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Month: January 2013

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Marketing – The Second Customer

Since it’s a new year, I need to start looking at my marketing plan.  One of the big things I need to begin doing is better utilizing my “second customer”.  What is the “Second Customer”?  this is someone that will recommend me to someone that may buy my products.  In a nutshell, it’s you…  my blog readers.

So, let’s start simple.  How do you get a Second Customer?  In my case, these are often friends, fellow consultants, and even previous clients I consulted for.  That’s a great start, but let’s be honest, it’s not enough people.  This is why I started the blog.  I’ve been working at posting pretty much 5 days a week in order to try to attract new potential second customers.  The big thing with the blog is that you need to provide value.  While I admit, not all of my posts fit for everyone.  I can be a bit all over the place, but I’m hoping it’s part of my charm =).  I write about Service Management, Variant Configuration, Basis, running your small business, marketing, and anything else that I do to launch my software business.  My goal is simply to pass along the lessons I’ve learned.  This does 2 things.  First, it shows that I have actual knowledge that can be useful to other people.  Second, it builds a connection to everyone that reads my ramblings.  My auto-responder is the same deal.  It’s all about making a connection with anyone I can.  Blind marketing is very expensive, very time consuming, and there is no guarantee you’ll get any sales.

Only after you have a connection, can you ever expect anyone to recommend you.  My goal is connect with all of you.  If you’re doing anything similar to me,  you need to connect with everyone you can.  Start a blog, an auto-responder, spend time on forums answering questions.  The short story is that you need to provide value early and often.  You don’t need to write a novel every day, but you need to keep delivering “cookie” content.  Eventually, one of your readers will provide you with the lead for your next sale (hint, hint)

Thanks for reading,

Mike

Configuration – Customizing SPRO to Add folders and nodes

A new trick that recently discovered, is that you can actually add your folders and nodes to SPRO.  While, to most people, this isn’t all that interesting, when you design software in SAP, what could make you look more professional than to have your section in configuration.

Like always, my blog is also my notebook, so if this isn’t for you, have no fear, I’ll get to something more relevant in the next couple of days =)

Txn: S_IMG_EXTENSION

Now, do a pull down on IMG Structure, and select the node that you want to add a folder underneath.  In my example, I’m going to add it to the top level.  And then you also need to select the Enhancement ID.
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Pull down on Enhancement ID.

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Press Create
Enter in the namespace + description, and save it in a transport request (at least if you want to transport it anywhere).

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Press Enhance Structure Button

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This will bring up the IMG screen.  Simply select the node that you would to insert your folder after.  Then press the button Shown above.

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Give the folder a description

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Next, you need to insert an activity.  In my example, I used 2 subfolders, and a transaction at the 3rd level.  Feel free to structure it anyway you like =)

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First, create the activity.  Give it an ID, and then a description.
Next up, create a document for the ID.  This will be the documentation that shows up alongside the activity node.
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Next up, fill in the fields shown above, including the application component.  Take your best guess, or give it several options if it spans multiple areas.  Then save it on the button of the screen.

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Finally go to the maintenance object tab.  This is where you assign the transaction to call.  One of the things to keep in mind, is that you must specifiy a table, and it must have a maintenance view generated for it (SM30).  Put the table into the customizing Object, give it a TYpe: S, and then enter in your transaction.

Save it on the bottom, save it on top.
Green arrow Back
Save once more.  You now have your IMG folder/transaction =)

Thanks for reading,

Mike

Service Management – Configuring the Repair Procedure

I know this can be considered cheating for a blog post, but not everyone knows that I also post on SDN.  This post is actually a good one about the SM repair procedure that I think is helpful, especially if there are any newbies to service out there looking for good info 🙂

http://scn.sap.com/people/michael.piehl/blog/2013/01/04/service-management–configuring-the-repair-procedure

Thanks for reading,

Mike

Interested in earning $12,500?

Ok, while normally I spend my time giving you tidbits of useful business or SAP information, today I’m going to offer a big chunk of cash, in exchange for a little help.  In case you haven’t figured it out, I’m trying to launch a software business so I can slide out of the consulting world.  I have several products available right now, and with the new year, I’m trying to drum up some new sales.

So, here’ the deal.  If you provide me with a lead that turns into a sale, I send you $12,500.  That’s it.  You don’t need to do any selling, you don’t need to be an expert about my products.  You just need to provide me a contact (name, email, phone #, etc.), and if you want to increase your chances, it wouldn’t hurt to pass along the websites below.

