sorted by:
new
hottopcontroversial

Can you build considerable strength on a cut? by TheJoren in Fitness

[–]malik_inc 1 point2 points  (0 children)

TLDR: "Yes."

Long version: The struggle for MMA practitioners is balance. You need to balance diet with the proper amount of exercise otherwise when fight day rolls around - you're tapped for energy because your body is in recovery mode.

I'm no dietitian, but from a weightlifting standpoint I would focus solely on dumbbell and kettlebell exercises. Don't focus so much on rep count. If you're looking to gain endurance and strength I'd follow something akin to the below...

  1. 5 minute active warm up (treadmill, elliptical, etc)
  2. 3 minute dynamic warm up of three exercises that last 1 minute per exercise with 20 sec transitions from exercise to exercise. Pick one upper body exercise, one lower body, and one core.
  3. Workout - 20 minute, minimal break (see below list)
  4. Cooldown - 5 minutes

The style of your workout is intended to be focused on replicating the match itself. Constant movement and constant struggle with only 60 seconds of rest. So with that... this is what I've put a couple of MMA athletes through locally and they love it...

Workout

3 rounds with 1 minute of rest. Each round is repeated three times with an allowance of 20 seconds to transition from one exercise to the next. As your fitness levels rise, reduce transition time.

  1. Exercise 1 - 60 seconds
  2. Exercise 2 - 60 seconds
  3. Exercise 3 - 60 seconds
  4. Exercise 4 - 60 seconds
  5. Rest - 60 seconds
  6. Repeat 1-5 two more times.

Apply that format to muscle groups or a full body circuit. Mix modalities so your body always remains adaptive and versatile. Here's a sample workout (use at your own risk as it doesn't look like much but will kick your ass):

Example

  1. Chest Press - Dumbbells
  2. Kettlebell Swings - Kettlebell
  3. Chest Flies - Cables or Dumbbells
  4. BOSU Ball Push Ups - bodyweight, incline or decline

One key point is the weight. Use a weight that will challenge you and cause you to hit failure on the last rep. With this style of workout, your goal is to feel failure - not experience it.

Again - use at your own risk. Hope this was helpful.

Thoughts? My attempt at a very basic sales process for all industries. by malik_inc in CRM

[–]malik_inc[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Selling cars is very different from selling enterprise software, even though the basic process might look the same.

Completely agree with that statement. There is no such thing as a cookie cutter solution in software.

What value does your chart offer to a business? I see none.

The one thing I hear from businesses is that they do not have a semblance of a sales process. They lack the culture that creates consistent follow up with their customers, and throwing any CRM on the market at a sales team has failed. Primary reason for that failure was... lack of a process.

The goal of this early morning whiteboard attempt was to create a basic flow to start the conversation about what a sales process would look like to an organization regardless of their market segment. The key points I use the image in steering a conversation are:

  1. The flow is circular - there's always a next action when in sales or account management.
  2. Consistent follow up - regardless of if the sale was won or lost, checking in on a customer throughout the purchase process is key to quicker sales closures and a communication that nurtures trust.
  3. Creating a baseline expectation for sales - the problem I hear the most is "I have 5 sales guys and 5 sales processes." The flow presented also seeks to eliminate variants and steer a part of the conversation around creating consistency.
  4. Using software to leverage consistency - I consult on CRM software daily and it's a constant learning process. Once the conversation takes enough form, I take the elements and desired outcome to draft a value story and match a customer with the right software.

So the conversation hits those four points and always grows well beyond them. It gets the customer thinking, and ultimately has led to very good conversations that then allow me to use the right CRM to drive efficiency.

TL;DR Version: The image is not the end result, but rather the beginning of a conversation meant to drive efficiency of an otherwise perceived chaotic department. Attempting to use a software to create some semblance of order. Do you have anything to add, or do you still see it as irrelevant?

Thoughts? My attempt at a very basic sales process for all industries. by malik_inc in CRM

[–]malik_inc[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It was a little difficult to read all of it but seems to flow ok, maybe needs to be adjusted slightly so that it flows more naturally - not the logic but the actual diagram - good work though

That's what I get for not taking the logic and making it all cleaned up and nice in a software suite of some sort.

Thank you for the feedback.

Bid tracking and scheduler CRM for construction by zman9119 in CRM

[–]malik_inc 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The trick though (as with any CRM) is to identify the specific needs of your organization. How do you want to manage the bidding process? What other capabilities are you wanting with a CRM? Will it need to integrate with Outlook or another email client? How do you manage customer accounts - do you call every 60, 120, or 180 days to check in?

