Last in a six-part series

In Part One of this series, we defined what an operating system (OS) is, and speculated that changes in the most significant OS platforms could affect the way that salespeople do their jobs over the next few years. In this part, we summarize our findings and provide sales professionals with some clear recommendations about the kind of OS they should use.

So, what should salespeople do about their computer operating systems?

For many years now, most of the world rallied to one standard desktop operating system: Microsoft Windows.  It was a nice place to be - very consistent and predictable.  People could transfer their computer using skills from one place to the next with relative ease.  Information flowed.  Commerce thrived.  All was well in the kingdom.

Three accelerating trends are occurring now, however, that are beginning to disrupt this idyllic scene.

Let’s call the first of these trends the “good enough” syndrome.  Over the last few years, most computer users - especially mobile sales professionals - watched the incremental improvements in processor speeds as they developed, looked at their existing hardware, and said, “I think I’ll just live with this a while longer - it seems plenty good enough for the moment.” This is one big reason why Microsoft stumbled with their latest version of Windows: Vista.  They assumed that computer users would continue to upgrade their hardware, and follow the latest trends in state-of-the-art processors and supporting systems, just as they always had in the past.  But Microsoft supposed wrongly.  Unlike cutting-edge users of high-end gaming and other processor-intensive applications such as media creation, most businesspeople only need a solid, reliable machine that is good enough to get the job done.

A second trend is the rapidly rising reliability and availability of fast, ubiquitous Internet access.  This trend further reduces the need for powerful personal computer hardware, making super-robust client-based operating systems even less important.  As long as users can “jack into the cloud”, their computer need only be a reliable user interface and communications platform.

A third trend is the increasing blurring of device specialization.  In the good old days, you had a computer, a cell phone, a fax machine, a stereo, a television and maybe a VCR - each device performed its own special task.  Today, your computer, phone, instant messenger, email, music player, Internet browser and many other capabilities can all be wrapped up into a very small number of portable devices - and for some users, perhaps only one.  As long as people can get to their data, in a form factor that is comfortable to use, they don’t care what device they use.

These three trends - good enough power, ‘net access, and device consolidation - have huge implications for the kinds of operating systems that salespeople will use on their computers in the next few years.  Recognizing this, let’s now make some practical suggestions for sales professionals, along with a few bold predictions:

• First, most of the world is using Windows today (albeit mostly XP, not Vista), and that won’t change anytime soon.  So, if you’re using Windows now, and it’s all working fine, keep doing so.  You’re in good company, and there’s no need to panic.
• However, if you are using Vista today, or if you’re considering buying a new Vista-based machine, and your hardware doesn’t have the power to take advantage of the advanced user interface capabilities, consider “downgrading” to XP - you almost certainly will find a more stable environment there, and get snappier performance.
• If you are using a Mac today, and it’s getting the job done for you, keep doing so.  There’s no compelling reason to switch to any other operating system if you are happy in your insulated, safe Apple architecture - at least, for now.
• Monitor the development of netbooks closely - they will be the vehicles that drive widespread acceptance of “cloud computing.”  Netbooks are now cheap, highly portable, quick-performing platforms that are becoming especially compelling for mobile sales professionals.
• Consider buying one of the currently available, inexpensive netbooks with an “instant on” (probably Linux-based) OS as a second computer before the end of 2008, and begin to experiment with Internet-based storage and applications.  It will likely become your favorite “road machine”, and you’ll leave your heavy duty client computer at home for more processor-intensive work.
• Microsoft has probably learned enough from the Vista experience to make Windows 7 much more scalable, lean, and user-friendly OS.  The early indications that they are incorporating touch and gesture-based user interfaces will give Windows 7 enough of a “wow factor” to convince most users to upgrade to that platform in 2010.
• Even in 2010, we think that Apple will most likely continue to hide in its comfortable closed architecture, and cater to its relatively small legion of dedicated fans.
• By 2010, an increasing number of netbook users will be familiar with Linux, but most won’t realize that is what they are using - to them, it will just be the “instant on” usability feature, and they’ll use it only to the extent that they need to get connected to the Internet.
• We think that Microsoft’s Windows 7 short-term upgrade search will be a somewhat hollow victory.  By then, enough netbooks will be in use to make cloud-based operating environments common.  By 2014, just as Microsoft ends formal support of the venerable old XP OS, it’s likely that most computer users will be “jacking into the cloud” far more frequently than they will be using disconnected, client-based computers.
• What will the dominant cloud-based OS be in 2015 and beyond? Unfortunately, there are far too many experiments in different ‘net-based operating systems today to know for certain.  Most likely, all of the currently significant OS platforms - Windows, Mac OS, and Linux - will each evolve cloud OS capabilities, thereby preserving some semblance of today’s market shares.  In other words, the brands will be the same, but they will each operate very differently than they do today.

