Fred Wright Nix, Jr.
Marietta, GA
(404) 428-8000
frednix@hotmail.com

CAREER SUMMARY:
Throughout his 15 years in the technology industry Fred has led multiple companies through complex business integrations and reorganizations. Fred consistently rises to the top ranks of the organizations he assists. Beginning in the United States Army, and now working in the private sector, Fred continues to use his leadership abilities and unsurpassed integrity to motivate team members to complete complex programs successfully.

Business Leadership Skills:
        Skilled liaison between Executive Management, User Communities and Technical Staff
        Proven Leadership abilities
        Customer Focused
        "Can Do!" get it done, NEVER lose attitude

Program Management Skills:
        Bore full responsibility for several $10M+ Programs successfully
        Extensive Program Planning and Management
        Program Status Tracking/Reporting to Executive Management / Board
        Change Management Tracking and Implementation

Business Development Skills:
        Proven Technical Sales abilities
        Solutions based focus
        Experience closing multi-million dollar contracts

Technical Skills:
        User Requirements Analysis
        Business Case to Technical Requirements conversions
        Microsoft and Unix Environments
        Business Integration Platforms
        Web and Client / Server Environments
        B2B and B2C Commerce
        Legacy Environments
        Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE) since 1995

CAREER HISTORY:
GT Software - Professional Services Management Consultant - March 2002 to present
Responsible for the reorganization of the Engineering function within the Professional Services Division. Currently working with Professional Services staff to deliver tightly integrated, high value services to customers while increasing company revenues. Developed the Top 120 List of Do's and Don'ts for Professional Services / Pre-Sales Consultants published at http://www.frednix.com/interest.htm.

Vitria - Professional Services Consultant / Pre-Sales Support - January 2001 to March 2002
Responsible for Program Management and Pre-Sales support for the southeast region. Worked as a Program Manager at BellSouth to implement multi-million, multi-year business integration programs. Managed customer's expectations, emotions, and involvement through business integrations, software implementations, upgrades, new sales, and system outages. Led program status meetings and presented program status reports to technical and executive management. Provided a consistent and predictable path to manage customer product issues to satisfactory resolution. Acted as liaison between customer and vendors. Responsible for successful implementation of solution from the initial pilot to full production rollout. Was brought in to a failing program and turned the program and customer relationship around, resulting in further product and professional services sales.

Verso Technologies - January 1998 to January 2001
Founder & Program Director - One of five original founders. Managed multiple multi-million dollar programs for Fortune 250 companies. Managed and created a VPN Management Network for Sprint. Managed full life cycle Y2K program for HealthSouth. Managed a MS Terminal Server rollout to ~7,500 users for TSYS and Link Information Systems. Managed MS Exchange migration from Lotus Notes, Office Vision, and CC: Mail for ~1,000 users at Federated Department Stores. Managed and implemented an automated application rollout to ~25,000 users. Provided MS SNA server connectivity for Token Ring to mainframe for ~1,000 users at Link Information Systems. Migrated an IBM Token Ring network to Fore ATM network backbone at Link Information Systems. Heavily involved with Business Development in landing multi-million dollar contracts. Again, turned several failing programs around and completed them successfully.

Business Development - Worked closely with multiple sales people to develop more than $8M of revenue. This revenue was generated from a mixture of technical professional services and product sales. Packaged Verso's offerings into highly marketable solutions. Trained a dozen sales people to understand company's offerings. Used strong "white-boarding" skills for presenting to prospects and clients. Provided dozens of demonstrations and presentations to all levels of management to potential and existing customers.

Kilpatrick Stockton, L.L.P. - Senior Consultant / Technical Lead - October 1995 to January 1998
Technical Lead of 10 Microsoft NT consultants responsible for maintenance and service of ~30 MS NT Servers 3.51 & 4.0 in eight U.S. cities. The team supports ~2,000 users in eight cites. Respected as the final "Go-to-guy" for any "unsolvable problems". BackOffice servers include: MS Exchange 5.0, MS SMS 1.2, PC DOCs, MS SQL 6.5, MS IIS 3.0, MS Mail 3.2, File and Print servers. Integrated 450 Banyan Streettalk email users with 500 MS Mail users using SMTP gateway. Converted 450 users from Banyan Streettalk Email to MS Mail 3.2. Program managed the migration of 500 WFWG users to Win95. Program managed the migration of 1,000 MS Mail users to Exchange 5.0. Integrated new Internet domain name to network to support new firm name, including email. Integrated Banyan Vines and NT servers using StreetTalk for NT to expedite removal of Banyan network. Implemented and Managed Exchange server with seven co-existing MS Mail Postoffices. Integrated automated system that manages 900+ global email systems. Created pager-alerting system for ~30 NT servers. System alerts engineer to trouble using text pagers. Integrated VSI Video Conferencing System for three remote cities.

