Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 20, 2020

Contrary to popular opinion, viral marketing has not eliminated the need for old-fashioned lead generation to bring customers to a startup. His professional background includes having held marketing-executive roles at big companies as well as startups. Email marketing. Direct mail marketing.

Custom 146

Custom Customer Marketing Startup 146

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 5, 2011

Most technology startups seem to be funded by product people or business people. Specifically what is often not in the DNA of founders are sales skills. The result is a lack of knowledge of the process and of sales people themselves. We focused together on improving our sales methodology, our training and our comp plans.

Sales 316

Sales Startup Pricing Custom 316

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 21, 2014

Since 2009 we’ve been in an unequivocal bull market. I do believe that we are in structural change where technology will increasingly play a bigger role in all facets of life so the long run up for tech is promising through all of these cycles. Growth markets have a way of fooling us all.

Marketing 354

Marketing Case Study Metrics Sales 354

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 10, 2020

The world of marketing is changing faster than technology these days. Winning entrepreneurs have long since supplemented conventional print and video “push” marketing with digital online interactive “pull” marketing, and a while back added social-local-mobile ( SoLoMo ) to the mix. Proactively seek out win-win alliances.

Mobile 173

Mobile Marketing Technical Review Startup 173

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 5, 2014

Marketing is everything these days. You can have the best technology, but if customers don’t know you exist, or they don’t know how your technology solves a real problem for them, your startup will fail. Yet I see many technology entrepreneurs that focus on the basics of marketing too little and too late.

Technical Review 103

Technical Review Tips Marketing Entrepreneur 103

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 31, 2010

This is part of my ongoing Sales & Marketing Series. In the first part of this post I talked about how sales in a startup is often evangelical , requires as consultative sale and needs constant adjustments based on customer feedback. We had 4 or 5 sales reps that had been around since the early days.

Sales 286

Sales Newsletter Technical Review Activity 286

Berkonomics

NOVEMBER 24, 2022

In one industry I know well, the dominant player with 22% market share was acquired by one of the largest companies in the technology world. What if you had abandoned that market, reallocated your resources, and focused instead upon other non–competitive geographical or industry segments? Quietly abandon a niche?

Resource 156

Resource Competition Examples Custom 156

Berkonomics

APRIL 19, 2012

Professional investors laugh when they hear an entrepreneur state, “We have no competition.” Perhaps buyers cannot obtain attractive financing in the current market. Maybe there is advance knowledge of new technologies around the corner that makes any decision today a risky one.

Competition 189

Competition Slides Sales Ideas 189

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 4, 2019

Marketing is everything these days. You can have the best technology, but if customers don’t know you exist, or they don’t know how your technology solves a real problem for them, your startup will fail. Yet I see many technology entrepreneurs that focus on the basics of marketing too little and too late.

Marketing 97

Marketing Entrepreneur Startup Technical Review 97

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 21, 2013

Even though I love technology, I always cringe when an entrepreneur starts his pitch by touting his new technology. He has forgotten that new technologies are perceived by most customers as causing more pain than the problems they hope to eliminate. Let me be clear – technology and market-driven need not be mutually exclusive!

Marketing 101

Marketing Technology Startup Custom 101

TechCrunch LA

APRIL 9, 2020

general manager ( Stefano Benatti ) — filled more orders in the first two months of 2020 than all its sales for 2019, according to Cevolini. The venture is also one of the few e-motorcycle companies drawing engineering tips from competition. Technology from the track is transferring to production models, according to Cevolini.

Technical Review 277

Technical Review Competition Demand Sales 277

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 29, 2010

Mark Zuckerberg seems to be me to be one of the most talented young technology professionals of his generation and seems to have an amazing vision for technology and product. Competitiveness - One attribute that I believe most VCs look for in entrepreneurs is competitiveness. Nobody can be super human all all fronts.

