revolution & The World I Want to Live In

I just purchased an iPad and realized within minutes that this technology is the beginning of something much bigger. Furthermore, it made me start thinking of all of the different technology devices I own today and how all of this will change.

To provide some insight, this is how I am using my iPad... you press a button and it turns on (sounds crazy, right? my work laptop takes 6 minutes to turn on and load everything before I can open a browser), I can instantly browse the internet with my fingers, listen to music on Pandora, play piano, stream Movies & TV Shows on-demand via Netflix (with no delay and HD quality picture), check my Gmail account, look at my current location via Google Earth, store music, pictures, and videos, directly connect to YouTube, and type this blog post. It also has a 10 hour battery life.

Here is my personal technology device inventory:

• 2 old, dying, barely breathing Laptops
• 1 Laptop for work (did I mention it takes 6 minutes to turn on and load everything before I can open a browser?)
• 1 Blackberry
• 1 iPad
• 1 DVD player
• 2 Digital Cameras
• 2 USB Web-cams
• 2 Flat Screen TV's
• 4 iPods in various shapes and sizes
• 0 Wii's (but don't think it will be long before I own one)
• 1 DVR
• 1 Netflix Account
• 1 MIFI Device (mobile internet & router)

What is even worse, is that with limited success, most of my personal technology devices don't talk to each other. There has to be a better way!

This is the world I want to live in:

• "One Device" will control every piece of my personal technology - mass consolidating my list of current devices
• "One Device" is portable
• This "One Device" is so small it will look like what we all know today as cell phones and it will be a cell phone
• Flat screens will act as big monitors and the device will be able to connect wirelessly to multiple screens at the same time
• Internet will become faster, cheaper, 100% reliable, and there will be free WIFI everywhere I go
• Streaming and on-demand delivery models will completely take over to deliver content
• All TV Shows are commercial-free (I don't have time for commercials) and will be accessed over the internet (bye, bye cable bill)
• No cords will be necessary to charge or connect the device
• Nickel and dimming consumers for usage won't work as a long term business strategy for wireless and content provider (i.e. Verizon offering a 250 mb usage plan?)
• The all-you-can eat models and free applications/products with low-cost subscription based models will continue to win over consumers
• CD's & DVD's will be non-existent - things we tell our kids about

To take it a step further, I believe Apple will provide this "One Device" (the iPad is the first step in this direction), Netflix will deliver the content, and they will absolutely dominate this space.

 A little more on Netflix.... Reed Hastings, CEO of Netflix, posted one og the clearest business strategy PowerPoint on Slideshare that was brought to my attention from a blog post by Mark Cuban. Everyone should check this out. I also believe they are very modest in their publicly stated business strategy

Maybe I'm just plain crazy and full of wishful thinking, but it will be very cool to see how personal technology will continue to evolve and deliver content to consumers. If the world I want to live in becomes a reality, just remember.... you heard it here first.

- Bob

Takeaways from a Silicon Valley Legend

I was fortunate enough to listen to a motivational talk and go out to dinner with Tom Mendoza, a Silicon Valley legend, in the fall of last year.

Tom was one of the original founders of Network Appliance (NetApp). If you haven't heard of NetApp, they are ~$3.5 billion company that competes with the likes of HP, EMC, and IBM. During my experience competing against and almost working for the storage giant, I have found their customers love their technology and they have built a fantastic company.

The head wrestling coach from the high school I volunteer at brought Tom in to speak to our students about what he learned from wrestling and how he has applied it to his personal and professional life. It was an awesome experience to meet and learn from one of the best.

Just to give you a quick history of their stock price, NetApp went public in late 1995 for ~$2.00. Since then, the stock has split 4x, peaked around $150 a share (during the bubble in Silicon Valley) and currently sits ~$40 a share. Both Tom and his wife have put their fortune to good use, among other things, they endowed the University of Notre Dame's College of Business in 2000.

Here are a few quotes and takeaways from sitting down with Tom...

