 April 2008
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Interview: Kevin Stewart, Vice President Worldwide Sales
Seapine broke quarterly and monthly sales records in both the first quarter of 2008 and in March 2008. What happened to produce these sales levels? Several things contributed to this. The first is that we are now direct in all countries. We were using partners internationally, but we've grown to the point where we are able to support our own business development managers (BDM) in those regions. It took us two years to do, but our BDMs now manage all the countries in Europe and APAC. This direct model allows us to get closer to our customers and more effectively deliver our message of quality-centric application lifecycle management. We can also make our own strategic decisions for our international markets instead of relying on our partners. It sounds like the changes in international sales and support have made a big difference. Yes, the changes in Europe are really exciting. We now have a BDM in charge of Europe direct, and we relocated a sales engineer from Austria to the UK. We have a BDM assigned to the UK and Benelux region (Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg). We have opened an office in Munich and added staff to provide technical support for those regions. Our international markets are definitely heating up. With this growth, we plan to add a sales engineer in Vienna or Munich and an account manager in the UK. Is there anything else having an impact on sales? I've seen a real change since we've launched the Seapine Software Quality-Ready Assessment (QRA), a free survey that enables customers to determine their quality ranking in four key areas: testing, tracking, change, and automation. At the past three trade shows I've attended, the majority of the people who visited our booth wanted to know how they could get this quality information about their organization. 
The QRA data provides valuable information to our customers and prospects about their processes that they may have never considered. From a sales perspective, it provides direct insight into an organization and allows us to have more meaningful discussion with our customers. The other thing that our sales demonstrate is the effectiveness of the quality-centric approach Seapine advocates. You have to consider quality at every stage of the process in order to be successful. That applies to our sales process as much as it does our development activities. To achieve our record sales, we needed superior products backed by quality marketing and support. You can't consistently achieve success and growth unless quality is integrated into every area of the business. 
Video: Alan See Discusses the Quality-Ready AssessmentWhat is the quality-ready assessment? Alan See, Seapine's vice president of marketing, was recently interviewed by CM Crossroads.  Click here to watch the video and learn more about the assessment.
Tech Note: Comparing Surround SCM Repositories and Working DirectoriesBy Amy Kearns, Seapine Software The Repository Differences window can help you compare the contents of a repository on the Surround SCM Server with the related working directory and get them in sync. For example, if a working directory has several subdirectories, you can use the Repository Differences window to view the files that are not in Surround SCM and add them all at once instead of one repository at a time. To open the Repository Differences window, select a repository and choose Activities > Differences. The following information is displayed:
You can also select other display options to view additional files in the list:
You can perform file actions directly from the Repository Differences window to sync the repository and working directory. You can diff and merge text files, view files, add files from the working directory to the server, get a copy of the file from the server, and delete local files that are no longer needed. You can also view the history or properties of files on the server. If you need to further review the differences list, you can print it or save it in HTML format. The Surround SCM User Guide includes additional information about viewing repository differences.
Seapine Software User GroupsBy Alan See, Seapine Software As we look to the future, our goal is to provide even more opportunities and channels to both listen to and connect with you - our valued software user community. We'd also like to provide an easy way for you to easily network with Seapine employees. So, in the spirit of both connecting and networking, we invite you to join our user groups on LinkedIn and Facebook. 
This represents our initial move to both leverage the emerging power of social networks, and the beginning phase of building a formal Seapine Software User Group. Our user group efforts will start with these social networks, and gradually connect to a formal Seapine Software User Group site that we will host. You may have a few questions. For example: Q. Do I have to join LinkedIn and/or Facebook to be part of this new communications network? A. Yes. You need a LinkedIn profile and/or Facebook profile to join the Seapine Software user group on each site. Q. If I join will I get spam? A. No, spam has not been an issue. Q. How does this impact the user forums on seapine.com and support processes? A. No changes concerning customer support or the user forums. The purpose of these groups is not to work around Seapine's support processes or procedures. If you need technical support you should continue the established process, which is to email support@seapine.com or call the support phone number for your region. 
Like many of you we're still learning a few things about social networks -- like how to use them for the best possible customer experience. With that in mind let me share our social networking group charter: A LinkedIn / Facebook group for the Seapine Software User Group community. The purpose of the Seapine Software User Group is to open and expand conversation among Seapine's associates and our colleagues using Seapine's application lifecycle management (ALM) solutions. Opportunities to learn about and share resources related to Seapine applications as well as ALM in general will provide additional professional development benefits. Following are the links to join:
Customer Success Story: WeeWorldWeeWorld is the fastest-growing, avatar-based social network in the Click here to read the case study. We want your success stories! If you have a success story that you'd like to share, please email pr@seapine.com, and we'll get in touch with you. Seapine NewsSurround SCM 2008.1 was recently released. Highlights of what's new in version 2008.1 include:
QA Wizard Pro 2007.3 was also recently released. Highlights of what's new in version 2007.3 include:
New Knowledgebase Articles
Visit www.seapine.com/kb/index.php to browse the knowledgebase. Seapine BlogsCheck out the Seapine employee blogs for alternative observations and varied viewpoints on multiple topics of interest.
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This month, the
ALM Insider caught up with Kevin Stewart, vice president of worldwide sales, to find out what's behind Seapine's surging sales.