Hilltops IT Blog: 2008

Friday, December 19, 2008

DEVELOPMENT: Fortnightly digest - what's happening at Hilltops IT and the world of software development

Hilltops IT Developer's diary

Business Intelligence reporting - continued work on a bespoke project reporting on 3,000,000+ rows of data from disparate data sources using SQL Server Reporting Services.

ConnectIT-Sage - work on an interim release for a particular client's requirements. this feature will be rolled into a future build release for all users.

Website development - design work on our Hilltops IT website for rebranding.

Website development - prototyping work on our ConnectIT website for advertising using image banner ads.

Industry News

SQL Server 2005 SP3 released
Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Service Pack 3 (SP3) contains all the cumulative updates for SQL Server 2005, and fixes to issues that have been reported through our customer feedback platforms. These include supportability enhancements and issues that have been reported through Windows Error Reporting.

Download the service pack here.

The read about what's new, click here.

Sage CRM Solutions 2010 Strategy
A very interesting insight into Sage CRM Solutions's thoughts on CRM and CRM solutions generally, plus future development roadmap plans.

INTRODUCTION
Since the inception of CRM, the balance of power has shifted dramatically between buyers and sellers, with the rate of change accelerating in the past five years. Today, companies must
offer extremely cost-efficient, differentiable customer experiences to acquire and retain profitable customer relationships. In our highly globalized economy, CRM is critical to enable businesses of every shape and size to fulfill the needs and expectations of their customers.

See the full article here.

For further information on our software development services, please do not hesitate to get in touch with us on 0844 357 7360 or 01782 721301 or email development@hilltopsit.co.uk

We look forward to hearing from you!

Thursday, December 18, 2008

BLOG: Hilltops IT to sponsor Sourcing City awards night

Hilltops IT is happy to announce that we will be sponsoring the Sourcing City Awards Night Party in the evening of 22nd January 2009.

So what does that mean...? We are getting the bar tab!!! :-) So enjoy!!!

The awards evening is for suppliers and distributors within the promotional gifts industry (those involved should already have received their invites from the Sourcing City team). The evening is to celebrate those suppliers and distributors which have been voted as the best in the industry by those in the industry. It is a great opportunity for business leaders to meet face-to-face, network and build relationships.

Last year we had a great turn-out, and the party resembled an entire "who’s who" of the industry. The night provided a great networking opportunity for the industry’s main players in a relaxed & informal atmosphere. We hope you will join us to meet with old friend’s & new faces alike.

We look forward to seeing you there!

ACT: Vote for ACT! by Sage in Small Business Computing's 2009 Excellence in Technology Awards

ACT! by Sage is certainly our favourite of the contenders listed. And since we both use it internally and are out implementing, setting up and training our clients on it day-in, day-out we know the solution pretty well!!!

If you agree that ACT! by Sage is the best contact management solution around for small and medium-sized business, then why not vote?!

Follow the link here, then click on "Software/Services", and select ACT! under "Sales/Customer Management", then scroll to the bottom of the page and hit "Submit".

Voting is accepted until Midnight (EST) on 9th January 2009.

For more information on our ACT! by Sage related services, please do not hesitate to get in touch with us on 0844 357 7360 or 01782 721301 or email sales@hilltopsit.co.uk. We offer a complete range of services - from licensing to implementation to setup and training and have worked in many different industry verticals. for you, that means a very experienced team that can get your contact management solution up and running fast so that you get the benefit straight to your bottom line sooner.

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

QUOTEWERKS: Free report showing your business' performance

Would like to know how well your business has done in the last 12 months?

Then get this free QuoteWerks report to summarise your business' performance.

This free report summarises sales by Sales Rep by Month and details the invoiced amount, profit, number of invoices and average sales value for the year January to December.

Compare how month-on-month sales fluctuate through the year.
Compare your individual performance to colleagues.
Compare your individual performance to the company as a whole.
You can also use this report to compare year-on-year performance!

To get your copy, please email support@hilltopsit.co.uk with the code "HITBLOGREP" in the title. We will get a copy straight out to you.

QUOTEWERKS RESELLERS: would you like this report to redistribute to your client base? Email us your logo and we'll rebrand the report for you. All completely free of charge!

Email support@hilltopsit.co.uk now!

