We do not longer search for news, news find us...
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Obama about business
In an interview taken by Business Week, Obama has been asked what did he learn in the first six months after his election. I liked his short but complete answer:
"I think over the last six months I have just relearned that lesson—that my most important job is to get the right people in the right place, give them the freedom to innovate and to think creatively about problems, hold them accountable for results, and make sure that they are cooperating with each other and communicating with each other on an ongoing basis."
How cool is that?
The entire interview here:
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/09_32/b4142000676096.htm
Njoy!
"I think over the last six months I have just relearned that lesson—that my most important job is to get the right people in the right place, give them the freedom to innovate and to think creatively about problems, hold them accountable for results, and make sure that they are cooperating with each other and communicating with each other on an ongoing basis."
How cool is that?
The entire interview here:
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/09_32/b4142000676096.htm
Njoy!
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Saturday, July 18, 2009
How to screw up your CTR rates
Does it make any sense to use a paid advertise program to promote yourself on your own site?
Monday, June 15, 2009
Distribution Channel Management for software products
For a software company the distribution of its software products is a very challenging job. The Internet is offering unlimited opportunities but is opening many doors also for the competition. As a company director, I am sure that you are questioning yourself everyday what you need to do to keep (or target) the leader position.
The modern strategies include these days channel distribution strategies such as exclusivities for resellers, local market prices, marketing development funds and local brand development strategies. How to manage all these? How to protect the channels? How to improve the channels? How to define new channels? And, very important, how to measure all these parameters?
All these challenges will be discussed on Thursday, June 18th on a webinar hosted by my colleague Casey Potenzone (VP US Sales) and our partner Ken Beam (President, VAR City). The webinar is called “60 Minute Crash Course on Channel Management” and the registrations are open (and free):
http://www.avangate.com/webinar/software-channel-management-2009.php
Njoy!
The modern strategies include these days channel distribution strategies such as exclusivities for resellers, local market prices, marketing development funds and local brand development strategies. How to manage all these? How to protect the channels? How to improve the channels? How to define new channels? And, very important, how to measure all these parameters?
All these challenges will be discussed on Thursday, June 18th on a webinar hosted by my colleague Casey Potenzone (VP US Sales) and our partner Ken Beam (President, VAR City). The webinar is called “60 Minute Crash Course on Channel Management” and the registrations are open (and free):
http://www.avangate.com/webinar/software-channel-management-2009.php
Njoy!
Monday, June 1, 2009
Twitter - news and life in real time
How can you find out and feel when something big is going on? And how to do it in real time? The answer is, again, Twitter!
I arrived to the office today and I have opened Twitter as usual; a popular channel showed up to me: Air France! A catastrophic accident happened today with an Airbus 330 of AirFrance, over the Atlantic, from Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) to Paris (France).
The reactions on Twitter - 73 messages in 2 seconds:
I arrived to the office today and I have opened Twitter as usual; a popular channel showed up to me: Air France! A catastrophic accident happened today with an Airbus 330 of AirFrance, over the Atlantic, from Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) to Paris (France).
The reactions on Twitter - 73 messages in 2 seconds:
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Friday question: exclusivity vs. success
If you are offering a unique solution on the market, can that be called a success?
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Sound of tractors, sound of life
I want to share with you a little story from my life. The story is about my grandmother, an 80 years old woman from the country side, a woman that means very much to me.She worked very hard the land for her entire life and now she becomes to lose from her strength. Recently I had a phone conversation with her and she told me a little thing that impressed me to tears; she told me “you know Daniel, I was sitting in the courtyard the other days and I was looking to the field and listening to the tractors that were working the land; I realized that I worked my entire life around these tractors; they use to lead my daily activities. Now, after 60 years, the tractors are still working on the same land but I feel them so far away from me…”
What happened is that my grandmother accepted that she became old and she cannot work the land anymore; now she is waiting for great-grandchildren…
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Casual Drinks – networking event for software professionals
If you are going to be in the Silicon Valley area on Thursday, March 26th come join us for Casual Drinks, a networking event aimed at software professionals within the Valley. The event is hosted by Avangate (eCommerce and solutions provider for software distribution). If you are a software publisher or provide services to the space, Avangate invites you to come join us and meet your peers.Why you should attend?
