5 Quick Tips to Help you be a Sponge

By "Sponge", I mean "Someone who absorbs everything they hear and learns it".  

I spent all day yesterday doing training for a client.  It got me thinking when I attend training, there is usually an investment made for me to be able to attend it and I want to learn and remember everything I possibly can to get my/my employer's money out of it.  I'm not in high school anymore and my habits of learning have changed, so I thought I'd share a few of my tips for maximizing retention.

1)  Cell Phone Off.  This should be a no brainer.  Classroom time is sacrosanct and should not be interrupted by anything.

2)  Sit in front.  Sitting close to the presenter means that I can hear everything AND my "better be polite and pay attention" behavior is reinforced.

3)  Take notes.  Preferably written ones.  A laptop brings too many distractions to a training class.  Old school is good school.

4)  Ask questions often.  Don't get left in the dust, ask questions every time you don't understand.  OR, if you feel ahead of the game, ask questions about more complex scenarios.  Keep your head in the game and engage with the classroom conversation.

5)  Within 24 hours, practice!  There is a reinforcement window, that if you reinforce the training within 24 hours, retention is dramatically increased.  This means, after the class is over, you're not done.  Recharge your batteries, go back to your room, and spend an hour reviewing what you learned that day.  I have 3 ways of doing this:

• Read/re-write my notes.  I read my notes, and often transcribe them into a Google Document.  Transcription helps me sort out what's good and what's not and re-process everything I wrote down.
• USE the application.  If it's an application based training, I try to access the application and review exercises from the day on my own.  Getting stuck sometimes is the best way to know what questions to ask.
• Google it.  I like to know what other people are doing/saying about what I was trained on.  Sometimes alternative sources give great insight and reinforcement to what I learned.

Whatever you are able to do, do it.  It'll double or triple your ability to remember what you learned.

Conclusion

I know some of these are basic and very "classic", but learning how to learn and applying good habits during training will help you, your employer, and your career long term.

Do you have any training retention tips?  Please comment below to share them!

Thanks,

Garry

Getting the Most out of the Dreamforce App

With Dreamforce around the corner, the "Dreamforce App" just received its annual refresh.  This article is for those who just registered, or have attended DF10 or DF11 and have not visited the org in a while.  If you haven't, it's worth the trip back.

I think there is something special about the Dreamforce App, and it makes Dreamforce special.  We are given a private, event-centric social network.  This is HUGE if you think about it.  You have become part of a massive conversation about Dreamforce, Salesforce, San Francisco, and many other fun and peripherally related topics.

The goal of this blog is to give you a few places to check out, things to do, and jump start, or rekindle your participation in the application.

Starters - Setup your profile!

Since the Dreamforce org is a social environment (like Facebook, but probably better), it's worth a few minutes to setup your profile so that other people know who you are.  Even if you're an old hat to Dreamforce, it's worth a few minutes to refresh things.  To modify your profile, click your name in the upper right hand and click "My Profile".  

From there, click the pencil icon to modify each section and mouse over the picture to upload a new headshot.

Once your profile is in order, it's time to move onto the next exciting part of getting into the Dreamforce App:

Following Stuff

Since the Dreamforce App is based on Chatter, all the same rules apply as normal Chatter settings.  There is a recommendation engine which shows on your homepage, it's worth giving that some attention and following some people.  Just pick a handful to start with, it'll grow organically later.

 Now that you've followed a few recommendations, the next thing to explore are groups.  Groups can be found by going to your Chatter page, and following down the left column, you will see the Groups icon.  Click that to go to the groups listing.

A few of my favorite groups:

"Awesome People" - Lightweight group that has general conversation and usually an "Awesome question of the day".  (Disclaimer - it's my group)

"Challenge Us" - Group for a bunch of Salesforce Ninjas to problem solve.  Great techs in there eager to help people out.  Highly recommended.

"Dreamforce App Feedback" - Got problems with the Dreamforce app?  Answers can be had there.  Salesforce is a social enterprise and I'd wager you'll get help there faster than any other channel.

Set your Preferences

There's a lot of notification options with Chatter and Direct Messages.  It's best to set your preferences early so you don't find yourself annoyed and turned off by too many emails.  To set your preferences, click your name, go to setup, click "My Chatter Settings", and click "Chatter Email Settings".  From there, you have a granular listing of each activity and group, and how you want them to email to you.  It's worth spending a few minutes on this, believe me.

Okay, so I did all of this, now what?