For further assistance with QuoteWerks document and report layout authoring, please do not hesitate to get in touch with us on 0844 357 7360 or 01782 721301 or email sales@hilltopsit.co.uk as well as having a host of report layout examples that we have developed over the years, we offer very competitive hourly rates for building layouts and reports specific to your business's requirements.

We look forward to hearing from you!

QUOTEWERKS: Business Intelligence reports

Please find below a couple of formulae you could add as page footers to your QuoteWerks management reports to give them an added bit of professionalism...

Just open your QuoteWerks document layout, click the formula button, give the formula a name (i.e. "PAGE_X_OF_Y"), click OK and copy/paste the formula in.

PAGE_X_OF_Y:

"Page "+text(sys->page)+" of "+text(sys->page_count)

DATE_TIME:

"Report Produced: "+text(day(sys->date))+"/"+text(month(sys->date))+"/"+first(text(year(sys->date)),2)+last(text(year(sys->date)),3)+" "+text(sys->time)PRODUCED_BY:"Report Produced By: "+application->loggedinusername+" - "+application->loggedinuseremail

For further assistance with QuoteWerks document and report layout authoring, please do not hesitate to get in touch with us on 0844 357 7360 or 01782 721301 or email sales@hilltopsit.co.uk as well as having a host of report layout examples that we have developed over the years, we offer very competitive hourly rates for building layouts and reports specific to your business's requirements.

We look forward to hearing from you!

QUOTEWERKS: Getting the address on documents to "look right"

Are you struggling to get the address on your QuoteWerks document layouts to "look right"?

With all the fields available - Address1, Address2, Address3, City, State, Zip and Country - an actual address might be held in just a few or all seven of these fields.

Then try these formulae - just open your QuoteWerks document layout, click the formula button, give the formula a name (e.g. "SOLDTO_ADDRESS"), click OK and copy/paste the formula in.

Sold To:
documentheaders->soldtoaddress1+(.if.(documentheaders->soldtoaddress1="".or.documentheaders->soldtoaddress2="").then."".else.", ")+documentheaders->soldtoaddress2+addline(documentheaders->soldtoaddress3)+addline(documentheaders->soldtocity)+addline(documentheaders->soldtostate+(.if.(documentheaders->soldtostate="".or.documentheaders->soldtopostalcode="").then."".else.", ")+documentheaders->soldtopostalcode)+addline(documentheaders->soldtocountry)

Ship To:
documentheaders->shiptoaddress1+(.if.(documentheaders->shiptoaddress1="".or.documentheaders->shiptoaddress2="").then."".else.", ")+documentheaders->shiptoaddress2+addline(documentheaders->shiptoaddress3)+addline(documentheaders->shiptocity)+addline(documentheaders->shiptostate+(.if.(documentheaders->shiptostate="".or.documentheaders->shiptopostalcode="").then."".else.", ")+documentheaders->shiptopostalcode)+addline(documentheaders->shiptocountry)

Bill To:
documentheaders->billtoaddress1+(.if.(documentheaders->billtoaddress1="".or.documentheaders->billtoaddress2="").then."".else.", ")+documentheaders->billtoaddress2+addline(documentheaders->billtoaddress3)+addline(documentheaders->billtocity)+addline(documentheaders->billtostate+(.if.(documentheaders->billtostate="".or.documentheaders->billtopostalcode="").then."".else.", ")+documentheaders->billtopostalcode)+addline(documentheaders->billtocountry)

For further assistance with QuoteWerks document and report layout authoring, please do not hesitate to get in touch with us on 0844 357 7360 or 01782 721301 or email sales@hilltopsit.co.uk as well as having a host of report layout examples that we have developed over the years, we offer very competitive hourly rates for building layouts and reports specific to your business's requirements.

We look forward to hearing from you!

BUSINESS TIPS: Financing software purchases with a loan

Embarking on a software project, whether with "out the box" solutions, bespoke software development or a website development can be an expensive outlay if you want to get it right. Not only in terms of your time investigating the possible solutions, implementing the solution and training staff, but also financially with software licensing and bringing in outside consultants.

Hilltops IT can help, not only with fast-tracking the decision making process on what software solution is right for your business, getting it set up and training your staff, but also now with financing the solution.

Securing a bank loan for a software solution so that the project can be paid off in stages can be difficult. With software licenses and training / consultancy being intangible items, banks are typically less keen to authorise a loan.

