BLOG: Vistage Regional Group meeting

Today (13th May 2009), I (Steve Siggs) had the privilege of attending the Vistage Regional Group meeting at the Forest of Arden Country Club along with approximately 140 other Vistage group members. It was a very well organised and thoroughly enjoyable event. The focus for the day was "Outside In - New Thinking for Extraordinary Times". Primarily ways and benefits of taking a look at your company from your customers' point of view, plus looking at yourself from both your customers' and your employees' point of view.

With keynote presentations from some of the countries leading business experts - Peter Fisk, Dale Williams, Roger Martin-Fagg, Jeff Grout and Marcus Child - plus group discussion and networking opportunities. As is always the case with Vistage: it was an exhausting, but thoroughly invigorating day. And again - as always - I left with another list of things to think about and implement to help build Hilltops IT's success!

Onwards and upwards! :-)

If you'd like any more information on Vistage, how it works and the benefits I feel that I have attained from membership, please don't hesitate to get in touch: steve@hilltopsit.co.uk

BLOG: New vacancies live of Graduate Advantage

Marketing Assistant (part time summer placement): http://www.graduateadvantage.co.uk/placement/396

Software Developer (part time summer placement): http://www.graduateadvantage.co.uk/placement/397

Business Development Manager (full time 12 month placement): http://www.graduateadvantage.co.uk/placement/398


Graduate Advantage (funded by Advantage West Midlands) help students and graduates find and apply for paid full-time and part-time work placements, summer internships, graduate placements, and free employability training. They offer placements in all sectors of industry and business across the West Midlands.

Hilltops IT is working with Graduate Advantage in order to find suitable candidates to fill the above positions. "The Graduate Advantage scheme works for us on so many levels." says Hilltops IT CEO, Stephen Siggs "Not only is it an opportunity to work with local colleges to give the students there the chance to work with a commercial enterprise, but also from a business perspective we can get temporary contract staff to work on a couple of projects we simply haven't had time to complete ourselves. What Graduate Advantage in terms of their screening and grant funding also make this a very cost-effective solution which will contribute to the local community."

Our existing graduate employees say that they would have loved to work for a commercial business during their summer breaks. Unfortunately (according to Graduate Advantage) it is not uncommon for students educated in the West Midland to move outside the area in order to get work. There is a focused effort from government and local projects to retain these skilled individuals in the West Midlands. You never know - maybe Hilltops IT will be giving the next Bill Gates, Sir Alan Sugar or Max Clifford their first opportunity in business!

BLOG: Hilltops IT gets a mention in Focus Magazine

Focussing on Vistage chief executives organisation and how membership has helped Hilltops IT (and other businesses in the Staffordshire) move their business' forward, Stephen Siggs is quoted: "Vistage has helped me to power my company to new heights. I joined in 2008 after hearing about the powerful results that members derive from Vistage groups. In less than a year I am already seeing key developments such as better projection and positioning of Hilltops IT in the marketplace, a better focus upon strategic growth and improved management of staff, customers and suppliers."

We also managed to get in a cheeky box shot of QuoteWerks sales quotation tool!

View the full article by clicking the link here: http://www.hilltopsit.co.uk/resources/business/200904%20-%20Focus%20Magazine,%20Vistage.pdf

BLOG: QuoteWerks award press release - Steve's photo shoot!

Steve (Siggs) poses with the award and certificate presented to Hilltops IT from Aspire Technologies Inc as 2008 QuoteWerks Top 10 International Sales Partner winner.

Says Steve: "This is the third consecutive year that Hilltops IT has been given the QuoteWerks Top 10 International Sales Partner award. With an increasingly large team and an increasing portfolio of QuoteWerks training courses, products which work alongside QuoteWerks, QuoteWerks report layouts, QuoteWerks development utility add-ons and the Hilltops IT team's individual QuoteWerks consultancy skills, etc, we're certainly aiming to make it for a fourth consecutive year in 2009!"

Hilltops IT has been approached by Vistage - chief executives organisation to do some joint marketing of the achievement. You can see the pictures below; the press release is expected to be issued towards the end of the month and sent to various local and national magazines and newspapers.

VLOG: Steve & Viv's Business Startup trade show trip 20081129.06

Steve (Hilltops IT) takes an overview of the show and reflects on the people and prospects that he (and the Link47 team) have met during the day.

