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November 2008 - Posts

  • Method @ 2008 Sleeter Group Conference

    Phoenix, AZFolks we are back from this year’s 2008 Sleeter Group Conference and if I were asked to summarize the conference into one word it would be WOW!

    About a week before the conference I was asked to do a short presentation for some members of the Sleeter Group by Randy Johnston of K2 Enterprises.  Randy joined the Method Beta after last year’s Sleeter Conference in Las Vegas.  I was thinking it would be 40 – 50 people in the room but was surprised to hear that approx. 140 people were attending.  Gulp. Tongue Tied  Of course I was happy to hear that so many people were interested in learning about how to take their business online, but admittedly, I tend to get nervous in front of large audiences. 

    So Monday afternoon, I get up on stage and start plowing through my PowerPoint slides so I can actually demonstrate Method.  About half way through my demo, I can sense dead silence in the room.  I realize the sudden sense of heat is not the room getting hotter but the nerves reaching a new level. Embarrassed  Immediately I think it is one of two things:Method Booth with Katie

    1. Everyone is completely lost and has no clue what Method is and how it pertains to them. OR
    2. They are left speechless.

    I was hoping for 2 but couldn’t get a good read of the audience.  A couple of seconds later, Randy probed a question to the audience asking if “everyone could start to see how this could change the way they currently do business”.  After saying this, questions started to be asked and I could see that everyone was totally thinking “this was cool”.  What a way to start the first day!

    Once the exhibit hall opened on the second day our booth was busy and buzzing.  Katie, Paul and I got a chance to speak to a majority of the people who attended Randy’s presentation and they were totally into Method.  I couldn’t help but feel good after one attendee explained the moment of silence at my presentation as “The Twilight Zone”.  The exact moment where they could see how Method could solve so many of the current issues they face both for themselves and their clients.  “So do you mean it can do….” was the start of many of the conversations that took place. 

    It’s amazing how one year can make such a big difference.  As a kid, if you ever transferred to a new school, you know it takes a while for you to settle in and mark your ground.  You may have been a top notch grader or the popular kid at your old school, but it’s totally new ground at a new school.  Well for Method, we were the new kids at Sleeter in 2007.  This year, we found our groove and totally fit in and gained some serious popularity.  We knew exactly who we are, what we had to offer and how to deliver.  Danny demonstrating Method

    As with every year, we always have new things to learn and take back with us.  Heck, I even learned that '007' was a spoof of 'Austin Powers', something that was news to me. Wink  This feedback helps us to make Method a more matured product and is exactly what we need to make it that much better.

    Now that we are back in Toronto, we’ll be focusing on releasing our Field Services app and staying put for awhile.  Below are some pictures from the conference for your viewing pleasure. 

    Cheers everyone!

    Danny Do Couto
    Method Integration

    View Danny Do Couto's profile on LinkedIn

    Below: Danny Do Couto, Katie Riley and Paul Jackson from the Method Team

    Danny Do Couto, Katie Riley and Paul Jackson from the Method Team.

    Below: Paul Jackson preparing for a Method Demo

    Paul getting ready to do a Method demo

    Below: Danny Do Couto answering some questions regarding Method

    Danny answering some questions about Method

    Below: Paul Jackson in action doing a demo of Method - Field Services

    Paul doing a demo of Method

  • Fanatical about Systems

    Our company is all about systems. We are fanatical about them. We maximize as much efficiency as we can out of our team and waste no time on tasks that can be automated.  How else do you think a small 13 person company could pull off a monster project like Method while still maintaining our existing brands?  Blood and sweat will only take you so far, systems took us to where we are today.

    Since we are so used to our systems, we take them for granted.  But every now and then I get a chance to reflect and smile Smile.  Those who know me, know all too well that taking time to reflect is a rare occasion!  Hey, I'm working on it, I swear.

    One great example of our systems is our Sign Up process.  We've had numerous users contact us to ask us how we managed to make the Method Signup process so smooth, and whether we could build the same smooth process for them.  The truth is, they don't even know the half of it!

    Here's what a Method user experiences:

    1. They fill in their information.
    2. They submit, and are redirected to the Method Login page where they sign into Method for the first time.
    3. They are then taken straight to the sync page where they install the sync engine.
    4. They check their inbox and find a personalized email.
    5. Their Method Consultant calls them almost exactly 2 hours later for an introduction.

    Welcome To Method email

    What they love is that within minutes of landing on the Sign Up page they have 4 or 5 clicks and their QuickBooks data is online.  What they don't know is that the process is not only automated for them, it's automated for us too. Within 5 seconds of them clicking submit on our website, they have been entered into our QuickBooks, along with the invoice, and payment and also entered into Method for CRM activities.  No need for someone at our company to waste any time on billing and accounting, since it is all handled by the sign up process.

    So for those who keep asking how we do it, here's how:
    A. When you click Submit on the Signup page, we make calls to our Method account (yes, we use Method to run our business too!), using the MethodAPI, to validate the account info and make sure it is unique.
    B. We use the MethodAPI to charge your credit card.
    C. We use the MethodAPI to grab a formatted email template from Method, that our staff maintain within Method's EmailTemplate screen.
    D. The process then personalizes the email and sends it to you, again using the MethodAPI.
    E. The MethodAPI is used to insert the customer, invoice, and payment all into our Method account.  This automatically syncs you as a customer, and enters your invoice and payment into our QuickBooks instantly. 
    F. We use the MethodAPI to insert an Activity (part of MethodCRM) into our Method account, so that the appropriate Method Consultant knows when to call you, so you don't fall between the cracks and not get your "Welcome to Method" phone call.

    And there you have it.  The best part: this was all designed and built by us in 2 hours using Method and the MethodAPI in a mad rush before we departed for Dallas to launch Method in September. Now that is rapid web app development.

    So why am I writing about it now?  Well...today I'm building the Method Application Library so that developers can list their apps on the Method website.  The process has taken me 3 hours so far, but I'm almost done.  As I sit here reflecting on how amazing it is that I could build a process, using Method, this quickly.........I thought I would take a break to share.

    Method Application Library is on its way.  Our first two apps, Xora Connector and QXpress Online, should be coming on board next week.

    Okay, back to it.

    Paul

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