Medaphis Corporation - New Technologies Program Manager - January 1994 to October 1995
Network Administrator supporting ~500 users in Novell / NT network. Deployed MS Mail 3.2 to ~3,000 users in ~30 cities. Configured MTAs, Dirsync, Dispatch, and SMTP. Integrated / managed three Exchange servers with ~30 MS Mail Post offices. Integrated Citrix NT LAN "thin-client" and remote access solution. Developed MS Access Payroll System that supported ~500 employees until the PeopleSoft integration.

Auburn University Division of Computing - Computer Tech - January 1992 to December 1993
Supported eight student computer labs on campus containing Windows and Macintosh computers. Responsible for answering computer questions for end users, students and professors. Responsible for upkeep and maintenance for ~200 machines.

United States Army - 91 Whiskey (Combat Medic) - January 1990 to January 1998
Completed Basic Training at Fort Jackson, SC in 1990. Then completed Medical School at Fort Sam Houston, TX to become an Infantry Combat Medic (91-Whiskey). Graduated Medic School as platoon "Guide-On" which is first in class, carried platoon flag a front of formation (an honor). Responsible for immediate emergency health care of ~200 soldiers. Honorably discharged DD-214 in 1998.

EDUCATION HISTORY:

U.S. Army Basic Training - Graduated 1990
U.S. Army Combat Medic School - Graduated 1991
B.S. in Business Administration, Management Information Systems, Auburn University - Graduated 1994
Managing Business Development, MBDi Inc. completed in 2000
MCSE completed in 1996
Ongoing Dale Carnegie student

Fred Wright Nix, Jr.

Marietta , GA 30066

Phone: 404-428-8000

Email: frednix@hotmail.com

Formal Education

Auburn University - Auburn, AL. B.S. in Business Administration, Management Information Systems (1994)

United States Army - Fort Sam Houston, TX. Completed Basic training & Infantry Combat Medic School (1992)

"People Skills" ("most important & hardest to find")

I have been a Dale Carnegie student for several years; How to Win Friends & Influence People.

Mixed with my Dale Carnegie skills, I have also been to MBDi sales training.

These skills mixed together with my technical ability allow me to talk to CEO/CIO's and heavily technical people within the same meeting. I can go back and forth on the fly and "speak both languages" at the appropriate time.

Experience

GT Software - Atlanta, GA March 11, 2002 to present.

Accomplishments:

Just started...stay tuned...

Vitria - Atlanta, GA April 23, 2001 to present

Presales Business Developer: Responsible for Presales support for the Southeastern region.

Accomplishments:

Worked closely as a presales resource at a large Telco customer in Atlanta to generate $3.7 million in further licenses. These were licenses ordered/used after the original sale.

Managed customer's expectations, emotions, and involvement through our software implementations, upgrades, new sales, and system outages.

Presented sales presentations to technical staff and executives.

Provided a consistent and predictable path to customer issue resolutions pre and post sale.

Provided the diplomatic liaison between customers and Vitria pre and post sale.

Responsible for the successful implementation of Vitria's solutions from the initial pilot to full production rollout.

"Can Do!" get it done, NEVER lose attitude.

Verso Technologies (formerly Eltrax Systems, Inc., formerly Windward Technology Group Inc.)- Atlanta, GA January 1998 to April 2001

Co-Founder of Windward Technology Group, Inc. Windward was sold to Verso Technology (NASDAQ: VRSO) in May 1999.

Presales Business Developer: Responsible for Presales support for Eastern half of United States.

Accomplishments:

Worked closely with multiple sales people to develop more than 8+ million dollars of revenue in 2000. This revenue was generated from a mixture of technical professional services and product sales.

Packaged many of Verso's offerings into highly marketable solutions that our sales people easily sale.

Comfortable speaking and presenting to "C level" positions as well as technical people, even within the same meeting.

Cross-trained my sales people to technically understanding Verso's products.

Developed strong "white-boarding" skills for presenting to prospects and clients.

Provided dozens of demonstrations and presentations to all levels of management to potential and existing customers.

Southeastern Project Director: Managed multiple multi-million dollar projects for several Fortune 500 companies.

Accomplishments:

Created Proof of Concept Lab for a one million user VPN network for a large telephony company.

Managed Y2K project from beginning to end for the largest healthcare company on the planet.