If you take nothing else away from this series, consider this: operating systems are going to change the way that salespeople use computers over the next few years.  Those that stay on top of this rapid evolution will find exciting new ways to get the information they need to find, sell, close and service customers - those that try to cling to the status quo will be left behind, and fairly quickly.  It is that important.  Take heed.

Tags: cloud computing, Linux, Mac OS X, Microsoft Windows, Operating System, OS

Fifth in a six-part series

In Part One of this series, we defined what an operating system (OS) is, and speculated that changes in the most significant OS platforms could affect the way that salespeople do their jobs over the next few years. In this part, we speculate about what could be emerging as a new OS alternative.

“The Cloud”

In the previous part in this series, we examined the emerging role of Linux on netbook computers for providing “instant on” access to web browsing and other simple computer functions.  Now, imagine if all computing functions resided not on your computer, but entirely on the Internet only.  If fast, reliable, ubiquitous Internet access is readily available, then you don’t really need to store anything on your computer - all your data and applications could be retrieved and executed from the Internet.

This is the definition of “cloud computing” - the ability to do all of your data processing entirely in the Internet, smoothly, safely and reliably.

A cloud computer only needs enough processing power and connectivity capability to reliably access the Internet.  Other than the operating system, which can be loaded from an onboard ROM chip, there isn’t much need to store anything in a cloud computer - all files can be stored on the ‘net.  A good cloud computing device is more of a communications appliance than it is a standalone computer.  Tech pundit Om Malik outlined the ideal criteria for a cloud computer as follows:

1. Instant On
2. Doesn’t generate too much heat.
3. Minimum 5 hours of battery life.
4. Must feature at least four communications options: WiFi, Ethernet, Bluetooth & Wireless Wide Area Network connection to, say, an EVDO or HSPA Network.
5. Less than three pounds (batteries included).
6. Screen size of 3.5-8 inches (wide-screen proportioned)
7. The primary function of the computer should be cloud-based activities that can include everything from listening to live music, reading blogs and watching videos. Writing research reports or cranking out spreadsheets isn’t the primary purpose of these machines.
8. It should cost no more than $300. This isn’t a computer; it’s a communications device. It should really be an on-the-go device. It is a device for the moments when your cellphone isn’t enough, and laptop is too much. An iPhone should qualify.
9. Its innards, ports should be geared for Internet-based activities — from making calls on Skype to consuming RSS feeds — though it should be able to handle external peripherals.
10. In the future it should move away from the keyboard and have a touchscreen interface that allows one to sift through large amounts of data (or web pages) quickly, as cramped keyboards and touchpads can be hard to use.

Based on these critieria, ultra-portable netbooks certainly fill the bill as the ideal cloud computing device.  In fact, many technology industry observers believe that netbooks are already driving more users to Web-based operating environments.

Many users are already doing cloud computing, but may not be aware of it. Google Apps is a good example of ‘net based computing.  Millions of users routinely access Google Mail and Calendar every day, and more are beginning to use Google Docs for simple word processing and presentations - all driven entirely on the web.  The only thing the client computers do is drive web browsers and maintain the connection to the Internet.