Give us a ring now 0844 357 7360 or 01782 564252 or email sales@hilltopsit.co.uk to request a call for an informal chat about how we can help.

BUSINESS TIPS: Financing purchases with a government grant

Are you aware of all the government schemes available to help small businesses fund projects?

And the project funding can include software purchases and training!!!?

The IoD (Institute of Directors) has published a very comprehensive guide to approaching the appropriate organisations which is available for download here.

Alternatively, give Hilltops IT a call on 0844 3577360 or 01782 564252. We have worked with several clients that have received part-funding for their Sage ACT! and QuoteWerks-based software solutions that we have delivered to them. We can offer some practical advice based on our experiences as to how to best present the software project.

Thursday, December 11, 2008

QUOTEWERKS: Hilltops IT achieves Top 10 partner status for third consecutive year

Below is the main body of the Aspire Technologies Partner Awards 2008 press release. To view the complete original, then please see the QuoteWerks website here.

Hilltops IT says: thanks to all our new and existing QuoteWerks clients for your custom and helping us receiving the Top 10 award for a third consecutive year.

Aspire Technologies Announces 2008 Partner Award Recipients

Aspire Acknowledges Global Partners for Extraordinary Performance Delivering QuoteWerks to Companies Worldwide

ORLANDO, FL (Vocus/PRWEB) December 11, 2008 — Aspire Technologies, Inc., a leading provider of sales quoting software solutions for the global small and mid-markets, today announced the winners of the Company’s 2008 Channel Partner Awards. Recipients were chosen by Aspire based on exceptional performance in customer growth, satisfaction, overall dedication, total sales and commitment to QuoteWerks.

“Aspire Technologies consistently values strong, collaborative relationships with our channel partners,” explained Keith Carrington, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Aspire. “Each 2008 recipient exemplifies the dedication, collaboration, support and performance QuoteWerks resellers and strategic partners continually offer our customers. We are proud to recognize their achievements in the successful implementation of our solutions around the world.”

“2008 QuoteWerks Solution Partner Top 10” awards were presented to (ranked first through tenth):
• Quintadena, Ltd. (United Kingdom)
• First Direct Corporation (New York, USA)
• Wizard Systems (United Kingdom)
• Hilltops IT (United Kingdom)
• Perennial Software (Ohio, USA)
• Ezisoft.net (Australia)
• BDG Associates (United Kingdom)
• Compu Financial Systems (Florida, USA)
• Hogan Data (Texas, USA)
• Twelve/Three Marketing (New York, USA)

The “2008 QuoteWerks Distributor” award was presented to Link47 Limited, the authorized
QuoteWerks distributor for the United Kingdom and Ireland.

“2008 OEM Partner” awards were presented to:
• ConnectWise (Florida, USA)
• Pool Design Software, Inc. (Florida, USA)

The “2008 QuoteWerks MVP” award was presented to Daniel Tollefson of Crest Landscaping in Oak Creek, Wisconsin for his continued commitment and contributions to the QuoteWerks Support Forum.

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

BUSINESS TIPS: IPSOS MORI End or Year Review

Read the thoughts, facts and statistics from IPSOS MORI's Social Research Institute collated from a range of projects undertaken in 2008. Topics include the credit crunch, the world economy, crime rates, climate change and much more.

The document is available as a PDF download by clicking the link here.

Friday, December 5, 2008

QUOTEWERKS: 10% off Winter Special Discount

QuoteWerks will be running a 10% Winter Special Discount off all purchases of new licenses, additional licenses, UMP (Update Maintenance Program), and edition upgrades from December 1st- December 19th.

The discount is available to all QuoteWerks users who purchase new licenses, additional licenses, edition upgrades, or UMP during this time. The discount is for a limited time only and will not be extended past December 19th.

The discount is QuoteWerks’ way of saying “Thank You” for helping us grow into the complete quoting solution we are today.

So don’t delay any longer and contact us on +44(0) 1782 564252 or +44(0) 844 357 7360 or sales@hilltopsit.co.uk and take advantage of this great discount today!

Details of QuoteWerks pricing for licenses, our QuoteWerks training and support options, plus much more are available on the Hilltops IT website.

Thursday, December 4, 2008

CONNECTIT: linking QuoteWerks to your website

We have just got sign off of a second project in what is the latest innovation in the ConnectIT suite of products: a link to your online ordering system.

