technology: Jobs Landed

As the Inside Sales Manager, I am responsible for managing the day- to-day operations of the Inside Sales Specialist Team. This also includes representing the team and sales department in various projects and meetings across the company.

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TechSmith is a global software development company located in Okemos, Michigan. We create visual communication software used by 499 of the Fortune 500 and are proud to have more than 7 million users worldwide. At TechSmith, I am software engineer assigned to the Camtasia Studio team. Camtasia Studio allows users to create, edit, and share informational videos. This is my first opportunity to work in and experience the Lansing area.

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TechSmith is a global software development company located in Okemos, Michigan. We create visual communication software used by 499 of the Fortune 500 and are proud to have more than 7 million users worldwide. As a member of the inside sales team, I answer customer inquiries, process orders and work to increase our sales worldwide.

I help manage the main TechSmith.com website, including the store. 

I work closely with TechSmith’s management and product teams to refine and understand what our customers need and want to accomplish with our software in various industries. To do that, I identify and execute product research related to marketing, product management and user experience. I use standard methods such as focus groups, surveys, discussion boards, field research and competitive analysis in interesting and creative ways. Then, I translate findings from these activities into work items for use by my coworkers who develop and market our software products worldwide.

As a web designer at TechSmith, I design and code user interfaces for websites and web applications.

I am currently employed with Verizon Wireless.  My overall function is to serve the Lansing, MI market by generating new and renewal sales benefiting businesses and individual consumers that reside within the Lansing area market.  This includes, direct selling of our wireless products and services to include, wireless hand sets and services, along with our mobile broadband services, and, involvement within the community on volunteer projects.  Also, and most importantly, understanding the needs of the clientele that reside in the Lansing, MI marketplace that I can help maximize their performance.  I love that I have the ability to do this.  I have worked in the wireless/telecommunications industry for over 10 years, specifically in solution based selling.  I was starting to doubt weather or not I would be able to remain in Michigan to work for a company that was best in class of their industry.  I was very fortunate.  Verizon saw an ability in me that fell in line with their overall business model, and I was selected to represent them as a sales representative for their company.  I also have an obligation to the military.  Through 2009, and part of 2010, I had been on a military deployment to Afghanistan.  Upon my return I was faced with the daunting task of finding a job here in Lansing, MI.  Over the years, I have accumulated a vast knowledge of telecommunication experience, and I wanted nothing more than to stay here in Michigan, my home, to serve the people in my community to the best of my ability.  I was very fortunate to find such an opportunity to serve my community to a level that I felt the people of the community deserved.
 
Providing a wireless service can be very challenging, especially with so many options and competitors in the same market place.  However, a best practice that has always worked for me is to be truthful and approach every person you talk to with a constant moral fiber and good business and personal ethics.  Basically, I try to do the right thing for people I am engaged with.  I had good fortune finding the position I currently hold.  But as I tell everybody, the harder you work, the luckier you get.  Finding a job is a job in itself.  The opportunities to be employed in Michigan are out there.  It just takes perseverance and dedication on your part to rise above the hard times everyone is faced with right now and find ways to constantly improve yourself.  I am a very blessed man for the opportunity I have currently, and for the challenges I have been faced with.  Challenges, and hard times, I believe, make you stronger, and make you appreciate opportunities you get.  The first and most important meaningful thing I can say is thank you to Lansing, MI for allowing me to serve you once again.  I will always do my best for you.

As the Global Channel Sales Manager at TechSmith, I get to work with an outstanding team to recruit, train and invigorate channel partners across the globe to sell TechSmith products. We get to travel and participate in channel partner events and trade shows to promote our screen capture and recording software that our partners can then sell to their customers. It is very fun and satisfying to discuss and demonstrate great products that have practical application in training, sales and marketing, demos and lecture capture, etc. and fit someplace at all customers. As we describe Snagit, Camtasia Studio, Camtasia Relay, Jing, Morae, you can see the light bulbs go off as our partners think of their customers and where these products solve everyday problems and increase productivity. It's especially satisfying to hear of cool examples of how academic customers in K12 schools, colleges and universities are utilizing TechSmith products.

Working in sales, whether you are selling to end user customers or partners, is exciting and never boring. It's especially nice to be able to sell products from TechSmith that are easy to explain, understand and use, and fit so many functional areas. Selling and recruiting channel partners can be challenging because they have the ability to sell most software and computer products available in the marketplace. So we have to creatively find ways to get their attention with TechSmith products, when vendors such as Microsoft, HP, IBM, Adobe, etc. usually have many, many more people trying to get them to sell their products. As we do our jobs on the Channel Sales team, we are creating an extended army of sales professionals across the globe selling the TechSmith products, contributing to the company growth.

I have been very lucky to have grown up in the state of Michigan, then lived in other areas of the country as my career advanced with IBM. As my wife and I enjoyed our time away from Michigan, we were always on the lookout for an opportunity to move back, and did so with IBM several years ago. We were drawn back to Michigan and the Lansing area in particular, because of the outstanding cost of living, excellent natural resources locally and within easy driving distance, and lots to do in a college town atmosphere. We also enjoy this area because it's centrally located in the state, with easy access to the Detroit, Grand Rapids, Chicago and 'Up North'. It has been a fantastic place to raise our 2 daughters who are currently students at GVSU and MSU.

In my previous jobs, I have mostly run sales teams from my home office in Haslett when not traveling. These jobs included selling PC products directly and through partners to corporate and academic customers, and for the last couple of years working directly for channel partner. I have always been a fan of the TechSmith products and people, so when this opportunity came up late in 2010, I competed for and was lucky enough to be chosen for this position. My commute has increased from 'just down the hall' to about 15 minutes, but it's really nice to be able to come to an office again and to interact with outstanding, energetic people. TechSmith really goes out of its way to make sure that the office experience is productive, collaborative, accommodating and fun!

As the lead User Experience Designer for Snagit for Windows at TechSmith, I'm responsible for having a deep understanding of our customers, products and business goals and applying that knowledge to craft positive user experiences through the design of our software. I combine principles of human behavior and human-centered design to create user interfaces that eventually end up on millions of desktops around the world. In my mind, I get paid to have fun doing what I love while working with extraordinarily smart and talented people every day. How cool is that?

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As a Software Install Engineer, I am responsible for the first thing our customers see. My job is to make an incredible first impression and then put our software products onto a user's system. Working closely with the Snagit product team to deliver a high quality product gives me ample opportunity to engage in new and exciting development challenges.

I collect data and research sales distribution, answer customer questions and place sales orders.

I am responsible for testing software that has been localized (translated) for French, German, Japanese and Korean markets and fixing bugs in the software that come up in this process.

I collect data and research sales distribution, answer customer questions and place sales orders.

I am responsible for managing media relations in target markets and industry sectors with a focus on the Camtasia family of screen recording and lecture capture products and Morae, our usability software.

I help in the design of various materials to further our customers’ knowledge of our software solutions. I work on video productions, graphic design, presentation materials and online media.