Full Sail Partners Blog | Jennifer Renfroe (5)

Full Sail Partners, a Deltek Platinum Partner, is excited to announce that Rick Childs has returned to the team as a Senior Consultant. Due to his amazing rapport with clients and ability to solve problems, he was asked to join Petroleum Field Services (now known as Ascent Geomatics Solutions) as Controller back in 2015. Since this firm is now running efficiently, Rick desired the opportunity to be able to service other firms in the same exemplary manner.

“Whether working for a single firm as an employee or for multiple firms as a consultant, my goal is always to do what I can to help automate processes and build a foundation to take the firm into the future and prepare for growth. I am excited about returning to the Full Sail Partners team of knowledgeable, dedicated professionals and having access to their ever-growing arsenal of client-based solutions,” stated Rick Childs.

Rick is an experienced consultant having led more than 100 Deltek Vision implementations since 2003. His familiarity with legacy Deltek products has also enabled him to provide client solutions. With this extensive industry knowledge, Rick will be able to jump right back into his role as Senior Consultant addressing the needs of our clients and helping them further leverage their investment in Deltek Vision and Deltek for Professional Services.

“Full Sail Partners’ management team is excited to welcome Rick back to the consulting team. Rick adds additional depth and knowledge to our diverse and collaborative consulting team that handles all areas of Deltek Vision and Deltek for Professional Services. I personally know that many of the clients and team members that Rick previously worked with are pleased to hear of his return and looking forward to working with him again,” said Scott Seal, VP of Consulting.

For more information, please contact Full Sail Partners’ Marketing and Communications Department. 

Full Sail Partners, a Deltek Platinum Partner, is proud to announce that it has been recognized by Accounting Today on the top 100 VAR list for 2017. Accounting Today annually chooses the top value-added resellers (VARs), and Full Sail Partners has been ranked in the top 100 again this year. Not only was Full Sail Partners named on the 2017 list, but it impressively moved up in ranking by fifteen. 

“We are thrilled to move up the ranks on Accounting Today’s VAR 100 list,” stated Sarah Gonnella, VP of Marketing & Sales at Full Sail Partners. “This accomplishment is a result of having a diverse and talented team that can address not only today’s challenges, but tomorrow’s challenges as well. Over the past couple of years, we have invested in building the right team and developing our Blackbox Connector to allow project-based firms to connect Deltek products to other best of breed solutions. We can’t wait to see what 2018 brings.”   

Accounting Today also reported recognized trends from this year's top 100 VARs. Some of those trends included responding to talent demands, adapting to the cloud, and smaller clients demanding better technology and analytics. Full Sail Partners has positioned itself to respond to these exact needs. With its Blackbox Connector capabilities and emerging business intelligence offerings, Full Sail Partners intends to keep developing solutions to fit client growth and desires.

Here is the full 2017 VAR list: http://pages.marketing.accountingtoday.com/act_77836_sr_lp.html 

Accounting Today is a leading provider of online business news for the accounting community, offering breaking news, in-depth features, and a host of resources and services. The VAR 100 list is annual report developed to rank the top technology resellers in the account and ERP space.  

For more information, please contact Full Sail Partners’ Marketing and Communications Department. 

Full Sail Partners, a Deltek Platinum Partner and Client Feedback Tool Premier Partner, is pleased to announce the addition of Lindsay Diven, CPSM to the consulting services team. Lindsay has joined the firm as a senior Deltek Vision CRM consultant. In this position, she will work with clients to implement Deltek Vision’s CRM, Custom Proposal, and SF330 modules, as well as the Client Feedback Tool.

Lindsay comes to Full Sail Partners with 12 years of marketing and business development experience in the AE field. Using Deltek Vision, Lindsay has worked with both marketing and business development teams to implement business strategies and manage client data in pursuit of increasing sales opportunities and win rates. Additionally, her active involvement both with the Society for Marketing Professional Services (SMPS) and the Deltek Vision Central Florida Users Group ensures Lindsay keeps a pulse on the AE industry.

 “My prior experience as a marketing and business development director and a Deltek CRM client will help me bring an insider’s approach,” said Lindsay. “I’m excited to work closely with our clients to implement Deltek CRM in a way that strengthens their marketing and business development efforts.”

The Full Sail Partners’ CRM consultant acts as a trusted advisor for all clients. This consultant focuses on evaluating the client's existing software solution to develop a training strategy that is unique to each client experience. In this role, Lindsay will leverage her knowledge to ensure our clients continue to be successful long into the future.  

