Time to drink the Lotus KoolAid!

From tomorrow I'll be joining dozens of other interested people in attending the on-line IBM Top Gun Virtual Learning: Lotus Foundation class. (NB: This course covers the entire Lotus range - the word 'Foundation' in its title is misleading). This is three consecutive half-days of training across the entire Lotus product line. Here's the blurb:

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This IBM Top Gun Virtual Learning class provides a look at the Lotus offerings from a non-technical sales standpoint, focusing on what the products deliver and where they fit in the marketplace. An overview of the Lotus product strategy kicks off the class, building a framework for the more detailed product sessions to follow. Product features are explained and the types of customers to target are identified. This class can serve as a prerequisite for attending a face to face IBM Lotus Foundations Top Gun Class.

Topics include:
* Surveying the Overall Lotus Product Strategy
* Building an Understanding of the Lotus Product Family
* Identifying Target Customer Types
* Previewing Competitive Insights

Duration
The class is held on 3 consecutive days for 4 hours each day.

Audience
Any seller who needs to understand the Lotus portfolio, including Sales, Services, Business Partners, and non-software sellers who wish to enhance their sales by including Lotus Software.

Objectives
This class builds foundational skills and knowledge for enabling students to:
* Gain a basic understanding of the Lotus strategy.
* Understand the Lotus product offerings and their functions.
* Identify the target audience for Lotus products and solutions.
* Recognize potential opportunities for Lotus solutions early in the sales cycle.

Agenda
Day 1
* Lotus Software Strategy Overview
* Lotus Notes / Domino
Day 2
* Lotus Sametime / Unified Communications and Collaboration (UC²)
* Lotus Quickr
* Lotus Connections
Day 3
* WebSphere Portal
* Portal Accelerators
* Mashups
* Wrap-up and Final Test
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I've been selling and supporting Lotus software for over twenty years - that's no big deal, so have many other people - and the song sheet has changed a fair bit in that time. Time to make sure that I'm up to date with the current Top Ten Hits. If you sell any part of the Lotus portfolio and you want some street cred with IBM then maybe you need to check in for a music lesson also.

The bit that annoys me is that Day Three of the class is scheduled for the morning of Easter Friday. As an IT consultant I normally don't worry about Public Holidays, but Easter and Christmas carry a special significance far beyond the average Labor Day or Bank Holiday. I do think Lotus could have been a bit more sensitive on the timing.
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