Suzanne Watson, Procter & Gamble’s marketing manager for the Tide brand, says her goal is to balance fundamentals and innovation.

This is not your typical read on CRM. It does hit several important points. Most importantly: How do you connect to your customers? The answer is different for just about every company, but it is key to making long lasting relationships.

Analysis from McKinsey & Company that “deflates the cloud” according to coverage by Forbes. I have checked it out and I could wax philosophic on this, but Nicholas Carr has already produced as very good criticism of the report. The cloud will supplement in the enterprise as it will incubate new processes, ideas and competitive advantages. A great example is the New York Times Archives on Amazon AWS. What is going to happen when smart companies figure out how to aim all that raw computing power at their disposal?

MindTouch is worth checking out in the enterprise collaboration space. Interesting approach and an open-source business model.

Was able to take some time to visit Pike Place Market today. Very crowded for a Friday in April. The cruise boats will be here soon and with them, tourists. Inevitably, I am asked for recommendations, so here are a few good places to grab a bite.

Palace Kitchen
My personal favorite of celebrity chef Tom Douglas’ local restaurants. I have never had a bad experience at PK. Highly recommended.
2030 5th Ave, Seattle – (206) 448-2001

Wild Ginger
A local original and favorite. Great location and atmosphere.
1401 3rd Ave, Seattle – (206) 623-4450

Green Leaf
Great Vietnamese food and some of the best vegetarian options in the city. Can be found in the International District.
418 8th Ave S, Seattle – (206) 340-1388

Collins Pub
Upscale pub bistro fare on the fringes of Pioneer Square. I have not had a bad meal or beer here.
526 2nd Ave, Seattle – (206) 623-1016

Enjoy!

This recent article in Forbes, Eclipse: Many Hands, Light Work by Lee Gomes, argues that competitive advantage is not in the code, but in the data. I find myself often agreeing with Gomes and enjoy his writting. Unfortunately this time, Gomes misses the point. Competitive advantage is in the process and the data. The two are inter-linked. If there was no advantage in the process, you  would see companies like Wal-Mart jumping all over the open source community and the cloud. Consortium projects, such as Eclipse, do have their place and provide value. If membership in Eclipse provided a clear competitive advantage, would an IT department even brag about it?

Customer relationships are critical to long-lasting business success. One way to build credibility with the client is literally to “show the love”. You must have a drive and passion for the work that shows the client that you are acting and will always act in their best interest.

Ten years ago, I took an assignment in Mexico. I had no Spanish language skill or understanding of the business culture. I also had a near impossible deadline that I had signed up to meet. Additionally, I was put in charge of a team of talented, but untrained consultants for the CRM application we were implementing. There were many ways that the project would fail and one way it would succeed. Show the love.

I had to show the team that I would train them and make them believe that they could do it. They returned the favor by responding.

I had to show the client that the deadline was close to but not impossible. Logging 16+ hours per day to meet the deadline helped show our commitment, but the results at each milestone was what really impressed them.

I have many more examples of “show the love” that will surface from time to time. How do you show your clients the love?

I know a lot of very good folks in the midst of job searches at the moment. Be prepared to answer “behavioral-based” interview questions. Behavioral Interviewing is becoming more common and is based on the concept that the most accurate predictor of future performance is past performance in similar situations.

Below are some “Tell me about a time when you…” questions that will come up in your next interview:
1. Worked effectively under pressure.
2. Handled a difficult situation with a co-worker.
3. Were creative in solving a problem.
4. Missed an obvious solution to a problem.
5. Were unable to complete a project on time.
6. Persuaded team members to do things your way.
7. Wrote a report that was well received.
8. Anticipated potential problems and developed preventative measures.
9. Had to make an important decision with limited facts.
10. Were forced to make an unpopular decision.

Being ready is the best luck.

Interesting read: Microsoft Convergence 2009: Hybrid Technology

Salesforce has seen success with the Force.com platform, as recently noted in this post, My Starbucks Idea. A competing Microsoft stack solution will generate similar success. It will be interesting to see how XRM develops into reality.

Came across this on Andy Sernovitz’s Damn, I Wish I’d Thought of That!. Originally from Chicago, I have witnessed more than my share of incredible Michael Jordan performances. Funny how you never remember the failures…

Check out this good read by Starbucks co-founder Jerry Baldwin, Press Pots: Coffee Worth the Effort on Press Pots (a.k.a. French Press or “Freedom” Press). My coffee habits are similar — only espresso or press will do. A few years ago, I received a KitchenAid Pro Line Burr Grinder KPCG100 as a gift. I would highly recommend it, especially if your habit is 3 or more cups per day at home.

Be sure to check out Baldwin’s other articles.

Happy Caffeination.