We have done this as a bespoke software development project for our clients that use an online ordering system. The link transfers information from the online database into QuoteWerks as an appropriate document type.

Given the technologies we have, then there is no reason why the transfer couldn't be between the online ordering system and Sage 50 Accounts, Sage MAS 90 or Sage MAS 200. With the ConnectIT (and other) code libraries we have, this would be quite straightforward to do.

If you would like more information on this, then please email development@hilltopsit.co.uk or contact us on +44(0) 844 357 7360 or +44(0) 1782 564252

We look forward to hearing from you!

Monday, December 1, 2008

BUSINESS TIPS: Five Sales 2.0 Tools that Drive Results

Re-produced from the original article by Jeremy Miller, please find below a set of useful tips for leveraging web 2.0 innovations and tools in your sales process.

Five Sales 2.0 Tools that Drive Results

For much of the 20th century the typical sales process has involved objection-handling and closing tactics. In the 1980’s solution selling, a process of developing win-win customer relationships, redefined business-to-business selling. Solution selling offered a way for sales people to move beyond pushy tactics to consultative strategies.Now, solution selling is fading in relevancy as the tools of Web 2.0 allow customers to review products and share product information online. This paradigm creates well-educated buyers, who are sometimes better informed than the product’s salespeople.

Sales 2.0 Defined
Sales 2.0 uses the tools of Web 2.0 to drive people to your products. Specifically, sales 2.0 drives sales from any and all of these avenues: a company Website, Webinars, viral marketing, online product demos, product reviews, blogs, SMS messaging, discussion boards, videos, deal sites, organic search engine listing, and paid search engine listings. Because interested customers come to you, traditional sales activities such as cold-calling and in person meetings are no longer an effective use of resources.

A buyer who finds you on Google is often a far better prospect than a company you cold call. When someone engages you from your Website they have already initiated a relationship with your firm, formed an opinion and are receptive to entering into a sales dialogue. You face none of the buyer resistance that comes with cold calling.

Sales 2.0 requires a new methodology for sales departments. Rather than a salesperson originating a sale, they now help complete a sale. Within the Sales 2.0 framework, a sales department manages the buying process online, develops meaningful customer experiences, and allows customers to engage your salespeople at the time of their choosing.

Five Sales 2.0 Tools You Should Know About
Using new sales tools creates efficiencies throughout your sales process. Here are five examples of new sales tools:

Webinars: WebEx, Placeware and other online conferencing tools enable a sales force to conduct demonstrations virtually with customers who want more detailed information about a product. The customer gains immediate gratification by seeing how the product works, and they quickly educate themselves on its benefits. The seller also benefits by reducing certain costs such as the time and money incurred from traveling for face-to-face meeting.

Videos: Posting clever videos of your product on your own site as well as video hosting sites such as YouTube, offers your product tremendous exposure at a low cost. For example, BlendTec, a blender maker, turned to videos to prove how powerful and durable their blenders are. In their “Will it Blend?” series, they blend golf balls, alarm clocks, iPhones and many other items you would never put into a blender. These videos have become online hits, attracting media attention, as well as driving a 700 percent increase in sales.

Blogs: Companies typically use two types of blogs, one where employees can post videos or write about the design, features or progress of a product, and another where customers can offer feedback and recommendations for products or services. Blogs serve to enhance your online visibility, establish expertise, create brand loyalty, increase top-of-mind awareness and influence the public conversation about your company. Recently Starbucks launched the blog site mystarbucksidea.com where customers can make suggestions for new products (such as ice cubes made of coffee so iced-drinks don’t get diluted). Other customers can vote on or discuss the ideas. Customers who feel engaged and acknowledged become loyal customers.

Search Marketing: Search marketing is one of the most powerful ways to get prospects to find you on the Web. By leveraging the power of Google and Yahoo, customers will find you. There are two types of search marketing: paid key words and organic search.Organic search marketing focuses on fine-tuning the content and structure of your website so that it comes up first in search results. This is known as search engine optimization (SEO). The key to SEO is clear categorization. Users don’t type in unique value propositions to find what they are looking for; they type in categories and criteria. For example, if you are looking for a sales recruiter in Toronto you may type “Sales Recruiter Toronto.” LEAPJob has conducted SEO on their site so they come up first, which is delivering them two to five new customers per week.Companies can further increase their exposure by purchasing key words to get top-of-page results – Google calls this service AdWords. AdWords are highly effective for getting clear search results when you can’t achieve your organic listing goals, or when you want to run targeted campaigns. They allow companies to control their advertising budgets, and to promote pages, services or campaigns in a targeted fashion. It’s often money well spent.

