1. Sales Force Training
Part 1

2. **So, What Does The Application Look Like?** - High Level View
What Will We Cover
What is the Overall Aim of Our Trainings?
What is vFusion?
What is vFusion Not?
What Are the Features?
Who Are the Users?
**So, What Does The Application Look Like?** - High Level View
Who Are Our Competitors?
What Are the Benefits?
What Questions Should I Ask Prospects?
What Challenges Are Inherent in This Kind of Sale?
What Are the Common Questions We Have Internally?
How Can the Sales Team Share Information?
What Tips, Tools, and Takeaways Do You Have For Us?
What is the information flow?
What is the demo site detail?

3. What is the Overall Aim of Our Trainings?
For the Sales Force to be able to
“Say it in a Sentence”
and go from
“novice” to “nimble”
in as short a timeframe as possible.

4. What Is vFusion?
It is a system that stores, integrates, and manages all school (and district) information related to:
Student data (contact info, parent/guardian info, demographic info, course info, grade info, discipline info, afterschool course info…)
School data (terms, calendar, room types, sections, courses, grades)
Staff data (contact info, role information, teacher assignments)
Also….Transportation information, Library information, Guidance/Counseling information, HR/Finance information, Fee information, and Nursing information….
Everything educators and administrators need to manage information can be accessed, reported upon (through standard reports in the application), and managed through a single interface.
This one system can accommodate the needs of all K-12 enterprises, from single charter schools to the largest districts in the country.

5. What Is It NOT?
Supercruncher
Vantage SMPS

6. What Are the Main Features?
Core Components:
Student/Parent/Guardian Data Management
School/District Data Management (Calendar/Term)
Course/Section Management
Staff Data Management (Authorizations)
Scheduling
Attendance
Authorization
Gradebook
Teacher Portal
Student/Parent Portal
Communications
Optional Components:
School Nursing
Counseling Services
Library
Transportation
HR and Financials
Fee Management

7. Features: Technology Scalable and Web-based
Multi-Tier Architecture (illustrated on next slide)
Integrated modular structure (single data entry)
Easy customization
Multilanguage support
SIF Compliant

8. Features: System Multi-tier Architecture
This illustration of the multiple-level LEA (Districts and Sub-districts) structure shows that the application can support an infinite number of parent LEAs in the system, which is advantageous for state-level projects.

9. Features: Technological Environment
Development: Visual Studio .NET 2008
Backend Database: MS SQL Server 2008
Interface: Browsers powered with Ajax
Object/Relation Mapper: LinQ
Architecture: N-tier Architecture

10. Who Are the Users?
LEA (Local Educational Authority) Administrators and Departments
School Administrators and Departments
Staff
Teachers
Parents
Students

11. So, What Does the Application Look Like?

12. Who Are Our Competitors**?
Powerschool (Pearson, Chancery SMS)
SchoolMax
Infinite Campus
Sungard Pentamation
**This is not an exhaustive list

13. What Are the Benefits?
Single interface of student information, library, HR and financials, fee management, counseling, and transportation
Easy to Deploy - No software to install and no infrastructure to manage
Improve communication and decision making

14. What Questions Should I Ask Prospects?
What student information system (SIS) are you currently using?
How long have you been using this system? (in years)
Are you looking to replace your current SIS with a new SIS (is so, by when)? Or are you simply interested in seeing what other SIS products are out there in the marketplace?
What are your main areas of pain/concern with your current SIS?
What pain point(s) are you looking to resolve with an SIS?
Are you currently looking at other vendors as well? If so, which vendors?
TIP: 1) if the prospect uses acronyms; remember to get the description. This will help you conduct your research in prep for the presentation 2) find out exactly how much time they are going to allot to the discussion 15 mins; 30 mins, more?

15. What Challenges are Inherent in This Kind of Sale?
Not currently installed in the US
Customers comfortable with what they have even if it is not an ideal solution
These are multi-year implementations which means prospects may have a few years left on their current contract before they can purchase a new solution
The sales cycle is often a long one (takes a long time to close)
Prospects have many different needs when it comes to student data, so asking the right kind of follow up questions is key 15

16. What Are the Common Questions We Have Internally?
What is the cost?
Subscription cost per student for core component: TBD shortly
Cost for optional components (over and above the core): TBD shortly
Where are we installed?
Not installed in the US
Branded internationally as K12Net (in 650 schools; 1M students in the system)
Are we customizing?
For deals up to 500k:
No customizations on the application; application sold “as is”
If a customer wants customized reporting, they will get the iSeek reporting bundle *if* they purchase the full component set (core and optional)
For deals 500k+:
Customizations will be allowable (the platform upon which these customizations would be built will be a business decision made on a case by case basis)

17. How Can the Sales Team Share Information?
Share the following with each other in meetings or calls:
Lessons learned from sales presentations and/or conversations
Common questions that you hear in the field
Issues that may have come up in the discussion

18. What Tips, Tools, and Takeaways Do You Have For Us?
Training session slide deck
Sales Presentation (Master): 33 slides that include the screen prints of each component
Sales Presentation (Cut to the Chase): 10 slides that just cover the basics
Features Document
Reports List (report names and descriptions)
Competitor List
Competitor Pricing List
Part 2 Training: we will go a level deeper into the application and show the video that can be used for your presentation

19. What is the Information Flow?
Create School
Set up Staff
Basic information for the staff
Give assignment type
Assign staff to grades
Set up the School
Set up the Homerooms
Set up other room types
Set up the Calendar
Set up the term for the school year
Set up Sections
Courses
Sections that the courses fall into
Create Mark information and set mark info for sections
Authorizations (role/user-based)
Add Students
Student personal and contact information
Enroll students (enrollment to school happens automatically when the new student record is created)
Enroll student to the sections and courses
Attendance Codes 19

20. What is the demo site detail?
Districts/Sub-districts: 170
Schools: 199
Students: almost 200,000