Berkonomics

MAY 16, 2019

There are five niches you can chose when defining your positioning strategy: price, quality, service, innovation, and elegance. Pricing strategies differentiate your business. First, and easiest to understand, is creating differentiation by price. Most anyone else can meet or beat your price any time they wish.

Company 120

Company Companies Pricing Competition 120

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 30, 2022

Switch your attention from product development to sales. Second-stage growth usually requires a formal sales model, an experienced and disciplined sales team, and a well-defined process to meet your new goals and demands. Leaders are needed to coach each salesperson, keep the team on message, and spur new growth and goals.

Sales 147

Sales Metrics Guide Startup 147

Berkonomics

JUNE 29, 2017

If you have been following our recent insights, you’ll be up to speed knowing that professional investors negotiate tough terms, from provisions of control over asset acquisition, eventual sale of the company, future investments, forced co-sale when others attempt to sell their shares and more.

Invest 243

Invest Entrepreneur Sales Startup 243

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 18, 2023

Your challenge is to excel in all elements of a customer interaction, from pre-sales to long-term advocacy and image. This means real customer value emphasis in all interactions and marketing, versus low price and price concessions. Start by hiring the right people, and providing the necessary training, coaching, and mentoring.

Competition 109

Competition Services Custom Customer 109

Berkonomics

JUNE 8, 2017

Some businesses require very little capital and the founder can self-finance the enterprise and retain 100% of its ownership and control from ignition through liquidity event (startup through sale). Strategic investors validate a business, by their presence creating the very value they pay for with increased price per share purchased.

Venture Capital 266

Venture Capital Class Invest Equity 266

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 18, 2023

Any startup coach or business advisor will tell you that, on your way to being a great chef, you don't start your journey by inventing the ultimate entre. Have you set the right price for your entree, and correctly included all costs? Have you projected sales and marketing costs, cash flow, and capital requirements?

Startup 112

Startup Metrics Coach Marketing 112

Berkonomics

JUNE 15, 2012

One important element of positioning a company is pricing strategy. There are five niches you can chose when defining your positioning strategy: price, quality, service, innovation, and elegance. First, and easiest to understand, is creating differentiation by price. Quality can be, and is, an important differentiator.

Pricing 149

Pricing Competition Coach Sales 149

socalTECH

MAY 30, 2019

I think, to be a great entrepreneur, you have to look at what is missing in the category that you will be playing in the industry, and figure what you can deploy with a little bit of strategy and technology to bring a better service and price. You've got to have great sales enablement. Your finance has to be world class.

Content 193

Content Social Network Coach Help 193

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 21, 2020

Any startup coach or business advisor will tell you that, on your way to being a great chef, you don't start your journey by inventing the ultimate entre. Have you set the right price for your entree, and correctly included all costs? Have you projected sales and marketing costs, cash flow, and capital requirements?

Startup 156

Startup Metrics Coach Marketing 156

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 16, 2015

In practice it can be a fine line between sparring partner / coach and stepping over the line to brute-force persuasion. At times I wanted the engineering team to produce features to support our sales efforts to I occasionally leaned on them a bit. Another area we CEOs often meddle is in sales. I did this. ” PR.

Startup 150

Startup Sales CTO Coach Course 150

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 1, 2019

Switch your attention from product development to sales. Second-stage growth usually requires a formal sales model, an experienced and disciplined sales team, and a well-defined process to meet your new goals and demands. Leaders are needed to coach each salesperson, keep the team on message, and spur new growth and goals.

Startup 97

Startup Sales Metrics Guide 97

AeA Los Angeles Council

APRIL 10, 2008

Having been both a marketing & sales executive, I have seen first-hand how silos between these two departments can exist while products (or the sale of services) still "succeed" despite the rivalry. But there's a high price to pay when you consider that it affects the well-being of your company culture. Sales Directors.

Sales 45

Sales Marketing Woodland Hills AeA 45

Berkonomics

SEPTEMBER 13, 2018

A financial buyer will analyze your numbers, past and forecast, to the n’th degree, and calculate the price based upon the result, after carefully comparing your numbers with those of others in the same and similar industries. The price negotiated is not at all the critical factor in the emotional sale. And the emotional buyer.

