Clients, customers, and associates will seek your counsel before making decisions or taking action related to important matters if you are really a trusted advisor. As a technology solutions provider, our clients and business partners trust Revolution Group with some of their most valuable business assets. We meet periodically to discuss requirements, technology roadmaps, business plans, sales objectives, and sometimes just for fun. If we’ve done the job right, they accept our calls to hear new ideas or learn about products or services that may benefit them. It’s a relationship status that must be earned every day.

To understand how to earn, gain, or secure real trusted advisor status, one can draw from social influence theory postulated by American Sociologist, Edwin H. Sutherland in 1924. The principal of Differential Association outlines basic tenants that can be utilized today to understand how to become a trusted advisor. Differential Association describes four variables of Frequency, Duration, Priority, and Intensity that influences the behavior and attitudes of people and groups.

• Frequency refers to how often you may have contact with another.
• Duration refers to how long the relationship lasts, and the length of time when interacting.
• Priority refers to how important are you to the other party.
• Intensity refers to the emotional volume of the relationship.

So, are you a trusted advisor? With some honest self-examination you can begin by asking the following about the relationship you have with the people you believe you influence:

Do I have contact and interact frequently?

Is the interaction consistent and continuous over a significant period of time?

Do I make a difference – influence positive change? Am I an authority or subject matter expert with knowledge or information that is of value to the people I touch? Do I truly influence significant decisions?

Does the interaction result in a mutual experience of satisfaction and appreciation?

Revolution Group associates strive to be best practice professionals, so that we collectively are a best in class technology solutions provider. It is recognizing that being a trusted advisor is not a designation or state. But a continuous improvement process with frequency, duration, priority, and intensity within the relationship being just some of the tools that help us accomplish our goals.

Our October workshop was so successful, we’ve decided to do it again.

Together with Adapative Planning, Revolution Group is sponsoring an educational workshop for finance professionals who would like to significantly streamline and improve their FP&A processes.

This hands-on session will be led by an expert trainer, who will review the Adaptive Planning application in detail, provide real-life training exercises, and answer your specific questions.

Specifically, you will learn how to use Adaptive Planning to:

• Build company models for forecasting and budgeting
• Work with organization and account structures
• Add additional levels of detail with custom dimensions
• Work with personnel sheets and drive spending from headcount
• Use formulas to enforce consistency
• Create reports for performance insight and analysis
• Limit user security access based on need and responsibility

By investing just a few hours in this unique event, you will gain an excellent understanding of how you can use Adaptive Planning’s award-winning solution to develop world-class budgeting, forecasting, and reporting processes.

This half-day event is complimentary. Breakfast and lunch will be served.

Workshop Details

Date:  February 28, 2012 Time:  8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Address:  Revolution Group Offices, 137 Commerce Park Drive, Westerville, Ohio 43082

Preparation: Please plan to bring a PC laptop computer, since the application runs optimally on PCs. If you do not have a PC laptop computer, please let us know in advance.

Register today!  Due to the hands-on nature of this educational seminar, seating is limited. Adaptive Planning will review your registration and confirm your place in the seminar prior to the session.

For additional questions about the content of this workshop, please contact Sam Hanna, shanna@www.revolutiongroup.com or 614.212.1131.

About Adaptive Planning

Adaptive Planning is the worldwide leader in on-demand corporate performance management (CPM) solutions for companies and nonprofits of all sizes. Adaptive Planning’s solutions allow finance and management teams to obtain real-time visibility into performance metrics, streamline financial planning and reporting, and drive better business decisions. By offering affordable annual subscriptions and rapid implementations, and by eliminating the need for new hardware and IT support, Adaptive Planning makes it easy to move beyond spreadsheet-based processes without the cost and complexity associated with traditional on-premise CPM applications. Adaptive Planning is headquartered in Mountain View, Calif. and can be reached at 650-528-7500 or www.adaptiveplanning.com.

It was during this era that many new domestic suppliers were gaining a foothold in the Midwest to support the supply chain needs of the newly located Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs). Along with securing locations, building new plants, hiring associates and implementing manufacturing practices, these new domestics were challenged with developing information systems to meet the complex needs of their new business along with the demanding requirements of the OEM.

IBM was definitely king (after all, no one ever got fired for buying IBM!) and systems evolved to support the manufacturer on this outstanding and stable platform. Major mid-range software firms developed MRP, ERP and EDI systems in RPG and COBOL, and manufacturers hired staff and consulting firms to help develop, customize and extend these systems to meet their needs. Graphical front ends and emulation applications were built to allow the applications to feel more modern and friendly, but largely the core applications remain frozen in the 80s.

Revolution Group has lived this evolution. We installed the systems in the 80s. We designed and wrote the modifications in the 90s and helped customers survive the crisis of Y2K. We understand the platforms of the era, the pros, the cons and the ways that organizations are now losing significant competitive advantage in this fast-paced, real-time, interconnected internet age.