Part of the series of videos covering Steve Siggs (Hilltops IT) and Vivienne Watts (Hilltops IT) video diary of their trip to the Business Startup trade show at the Olympia in London, England in November 2008. Hilltops IT attended to promote Quot sales quotation tool and QWP QuoteWerks and PayPal integration along side Link47 Ltd.

For more information on QuoteWerks, QWP and our various other boxed software and software development services, please see www.hilltopsit.co.uk

For more information on the Business Startup show, please see www.bstartup.com

BLOG: Steve & Viv's Business Startup trade show trip 20081129.05

Several overview photographs of the Business Startup trade show at Olympia, London. Amongst the stands you can see an assortment of exhibitors – franchisors, legal firms, website developers, government bodies… the list goes on!

Part of the series of entries covering Steve Siggs (Hilltops IT) and Vivienne Watts (Hilltops IT) trip to the Business Startup trade show at the Olympia in London, England in November 2008. Hilltops IT attended to promote QuoteWerks sales quotation tool and QWP QuoteWerks and PayPal integration along side Link47 Ltd.

For more information on QuoteWerks, QWP and our various other boxed software and software development services, please see www.hilltopsit.co.uk

For more information on the Business Startup show, please see www.bstartup.com

VLOG: Steve & Viv's Business Startup trade show trip 20081129.04

Vivienne (Hilltops IT) watches on as the show opens and the QuoteWerks / QWP team go into action inviting attendees to take a look at the quoting, sales order processing and payment receipt solution we have on offer.

Part of the series of videos covering Steve Siggs (Hilltops IT) and Vivienne Watts (Hilltops IT) video diary of their trip to the Business Startup trade show at the Olympia in London, England in November 2008. Hilltops IT attended to promote QuoteWerks sales quotation tool and QWP QuoteWerks and PayPal integration along side Link47 Ltd.

For more information on QuoteWerks, QWP and our various other boxed software and software development services, please see http://www.hilltopsit.co.uk/

For more information on the Business Startup show, please see http://www.bstartup.com/

BLOG: Steve & Viv's Business Startup trade show trip 20081129.03

Steve (Hilltops IT, left), Tim (Wizard Systems, right) and Ian (Link47, centre) pose for the “corporate photo”… with clipboards and leaflets in hand we are ready to go!!!

Steve (Hilltops IT, left), Tim (Wizard Systems, right) and Ernie (Link47, centre right) get ready for the trade show opening.

Part of the series of entries covering Steve Siggs (Hilltops IT) and Vivienne Watts (Hilltops IT) diary of their trip to the Business Startup trade show at the Olympia in London, England in November 2008. Hilltops IT attended to promote QuoteWerks sales quotation tool and QWP QuoteWerks and PayPal integration along side Link47 Ltd.

For more information on QuoteWerks, QWP and our various other boxed software and software development services, please see http://www.hilltopsit.co.uk/

For more information on the Business Startup show, please see http://www.bstartup.com/

BLOG: Steve & Viv's Business Startup trade show trip 20081129.02

The signage and display inside the QuoteWerks / QWP / Link47 booth.

Part of the series of entries covering Steve Siggs (Hilltops IT) and Vivienne Watts (Hilltops IT) trip to the Business Startup trade show at the Olympia in London, England in November 2008. Hilltops IT attended to promote QuoteWerks sales quotation tool and QWP QuoteWerks and PayPal integration along side Link47 Ltd.

For more information on QuoteWerks, QWP and our various other boxed software and software development services, please see www.hilltopsit.co.uk

For more information on the Business Startup show, please see www.bstartup.com

VLOG: Steve & Viv's Business Startup trade show trip 20081129.01

Steve outside the main entrance for the Business Startup show at Olympia, London. The attendees’ entrance is closed, but Steve and Viv go in search of the exhibitor’s entrance.

Part of the series of videos covering Steve Siggs (Hilltops IT) and Vivienne Watts (Hilltops IT) video diary of their trip to the Business Startup trade show at the Olympia in London, England in November 2008. Hilltops IT attended to promote QuoteWerks sales quotation tool and QWP QuoteWerks and PayPal integration along side Link47 Ltd.