Competition 296

Competition Entrepreneur Startup GRP Partners 296

Tech.Co

SEPTEMBER 25, 2015

From apps to hardware, to KickStarter successes and international startups, we’re inching closer to finding out who will take home the title of Startup of the Year competition at our annual Celebrate Conference in October. Among the dozens of participants that applied for the online competitions, only a few progressed into the semifinals.

Competition 122

Competition Mobile Startup Technical Review 122

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 26, 2023

Every one of you business owners I know periodically introduces new products and services to sustain growth, fight off competitors, or take advantage of new technologies. The cost of any new product these days must include education and rollout marketing, perhaps equal or greater than the development costs.

Product 141

Product Services Technical Review Artificial Inteligence 141

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 2, 2022

There are no “overrides” – for example, businesses don’t thrive just because they offer the latest technology, or because everyone wants to be “green,” or because their goal is to reduce world hunger. The most common failures are solutions looking for a problem, lack of a defined market, or an inadequate revenue model. Target market.

Sales 102

Sales Custom Customer Outsource 102

Tech Zulu Event

MARCH 19, 2015

Technology is essential for businesses that want to gain an edge over competitors in today’s world. Computers and the Internet have now brought in a new era that relies on data to make profitable business decisions in the competitive environment. Cloud Services. Images via Shutterstock.

Competition 40

Competition Technology Social Media Tips 40

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 10, 2021

The world around us is being disrupted by the acceleration of technology into more industries and more consumer applications. Technology solutions are now used by authoritarians to monitor and control populations, to stymie an individual company’s economic prospects or to foment chaos through demagoguery. Hot, Flat & Crowded.”

Venture Capital 471

Venture Capital Writing Invest Pricing 471

socalTECH

OCTOBER 11, 2010

Last week, the University of Southern California 's Viterbi School of Engineering announced that it had established a new, business plan competition, the Maseeh Entrepreneurship Prize Competition ([link] specifically aimed at students in the engineering school. Why a business plan competition, and why in engineering school?

Competition 154

Competition Southern California Mentor USC 154

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 14, 2021

By definition, true innovations are things we haven’t seen yet, but here are a few pricing alternatives that have contributed to the success of companies I know, and I recommend for evaluation by every business leader: Charging a premium for your technology innovation. Offering a lower price to penetrate the market.

Pricing 145

Pricing Startup Competition Examples 145

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 20, 2023

Technical entrepreneurs love their technology, and often are driven to launch a startup on the assumption that everyone will buy any solution which highlights this technology. Instead, they need to validate a customer problem and real market need first. I say again, customers buy solutions, not technology.

Custom 110

Custom Customer Social Media Technology 110

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 3, 2023

Because the product plan is aimed internally, it can assume the reader has the relevant technology and jargon background. Here are the major elements of the best product plans: Market requirements section. These requirements must be based on market analysis, expert input, and existing customer feedback.

Product 112

Product Summary Activity Entrepreneur 112

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 10, 2023

Entrepreneurs need to document a process of responding to a market need, sizing opportunity, assigning a specific business model, and planning for marketing, sales, and customer satisfaction. Formalize the use of tools and information technology. Marketing, sales, support, and service operations.

Outsource Development 115

Outsource Development Startup Competition Ideas 115

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 14, 2018

I know all of this because every VC knows this because we’ve all either funded companies that have marketing technology or we’ve seen a pitch with a company that does this. Your pitch deck should really be your best marketing tool Your pitch deck shouldn’t contain your deepest, darkest secrets and plans. A deck is a deck.

Funding 239

Funding Venture Capital IP Email 239

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 20, 2015

Even though I love technology, I always cringe when an entrepreneur starts his investor pitch to me by touting his new technology. They have forgotten that new technologies are perceived by most customers as causing more pain than the problems they eliminate. Is your product tempered with actual market and customer feedback?

Technology 109

Technology Entrepreneur Custom Customer 109

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 11, 2019

According to what I see, as outlined by Surdak, this data surge is being driven by the following six technological and social trends: Mobility: smartphones, tablets, and the “Internet of things.” There is still infinite room for new startup sales modes and models. Look beyond today’s requirements for entire new market opportunities.

