Alliance International

Tech America Forum on Winning New International Markets To Be Held Sept 15 in San Diego

2011-09-13T11:11:00.000-07:00

TechAmerica, an organization representing over 1,000 technology companies, is sponsoring a panel discussion Sept. 15th in San Diego, CA to share information important to successfully expanding overseas business. Entitled "Winning New International Markets," topics to be addressed include:

• How to tap into government resources to penetrate new markets overseas
• Strategies for protecting overseas territories against local competition
• How a global perspective can help you win in domestic markets
• Protecting intellectual property in foreign markets

The forum is being moderated by Tom Hansen of Hansen Marketing, and panelists include Carrie Brooks (U.S. Dept of Commerce), Turul Sengul (Principal, Nestatek LLC) Jorge Ramirez (Director ofInternational Sales, HM ElectronicsCommunication Systems Division and Craig Justice (founder of Alliance International and Director of Worldwide Sales for The HoverCam.) For additional information and registration, please contact Tech America.

Game Changer in Document Camera Industry: HoverCam X300

2010-10-06T16:23:00.000-07:00

The HoverCam is a game changing document camera. What's a document camera, you ask? Do you remember the OJ Simpson trial when Judge Ito said, "Put it on the Elmo." It's a camera mounted on an arm used in courtrooms, classrooms, video conference rooms and meeting rooms to show large-screen, live images of documents and 3-D objects when connected to a projector. In many classrooms around the world these have replaced overhead projectors. Ten years ago, the products cost $2,000 and up and had trouble displaying text clearly when showing a full-sized document. But in recent years, the image quality has improved and prices have dropped to the $500 range for some models. Schools have been buying them by the thousands.

Fast forward to 2010. With the advancement of CMOS technology and a decrease in camera component costs, an innovative company based in San Diego, CA has brought to market a high-resolution document camera that sells for $199, which has Elmo and other document camera manufacturers (and their dealers) shaking their heads in disbelief. (Full disclosure: I found the HoverCam product so attractive and the company's CEO Ji Shen so intriguing that I'm consulting the company to assist it reach the next level.

About the HoverCam: it's a high resolution (true, 3-mega pixel) document camera and scanner with no competition in the $199 price range. The company's aim is one in every classroom. From what I observed at the ISTE education technology conference in Denver at the end of June, teachers were crowding around the booth and buying units from the show floor. "We're now seeing large follow-on orders from schools," said Mr. Shen. For all the schools and districts that haven’t been able to purchase document cameras in the past the HoverCam presents an opportunity.

The technology involves a 3-mega pixel CMOS, USB camera. The camera is HD 720p compatible, so the images are surprisingly clear. (An example taken with the camera is an image of the New York Times at left.) Power is supplied by the USB cable (i.e., no separate power cord required which is convenient). The HoverCam must be connected to a computer to be used. It’s Mac & PC compatible. Each unit is also a scanner. A key to the HoverCam's appeal is proprietary software which allows the user to easily zoom, switch resolutions, switch between “presentation” mode and “scanning” mode and allow one touch recording of voice & video.

In addition to the $199 X300 product, Pathway Innovations & Technologies, Inc. (maker of the HoverCam) has also designed two higher price, higher value-added products. One is the Kudos 3 ($259) , which incorporates 2 cameras and allows picture-in-picture viewing and “head shots.” Kudos is ideal for use as a webcam with Skype, distance learning applications and recording videos with a talking head inserted inside the document image. The other product is the X500 ($279), which is a 5-megapixel scanning camera. According to Mr. Shen, this unit has fantastic image quality and is great for scanning (because of the very high resolution). He said some schools are also buying it as a “document camera” – although in the case of the 5-megapixel camera, the refresh rate is relatively slow at less than 10 frames/sec (whereas the X300 with the 3-megapixel camera has a “fast” refresh rate so live images are smooth).

Mr. Shen says he dreams of designing a "consumer version" of a document camera for the masses that he calls an "office camera" or "OfficeCam." Although he won't disclose any details publicly at this time, except to say that his company will make an announcement at the 2011 CES Consumer Electronics Show and that the OfficeCam device will incorporate the multiple funtions of scanning, presenting, video conferencing and more into one unit.

In summary, the HoverCam X300 key specifications are: high-resolution document camera, USB 2.0 with UVC, portable, 2lbs., UXGA resolution, active pixels 1,600 H X 1,200 V, 720p High Definition video and audio recording, built-in microphone, image capture, built-in lighting, 0-360 degree image rotation, 2X digital zoom, image scanning, contrast control, brightness control, adjustable resolution from 640 X 480 to 2,000 X 1,600, Mac & PC compatible, 25 frames/sec refresh rate in VGA mode and 12 frames/sec in 720p high definition video mode.

Voice of Civil Discourse for 35 Years: City Club of San Diego

2010-09-12T14:48:00.000-07:00

The City Club of San Diego celebrated 35 years of fostering a "Dialogue of Democracy" yesterday evening with a tribute to its founder George Mitrovich and a concert by John McDermott held at Point Loma Nazarene University. Paying tribute to Mr. Mitrovich were Judge Stephen Reinhardt (U.S. Court of Appeals 9th Circuit), Richard Reeves (the Presidential Biographer and former New York Times correspondent) Leon Williams (retired member of the San Diego City Council and the County Board of Supervisors) and Bob Brower (the university's president) each of whom credited the organization for being much needed voice promoting civil discourse during controversial times.

Mr. McDermott shared poignant, personal stories from old and new worlds dealing with war, immigration and family life framed by moving ballads accompanied by harmonists Jason Fowler and Brian MacMillan on acoustic guitars.

"The City Club has gained national standing due to its ability to conduct open discussions of local, national, and international issues," according to Vice President Joseph Biden. "Public figures from all across the country and the world have come to speak at City Club events, proving that it's one of the finest public forum organizations around. By engaging the public in civil discourse, The City Club has been able to further improve society by getting people to think about the real issues -- the ones that will greatly affect our future," stated the Vice President in a letter to the group.

A high school social studies teacher at the concert said he attended a City Club sponsored discussion on Health Care Reform last year that attracted a boisterous crowd from both sides of the political spectrum. "I was impressed with George's ability to keep the audience under control," he said of Mr. Mitrovich's charisma and oratorical skills.

The next City Club event is scheduled for Sept. 14th, a luncheon with Jack Conway, Kentucky Attorney General and candidate for the U.S. Senate. On October 23, City Club is sponsoring a talk by Joe Matthews with a focus on California's troubles: "California Crack Up: How Reform Broke the Golden State and How We Can Fix It."

For additional information, the organization's website is www.cityclubofsandiego.com

George Mitrovich

Bill Walton's Got His Game Back

2010-07-31T17:47:00.000-07:00

What a long strange trip it’s been, and to hear Bill Walton recount the adventure, he recites it in prose, as a poet from the beatnik era, with quotes from Bob Dylan, The Grateful Dead, Neil Young. What a long strange trip it’s been. From high school standout, to UCLA basketball star to MVP of the NBA, able to give that car to his father as he vowed he would as a kid. From the thrill of victory, to the agony of crippling back pain, not able to get out of bed, ready to throw in the towel, no desire for the next game, with thoughts of leaping from the fatal heights of San Diego’s Coronado bridge. Then, the miracle of surgery that stitched his back together, then mobility in a wheel chair, to a walker, to a cane, and now, playing the next game, helping amputees play sports, helping others get ready for their next game. Bill Walton’s got his game back. What a long strange trip it’s been. Can you believe he was a stutterer, and now as he speaks to the San Diego Software Industry Council, he warns it’s almost impossible to stop once he starts talking. The one thing that stops him this evening is a Grateful Dead reunion concert, which he will not miss, “Driving that train….”

Here are some takeaways from the evening’s talk. Walton invokes the teachings of John Wooden, including the pyramid of success (poise, confidence, condition, skill, team spirit, self-control, alertness, initiative, intentness, industriousness, friendship, loyalty, cooperation, enthusiasm) and "failing to have a plan is planning to fail." The importance of how you put on your socks (Wooden’s first lesson to new recruits to avoid blisters). The fundamentals of life, drilled into him from Wooden, and how those may have saved Walton when he needed something to hang on to. Wooden never had set plays; he never called timeout. He drilled, drilled, drilled, prepared, prepared, prepared, then let the young men play their game. (Lesson: If you’re a manager, train your people and let them do their job.) If you're not the biggest, think how you can use balance and quickness to your advantage. And last, the telephone calls from Walton’s closest friend during his dark times, with the reassuring message that “you can make it.” (Lesson: If you have a friend who’s down, calling is appreciated.) “The important things are health and family,” says Walton. “Everything else is just stuff.”

5 Minutes With Leo Lee, Founder of "Leadership Builder"

2010-04-16T09:21:00.000-07:00

(Leo Lee is the founder of Leadership Builder, a non-profit group based in San Diego, CA whose mission is to develop leadership skills among its members. The organization sponsors bi-monthly networking events with featured speakers. Below are excerpts from an interview with Mr. Lee in April, 2010.)

What purpose does your group serve that is not met by other organizations?

Mr. Lee: The group is a networking group for mid-level executives that focuses on leadership development to help members become better leaders to achieve a positive impact on their working environment.

What's your vision for the group?

Mr. Lee: Helping managers create a good working environment where people are engaged, respected, encouraged and excel.

What's the biggest obstacle you face in achieving the goals?

Mr. Lee: Transforming people. We're trying to change managers from a technical focus to a leadership focus. Leadership is not reserved exclusively for a few charismatic men and women. It is about you and me bringing forth the best from ourselves and others. When the leader in everyone is liberated extraordinary achievement happens.

What's the most interesting or surprising thing you've seen from your involvement with the group?

Mr. Lee: At our last meeting, a number of community leaders and company executives attended. What surprised me was the whole senior management team from one company attended. The CEO, the CFO and the COO. That was an encouraging sign about the value of our program.

Tell us something unusual about yourself.

Mr. Lee: I'm a trained scientist. I used to compete in the annual ballroom dancing competition in Las Vegas with 5 other couples and performed at charity events.

(The next meeting of the group is June 15 and will feature Greg Lucier, CEO of Life Technology, speaking on "Developing Executive Leadership: What It Takes to Take the Lead.")

Management Wisdom From Ken Blanchard & Garry Ridge: "You Have to Have Heart"

2010-04-02T14:49:00.000-07:00

Management guru Ken Blanchard and Garry Ridge, President & CEO of WD-40 Corporation, who teamed together to write Helping People Win at Work, shared some of their management wisdom to a leadership forum in San Diego on Thursday evening. Reflecting on the recession's dark times, Blanchard advised the audience, "As the leader you need to be the bearer of hope."

According to Ridge, at most companies only 29% of the staff are engaged in their work. Observed Blanchard, "Without your people, you're nothing." Blanchard said he'd like to see a "Fortunate 500" list off of companies that are financially sound, have a great relationship with their people and care for the community.

Blanchard recalled the darkest times of the recession at his own company as demand for consulting services dropped in 2008. The company met with employees to look for ways to reduce expenses without layoffs. "You have to view your people as your business partner," Blanchard said, noting that a good leader has to be a "servant leader." On this Maundy Thursday evening, the night Jesus washed his apostles' feet, Blanchard said Jesus was an example of a servant leader.

"None of us is as smart as all of us," said Blanchard, noting that subordinate staff are capable of coming up with better ideas than the boss, adding that he enjoyed watching the new TV show "Undercover Boss."

"There are a lot of CEOs out there with no guts," Blanchard said. "You have to have heart." He acknowledged there may be a time when a reduction in force is necessary; if so, it should only be done once (as Machiavelli advised) and the CEO needs to wrap his or her arms around those who remain.

Blanchard said he's the "Chief Spiritual Officer" of The Ken Blanchard Companies and leaves a three-part daily message for his employees:

1) Who to pray for. Blanchard said he believes in the power of prayer and he'll remind his staff to pray for sick and recovering employees.

