Don't forget to join us for the Cloud Event at the Dallas Sheraton on Wednesday, October 21st.  You can view the event details, agenda and register at https://www.salesforce.com/events/details/a1x300000004CVJAA2.jsp.

Also, Informatica has kindly agreed to sponsor our user group meeting and luncheon prior to the event.  We'll begin at 11:30 am in State Room 3.  Doug Miller will be showcasing case studies and providing an overview of options available to integrate Salesforce with files, databases and IT systems.

We also have two Sales Engineers from Salesforce who will be presenting to the group as well.  Greg Nelson and Glenn Holland will be highlighting new features such as the Service Cloud 2 capabilities, a comparison of Knowledge and Solutions, as well as the new Answers and Salesforce for Twitter components.

We hope to see you there for a great afternoon of learning and networking!

Laura & Kevin

We have some great upcoming learning opportunities regarding Force.com to share with you.

1. On Oct 8, we will be featuring our latest Admin Hero - (The Dallas User Group's Own) Melissa Elliott from Schumacher Group. 

See how they build unique Force.com com apps to manage relationships with physicians and administer contracts and proposals. Join us for another example of how to use your existing skills to build applications that extend beyond CRM. Learn how Schumacher Group harnessed the power of salesforce.com to do the following:

-          Get better reports with summary fields

-          Put an end to bad data with workflows, approvals, and validation rules

-          Create a fresh new look with Force.com pages functionality

Register here

2.  Want to get free hands-on training with Force.com?  Join us for a free Force.com training session and learn how you can build apps that go beyond CRM—using skills you already have. We will be hosting this session in Dallas (Oct 16). Sessions are limited to 30 students. 

3. We will be hosting our THIRD demo series which focuses on building an application on Force.com.  Our first two demos on workflow and sites was well received by the community, with 85 community members attending!

We asked you what Force.com topics you were interested in learning more about…you answered "Building an app on Force.com". We listened and will continue our series with a Salesforce expert demoing how to build applications for your business.  Don’t miss this great opportunity to ask an expert your burning questions on Force.com!

When: October 15, 11 am - 11:30 am PST

Register here

Dial In: 877-206-4432/Conference ID: 33962546

Salesforce is coming to Dallas on October 21st. Block your calendar and join the User Group (and lots of other salesforce customers) to learn about these and other topics:

• Reducing rep administrative tasks so they can sell more
• Boosting rep productivity with new features like Sales Genius and Content Library
• Sharing best practices from successful customers
• Q&A with experts

Plus, network with fellow customers, partners, and product experts over cocktails and hors d’oeuvres in the Cloud Expo.

Register here

See you there!

Kevin & Laura

Thanks to all who joined us for a great September meeting! We had a terrific turnout (47 strong), great discussions and an overview of the upcoming Winter '10 release.

Below is a copy of the presentation from the meeting. There are several links in this presentation and we hope they help get you to the best information sources quickly.

Dallas Salesforce User Group September Meeting

View more presentations from Kevin Richardson.

A few highlights from the meeting

• Cloudforce Tour - October 21st: We will gather at 11:30 for a User Group Meeting with Salesforce.com as our special guest and presenter. Watch for an e-mail asking you to give us your vote for discussion topics. the Cloudforce Tour then starts at 1:30pm and goes until 6:00pm (with a happy hour from 5:00-6:00pm)
• Dreamforce - Check the website and use the ROI app to help make your case for attending. Register soon!
• Volunteer Opportunities - we're starting to put together a charter around some Dallas area User Group volunteer opportunities. More details at our Oct 21st meeting.
• Keep up with the Dallas User Group on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and of course, this blog.

Thanks to all who joined us and added to the collaboration. It was a fun afternoon.

Best,

Laura & Kevin

Join salesforce.com to learn how customers like you are taking their businesses to new heights with cloud computing. Register today.

Benefits of attending:

• Reduce rep administrative tasks so they can sell more
• Boost rep productivity with new features like Sales Genius and Content Library
• Pick up best practices from successful customers
• Get all your questions answered by experts

Plus, network with fellow customers, partners, and product experts over cocktails and hors d’oeuvres in the Cloud Expo.