"When asked who would be an ideal candidate to be a CRM consultant, a hand full of names came to mind," stated Sarah Gonnella, VP of Marketing & Sales. "Amazingly the stars aligned and I am ecstatic to have Lindsay join the Full Sail Partners’ team. A strong Deltek CRM expert, demonstrated leader in the industry, and overall marketing and business development guru, our clients will gain an outstanding consultant in Lindsay to help grow their business."

For more information, please contact Full Sail Partners’ Marketing and Communications Department.

Full Sail Partners, a Deltek Platinum Partner, is honored to announce that Kevin Hebblethwaite has been promoted to principal consultant. With 20 years of experience in marketing, business development and management for professional services firms, Kevin is a seasoned consultant. He is also a past national president of the Society for Marketing Professional Services (SMPS) and remains very active.

"Full Sail Partners has assembled an incredible team – one I learn from every day,” Kevin said. “I love watching professional services firms turn their traditional marketing and business development functions into catalysts for great client experiences and growth.”

As principal consultant, Kevin will continue to guide clients in strategic marketing and business development implementations of Deltek’s professional services platforms. Kevin also is the key point of contact for Full Sail Partners’ Blackbox Connector integrations between Deltek Vision and third-party marketing applications such as Client Feedback Tool, Constant Contact, and MailChimp.

"It is with great honor to promote Kevin to principal consultant," stated Sarah Gonnella, VP of Marketing & Sales. "Kevin has played a key role in expanding our focus of helping business development and marketing professionals. His strong leadership, mentorship, and client management skills will play a huge role as our firm continues to expand."

For more information, please contact Full Sail Partners’ Marketing and Communications Department.

Full Sail Partners, a Deltek Platinum Partner, is pleased to announce that Ryan Felkel has been promoted to Marketing Manager. Ryan has extensive experience in content creation, web & social media, SEO, event management and Deltek Vision CRM. As a creative and focused marketing leader, he believes strongly in providing clients with the most valuable industry information to ensure they are getting the most out of their Vision systems.

"I truly enjoy being a member of the Full Sail Partners’ team and working with our consultants to identify content that is relevant to our clients,” Ryan said. “It’s extremely satisfying when a client reaches out to tell us how our information has helped them.”

As Marketing Manager, Ryan will continue to cultivate current client relationships while also pursuing new business within the AEC industry and in new market verticals. Additionally, he has assumed responsibility for building awareness of Deltek for Professional Services (DPS), Deltek Talent, Deltek Project Information Management (PIM), and the Blackbox Connector integrations for Deltek Vision.

"Finding the right person to fill your shoes is not always an easy task," stated Sarah Gonnella, VP of Marketing & Sales. "Ryan's demonstrated leadership and ability to quickly learn our business made that decision an easy choice. I am proud to hand the torch to someone that understands the importance of providing educational content to our clients and prospective clients."

For more information, please contact Full Sail Partners’ Marketing and Communications Department.

Although it is easy to accept the status quo, there is always room for improvement. Once improvements are made, it is hard to believe that we operated the way we did before. So there it is, the continuous cycle of breaking the status quo to improve our firm processes which ultimately ensures future success. As Deltek Vision users, we should focus on initiatives which enhance our Vision systems and allow us to remain efficient and effective in business.

Opportunities for Improvement with Deltek Vision 

Here are ten initiatives we recommend for your firm:

1. Learn and Train on iAccess, the Future of Vision: This simple to use interface can be used from any device or browser with an internet connection.
2. Incorporate FASB Changes: Firms need to understand how this measure requirement relates to them and how to configure Deltek Vision appropriately to accommodate it. 

3. Identify KPI & Executive Reports: The Deltek Vision Performance Management (VPM) module provides visibility into your firm’s performance and identifies metrics that help ensure success. 
4. Reevaluate the Organizational Breakdown & Work Breakdown Structure: The way firms operate changes over time, especially since their first implementation of the Vision system, resulting in inefficiencies in operations. 

5. Mergers & Acquisition Strategy: Many factors come into play when considering a merger or acquisition and effective data integration is vital to a favorable outcome.  

6. Connect Best of Breed Solutions: With a simple click of a button, firms can securely use Vision to connect other critical business systems. 

7. Focus on Client Retention: Firms can easily manage their client relationships by connecting the Client Feedback Tool with Deltek Vision. 

9. Manage Resources & Plan: Project-based firms benefit from an easy to use solutions that integrate project management data with the accounting solution. 
10. Improve Talent Acquisition & Employee Performance Process: HR professionals need a way to overcome the challenges of acquiring and maintaining talent.

10. Refine Archival & Document Management Process: Deltek Project Information Management (PIM) integrated with Deltek Vision breaks down data barriers for complete project, financial and information management needs. 