The next step in cloud computing is desktop virtualization - which essentially simulates a computer system in software, which can be based on a connected system somewhere on the ‘net.  This gives a user a full computer experience, but it is actually happening somewhere else - the user simply interacts with the system through their web browser.  Virtual computer operating systems, such as G.ho.st, are showing that cloud computing experiences can be as easy to operate as any client-based, fully featured OS.

Microsoft has recognized the potential threat of cloud computing models to their Windows OS dominance. They have been experimenting with web-centric OS technology, most recently with a project called Midori.  Some analysts speculate that Midori might be “version 8″ of Windows, to be released sometime after Windows 7 appears in 2010.

Microsoft is also experimenting with distributed, web-based storage and computing models, such as Microsoft Live Mesh. Apple has also recognized the importance of web-based computing, introducing MobileMe for data synchronization and storage in July.  Although both platforms are not yet perfect, they clearly represent the rapidly accelerating trend away from the individual client computer towards the web.

As MobileMe’s early technical problems indicated, cloud computing, so far, hasn’t been totally reliable.  In fact, new services such as CloudStatus have emerged to monitor cloud-based systems availability.  If business enterprises are to become more reliant on the cloud for their distributed computing needs, then they will need to constantly monitor and evaluate how those systems are operating.

Still, the trend seems inevitable - the move to the cloud is accelerating, and sales professionals that rely on their computers would be well served to adapt.

Next in this series: So, what’s a salesperson to do?

Tags: cloud computing, CloudStatus, G.ho.st, google apps, Live Mesh, Midori, MobileMe, netbooks

Fourth in a six-part series

In Part One of this series, we defined what an operating system (OS) is, and speculated that changes in the most significant OS platforms could affect the way that salespeople do their jobs over the next few years. In this part, we focus on the most commonly-used open source alternative OS.

Linux

Originally developed in 1991 by Linus Torvalds, the Linux operating system is the poster child for open source, freely distributed software.  Used primarily to run back-office server computers, Linux is a favorite of systems administrators and programmers who appreciate its technical elegance and reliable operation, all at significantly lower cost than other commercial operating systems.

Linux’ strength is also its weakness, however.  Largely invisible to the end-user community, Linux hasn’t garnered the mindshare of the computer-buying market, compared to alternatives from Microsoft or Apple.  Since no one organization has a major stake in the commercial success of the OS, it has not been promoted aggressively to end users, as yet, so Linux just hasn’t captured the imagination of most computer systems buyers.

That is beginning to change, however.  Linux is finally making its way onto the typical computer user’s desktop, driven mostly by the rapid emergence of ultra-portable netbook computers. Generally smaller and lighter than full-function laptops, ultra-portables are designed primarily for accessing the Internet and performing lighter computing tasks.  Netbooks are more information-access appliances than standalone computers.  And like all good appliances, the ability to perform a function quickly and simply is key to its marketability.  And so, Linux is now finding a happy home embedded in netbooks.

With a Linux-based OS embedded, an ultra-portable can provide “instant on” access to an Internet browser, or to files stored on the device.  Users don’t have to wait for a full-feature OS to load, as with Windows or OS X.  Just turn the netbook on, and away you go.  Two good examples of “instant on” Linux-based applications are Splashtop, available on many Asus ultra-portables, and Dell’s “Latitude ON”, which uses a version of the Ubuntu flavor of Linux - both provide users with immediate access to common computer functions.

Tech guru and pundit John Dvorak recently wrote about the potential threat that “instant on” embedded Linux poses to established operating systems, especially Windows.  Dvorak wrote:

…The most interesting story the media is downplaying is the ASUS announcement that it will have a ROM boot chip on all its motherboards, which will boot Linux instantly on start-up. When you flick the switch the machine is instantly on. (It’s about time.) Of course, you will have to press another button for the machine to load Windows…

It’s an extremely subversive ploy for a number of reasons. First of all, it gets people used to Linux, gives them a pain-free experience, and provides quick rewards. Second, it shows users that—most of the time—this is all they need. And finally, it makes Windows look like a subsystem not much different from a program that you run under Windows. The psychological effect of this is profound, and the results could be devastating for Microsoft.

