Now A Friend Of Red Gate
I am a Friend of Red Gate
Software companies reach out to people or prospects in more ways than one. Cold-calling is a thing of the past. “Webvertisements” and other media of advertising have become commonplace. The goals of any software vendor are focused in two-fold pursuit: To give benefits to the customers through services or products on one hand and profit on the other. It should be in that order – customers come first before profit.
Customer First Before Profit
Red Gate Software fully understands this rule. They reach out beyond their walls and provide the community the chance to appreciate the software that they create without the usual limitations such as “trial period” or paid developer versions of the product. This is where the Red Gate’s program “Friends Of Red Gate” comes in the picture. “The purpose of the program is to give valued people in the community the chance to use and review Red Gate’s tools, allowing them to become better informed about the capabilities of the products and, therefore, able to help others who are having problems which could be solved using Red Gate’s tools.“
Communicating Better Information
The keyword here is better information. This is fair game and the advantages weigh more on the customers’ side. Product information should not be communicated via three-page whitepapers loaded with highfalutin technical terms and descriptions of the product. Study cases that are meant to highlight features and usability of the product are oftentimes biased. I am just saying that because that is how it seems to me.
Unconstrained Product Evaluation
The biggest benefit that the “Friends of Red Gate” program delivers is the offer of an unrestricted product evaluation. Trial Product Period does not prove long term usability of the product. One can have a better look and feel of the product if he is free to evaluate without restrictions. I have just repeated that and I can’t stress that enough.
Community Contribution and Responsibility
Customers and prospects should be given the right and honest information they need – no holds barred. This is the paramount responsibility of the “Friends Of Red Gate”. The mission is not to back-scratch Red Gate but to use and evaluate their products in their intended use and provide the results to the community. As Friends of Red Gate, we are expected to render objective opinion and appraisal of the product.
Friend Of Red Gate Benefit
I received a License of the SQL Toolbelt bundle as a member of the Friends of Red Gate Program. Our main purpose is to communicate with the community the problems that are solved by using Red Gate’s tools. One example of this is the blog post of K. Brian Kelley (Blog | Twitter) about Red Gate’s SQL Data Generator. This is what I am looking forward to also. I expect that becoming a “Friend Of Red Gate” will make me more efficient in training and learning more about SQL Server and more solid in gaining knowledge to share with the community.
More information on the “Friends Of Red Gate” program is found in in Red Gate’s community relations page. For inquiries and application or any questions related to the program send email to friends [at] red-gate [dot] com.
I think these types of programs really separate the “new school” vendors from the old ones. Getting software in the hands of professionals like yourself who constantly give back to the community by creating content, putting together videos, how-tos, and other hands on material is the way software decisions are made.
Old school vendors who are still stuck in the “ask your salesperson if you run into any problems” or the dreaded “support is only available to licensed customers, not evaluators” will surely fall by the wayside as newer generations of workers expect to see products running with real world sized data before they decide.
Congratulations on making the cut, too.
@Karen
You’re right! Programs such as this will certainly define new set of rules in the customer service field. They will impact customer service in positive ways
-Marlon