1. I look for people who are young in their career and hungry, that take ownership, and I can mentor.


2. If we remove the founders from our business and it will fail - we have not created a sustainable business model
   


3. How do I motivate people? I fire them.


4. The reason I like wrestling as a sport is because it matches people who are even and then you see which athlete wins
   


5. 90% of top performers from a Yale study showed they all had one thing in common - they all wrote down their goals


6. Adversity doesn't build character.... it REVEALS peoples' true character


7. It's not all about business - tell stories, tell jokes, build relationships, include people in the conversation, have fun

Additional links on Tom...

• The Wall Street Journal. How I Got Here: Tom Mendoza, Vice Chairman, NetApp


• YouTube. Tom Mendoza Motivational Speech at West Point

How to Kick Start Your Job Search

Friend: “Bob, not everyone knows what they want to do with their career.”
Me: “Then they will never find a job.”

Here are a few tips on how to kick start your job search:

1. Do some soul searching

• Go to a coffee shop, put on headphones, and write
• Make a list of what you like to do and don’t like to do
• Draw charts and graphs
• Play around with some numbers
• Make a list of “I would be miserable if I did _______”
• Make a pros and cons list
• Determine potential work locations (in state vs. out-of-state)
• Develop a personal SWOT analysis
• Do you want to do B2B? B2C? C2C?

2. Google “Job Openings”

• Write down 6-7 positions you could see yourself in
• Find out who is hiring in your parameters based on your degree, experience, etc.
• Diversify the websites you use to find job openings and bookmark them
• Try http://www.simplyhired.com/ or http://www.indeed.com/ on top of the other usual ones

3. Create an Action Plan and Set Goals

• Stick to the plan and your goals
• Show them to people and get advice
• State them publically on a blog or Twitter
• Track your results in Microsoft Excel

4. Write down who you know

• Start with family and friends
• Dig into your LinkedIn Network - if you're not on LinkedIn it is free to sign up
• Think about who you could sit down with for a coffee or a quick phone conversation on potential careers for advice

5. Use LinkedIn all the time

• Join Groups
• Update your profile regularly
• Search the job functions on LinkedIn
• Build your network
• Connect with recruitiers

6. Analyze potential companies

• big vs. small
• financial health
• reputation
• competitors
• benefits
• pay
• career development
• training

7. Ask around

• This is a polite way of saying network like crazy
• Change the “do you know of anyone hiring?’ question to “Steve, I’m really excited about finding a position as a Graphic Designer in California, do you know anyone in that field? I’d love to pick their brain on their experience in this position.”
• Follow up on any referrals people give you.

*Disclaimer – always follow up on these requests. Maybe you’re out at a bar or party and you meet someone who mentions they have a friend of a friend in X role at Y company. People always feel weird introducing you to other people; especially if they don’t know you that well. Make them confident and comfortable setting this up.

8. Customize your resume to match the job requirements

• At a minimum, change your objective
• It is OK to have different versions of your resume for different positions

9. Find out who the hiring manager is 

• Call into the HR Department at the company and ask
• Find them on LinkedIn (their email is first.last@companyname.com, first_last@companyname.com, or firstinitiallast@companyname.com)
• Ask someone in your network for an introduction (if they know the manager or someone at the company)
• Send an email introducing yourself and ask for time to learn more about the position (aka an interview)
• Email and follow up with a phone call (be persistent, but not annoying; try a new contact after two attempts). Keep in mind people are busy.
• If you can't find the hiring manager then ask for referrals to the right person
• Remember your goal is to schedule a “First Interview” (either in person or over the phone)

10. Rinse and Repeat

Do you Oodle? A sit down with Craig Donato, CEO & Co-Founder of Oodle.com

I had an awesome opportunity to sit down with Craig Donato, CEO & Co-Founder of Oodle.com last week. Craig is changing the world one classified at a time.

While building a cabin with his father and trying to find different furnishing; it hit him that classifieds were a mess.

After kicking around an idea to consolidate these classified sources and sort them by vertical, his wife told him to stop talking about it and either get a job with someone who is already doing something like this or to start his own company. The rest is history.

Oodle provides consumers with a friendly local marketplace to buy, sell and trade. Oodle is also the engine behind many classified postings and even Facebook's Marketplace. Check it out.

www.oodle.com

Although Craig and I didn't discuss where to find a bottle cap necklace, a rare Leonard Cohen Poster, or a golf bag shag; we did chat about various personal and professional topics including career management, starting your own business, MBA's, and defining success... here are a few highlights:

The Idea of Career Management

Career what? I loved this. It made me take a deep breath, because I think I am doing an OK job with this. Craig explained that you need to build experience that will lead you to your ultimate career goals.