Publicity and Social Proof: Leveraging the media can be an effective tool for generating leads, but in a Sales 2.0 context, it’s all about credibility. Consumers are inundated by marketers and advertisers so much that they begin to tune the messages out. Buyers are cynical of case studies and testimonials on companies’ websites. They want social proof instead. Social proof occurs when consumers rate, review or discuss your product online in review or blog sites, or when the press creates a story. Being quoted in major media outlets is powerful, because it says that a trusted source views your company as reputable. A media or unbiased consumer review creates a connection that helps prospective customers get beyond the hype, and listen to what your company has to say. The above listed tools drive sales, but also require a clear sales process that serves the customer’s buying experience. Shifting into Sales 2.0 takes a real commitment to understanding your customers, and to developing a sales process that meets the needs of their buying habits.Sales 2.0 is a long-term strategy. If you can embrace your customers and develop an organization tuned to their needs, you can build a powerful sales engine that outstrips the solution selling approach. If you think Sales 2.0 tools are not applicable to your business, think one more time about how your customers want to engage with your company online in a meaningful way. The companies that deliver on those expectations will be handsomely rewarded for it.

Jeremy Miller is a partner with LEAPJob, a sales recruiting firm in Toronto, Canada. LEAPJob recruits sales professionals and sales leaders for many of Canada's most recognized companies. Their clients range from the Top 50 Employers to smaller organizations building their first sales force. For more information on LEAPJob please visit http://www.LEAPJob.com.

BUSINESS TIPS: Low-Cost Marketing Tactics for a Down Economy

Re-produced from the original article by M. H. McIntosh, please find below a set of useful tips for low-cost marketing. A useful reminder to even the most experienced marketeers, whether in a down economy or not...

Low-Cost Marketing Tactics for a Down Economy

In these difficult times, as the customer pool shrinks and budgets tighten, companies must fine-tune their marketing efforts. Here are tips on refining your marketing approach to maximize effectiveness and minimize costs.

Eliminate marginal investments
Interview your salespeople to identify which marketing tools have been most instrumental in successfully selling your products or services. Determine which marketing program has the biggest role in snaring recent sales and allocate your marketing budget toward those programs. Then take these steps:

Eliminate marketing communications projects you might never get around to anyway. These “wish list” projects can be added back to the marketing to-do list when the economy turns around and you have the money and resources needed to do them right.
Eliminate marketing designed only to enhance your brand. These marketing programs won’t have much affect on your short-term sales results. Instead, focus on generating leads and sales from a well-targeted group of prospects and let the quality of your marketing communications, response materials and website take care of enhancing your company’s image.
Eliminate marketing programs that have not shown a significant positive ROI, as measured by leads or sales. Determine which programs will have the biggest impact on generating qualified, sales-ready leads and short-term sales. Make sure these stay at the top of the list for funding and implementation.

Increase direct marketing
Increase your use of e-mail and postal mail to deliver targeted offers to your most desirable prospects.

Postal mail may get through when your e-mail gets blocked as spam. To cut costs, use laser-printed business letters rather than expensive full-color mailers. Rather than doing one-time postal mailings to rented lists, improve your results by sending repeat mailings targeted at known prospects (such as your own prospect database). Save money by sending expensive literature or materials only to those who request them — not to every prospect in your database.

If you don’t have your own e-mail lists to market to, consider having publishers send your e-mail to their lists for you, or placing ads in targeted e-newsletters or e-zines. These are economical ways to get past e-mail filters, reach your prospects directly and generate a quick response.

Negotiate discounts on trade publication advertising
In these difficult times, you will likely be better off with a high-frequency or high-impact presence in one or two key publications than with an occasional presence in several. Study circulation information to clearly understand what percentage of the magazine’s readership is really part of your target market. Ask your media rep to give you statistics on what percentage of their subscribers also read competitive magazines, and consider this information when calculating your true cost per thousand.