Where:
Sheraton Dallas
400 North Olive Street, Dallas, TX

Agenda:

• 12:30 - 1:30 pm - Cloudforce Tour Registration/Expo
• 1:30 - 3:00 pm - Sales Cloud: Introduction for Prospective Customers/Sales Cloud: New Enhancements for Existing Customers
• 3:00 - 3:30 pm - Break/Cloudforce Expo
• 3:30 - 5:00 pm - Service Cloud: Next Generation Customer Service/Custom Cloud: Building Applications on Force.com
• 5:00 - 6:00 pm     Networking Reception & Cloudforce Expo

Make sure you register and join us. There is always good learning at these events.

Kevin & Laura

We wanted drop you a note and let you know that there are several ways to connect and keep up with the Dallas Salesforce User Group. Below is a list and you can decide how you want to follow. Each provides an opportunity to not only keep up with user group meetings but to:

• Learn about recent salesforce.com announcements
• Keep up with tips and tricks (and ask questions/get answers)
• Connect with a growing number of salesforce.com professionals using social networking tools

Find us here:
Blog: http://usergroups.salesforce.com/dallas/ (you're reading this now)
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/dallasusergroup
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Dallas-Salesforcecom-User-Group/151610159668?ref=mf

Not sold on Social Media yet? That's OK. The e-mails will keep coming. But, seek us out and let us talk to you about our experience.

See you next week at the September meeting.

Kevin & Laura

REMINDER: Next meeting of the Dallas Salesforce User Group:
Wednesday September 23rd, 2009 - 11:45am - 2:00pm

The agenda is being finalized but will include:

• Winter '10 highlights (release is right around the corner)
• Dreamforce 2009 update
• And of course time for Admins to help Admins

Location:
ReachLocal, Inc
6400 International Parkway
Suite 2400
Plano, TX 75093
972 267-2222

Click here for directions to ReachLocal.

TO RSVP:
Please reply with a *COMMENT* to this *POSTING*

Who should attend?
These meetings are generally targeted towards the Salesforce "champions" within an organization.  This includes the administrators, implementers, trainers, team leads, etc.  

If you have any questions/comments regarding topics or locations for future meetings, please use the emails below:

kevin.richardson@freemanco.com

laura.hendrix@freemanco.com

See you soon!

PS. If you wish to pass this note to others that are not members, please have them first register at:
http://usergroups.salesforce.com/dallas

Want to be at Dreamforce 09 in San Francisco but tough times have you strapped for cash getting there?  The Dreamforce planning team has the answer for you.  It’s a contest they’re running on YouTube until September 25 and three lucky winners will be winning a fantastic VIP package that includes

• Entrance to the Dreamforce Conference
• Hotel Accomodations for 3 Nights
• $1,000 Voucher for Travel Expenses
• Front Row Seats for Keynotes
• Lunch with Marc Benioff and Colin Powell
• A Backstage Pass for “The Band”

This is a new thing this year and I’m anxious to see all the videos that get submitted.  It’s all happening on YouTube so head on over there and watch Tom and Jeanine describe the contest, click Video Response, and submit your reason why you want to come to Dreamforce.  It sounds pretty easy.  Good luck!

Great meeting full of good discussions! Thanks to all who attended. For all, this post serves as a recap.

Click here to download the presentation used during the meeting (announcements, plans, etc).

A big thank you to Andrea Lea with Pervasive Datasolutions for joining us for the meeting. Data integration is something we all are or will be faced with. Good to know there are partners like Pervasive with innovative, easy to use solutions. You can download Andrea's presentation here.

Lunch was great (thank you Pervasive), conversation was both diverse and lively and the time flew by.

Couple of notes:

• NEXT MEETING: September 23rd, 11:45 - 2:00pm
• Remember to register for Dreamforce (use the User Group code to save $100)

Finally, we'd like the many who have responded in the last 48 hours with feedback. This is your group and your continual feedback helps us plan for the best possible experience. So the question we'll continue to ask is, "How do we make the Dallas UG gatherings 'can't miss events'?"

Best,

Kevin & Laura

Howdy group!

Just a reminder that our need meeting is just a few days away. Wednesday, July 22nd 11:45-2:00pm. Again the meeting will be at ReachLocal.

Updates for the meeting:

• Amanda Lea with Pervasive will be joining us to talk about their offerings in the data integration space.
• Lunch is being provided for you so make sure to RSVP by commenting below.
• Discussion on the Summer '09 Release
• Dreamforce 2009 Updates
• The best part: users helping each other

We'll see you on Wednesday.

Kevin & Laura