Pricing 600

Pricing Sales IBM IBM 600

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 4, 2015

Switch your attention from product development to sales. Second-stage growth usually requires a formal sales model, an experienced and disciplined sales team, and a well-defined process to meet your new goals and demands. Leaders are needed to coach each salesperson, keep the team on message, and spur new growth and goals.

Startup 108

Startup Sales Metrics Entrepreneur 108

Berkonomics

FEBRUARY 3, 2010

This insight follows closely the conclusions from the previous declaration, that professional investors negotiate tough terms, from provisions of control over asset acquisition, eventual sale of the company, future investments, forced co-sale when others attempt to sell their shares and more.

Resource 149

Resource Startup Invest Entrepreneur 149

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 24, 2019

Based on my own experience in business over the years, and current coaching efforts, I recommend a focus on the following strategies and attributes: Make your customer the center of everything you do. Tony Hsieh, founder of Zappos, is recognized as an influencer in online retail, doubling sales annually, by giving away shoes to the needy.

Custom 93

Custom Customer IBM IBM 93

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 8, 2018

Any startup coach or business advisor will tell you that, on your way to being a great chef, you don't start your journey by inventing the ultimate entre. Have you set the right price for your entrée, and correctly included all costs? Have you projected sales and marketing costs, cash flow, and capital requirements?

Startup 81

Startup Coach Metrics Marketing 81

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 13, 2017

Switch your attention from product development to sales. Second-stage growth usually requires a formal sales model, an experienced and disciplined sales team, and a well-defined process to meet your new goals and demands. Leaders are needed to coach each salesperson, keep the team on message, and spur new growth and goals.

Startup 56

Startup Sales Metrics Guide 56

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 19, 2011

We had the final terms of our agreement fairly well boxed in within a range of about 5-7% on price and within 30 days on move-in date. I obviously preferred the lowest price and I wanted the latest move-in date. She told me, “start with the price you want but the move in date he wants.&#. I told my agent. She way annoyed.

Venture Capital 319

Venture Capital Pricing Startup Outsource 319

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 19, 2009

Most of them are completely mundane such as choosing which: bank, office space, 1-year lease vs. 2-year lease, logo, URL, pricing structure or which VC. Your head of sales thinks she should fire somebody. Yes, I know it’s my job as the CEO to be the coach for people and that’s fine. What lovely charts!

Entrepreneur 414

Entrepreneur Technical Review Slides CTO Coach 414

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 3, 2013

Switch your attention from product development to sales. Second-stage growth usually requires a formal sales model, an experienced and disciplined sales team, and a well-defined process to meet your new goals and demands. Leaders are needed to coach each salesperson, keep the team on message, and spur new growth and goals.

Sales 96

Sales Metrics Startup Guide 96

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 25, 2010

It is never as rewarding when you’re the coach (but coaching has many other benefits. Looong Appendix (only for those interested in reading another story about losing a sale & key lessons): A personal story of losing a sale that haunted me for years. I later learned one of my biggest lesson in sales.

Outsource Development 333

Outsource Development Software Review Technical Review News 333

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 4, 2016

Any startup coach or business advisor will tell you that, on your way to being a great chef, you don't start your journey by inventing the ultimate entre. Have you set the right price for your entrée, and correctly included all costs? Have you projected sales and marketing costs, cash flow, and capital requirements?

Entrepreneur 93

Entrepreneur Startup Coach Metrics 93

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 25, 2010

It is never as rewarding when you’re the coach (but coaching has many other benefits. Looong Appendix (only for those interested in reading another story about losing a sale & key lessons): A personal story of losing a sale that haunted me for years. I later learned one of my biggest lesson in sales.

Outsource Development 328

Outsource Development Software Review Technical Review News 328

InfoChachkie

SEPTEMBER 22, 2011

If there happens to be a gas station along the way where you can fill up for a reasonable price, great. One way to combat reckless spending is to instill a sense of pride in your employees to never pay full price. Rather, you should be ashamed to pay full price. Encourage all of your employees to ask, “Is that your best price?”