Today, I’m going to do a brief commercial in hopes that you may know someone that can use this.
Broadsword: Service Management Dashboard – exactly what it sounds like.  This is a full featured, out of the box SM dashboard that gives you metrics on notifications, in-house repairs, repair sales orders, service orders, and even return orders.

Rapier:  SM Customer Self-Service: This is an out of the box BSP web application that allows your customer to register their products, submit an RMA or repair request, and allow them to track their open notifications.  It uses all standard SAP functionality and takes the burden off your call center.

WMigo: Warehouse Management + Inventory Management:  This application behaves like the standard MIGO transaction, but will automatically convert TR’s to TO’s and confirm those TO’s.  this is especially useful when you are moving materials from quality to unrestricted, or bin to bin movements when the same person is conducting all of the SAP transactions.

Proximity: Production Operations:  This product tool includes a super transaction for Production Supervisors, Production Execution, MRP Controllers & Production Schedulers.  In addition, it includes a transaction to easily reprint a production order, it includes 2 smartforms for the shop floor papers and the programs that allow you to use a smartform in production orders and many other things.

We also have a couple other smaller items, and I would love to have you check out everything we have at

http://javellinsolutions.com/sm-products/

 

Marketing – Blogging, why you should stick with it

For the past 5 months or so, I start blogging, and I have managed to put out 5 posts a week since I started.  Now when I started doing this, the first thing I thought was “how can I come up with enough to talk about?”.  I have to confess, I’ve surprised myself.  I discovered a few things, and I wanted to share those with you.

1.  You know more than you think – If you consider yourself an expert at anything, then there’s an audience out there that wants to hear what you have to say.  Now, you may not consider yourself an “expert”, but a famous quote I heard is that “In the land of the blind, the one eyed man is king”.  What does that mean?  it means that in your subject you know a lot more than someone just learning.  So you might not have every answer, but you have a lot of answers the average person has no clue about.  This was a tough one for me.  I’ve been doing a lot of these things for so long that I assume it’s common knowledge.  Well, I’ve learned that what I think is common knowledge, is actually only common among other experts, but not to the average person.

2.  Writing is too much work – this one plagued me for a while until I learned a simple concept.  Write like you’re talking to someone over coffee or drinks.  Don’t try to write a masterpiece, rather just write like you would talk.  While this won’t win you a Pulitzer, it strikes the average person as a “real”.  If you write like you’re having a conversation with someone you don’t come across as an arrogant expert, rather it brings a feeling of familiarity, comfort.  Strangely enough, I’ve discovered that a lot of people are actually reading what I consider ramblings.  Sometime I feel like I’m just babbling on, but then I’ll get a comment from an old friend, or someone that I’ve never met before, and it gives me a renewed effort to keep blogging.

3. Be consistent – this one has been tough for me.  To do this right, you really need to post consistently every week.  I decided I’d do every weekday.  The problem with this is that I don’t feel like writing every night.  So for that, I discovered an awesome trick.  I write when I’m in the mood.  This means I might be writing 2 or 3 posts a night, then I schedule them to run in the future.  I’ve done my best to keep a 2 week buffer of posts.  Now this might not work for everyone, but my stuff isn’t tied to current events, so for me I can write down somehting I do today, and post it next week and no one cares.  This allows me to write when I’m in the zone, and not panic when suddenly I haven’t blogged in 3 days.

I hope this helps.  Just remember, stick with it.  You probably won’t see any results for weeks or even months, but if you stick with it, you’ll surprise yourself at the readers you’re accumulated.

Thanks for reading,

Mike

Marketing – Never Miss an Opportunity

Well, in this new year I thought I’d just put a little piece of helpful sales information, coming from a sales person in training =)

The simple information is to never miss an opportunity.  For example, my main business is still consulting (not for long, I hope, but still for now), so that means interviews.  As it turns out, a job interview is actually a great place to pitch your stuff.  It’s simple, during an interview you need to prove that you know your stuff.  What better way to prove your knowledge than by showing off an application you have developed.  This ends up being a double win.  It shows your skill and knowledge, and could lead to a sale.

Now you still need to remember during an interview you need to focus on selling yourself, and not your products.  Like everything I’ve been learning lately, it’s  fine line between in the sales process between pushing your stuff and presenting an opportunity.  I took an approach in my last interview that I hope will work for me.  I did my interview and subtly mentioned that I designed applications for SM.  I left it at that.  Then, after the interview I sent a Thank-You email, and included a pitch for my products.  It remains to be seen if I was successful, but I’m hoping it at least sparks some interest.

Anyway, it’s just another step in my development to learn sales.
I hope your new year will be as great as mine…

Thanks for reading,

Mike