Everything you are doing should be leading you in the right path to succeed. You don't become an expert overnight or get rich quick by hopping company to company.

Starting Your Own Business

"The only reason you should start your own business is if you are laying on your deathbed and will regret it." Craig made this point very clear. Everyone talks about the glamorous side of owning your own business once it's successful. No one talks about how it's selfish, irrational, adversely affects relationships, and is filled with manic highs and lows.

I kept smiling when he said that taking the risk and the challenge is irrational (I like that). It goes against everything that you're supposed to be doing - #linchpin.

You Don't Have to Create a Product or Service

Let someone else do it. Craig talked about how you can build a reputation and be positioned as the "go-to" person in the venture capital community and in your network.

What if a company built this crazy new product, but had no one to build their sales team? How do you position yourself as the person to bring in?

Also, what if you can find a place with momentum? Did the #20 employee at Google possibly think they were onto something? 

Getting an MBA

Craig received his MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business. He mentioned you can learn strategy own your own, but he couldn't have seeded a better foundation for his network (scroll down to 'Alumni') . 

Defining Success

You are excited about coming to work.

How to Network Effectively

I met Craig through volunteering as a wrestling coach at a local high school. When I asked if he could introduce me to other people in his network... he gave me a crash course in networking:

• Networking to just network isn't efficient – you need a clear message, topic, business idea, or specific problem you need help with 
• Meeting with people regularly is good; especially to have them point you to others
• The people you meet that will turn into mentors and resources most likely share a common bond and emotional connection with you (alumni of the same program, involved in the same activity, former colleague, etc.)
• People like doing things (not just sitting and meeting) and then talking
• Most of your network is built through company interactions or customer relationships  

Thank you again, Craig. I look forward to sitting down again soon.

Cheers,

Bob

Focus in your Job Search

"I noticed on your resume you have experience in a bunch of different fields, you ran your own business, been in real estate, product marketing, and have spent time in sales. What makes you want to go into this position we have open?”

"To be honest, I am flexible. If you have a position in a different area like Finance, Marketing, Sales Operations, or Customer Service, I would be interested in that too."

STOP RIGHT THERE.

Guess what... your future employer doesn't care.

When a company has an open position (especially in sales), they are looking for the best candidate for that role. Many of the interview questions are generally focused around figuring out if this is the position you really want, you will be happy with, and will stick with it when things don’t go exactly according to plan. If you can't convey the focus in your job search, you will have a long road ahead of you.

It is perfectly OK and normal to want to do other things. You should have confidence in your ability, be incredibly optimistic, and dream big. However, if you want this position, you need to convey that this is the job you want and you want it now. Focus.

A typical interview question that usually makes people feel uneasy is, “where do you see yourself in 3-5 years?” You are probably thinking I want to get my MBA, start my own business, take the job of the person interviewing you, or maybe even if I’m still working here I will be absolutely miserable.

The decision maker and stakeholders in an interview process have social, political, personal, and career liability on the decision of hiring you. If you leave the company, that affects them. How are you going to mitigate their concern?

The best answer is to frame your response in their terms. The employer is looking for confidence that you want this position and see potential to grow organically with the company.

I’m not telling you to lie in an interview, just to be more prepared and focused then your competition (understand you aren’t the only candidate interviewing either). The last thing you want is to leave an interviewer with any uncertainty that you really want this job.

Two quick tips…

1. Never go on a job interview you don’t plan to nail
2. If you think the open position is a stretch for you; imagine what the interviewer is thinking before you walk into the room (I hope you are prepared to prove them wrong)

A great book to help you with preparation and focus is Me 2.0: Build a Powerful Brand to Achieve Career Success. This book outlines how to build a career and personal brand; which is a large part of building focus in your job search.

Cold Calling is Alive and Well!

The term "cold calling" in itself is annoying. It is even worse that the only way sales trainers can adjust this is by taking the term 'cold' and making it 'warm' or 'hot'.

I pulled an even lamer move on my end and looked up the definition of "cold". The first definition that popped up was: having or being a temperature that is uncomfortably low for humans.