What will develop naturally from such a new architecture will be Linux replacement apps for the usual Windows apps. One at a time they will come. Windows will boot only for those laggard apps, such as Adobe Photoshop or Illustrator. The rest of the time, users will remain in Linux, which will be perceived as very snappy and responsive—something missing from Windows.

Could Linux ultimately take over the computer operating system market? Even if “instant on” embedded Linux becomes common, the open source OS still may not be able to declare victory over Windows.  For one thing, most users turning on their netbook appliance won’t know that they are running Linux, so the OS won’t get the credit it probably deserves.  Second, Microsoft isn’t going to stay still, and as we’ve already discussed earlier in this series, they are also developing the next generation of Windows, which promises to be leaner, lighter and more flexible.  What’s to stop Microsoft from developing an “instant on” ROM-based version of their OS kernel for Windows 7?

In addition, there is no “one” flavor of Linux.  In fact, there are too many versions available, which has added nothing but confusion to the general market’s understanding of what Linux is, how it looks, how it operates, and what it feels like to use it.  Most likely, this diversity will increase, further fragmenting market perception.

Linux does have one major advantage, however - it is free. And that means that computer developers can add more to their profit margins, instead of paying license fees to Microsoft.  They would love it if Windows went away, and an OS that worked reliably, and which customers were willing to buy, was free.  And for that reason alone, expect to see more computer manufacturers embedding “instant on” Linux into their systems very soon.

Next in this series: “The Cloud”

Tags: Linux, operating systems, OS

Third in a six-part series

In Part One of this series, we defined what an operating system (OS) is, and speculated that changes in the most significant OS platforms could affect the way that salespeople do their jobs over the next few years. In this part, we focus on perhaps the most visible alternative to Microsoft Windows (which we covered in Part Two of this series).

Apple’s Mac OS X

Ask any Apple Macintosh computer user if they like their Mac - and watch as an almost rapturous look of sheer bliss washes over their face.  Apple has garnered a fanatical following of loyal users - and the Mac OS X (also known by it’s code name “Leopard”), is one of the principal reasons.

Because Apple builds their hardware, and can restrict the kinds of upgrades and deviations from factory-shipped configurations, they can ensure a consistent user experience.  And OS X keeps that experience very friendly and pleasant-looking.  Many users say that it is clearly a superior computer operating system, especially when compared to Microsoft’s Windows.

And yet, Apple has deliberately restricted the use of OS X to Apple-manufactured hardware only.  Even though the current flock of Apple machines use the same Intel chips as other computer brands which run Windows, Apple steadfastly refuses to provide OS X to non-Apple hardware users.  Apple likes its happy, closed architecture, and wants to keep it that way.

Some upstart companies have tried to force a chink in Apple’s architecture, however.  Most recently, a small start-up company called Psystar began selling generic Intel-based computers with a hacked version of the Mac OS X operating system earlier this year.  Apple sued Psystar, as expected - but now Psystar has begun to fight back, filing a countersuit of their own.

Most legal experts agree that Psystar does not have a strong case against Apple.  But the legal battle might have some significant implications.

• For example, if Psystar were to prevail, then Apple would likely have to  offer OS X for non-Apple hardware, or find business partners willing to do so on their behalf.  That could become a very significant threat to Microsoft’s Windows share.
• Or, even if Apple wins, it might help them to recognize a weakness in Microsoft’s market share fortress, as that company struggles to move past XP, make Vista more palatable, and finish Windows 7 - and Apple could move aggressively to grab OS market share on their own.

Most industry analysts agree, however, that Apple will likely continue to remain ensconced in their current exclusive, closed hardware/OS architecture - much to the chagrin of non-Apple hardware users that secretly envy OS X.

Next in this series: Linux

Tags: Apple, Mac OS X

Second in a six-part series

In part one of this series, we defined what an operating system (OS) is, and speculated that changes in the most significant OS platforms could affect the way that salespeople do their jobs over the next few years. In this part, we focus on the most dominant OS in use worldwide today.

Microsoft Windows

The first thing to recognize about Windows is that there are several versions of this OS, which evolved over time as new variants and improvements were developed by Microsoft.

