|
We provide information and networking opportunities designed to help marketing professionals turn customers into sales people. We deliver these through live events, our newsletter Reference Point, teleconferences and other media.
Leadership
Bill Lee, President, Customer Reference Forum
Advisory Board
Tami Andrews, WW Client Customer Endorsements, Dell
Janice Burg-Levi, Global Strategic Marketing, Senior Manager, Accenture
Andrea Davidowitz, Customer Marketing Programs Manager, Citrix Systems
Holley Garmany, Senior Manager, Customer Development, Network Appliance
Julie Seltzer Firsty, Senior Manager, Customer Programs, Hyperion Solutions
Coleen Kaiser, Vice President, Customer Value and Reference Services, SAP AG
Kathryn Perkins, Senior Manager, Customer Loyalty Programs, SumTotal Systems
Lara Shackelford, Group Marketing Manager, U.S. Midmarket, Microsoft Business Solutions
Bill Lee, President
Under Bill's direction, Customer Reference Forum has become THE event for customer reference professionals. In 2005, it attracted reference professionals from many of the top firms in the world, including HP, Microsoft, Intel, Oracle, SAP, SAS, Research in Motion, VeriSign, IBM, EDS, Mercury, and dozens of other top firms. Bill is also President of Lee Communications and has long experience working with Customer Reference programs with clients such as Lucent Technologies, Network Appliances, Hewlett Packard and other firms. Bill has written for a number of publications, including The Wall Street Journal, Executive Excellence and Organizational Dynamics and is the author of Mavericks in the Workplace, published by Oxford University Press.
Advisory Board
Tami Andrews, WW Client Customer Endorsements, Dell
Tami is one of the industry’s most experienced customer reference professionals. She worked at Compaq/HP for over eight years where she developed and built the CR program at Compaq’s Industry Standard Server Group (ISSG). She also helped integrate Compaq's customer reference program with HP’s following the merger of the two firms in 2001. In December 2003, Tami moved to NetIQ where she developed and launched a centralized customer reference program for NetIQ's North America division in less than six months. The program went from "0" to over 100 referenceable customers and helped close over $20M worth of Systems & Security business in her first full year there. In August 2006, Tami made the transition from NetIQ to Dell where she is responsible for managing the customer endorsement program for the Client Group.
Janice Burg-Levi, Global Strategic Marketing, Senior Manager, Accenture
When Janice took over the Unisys client reference program in 2004, it listed 80 clients - and many of these didn't meet the true definition of "reference." In their first year, her team developed clear criteria for referencability, built the number of referencable clients to more than 300 (and counting), developed a searchable Siebel-integrated desktop database and repository that allows any Unisys sales employee in the world to locate an appropriate reference quickly, and expanded the program from a focus on client references to responsibility for the overall "client experience." Janice's team has also developed the Pinnacle program for customer "evangelists" that provides enhanced value-add for such customers along with fuller integration of the reference program with Unisys Sales.
Andrea Davidowitz, Customer Marketing Programs Manager, Citrix Systems
Andrea has managed customer references at Citrix Systems since 1999. For many years, customer reference requests were managed in an ad hoc fashion, with no formal program or processes. In 2003 -- thanks to the support of a new senior-level marketing executive -- Andrea and her team launched a formal customer reference program, called the Citrix Voice of the Customer (VOC) program. They now work closely with an outsourcing partner to identify and qualify new customer references for the program, and have also developed a Web-based database for use companywide. Since its inception, over 150 new customers have been added to the program, and hundreds of reference requests have been fulfilled. Andrea’s team also launched the "Voice of the Customer Champion" program, to incent Citrix salespeople for their active participation in the program. In addition to managing the Citrix customer reference program, Andrea has also run a formal Citrix customer advisory council program for six years. She was recently invited by the Citrix sales team to attend the company’s President’s Club event, in recognition of her efforts.
