Please join us for our highly anticipated October Salesforce Houston User Group meeting which promises to be a great one!  I know you have many questions around this topic, and we have a great guest speaker that has subject matter expertise in this area - APEX and Visual Force.  Brian Matthews, once on staff for Salesforce.com and part of the team that developed APEX, will take the time to explain APEX and Visual Force and provide an example of each - developer to system admnistrator.  Brian has a wealth of experience from Siebel to Salesforce to developing a Development product that works with Salesforce to working with Fortune 100 companies- the list goes on.  You will be sure to come away with a greater knowledge and appreciation of Salesforce.com after this meeting. 

In addition, Michael Whitehurst, VP of Information Technology at Marshal will show us a Best Practice on how to create in line Alerts in Salesforce.com.  Ever wanted to present color-coded Alerts on the top of a Case to inform Users about key correspondence on a Case?  Michael will show us how to set this up and us a case!  Alerts such as these are visually stimulating and are sure to capture the eye on a page.  A must see!!

We will also talk a little about Dreamfroce for those attending as well as meetings/topics for the rest of 2008.  Breakfast will be served.  Please come, be enlightened and connect with your peers!

Date:  Thursday, October 23, 2008

Time:  8:30 to 10:30

Location:  AlertLogic Offices in the Galeria Area (1776 Yorktown, 7th Floor, Houston, TX  77056)

Please RSVP by posting a comment to this blog post!!!! 

**Upon arrival at Alert Logic, please sign the guest book and fill out a name tag on the credenza on the left side of the lobby.  We will check the lobby periodically and escort attendees to the conference room for the meeting between 8:15 and 8:45.  If you arrive after 8:45, please call Amy Muehleman on her cell at 713-305-9532.  For questions or directions, email Amy Muehleman.

Astadia is seeking Training Consultants to be responsible for client-focused training within their CRM practice (for Salesforce.com).  This position requires a talented individual that excels in communication, software training and superior customer service.  The position is based in Dallas, Texas.  Send inquiries and resumes to jconnell@astadia.com.

Building a Roadmap for Salesforce.com

Using CRM as a Strategic Asset

A CRM Institute™ Workshop from Redxlerant, Crystalreports.com, Pervasive and Salesforce.com

How can you develop a CRM Roadmap aligned with your business goals?

The answer to this critical question will be presented in this complimentary, "Hands-on" executive training workshop.  Your instructor will guide you through a structured methodology for successfully "Aligning" your CRM business strategy with your technology infrastructure.

Attendees will receive a set of their own CRM Process Model mapped with the Redxlerant™ Development Tools -  a 40+ page workbook filled with templates & checklists - complimentary software - and networking opportunities with your peers over breakfast. 

"Like drinking from a firehose"  -  J Marceau, Surequest

You will leave this seminar with a clear understanding of how to apply this set of proven tools and methodologies for improved sales execution and visibility.

Sales, marketing, operation & technology executives will learn how to:

   •   Integrate your own processes into CRM systems like Salesforce.com

   •   Gain greater visibility into your CRM data with advanced reports & dashboards

   •   Understand how to integrate Salesforce.com with other data & systems

   •   Expand customer relationships and increase revenue

   •   Network with others in your community

Download the workshop syllabus or visit www.redxlerant.com.

Confirm your seat, workbook, and valuable training by registering at http://www.redxlerant.com/crm-institute2.html?id=gita

Seats are limited.

Come on out to our End of the Summer Happy Hour this Wednesday, September 10th at 4:00.  Come have some fun with fellow Salesforce Administrators, Developers and Power Users and be ready to answer the question "What's your biggest Salesforce.com Accomplishment?".   We'll also let you know about another great up-coming event and discuss some of the resources available to the group.  The first five to arrive get a Margarita on the house!!!

We'll meet at Berryhill in the Heights at 702 East 11th Street.  This location is at the corner of Beverly St. and 11th, just West of Studewood. [View a map and directions]  This spot is central and very easy to get to.

Rather than an evite, this time please RSVP by posting a comment to this blog post.  Let us know if you'll come and if you'll be bringing anyone.

See you there!