- Networking with key people from Software & eCommerce Industry
- Get valuable business contacts
- Happy Thursday: Drinks & Fun
- Meet the Avangate Team
See you there? RSVP online.
P.S. Pictures from the previous edition.
Monday, March 16, 2009
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Welcome to disagreement (by Dale Carnegie)
Remember the slogan, "When two partners always agree, one of them is not necessary." If there is some point you haven't thought about, be thankful if it is brought to your attention. Perhaps this disagreement is your opportunity to be corrected before you make a serious mistake.
DISTRUST YOUR FIRST INSTINCTIVE IMPRESSION: Our first natural reaction in a disagreeable situation is to be defensive. Be careful. Keep calm and watch out for your first reaction. It may be you at your worst, not your best.
CONTROL YOUR TEMPER: Remember, you can measure the size and stature of a person by what makes him or her angry.
LISTEN FIRST: Give your opponents a chance to talk. Let them finish. Do not resist, defend or debate. This only raises barriers. Try to build bridges of understanding. Don't build higher barriers of misunderstanding.
LOOK FOR AREAS OF AGREEMENT: When you have heard your opponents out, dwell first on the points and areas on which you agree.
BE HONEST: Look for areas where you can admit errors and say so. Apologize for your mistakes. It will help disarm your opponents and reduce defensiveness.
PROMISE TO THINK OVER YOUR OPPONENTS'S IDEAS AND STUDY THEM CAREFULLY: And mean it. Your opponents may be right. It is a lot easier at this stage to agree to think about their points than to move rapidly ahead and find yourself in a position where you feel yourself or your opponents can say: "We tried to tell you, but you wouldn't listen."
THANKS YOUR OPPONENTS SINCERELY FOR THEIR INTEREST: Anyone who takes the time to disagree with you is interested in the same things you are. Think of them as people who really want to help you or your cause, and it is possible that you may find true friends in your opponents and true friendship in their intents despite the difference of opinions.
POSTPONE ACTION TO GIVE BOTH SIDES TIME TO THINK THROUGH THE PROBLEM: Suggest that a new meeting be held later that day or the next day, when all facts may be brought to bear. In preparation for the meeting, ask yourself some hard questions:
1. Could my opponents be right ? Partly right ?
2. Is there truth or merit in their position or argument ?
3. Is my reaction one that will relieve the problem, or will it just relieve any frustration ?
4. Will my reaction drive my opponents further away or draw them closer to me ?
5. Will my reaction elevate the estimation good people have of me ?
6. Will I win or lose ? What price will I have to pay if I win ?
7. If I am quiet about it, will the disagreement blow over ?
8. Is this difficult situation an opportunity for me and my leadership qualities ?
DISTRUST YOUR FIRST INSTINCTIVE IMPRESSION: Our first natural reaction in a disagreeable situation is to be defensive. Be careful. Keep calm and watch out for your first reaction. It may be you at your worst, not your best.
CONTROL YOUR TEMPER: Remember, you can measure the size and stature of a person by what makes him or her angry.
LISTEN FIRST: Give your opponents a chance to talk. Let them finish. Do not resist, defend or debate. This only raises barriers. Try to build bridges of understanding. Don't build higher barriers of misunderstanding.
LOOK FOR AREAS OF AGREEMENT: When you have heard your opponents out, dwell first on the points and areas on which you agree.
BE HONEST: Look for areas where you can admit errors and say so. Apologize for your mistakes. It will help disarm your opponents and reduce defensiveness.
PROMISE TO THINK OVER YOUR OPPONENTS'S IDEAS AND STUDY THEM CAREFULLY: And mean it. Your opponents may be right. It is a lot easier at this stage to agree to think about their points than to move rapidly ahead and find yourself in a position where you feel yourself or your opponents can say: "We tried to tell you, but you wouldn't listen."