Do More with Deltek Vision

Don’t be satisfied with just the status quo. Use these ten initiatives to get more out of Deltek Vision. Putting them into place will make your firm processes better and allow you to be more effective and efficient in business. Break the cycle and start improving your Deltek Vision system now.

Email marketing is one of the most cost-effective tactics for acquiring new clients and re-engaging existing customers. So why is it that so many firms are resistant to adopting a dedicated email marketing strategy? Failure to implement a dedicated email marketing strategy focused around best practices can lead firms to experience lackluster email results. This blog is going to dissect the most common reasons emails sit unread and collect dust. Apply these tips to start winning the battle for the inbox!

Common Mistakes Keeping You from Winning the Battle for the Inbox

1. Unclear subject lines | Did you know that 33% of email recipients open email based on subject line alone [source: Convince & Convert]? Experience greater success with your emails by providing your audience with a compelling reason to open your email. In other words, make the subject line attractive to your intended target so that they want to read your email!
2. Missing the mark on content | Not every member of your audience is interested in the same content. The foundation of a successful email marketing campaign is grounded in keeping content relevant to your readership. Utilize your CRM system to drill down your segment list and keep your content relevant to your audience.
3. One way flow of communication | Have you ever received an email from a ‘do not reply’ email address? This type of tactic comes off as impersonal and will leave a sour taste in a recipient’s mouth. When companies send out mailers from a ‘do not reply’ address they tell their audience that they don’t care to have a real conversation. Give your audience the impression that you are receptive to feedback and you will be amazed at how active your subscribers become.
4. Too many links, not a clear enough call-to-action | Links to important content can be helpful and convenient for readers. As a content provider it is important to tread carefully here! Too many links can detract from more important content and confuse your readers. Focus on your message at hand and optimize your emails to drive viewers to engage in your call-to-action.

Get the Most Out of Your Email Marketing Campaigns

We hope that you have learned something from this blog that can be applied to your email marketing efforts. Remember that each email campaign is an additional opportunity for you to attract and delight your audience. Following these best practices can make a huge impact on your outbound efforts and lead to increased conversions and growth in your subscription base.

Interested in learning more about winning the battle for the inbox? Join us on February 8^th to learn how to take your email marketing efforts to the next level.

The Deltek Vision to Concur Connector allows both systems to work together seamlessly, automatically synchronizing finance data throughout the entire spending process, from pre-spend approval to reconciliation. Manage every expense and invoice transaction accurately and with ease, and get a complete view of your finances in one place. 

Gain Complete Visibility and Greater Control of Your Finances with the Deltek Vision to Concur Connector

The war for talent acquisition has experienced a major shift in recent years. Historically, the employer held all of the power and candidates vied for the opportunity to prove their worth to the employer. However, in recent years, this dynamic has changed. Human Resources leaders and executives around the globe are faced with both talent shortages and a lack of candidates who possess the required skills to fill critical roles. Whether we like it or not, we are now operating in a candidate-led hiring market.

In a world where demand exceeds supply, we must manage the war for talent. HR must learn how to fight and win this desirable talent through innovative strategies to attract, recruit and retain the skill sets that our businesses require. It’s time to refocus, to get creative and analytical, and to win this war.

Four Proven Strategies to Win the War for Talent

1. Build a Better Brand

Branding is typically thought of as a marketing function. However, what happens when companies apply the same branding principles to their recruiting tactics? It is simple, these companies effectively manage the market perception of what it is like to work for their organizations.

Successful firms stay aware of the perceived image that current and past employees have about their employment experience. Making sure the perceived image is on target involves evaluating specific details such as the company culture, employee benefits and work environment.

Building a strong and strategic employment brand will:

• Create a sense of excitement about working for your company
• Highlight the company mission and product/service offerings
• Provide clear and compelling reasons to work for your company
• Evoke feelings of attaining prestige and professional reward with your company

A strategic approach to employer branding requires a non-partisan examination of how your company attracts, engages and retains talent. It would be beneficial to undertake an employer brand audit. The results will hopefully inspire your leaders to invest time and effort into building a brand strategy to expand your talent recruitment pool.

Successful companies go above and beyond to create a great candidate experience during the talent acquisition process. Human Resources and Marketing can team up to create this great candidate experience by focusing on these tactics:

• Improve Your Application Process – When is the last time you reviewed your company’s application process? Most application forms are unnecessarily cumbersome and lead to a large portion of candidates not completing the process because of the time commitment involved. You can improve your candidate experience by keeping your application process to a minimum while meeting all of the firm’s essential requirements.
• Write More Compelling Job Advertisements – A marketing mindset can help improve one of the first touch points with a potential candidate, the job advertisement. When writing, focus on the job description and opportunity rather than stringing together a list of requirements and qualifications. The job description should be intriguing in order to elicit interest and make candidates want to take the next step in the recruitment process.