For this reason we are introducing a 6 part series called ‘Revolutionize the Supply Chain’. Topics to include:

• EDI, Supplier EDI and improving your Procure to Pay process
• Lineside Labeling
• Inventory Control
• Data Visibility
• Leaning out your IT Staff
• Mitigating Risk

Our goal is to introduce our observed ‘present state of systems’ and compare it to possible ‘future states’ we have witnessed, as we understand that it is sometimes difficult to see outside of your own plant, and we surely know that technology is growing at breakneck speed!

When I look at old photos of myself, I laugh – Wow!  Those red glasses were really big.  Times have changed — a lot! I hope you can join us.

Register today for the first webinar in our series:
EDI – It Doesn’t Have to be That Hard.

Date: Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Time: 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm EST
Go to https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/536713390

“And the #5 Best Place to Work in the micro category is . . . Revolution Group!” Woohoo! Applause I was so honored to accept this award at last month’s Business First award ceremony. (See all finalists at http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2011/09/30/best-places-to-work-finalists-announced.html )

Throughout the next few weeks we have received many congratulations. And, many people have asked what makes us such a great place to work.

Without a doubt it is the incredible group of people we have on our team and the way they work together. But, how have we built that kind of “culture”?

First, we understand our unique culture – the good and the bad. Secondly, we work hard to hire people that we know will thrive in that unique culture.

Anyone who’s been involved in hiring knows how tricky that last statement can be. We at Revolution Group have a fairly rigid hiring process for a company our size. And we religiously use some simple, but powerful tools. One of our most helpful tools is the ProfileXT assessment by Profiles International (http://www.profilesinternational.com/products/profilext.php ). Many people I talk to are intrigued by how enthusiastic I am about this tool and how we use it in our hiring process.

The ProfileXT is an assessment that measures how well an individual fits specific jobs and organizations. On a scale of 1 to 10, it measures 14 personality preferences such as independence, assertiveness, sociability, etc., and 3 interest preferences, like people service, technical, mechanical, etc. This particular tool works well for us, but there are many other options. It’s not the particular tool, but rather the way we use the tool that makes it so valuable for us.

We started using ProfileXT many years ago at the recommendation of our HR consultant, Lynda Malster. Lynda initially helped us establish realistic benchmarks using results from our then current employees. Over the years we’ve refined our benchmarks by comparing ProfileXT results to actual job performance for candidates who eventually became employees. This constant refining process is why we get so much value from this tool and how we are able to hire “Best Places to Work” team members.

How about some concrete examples?

“Independence” is one of the 14 personality preferences measured by ProfileXT. The definition of Independence is “the tendency to be self-reliant, self-directed, to take independent action, and make one’s own decisions”. Our consultants frequently lead client projects and work off-site at client locations. You definitely won’t consider RevGroup a best place to work if you like working in a large, consistent team environment every day. So, on a scale of 1 to 10 we have established our ideal range of Independence scores as 5-8. In fact, some of our most successful project managers have Independence scores as high as 8 or 9.

“People Service” is one of six interests identified by ProfileXT. A People Service interest indicates a person who is “motivated by a position that offers the opportunity to help others or provide some facilitative service”. Our consultants spend all day every day trying to help customers improve their businesses. We get “All Rev’d Up” about helping our clients! So, over the years we have learned that our happiest and most successful employees often have a strong People Service Interest on their ProfileXT.

Although the ProfileXT gives us important data to be used in our hiring decisions, it is only one of several tools we use. My hiring toolbox contains the ProfileXT assessment, interview questions tailored specifically for our culture and positions, a reputable background check vendor, and a big bottle of “gut feeling”.

My advice to anyone who wants to be a “Best Place to Work”? Implement some tools like ProfileXT that will help you hire “Best Place to Work” team members. I do believe RevGroup IS one of the best places to work and I believe everyone should find or create their own “Best Place to Work”!

If you’d like to know more about our culture here at Revolution Group or about how we use the ProfileXT tool in our hiring process, contact me via our website.

We are going to be wearing them out into the community — into our clients’ offices, to charity events, to networking functions — wherever we may go to do Revolution Group or Revolution Reaches Out work – and posing for pictures.  Don’t be surprised to see one of them make an appearance in your office.

We will be posting the pictures here on our blog and asking you to vote for your favorite.

More details to come, but, for now, here is the first “All Revved Up” contest picture.  It’s a little blurry, but you get the idea.

Polly All Revved Up to Give Blood

Rick and Polly at the Peak of Mount Katahdin

16 Years ago, Polly and I started Revolution Group with the goal of building a business where we could help other businesses take advantage of all the benefits that information technology can bring.  To do something we really loved, and have fun doing it.

We started as an IBM focused company; selling and supporting the multi-user AS/400 systems – big centralized systems with dumb-terminals spread out around the company.  We knew then that the PC network was going to overtake everything and we moved quickly to bring those systems to our customers.

First email…then websites…then business intelligence and more and more powerful desktops and fantastic software to solve all kinds of business issues.

Along the way, we found lots of great people to join our staff and bring the same love of what they do and varied skills and talents to the team.  With them, we have built many enduring relationships with lots of customers around Ohio, the country and even around the world.

Today, our staff has grown to about 25 people who truly enjoy helping our customers use their technology to its fullest.

Now Cloud Computing (Salesforce, Plex) is the rage and is a common business technology.  But really, it’s ‘back to the future -processing power at a central location and a ‘dumb terminal’ (browser) spread out around the company.

