Yay...go me!

[alkemyst]

My company wants to get more into Apple items and we are a lower level Apple Partner (we are a top Cisco, Microsoft and many other partners) so they put out the call for some of us to pick up certs....

Got this over the weekend. The Apple Sales training was pretty good. Learned quite a bit. It's awesome it's all online.

Congratulations! You’ve achieved the special recognition of an Apple Sales Professional (ASP) in the Apple Sales Training Online program—the highest level of recognition.

Here is what you can expect to receive as a Sales Professional:

-An emailed certificate and entry into a raffle to win prizes in 2012.

The PDF certificates are emailed on a quarterly basis. Members who achieve the ASP recognition in January, will receive their certificates at the beginning of the next quarter, in April. The raffle will occur once, in January 2012.

Again, congratulations on this excellent accomplishment!

Sincerely,

The Apple Sales Training Team

Cool thing is by passing the MobileMe training I got a free MobileMe account, passing the full sales cert I got another one. That's a pretty nice perk.

Anyone else doing Apple certs.

 

[ViRGE]

What exactly is there to it? If you're not under any kind of NDA or the like, I'm curious what it is Apple is teaching you.

 

[Emulex]

you get tons of schwag for being cert'd. I think i got 3 ipad last year from cisco and we're not even on the radar as a partner (small).

So how much more do you have to do to become a genius? What does the company get? I know some of those cert's net several points backend.

I must have about a dozen certs for sales by now lol.

is there a good app to let you know when its time to re-cert up?

 

[alkemyst]

What exactly is there to it? If you're not under any kind of NDA or the like, I'm curious what it is Apple is teaching you.

I am not sure what you mean. You have to be a partner to begin with I believe.

There are classes on everything Apple has geared to Sales...there are also technical ones but those require testing center tests.

For the iPad2, you learn the key points that make it different, you learn how to identify your customer and target their needs, you learn what runs on it and what doesn't, etc.

Things like what version of Exchange are possible are really important.

 

[alkemyst]

you get tons of schwag for being cert'd. I think i got 3 ipad last year from cisco and we're not even on the radar as a partner (small).

So how much more do you have to do to become a genius? What does the company get? I know some of those cert's net several points backend.

I must have about a dozen certs for sales by now lol.

is there a good app to let you know when its time to re-cert up?

ASP is the top level sales cert. APP is the lower one. You need 12000 points for ASP.

Re-certing is done by getting a certain number of points each calendar year.

 

[ViRGE]

For the iPad2, you learn the key points that make it different, you learn how to identify your customer and target their needs, you learn what runs on it and what doesn't, etc.

Things like what version of Exchange are possible are really important.

Thanks, that's exactly what I was asking about.

 

[Ka0t1x]

Congrats.


I was thinking about doing the Server ones. (Couple guys at work have a few certs, so access to materials are free).. But no dedicated server machine (for sale) and upcoming Lion release made me slow down on that decision.

I would like to go the Deployment route.. which encompasses... almost everything.

http://training.apple.com/#certification

 

[alkemyst]

These are what I passed so far

AppleCare Protection Plan PDT9050
AppleCare Protection Plan for iPad PDT9053
Demo the Essentials: Movies DEM1002
Demo the Essentials: New to Mac DEM1000
Demo the Essentials: Photos DEM1001
Demo the Essentials: iPad 2 DEM1111
Introducing AirPort Express INT8012
Introducing Mac Pro INT1010
Introducing Mac mini INT1004
Introducing Mac mini with Snow Leopard Server INT1005
Introducing MacBook INT1003
Introducing MacBook Air INT1019
Introducing Magic Trackpad INT1012
Introducing MobileMe INT1007
Introducing Snow Leopard INT9095
Introducing Time Capsule INT9006
Introducing iLife ’11 INT1018
Introducing iMac INT1011
Introducing iPhone 4 INT1006
Introducing iTunes 10 INT1017
Introducing iWork INT9003
Introduction to Apple ABX1010
Mac Desktops Family PDT1091
MacBook Family Overview MBF1101
Selling MobileMe MME1002
Selling iLife '11 PDT1098
Selling iPad SELPAD1121
Selling iPhone PHN1019
Selling the MacBook Family MBF1102
Selling to Small and Medium Business SSM1001
Windows to Mac Migration HWT9010
iLife '11 Overview PDT1099
iPad Overview OVRPAD1101
iPad in Business Overview BIZPAD1101
iPhone Overview PHN1017
iPhone and iPad Technical Training for Enterprise: Business Integration ITE1101
iPhone and iPad Technical Training for Enterprise: Overview ITE1100
iWork for iPad PAD1004
Demo the Essentials Photos Secret Code/Bonus

 

[alfa147x]

What's the cost on all of those?

 

[alkemyst]

Sales training is free for partners. Technically training is free, but the tests have to be done at a testing center with a fee.

 

[AnyMal]

MobileMe is hardly a "perk"; it's more of a rip-off or "Apple tax" if you will. Android users have all those features and then some, at no extra cost.

 

[Patranus]

MobileMe is hardly a "perk"; it's more of a rip-off or "Apple tax" if you will. Android users have all those features and then some, at no extra cost.

Apparently you have never used MobileMe.
Try getting someone who is computer illiterate to use Google services and then compare that with how quickly they can use MobileMe.

 

[ubercaffeinated]

MobileMe is hardly a "perk"; it's more of a rip-off or "Apple tax" if you will. Android users have all those features and then some, at no extra cost.

at their 99 a year asking price it is a rip off. but at their 60 buck for 1 year prices, it has been more than worth it. i haven't found/seen a better photo gallery service than the one provided by mobile me. also their all in one sync/push is amazing if you use iOS devices and sync over the air to a mac.

i've had their service two years running, and i feel it's WAY more worth it than say... paying for xbox live gold for the xbox - which i subscribe to anyway because i <3 halo reach.

 

[alkemyst]

MobileMe is hardly a "perk"; it's more of a rip-off or "Apple tax" if you will. Android users have all those features and then some, at no extra cost.

Yeah and Linux can do most of what windows does. For me my time is FAR more valuable.

 

[Emulex]

Sales training is free for partners. Technically training is free, but the tests have to be done at a testing center with a fee.

are the tests online or at prometrics?

 

[alkemyst]

should have been Technical Training is free in the last sentence.

Tests are all online for sales training. All at a testing center for the technical.

 

[AnyMal]

Apparently you have never used MobileMe.
Try getting someone who is computer illiterate to use Google services and then compare that with how quickly they can use MobileMe.

I have used MobileMe and it's nice, but not $99 nice. Google services are just as easy to use, you sign in once and you're done, not to mention there is no need to ever connect your phone to the computer. In terms of usefulness Google services are way ahead of Apple.

 

[Pliablemoose]

I have used MobileMe and it's nice, but not $99 nice. Google services are just as easy to use, you sign in once and you're done, not to mention there is no need to ever connect your phone to the computer. In terms of usefulness Google services are way ahead of Apple.

I keep reading rumors about how MM will be free, I really wish they'd just do it. I'd like to have the option of storing my crap on 2 different clouds for free.

 

[manly]

What exactly is there to it? If you're not under any kind of NDA or the like, I'm curious what it is Apple is teaching you.

Honestly, the sales training is not much. Philosophically it tries to depict the Apple way or integrated ecosystem. At a nuts and bolts level, it covers mostly fundamentals so that a salesperson doesn't resort to BS'ing to a potential buyer.