2) Praise for someone. Blanchard said it's important to accent the positive and to reinforce the power of positive thinking.

3) Inspirational message, sharing with others something he learned.

On the power of positive thinking, Blanchard recalled at a golf school the predictable results when a student hit the ball into a bunker and said, "I can't hit it out of the sand." He suggested with practice and a positive attitude of "I love sand traps!" that a golfer can learn to hit good shots from the bunker. It's the same way when you tell people "they're fabulous" and when you greet someone as if they're the most important person in the world. Positive reinforcement is more effective than negative.

At WD-40, Ridge said the company refers to employees as "the tribe" which implies continuity. He outlined an effective way of doing "performance evaluations" by having each tribe member write down what they do and reviewing the list monthly with their manager. That way, there are never any surprises, and people understand what they need to do. "As a manager, my job is to help you get an A, not to grade your paper," Ridge said.

WD-40, the maker of lubricants, Lava Soap and a dozen other products, also avoided layoffs during the recession and has positioned itself for one of its strongest years ever. In stark contrast to the average company, Ridge said 93% of the WD-40 tribe are "engaged" and passionate about their work and 99% say "I'm treated with respect and dignity."

The speakers suggested those interested in studying leadership could attend a monthly public lecture at the University of San Diego School of Business or consider enrolling in the Master of Science in Executive Leadership (MSEL) program, which uses a curriculum developed by The Ken Blanchard Companies. Ridge was one of the first graduates of the MSEL program 10 years ago and several WD-40 tribe members have attended for continuing education. "The program changes lives," said Blanchard.

The discussion was sponsored by Leadership Builder, a non-profit organization dedicated to inspire, nurture and enhance members' leadership capacity to serve their family, organization, and communities, according to Leo Lee the group's founder.

"The essence of this book is," said Ridge holding up a copy of Helping People Win At Work, "Talk to your people." The WD-40 CEO suggested executives behave like the TV character Detective Columbo: "Always ask questions."

(Readers, what do you think: Is it a senior manager's role to lead with "heart" and "inspiration"? Or, to strictly manage processes, numbers and the bottom line?)

Internet Sales vs. Channel Sales

2010-01-22T09:44:00.000-08:00

In recent discussions with channel managers and internet marketing managers I've heard divergent points of view I'd like to open to public debate. According to the rules of internet marketing driven by analytics everything must be measured and all marketing expenses must be justified. This is also true for off-line marketing but measurement is not as precise. The beauty of e-marketing is that all internet touches are traceable -- pay per click, on-line ads, e-mail campaigns, downloads -- except when prospects buy your product or service off-line after learning about it from an e-marketing campaign without indicating the source.

Purchasing on-line is convenient for consumers and individual corporate buyers, but what about larger sales? That's where proponents of channel marketing and the direct sales team argue sales agent involvement is necessary for closing enterprise deals. Critics of the channel say reseller sales reps are just order takers that undercut pricing and reduce the company's gross profit margin. Channel defenders argue that the trusted adviser of a good reseller has the ear of technology buyers and can extend the publisher's/manufacturer's reach, assisting the vendor accelerate sales. Does this sound like Republicans and Democrats arguing about public policy?

Below are some questions that arise. What are your thoughts?

* Is it appropriate to keep spending marketing dollars on internet campaigns to the point of negative returns (because the real sales resulting are greater than that measured since some customers purchase off-line)?

* How do you effectively enforce minimum advertised pricing by resellers? How do you enforce MAP pricing if you use distributors? Should resellers' sales prices be higher than the manufacturer's on-line price?

* Is it effective for a manufacturer to state it has the lowest on-line price to encourage customers to purchase direct from its website?

* If you have effective on-line sales, should resellers even be allowed to sell your product on-line? Should customers only be allowed to purchase on-line direct from the manufacturer/publisher?

* What is an appropriate balance between e-marketing and channel marketing?

* If you believe resellers are order takers, what's the lowest acceptable margin you can offer?

* If you believe resellers help you sell your product, what's an appropriate margin to provide to encourage them to sell your product?

* How do you measure the effectiveness of your channel marketing expenditures?

* How do you determine the indirect impact of a manufacturer's e-marketing activities on channel sales?

Of course the first response to all of those questions is, "It depends." In my opinion the internet marketing team, the direct sales team and the channel sales team working together have important roles to play. How does your organization balance the roles and the allocation of marketing resources between the three?

CES Roundup

2010-01-10T08:18:00.000-08:00

The 2010 CES exposition has come to an end. The show will be remembered for a plethora of 3D displays, e-readers, pocket projectors, apps, phones more powerful than computers, and more.

Entering the main hall you walk right into an impressive LED HDTV flat panel display from LG. All the household name electronics companies are showing them, and then some, including Chinese manufacturers you've never heard of with displays that aren't that bad (when compared to what was commercially available 5 years ago). But from what I saw, Samsung stole the show with a display so thin (try to find it in photo at left) you can hardly see it when looking at it from the side. Sleek as the edge of a sword.

A perfect storm in technological developments, the popularity of the movie Avatar and the need for manufactures to "keep up the Joneses" has lead many companies to develop 3D displays. A SONY representative said the cost will be similar to what you would pay for a non-3D set. Expect to see these on the market in time for World Cup soccer matches this summer -- if not sooner -- as broadcasters are announcing a line up of 3D programming. At SONY's booth I viewed FIFA soccer matches in 3D, which were impressive. I also looked at a PlayStation baseball game in which, as a batter, you feel you're up at the plate at Yankee stadium. (Samsung even showed a 3D display which did not require wearing those funky glasses.) So, if you thought you had just purchased your last TV, think again.

I came of age during the last century with ambitions of leaving my descendants a library of great books. I suppose the analogy would be a music aficionado who loves vinyl records. I've finally been won over to the concept of e-readers. And for newspapers (which I do not include in my great books collections) an e-reader with a large screen makes perfectly good sense. The most innovative e-reader device I saw at CES is made by Plastic Logic and called QUE. The device (and screen) is made from plastic. There is no glass cover. It's thin. It's lite, with a larger display than the Kindle. The larger display allows for more natural reading of newspaper content and to manage (and save) all kinds of documents.

SONY Electronics unveiled a personal, touchscr een wireless device for accessi ng information at various points throughout the home called dash(TM ). According to SONY Product Manager Katie O'Brien, the San Diego based product team is especially proud of the dash as SONY's U.S. side took the initiative to develop it. You could have one in the bedroom to function as a clock and provide realtime weather and traffic information; one in the kitchen for accessing recipes; one in the living room to access fun sites like Twitter and Facebook. Why not just use a computer? Because, according to the SONY representative in the booth, there are times when you want to access information quickly without booting up a computer, and when you're in "relax" mode, not "computer" work mode. Dash provides wireless networking and free access to Sony's Bravia Internet Video streaming platform, which supplies YouTube, Pandora personalized online radio, Blip.tv and Crackle's mix of online originals and videos from the Sony Pictures vault. There are a 1,000 apps available for it and more on the way. The device is priced at $199 and should be available in April.

I was impressed with the improved stabilization technologies SONY showed for its hand held recorders. As a sometimes winemaking blogger who uses old-fashioned, hand held video to demonstrate winemaking and horticulture techniques in the vineyard, the SONY cameras would eliminate much of the jerkiness.

The most impressive demonstration I saw was during Qualcomm CEO Dr. Paul Jacobs' keynote address when cardiologist Dr. Eric Topol, chief medical officer of the West Wireless Health Institute, used a mobile phone to transmit ultrasound views of his beating heart live on stage. The advances in diagnostic and monitoring capabilities of personal medical care devices are impressive. The new devices will allowing monitoring of vital signs from remote locations resulting in improved delivery of medical services, improved health and saved lives (not to mention potential cost savings). Dr. Jacobs also shared the stage with Lenovo's CEO who demonstrated a new class of smartbook computer based on Qualcomm's chip technology named Snapdragon (giving "Intel inside" a run for their money). Qualcomm has staked out a position as the leader in mobile wireless connectivity for 3G networks, with design expertise in modems that provide better power management and better wireless performance with carrier signals. The company is now scoring design wins with traditional computer manufacturers such as Lenovo, HP and others. All of this innovation will lead to better mobile experiences for consumers.

After Nokia's CEO Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo had insulted iPhone users at its recent annual shareholders' meeting, I was about ready to write Nokia off as a company doomed to follow the route of Motorola and lose its dominant position in handsets. Now, I'm not so sure. The Nokia keynote for me was the most surprising (and inspiring), as Kallasvuo shared the stage with the company's chief anthropologist, Jan Chipchase, a cultural ambassador who has more frequent-flyer miles than the CEO studying consumer behavior in remote villages in Africa, India and Asia. He's also a great photographer. Here are sample questions pondered by Jan and his team: How is it in homes without electricity people charge their mobile phones? How do people who can't read and write navigate mobile phone menus? How can a matron managing a one-room house in an Indian slum save money with beggars constantly coming to the door? Nokia's and Jan's approach exhibited a certain degree of humility -- what moral right does Nokia have to intrude in peoples' lives to conduct this research, they ask. I think Nokia is asking the right questions and the company is involved in activities to improve lives, such as providing e-mail accounts to 5-million people last year who previously had no access to e-mail, and mobile banking services to billions of people without access to bank accounts. Although Nokia has largely failed to make a significant impact in the U.S. market, we must remember that the U.S. represents just a small percentage of world population.

Now that all major electronics manufactures are producing intelligent, network capable devices, how is the average person supposed to get everything working together and controlled? Control4 has a vision of the networked home with all devices controlled from one remote, one switch or even your phone and is on its way to developing an ecosystem of partners to realize that vision.

This is the 3rd CES show for Microvision, which continues to generate excitement with its $500 pico projector not much bigger than an iPhone. The projector is the world's first to incorporate laser technology and specifically a green laser developed by Corning Incorporated which allows for true, saturated colors, uniform image and an image that is always in focus even as you move the projector closer then farther from wall or screen. According to Microvision staff, the projector is now shipping in Australia and Spain. "We could have sold 100,000 of them at the show," said Director of Communications Matt Nichols, but the company has been confronting serious supply constraints on key components (Corning is having some troubles delivering the green laser in mass quantity). How useful is a 10-lumen projector? One of the company's fans I met at CES told me that if he was stuck at an airport and wanted to watch the big game he'd much rather see it projected on the wall than on his phone's tiny screen. As a technology company, Microvision has opportunities to embed its unique technology into numerous devices including mobile phones, computers, e-readers, game players etc. By itself, the projector continues to generate considerable buzz and received a "Last Gadget Standing" award at the annual CES gadget shootout by that name as selected by an online audience. Having Dr. Evil of Austin Powers fame in the booth also drew attention. (Rumor has it that Dr. Evil is looking to turn the laser based device into a weapon.) I suppose a market for the 10-lumen projectors is those 300,000 developers in China writing software apps for Nokia phones. Microvision could sell a projector to each one to demonstrate their software directly from the mobile phone.

Of course, on the other side of the projector front Texas Instruments, inventor of DLP projection technology, is not standing still. Samsung seems to have leaped ahead of Microvision by demonstrating a mobile phone integrated with a DLP projector. And, Samsung's Korean-based rival LG also unveiled its prototype version of a projector phone incorporating TI's DLP technology.

Optoma -- a traditional projector manufacturer -- showed a projector slightly larger than Microvision's, LG's and Samsung's (though still micro enough for most applications) based on a brighter DLP engine that outputs 50-lumens, a bit more practical for presentations, while neighboring 3M showed an upgraded version of its LED projector that's now ramped up to a whopping 15 lumens. (Folks, 15 lumens is not very bright. Either you need to show it in a dark room, or, you need to have a small image size -- granted th at the small image is going to be somewhat larger than your mobile phon e display.)