MS Terminal Server rollout to 5,000+ users. Two clients, one in banking, one in the transportation industry.

MS Exchange migration from Lotus Notes, Office Vision, and CC: Mail for 1,000+ users.

Implemented MS SMS to automate application rollout to 25,000+ users.

MS SNA server connectivity for Token Ring to mainframe, 1,000+ users.

IBM Token Ring network migration to Fore ATM network backbone.

Heavily involved with Business Development in landing multi-million dollar opportunities.

XL Connect - Atlanta, GA October 1997 to January 1998

Microsoft Team Consultant

Worked at customer site responsible for 29 NT 3.51 and 4.0 Servers.

Server services include Lotus Notes, WINS, DHCP, F&P, IIS, & Internet access.

Planned network upgrade strategy for monitoring, standards, and future growth.

Preparing to begin migration of 30+ Banyan servers to NT (to total 60+ NT Servers) in January 1998.

Kilpatrick Stockton LLP - Atlanta, GA October, 1995 to October 1997

Senior Consultant Technical Lead

Technical Lead for ten Microsoft NT technicians responsible for maintenance and service of 28+ MS NT Servers 3.51 & 4.0 in eight U.S. cities.

The team supports 1,000+ users on WFWGs and Windows 95 in eight cites. I was the final "Go-to guy" for any "unsolvable network problems".

BackOffice servers include: MS Exchange 5.0, MS SMS 1.2, PC DOCs, MS SQL 6.5, MS IIS 3.0, MS Mail 3.2, File and Print servers.

Accomplishments:

Integrated 450 Banyan Streettalk email users with 500 MS Mail users using SMTP gateway pre-conversion

Converted 450 users from Banyan Streettalk Email to MS Mail 3.2

Project managed the migration of 500 WFWG users to Win95.

Project managed the migration of 1000 MS Mail users to Exchange 5.0.

Integrated new Internet domain name to network to support new Firm name, including email.

Integrated Banyan Vines and NT servers using Streettalk for NT to expedite removal of Banyan network.

Implemented and Managed Exchange server with seven co-existing MS Mail Postoffices.

Integrated automated system that manages 900+ global email systems.

Created pager-alerting system for 28+ NT servers. System alerts engineer to trouble using text pagers.

Integrated VSI Video Conferencing System for 3 national cities.

Medaphis Corporation - Atlanta, GA May 1994 to October 1995

New Technologies Project Manager

Network Administrator supporting 450 users in Novell / NT network.

Accomplishments:

Deployed MS Mail 3.2 to 3000+ users in ~30 cities. Configured MTAs, Dirsync, Dispatch, and SMTP.

Integrated / Managed three Exchange servers with 30+ MS Mail Post offices

Integrated Citrix NT LAN "thin-client" and remote access solution.

Developed MS Access payroll system that supported 450 employees until People Soft integration.

Auburn University Division of Computing - Auburn, AL January 1993 to February 1994

Lab Technician

Supported eight Student computer labs on campus.

Supported Windows 3.1 and Macintosh.

Responsible for answering lab questions for end users, students and professors.

Accomplishments:

Installed several Novell network based computer labs for student users

Responsible for maintenance for 200+ IBM and MAC personal computers

PC support for all eight Auburn University computer labs across campus

United States Army - Columbia, SC and Fort Sam Houston, TX January 1991 to 1998 (as a Reservist)

91-Bravo Infantry Combat Medic

Completed Basic Training in Columbia, SC in 1990.

Trained to become an Infantry Combat Medic supporting four platoons of 50.

Responsible for immediate emergency health care of soldiers.

Accomplishments:

Completed Combat Medic School

Graduated Medic School as platoon "guide-on" which is first in class, carried platoon flag a front of formation.

Honorably Discharged DD-214 in 1998

Career Technical Summary

MCSE Certifications : NT Server 3.51, NT Workstation 3.51, Exchange 4.0, 5.0, 5.5, Windows 95, MS Mail 3.2, and Basic Networking ("Once a doctor, always a doctor.")

Operating Systems : Solaris 8.0, 7.0, 2.5.1, 2.6, 2.7, 8.0, RedHat Linux 4.2, 5.0, 5.1, 5.2, 6.0, 6.1, 6.2, 7.0, 7.2, Caldera Linux 2.3, Caldera eServer 2.3, SCO 5.4.1, Windows NT Server 3.1, 3.51, 4.0, & 2000, Windows NT Work Station 3.51, 4.0, & 2000, Windows NT Terminal Server Edition 4.0, Windows 98, Windows 95, WFWG 3.11.

