Archives

Did you miss a Sage Thought Leaders Series webcast or podcast? Don't fret. Monthly, we'll add the latest webcast and podcasts so you can always get the latest information and Sage ideas.

• April 2013
• March 2013
• February 2013
• January 2013
• December 2012
• November 2012
• October 2012

April 18: Replacing Annual Performance Appraisals

Details

• Date: Thursday, April 18, 2013
• Time: 10–11 a.m. PT, 1–2 p.m. ET
• Length: 1 hour
• Facilitator: Ron Baker, founder of VeraSage Institute
  Ronald J. Baker started his career in 1984 with KPMG’s Private Business Advisory Services in San Francisco. Today, he is the founder of VeraSage Institute, the leading think tank dedicated to educating professionals around the world. As a frequent speaker, writer, and educator, he has toured the world, spreading his value-pricing message to over 110,000 professionals. He has been an instructor with the California CPA Education Foundation since 1995 and has authored fifteen courses for them.

Description

Most organizations and employees are dissatisfied with the annual performance appraisal process, so it remains a curiosity why this paper-shuffling ritual continues to exist. Replace the obsolete and ineffective annual performance appraisal with proven strategies that enable organizations to more effectively leverage their intellectual capital, while offering a competitive advantage in attracting talent.

Any leader or team member interested in being on the leading edge of implementing strategies that inspire knowledge workers to perform at their most effective should plan to attend this webcast.

March 21: Engaging with Customers via Social Media

Details

• Date: Thursday, March 21, 2013
• Time: 10–11 a.m. PT, 1–2 p.m. ET
• Length: 1 hour
• Facilitator: Dan Kraus, President of Leading Results
  Dan Kraus is the president of Leading Results, the largest Duct Tape Marketing consulting organization in North America. Dan has been a line of business leader, marketer and sales person for large companies such as SAP and Great Plains Software as well as a key member of a number of start-up firms. He works as a marketing coach and part time VP of marketing for businesses of various types—both B2B and B2C. Leading Results works with small and mid-sized businesses to define and implement marketing strategies that help them stop wasting money on marketing that doesn't get results.

Description

Social media has many uses—personally and professionally. You can sell socially, market socially and buy socially. It can be a pulpit, a bullhorn or even the bane of your existence. As a business person, you need information to make decisions. If you are a marketer, you need feedback to understand how your message is being received. Yet only 30% of companies respond to social media generated comments and feedback.

February 21: The Seven S Model and Shared Vision

Details

• Date: Thursday, February 21, 2013
• Time: 10–11 a.m. PT, 1–2 p.m. ET
• Length: 1 hour
• Facilitator: Ed Kless, senior director of partner development and strategy, Sage.
  Ed develops and delivers curriculum for Sage business partners on the art and practice of small business consulting including the Sage Consulting Academy, Business Strategy and Customer Experience Workshops. He also facilitates the Sage Leadership Academy, a year-long program designed to assist Sage Software partners develop a continuous process of improvement in their organizations and serves as liaison to the Sage Leadership Academy Alumni Association. He is a frequent contributor to industry publications, including the Journal of Accountancy, Harvard Business Review and HR.com, and has spoken at many conferences worldwide on project management, pricing, and knowledge workers.

Description

This webcast will be dedicated to the possibility that organizations that have well-defined and shared visions of their future will be better places for team members to work and have happier customers. Creating a well-defined shared vision is hard work and not for everyone as it requires us to look deep into ourselves and examine our beliefs as people.

January 17, 2013: Measure What Matters to Your Customer

Description

Gain a competitive advantage in the marketplace and allow your company to develop the measures that matter to your customers by capitalizing on Key Predictive Indicators (KPIs). These are specific, identifiable details that customers value in the products and services they receive.

During this webcast, you will learn how employ KPIs to enable your business to react appropriately to your customer’s needs and increase the value they perceive, leading to higher profits. Additional topics covered are:

• Traditional metrics of efficiency—which are over a century old––are no longer relevant to measuring the effectiveness of intellectual capital.
• Critical difference between a Key Performance Indicator and a Key Predictive Indicator.
• How to combine a theory with a measurement for maximum understanding.

Dec. 17, 2012: Reduce Risks, Lower Costs, and Manage Compliance with Document Management

Description

Presented by Paul Crompton, VP of business development for V1 Document Management.

With today's increasing business complexities, relying on manual and paper-based processes can make it challenging to manage documentation and maintain compliance. During this webcast you will learn how proper document management can help you:

• Avoid liability by promoting compliance with local, state, federal, and nonagency regulations.
• Reduce operating costs by decreasing the need for paper and paper storage.
• Increase accessibility to documents across the business and ensure they are securely managed and archived.

November 15, 2012: How to Drive Revenue With a Simplified Sales Cycle

Description

Presented by Wade Clark, president and senior advisor of New Vision Advisors, and author of Simplifying Complex Sales.

Many businesses struggle with sales growth—for good reasons. Business development can be challenging, but selling complex products or intangible services can present an even greater hurdle. Reliance on relationship skills alone is not a viable tactic—your buyer is making a critical business decision and needs strategic assistance.

This webcast will give you some insights about how to provide the strategic assistance your buyer needs, plus you'll learn:

• The stages and obstacles buyers will face on any major purchase and how to help them through these challenges.
• How to determine effective next steps to navigate your buyer through the complexity of the product or service to arrive at a solid, well-informed decision.
• Sales coaching techniques and methods that will help your buyer make strong business decisions.

October 25, 2012: Outpace Your Competition With Business Intelligence

Description

Presented by Gary Boddington, co-founder of Alchemex, and subsequent to being acquired by Sage, now leads the Sage Alchemex business unit which drives the Sage Intelligence Reporting module that provides information to more than 3,0000 small and midsized businesses that run Sage software globally. Gary is focused on driving business intelligence solutions that are simple to use and relevant for the SMB & MME business sector.

Organizations of all sizes are looking to manage their businesses more effectively and be more innovative to deliver results, while continuing to cut costs, manage shifting business demands, and respond to an evolving marketplace faster than the competition. Enter Business Intelligence (BI), a very hot topic in any boardroom today. BI is no longer a nice-to-have, but a must-have for any size organization. This webcast will give you some insight into how BI technology can drive the fundamentals in business and become a driver of success across your organization, plus you'll learn:

• The meaning of Business Intelligence and how companies use it every day
• How data can enhance customer interactions and improve internal collaboration
• The impact of sharing information seamlessly across the organization and how it can lead to better investments and demand planning