BlackBerry is taking a different approach, developing a device called the BlackBerry Presenter that allows users to connect wirelessly to a bright, conference room projector to make Powerpoint presentations on the go. This would seem to be a more practical direction for business and education use.

While looking for hidden gems in the China Pavilion I stumbled across APPO showing a micro projector they claimed was 100 lumens. The product, however, is in need of serious industrial design and lacks the cool factor shown by other manufacturers. As one of the original projector guys, these minuscule wannabees bring back memories of lugging around the world's first VGA projector in 1992 that output 100 lumens and weighed 35 lbs. I lost a gallon of sweat each day carrying "The Luminator" through Tokyo train stations during hot summer months demonstrating it to partners and customers. Life is good when your projector fits in your pocket. Is also your phone. And your vacuum cleaner.

Funded Head Experiment Yields Positive Results

2009-12-13T13:07:00.000-08:00

Last year I wrote about the advantages, disadvantages and my skepticism about use of a "funded head" at a distribution/reseller partner. The term "funded head" refers to paying a portion of a sales rep's salary at a partner with that person functioning as a surrogate employee. To review, the advantages are: no employment contract, lower cost than hiring your own person, increased mindshare from the sales partner and a way to incrementally invest in a market with a lower budget. The disadvantages: less control, less loyalty/focus than hiring your own person and less equity accrual to the manufacturer/publisher.

As an experiment, we went ahead and signed a contract with Sigma Software Distribution in the U.K. for a partial funded head. (My client, a software company with a long history as a leading Internet driven sales & marketing company, had never done this before but was interested in selling larger licenses through international channels.) We paid a portion of a sales rep's salary on a quarterly basis and in return the Sigma sales rep focused a commensurate percentage of his time on our software evangelizing resellers and assisting them upsell larger licenses to corporate and government accounts. Because of our investment in Sigma and willingness to put "skin in the game" we gained increased mindshare from Paul Jackson, Sigma's talented and experienced Head of Business Development (who guided the more junior Funded Head) and Sigma's executive management.

The results: although the U.K. saw a double-digit decrease in sales from our client's pay per click on-line sales during the last 12 months, Sigma (with the Funded Head) increased sales of the software by 40%. While the client's on-line sales are mostly to individual end users and consumers, Sigma's growth came primarily from an increase in the number of corporate and government accounts sold to by resellers, and follow-on upsells of larger licenses to accounts the Funded Head penetrated more deeply. The sales increase was approximately 5X the cost of the Funded Head. In other words, the Funded Head's cost was 20% of the increased revenue. No other marketing expenses were paid by the client for Sigma during this time, so growth is attributed primarily to Sigma's and the funded head's activities. Although a cost to revenue ratio below 10% would have been preferred, given the overall decline in the UK market in the last year for software products in general and the client's software, the return on investment was favorable and supported a profitable business model.

Another important "control variable" in this experiment is the client's other U.K. reseller, which received neither support for a funded head nor marketing funds. This reseller was able to maintain its level of sales compared to the previous year, but unable to significantly grow its business.

For anyone using or considering a funded head, I strongly recommend treating the surrogate as you would any other member of your sales team with respect to training, providing sales resources such as WebEx and employing your standard metrics and analytics to measure the sales pipeline and performance.

In conclusion, the investment in funding the partial salary of a distribution partner's sales rep yielded a positive return without cannibalizing or interfering with the client's core on-line business.

What has been your experience?

Dan Griswold: Free Trade Is A Main Street Issue

2009-12-10T11:53:00.001-08:00

San Diego, CA (Dec. 10, 2009) --Daniel Griswold stood before members of the World Trade Center holding a Swingline stapler in one hand and an iPod in the other. The stapler was manufactured a 15-minute subway ride from Manhattan, NY. The iPod, designed in California by Apple, produced in China. "The value added in China is a few dollars," said Griswold, while the remainder of the price paid goes to Apple and the retailer who sold it. His point: most of the value from the design and sales of the iPod goes to American firms, while the consumer benefits from the lower price of producing it overseas. He rhetorically asks, holding both products in his hands, would you rather live in a society that designs staplers or the iPods?

Griswold is the author of "Mad About Trade: Why Main Street America Should Embrace Globalization" and Director of the Center for Trade Policy Studies at the Cato Institute. His research shows that American consumers are the biggest beneficiaries of world trade, and the money saved by main street from lower prices from the global economy is far greater than any Washington stimulus plan. Globalization elevates the quality of life of everyone. "Consumers are the biggest winners from free trade," he said. "Working families benefit from lower prices." And while he expressed for workers who have lost their jobs to factory closures, according to his research "imports are responsible for 3% of joblessness. For every one person who looses their job to trade 30 people loose their jobs for other reasons." As an example, thousands of people from Kodak lost their positions because of the rise of digital photography -- a technology shift -- not because of the imports of digital cameras. And while 4-million manufacturing jobs have were lost to trade (prerecession), his research indicates 18 million service jobs were created from economic growth with pay higher than manufacturing wages. "Globalization is in the interest of Americans," he said.

Griswold recounted a globalization moment that occurred while doing a case study of his closet. Of the 120 items he inspected--mostly clothes--10 were made in the U.S., and 9 of those were neckties. Of particular note was an item from Mexico labeled: "Hecho en China."

New AVIO iP-01UE Projector With Built-In Camera Breaks Price Barrier

2009-10-24T18:39:00.000-07:00

Until now, AVIO projectors, a uniquely styled projector series with a camera built inside, have cost between $5,000 - $10,000. The company announced it will begin shipping in November the iP-01UE, a cost-reduced model with an estimated street price of only $3,495.

Manufacturing companies and schools have been a major user of AVIO projectors. The lower price is expected to make the projector more affordable for the North America K-12 market. If the U.S. $ strengthens against the Japanese yen in the months ahead, it's possible the projector may break the $2,995 price point for multiple unit sales. A significant improvement to the iP-01U is a wide angle lens, which allows a teacher to use the projector at the front of a classroom and to fill up the projection screen with an image.

Production departments of manufacturing companies have been using AVIO projectors to allow shift employees to communicate process status updates without a computer, by writing notes on paper and placing them on the projector. AVIO projectors are quite popular in Japan, although they have never taken off in North America. Cost has been a hindering factor. The $3,000 price point is expected to open up the general corporate market and also law firms.

Although Nippon Avionics, a subsidiary of Japan's NEC Corporation, has been manufacturing the AVIO style projector for 15 years, they are not well known in North America. Because the projectors are unlike any other projector (they resemble a flatbed scanner), they need to be seen to appreciated, leaving the company caught in a vicious Catch-22 circle as most resellers prefer to offer their customers well-known brands. Moreover, the AVIO projectors are a "concept sell", which require a sales person to demonstrate and explain the advantages of an all-in-one unit (something which many projector sales people would prefer not to do). AVIO plans to take advantage of advances in Internet technology to create videos showing how the projectors work, increasing their exposure to a broader audience.

Personally, I have found AVIO's projectors to have a very crisp, clear image when using the camera to show documents and clippings from newspapers. Small print is legible. Also, the unit is easy to set up, because it is just one piece of equipment.

Key specifications of the projector include: 2,500 lumens; single chip DLP engine with 6-color wheel and BrilliantColor(TM); 11 lbs; camera with 3.15 million pixels; USB image capture.

For additional information, and current pricing try visiting AVIO's Facebook page and the Alliance Warehouse. Alliance International is an authorized distributor and repair center for AVIO in North America. Tel: (858) 558-2030. E-mail: claudia (at) alliance-intl (dot) com

China: 20 Years Earlier

2009-05-20T16:19:00.000-07:00

My first visit to China was in April - May 1989. I was a bird flying over an ocean who could see its vastness but not comprehend what took place beneath the waves. I walked past 10,000 people with 10,000 stories and I missed them all on that first trip. But during the next decade I shed my wings for fins and swam among the fish of the Middle Kingdom sea, keeping my distance from killer whales.

What were your first impressions visiting China and how have they changed?

I was working in Japan for Mitsubishi Corporation in 1989. It was the "Golden Week" holiday and I was itching to visit the world's most populous country. Knowing precious little of China's history, spoken language and what I was getting myself into, I traded my 3-piece suit for a backpack and landed in Shanghai. Students were marching in Beijing's Tiananmen Square. Two of my colleagues based in China had recently perished in a China plane crash so I was leery of flying on a domestic flight to Beijing. (The acronym of China's airline in those days stood for "China Airlines Always Crashes"). I decided to stay in Shanghai two days, then travel by train to Hangzhou, Guangzhou and Hong Kong. Little did I imagine that during the next decade I would rack up a million miles flying to China and become a witness to economic history. Here's what I remember about that first trip.

The road from Shanghai's Hong Qiao airport to the downtown Bund was dark (I arrived at night; there were few lights). My host, the local Japanese manager for Mitsubishi, warned me not to change money on the black market. At that time, visitors were issued a special currency for foreigners (FEC) in exchange for hard currency and were not supposed to use RMB (renminbi) the people's money. My hotel was the Seamen's , just off the Bund where you could smell the river. The cost was $125 night and the quality was similar to that of a standard Holiday Inn. At that time, Pudong -- just across the river-- was a dream (now, one of the great metropolises of the world.) The first day I walked, walked, walked. Along the French styled buildings of the Bund, along Nanjing Street up to the No. 1 Department Store, and then the People's Park near the old convention center (a Soviet style building). Purchasing a sweater at the store required picking up chits from the department, then paying a central cashier, then going back to the clothes department to get the sweater. (It seemed to be a complicated process -- perhaps a way to employee more people at a state run store?) Mao suits were common. The trams were jammed-pack with people and seemed to move at a snail's pace. I ventured into a restaurant and, not speaking Chinese at the time, pointed at the menu and was served a mystery dish (tripe in a yellowish sauce?). I soon learned about Shanghai's steamed dumplings (xiaolongbaozi) which could be ordered on many street corners. I took in the architecture of the old French quarter and the bustling of outdoor markets, walking to the Jin Jiang Hotel where President Nixon stayed during a state visit. Much of the morning was spent trying to secure a train ticket to my next destination. (Not a simple process.) I remember finding a travel agent at the Peace Hotel, a historic hotel which would have been a better place to stay for the money. (In later years I visited the hotel several times for the jazz and banquets, including one held by the organizers of PC Expo.)

The next day it was raining and I took off by foot trying to get that train ticket, then visiting more markets. I made it to the Yuyuan Garden, but what I missed was enjoying tea and Shanghai dim sum in the surrounding tea houses. And, I missed Shanghai's historic restaurants, such as Mei Long Zhen (which I was taken to several times on subsequent visits). This is the price you pay for being "spontaneous" and going to a country without research and plans. Of course, today's China is a moveable feast of culinary delights (and business opportunities) and my appetite was whetted for more.

It was May Day, a traditional holiday for "communist states" and I made inquires, unsuccessfully, about official parades and marches, and unofficial demonstrations such as those at Tiananmen. (I didn't know about Fudan University, but ended up visiting that institution several times on later business trips.)

Hangzhou was a 3-hour express train raid from Shanghai in those days and five hours or more by local train (now there is a super expressway for buses and cars which has cut the time significantly and the trains are improved). I was determined to stay in a backpacker's style hotel to save money. I remember walking from the train station and somehow getting to the famous West Lake for my first glimpse, then, needing a place to stay, boarded a jam packed bus that took me into a countryside of tea plantations and a hostel and a room which I shared with 3 others costing a few dollars per night. Making an international phone call involved calling an operator and requesting a call. It took 15 minutes to get an international line.

Instead of walking, I rented a bike and biked everywhere, starting with the magical West Lake just a couple of miles away. I was captivated by it and fortunate enough to return several times in later years . I found a tea house next to ancient ruins and enjoyed green Dragon Well Tea, a local speciality. I met a Canadian student who was requested by his host institution in Beijing to go on vacation (i.e. "get out of town") because of the storm brewing at Tiananmen. I invited him to dinner and we found a hole-in-the-wall seafood restaurant. The eels in the fish tank piqued my interest and I ordered one for us steamed to perfection in a soy-based, ginger sauce. Delicious! And, I relearned my lesson about asking how much things are before ordering them. (The dinner was over $20, which seemed very expensive for the time and place, but for us it was priceless.)