BackOffice Servers : MS Terminal Server, MS Exchange Server 4.0 & 5.0, 2000, MS Proxy 1.0 & 2.0, MS Mail Enterprise 3.2, Internet Information Server 2.0, 3.0, & 4.0, MS SMS Server 1.2, Lotus Notes 4.5a, Citrix Winframe 1.7, and Borderware Firewalls, PeopleSoft.

Protocols : TCP/IP, NWLink, IPX/SPX, NetBEUI, PPP, SLIP, PPTP, SMTP, POP3, LDAP, VPN, Firewalls (multiple brands), Token Ring

References available on request!

Fred's Top 130+ Do's and Don'ts for Presales Business Developers

Compiled by Fred Nix

These are some of the rules I follow in my role as a Presales Business Developer.

I have compiled, not authored these rules.

Please feel free to use these rules in your daily sales activities.

Some of these rules may sound strange out of context, so e-mail me with questions.

If you do use them, I ask that you send me an e-mail letting me know how they were used, and if they were helpful.

Best Regards, Fred Nix

1. The Presales role is the hardest job in business development.

2. What you do is never easy. You should never say, "Oh, that's easy" in response to a prospect's problem.

3. Presales engineers never discuss, hint or joke about products and services pricing.

4. When meeting with a prospect talk 10% of the time.

5. Shut up and listen. When you do talk it should be a question.

6. Never disagree with the prospect, even when they are clearly wrong.

7. Stick to the predetermined meeting plan that you and the rep agreed on before the meeting.

8. Remember and also use your hand signals, especially: "You are talking too much".

9. Use customer success stories naturally in conversations with prospects.

10. Ask questions and follow them up with drill-down follow-up questions.

11. Never prescribe your products solution to the prospects problem before the diagnosis is made - Prospects don't believe the headache they have is cancer.

12. Never bring up your product's names until the prospect asks about them.

13. Be ready to articulate the prospect's solution at the right time.

14. Be able to justify the solution at the right time.

15. Never interrupt anybody (rep or prospect). The prospect can interrupt you at any time.

16. Don't prematurely solve the prospect's business problem.

17. Don't prematurely make the prospect feel better about their business problem.

18. Never train a prospect during a sales effort.

19. "It" is never about us - "it" is always about the prospect.

20. Reply to personal questions briefly and return with a similar personal question. Let them talk.

21. Your solution is never overkill for the prospect's business problem.

22. Dress in professional attire and look the part.

23. Be ready to give the technical and executive whiteboards at a moments notice. Practice adapting your whiteboard to the prospect's environment.

24. Know three ways your solution can provide ROI for a prospect.

25. "Sync to Sales" daily and always be "Account Smart".

26. Listen for new prospect requirements and report the opportunities back to product development.

27. Know the "People, Process, Platform / Plan, Build, Run" Matrix.

28. Know how you differentiate yourself from your competitors.

29. Get these three questions answered to close a deal:
  a. Why should the prospect do something?
  b. Why should the prospect do something now?
  c. Why should the prospect choose you?

30. Aspirin gets funded, Vitamins do not.

31. People make rational decisions based on emotions.

32. Get the prospect to pick you and let them reinforce their decision.

33. Always align your solutions to the prospect's problem, not the other way around.

34. Ask, "Why is that important to you?" often - even if you already know why it is important.

35. The Presales role never send prospects contract agreements and rarely, if ever, signs documents.

36. You are the person primarily responsible for your own safety.

37. When you innovate people will resist you.

38. Prospects are tired of educating vendors. Get smart on your own time.

39. Making progress doesn't matter if you still came in second place.

40. Figuring out what hill to climb is more important than the hill in front of you.

41. Is your prospect a "Market Leader", "Client Intimate" or "Low Cost Provider" business model?

42. Do what you say and say what you do.

43. There are no rules, win at all costs.

44. Never assume.

45. If you had to identify, in one word, the reason why the human race has not achieved, and never will achieve, its full potential, that word would be "meetings".

46. Do not confuse your career with your life.

47. When trouble arises and things look bad, there is always one individual who perceives a solution and is willing to take command. Very often, that individual is crazy.

48. To spot an expert, pick the one who predicts the job will take the longest and cost the most.

49. New systems generate new problems.

50. Prospects don't always know what they want, but they do know for certain what they do not want.

51. A goal without a plan is just a wish.

52. When you are asked a question by a prospect pause first. The prospect's colleague may answer the question for you. The colleague's opinion matters more than yours.