 

If there is any substance behind the term "cold calling" it is the word uncomfortable. That is exactly what it is. You are interrupting someones day, you are nervous, you don't want them to pick up the phone to begin with, and, on top of that, you have no idea what to say. That is why people don't like to call other people.

The other jab at "cold calling" is that is the most inefficient method of prospecting in the world. I agree. It is very inefficient and even more so frustrating. It takes a special type of person to get their nose bloody every day and keep coming back for more. It takes persistence, creativity, a positive attitude, and the ability to understand the process and science behind it.

Another observation is no one seems to focus on the ROI behind cold calling. Who cares if it takes 1,000 calls to reach 100 people that converts to 20 first meetings? What happens if those 20 first meetings filled your pipeline and added 2 net new sales for your company? What if those two sales were over $1 million each?

The other assumption is that people are busy cold calling because they are blind to other methods of finding new business. What if you're an entry-level Inside Sales Representative and your only job is to "cold call" for other Outside Sales Representatives? What if you don't live in the same territory you work in? What if your boss won't let you do anything other then "cold call"?

If your job is to make cold calls and you are looking for an easy way out - my advice is find a new job.

In the mean time, here are my tips on effective cold calling:

1. Research the Company and Person you are Calling - use LinkedIn, Google, and tools like InsideView or OneSource. Find a connection to them.
2. Understand the Goal of Your Call - is it to secure a meeting? get a referral? check the status of something? Your goal should not be to educate them on how great your company is or why your product is better than your competitors (no ones cares by the way).
3. Be Different. Be Normal. Don't use a script; use an outline. Practice it. Do not sound like robot. Be yourself. Be different. Be normal.
4. Always ask "How are you?" I can't tell you how many people say not to ask this question. I think it is the best transition in the world to get to the point of why you called.
5. Keep it Short. Don't plan to be on the phone longer then two minutes. Schedule time to go more in-depth. 
6. Speak in Their Terms.  No one cares about your company. Bring them a new idea on how you can help their business. Convey you researched their company. Talk about how you helped their competitor gain a competitive edge.
7. Have Fun. Make a joke, tell a quick funny story; even state the obvious that you're a "cold caller".
8. You Can Always Talk About the Weather. No really, people love talking about it.
9. Understand the Science Behind It. Only 10% of people will answer your phone call. That means if you make 100 calls... only 10 people will answer. If you're frustrated, check your statistics for the day, week, month, and quarter.
10. Voicemails are Reminders. Nothing more. People absolutely hate checking their voicemails. You will never get your call returned. Don't try and trick people into returning your call either. Tell them you call at another date and time or to reply to the follow up email you just sent them.

For additional resources, below are three experts that provide value, insight, and positive approaches to cold calling. I highly recommend their material:

1. Mike Brooks, Mr. Inside Sales http://www.mrinsidesales.com/
2. Jill Konrath, Selling to Big Companies http://www.sellingtobigcompanies.blogs.com/
3. Art Sobczak's, Telesales Blog http://www.telesalesblog.com/

Top Sales, Business, and Life Book Recommendations

I have been getting asked recently for my list of top sales book.. I find most sales book fairly redundant and propose a similar methodology in different terms. If you're going to listen to any one in the sales world, I defer directly to Jeffrey Gitomer. He "gets it" and will make you do the same.

I am starting to read more around social psychology and books geared towards the history and movement of technology...

The following books have made a tremendous impact in my personal and professional life (in no particular order):

1. Never Eat Alone: And Other Secrets to Success, One Relationship at a Time
2. Red-Hot Cold Call Selling: Prospecting Techniques That Really Pay Off
3. Little Red Book of Selling: 12.5 Principles of Sales Greatness
4. How to Win Friends and Influence People
5. How to Castrate a Bull: Unexpected Lessons on Risk, Growth, and Success in Business
6. Chasing Quota
7. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
8. The World is Flat: a Brief History of the Twenty-First Century 
9. The Fine Art of Small Talk: How To Start a Conversation, Keep It Going, Build Networking Skills -- and Leave a Positive Impression!
10. The Big Moo: Stop Trying to Be Perfect and Start Being Remarkable

Enjoy.