The next day it was raining (again) and I needed to go the train station (again) to try and get a ticket for my next destination. There I had my formative experience of the Chinese definition of waiting in line (opposite of the well mannered British queue). Ticket in hand, I was back on bike, and I had not been as soaked to the bones since riding to school at the University of Washington in Seattle. Peddling through town I saw a line of people at a noddle shop, stopped and met a couple of university students from Japan studying in Hangzhou. They ordered for me and I had the most inner-warming bowl of Shui Zhao (soup dumplings) I had ever had. (In subsequent years I learned the joke about shui zhao which in Chinese also sounds like "sleep" so when you ask the soup lady how much the dumplings are you could be propositioning her.)

I climbed a mountain and found a temple where couples soldered metal hearts engraved with their names so their hearts were always together. In town, I shopped for little nick-knacks that would fit in my backpack to bring home. In Japan, I was expected to bring back as many souvenirs as I could possibly carry, so I started filling up with items made from Hangzhou silk. What I missed in Hangzhou (having not done my homework) was the Lo Wei Lo restaurant by Westlake (but I was taken there and to many fine restaurants on subsequent visits). I do not intend to over romanticize a location -- there is a flip side to this Shangri-la also to be contemplated -- litter, polluted waters and the hardships of life. (In later visits, I often came across people engaged in violent arguments. So much tension, right beneath the surface.) Hangzhou made an impression, and as I departed I said, "I will come back here someday and stay in the Shangri-la instead of a hostel."

The next memory is a 36-hour train ride from Hangzhou to Guangzhou. The chicken bok-choi over rice tasted delicious the first time I ate it but by the 4th serving I had learned it's important to stock up on snacks before a long train ride. We passed scenic areas of steep mountains, and fields flooded with water for rice cultivation as we moved further south. (I was impressed by the scenery to attempt a painting after getting back home.) I shared the "soft seat" cabin with a gentleman from Taiwan and a gregarious fellow from Guangzhou who had emigrated to Hong Kong. They argued for hours about Taiwan this and Hong Kong that and China this, and at the end of the voyage with me wiped out from the fourth serving of chicken bok-choi he hired a taxi and took me to my lodging, another hostel, and this time I splurged for a private room with bath (cost, about $20/night). I had escaped the rains, and, dried out, found a bike to rent, and biked, biked, biked everywhere. Memorable sites: all of the cottage workshops, people making this, people making that. Busy. Micro industry. And then there were the markets, with the cats in cages, badgers and everything. I remember a visit to the snake restaurant to drink snake bile and to eat snake soup. (Fried snake is a delicacy I learned to love, and we have quite a supply of them on our ranch at the Blue-Merle Vineyard). I made a quick trip to Foshan to see a temple, and it was there that I noticed a younger woman in a white dress for spring. The Mao suits were giving way to modern fashion. Eating at the many tea houses in Guangzhou was easy with dim sum, because you could look at servings before choosing them and the portions were small. (What I missed were the trips to the factories in Dongguan -- there would be time for that later. I also missed evenings of karaoke, which had been forced upon me in Japan, and was also very popular in China. But this is what you get for not planning ahead, not knowing the language and the culture.)

I had lunch with a Japanese manager of the local Guangzhou branch of Mitsubishi and he brought one of his Chinese staff. What I really wanted to know was how he, as a Chinese, felt about working for a Japanese-based company?

Unprepared, I got what I asked for on this first trip to China. There would be many more visits and I would study the language and everyone I met on a train or in a snack shop would become my teacher. I consumed the stories of the people in books, and caught up on the history and read and re-read the Three Kingdoms for political insight and Dreams of Red Mansions for entertainment. In later trips, I would earn a living introducing the Chinese to desktop projectors, then interactive whiteboards, then, American-designed "Made in China" JABRA earphone microphones (the first time I ever saw one of those devices being used was in Shanghai by a suave businessman). Travelling to China over the years I met repeatedly with "mom and pop" dealers which gave me an opportunity to see how their lives were upgraded with each visit in subsequent years: improved plumbing, a toilet that works, dining at good restaurants, heating that works, more furniture, then a bigger office, then a car, then their trips abroad to our trade shows in the U.S. You could see it in peoples' eyes; their hunger to learn more. Their hunger for a better life. Their willingness to work for it, unleashed after the economic reforms that followed Tiananmen. Twenty years from now will we look back upon the events of June 4, 1989 and say the students actions led to "economic freedom" for China?

What did you experience on your first trip to China and how have your perceptions changed with time? (Or, if you are Chinese, what were your first impressions of America?)

NATO 60th Anniversary: Reflections From 29 Years Ago

2009-04-03T17:13:00.000-07:00

My life has tracked NATO. I was born ten years after the organization was founded and worked there the summer of 1980 as an Intern in the U.S. Mission. NATO was just entering middle age during my sojourn. Our major concern at the time was the modernization of theater nuclear forces (TNF) and making preparations for the installation of Pershing II missiles on West German soil. The Alliance was firm, united, and resolute in this decision, despite a rise in the peace movements in Europe and the U.S. and concern among millions of citizens. I also remember Deputy Secretary of State Warren Christopher stopping by NATO headquarters to announce progress with the CSCE talks (Conference on the Security & Cooperation in Europe) between East and West. Besides an elegant lunch one weekend at Ambassador William Tapley Bennett's residence featuring an amazing, fragile as glass, caramelized desert, the most memorable historical moment was attending the farewell address of NATO's West German Ambassador Dr. Rolf Pauls.

Dr. Pauls was West Germany's first ambassador to Israel after the Holocaust and is widely credited with helping to heal diplomatic relations between the two countries. On that summer day in 1980, the retiring NATO ambassador reminded the other 14 member states of the Atlantic Alliance that the number one objective of West German foreign policy was the unification of his divided country.

I grew up in an era of East Berlin and West Berlin; East Germany and West Germany; North and South Vietnam; North and South Korea; NATO and Warsaw Pact -- and as a 20-year-old youth listening to Dr. Pauls I lacked historical perspective. I just assumed there would always be two Germanys, not knowing any better. Dr. Pauls opened my eyes.

I went back to school that summer (a little wiser for my experiences), graduated, and returned to Europe as a reporter following my interests in German politics, the rising Green Party, the peace movement and NATO's policies. I always remembered Dr. Pauls, and the German Ministry of Information was able to arrange an interview for me at his lovely home outside of Bonn in the Spring of 1982. We sipped tea and I recalled his NATO farewell address. We talked about the current political situation, the state of NATO and the Alliance's resolve. He was a gracious man.

(After moving to Seattle, I attended a reception in honor of West Germany's President, Karl Carstens, and saw the same official who had arranged my meeting with Dr. Pauls in Bonn the year before. He poured me a class of white wine asking, "Can you tell what it is?" I took a sip and answered without hesitation, "Rheinland Pfalz," a premonition of a future in the wine industry, perhaps?)

It is heartening to see President Obama warmly welcomed in Europe first as a candidate and now as President commemorating NATO's 60th Anniversary. He is one who can talk eloquently while carrying the big stick.

PC Trial Software: "To Free or Not To Free?"

2008-09-11T19:48:00.000-07:00

Best Buy's decision to provide a service to remove "free-trial" software from computers must have been a wake-up call to PC manufacturers. On the one hand, I applaud the move as a consumer. It bugs the hell out of me everytime my computer at home tells me that I'm unprotected and I must purchase McAfee software or else.

On the other hand, as a software publisher, I dream of seeing our software preloaded on PC desktops. All of them. Every single one. All over the world. I understand why the manufacturers need to do it -- with notebooks costing $500 these days and desktops half that . One Toshiba product manager confided to me, "Software is how we make our money." I like the approach of Grant Shenk, Worldwide Software Marketing Manager for Lenovo who told me he wants to provide software that is not annoying, that is not a trial, and that provides real value to Lenovo customers to enhance their experience owning a Lenovo computer. That makes sense to me. Another approach that makes sense is to provide consumers an opportunity to try various software programs by visiting the website of the PC maker who supplied it. In this scenario, the customer is making the decision to browse for software to become more productive -- or simply to have fun -- while the manufacturers and software publishers share the revenues from sales. That's a win-win for everyone.

Evangelizing Business Graphics in Asia-Pacific

2008-07-31T17:35:00.000-07:00

On a five nation Asia-Pacific swing in July I met with resellers of SmartDraw’s visual communications software. I found a receptive message to “thinking straight”, “working smarter”, “better presentations”, “raising the level of education” and “making money” at each destination. At this stage in SmartDraw’s development the company doesn’t have an overseas office [yet]. So, we’re working with partners, distributors and resellers to get the message out. Highlights:

China – Cogito Solutions of Hong Kong & Beijing was founded 10 years ago by Jimmy Wong. His youth will give him the energy required to introduce a growing brand to Hong Kong and the explosive China market. Because his company is relatively small, he can provide focus. Cogito distributes SmartDraw through Jardine’s , PCCW, Microware and other channels. (Excitement for the Olympics was building, the Peeking Duck is still delicious and watching the noodle makers spin and weave noodles by hand is hypnotizing.)

Singapore – SmartDraw has been represented for years in Singapore by Infoland, who’s Marketing Director Mee-Leng Poon has introduced SmartDraw to schools. Interestingly, she’s found that SmartDraw can be used as an authoring tool for kids to make fun presentations. For the business market, we began working recently with Efektif, who has already succeeded in introducing SmartDraw to the United Overseas Bank (UOB). Efektif has been a value added reseller of various business graphics solutions for years, such as project scheduling software, and mind map solutions. (We had time after our meetings to sample the famous pepper crab.)

Malaysia – Our distributor Nadi-Ayu Technologies observed a problem in Malaysia’s schools: Many teachers had computers, but weren’t using them. Nadi-Ayu wondered what would happen if teachers had better software? So, they did an experiment with a group of instructors giving them SmartDraw. Their conclusion: teachers with SmartDraw used their computers more. The Ministry of Education agreed with these findings, and awarded Nadi-Ayu different projects to supply more than 30,000 licenses of SmartDraw to instructors and computer labs. During a 5-day visit we met several government ministries in Putrajaya, the new capital area of Malaysia, and also universities. (Awaking each morning to the calls of prayers from a nearby mosque, we had one free moment to sample a Durian, the fruit that scared participants on the TV show “Fear Factor” with its sensuous bouquet.)

Australia – My arrival coincided with the Pope’s visit to Sydney. Dodging the PopeMobile and the PopeBoat I visited SoftwareTime located in a quaint area of Sydney. Software Time has a strong education focus, and manager Chris Marlow expressed interest reselling SmartDraw if we could get the margins right (I assured him we could). Next there was a meeting with Aquion – a distributor, with strong ties to resellers like Insight. Insight is a large reseller to corporate customers – but we need “order makers” not “order takers.” Fitting the “order maker” profile is a reseller called MindSystems of Melbourne, an experienced marketer of business graphics software, who sees an excellent fit with SmartDraw in combination with its other productivity software offerings. Melbourne is also the home of City Software, a traditional software seller who has been offering SmartDraw for a couple of years already, and whose SmartDraw sales have been expanding in line with our world-wide growth. I was impressed with the offices and strategy of Edsoft, which has an education focus. (One of the main features of the office is a glass meeting room with an artistic rendering of the company’s roadmap in vibrant colors on the clear wall. The company is located near a former artist colony – and the influence is apparent.) However, because Edsoft has requested exclusive rights to be the sole reseller for SmartDraw, it is not likely we will be doing business with them at this time. (MindSystems located not far from a vineyard, so after lunch which included Australia’s great oysters, we were able to grab a taste of Melbourne.)