THANKS YOUR OPPONENTS SINCERELY FOR THEIR INTEREST: Anyone who takes the time to disagree with you is interested in the same things you are. Think of them as people who really want to help you or your cause, and it is possible that you may find true friends in your opponents and true friendship in their intents despite the difference of opinions.
POSTPONE ACTION TO GIVE BOTH SIDES TIME TO THINK THROUGH THE PROBLEM: Suggest that a new meeting be held later that day or the next day, when all facts may be brought to bear. In preparation for the meeting, ask yourself some hard questions:
1. Could my opponents be right ? Partly right ?
2. Is there truth or merit in their position or argument ?
3. Is my reaction one that will relieve the problem, or will it just relieve any frustration ?
4. Will my reaction drive my opponents further away or draw them closer to me ?
5. Will my reaction elevate the estimation good people have of me ?
6. Will I win or lose ? What price will I have to pay if I win ?
7. If I am quiet about it, will the disagreement blow over ?
8. Is this difficult situation an opportunity for me and my leadership qualities ?
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Be a leader. Be a reference.
Today I was convinced once again that Einstein was right; everything is relative. But this is not all – the most amazing thing is that if you can create and control this relativity, then you will become a reference point; and my friends, that’s a guaranteed success.
Take a break and start looking how many reference points you are using on a daily basis in your life, in your business and, most important, in your decisions.
“Microsoft built a very popular operating system”
“Toyota is building the most reliable cars”
“This product is much cheaper in China”
Sounds familiar? How many times a day you are thinking or hear statements like that? Microsoft, Toyota, China - all of these are reference points. If you can enforce yourself to be a reference point in life and business then you will lead and achieve your dreams. I am serious!
One of the past days I was talking to a guy that asked me where I am from. After I told him I am from Europe he asked me how much costs the things out there. More of that, he asked me if I know what are the prices in China! What does that mean? It means that the price suddenly became a reference point for this guy and he is ready to buy products from a specific market because it’s cheaper. If the economy was good maybe the reference point for the price was limited to the United States; after this guy was forced to look for alternatives he made a search over the Internet and his horizons were expanded overseas.
Stop copying the competition and look to become a reference point for others!
Friday, March 6, 2009
How is the software channel coping with the crisis
Avangate is doing a survey on how the crisis is impacting the channel distribution in the software industry. If you are:
THANK YOU!
- an ISV using a partner network or
- a reseller in the software industry,
THANK YOU!
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Economic crisis vs. Sex
I just noticed today that a quick search on Google for “economic crisis” returns over 64 million results; in the same time, a search for “sex” returns 80 million results.
Is the crisis about to dominate the world as sex does it for thousands of years?
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Windows Vista Sidebar - Radio gadget
During this weekend I had to work a lot and I realized at one point that is very quiet around me. My music library is played so many times that I had the feeling that I need something new.
I opened Windows Vista Gallery looking for some entertainment. After a quick search I found exactly what i was looking for: Online Radio 2.0. The installation was piece of cake; I have clicked the download button and that’s it :)
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Is blogging dead?
Just realized today that many people are moving to live news and interaction networks like Twitter and LinkedIn.
Why should we write two-three times per day here instead of broadcasting the same idea using Twitter? Follow me on Twitter and I am sure that we will save a lot of time; I don't have to write pages to feed the search engines and you don't have to add another bookmark to your existing list.
Let's make an exercise: how much of your allocated time for information are you spending on each of these separate information channels: news websites, blogs, Twitter and LinkedIn? My numbers are 55%-5%-15%-25%. What numbers you have?
Why should we write two-three times per day here instead of broadcasting the same idea using Twitter? Follow me on Twitter and I am sure that we will save a lot of time; I don't have to write pages to feed the search engines and you don't have to add another bookmark to your existing list.
Let's make an exercise: how much of your allocated time for information are you spending on each of these separate information channels: news websites, blogs, Twitter and LinkedIn? My numbers are 55%-5%-15%-25%. What numbers you have?
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