XP

First introduced in 2001, and still the most commonly used version of Windows with over 70 percent of all personal computers running it today, XP has been very stable and very familiar to nearly all computer-using salespeople for years.  XP comes in two flavors itself - XP Home and XP Professional, with more robust network and security functionality in the Professional version.

Microsoft officially stopped new retail sales of XP on June 30th 2008, although it will continue to support XP through April of 2014.  Microsoft did this so it could concentrate more development effort on the latest version of Windows, which they dubbed Vista, and also on the next planned version of Windows, currently called version 7, which is expected to be released in 2010.

Even though XP is not officially available for retail sale, XP Home is still available for small systems.  The fast-growing ultra-portable market of lightweight computers, designed for browsing the Internet and simpler computing tasks, is a customer segment that Microsoft does not want to lose, and only XP Home is compact enough to fit on these smaller machines - so Microsoft makes an exception for these devices.  This is largely a defensive move to keep upstart “lighter” OS alternatives, such as Linux, from gaining a beachhead in the OS market share war.

In addition, many computer makers will sell XP to purchasers of new hardware, at the customer’s request.  They can do this by using the “downgrade right” provision of the Windows Vista OS license agreement.  Essentially, to get XP in a new computer today, you have to buy Vista, and then “downgrade” it to XP, which means you pay an additional premium for XP.  This also keeps Microsoft happy, because they can continue to count the sale as a new purchase of Vista, even if the customer never intends to ever run it.  This is, of course, a completely artificial maneuver designed solely to inflate Vista’s market share.  According to recent surveys of new computer users, almost one-third of Vista purchasers exercise the downgrade right and install good old XP instead.

Vista

So, what’s wrong with Vista?  Well, that is a matter of opinion.

Many people use Vista and think it’s just fine.  Vista takes advantage of the latest improvements in computer hardware to provide a better graphical interface, and generally faster performance.  In fact, over 180 million copies of Vista have been sold.

However, a significant number of users have reported all sorts of problems with Vista. This is a result of several factors:

• Microsoft released a bewildering array of Vista upgrade and new installation versions, confusing potential buyers as to which edition they should use
• Possibly under pressure from Intel and other component manufacturers, Microsoft approved certain hardware configurations as “Vista capable” - which was technically accurate, but not very practical - some of the lower-end configurations just didn’t have the processing power to run Vista at an acceptable level of performance
• Many third-party hardware developers were too slow to complete drivers to support Vista with their devices, which meant that some users could no longer use certain printers, disk drives, or other hardware after they upgraded to Vista
• No “wow” - the biggest “cool factor” for Vista is the Aero Glass feature - an upgraded user interface that takes advantage of advanced computer graphics - the problem is that it takes advanced computer graphics to run it, and many older machines just don’t have the power to do it - so, these users just get a flat-looking XP-like user interface - yawn.

Recognizing that the initial reaction to Vista has been mixed, at best, Microsoft has stepped up its marketing efforts to try and re-engineer public perception.  For example, Microsoft recently published a new website publicizing their “Mohave Experiment“, in which they showed unsuspecting computer users an “upcoming new release of Windows.”  The users’ reactions were generally very positive.  Only then did Microsoft reveal that the “new Windows” was instead the current version of Vista.  Although obviously manipulative, the point of this exercise was to prove that Vista only has a perception problem, not one based in fact.

Critics suggest, however, that the “Mohave Experiment” proved little.  The demonstration did not show the participants any of Vista’s problems with installation, drivers, or hardware limitations.  Naturally, Microsoft focused solely on the positive advances of Vista.  But no one doubts that Vista operates very well on an optimum configuration of high-end hardware - it is with less perfect configurations that users have had trouble.

But Microsoft is soldiering on - they recently signed comedian Jerry Seinfeld as the new spokesman for Vista, as part of a US$300 million public relations makeover. No matter how much money Microsoft plows into making Vista look good, in the end, it is the user experience which will define the operating systems’ legacy.  And that has been a mixed bag, so far.  Perhaps that is why Microsoft’s leaders have started touting Windows 7, the new version now under development, as the next “big thing”.