Now you actually need to go out and talk to people.  I would recommend a 5-10 minute workout each day.  Here's a few things you can do: 

• Go answer the latest question on the #Awesome People group
• Ask a technical question to the Challenge Us Group
• Update your status and declare your undying fandom of the Red Hot Chili Peppers (Did I mention they are playing at Dreamforce?)
• Search for people with similar interests to you and follow them
• Browse your feed which should have some conversations based on who you followed and respond to a few.
• Just go like some posts.
• Share a photo of something great you did last weekend.

The Dreamforce Application is only in its infancy now, over the next few months, we will see many updates and changes.  While I don't know the specifics, based on historical events, you can expect the following:

• Interactive Agenda Builder
• New Mobile version to build upon this version
• A crecendo of activity which will peak the week before dreamforce.  

What are you waiting for?

Join the conversation, be involved, make friends, and never be alone at Dreamforce.  We're all in this together, and if you spend a few minutes a day in the app socializing, you will have the most fun, most productive Dreamforce ever, and that's a promise.

If you have any other ideas or tips for Dreamforce app users, please comment below, I'd love to hear them!

-Garry

Taking a Stand... for Standing!

I have been getting restless at my desk and couldn't ever quite get comfortable, no matter how many adjustments my chair had.  I was having lower back discomfort, and was annoyed at how my expensive office chair never quite felt right.

At first, I thought... maybe I need a new chair. I went to a local showroom and tried them all.  I realized that it was not any particular chair that was the problem, it was chairs in general.  I won't claim to be a health expert, but there is a growing body of evidence that suggests that sitting down is having detrimental effects on people's health.

So, I mused on the idea of getting a standing desk.  I started looking around online and was amazed to see the selection and technical wizardry available just for a desk.  I knew that I wanted a sit/stand (adjustable) unit, as you can't stand ALL the time.  I settled on a Conset brand desk.  It lifts 275 pounds between 24" and 48" high which is more than enough for me and I'm 6 feet tall.  I found a local family owned business who got me a great price and fabricated a custom top made to my specifications. (1.5" thick covered with formica boomerang laminate).

I knew it would be difficult to go cold turkey so I started working my way up to a full day of standing.  Over the course of a few weeks I went from 2 hours a day of standing to 4, and now I'm averaging 6-7 hours a day of standing.  I usually sit down for about an hour or two around lunch, and just when that post-lunch drowsiness starts to set in, I stand back up.

It's been a great experiment and I won't go back to sitting full time.  Throughout the day, I make minor adjustments to the desk height to keep my posture "fresh" and sometimes still sit for an hour here or there if I'm thinking hard or whatever.  I have more energy, feel like I can focus better, and have even lost a few pounds.  I noticed my legs getting stronger and have more spring in my step.

I can't recommend highly enough that you give standing a try.  If you're interested in getting a desk similar to mine, let me know and I can get you in touch with the local family owned green supplier where I got it from.

So You Wanna be a Salesforce Admin...

I often get asked by people in the community... "I want to become a Salesforce Power User" or "I want to become an Admin" or "I want to learn more about Salesforce".  I feel like I often write the same email over and over with suggestions for resources to check out (and there are many, many of them).

The purpose of this blog is to do nothing other than share my favorite resources for Salesforce information and offer a few options to aid your path to Salesforce stardom.  As I talked about in this post, being helpful to your admin, or desiring to become an admin can greatly enhance your usefulness with your employer and open up doors for future career growth.  Instead of just being nice and helpful, what about being an integral part of the Administration team?  Well, here's some suggestions of things to read, watch, learn, and master.

Baseline

I often refer to Salesforce.com as "Access on Steroids, in the Cloud" to help communicate some of the underlying data structure abilities and technology.  I know that's not exactly fair, but to set some context, if you are not familiar with what a relational database is or how it works, check out these links:

• Intro to Relational Database Video - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-bvjtYgRVU
• Relational Databases on Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Database
• An introduction to cloud computing video - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ae_DKNwK_ms
• Cloud Computing on Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cloud_computing 

Getting up to Speed:

• Force.com Fundamentals -  This self paced course/exercise guide will cover many important concepts for every Salesforce.com implementation.  Data modeling, setting up objects, fields, security, workflow, reports and dashboards.  Take your time and follow these exercises.  It'll fuel your thirst for knowledge! -   http://wiki.developerforce.com/page/Force_Platform_Fundamentals
• Introduction Training Videos - This free series of training videos covers many of the basics of Salesforce.com Sales Cloud and general best practice (including Chatter and Reporting) - http://www.salesforce.com/services-training/training_certification/online/
• ADM-201 - Administration Essentials - This class builds upon basic platform knowledge to teach how to be a Salesforce Administrator (and covers much of the test content if you want to become certified).  Worth it to try to get on your learning plan -  http://www.salesforce.com/assets/pdf/datasheets/DS_ADM201.pdf
• Dreamforce - Are you able to go to Dreamforce?  A 4-5 day immersion in Salesforce will definitely leave you primed up with hands on training and networking with your peers.  This year it is September 18-21.   http://www.dreamforce.com
• Premiere Support Onboarding - If your company purchased Premiere Support, you are entitled to use the onboarding video library resources.  Talk to your admin or Salesforce Account Executive about using these resources. 