Be sure your print ads are benefit- or solution-focused (rather than emphasizing “features”) with strong calls-to-action designed to generate leads or drive sales.

When the economy is soft, trade publication advertising sales are often weak. This allows you to negotiate an attractive rate with publishers.

Use trade shows smartly
Trade shows can be expensive, so consider eliminating those that haven’t previously shown a favorable ROI. Instead, concentrate your investments in those shows and conferences which have proven effective in generating leads and driving sales.

Then look for ways to reduce your trade show costs and boost your ROI. For example, consider hosting a smaller exhibit. Ask your dealers, distributors or resellers to help you staff the booth. Eliminate expensive cocktail parties. Send pre-show mailings to increase the number of visitors to your booth and lower your overall cost per lead. Send post-show mailings and use telemarketing follow-up to convert casual inquiries into qualified leads.

Enhance your website
A few cost-effective changes can turn your website into a sales lead generation machine. Select and use keywords carefully so your site appears in the search results for your intended audience. Post keyword-rich articles and case studies on your site. To turn visitors into leads, place offers or calls-to-action on every page of your website. Back up your claims with proof, including certifications, awards and customer testimonials.

Move to virtual seminars and workshops
You can cut some of the cost of your seminars and workshops by hosting them online. Webinars, online product demonstrations and other virtual meetings eliminate travel expenses of presenters and staff. And virtual events sometimes enjoy better attendance than live events because attendees don’t need to leave their offices. You still need to spend some of your marketing funds promoting your virtual events, but you can save a bundle on travel, meeting rooms and refreshments.

Put marketing collateral online
My research shows that three in ten requesters still want printed materials to share with their bosses, colleagues or clients. This ratio also means seven in ten will be happy and instantly gratified to be directed to your website or sent PDF files.

You can also save on printed literature production costs by avoiding expensive metallic inks, or by taking advantage of excess paper supplies your printer is willing to discount. Die cuts can be costly, but not if you use a die the printer already has created. You can also make items in smaller sizes or print two-sided materials to reduce printing and shipping costs.

Publish articles on your subject of expertise
Take advantage of inexpensive opportunities such as writing or contributing articles to industry publications, business magazines, blogs, websites and even Vistage View. Articles showcase your expertise to a highly targeted audience of your prospective clients. They can learn more about your company if you put a short biography at the end of the article and a link to a free whitepaper or how-to guide.

Use your article to gain media attention by shortening it and distributing it as a press release with a newswire service. Make sure your release links back to the full version of the article posted on your site. Additionally, you can post comments on relevant online news stories or industry blogs, and in your comment include a link to your article.

You may also consider writing a more in-depth version of the article, a white paper or special report, and offering it to website visitors.

Use newsletters
Newsletters are another great way to provide customer value and keep your company’s name top-of-mind without spending a fortune. Consider using your newsletter to help you identify and qualify prospects. That is, make newsletter subscription involve filling out a brief survey which asks questions about people’s level of interest in your products, buying authority and purchasing horizon. This information can go into your database for immediate or future follow-up, as appropriate, by marketing or sales. Be sure to also publish your newsletter on your website.

Provide speakers to meetings and conferences
Another economical marketing tactic is to promote your company’s executives as potential speakers at key meetings and conferences. Speaking at prominent events positions those executives as experts. You can also use these events to generate leads by offering audience members a copy of the presentation, a free white paper or some other valuable information if they give you a business card.

Find a marketing partner
Stretch your marketing dollars by teaming up with a company whose products or services complement yours. By pooling your resources, you and your partner can get far more mileage from your respective investments than either of you could alone.

For example, consider jointly sponsoring a mailing to promote products and services of both partners to their mutual universe of prospects. Not only do you split the costs, but you also gain access to additional prospects.Create a referral programLeverage the power of your existing customers by creating a referral program that rewards customers for sending prospects to your company. Getting referrals from happy long-term customers may be as easy as simply asking for it. Additional incentives, although worth considering, may not be required.

These ideas may trigger additional ways to cut the fat in your marketing programs and better focus your marketing efforts on driving short-term leads and sales during these difficult economic times. Doing so will help enhance marketing’s reputation with senior management as a valuable contributor to the corporate mission.