Holley Garmany, Senior Manager, Customer Development, Network Appliance
Holley has more than sixteen years experience in sales and marketing, and understands the importance of strong customer references to close business. She is the developer of the Network Appliance customer reference management program, Evidence2Win. Focused on the importance of meeting the needs of the field sales organization, the Evidence2Win program provides the insight and evidence required at each stage in the sales cycle to optimize sales wins. It draws on proven customer reference methodology as well as cutting-edge research. As the chair of the Network Appliance Global Customer Development Council, she oversees the implementation of global best practices as well as ensuring that customer reference information is disseminated through worldwide reliance on the Evidence2Win program and the EvidenceBank reference management system.
Prior to Network Appliance, Holley was with Siebel Systems. She distinguished herself by developing marketing deliverables that leveraged her sales background, which gave her a unique understanding of what is important to customers. She was the program manager of the team that developed the company intranet, mySiebel. The internal success of that program led to developing mySiebel into a module of the CRM product suite that Siebel successfully sold to their customers.
Julie Seltzer Firsty, Senior Manager, Customer Programs, Hyperion Solutions
Julie has a diversified background in marketing, with more than fifteen years in start-up and multinational enterprises handling customer marketing, marketing communications, lead generation and marketing strategy. At Hyperion, her team is responsible for development of all customer collateral and videos, marketing and sales references and user groups. She has been instrumental in introducing innovative reference vehicles at Hyperion, including recorded audio references, contract language for reference commitments and programs that engage Hyperion customers from launch through implementation. Before joining Hyperion, Julie developed the customer marketing program from scratch at Vitria Technology. During her career she has also directed lead generation and telemarketing activities at Octane Software as well as led international marketing activities for MetLife. She holds a BA from Tufts University and an MBA from New York University.
Coleen Kaiser, Vice President, Customer Value and Reference Services, SAP AG
SAP is the third largest software company and the largest enterprise applications software company in the world. Coleen oversees the Global Customer Reference Program as well as initiatives involving the documentation of customer value that are crucial in selling SAP’s solutions. She is a pioneer in implementing the Net Promoters concept developed by Bain’s Frederick Reichheld into SAP’s reference program. Before joining SAP, Coleen was an equity research analyst specializing in pan-European software and IT service companies. Coleen was a Vice President at both Lehman Brothers and Merrill Lynch, where she achieved the 2001 number one Institutional Investor ranking for European software research. The team also achieved the number one ranking in the 2001 Extel European software category as well as two second rankings in the Reuters survey for software and services and internet software. During her career, Coleen has worked on over 50 transactions for software and e-commerce companies in the US and Europe. Coleen has a BSME (Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering) degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Kathryn Perkins, Senior Manager, Customer Loyalty Program, SumTotal Systems
As a member of SumTotal System's Marketing and Alliances group, Kathryn is responsible for generating and implementing customer marketing development plans which result in key business expansion. Kathryn manages the customer advisory board, global deployment of virtual and on-site customer activities and the customer reference program. She is recognized as a top client liaison for the company and an advocate for excellence in customer satisfaction. Currently she is involved in a cross-departmental project that focuses on making customer referenceability a company priority from pre-sales activity to enhancing ongoing mature relationships.
Lara Shackelford, Group Marketing Manager, U.S. Midmarket, Microsoft Business Solutions
Lara brings twelve years of experience in software marketing. She's also developed strong multicultural interpersonal skills built on two years based in London and many years working across APAC, LAD, and EMEA. She is currently responsible for all U.S. marketing strategy and execution for Microsoft Business Solutions applications products for the Midsize business market. Her group's objective is to drive Year over Year growth at 16% to attain revenue goal of $65MM. Previously, she was Director, Customer References, Global Customer Programs at Oracle, where she headed up a staff of five senior marketing managers, representing all Applications products and industries. Her team developed customer collateral including: ROI Studies, whitepapers, Customer Snapshots, Videos, and press releases, and supports customers in presenting at Oracle sponsored events. Her team also supported all sales reference request for North America; and drives customer showcases, customer forums, and site visits to support deals.
Subscribe to our newsletter
Marketing professionals from some of the top companies in the world, including Microsoft, Intel, HP, Research in Motion, SAP, Siebel Systems, Mercury, VeriSign, SAS, Unisys, Network Appliance, EMC, Citrix Systems and dozens of others are reading our newsletter, Reference Point. Click to subscribe.
|