For more information on QuoteWerks, QWP and our various other boxed software and software development services, please see www.hilltopsit.co.uk

For more information on the Business Startup show, please see www.bstartup.com

BLOG: Steve & Viv's Business Startup trade show trip 20081128.02

A very honorary mention and great thanks to Ian Siebert and Link47 (distributor of QuoteWerks for UK and Ireland) who took us all out for a fantastic Italian tonight. Not only that, but he got the bar tab too!!!

It was a great opportunity to network and for all of us to get to know one another better personally and professionally. Plus in was insightful to get Ian, Paul, Wayne and Brett’s thoughts and reflections on the show today. It has put Vivienne and me in very good stead for tomorrows show where we will be promoting QuoteWerks and QWP.

For more information on QuoteWerks, QWP and our various other boxed software and software development services, please see www.hilltopsit.co.uk

For more information on the Business Startup show, please see http://www.bstartup.com/

BLOG: Steve & Viv's Business Startup trade show trip 20081128.01

Vivienne and I get down around 3pm as planned. The show still has a couple of hours left to run.

We meet up with Ian (Siebert, Link47), Paul (Hodgetts, Quintadena), Wayne (Lockey, Red Foot Solutions), Brett (Davis, Red Foot Solutions) and Richard (Dodds, RD Associates) who are all around and about the stand and show talking to prospects and handing out leaflets.

The stand itself looks great and is ideally positioned by the PayPal stand and on the corner of a walkway to one of the eateries in the Olympia stadium. At a crossroads, “accessible” from three sides and with the adjacent booth empty… it gives great scope for “catching” prospective clients!!! :-)

For more information on QuoteWerks, QWP and our various other boxed software and software development services, please see http://www.hilltopsit.co.uk/

For more information on the Business Startup show, please see http://www.bstartup.com/

BLOG: Steve & Viv's Business Startup trade show trip 20081127.01

This next run of blog entries cover Vivienne Watts and I (Stephen Siggs) trip down to the Business Startup trade show at Olympia, London.

To put the trip and show into perspective: the Business Startup (or “BStartup”) show is (as the name suggests!) primarily for entrepreneurs and want-to-be-entrepreneurs to get help and advice on starting or expanding their business.

The show itself features the trade show area alongside various seminar speaker sessions and networking events. The show attracts many well known and experienced business leaders; this shows speakers include James Caan (Dragons Den), Rachel Elnaugh (founder Red Letter Days) and David Gold (Gold Group). With over 100 speakers across 8 halls offering seminar sessions, there is a lot to learn about: from website optimisation to financial planning, environmental policies to building a lingerie empire!

Hilltops IT will be exhibiting in the trade show area alongside Link47 (UK QuoteWerks distributor) to promote QuoteWerks (quotation, sales order processing, purchase order processing and invoicing tool) and QWP (QuoteWerks to PayPal integration). After all – what better piece of back office software could a new business want to manage and organise their sales than QuoteWerks!? It is incredibly easy to pick up “out the box”, has a fantastic price point to get started and has the depth and flexibility to see your business well into being a multi-million pound operation!

Sorry… enough of the sales pitch… I am just getting warmed up for tomorrow! Let’s get back to the blog!

The Business Startup show is over two days – tomorrow (Friday 28th November 2008) and Saturday (29th November 2008). Link47 has organised two different QuoteWerks partners each day to help out alongside Link47 themselves and Quintadena (authors of QWP). Tomorrow Wayne Lockey (Red Foot Solutions) and Richard Dodds (RD Associates) will be on the stand. On Saturday Vivienne and I (Hilltops IT) and Tim Wilmot (Wizard Systems) will be working the stand.

Vivienne and I are planning to get down to the show mid-afternoon to check out the show and the setup and to meet Wayne and Richard whom, while we have done business together when they have resold our ConnectIT software, have never actually met face-to-face.

For more information on QuoteWerks, QWP and our various other boxed software and software development services, please see www.hilltopsit.co.uk

For more information on the Business Startup show, please see www.bstartup.com

VLOG: Steve's Sage Summit show trip video diary 20081123.01

Gate A37 at Denver International airport, Steve gets ready for the flight back home.

