Finishing up in Singapore today, I spent my day following up with class attendees, meeting with the class sponsors and stakeholders, and catching up on some work to prepare for my trip to Bangalore.  In addition, I took some time to visit the shopping areas surrounding my hotel in the shopping district.  Singapore has an amazing network of underground tunnels similar to a NYC subway system, but with a much cleaner and modern appeal.  The picture to the left was taken 3 stories underground at a food court featuring all kinds of Asian food choices.

Feedback from class stakeholders included:

1. Presales people are used to putting their focus on a point product.  They become great at demos and evals, but the larger deals are going to require their presence higher in the organization.  The messaging  focus from our class is rare but greatly needed.

2. Account reps will value presales resources more as they demonstrate their effectiveness as consultants – getting up in front of the class the present was a great step toward doing just that, but practice is needed.  People become great presenters when they commit to practice and feedback.

3. Competition is the security space is fierce.  The ability to gain access to decision makers it critical – this class was a great first step to getting there.

4. It’s difficult to take 3 days out of the field, but necessary.  You can cut all day, but if your saw is dull, you won’t make much progress.  It’s better to stop periodically and fine tune things.

Travel Plans:

This evening I’ll be heading to Bangalore for the final leg of my trip this month.  Bangalore is fast becoming a high-tech growth area in our global economy!  it’s a 4 hour flight with a 2 hour time change…and I’m looking forward to great customer service on Singapore Air!  The hardest part of this job is leaving a city and group of people after having established new friends and familiarity with the surroundings.