Windows 7

In May 2008, Microsoft’s leaders previewed some of the features of the next generation of the Windows OS, currently called version 7.  Expected in 2010, Windows 7 will include support for multi-touch screen interfaces - think iPhone but with larger computer screens.  Microsoft previously showed similar technology in its “Surface” interface experiment, which showed how a large tabletop could be turned into a useful computer-driven experience.

Video: Multi-Touch in Windows 7

Microsoft’s Windows 7 engineering team, a group reportedly with more than a thousand people dedicated to the massive development project, recently opened a blog to share reports and ideas about their progress with the new OS.

While Microsoft has provided a few glimpses of Windows 7, in truth, no one really has a clear picture yet of what the operating system will look or feel like yet.  But Microsoft is betting a lot on the next-gen version - and competitors know that if Windows 7 stumbles in the marketplace, they will have a clear opportunity to step in and seize a respectable share of computer users away from Windows’ dominance.

Windows Mobile

We would be remiss if we did not also mention Windows Mobile - a version of the OS that is designed to run on hand-held devices, such as mobile phones.

Microsoft enjoys a healthy 13% of the smartphone market worldwide, and has shipped more than 18 million licenses on a wide variety of hand-held devices.

The next version of Windows Mobile, expected in 2009, is also expected to embrace a multi-touch interface similar to its bigger Windows 7 computer OS cousin.

Next in this series: Apple’s Mac OS X

Tags: Microsoft Windows, operating systems, OS, Vista, Windows 7, Windows Mobile, XP

First of a six-part series

In order to be competitive today, virtually all sales professionals must use computers.  They need rapid access to information about their industry, customers, prospects, competitors, and their own organizations’ products and services, and the computer is the ideal device for finding, storing and retrieving this information.

Most people think of computers in terms of hardware: the central processing unit, storage, disk drives, keyboard and display, among other components.  But hardware is simply the “flesh and blood” of a computer - its “soul” is the operating system (OS).

Simply put, the OS is the first thing a computer loads when it is turned on.  It provides the rules which define how the computer recognizes all its hardware, how the components will work together, how it will run software programs, and how it will interact with the user. And so, most of the experience of using a computer is defined by the operating system.

For almost two decades, by far the most commonly used OS has been Microsoft Windows.  Today, more than 90% of all personal computing devices use some version of Windows, worldwide.

But is Microsoft’s long-held hegemony over the OS landscape slipping? Could alternative operating systems challenge Windows, and give users - including sales professionals - more choice in how they use their computers?  And most importantly, would any shifts in the OS market help or hinder salespeople as they try to do their jobs?

Over the next five days, we’ll examine the state of the principal operating systems used today, and try to get some insight about how their evolution might affect sales professionals - and what they should do to prepare.

Next in this series: Microsoft Windows - XP, Vista, version 7, and Mobile

Tags: operating systems

 

 Selling Geek 011-CRM expert Rich Bohn [26:45m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

In this episode of the Selling Geek podcast, we interview SellMoreNow.com’s expert analyst on customer relationship management (CRM) software, Rich Bohn, about:

• the state of CRM today
• what makes CRM succeed - or fail
• low-cost CRM alternatives
• the future of CRM

Click here for a complete transcription of this interview.

Links to resources mentioned in the show:

• SellMoreNow.com
• CSO Insights
• Siebel/Oracle
• salesforce.com
• Oprius
• PipelineDeals
• Entellium
• Zoho CRM
• Infusionsoft
• SAP CRM
• Microsoft Dynamics CRM
• ACT! by Sage Software
• Goldmine by FrontRange
• “Cloud computing”
• SellMoreNow4CRM.com - Rich’s free interactive forum for discussing all aspects of CRM - all invited to participate!

Tags: CRM, customer relationship management, Podcast, Rich Bohn, selling geek, SellMoreNow.com, Timothy Sullivan

According to the All About Microsoft blog, the software giant has confirmed that a new version of its web browser application, Internet Explorer 8 (IE8), will be released to general availability before the end of 2008. Microsoft’s Senior Vice President of Online Services and Windows, Bill Veghte, mentioned to a gathering of financial industry analysts that Microsoft will release IE8 “later this year.”