Part of the series of videos encompassing Steve Siggs (Hilltops IT) video diary of trip to the Sage Summit 2008 trade show at the Colorado Convention Centre in Denver Colorado to promote QuoteWerks sales quotation tool and ConnectIT integration of QuoteWerks to Sage MAS 90, Sage MAS 200, Sage (Line) 50 Accounts and Microsoft CRM contact manager along side Aspire Technologies Inc.

For more information, please see www.hilltopsit.co.uk and www.connectit-online.co.uk

VLOG: Steve's Sage Summit show trip video diary 20081120.01

The final day of the Sage Summit 2008 trade show and tearing down the stand – no sooner has it started (it seems) and it’s time to go home!

Part of the series of videos encompassing Steve Siggs (Hilltops IT) video diary of trip to the Sage Summit 2008 trade show at the Colorado Convention Centre in Denver Colorado to promote QuoteWerks sales quotation tool and ConnectIT integration of QuoteWerks to Sage MAS 90, Sage MAS 200, Sage (Line) 50 Accounts and Microsoft CRM contact manager along side Aspire Technologies Inc.

For more information, please see www.hilltopsit.co.uk and www.connectit-online.co.uk

BLOG: Steve's Sage Summit show trip video diary 20081119.01

A better day today with some strong MAS90 and SalesLogix user leads. Plus I have also spoken to a couple of end users and trade stand holders about Hilltops IT’s wider service offerings in bespoke and website developments.

Things are looking up!!! :-)

VLOG: Steve's Sage Summit show trip video diary 20081118.01

Steve and Keith Carrington (Aspire Technologies Inc) make an early start to network with Sage representatives at the show, other Sage partners and media. Plus Steve identifies potential trade show stand exhibitors that might be worth talking to during the week.

Part of the series of videos encompassing Steve Siggs (Hilltops IT) video diary of trip to the Sage Summit 2008 trade show at the Colorado Convention Centre in Denver Colorado to promote QuoteWerks sales quotation tool and ConnectIT integration of QuoteWerks to Sage MAS 90, Sage MAS 200, Sage (Line) 50 Accounts and Microsoft CRM contact manager along side Aspire Technologies Inc.

For more information, please see www.hilltopsit.co.uk and www.connectit-online.co.uk

BLOG: Steve's Sage Summit show trip video diary 20081117.14

To be honest, the first day of the Sage Summit trade show was little bit disappointing in terms of the footfall.

Apparently the first day is typically relatively slow though, with some delegates not having yet arrived, delegates and Sage working on their own networking, etc. The latter days are expected to get busier in the trade show area.

On a more positive note: Keith, Brian, Brandon and I are getting to know each others ways of working and it’s encouraging to observe them using the kind of soft, consultative sell that Hilltops IT use. I am picking up tips from them!

We have had several interesting conversation about QuoteWerks key functionality and how it fits into various businesses internal ways of working. Plus possible futures for integration and feature enhancements to QuoteWerks already very rounded and rich functionality.

VLOG: Steve's Sage Summit show trip video diary 20081117.13

An overview of the Sage Summit 2008 Trade Show area.

Part of the series of videos encompassing Steve Siggs (Hilltops IT) video diary of trip to the Sage Summit 2008 trade show at the Colorado Convention Centre in Denver Colorado to promote QuoteWerks sales quotation tool and ConnectIT integration of QuoteWerks to Sage MAS 90, Sage MAS 200, Sage (Line) 50 Accounts and Microsoft CRM contact manager along side Aspire Technologies Inc.

For more information, please see http://www.hilltopsit.co.uk/ and www.connectit-online.co.uk

VLOG: Steve's Sage Summit show trip video diary 20081117.12

The huge delegates dining area at the Colorado Convention Centre; Steve considers the opportunities from a show of this scale.

Part of the series of videos encompassing Steve Siggs (Hilltops IT) video diary of trip to the Sage Summit 2008 trade show at the Colorado Convention Centre in Denver Colorado to promote QuoteWerks sales quotation tool and ConnectIT integration of QuoteWerks to Sage MAS 90, Sage MAS 200, Sage (Line) 50 Accounts and Microsoft CRM contact manager along side Aspire Technologies Inc.

For more information, please see http://www.hilltopsit.co.uk/ and http://www.connectit-online.co.uk/