New Zealand: Cold, rainy, at the height of winter ….Met with James Taylor of Metro Business Software, a long-time business partner whose SmartDraw sales have been rising the past two years. I also met with Patrick Baker of Mindlogik, who is in the business of consulting, training and “business mapping”. Patrick sees SmartDraw fitting in beautifully with the consulting services he and his partners offer to New Zealand companies. (James suggested we have lunch on scenic Waiheke Island, just a short ferry ride from Auckland. NZ is not just about “All Blacks” and whites: try the red wine!)

Conclusion: I'm bullish on the growth prospects of "business graphics" and visual communications in Asia-Pacific and throughout the world.

Business: Melbourne Style

2008-07-20T01:17:00.000-07:00

For the first time in my 27 years of international business, I spent $400 on taxi fares rushing to meetings in Sydney and Melbourne over a two day sprint.

I escaped the political demonstrations in Malaysia to find a jubilee of traffic jams in Sydney: the Pope had arrived.

At my first meeting in Sydney, I'm greeted by a Jack Russel Terrier mix, who grabs the most expensive tie I own and starts pulling. (In Texas, they'd just cut it off with scissors -- here, they send in the dogs.) I left with the order.

After a morning meeting Saturday with our new reseller in Melbourne, MindSystems, we head to a restaurant to feast on fresh oysters, lamb brains, raw steak tartar and “wagu” Kobe beef at the Wine Room in St. Kilda. Then, it's off to the wine country on Mornington Peninsula, town of Mt. Eliza. We follow the coastal road – Melbourne is situated at the back of a very large bay. We pass Canary Island Date Palms and Protea “bottle brush” trees that rise as tall as 4 story buildings.

MindSystems is a true "order maker" and a true value added reseller of business graphics software solutions. They have the formula. I'm looking forward to working with them.

First stop is Morningstar Estate – picture perfect for weddings. We pull into the driveway where grazing sheep catch my eye. This is what we need at the Blue-Merle Vineyard for weed control and dog control. (Our shepherd needs something to do – so not only would a pair of sheep keep Bluey occupied, they keep the weeds down and don’t eat the vines.)

The winery has a tasting room, restaurant and hotel , and I’m thinking this is the place to stay on my next trip to Melbourne. Especially since MindSystems is located just down the road. From the terrace, you catch glimpses of the bay. My first thought: mildew.
“I don’t like red wines,” says our pourer, a young man of 23 years.
“How’s the mildew around here?”
“I’ve never heard of a problem.” Yeah, right.
The pinot is drinkable. The cabernet-merlot blend is not. According to Derek Barton, author of “Australia’s Best Wine Tours” which I purchased from one of the many book stores in St. Kilda, the peninsula is known for good pinots. We head outside to the vineyard. I’m struck by two things: the way end posts are supported (see picture), and the pruning. The end posts are not put in at angles; rather, they are straight, given extra support by another end post placed at the top. (See the picture.) The pruning method is to prune back to a single shoot, which stretches across the cordon wire. This is to control vegetative growth in this challenging microclimate (surrounded by water).

Whereas Morningstar Estate is a beautiful castle, our next stop across the road is a bohemian hole in wall with attitude, the Under Ground, where the yard is littered with barrels and the grounds could use a good cleaning. This is the place to have fun and to talk with the winemaker who describes in great detail the challenges of mildew and the pruning techniques. I notice they are using the breathable, oxygen permeable plastic drums, which are reputed to allow wine to age with a slow oxidation process similar to barrel aging. The winemaker concurs with the assessment and gives me the name of the Flextank supplier.

We enjoy sampling the sweet muscat wines, and I am especially keen on trying the Duriff, which they have named “Dr. Duriff.” We know this back home as Petite Syrah (no, it is NOT petite shiraz, mate), which is a thick, dark, chewy, big wine – of which we have a barrel full back at the Blue-Merle vineyard, maturing nicely. Dr. Duriff does not disappoint, and I purchase a bottle to bring back to the artisans of Blue-Merle Country. Next stop, New Zealand.

When you go:
Place to stay: Novotel, St. Kilda. Located about 5 miles or so from the Melbourne City Center, along the bay. Jog along the beach in the morning. Enjoy breakfast and a “flat white” coffe at the racer’s café (where all the cyclists hang out).

Lunch or Dinner: Melbourne Wine Room The George. 125 Fitzroy St., St. Kilda. Tel: (03) 9525-5599. Reservations recommended. Everything delicious. Ask the waiter what’s good the day you go.

Morning Coffee: Racer’s Café, St. Kilda

Sails on the Bay. Restaurant. Despite being located right on the beach with a bay view, the food is good. 15 Elwood Foreshore, Elwood, Victoria. www.sailsonthebay.com

Intoxicating Durian: The Majestic Fruit That Kills

2008-07-18T08:20:00.000-07:00

(July, 2008 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia) -- Durian is the King of Fruits. This is the football sized “spike” fruit of Asia, found in markets from Bangkok to Jakarta. Its bouquet is so powerful the fruit is banned from airlines and hotels in Singapore and KL. It was used as an obstacle on the TV show “Fear Factor” – the smell scared away the participants.

Ah, but the taste. If you get past the smell, you’ve got it licked.

The first time I tried it in 1993 I wasn’t so sure. We had met for happy hour at the Raffles Hotel Long Bar in Singapore, and after downing a yard of beer, I was taken to the nearby “hawker stall” for delicacies of sting ray and the fruit of fruits.
“Don’t eat Durian after drinking beer,” Ricky warned.
“I can’t take too much,” said Angeline, a Singaporean. “It’s too ‘heat-y’,” that is, it caused her body temperature to rise. After eating it, she would need to eat something “cool” – like watermelon-- to keep her system in balance.

We walked by the stalls inspecting the spiky fruit, inserting a nose here and there into the cracks, as if discerning a fine wine, to find one perfectly ripe. I did my duty as the honored guest taking a few bites, the last one with some difficulty. That was enough. The next day when we met to discuss strategies for increasing sales of desktop projectors in the region, I was moving a little slow. Was it the tail of the sting ray or the beast of fruits?

That evening, the talk turned to Durian. Ashok recalled driving up to Malaysia and coming to a market where the fruit was on sale. He loaded up on it, stuffing the trunk of his Mercedes. To this day, the smell lingers. Then, they told me how it is forbidden to bring into hotels (if it gets into the ventilation system, the hotel might need to be evacuated, and the odor might linger for days, if not years). It seems that not everyone in Singapore appreciates Durian. (Well, even half the population of Japan dislikes “natoe” – the “rotten” soybean dish, which is really good for you and prevents blood clots.) Better informed about this fruit, I became intrigued and told myself that I’d give it another try, someday. I soon had my chance the next week at a market in Malaysia (the country reputed to have the best Durian – at least according to Malaysians) – when I suggested to my host, “Let’s eat Durian!” He was surprised to hear that from a Westerner and undoubtedly pleased. He got some of the fruit, warned me not to drink beer with it, and I dove right in. This time, there was no turning back. I had become a Durian addict.

“The Wild West” are three words I use to describe Indonesia in the 1990s. Here’s one reason why. After dinner one evening, I suggested to my hosts, “ Let’s get some Durian. They thought that was a grand idea. We gorged ourselves, but couldn’t finish it all. (The taste is very rich, and a little goes a long way.) Too expensive, and too good to throw out, they offered me a doggie bag to take back to the hotel. “I can’t take this into the hotel,” I protested. “It’s banned. They’ll knock on the door, and throw me out of the hotel .”
“You’re correct,” Julius said, in that wild-west way of talking he had. “They will come knocking on your door, and they will tell you, ‘Please, give me some of your Durian!’” he concluded with a laugh and his Cheshire cat’s mischievous smile. He insisted all Indonesians love durian. Encouraged by my hosts, I brought the doggie-bag back to my room in the Hotel Intercontinental and put it in the refrigerator. I had a bite the following day, and left the reminder in the fridge when I checked out. (I can only surmise what was done with that fridge.) I imagined the ultimate pick up line had I been single: “Would you like to come up to my room and eat some Durian?” Now who could have refused that?

In later years, I’ve had my fun with Durian, introducing it to friends and family. “What’s this shit?” asked my Oklahoma cousin when I purchased some at a local Vietnamese market in OK City. When my friend Suki – who has spent a lot of time in India -- invited us and a group of his friends to his home in San Diego for a tandori chicken cookout a few years back, I brought Durian for desert. He’s still my friend – we play golf together -- but I wonder why he hasn’t invited us back for dinner? I’ve pondered bringing it into the office April Fool’s Day, but hesitate when remembering the reaction that ensued when one of the Asian gals in the office cooked some “tsurume” in the microwave. The fumes rose to the vent and reached me at the other end of the building triggering fond memories of eating the dried squid —heated by a match or butane lighter – with beer in our dormitory in Japan. I decided to join the feast, but couldn’t reach the kitchen because of the exodus of staff gagging at the smell, which they found disgusting. Since something as innocuous as dried squid has been banned from our company, what would happen if I gave Durian to my boss? (Since I like my job, we’ll hold this idea until I close my next million dollar deal.)

Fast forward to July, 2008 … it’s my birthday week and I’m in Malaysia and I’ve decided to treat myself to a present. Something I haven’t experienced in years and sorely miss. As someone once said, what happens in Malaysia stays there. I’m going to find the best one money can buy. But before that, a round of golf.
It’s a par 5-hole, and I’m in a bit of rough on the right hand side after my drive. Not a problem. I pull out a 5-wood, and hit it perfectly. The ball is sailing down the course but inexplicably drifts into a forest. I walk among the trees I don’t recognize but notice the sword of Damocles above my head: A durian fruit. Durian is so powerful, its magnetic force has pulled my ball into the woods. Says my friend Mohamed, “It’s the curse of the Durian tree.” I look for a fallen Durian, find one, pick it up, and to my amazement, the ball is not inside . “Major,” I call out – he was an officer in the army -- after finding my ball some 250 yards from where I last struck it, “Let’s crack open one of these and eat it.”
“You like Durian?!” he asked in disbelief. “The best Durian is in Malaysia. You’re lucky. It’s the season. You need to try D24. It’s the best,” and he proceeds to tell me about all the varieties of Durian. After the golf game, we pass by a fruit stand. Stepping out of the car, I’m struck by the pungent fragrance which scared off the challengers in “Fear Factor”. As we sniff different fruits deciding which one to purchase, it all just smells delicious.
“Durian is the king of fruits,” Mohamed says.
“What’s the queen of fruits?”
“I don’t know.”
Normally, two small wedges of the fruit are enough for me – it really is filling. But Mohamed has bought us each our own fruit the size of a football. The first one called a “fox” Durian – it’s delicious, and I understand why foxes love it. Next, we open up a D24, which I find even sweeter. I’m so full, that I won’t need dinner. Warns Mohamed, “Don’t go out and drink any beer tonight.”
“What would happen?”
“The Durian causes gasses to mass in your stomach, and when it mixes with beer, it will make you sick. I knew a guy who drank beer with Durian – he ended up in the hospital.” He also told me that people with heart conditions and diabetes will get sick – and could die-- if they eat it.
We’re giddy now, high on Durian, telling jokes about the consequences of burping after eating Durian. This is fifth grade humor, and we’re in an uproar. “Craig, the Durian has made you drunk!” cries Nadira, our hostess.
“There’s death to drug traffickers in Malaysia,” I recall. “Why isn’t this banned?” Who needs alcohol in this country? Durian is intoxicating.
“Nadira , if I had eaten Durian before going into the club last night, would all of the ladies have come up to me to lick my lips?”
“I’m sure, but just don’t burp on them or they will run away. The smell of Durian from your stomach mixed with ‘nasi lemok’ is horrible,” she giggles.
We approach a roadblock on the highway back to KL. Police are on the lookout for trouble makers, as there are planned demonstrations against the government. I roll down my window, as if to burp in the officer’s face, which puts us in stitches.
We’re on the road again and it seems that Mohamed just can’t avoid the pot holes, which is setting my stomach ajar, and I’m concerned about a very voluminous, liquid “burp” with horrible consequences that could strip the paint off of his Acura. We each roll down our window – with more giggles – at the next bump in the road.
I get back to the hotel past 10pm and there is a message from earlier in the day. “Craig, it’s Iris. Give me call, and I’ll take you to the Durian market.” Iris is another one of our resellers in Malaysia, of Chinese descent. She looks like the actress Michele Yeoh and sells like a fireball. It’s too late to call her, so I send her an e-mail, proudly stating that I am now an aficionado who has sampled D24, the king of the kings.
She writes back: “Yep, that is a good grade of durian. Great to hear that you had finally tasted the Malaysian grade Durians. Well, my choice is not D-24 (too commercialize), I prefer the unknown grade. Besides D-24, there is XO, D2, D101, Red Shell, etc. But to get a good taste pls. visit Chinese Durian sellers….”