M. H. “Mac" McIntosh is described by many as one of America’s leading business-to-business sales and marketing consultants and an expert on the subject of sales leads. For more information, or to request a free subscription to his newsletter, Sales Lead Report®, visit www.sales-lead-experts.com

DEVELOPMENT: Microsoft .NET Services SDK (Dec 2008 CTP) released

Microsoft .NET Services is part of the Azure Services Platform. .NET Services include three services: Access Control Service, Service Bus, and Workflow Service.

This SDK includes API libraries, samples, and documentation for building connected applications with the .NET platform. It spans the entire spectrum of today’s Internet applications – from rich connected applications with advanced connectivity requirements to Web-style applications that use simple protocols such as HTTP, Atom, and RSS to communicate with the broadest possible range of clients.

For more details and to download the SDK, then see the Microsoft site here: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=83e1e30f-bd9a-4284-80a6-388ba2e768fd&displaylang=en

Saturday, November 29, 2008

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.

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

Friday, November 28, 2008

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/

Thursday, November 27, 2008

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

Sunday, November 23, 2008

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

Thursday, November 20, 2008

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!

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

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!!! :-)

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

BUSINESS TIPS: Socially responsible downsizing

Re-produced from the original article published by Business in the Community (BITC); tips for downsizing. View the original article here.

Business in the Community: Socially responsible downsizing

Business in the Community is acutely aware of the challenges and constraints that its members are currently facing in light of the economic climate, and we are committed to supporting its members through such challenging times. We recognise that some organisations will be forced to restructure and downsize in the near future in order to remain operational. We believe that socially responsible downsizing is not an oxymoron – in today’s current economic climate, it is becoming a reality. Being socially responsible is often more than just engaging in an activity – in many instances, it is about how an organisation engages in an activity. Business in the Community believes that while not being a desirable option, downsizing can be done in a socially responsible way by putting the points below into action.

Consider all potential options
Research has demonstrated that downsizing does not always result in the desired savings, as organisations underestimate the costs of losing talent, damage to employee trust and motivation, increased stress and damaged brand image. With this in mind, it makes sense to consider alternatives to downsizing, and recent months have seen organisations adopting an innovative approach to cutting their costs:

Permanent TSB has offered staff up to €35,000 to take a 2-3 year career break (www.reutors.com)
As opposed to forcing redundancies, JCB entered into negotiations with its staff, which culminated in employees accepting a pay cut of £50 per week in the hope of keeping their jobs
Michelin have asked their employees to take extended leave over Christmas to prevent a tyre stockpile situation escalating, thereby reducing costs.

Planning and implementing downsizing
If you have little other option other than to downsize, be sure to plan the process carefully. Research has suggested that almost half the effort to implement downsizing should be done before downsizing is announced.

From the very outset, make sure you are fully aware of your legal requirements. Begin by visiting sites such as www.businesslink.gov.uk or www.berr.gov.uk for free advice on employment law. For more specific advice on the necessary steps to redundancy in Northern Ireland, visit: https://redundancyni.gov.uk/.

Once this is done, set about giving careful thought to exactly what you hope to achieve by downsizing, and give due consideration to how you are going to provide for both departing and remaining employees. If appropriate, use Business in the Community’s ‘8 principles of CSR to guide you’: http://www.bitc.org.uk/news_media/corporate.html

Consider all stakeholders affected by downsizing. Clearly, this will involve employees, but may also include other local organisations, politicians, government agencies and the media. For example:
Indesit Company offered incentives to local organisations to employ the workers that it was forced to make redundant. The amount paid was relative to the skills of the individual.

Consider how you can best cater for the needs of employees that are both leaving and remaining in the organisation. Use the expertise of other organisations, such as EGSA to help employees increase their employability. To get a greater insight into how other organisations can assist and support employees during downsizing, click on www.egsa.com or www.acas.org.uk. For example:
In 2007, Seagate took the decision to close its Limavady branch. The site closed in September 2008. The company used the intervening time to put in place a range of support for its employees. With a strong focus on developing skills, Seagate provided its employees with independent information, advice and guidance for learning and work. Organisations, such as EGSA provided information days, in depth career guidance and tailored factsheets on training pathways in related and/or relevant career areas.
In 2007 Sanmina SCI were employing 250 staff (200 blue collar, mostly male). Many had few or no qualifications, and some had worked at the company for over 20 years. The company wanted the employees to feel they had taken action to answer their “what next?” questions. EGSA were brought in to challenge preconceptions held by some workers about their ability to engage in learning again and to support them in seeking new career directions.
Link with organisations such as Business in the Community to give employees the opportunity to gain valuable experience in other local community and voluntary organisations in a volunteering capacity.