53. Pioneers get the arrows, and the Settlers get the corn.

54. Learn to love change.

55. Be a technology pragmatist.

56. Upgrade your own brain.

57. Prospects will pay a premium for your solution if you solve their problem and you are easy to do business with.

58. Response time to important customers must be fast. You have to be fast with important customers because you can't be fast with everyone.

59. Have fun. If your not having fun, you are doing something wrong.

60. Prospects don't want to know what is wrong with "it", they just want "it" fixed.

61. Activity is not accomplishment.

62. Never waste another person's time or money.

63. To the prospect, the problem is always you.

64. You will work harder on your own goals than anyone else's. Set goals for yourself.

65. There are only two motivators: Fear and the lack of Fear.

66. You get paid to go to therapy every day in business development.

67. There are no unreasonable goals, only unreasonable time frames.

68. Defend your limitations and sure enough, they are yours.

69. Business development is all about politics. So is the second grade.

70. If you don't have a plan, you are a part of someone else's plan.

71. Always work the right end of the problem.

72. Don't practice mistakes.

73. Your meter is always running.

74. You can't listen yourself out of business.

75. Be professionally involved and emotionally detached.

76. Everyday you do business with someone you are one day closer to ending it.

77. It is more important to know why Prospects buy than how people sell.

78. When people feel 'not ok' and want to feel 'ok', they will get somebody else to feel 'not ok'.

79. Leave your child at home with your mother.

80. You can't get mad at someone for doing to you what you didn't tell them they couldn't do.

81. Companies don't purchase, people purchase from people.

82. The problem the prospect tells you about is never the real problem.

83. The person asking the questions is in control. Don't you agree?

84. People love to talk about themselves - let them. Don't waste time telling them about you - they don't care anyway.

85. Just because you have it doesn't mean the Prospect needs it.

86. People with the most intellectual interest in your product are not the decision makers.

87. Don't ever put your future in someone else's hands.

88. Pain is the great motivator.

89. No one will get mad at you for doing something you asked permission to do.

90. People do things for their reasons, never for yours.

91. Lead people. Manage situations.

92. People perform their roles in life consistently with how they see themselves as an individual.

93. You can't unlearn that which has been learned incorrectly.

94. Listen for, follow, and agree with the prospect's biases.

95. Money, just like water, finds its way through the cracks.

96. It is better to have a motivated buyer than a motivated seller.

97. Only mediocre people are at their best every single day.

98. Prospects spend money in direct proportion to the amount of pain they are in.

99. You are in the problem solving, money-making business.

100. Business development is the process of leading people to make decisions.

101. Fear = False Evidence Appearing Real.

102. There are no stupid questions, but there are a lot of inquisitive idiots.

103. Most technology innovations go no where.

104. The only verbal agreements that are worth anything are the ones backed up on paper.

105. People only remember the parts of the conversation that matter to them.

106. The best Leaders inspire people by example.

107. What separates humans from animals is our ability to justify our actions, even the selfish actions.

108. You will spend 2½ hours each day just looking for information.

109. In a contest between perception and reality, reality doesn't stand a chance.

110. Prospects buy the wrong solution every day.

111. The worst thing about computers is that they do exactly what you tell them to do.

112. Don't ask someone if they like paintings, show them a painting and then ask them if they like it.

113. It is OK not to have all the answers. Sometimes it is best if you "don't know" everything.

114. Set and manage expectations with everyone that you come in contact with.

115. Doing a great "dog and pony show" only wins you the right to show the "dog and pony show" to someone else.

116. Don't fix your vulnerability with your vulnerability.

117. Everything you do raises or lowers your R.O.E. (Return On Energy)

118. There is no phase two. Sell everything in phase one.

119. Get more baskets.

120. Don't make the easy things hard and the hard things easy.

121. Prospects are not asking which solution is the latest and greatest, but asking what minimum solution is necessary to meet their commitments.

122. Your instincts about people are usually right.

123. You only get one first impression when meeting someone - don't blow it.

124. The more of an expert someone tries to convince you they are, the less likely they are an expert.

125. Interested is interesting. Demonstrate that interest by listening intently to what the prospect has to say.

126. Hearing is not Listening.

127. Negative selling downgrades your own stock.

128. Have a goal for the day, every day.

129. Never laugh at a prospect's problem, no matter how funny their situation may be.

130. Cut the problem in half every time you take action.

131. Most people within an organization only have the ability to say "No" to your solution.

132. Prospects will only buy from you when you show them results they would rather have than their money.

133. If a Prospect contacts you to fill out an RFP, the Prospect already knows who he is going to buy, he just needs you to fill it out so he can say he did a full investigation.