3/ Actions
An important constraint. Officially I do not have any budget. It means I do not have the possibility of planning my actions and to distribute my resources. Therefore I chose to take these actions according to the urgency to costs.
Corporate Leaflets
I set up a working group in order to define the corporate message we want to promote. I achieve to convince our engineer to let specialized agencies the ability to work on an efficient way to spread corporate message (NIH syndrom again).
Everything stopped due to budget lack. Sales force continue to distribute obsolete leaflets.
On the other hand I conceived a lot of product information leaflets, for instance concerning the Equip Auto exhibition (see a draft converted into HTML). This leaflet has been conceived in close collaboration with two sales people. Always for this exhibition I carried out a product information leaflet concerning a software solution enabling to consult SGML data on a Netscape platform, The Concept Car Web Repair manual(157ko WORD97, images are reduced.) See also Study of product SGML.
B / Sales tools.
I already spoke about specificities of sales people. First thing :Take the necessary steps to enroll. Method : listening and dialoguing. Therefore I participate systematically to their meeting.
The Sales manager, recently named, especially worried by the short-term achievement of the objectives of its team. He is paid for that after all ! However, he encourages me studying and implement sales and analyze tools tools.
I discovered experienced sales people which often are former engineers or technical writers. Indeed selling engineering documentation to several million francs is a complex process which implies many different companies skills put together. Most of time those documentary solutions have for the customer a strategic character. Indeed, engineering documentation implies integration heterogeneous software and hardware technologies like GED,
WORKFLOW, some different OS : UNIX, NT, MAC. .different documentary languages, SGML, HTML, a quantity of software tools... Salesmen is assisted in order to define the technical architecture of the solution by chargé d'affaires and ingénieur d'affaires
Mostly he chose its interlocutors forwarding of its own acquaintances inside the company. He's in charge of identifying competitors and prices on this business. Prices is a big problem, considering that it is difficult for 1000 people company to be price competitive with start-up companies.It is therefore a permanent fight between sales people who wants best prices and the engineers who, always foresees some large Development time margin.
Proposals.
Written with the Ingénieurs d'Affaires these are quiet high tech proposals. Writing implies some huge resources quiet oftenly in the hurry.
Of course there are some models, but I'm ure it would be possible to optimize thsi process through an intelligent repository in which all the word are indexed. Retrieval can me made through powerful search engine allowing search queries...: all proposals containing SGML Development in the aeronautic field in a GED or workflow solution in Massachusetts...
It is funny to say that we are unable to imply for ourselves, solutions we are selling.As a result proposal is a very long and very expensive process. Company's reactivity upon i.e; public call for tender is dramatically affected.
Demonstrations.
It is the compulsory stage. To be sold any solution has to be demonstrated. There are tremendous different Powerpoint demo on the Novell network. None are indexed and it takes plenty of time to find one between hundreds. Hardly ever if you're seeking a translated one into English. Therefore people preferring to develop from scratch overtime.
A common containing is the size of those demos implying traffic jams on the network, specifically for remote agencies as subsidiaries.
I evaluate some alternative tools of demo, because Powerpoint seems to me common and poor.
1er grievance: everyone uses Powerpoint libraries of naive pictures are recognizable at the first eye sight. Every presentation is an advertisement for Microsoft. Walk around
in a professional exhibition, it is to believe that it is Bill Brother Exhibition !
. 2ème grievance: the Powerpoint presentations are linear and static. The plans are played along neither back nor forward action. No relief in the presentations. Limited Interactivity. No dynamic pictures, no way to insert script or a .exe or of Java application
. 3ème grievance: Powerpoint 97 allows to record HTML format, but he converted under a standard shape that he is impossible to adjust, except with models.
I evaluate several alternative products. DEMOSHIELD makes some really enthusiastic demos and completely interfaced for the Web. Runs on your favorite browser with all its functionality
Good, there is the same ergonomic gap that between the DOS character mode and Windows. None of your existing Powerpoint demo may be used by DEMOSHIELD.
Your colleagues or partners won't modify your Demoshield files except getting a license. Hopefully there is a limited free version available on Demoshield Web.
On the other hand your customers will be convinced by professional demos able to show the last publishing technology.Beside, a training period is compulsory to use correctly this product and may be Demoshield is less easy to use for non developer people than Powerpoint World's standard.