The reality is, as technologies come and go, companies need someone they can trust to help navigate the changing models.  We are glad to be here to help keep you on the right path – guiding you and your company to the top of the mountain – and having fun!

Rick Snide
President, Revolution Group

We’ll “Unleash the Power of Our Supply Chain” with timely information designed to streamline processes, improve operations and better leverage your use of Plex Online.

Here’s your chance to connect, collaborate and innovate with other Plex Online users in the Honda supply chain. Informative presentations include:

• Plex Systems Executive Overview
• Case Study: Overcoming Implementation Challenges
• Current Topics in EDI; Q&A with Honda NAL EDI Team
• The Power of Partner Enabled Applications
• Best Practices Case Study: Streamlined Purchasing with Plex Online
• Poka-Yoke the Physical Label
• Zoo Animal Presentations

Register Now

Registration is limited. Sign up now for this complimentary conference, taking place November 18 at the Water’s Edge Pavilion at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium.

Lunch and zoo admission is our treat! Plus, catch the opening evening of the Annual Wildlights holiday light display event after the conference.

About Plex Systems Inc.

Plex Systems Inc. is the developer of the Plex Online Food Safety Management System (FSMS) and Plex Online ERP, a SaaS ERP (software as a service) / cloud ERP solution serving the food and beverage industry. Plex Online FSMS offers industry-leading features for virtually every department within a manufacturer and/or processor, including Manufacturing Operations Management (MOM) / shop floor control; Electronic HACCP with integrated SPC; Instant traceability and recall management and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) for finance and management. Plex Online FSMS’s comprehensive functional coverage delivers a “shop floor to top floor” view of enterprise operations, enabling management to run its business at maximum efficiency. Founded in 1995, Plex Systems is headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan, with customers around the globe. Plex Systems and Plex Online are trademarks of Plex Systems Inc. More information is available at www.plex.com.

Together with Adapative Planning, Revolution Group is sponsoring an educational workshop for finance professionals who would like to significantly streamline and improve their FP&A processes.

While budgeting season is already upon us, it’s not too late to make a change – to transform a painful, low-value exercise into an efficient, collaborative process that creates real strategic value.

This hands-on session will be led by an expert trainer, who will review the Adaptive Planning application in detail, provide real-life training exercises, and answer your specific questions.

Specifically, you will learn how to use Adaptive Planning to:

• Build company models for forecasting and budgeting
• Work with organization and account structures
• Add additional levels of detail with custom dimensions
• Work with personnel sheets and drive spending from headcount
• Use formulas to enforce consistency
• Create reports for performance insight and analysis
• Limit user security access based on need and responsibility

By investing just a few hours in this unique event, you will gain an excellent understanding of how you can use Adaptive Planning’s award-winning solution to develop world-class budgeting, forecasting, and reporting processes.

This half-day event is complimentary. Breakfast and lunch will be served.

Workshop Details

Date:  November 8, 2011
Time:  8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Address:  Revolution Group Offices, 137 Commerce Park Drive, Westerville, Ohio 43082

Preparation: Please plan to bring a PC laptop computer, since the application runs optimally on PCs. If you do not have a PC laptop computer, please let us know in advance.

Register Today!  Due to the hands-on nature of this educational seminar, seating is limited. Adaptive Planning will review your registration and confirm your place in the seminar prior to the session.

For additional questions about the content of this workshop, please contact Sam Hanna, shanna@www.revolutiongroup.com or 614.212.1131.

About Adaptive Planning

Adaptive Planning is the worldwide leader in on-demand corporate performance management (CPM) solutions for companies and nonprofits of all sizes. Adaptive Planning’s solutions allow finance and management teams to obtain real-time visibility into performance metrics, streamline financial planning and reporting, and drive better business decisions. By offering affordable annual subscriptions and rapid implementations, and by eliminating the need for new hardware and IT support, Adaptive Planning makes it easy to move beyond spreadsheet-based processes without the cost and complexity associated with traditional on-premise CPM applications. Adaptive Planning is headquartered in Mountain View, Calif. and can be reached at 650-528-7500 or www.adaptiveplanning.com.

From this effort, we are proud to announce Revolution Reaches Out — a community service initiative which seeks opportunities to assist and support people and organizations in the Columbus metro area.

With that goal in mind, Revolution Reaches Out is a co-sponsor for the Westerville Gameday 5k, a local road race benefiting the Mid-Ohio Foodbank.  For each employee, family member, friend and client that registers, Revolution is sending a matching donation to the Foodbank.

Date:  Saturday, November 19, 2011
Time: 5k at 8:45 am
Location:  Westerville Central High School

If you wish to join us in this fun walk/run, please click on the link to register:  www.westervillegameday5k.com.  We welcome anyone to join our team!

Please contact Cindy Snide at csnide@www.revolutiongroup.com or 614.212.1113 for more information or to suggest organizations and events that are meaningful to you.  Revolution Reaches Out aims to focus on causes that are important to our team and their families, our clients and friends. 

Look forward to more announcements about what we are up to with Revolution Reaches Out!