Startup 221

Startup Pricing Entrepreneur Email 221

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 4, 2014

– while the other might want a quick sale and pocket some bucks while the tech market is hot. At the risk of sounding like a broken record, it’s why I believe executive coaches are so important for startups who have the financial resources to afford them. Those are the easy cases.

Startup 340

Startup Technical Review Course Press 340

InfoChachkie

MARCH 30, 2015

For many years after Microsoft became highly successful, its executives (yes, including Mr. Gates) flew coach. If there happens to be a gas station along the way where you can fill up for a reasonable price, great. Praise Frugality - Instill a sense of pride in your employees to never pay full price. However, do not count on it.

Startup 100

Startup Pricing Coach Incubator 100

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 15, 2009

It is never as rewarding when you’re the coach (but coaching has many other benefits ;-). I was working hand-in-hand with my close friend and associate Stuart Lander who was running our UK office and with one of our local sales reps. I later learned one of my biggest lesson in sales. It taught me a lot of lessons.

Startup 151

Startup Outsource Development Software Review Technical Review 151

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 1, 2016

But putting no time into anchoring your beliefs because you’re too busy executing sales, marketing, support, product & engineering is an easy recipe for leadership drift. I’ve spent hours this week reading about the firing of the head coach and personnel manager of the football team I support – The Philadelphia Eagles.

Startup 150

Startup Coach Course Invest 150

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 8, 2013

Traditional” marketing, sales, and product management organizations often lead to mediocrity. Training is coaching, rather than criticizing, to improve the outcome next time. Customers want to buy into a winner, so make sure your people never apologize for price or quality, and never back away from an opportunity to delight a customer.

Startup 101

Startup Training Study Custom 101

TechCrunch LA

AUGUST 11, 2021

Snipfeed is free to set up, but if you make sales, the company takes 15% — this percentage is inclusive of any transaction fees. Through Snipfeed’s referral program, creators can make 5% of sales from anyone they onboard to the platform (this comes out of Snipfeed’s commission). “We Image Credits: Snipfeed.

Platform 286

Platform Commerce Tool Startup 286

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 4, 2012

Traditional” marketing, sales, and product management organizations often lead to mediocrity. Training is coaching, rather than criticizing, to improve the outcome next time. Customers want to buy into a winner, so make sure your people never apologize for price or quality, and never back away from an opportunity to delight a customer.

Training 109

Training Startup Study Custom 109

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 14, 2010

You may also want to consider establishing joint ventures or even wholly owned sales channels, but proceed slowly because it is difficult to unwind joint ventures. Channel conflict is inevitable as you add additional sales channels. As you business grows you will need additional channel partners. Avoid exclusive arrangements.

Startup 85

Startup Outsource Development Training Resource 85

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 25, 2013

And Coach Campbell. I’ve heard directly from top executives that Jeff Bezos (in my opinion the most talented person in the tech industry) has received his fair share of VC coaching in the early years. Nothing was more heart warming than the photo of David Karp hugging Bijan Sabet after the sale to Yahoo!

Venture Capital 374

Venture Capital Entrepreneur Invest Funding 374

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 27, 2013

In this period (less than 2 years) he has brought on incredibly talented senior execs is sales, marketing, product management, client services, finance, vp engineering and more. Ask them for a meeting to review your pricing strategy with you. Growth like this, this early in a company’s lifecycle rarely happens. Already covered.

Tips 365

Tips Email Venture Capital Blogging 365

Tech Zulu Event

JUNE 20, 2013

Who is the sales person? But Spurs coach, Gregg Popovich used his many years of experience to deliberate a plan that was well executed and surprised even the experts in the game, leading the underdog team to a Game 7 against the defending champions. Who has the business mindset? Who is the technical person?

Startup 94

Startup CTO Coach Coach Study 94

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 6, 2014

Plus, if she does have areas where we could coach her on improvement it would help to know that coming in.” CFOs often know the other CFOs and same for heads of sales, marketing, tech, etc. Many of the people at our company who interviewed her really like her. And they have a general sense of reputation. Having an accomplice.

Startup 302

Startup Technical Review Entrepreneur Report 302