An early version of IE8 was made available for testing by software developers in beta form earlier this year, and a second beta release is set to be provided in August. The new version is reported to include significant performance improvements, and more compliance with Internet website standards.

By far, still the most widely used Internet web browser application, Internet Explorer is also the most widely supported by website and software application developers.  Even though Firefox 3.0 may still be faster, salespeople should also plan to have a copy of IE8 on their computers, when it becomes available, for those rare websites that do not perform adequately in Firefox.

UPDATE: IE8 to support anonymous web surfing

Tags: All About Microsoft, IE8, Internet Explorer 8

 

 Selling Geek 008-Adobe Acrobat 9 [21:40m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Sales professionals live and die by the quality of their communications with customers and prospects. Misunderstandings lead only to incorrect expectations – for the buyer, the seller, or both – which lead ultimately to bad feelings at best, or bad business at worst. And as a result, the best salespeople take extra care to keep their communications clear and well documented.

However, in this age of electronic file transfers and computer-based word processing, documents are easily changed. That’s great for accelerating negotiations and closing business, but it also means that misunderstandings can creep easily into proposals, price quotations, contracts and agreements.

I learned this lesson the hard way. I remember one potential buyer that I worked with several years ago. I’d provided them with a summary of pricing for my services, sent to them in a common word processing file. We quickly came to an agreement to do business together. And then the trouble started.

I wrote up a contract, using my original price quotation as a basis, and sent it to my prospect. But then I received an urgent phone call.

“What the *&%@ is this?!”, my prospect exclaimed.

“Uh, that’s the contract for services – is there a problem?”, I stammered.

“You bet your @$$ there is! This isn’t what we agreed to at all!”, he retorted.

After some investigation, I discovered that someone had edited my original quotation, inserting services they wanted me to provide – at no additional cost – and they had “forgotten” to send the amended quote back to me. Well, no wonder I’d thought that sale was so easy – someone had inserted a 50% discount into my original pricing, and neglected to tell me about it!

I tried to explain to my prospect that someone had changed my original quote, and that I couldn’t deliver the services they wanted at those prices. But they wouldn’t listen – their unreasonable expectations had been set, and no amount of diplomacy on my part would deter them from their position. In the end, we agreed not to agree – and I lost the business.

Behold: PDF, Protector of Sales Pros

I vowed henceforth never to let such a mistake happen again, and after a little research, I found a solution: Adobe Acrobat, which enables you to produce documents in the Portable Document Format, also known as PDF.

A PDF file retains all the graphics, fonts, illustrations, charts, pictures and formatting of the original document, and it can be viewed on virtually any platform. In other words, PDFs allow you to produce documents that will appear exactly as you produced them, no matter what kind of computer system your recipient uses.

Even more important to sales pros, PDFs can be made un-changeable. So, you can produce price quotations, RFP responses, proposals, contracts and agreements, secure in the knowledge that someone isn’t going to mess with your carefully worded content. For salespeople that depend on crisp, clear communications – and who among us doesn’t? – PDFs are a very cool thing indeed.

Now, Adobe has released a major update to Acrobat, version 9. And this latest version includes a lot of new features that enable document creators to get… well, very creative, if they are so inclined. But are the new enhancements in Acrobat 9 useful for sales professionals?

Don’t be stingy

Perhaps only to torment buyers with difficult choices, Acrobat 9 comes in three flavors: Standard, Pro, and Pro Extended, with progressively more features in each version. Although you’ll be tempted to save some money and acquire one of the cheaper versions of Acrobat 9, I recommend that you don’t do it. If you deliver presentation files to customers, and you use Microsoft PowerPoint 2007, you’ll want the Pro Extended version for that integration feature alone. Also, the Pro Extended version provides many more options for converting and embedding a wider variety of file formats into PDFs, which just flat-out makes it safer and simpler to use.

