Melquiades Aserón

It's not easy to put into words how I use these tools as I use them in combination with each other. I started with just rebuilding existing templates on Google Docs and Slides for the entire Sales team to use. I then started creating images on Slides (because they're quite easy to do there - imagine creating SVGs easily!) and fed them into Docs, as well as for use on Marketing posts on LinkedIn.

I then started using Google Vids to create introductory videos (Sales) and tutorials (Customer Success). As I learned how to extract thousands of contact leads from publicly-available data sets, I used Google Sheets to clean them up and share with the rest of the Sales team. This part of my lead-generation process is then completed with the use of Google Apps Script for initial outreach.

Having grown up with a love for technology and taking for granted tech skills that I've accumulated over the years, it still comes as a bit of a surprise to me that there are people who are not very adept (or interested) in technology, and that's where I come in - I help clients get what they need out of the technology, regardless of their level of understanding or interest.

But that's not enough - the technology itself needs to stay ahead of its competitors. I do my part by leveraging my client relationships in gaining knowledge of how to make the technology more responsive to the evolving needs of clients.

Clients can sense when someone has an excellent command of the product / service, and I found that the most effective way I can gain their trust and respect is by clearly demonstrating my mastery over it. After all, if they can't rely on the very person who represents the product / service, who can they rely on?

However, perfect knowledge does not exist, and so we must work with what we have. I do that by filling the gaps with other skills I have at my disposal, depending on the client. For example, I can take a candid approach and admit that I don't know with a client who is more understanding, reassuring them that I will find out and get back to them; on the other hand, I would need to carefully mask knowledge gaps with a more impatient client.

In order to properly sift through the ocean of information available, I am selective in terms of following sources of tech information, choosing those that provide quality information, while also keeping an open mind about niche sources to maintain a diverse source of information.

The ubiquity of Microsoft Office means that, even in today's world of endless choices, people can still collaborate across all platforms using files in the common .docx .xlsx .pptx formats.

What sets a regular user from a wiz, however, consists in knowing how to unlock the awesome powers hidden within these near-universal file formats, such Magical Merge Fields, Don't Do VLOOKUP, and Amazing Animations.

For an example, if a client receives an email through the tool which contains words that would trigger an automated workflow that was built into the system, I can express it as follows:

• [CASE WHEN Client_Request_Email IN("%Urgent%", "%ASAP%", "%Immediate%") AND Alert_Level != "Critical" THEN Alert_Level = "Critical" ELSE Alert_Level = "Business-as-usual" END]

The creativity involved in coming up with the code and the trial-and-error process is all part of the fun, but I always back up any pre-existing codes (and do all my testing on a test/staging site, if available), just in case anything goes south.