Malaysia: "Fascinating Destination" Continues Strong Investment in Education

2008-07-07T11:24:00.000-07:00

My first visit to Malaysia was in January 1986 while en route to Japan to pursue graduate studies. Until then, I had travelled extensively in Europe, and was something of a “professional Eurrailer” – having made numerous trips from Paris to Helsinki. Something I enjoyed, with friends in most major cities along the way. My reaction to setting foot in Malaysia: “This is really interesting.” The sights. The food. The people. The hawker stalls. The durian. It was at that point I made the transition to Asia-Pacific guy.

My second visit to Malaysia was in 1993 – on a mission to understand distribution opportunities for desktop projectors. I met with professional audio-visual and computer resellers. My hosts told me about the Malaysia 2020 project – the country’s ambitious national goal to significantly raise the level of its population through technology. This was a positive development for information technology suppliers.

I took time to meet with my uncle – a former Yale professor who had written books on computer programming languages – who was teaching in Malaysia. His role: to prepare Malaysian students for studying abroad.

From 1993 – 1998 I had many occasions to visit Malaysia to support the activities of our resellers – and to enjoy the pungent Durian fruit, the spicy chili crab, and even to enjoy the “break fast” during Ramadan. The Ministry of Tourism ran a campaign for Visit Malaysia Year calling the country “Your Fascinating Destination.” I would agree with that moniker.

Ten years have passed since my last trip to Malaysia, but the country’s investment in technology to improve skills and knowledge of its students continues. This time, the Ministry of Education has selected SmartDraw’s business graphics software for use in classrooms throughout the country as part of its PPSMI Project (Phase 4). SmartDraw will be used to support a program to improve learning of math and science in English. It’s hoped that because many of the teachers already have computers, that SmartDraw software will encourage them to actually use their computers more. I’ll have an opportunity during the next week to meet with Ministry officials, schools, technology integrators and our OEM partners (Dell, Hewlett-Packard, Lenovo & Acer are preloading SmartDraw on their computers at the Ministry’s request) to discuss implementation, training and other issues and to learn about “fascinating uses” of business graphics software in the classroom.

(Disclosure: Craig Justice is Director, Worldwide Reseller Sales & Business Development for SmartDraw.Com Click here to read the press release about the Malaysian Ministry of Education’s investment in SmartDraw’s software.)

Caution: Pan Asia-Pacific Airline Ticket Troubles Humble Veteran Traveler

2008-07-07T11:20:00.000-07:00

I just purchased my first pan-Asia airline ticket since 9-11. Things have changed. And not just the price. My itinerary: San Diego, LAX, Hong Kong, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Sydney, Melbourne, Auckland back to the US. Another difference this time – I had to do the booking myself, without the services of a travel agent. As a legacy flyer (over 1-million miles) on a legacy airline (United), I tried to book my itinerary on United and its partner airlines, figuring if I ran into trouble, they’d be more likely to help. Here are the road-blocks, obstacles and surprises I ran into:
1) Couldn’t book it on-line. It was all going smoothly on line, until I tried booking the segment from Sydney to Melbourne. This should have been easy, because there are over a dozen daily flights. United kept wanting to send me back to Singapore, to fly from Sydney to Melbourne. (At this point, I called United ticketing).
2) Through Singapore Airlines, United offered a flight leaving KL with a change of planes in Singapore for Sydney. Issue: sold out in economy class. When I asked how much that segment cost flying business, I was told that I would be required to book the whole itinerary in business (which was out of the question). I asked about direct flights on Malaysia airlines – perfect, a direct flight, less hassle, gets me to Sydney early in the morning for a full day of work. Booked it.
3) United no longer has a partner airline in Australia, so the United agent suggested I take Virgin airlines. “I often book people on Virgin,” she said – recommending the airline. OK, book me.
4) The agent quoted a price of $4,500 before taxes. I said that was fine. She said she needed to send it to the rate desk for final pricing. This was on Tuesday. I was given a deadline of issuing the ticket Sunday midnight.
5) By close of business on Friday, I hadn’t heard from the rate desk. I called United to purchase the ticket. They said it’s still at the rate desk. They say they’ll call back. I give them my mobile.
6) They call on Saturday. The price, $7,500. At this point, I’m stuck, because the consolidators I know aren’t working Saturday afternoon …
7) On Sunday (a week ago) – I purchase the ticket. In fact, they do it as 3 tickets. 2 United tickets (one covering the domestic flights, the other the international flights) and the Malaysian air flight. The United tickets are e-tickets. They will issue a “paper ticket” for Malaysia airlines. They tell me they will Fed Ex it, and it will arrive Tuesday, July 1st. Fine.
8) On Weds. Morning the ticket has not arrived so I call. “Do you have a tracking number?” I asked. “We mailed it.” Hmmm, I’m skeptical it will arrive in time. “Don’t worry … just go to the airport three hours before departure, and you can file a “lost ticket” claim and have the ticket reissued. (By the way, when I reviewed my Amex bill, I saw three charges of $25/each for “mail ticket.”)
9) Saturday afternoon, check the mail box. No ticket.
10) San Diego commuter airport, Sunday morning. “We can’t issue the ticket – but you can do it in Los Angeles when you get there.”
11) When I arrive in LAX, I go to customer service, wait ½ hour in line. “We can’t issue it here … you need to go to ticketing outside security, but you don’t have time. When you arrive in Hong Kong, go to the ticketing desk there and get it done” – don’t these people realize business travelers have appointments to dash to when arriving?
12) Captain can’t make the flight; a 2.5 hour delay is announced, so another captain can be brought in. Alright, enough time to get the ticket (I assume). I go to the Red Carpet Club to see if anyone there has the “magic powers” to do this ticket. (At United 10-years ago, the people in the 100K flyer lounge had the magic powers at LAX.) No, but he recommends I go to terminal 6 – one terminal over, because they have a 100K line, and I’ll get better service there.
13) Arrive at the 100K desk. They are polite, but can’t do a thing. I need to go back to terminal 7 and find “Line 7” which is for “paper ticketing” and lost tickets. They tell me there’s a person there who can help me. This is a slow moving line. Fortunately, I have a thick book: Texas by James Michener, and I have nothing better to do than read while waiting 45 minutes in line. As advertised, this is “the man” (actually a woman). And, the ticket is issued in about 10 minutes as she does research, makes phone calls and punches keys. I give her a United “attaboy” coupon for excellent service. “By the way, how about that ticket from Sydney to Melbourne?” I ask. “Is that a paper ticket also?” She responds, “There is no ticket. You have to go and buy that yourself.” And, in one of the positive changes the last 10 years, I pull out my computer, log into the wireless network, go to Yahoo travel, and book an e-ticket on QANTAS (adding another $210 to the total cost of air travel).
14) In summary, the people who did the original ticketing at United’s international desk:
a. Didn’t say the Malaysian airlines ticket needed to be purchased separately.
b. On two occasions, never mentioned that the ticket in Australia needed to be purchased separately.
c) Sent part of the ticket via "snail mail" instead of FedEx, which didn't arrive before my departure.

Travelers beware!

New Implementation of TI's DLP Technology By AVIO Said To Be Best Ever

2008-06-24T19:06:00.001-07:00

I remember the first DLP projectors manufactured in 1995. They were huge clunkers, and I doubt any of them are still working today.

Times have changed. You probably even know what DLP stands for. That's not the way it started.

I had lunch yesterday with my old friend Yukinori Kimura, International Sales Manager for Nippon Avionics, a company I first met in 1994. He was fresh from INFOCOMM, the annual trade show and convention for projector manufacturers and the display industry, where he had met with Texas Instruments executives and showed them the new AVIO iP-40SE projector.

"The best implementation of DLP technology for business users," said the TI executive. I wouldn't disagree. What AVIO has done is taken the best TI has to offer (6-color processing) and made a projector with a high resolution "document camera" inside. Then, they added a high-quality Carl Zeiss lens and a slot for an IC card, which means with one device, a presenter can do all of the following:

* make a PowerPoint presentation
* show live images of papers, documents, 3-D solid objects

And, by hooking up a DVD player, you can project videos, movies, etc. All from one unit.

Impressive.

Not quite sure how the AVIO iP-40 works? Since seeing is believing, click here to check out this video on You Tube showing how the iP-40 works.

Here's the official press release:

(July 7, 2008) San Diego -- Alliance International, distributor and authorized service center for Nippon Avionics AVIO projectors, has introduced a new AVIO projector with built-in camera, Carl Zeiss optics and a built-in SD card slot that is portable. The iP-40SE at 11 lbs. is half the height of previous AVIO models, allowing it to be easily carried to remote locations to project live images of documents, 3-D solid objects, computer presentations and video from one projection device.

The main benefits of the iP-40SE are:
** Improved optics, with the Carl Zeiss fish eye lens, so that images appear more clear.
** IC card, so that PowerPoint presentations and other images can be shown without a computer.
**Increased portability, because of the size reduction, less weight (weighs only 11 lbs.) and all-in-one design.
**Quicker set up time and less clutter, because the camera is built-in; there is no need to set up a separate document camera and connect it to the projector.
**Ease of showing documents and 3-D solid objects; just lay them on the flat platen, as you would a photocopy machine or scanner.
**Clear image even when showing full page documents because of the high-resolution CCD camera built-in with over 4-million pixels.
**Improved viewing in brighter rooms, because brightness has been increased from 2,000 to 2,500 lumens.
**Improved video image, by utilizing DLP's latest 6-color wheel processing technology.
**Easy to save images and annotate over images, using the built in image capture and electronic whiteboard annotation features.

Unlike other projectors with an optional camera arm or using a traditional document camera or flex camera which is a separate device, the AVIO iP-40 projector has a camera built-inside, allowing users to easily place documents and 3-D objects on a glass platen incorporated into the images tops. The AVIO iP-30SE projector offers users convenience, because they can project clear images of full-size documents and 3-D objects without having to set up and use a separate document camera. And, the camera lighting is built inside, so you don't need to depend on their being light in the room to show objects.

Showing documents and 3-D objects is as easy as using a traditional overhead projector (OHP) or a photo-copy machine -- just place the document on the glass platen and the image appears.Nippon Avionics, based in Japan, has been producing LCD projectors with cameras built in since 1995. In the past, the projectors have been bulky, with a depth of 12 inches, or more. The AVIO iP-40SE is shipping, and available to government customers on the GSA contract through Tierney Brothers, to education customers through CamCor or available on-line at www.alliancewarehouse.com The price is $4,995. Click here to see the You Tube video of the AVIO iP-40.

Adopters of the AVIO's technology have been attorneys, who use the projector in the office for client presentations and internal meetings, and easily bring it to a courtroom for presenting evidence. Other AVIO projector adopters have included schools, colleges and large manufacturing companies who use the projectors for training.