During the talent acquisition process, both Human Resources and Marketing should work together to emphasize the advantages of working for your company – the great company culture, the reasons your company is a great place to work and the benefits. Using these measures will ensure that those with the right cultural fit have a great candidate experience during recruitment.

3. Create a Culture of Developing Internal Talent

The offer of learning and development is vital for attracting new talent. So why don’t firms spend more time providing learning and development opportunities for their own internal talent? Current personnel can fill employment gaps fast if they are given the chance to pursue another direction in the firm. All internal staff should be given opportunities to learn new skills and develop alternate career paths within the firm. By providing development options to internal staff, the firm will have better longevity with its personnel and keep the skill sets internal.

4. Collect the Right Data to Support Talent Development

Relevant data is crucial to business leaders. Our financial metrics, KPIs and future growth reports are all dependent upon having access to quality data. Maintaining information on talent recruitment and retention are no different, and Human Resources Information Systems make this critical employee data much more accessible.

Just like the other areas of our businesses, we must first understand how to capture accurate information and then how to use this data within the context of our businesses. Before we concentrate on capturing this information, we must assess the accuracy of the data itself as well as find better ways of presenting the data.

Firms that remain competitive in the war for talent are able to contextually embed talent-related data within their business systems. For example, these firms are able to link their staff’s professional development and performance activities to project management and customer service goals and metrics. This data allows company leaders to see real results regarding talent development.

Learn More About the War for Talent

Want to learn more about staying competitive in the modern war for talent? Sign up for our upcoming webinar to learn how your firm can better attract and retain millennial talent for your professional services firm.

In the Deltek world, the Blackbox Connector is the trending topic. From marketing professionals gaining insight within Deltek Vision from their Constant Contact mailers, to finance managing risk and controlling expenses through Concur, people are asking about getting more out of their Deltek Vision system. Have you heard the buzz surrounding the Blackbox Connector? If you haven’t, your first question might be, so “what is the Blackbox Connector?" If so, then this blog is for you!

What is the Blackbox Connector?

The Blackbox Connector is a no-code, low cost, integration solution for your Deltek Vision system with an easy to use API wizard. The purpose of the solution is to eliminate data silos by providing a better and more powerful way to create, update, reference and report on critical business intelligence across multiple platforms using Deltek Vision as your master record set. Our goal is to bring data together in a low cost, easy to maintain manner.

What Makes Blackbox Different?

Historically, integrations meant ‘expensive’ and required a lot of technical involvement. Not anymore. So what are the key differences between a custom integration and the Blackbox Connector?

1. IT teams are no longer bogged down with costly development cycles or constant evolving maintenance updates.
2. Users can utilize Blackbox’s drag-and drop mapping wizard to link critical fields across systems to synchronize the two systems in a manner consistent with your business.
3. Data accuracy improves across your entire organization by eliminating manual imports and duplicated efforts because the integration is automatic.

The results? Providing a low, yearly cost that includes continued upgrade for both solutions and a seamless connection to Deltek Vision.

How Does the Blackbox Connector Work?

The Blackbox Connector’s API Wizard enables you to easily connect Deltek Vision to third-party software. The configuration is as easy as setting up your phone to your Outlook email. Users will need access and links to both solutions and in minutes your software is connected. IT is provided scripts and user documentation through our Blackbox Connector portal. Standard mapping is pre-configured and users can further configure their field mapping using Blackbox’s drag-and-drop mapping wizard. The Blackbox Connector portal handles the behind the scenes data processing, including advanced error handling and testing of your connectivity scenarios. 

The connections are all made over web secure communication channels using web services to feed data to and from Deltek Vision – whether you host your Vision system locally or in the cloud, the Blackbox Connector platform can help your firm bring data together.

Why Blackbox?

The Blackbox Connector is a critical game changer with how organizations work within their Deltek Vision system. Our programmers are continuing to invest in commonly requested integration programs and your feedback can impact the next solution. Combine the best features of Deltek Vision with your other critical business systems to save significant hours for your staff and provide them with the tools needed to make faster, more-informed decisions.

Learn More.

Could the Blackbox Connector bring data together for your firm? Check out our website or schedule a demo to see how Blackbox can help your firm save time and money, while improving your overall experience in Deltek Vision.