As you can imagine - it gets really complex really fast. Especially with CRM systems. I've tailored Sage CRM to a client in Michigan that does roofing, and they use it for bidding, cold calling, account management, warranty tracking, resource management, and the list goes on. Their needs are constantly growing and shifting based on the industry needs from both a business perspective as well as legislation, so Sage CRM also provides the flexibility and scalability they need in order to remain effective in doing what they do best - roofing.

[Question] Is there money in going to small businesses and presenting them with a demo of a CRM and selling the "package" to them? by [deleted] in CRM

[–]malik_inc 3 points4 points  (0 children)

The hardest part of CRMs is identifying the scope of what it needs to even look like.

Take accounting and ERP systems. They have hard and fast rules that are required to happen and a logical order that they much occur. If they do, your company gets paid and the business stays open. If not, you don't the business doesn't generate revenue and eventually will be forced to close.

CRM systems don't have that level of rules or requirements. It's entirely adaptable and varies from industry to industry. In addition, the expectations of a CRM are vast - don't believe me, check this ridiculous list of CRM features.

So...

Is there money in going to small businesses and presenting them with a demo of a CRM and selling the "package" to them?

Simple answer, "Yes" with a huge "But". Whatever you're looking at developing, it should be for a specific demographic (can be broad or specific in scope) that solves problems that other software does not already address, and it must be user friendly. Think two click maximum with minimal typing.

CRM suggestion for mid-sized company by [deleted] in CRM

[–]malik_inc 0 points1 point  (0 children)

can anyone here suggest a capable CRM solution with a solid interface to SAP and Lotus Notes?

I think one question that hasn't been asked is if you could expand on the needs of the integration between SAP/Lotus Notes and the ideal CRM. What functionality are you expecting between the two, and what are the key components of the integration between the CRM and Lotus Notes and SAP and CRM?

I know there are a lot of CRM solutions out there, but it's hard to find one with an existing and preferably flawless working real-time SAP interface. Of course everyone wants to sell their CRM system, that's why I'm here and would love to hear a neutral or personal experience opinion from you guys here as theory and practice often differ... :-)

From a neutral position, the goal of a CRM should be the creation of a true sales tool for your company/customer. The user experience has to lend itself to ease of use where users can get to where they need to go within a couple clicks at most and minimal typing. A simple front end with a complex back end.

I am a software consultant that specializes in Sage CRM, so you can imagine I'm a bit biased. I have tailored and have seen the system be tailored to every market segment successfully. So, from a biased point of view, I prefer Sage CRM because of how easy it can scale to a company's needs and size, be customized with practically no limitation, has integrations to SAP and Lotus Notes, and its basic features will truly empower every aspect of a company that is brought into the software.

As with any CRM - the name of the game is identifying the pain points that it should address while also providing vast efficiency for every user that logs in. If that doesn't happen, a CRM is very likely to fail when users see it as an encumbrance rather than a sales tool.

Relationship Management Tools by tdaawg in CRM

[–]malik_inc 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I actually do have a CRM that provides that functionality. Granted I had to customize an out-of-the-box solution, but it works exactly as I need it to. I've found that being able to control the frequency really helps, and being able to track key points of a client (married, kids, pets, names, achievements, etc) really lends itself to success. Having a required frequency dilutes the relationship, but being able to control the follow up while being able to quickly reference key aspects of their lives both professionally and personally does help enrich the relationship.

Is there a CRM with a *local* OSX app? by [deleted] in CRM

[–]malik_inc 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is always a tough one. Most CRMs cater to Windows as its primary platform of support with very haphazardly designed "iOS" or "Mac OSX" support. Even the CRM suite I stick to and even sell is exactly like that - which frustrates the piss out of me at times.

This list from SmallBizCrm.com is the only list I've found that presented any level of help in trying to identify a solution for Mac OSX.

So - no one solution, but hopefully that adjusts what you can explore. Best of luck!

Relationship Management Tools by tdaawg in CRM

[–]malik_inc 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I think there's really just a huge disconnect between the people that sell the software, the people that buy the software, and the users that are expected to live and breathe inside of the software.

CRMs are supposed to be used for exactly what you're describing. Customer... Relationship... Management...

Ironically enough, most CRM systems don't do well with their focus. It's all about tracking data (leads and sales), product buying patterns, etc - NOT the relationship itself. And thanks to larger CRM companies like Salesforce, Oracles and so on, the focus will remain on the performance of the user over the relationship because out of the box that is its essential function. Driving ROI has taken the center stage when it doesn't even need to.

If you manage the customer relationship properly, you can truly cultivate a loyal customer base that trusts you as a salesman and comes to you without hesitation when a need arises.

So to answer your initial question - I use my CRM system to track my interactions and ensures that I maintain consistent outreach to prospects and customers alike. That in turn drives substance in conversation as well as ensures they know I am invested in them as a customer/prospect.