About Alliance International:Alliance International Trade & Investment Group, Inc. was founded in 1997 as a wholesales distributor and international trade consultant to the professional audio visual, telecommunications, computer and software industries. The company's long-term clients have included JABRA Corporation (hands free Earsets), InFocus (projectors), PolyVision (electronic whiteboards), Yokogawa (document cameras), and Media Go Engineering (Digital Class electromagnetic LCD monitor with annotation software). In 2004, Alliance was appointed U.S. distributor for Nippon Avionics AVIO projectors with built in camera, and completed service center training in October, 2007.ALLIANCE INTERNATIONAL Trade & Investment Group, Inc. San Diego, California, USA Tel: (858) 558-2030 Fax: (858) 558-2031 Corporate Website: www.alliance-intl.com E-store: www.alliancewarehouse.com E-mail: info@alliance-intl.com

"Target Seattle" Revisited: 25th Anniversary of Seattle Petitioning Sister City Tashkent in the USSR For Peace

2008-05-28T17:22:00.000-07:00

In March 1983 a group from Seattle travelled to the Soviet Union carrying 5,000 petitions with over 42,000 signatures calling for residents of Seattle and its sister city Tashkent to work together to prevent nuclear war. The petition and the trip were offspring of a city-wide teach-in called "Target Seattle" the year before, which brought together U.S. government officials, scholars, experts, clergy and citizens for a week long series of seminars on US – Soviet relations. Although critics complained speakers represented the liberal left, I remember attending sessions that included strong conservative speakers, such as the leading negotiator for the strategic arms limitation agreements, Undersecretary of State Richard Burt, Jeanne Kilpatrick (UN representative of the Reagan Administration) balanced by those who represented the views of "The Peace Movement." Moreover, one gentleman spoke about the benefits of a space based missile defense system, which President Reagan announced in detail to the general public while the Seattle group was in the USSR (much to the surprise of the group as their Soviet guests asked them to comment on the subject!)

A 25th anniversary gives an excuse to pause and reflect on the trip. Was it naïve? What good, if any, came out of it? And most importantly, what has become of the participants? It’s also an excuse to search through the garage and dust off the slides taken by Marlowe Boyer, son of a National Geographic photographer, who learned the art of photography from his father and documented the trip with outstanding photographs. (The photos in the attached article are his; I will post some of Marlowe’s work soon.)

Let’s first revisit those times, starting in 1980. Jimmy Carter is President. The era is referred to as "détente" as the US – USSR hold discussions on limiting nuclear arms production through the SALT (strategic arms limitation treaty) process and cooperation in other fields through CSCE (Committee For Security and Cooperation in Europe). On the other hand, the Soviet Union has recently invaded Afghanistan; moreover, as a provocation to NATO (which at that time was just 15 nations) the USSR has modernized its mid-range nuclear missiles in Europe with SS-20 rockets, which are capable of reaching any European capital. As a response to the Soviet threat, NATO makes the decision to upgrade its medium range missiles as a deterrent to the Soviet threat. The Atlantic Alliance takes a strong, unified position and will not be divided. Some of the citizenry within NATO’s membership, however, have different ideas. In the summer of 1980 in Copenhagen, students – numbered in the thousands, but not a multitude -- gather to begin a peaceful protest march to Paris against the missile modernization. (Of course, there are no demonstrations inside the Iron Curtain). The "Green" Party – supporting environmental issues and peace through non-violent civil disobedience -- are on the rise in Germany, and will soon clear a 5% hurdle in the polls to gain recognition in parliament as an official political party. Ronald Reagan is elected President, dousing fuel on the fires being stirred by the European left. His words against the "Evil Empire" raise concerns among Europeans who fear becoming a battlefield in a so-called "limited nuclear war" between the US and the Soviet Union. On October 10, 1981, a coalition of over 300,000 students, trade unionists, Greens, pacifists and concerned citizens take to the streets in Bonn (the West German capital) in peaceful protest. The "silent majority" in Europe does what it does best – remains silent, as the activists gain attention and make waves. There are stirrings of a similar nature in the US: the old anti-Vietnam War protesters and coalitions awaken as Reagan’s rhetoric generates concerns about a nuclear holocaust. Even Petra Kelly – one of the spokespersons for the German Green Party (whose father was an American soldier) travels to Los Angeles to address a rock concert for "peace" held at the Rose Bowl. (From my observation, the main draw to that event was seeing the likes of Stevie Wonder, Bob Dylan and other stars appear on stage in the spring sunshine of 1982).

In August, 1982 the USS Ohio – the first Trident Class Submarine—makes its maiden home port call to Bremerton, WA – across Puget Sound from Seattle -- with enough fire power, it is claimed, to destroy the world. It is another lightning rod in the debate on how best to keep the peace (through how much strength?) , and becomes a focal point for the Seattle "Peace Movement." In Seattle, a group of citizens from over 60 organizations including the church activists, the media, civic groups, non-governmental organizations and academia decide to put on a community symposium – coordinated by the Metropolitan YMCA in Sept. – Oct. called "Target Seattle" to better inform the public about US Soviet history, foreign relations, Russian culture and to study the consequences of Nuclear War. Seattle had sister city ties with Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan, located in Central Asia (which is now in the news as one of the fronts against the "war on terror" and dealing with Afghani drug lords). One of the topics addressed by Target Seattle is "what can you as a citizen do?" One group comes up with the idea of the petition. Over 30,000 signatures are collected. Permission is given to bring the petitions to Tashkent, with stops in Moscow and Samarkand on the way, and a final stop in Leningrad before leaving.

One’s opinion of the trip to the USSR at that time depended largely on one’s ideological frame of reference. For those with a hard-line view, the trip was seen as no good and could only serve Soviet propaganda efforts. The Seattle FBI certainly took interest in it. For those going –no one was naïve nor expected political breakthroughs-- it was an opportunity to further educate oneself , and to try and foster more dialog between people. This delegation included "the good earth" of Seattle citizenry. It was not a "political" delegation headed by the mayor and full of politicians on a political junket, although the delegation included the wife of a future Congressman (Virginia McDermott). It represented an eclectic mix of Seattle citizenry, including: the director of the municipal league (Kay Bullitt), a school teacher (Linda Straley), a cancer doctor (Hugh Straley), a travel agent, a university professor & Rhodes Scholar and his family (Aldon, Elisabeth and Ruth Bell), a graduate college student (Mary Reichert, who had majored in Russian and was the group’s unofficial interpreter and "secret weapon" – who could sing folk songs in Russian and recite verses from Pushkin and disarm any Soviet official with her charm), a pediatrician (Rosh Doan), an agronomist (Roy Wiebe), a photographer (Marlowe Boyer), a Minister who served as Pacific Northwest Regional Director of the Congregational Church (James Halfaker) and his son (Jon), an engineer (Paul Cooke), an insurance salesman (Nick Licata) and others, including a journalist (Craig Justice).

My career would take me away from Seattle to Japan and working with Asia Pacific countries before settling of all places in California (a land loathed by Seattleites at the time). One regret in my life is losing touch with this group. With the power of e-mail and blogs, let’s see if this post will flush out and bring back others who were on this trip, so that memories and lessons learned may be shared.

Since the break-up of the Soviet Empire, the corruption Uzbekistan’s rulers has come to light. One wonders that the hell was really going on in that country when we visited 25 years ago and ate caviar, downed vodka toasts and dined on lamb pilaf with our hosts?

How about the religious leader, the "grand mufti" the Amim Hatib whom we met outside of Samarkand? I remember him speaking about the importance of peace to his faith… what has happened to him and his madrassa since the fall of communism and the right to practice Islam openly?

How about the InTourist guide Vladimir who accompanied us? What became of him?

When the butterfly flaps its wings in Seattle the wind stirs in Beijing. Did this peace voyage prevent a nuclear war? Of course not. Did a group of citizens better educate themselves? Absolutely! Did they become better citizens of the world for it? Let’s find out.

In November after the trip, many in the group helped organize a 9-day series of lectures, workshops and drama called "Target Seattle: Soviet Realities." The focus this time was on the Soviet Union, and included 22 well-informed speakers represnting different views who debated the Soviet military threat, US policy options, negotiating strategies while describing policital, social and econmic conditions in the USSR. "We are asking a very great deal of our citizens -- to confront the issues," said Don Bell, Target Seattle's chairman who had lead the trip to Tashkent earlier in the year. As part of that program, on a Sunday evening, a few thousand residents gathered in more than 550 homes across the city to discuss their perceptions of the Soviet Union, and actions that they could take as individuals to reduce the threat of nuclear war. They met again one week later. According to Bell, Target Seattle inspired similar, though smaller, events in a dozen other communities including Vancouver (Canada), Birmingham, AL and Hartford, CT.

In the years that followed, Seattle and Tashkent exchanged several delgations at the mayoral level and the people-to-people level, which is described by delegation member Dr. Rosh Doan.

Now let us praise famous men and women, the ordinary people of that delegation who lived their lives, and accomplished magnificent things, whom, it seems, were taken away from us before their time. First was Marlowe Boyer, the photographer, who put together a multi-media slide show of the trip (this was long before Al Gore and I had invented the LCD projector which would have made the enterprise much easier). Marlowe wrote in his will that when he died, he hoped "the slide show" would be shown at a gathering of his friends at a memorial service. Who could have imagined that such a young spirit would fall so early to leukemia. He was gone within 2 years of making the trip. Don Bell, Professor of History at the University of Washington, the "leader of the delegation" – such a generous and welcoming man – taken by the Lord (Absalom, Absalom cried the letter informing us of his passing from his wife) within a few years of the event.

And the rest of you – how did the trip to the USSR impact your lives? Looking forward to learning the rest of the story.

Distributor Funded Head: The Pros and Cons

2008-05-21T18:16:00.000-07:00

The “funded head” concept – where a manufacturer or software publisher pays the cost of employing a staff member at a distributor—is raising its head in my current work space and is a worthy topic of discussion.

The question comes down to this: is paying the cost, or the partial cost, of a distributor’s employee an effective and economical way for growing companies to increase sales in new markets?

I’ve seen the situation from both sides. At Mitsubishi Trading Corporation in Japan in the mid-1980s, it was common among U.S. companies looking for access to the Japan market to form a joint venture with us. We would contribute the local staff; the U.S. firm would contribute the technology or the product. In this case, the venture was able to employ local staff quickly. But there was sometimes a question about loyalty – was the staff’s loyalty to the success of the new venture, or to the parent company from which they were on loan?

At Alliance International Trade & Investment Group, Inc. our marketing pitch when recruiting supplier partners to represent in overseas markets was this: “Let us represent and sell your products and you only need to pay us a commission on what we sell.” The appeal of that approach is there’s no risk for the vendor. No sales = no costs.

From the vendor’s perspective, I was always skeptical if a distributor asked us to pay for the costs of a person they wanted to assign to manage our product. Here’s why:

· I'm giving you a large discount (margin) to profitably run your business
· I'm giving you marketing support
· I’m usually giving you exclusivity, to help protect your investment, if your commitment is significant and the market is new for us
· And now you want me to pay for your staff? That’s what the margin is supposed to be for, right?

Give me a break!

I recently met with our partner Sigma Software Distribution in the UK and was presented with a funded head proposal. This one was different. It was focused on ROI, with a return of 5 to 1 for our investment. Now this was a proposal that caught my attention, and is under serious consideration. It represents a way for us to quickly deploy concentrated attention in the U.K. market, without the risks of employing a UK national and the accompanying UK employment regulations.

Then, just a few days ago, I was approached on the same topic for the U.S. market by one of our U.S. distribution partners, considering a plan to offer funded heads from $35K (part time) - $120K (full time). After expressing my initial skepticism, I’ve been giving it a bit of theoretical consideration as a mental exercise.

One selling point which came to mind is location. For small companies based on the West Coast, a funded head strategically placed on the East Coast offers reduced travel costs to East Coast resellers such as SHI, Programmer’s Paradise, PC Connection, PC Mall in Montreal, etc. for working the sales floor and call out days. (As we know, out of sight = out of mind. Those who are in front of resellers are going to get their products sold more often.)