You’ll also need some pretty hefty hardware to run Acrobat 9 – if you don’t have at least a 1.3GHz processor running Windows Vista or XP, or a comparable Macintosh, then you’re going to find using Acrobat 9 to be a maddeningly slow experience.

Now, multimedia PDFs

Prior versions of PDF files were great for protecting static documents, or some limited interactive forms. But Acrobat 9 now includes support for embedded multi-media content. Now, if you wish, your PDFs can play convert movies in eight different formats into embedded Flash content.

Imagine what this means for your sales proposals. You could create a company introduction movie using a tool like Camtasia Studio 5, for example, and insert it into a clickable box inside your proposal. Your prospect only has to click on the movie box to watch your recording, all inside your protected proposal file.

That, as I’ve said before, is a very cool thing indeed.

You can embed all sorts of other useful multi-media content into PDFs with Acrobat 9. If you sell online products or services, for example, Acrobat 9 will take snapshots of Web pages and convert them to a PDF that includes links and screen animation. If you sell services that require communications about physical locations, you can insert interactive maps that allow users to mark locations and measure distances. For sellers of products requiring technical designs, you can embed interactive 3D models from CAD applications.

Online document collaboration and forms

Acrobat 9 also includes access to Adobe Systems’ online community, Acrobat.com. You can post documents to the community, and use it to collaboratively edit and comment on those documents with prospects. Now you can have one copy of a document and build it together with a prospect, and then mutually agree on the final result.

Oh, if only I had this when I had my earlier trouble with my edit-happy prospect.

You can also use Acrobat 9 to set up online intelligent forms, with full tracking capability. You could use this to set up marketing event registration, for example, and then use the data collected to send reminders or distribute supporting literature.

Acrobat’s best feature: document security

With all of these neat new features, it’d be easy to overlook Acrobat 9’s fundamental ability to lock down your carefully crafted documents. Acrobat 9 enables you to produce PDF documents from any application from which you can print, or from Acrobat 9 itself. Your document recipient does not need the full Adobe Acrobat 9 application to be able to view what you send to them. Rather, they only need the free Adobe Acrobat Reader program, which will now support viewing of all your embedded multi-media content, if you decide to include it.

In addition to using Acrobat to lock down price quotes and proposals, I’ve also found it to be very useful for protecting intellectual property. For example, I can use Acrobat to show samples of proprietary training program materials. It doesn’t completely prevent dedicated thieves from stealing my content, of course, but it makes it lot more difficult to copy than if I’d sent it in editable form, such as in Microsoft PowerPoint format.

Prepare to pay a lot for Acrobat 9

Adobe Acrobat 9 isn’t inexpensive: the Standard edition costs US$299, Pro costs $449, and Pro Extended costs $699. Also, Adobe’s tiered support plans are not cheap, ranging from US$175 to $1,200.

Sales Pro Value Score

Despite all of its new features, Acrobat 9 is still relatively easy to use. It includes very well documented help and tutorial videos to guide you if you get lost. But make no mistake, there is a lot of functionality here, and a lot of details as you get deeper into some of the more esoteric capabilities. To truly master Acrobat 9, you will need to study it and use it for several weeks, at least. But if all you want to do is produce protected PDF documents that look great, you can get good results in about 20 minutes after you first install the product.

So, although it is certainly not cheap, and has a long learning curve, Adobe Acrobat 9 is a valuable tool for sales pros who produce important documents. For its ability to embed multi-media content, excellent security, ease of use, and support for online collaborative document editing, Selling Geek gives Adobe Acrobat 9 a Sales Pro Value Score of 3.5 out of a possible 5.

Additional resources

• Even if you don’t buy the full Acrobat 9 product, everyone should at least download the free Acrobat Reader — see this review from CNET for more information.
• This list of PDF-related software applications provides some useful file converters, managers, creators and viewers.

UPDATE: Adobe Systems’ portable document format (PDF) has become the latest International Organization for Standardization (ISO) standard.

Tags: Acrobat.com, Adobe Acrobat 9 review, PDF, Portable Document Format, selling geek, Timothy Sullivan