P.S. don't hesitate to email with questions, jodie.janacek@tpi.net

I just realized today that Linked-In has finally improved upon their group functionality.  This is great for our group because it provides a forum for Houston User Group members to ask and answer questions and exchange in discussions. 

If you haven't already, come Join.

For members who haven't seen the new forum, come check it out!  Salesforce.com Houston Area Users

Position Open!!!  Contact Jodie.Janacek@tpi.net for more info.

The Sales Support Manager will play a crucial role in driving a high performance sales culture within a multi-billion dollar division of a global oilfield service company.

Primarily responsible for sales process, sales training & sales tools, few other positions within the company can have a greater impact on sales excellence.

Immediate priority will be to plan and coordinate the development of an internally developed market planning database which roles up the organization's total available market and Salesforce.com for market planning and customer relationship management, respectively.

We'll get together over at the Heights Berryhill Baja Grill on September 10th, from 4:00 to 6:00.  Come on out for Margaritas, networking, best practices and fun!!!  Registered members will receive an evite soon, but for now, save the date!!!!

Who should attend?  Anyone who is a Salesforce Admin, Developer or Power User.  We'll share what we know and learn from the rest.

Looking forward to seeing you soon!

Questions?  Feel free to reach out at jodie.janacek@tpi.net

Position Summary:
Provides administrative support to the Marketing Department. Assists with marketing activities which may include research, direct mailing, printing, customer events and trade shows.

Duties and Responsibilities:
Assists Marketing and Product Managers with competitive research.
Creates and maintains competitive files.
Provide media/advertisement monitoring for PreCheck and competitors
Updates and maintains Salesforce database with information as it pertains to marketing and campaigns.
Prepares and sends mass emails and mailings to clients as requested.
Arranges and tracks tradeshow registrations and booth and material shipments.
Tracks trade organizations and relationships.
Provides support in review/editing of marketing materials.
Maintains and orders marketing materials and inventory as well as office supplies and inventory.
Assists Marketing Team with travel arrangements and calendar maintenance.
Assists with special Marketing and Product Management projects and other assignments as needed.

Job Requirements:
High School education or equivalent required.
2-4 years of related experience helpful; preferably in Sales and/or Marketing.
Familiar with standard concepts, practices, and procedures in Sales and Marketing.
Must be able to complete tasks and accomplish goals with minimal supervision.
Must be able to maintain complete confidentiality of all client and departmental information.
Must have strong time management skills.
Must have excellent written and verbal communication skills.
Must have the ability to communicate with all levels in the organization and all levels of clients.
Must have excellent computer skills – MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Internet – and the ability to learn new programs quickly.
Ability to multi-task and work at a fast pace.
Must have a strong attention to detail.

If you are interested in this position, contact jobs2@precheck.com and refer to this posting.

We had another record breaking turn-out last week for our June meeting.  Over 20 people showed up to share some great ideas and to get a preview on the summer release.  A big thanks goes to our presenters and to those who made it out to participate!  For those who couldn't make it, we will take a bit of a break until early August when we'll get back together again.

You can view last weeks presentation here:  Download houston_user_group_meeting_060408_v3.ppt   Please remember that two of our presenters asked their slides not be distributed so their presentations are not included here.  However, in addition to the outline on CongaMerge, inside you'll find some resources for general salesforce information and networking, resources on Summer Release and some cool opportunities to influence Dreamforce and/or force.com product development.

At the meeting, two people offered up more "go to" spots for Salesforce.com info and networking. 

Check them out:

gokubi.com - A blog authored by Salesfore.com consultant, Steve Anderson

twitter.com - Somewhat of a social service network where some web-savvy salesforce.com administrators share the answer to "What are you doing?"

Isn't Web 2.0 fun?!

Have fun with Summer Release, enjoy your summer (take a vacation!) and we'll see one another soon!

Our next meeting will be held on Wednesday, June 4th, from 8:30 to 10:30 at Alert Logic facilities at 1776 Yorktown (Galleria area).

This is another no-sales meeting.  You will simply walk away with easily implementable, high value-add ideas and the best available knowledge for managing summer release implementation at your company.