The distributor with a funded head could also hold out access to major resellers as a carrot. For example, their pitch might be: “Sign up for a funded head, and we'll get you into CDW.” Typically, powerful resellers like CDW only deal with large vendors. Access would definitely be a benefit.

Moreover, if the proposed funded head is an experienced sales executive who knows the sales reps at the resellers, that would be a true value added proposition.

Still, it comes down to two issues for me:

· Whose interests does the Funded Head have at heart (mine, or the distributor’s)?

· Why don’t we just hire the person ourselves?

UK Software Distribution: Centered in Devon

2008-04-21T12:55:00.000-07:00

Devon is located 4 hours by car from London to the Southwest. It’s something of a “vacation land” boasting a beautiful coast line and a national park (the Dartmoor) inland with higher evaluations and weather extremes.

Devon is a place where the devil visits the taverns and ghosts frequent abandoned mansions. (Could J.K. Rawling, who was educated at the nearby university in Exeter, have been inspired by these surroundings?) Our distributor for the UK, Sigma Software Distribution, is based in Devon and has a diverse cast. One speaks to the llamas in the hills (I don’t mean religious monks, but the glorified hairy beasts with long necks ). Another sports a long red coat and goes fox hunting during lunch (talley ho!). Another is a woman with 9 children who doesn’t live in a shoe, but after work marketing software by day operates an inn owned by her family (now that’s true manpower!). Another staff member greats you with a wide smile flashing large white teeth – he’s not a vampire, but a 5th degree black belt in martial arts. If ever there was a little town where the children are above average and the women are strong (the female managing director of Sigma Software distribution is a former army officer), is Devon not the "Lake Wobegone" of England?

Back to business with this cast of characters – Sigma Software Distribution represent a few good software brands including TechSmith, MindJet and now SmartDraw. All three softwares could be classified as “business productivity.” Sigma have worked magic with MindJet and TechSmith, driving sales at heavenly growth rates that can’t be matched by world-wide distributors such as Ingram Micro. One of their techniques for doing this is with the “funded head” a concept I had first run into 15 years ago with the now defunct distributor Tech Pacific in Singapore. The disty's pitch goes something like this.
a) We want exclusive distribution rights to your products
b) We want really good margins
c) We want you to pay for the advertising
d) We want you to pay us for allowing you to talk to our sales reps (well, the distributor doesn’t say that, but the resellers certainly say that!)
e) And now, we want you to pay our staff expense. (You pay us, and we’ll hire someone to sell your products.)
I always found this proposition troubling – because we were providing our distributors with more than enough margin to sell our product, promote it and to pay their staff. Look, if you’re going to ask me to pay so you can go and hire staff, I might as well hire the staff myself! Therein lies the challenge – hiring an employee in a European labor market where there is no "employment at will".

I allow the Sigma Sales Director (the self-described "thug" among this cast of characters with his fashionable bowling ball haircut) to make his pitch for the funded head, and he starts by talking about a 5 to 1 return on our investment. Now he’s got my attention, because the numbers make sense. What’s more, we can start with ½ a person, with an initial commitment of 6 months, paid quarterly, with a portion of the payment “earned” from achieving sales targets. So in our case, given our anticipated growth in UK reseller sales, the funded head makes sense, especially if we found a good person in Devon, at Devon wage rates. I wonder if this person will also talk to llamas, chase ghosts and go fox hunting?

London Revisited 31 Years Later: Distributing Software In The UK

2008-04-12T10:20:00.000-07:00

London – The DSGi computer group invited their best customers – IT managers from leading companies, government and education institutions—to attend a series of lectures and see the latest software and computer products at a mini exposition in Weybridge, an affluent suburb southwest of London in the Surrey district. The venue is an old car race track from 100 years ago, which now hosts a museum of race cars, a mothballed Concorde supersonic jet [the 2nd Concorde I’ve seen today as I passed by one at Heathrow this morning on my arrival] and a car dealership, Mercedes Benz World. Not just a place to purchase vehicles, at Mercedes World a professional driver will take you an obstacle course testing the latest Mercedes vehicles’ ability to accelerate, stop in water (without skidding out of control) and to swerve around objects at high speed (without rolling over or spinning out). This was an added attraction for the attendees [and a good place for me to practice driving on the wrong side of the road]. I was there in a booth representing SmartDraw, the leader in business graphics software, along with our distribution partner in the UK Sigma Software Distribution. I found the quality of the attendees to be excellent and was equally impressed with Sigma’s ability to engage customers. They shared the same philosophy I do, that you might as well throw money on the ground for each attendee who passes by whom you don’t engage and tell about SmartDraw. That’s a polite way of describing “kick ass and take names.” It was quite refreshing to see that in a reseller – someone who actually works and hustles for business--and I believe that we obtained more leads than anyone else at the show (especially given our location near the back where there was less foot traffic). I’ll be following up with Sigma staff on Monday, calling and qualifying the leads, and bringing orders right into the hands of DSGi’s sales reps in an effort to further grow SmartDraw’s sales in the UK to at least 15%, or more, of US sales.
Headlines in the BBC news today are the 150th anniversary of the installation of “the bell” in the Big Ben clock tower, and newly released videos from the 7/7 July terrorist bombers saying goodbye to their families. The London Marathon is tomorrow, and I’ve walked at least half that distance today through London’s major streets, parks and alleys. Having travelled to many European and Asian capitals during the last quarter century except London, I find the central parts (Trafalgar Square, Covent Gardens) magnificent to view, and bustling with activity. No wonder the city is such a popular destination. Dinner Friday night is with Nick & Steven Thompson of Marinesoft, our reseller partner for more than nine years. The company name comes from their passion for sailing. Instead of taking me sailing across the English Channel, we head for Rules, London’s oldest restaurant, established in 1798, where I take revenge on a rabbit who has been splendidly roasted and stuffed. Nick gives me a lesson about English character and management styles. "Non emotional," he says. I tell him that also describes the culture of SmartDraw: decisions are made based on facts and reason. Back at the hotel an urgent message awaits from the home front 8 time zones away, “Caught a gopher and don’t know how to get the corpse out of the trap. What do I do!?”

Another Great "Intelligent Projector" from Nippon Avionics, the AVIO iP-60E

2008-04-04T21:17:00.000-07:00

One of my personal goals at Alliance International was to introduce unique products to the North American market. One of those has been the AVIO projector series, built by Nippon Avionics in Japan. You may never have heard of this projector manufacturer before, but their products are excellent. I first met their management team at the INFOCOMM trade show in 1994, and year after year they keep plugging away, delivering a projector with a unique, built-in camera, that allows you to show crisp, clear live images of documents and 3-D solid objects. The quality of the AVIO products is excellent.

Alliance Int'l has just released the AVIO iP-60E, a 3,500 lumen LCD projector with a 4-million pixel high resolution camera built in. The first shipment arrived at LAX on March 31st, and is sold out already. The next shipment should arrive at the end of April. Here's the text of the press release:

Alliance International Introduces AVIO iP-60E 3,500 Lumen LCD Projector With Built-In High-Resolution Camera

April 7, 2008 (San Diego, CA) -- Alliance International, North America distributor and authorized service center for Nippon Avionics, has introduced AVIO's newest LCD "intelligent projector', the iP-60E. The iP-60E features 3,500 lumens, and is the choice for organizations requiring a brighter projector with "all-in-one" capability of document camera, scanner, electronic whiteboard, large screen projection TV and PowerPoint presentations.Because it incorporates a high resolution camera, the iP-60E is used to project live images of documents and 3-D solid objects, in addition to tradition projector functions of computer presentations and video. The main benefits of the iP-60E are:

**Clearer image in well-lit rooms, because brightness has been increased to 3,500 lumens.
**Quicker set up time and less clutter, because it has a built-in camera. There is no need to set up a separate document camera and connect it to the projector.
**Ease of showing documents and 3-D solid objects; just lay them on the flat platen, as you would a photocopy machine or scanner.
**Clear image--even when showing full page documents-- because of the high-resolution CCD camera built-in with over 4-million pixels.
**Improved video image, by utilizing LCD technology.
**Easy to save images and annotate over images, using the built in image capture and electronic whiteboard annotation features.

Unlike other projectors with an optional camera arm or using a traditional document camera or flex camera which is a separate device, the AVIO projector has a camera built-inside, allowing users to easily place documents and 3-D objects on a glass platen incorporated into the images tops.The AVIO iP-60E projector offers users convenience, because they can project clear images of full-size documents and 3-D objects without having to set up and use a separate document camera. Showing documents and 3-D objects is as easy as using a traditional overhead projector (OHP) or a photo-copy machine--just place the document on the glass platen and the image appears.Nippon Avionics, based in Japan, has been producing LCD projectors with cameras built-in for over 12 years. In the past, the projectors have been bulky, with a depth of 12 inches, or more.The AVIO iP-60E is now shipping, and available to government customers on the GSA contract through Tierney Brothers, to education customers through CamCor or available on-line at www.alliancewarehouse.com The list price in both the US and Japan is $8,495.Early adopters of the AVIO iP-60E have been manufacturing companies, who use the projector in the office for presentations and training.

About Alliance International:

Alliance International Trade & Investment Group, Inc. was founded in 1997 as a wholesales distributor and international trade consultant to the professional audio visual, telecommunications, computer and software industries. The company's clients have included JABRA Corporation (hands free Earsets), InFocus (projectors), PolyVision (electronic whiteboards), Yokogawa (document cameras), Media Go Engineering (Digital Class electromagnetic LCD monitor with annotation software) and SmartDraw (business graphics software). In 2004, Alliance was appointed U.S. distributor for Nippon Avionics AVIO projectors with built in camera, and completed service center training in October, 2007.

ALLIANCE INTERNATIONAL Trade & Investment Group, Inc. San Diego, California, USATel: (858) 558-2030 Fax: (858) 558-2031 Corporate Website: www.alliance-intl.com E-store: www.alliancewarehouse.com E-mail: info@alliance-intl.com

Reflections On 10 Years In Business

2008-03-10T21:31:00.000-07:00

Alliance International was founded in June 1997. Our first client was JABRA Corporation, which hired us to assist it market and sell its unique hands-free Earset for mobile phones in Japan. We incorporated the business in 1998. Ten years later, we're still here. What a journey!

The goals of the company have been simple:

* To assist US companies market and export their products abroad

* To find unique products to bring to North America

Our focus has been on industry sectors we know best: professional audio visual equipment, mobile phone accessories, computer peripherals & computer software.

Ten years in business. We must be doing something right. Looking back, there are a few things to be proud of (and many more to be embarrassed by that are saved for future posts):

* Helping to build the market for JABRA's Earset for mobile phones in Asia-Pacific when it was an unknown fledgling

* Introduction to the US of a series of document cameras made by Yokogawa with unique features such as rotating camera head, open stage (platen), integrated writing tablet, integrated LCD monitor (which are now common).

* Introduction to to the US of the Digital Class LCD touch-screen writing monitor made by Media Go Technologies, which forced market leaders such as SmartBoard and Crestron to re-think the way they did touchscreens and interactive monitors.

* Distribution of Nippon Avionics AVIO projectors in North America, which are unique because they include a high resolution camera for viewing documents and 3-D solid objects.

* Assisting InFocus Corporation market its projectors in Japan and Korea.

* Assisting PolyVision sell its interactive, electronic whiteboards in Japan and China.

Through the school of hard-knocks, I've learned some valuable lessons about the difficulty of competing against established market leaders. (It's not easy!) On the other hand, if we've been a "thorn in the side" of market leaders, our efforts have been a catalyst to industry innovation and improvement, resulting in better products for consumers. And it's certainly been a lot of fun.

To all of our customers, we express our most sincere thanks. Here's to another 10 years!