Everyday.
Vendor ProTip: StandupMail
If you work with developers, especially it an “agile” development environment, they have a practice of doing “standup meetings”. The purpose of this meeting is to update everyone what they are are working on, talk about any roadblocks, and see if anyone on the team that can help with those roadblocks. The reason they can them “standup” meetings is that they shouldn’t last too long. We have an open office so I sit in an area where I can listen and see the meetings being held, mostly at 10AM everyday, and they last about 20 mins, tops.
What I’ve noticed about these meetings is they really keep everyone accountable on the team, for instance if you keep working on the same project for 6 weeks, something is wrong.
I always thought about running a similar type of meeting for my sales group. But my Senior Account Managers are located all over the country. So its hard to run a standup. Sure I could have everyone login in GoTo Meeting. But honestly they travel, there are technical issues (always), and its just too much of a pain in the ass. I wanted something asynchronous too. Enter StandupMail.
StandupMail is great. It sends an email to your team everyday. Your team members reply to the email of what they are working on and any roadblocks or comments they might have. Then the next day a digest is sent out to everyone. The digest is super clean and easy to read. (I really love the fact that any progress reports sent on Friday, or during the weekend, are all summarized on the Monday digest.)
It’s a very simple. You don’t need to download a special app, since its all driven via email. Anyway, I freaking love it. As a manager I can see what everyone is working on , help them on any needs. Other sales reps can also offer assistance if maybe they have a relationship or experience that might help. Here’s an example of a recent digest.
You can try it 30 days free by clicking below:
Try StandupMail Free for 30 days
You’re welcome.
Vendor Etiquette
I recently did a few Cloud CMA presentations in the NTREIS market. One of the associations I visited was the Granbury Association of REALTORS. Wonderful people. Emily Graham and Ilse Farrell were great hosts and I enjoyed their Texas hospitality. On the wall of their meeting room was posted this little ditty I thought I’d share.
#protip
Making choices
Like a lot of other vendors I do online meetings and webinars. Just on casual observation many of you are using GoToMeeting. We use it at W&R Studios. While it’s not the best designed software out there it does, for the most part, get the job done.
But one of the most glaring shortcomings is that it doesn’t work with iCal. Meaning when I schedule a meeting I would love it to create an invitation in iCal to send to meeting participants. Nope. I typically have to create an invite manually and copy/paste the meeting details. Since I first subscribed to the service, some time ago, I’ve asked about this feature and they’ve promised “it’s coming”.
Recently GoToMeeting announced a new feature…
“Android Smartwatch App.
GoToMeeting and your Android phone and smartwatch are getting along fabulously these days. If you have all three, you can join, participate and leave a meeting from your watch without ever touching your phone.
Take a jog while you’re taking a meeting. Listen in on a session while rocking your baby to sleep — no squirming into your pockets and fumbling with your phone needed. Plus, you’re going to feel like a super-cool spy.”
What? The? Fuck?
Seriously? Letting someone know WHEN a meeting is scheduled is SUPER Important. “Listen in on a session while rocking your baby to sleep”? NOTSOMUCH.
The choices many companies make to spend their development resources astounds me. Whether its Google Glass for Trulia or this turd.
Nancy Reagan had it right, “Just say no”.
Pro Tip: Scotch Tear-by-hand tape
So here’s the situation, you are packing up the booth and putting everything back in their boxes. If your marketing team was smart enough they included packing tape so you could tape all the boxes up.
But then you need scissors to cut the tape. Not anymore! Enter Scotch Tear-by-hand tape! Totally works too.
You’re welcome.
#protip
Apple Pay and subscription based services
I’ve written about decreasing the “friction” of customers signing up for your products and services. My company still does a lot of transactions at live events (demos and trade shows). I found its much better to close deals at the event and not rely on them signing up when they get home.
To do this we still have to rely on paper order forms.
This is due to mostly crowd control issues. If a single presenter is doing a Cloud Streams demonstration to 40 people in a room there is no easy way for those attendees to sign up for the service asynchronously other than a paper order form.
I see more and more REALTORS coming to events with their digital devices, but filling out an online form by taping on a screen (whether an tablet or iPhone) is still a cumbersome process.
Yesterday Apple announced a brand new service called Apple Pay. They are also releasing an API for developers. With this service you can order online product with the Touch ID button on your iPhone. No forms to fill out, and a receipt is emailed you automatically.
Imagine the scenario at a presentation where after your demo you direct an attendee to a website address and have them click a choice of Monthly or Yearly Plan and then use Touch ID to sign up. That’s it. Boom.
I get goosebumps thinking about it.
Booth Duty
How did you hear about us?
When someone signs up for Cloud CMA we have wizard they walk thru, which helps them get set up (photo, logo, etc.) August of last year we added a question, “How Did You Hear About Us?” It had a drop down menu with the a few choices. Of the customers who bothered to make a selection here’s the breakdown:
Your MLS 33%
Another Agent 24%
My Broker 14%
Other 12%
Google 6%
Email 3%
RETechnology 3%
REALTOR Mag. Ad 3% – We run a small ad in the classified section
Live Event 2%
One of these stats really stood out to me….
Agent: 24%
I’ve always wanted to do a “Have a friend sign up and get a free ____” marketing campaign. I haven’t pursued this idea because I thought that agents were too competitive. This result is showing me that they do talk about tools they love.
As a SAAS (Software As A Service) company this is great news. Its kind of a “network effect”. And so far I haven’t done anything to promote agents to get their friends to sign up. So far…
[UPDATE: I should mention these are on Direct Subscriber to Cloud CMA, meaning they are paying for Cloud CMA with a credit card, not part of a site or broker license.]
You are not late
Kevin Kelly- You Are Not Late
“So, the truth: Right now, today, in 2014 is the best time to start something on the internet. There has never been a better time in the whole history of the world to invent something. There has never been a better time with more opportunities, more openings, lower barriers, higher benefit/risk ratios, better returns, greater upside, than now. Right now, this minute. This is the time that folks in the future will look back at and say, “Oh to have been alive and well back then!”
Zillow and Trulia are old news. Go out there and make something new!
via @danwoolley
How to survive air travel
Craig Mod–Let’s Fly – How to survive air travel.
“Arrive early and move through the airport like the Dalai Lama. You are in no rush. All obstacles are taken in stride, patiently, with a smile. Approach the nearly empty check-in counter. Walk up and say, I’m a bit early but I’m here to check in to … Marvel at their surprise and then their generosity. Suddenly you are always able to get an exit row or bulkhead seat. Suddenly, sure, they can slip you into Business. Suddenly tickets that are supposedly unchangeable, cannot be modified, are, after a few calls, some frowns, upbeat goodbyes, specially modifiable for you. This is what happens when there is no one behind you in line to check in.
Great read. I prefer to arrive a bit early, usually about an hour to an hour and a half before flights. Gives time for the unexpected and to get some work done.
via Kottke