Test Resources:

Here are some resources to help get you thorough that first milestone Salesforce exam - ADM-201 to gain your certified administrator credential.

• Admin 201 Certification Quiz - http://www.proprofs.com/quiz-school/story.php?title=salesforce-administration-test-adm201
• ForceCertified.com - Additional links and resources to help pass the next test - http://www.forcecertified.com
• ADM 201 Flashcards - http://www.flashcardmachine.com/adm-201-testquestions.html
• Another Pretty Comprehensive Site - to help pass the test - http://www.adm201.info/

Community Resources:

Leveraging the Salesforce Community will greatly accelerate your ability to learn and solve problems.  Having connections outside of your company will help you be exposed to a greater number of solutions and Salesforce environments.  Getting to know the community is a huge step in improving your mastry of Salesforce.

• All the Salesforce MVP's on Twitter - You should go here and follow everyone on this list to get great exposure in your Twitter feed to everything Salesforce. If you're not using Twitter yet, give it a try.  Have a question, tweet it out with #Askforce as a hashtag and people will help you.   - https://twitter.com/#!/salesforce/community-mvps/members
• Answers Board - Ask your questions here and get free answers by experts - http://success.salesforce.com/answers
• Local Users Groups - Most cities have a Salesforce users group to bring people together to share knowlege and discuss innovative solutions or industry news. http://success.salesforce.com/ideaHome?c=09a30000000D9xyAAC
• Monday AM Admin Blog - Lots of great articles here on how to be a great Salesforce administrator - http://buttonclickadmin.com/ 

Good References:

• Salesforce Data Model - http://www.salesforce.com/us/developer/docs/api/Content/data_model.htm
• All the Dreamforce Videos from Dreamforce 2011 - http://www.salesforce.com/dreamforce/DF11/schedule/sessions/#showdesc=true&sort=a_z&tracks=All&products=All&themes=All&levels=All&cursor=0- 
• All the rest of the Salesforce videos in the world - http://www.salesforcechannel.com/
• A search engine for everything Salesforce - http://www.findsf.info/

And there you have it...

These are my favorite resources to recommend to people who are up-and-coming on the platform. Please use these as you will to improve your knowledge of Salesforce and connections to the community.  Please bookmark this page and share it with your friends, I will try to keep it updated as I am made aware of improved resources.

Also, if you have any that you'd like to add, please, please, please comment!

Thanks!  - Garry

Chatter List Views - Pretty Neat

I love list views.  I touched on this subject a little bit before in this blog post.  I think list views are a todo list that the system generates for me.  Show me my new leads, show me opportunities that are closing this week.  Show me accounts that have no activity in the last month.  With the increase of Chatter usage in my org and many others, combining Chatter and list views seemed like a no brainer.

So, Salesforce did it!  They introduced Chatter List Views not too long ago.  Go to a list view, and click the Chatter button to see all the chatter about the data.  What's nice about this is it gives you a way to see what's bubbling up to the top, in the order of the most recent Chatter activity, and only on the data of the list view you are looking at.

Favorites also allow you to flag list views as a favorite, which shows up in a special area on my Chatter page.  So, my thought was, why not favorite my daily list views, and then it gives me a simple list of lists to peruse during my daily lap through Salesforce?  It's yet another way to view and interact with my data and my co-workers.  I love how the system keeps giving me more options!

If you like it, you don't need to bother your Salesforce administrator to do this.  (unless Chatter is not enabled, in which case you should beg them for Chatter, but that's another blog post).  

Here's how to do it:

1. Open your favorite list view.
2. Click the "Chatter" button.  And if you like, click "Add to favorites" to add it to your favorites list.

Access the Chatter Favorites from your Chatter tab.

 

So there you have it, Chatter about all the data in a list view.  Yet another way you can interact with your data.  How do you use Chatter list views?  Any stories about ways they make you more efficient in Salesforce?