Technology 97

Technology Social Media Startup Entertainment 97

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 12, 2017

Marketing is everything these days. You can have the best technology, but if customers don’t know you exist, or they don’t know how your technology solves a real problem for them, your startup will fail. Yet I see many technology entrepreneurs that focus on the basics of marketing too little and too late.

Tips 75

Tips Marketing Technical Review Startup 75

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 13, 2014

Of course, one sale isn’t really enough, so you need to get the first customer to recommend you to a second, and make sure the rate of sales ramps up quickly enough to keep the business alive and growing. I still see too many entrepreneurs who build a product and spend lots of money because THEY are in love with the idea or technology.

Sales 99

Sales Custom Customer Entrepreneur 99

Tech.Co

MAY 31, 2023

But while competition remains fierce, the advancement and accessibility of smart solutions are making it easy than ever for startups to find their feet. Yet, with so many tools vying for the attention of business owners, navigating the over-saturated market can be overwhelming. Here are a couple of our favorites. From its 4.3-inch

Tool 128

Tool Startup Software Review Technical Review 128

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 31, 2012

It is with this backdrop that I was really happy to learn from my friend Ethan Anderson (HBS alum & founder of RedBeacon) about an awesome program at HBS run by Tom Eisenmann called Launching Technology Ventures. That student is Erin McCann who formerly worked in sales at Google, so she has some ground to stand on in her assertions.

Startup 319

Startup Sales Course Competition 319

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 26, 2014

Most technical entrepreneurs cringe when they finally realize that marketing is still king, despite the power of technology, and they are up against competitors who have a hundred times their spending power. The cost of entry to market on these is low, and marketing leverage has very little to do with the size of your budget.

Marketing 101

Marketing Startup Case Study Resource 101

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 20, 2014

Technical entrepreneurs love their technology, and often are driven to launch a startup on the assumption that everyone will buy any solution which highlights this technology. Instead, they need to validate a customer problem and real market need first. Customers buy solutions, not technology. Neither is positive.

Technology 114

Technology Startup Social Media Custom 114

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 23, 2012

Of course, one sale isn’t really enough, so you need to get the first customer to recommend you to a second, and make sure rate of sales ramps up quickly enough to keep the business alive and growing. I still see too many entrepreneurs who build a product and spend lots of money because THEY are in love with the idea or technology.

Sales 96

Sales Custom Customer Pricing 96

socalTECH

JULY 17, 2019

Five years ago, somebody in the market for a car might go to three or four dealerships before deciding which vehicle to purchase. So this is more augmented reality technology that VR? Gina Callari: That's our competitive advantage. That's not the case anymore. Gina Callari: I'm a little biased. READ MORE>>.

Sales 124

Sales Research Content Edmunds 124

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 4, 2022

It takes a long immersion in the marketplace for someone to be a true insider, understand the subtleties of the competitive landscape, recognize the people who are true assets (independent of titles), and look through the propaganda of technical collateral and PR campaigns. The sales professional. The financial suit.

Technical Advisors 123

Technical Advisors Startup Outsource Development High Tech 123

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 5, 2020

Constant search for ways to increase sales and profitability. More sales are the only way to reach real business success. Entrepreneurs relish change and new technology, which lead to new sales. Maintain a meaningful competitive advantage. For any company to be successful, it must dominate a market or niche.

Entrepreneur 117

Entrepreneur Sales Custom Customer 117

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 11, 2020

I’m not talking about just making incremental improvements in their products and processes, but more fundamental changes to the business model, such as the following: Announce a new market launch that fits your core competency. You didn’t wait until a new market was totally proven before entering. Remember when you were a startup?

Custom 143

Custom Customer Examples IBM 143

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 12, 2017

Even though I love technology, I always cringe when an entrepreneur starts an angel investor pitch to me by touting his new technology. They have forgotten that new technologies are perceived by most customers as causing more pain than the problems they eliminate. Keep it simple and easy to use.

Technology 53

Technology Custom Customer Marketing 53