The outstanding characteristic of responsible companies are that they treat employees affected by downsizing with respect and dignity, that their policies are perceived to be fair to surviving as well as departing employees, that they over communicate throughout the implementation process, that there is continuous top management presence and support for the effort, and that the time span for realizing reductions is sufficiently long to minimize layoffs or render them unnecessary.

Maintaining a sense of trust
By being open and honest and truly trying to make the very best of a bad situation, organisations are demonstrating that they are trustworthy, and value their employees and other stakeholders. As Mallen Baker notes: “If an organisation can do the right thing during a lay-off, it will reap the rewards for years to come with all of its stakeholders. Furthermore, recent evidence clearly demonstrates that those organisations that demonstrate CSR are financially rewarded in the long term – organisations engaging in CSR outperform the FTSE 350 on total shareholder return by between 3.2% and 7.7% per year. Thus, while downsizing may not be a desirable option, doing it in a socially responsible way makes sense.

BLOG: Steve's Sage Summit show trip video diary 20081118.02

The QuoteWerks branded footballs are going well!!!

...

Unfortunately the software isn’t! :-(

Most delegates we have seen are sporting Sage Master Builder or non-profit software flags – these types of businesses unfortunately don’t lend themselves to quoting. But there are two days left, so plenty of time left and hopefully the popularity of the footballs amongst attendees will attract other delegates to the stand!

Also on a very positive note: Keith (Carrington, Aspire Technologies) met with one of his contacts in the media area today to present the new ConnectIT – QuoteWerks to Sage MAS 90 and Sage MAS 200 link – press release, so we could get some interest from that area too later in the week.

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.

Monday, November 17, 2008

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.

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.

BLOG: Steve's Sage Summit show trip video diary 20081117.11

Brandon (left) and Keith (right) on the Aspire Technologies QuoteWerks stand at the Sage Summit 2008 trade show.

BLOG: Steve's Sage Summit show trip video diary 20081117.10

Keith (left) and Brian (centre) setting up the demo laptops to present QuoteWerks and ConnectIT to interested delegates attending the Sage Summit 2008 trade show.

Part of the series 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 20081119.09

First sight of the QuoteWerks stand that the Aspire Technologies Inc team have built, Steve looks forward to a busy show.

BLOG: Steve's Sage Summit show trip video diary 20081117.08

The entrance to the Sage Summit 2008 trade show hall with the Sage stand at the forefront.

BLOG: Steve's Sage Summit show trip video diary 20081117.07

The entrance to the Sage Summit 2008 Trade Show. ("Nearly there... finally!!!" thinks Steve.)

BLOG: Steve's Sage Summit show trip video diary 20081117.05

Welcome to Sage Summit sign - the entrance to the Colorado Convention Centre, Colorado for the Sage Summit 2008 trade show.

BLOG: Steve's Sage Summit show trip video diary 20081117.06

Steve's pendant for entry into the Sage Summit 2008 trade show as an exhibitor where he was alongside Aspire Technologies Inc presenting QuoteWerks and ConnectIT - QuoteWerks to Sage MAS 90 and Sage MAS 200 link.

VLOG: Steve's Sage Summit show trip video diary 20081117.04

First day of the Sage Summit 2008 show; outside the Colorado Convention Centre ready to register for the Sage Summit 2008 trade show.

BLOG: Steve's Sage Summit show trip video diary 20081117.03

Outside the Colorado Convention Centre, Denver for the Sage Summit 2008 trade show.

VLOG: Steve's Sage Summit show trip video diary 20081117.02

First day of the Sage Summit 2008 show, Steve shows the short 4-block walk down Welton Street to get to from the Grand Hyatt hotel to the Colorado Convention Centre.

VLOG: Steve's Sage Summit show trip video diary 20081117.01

First day of the Sage Summit 2008 show, Steve reflects on the message they he will by trying to get across to attendees in terms the efficiencies that the QuoteWerks sales quotation tool and ConnectIT QuoteWerks to Sage MAS 90 and Sage MAS 200 link software can bring to a business.