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They forget that adapting their company and themselves as their customers evolve is the key to long-term survival. Think of Blockbuster and Toys ‘R’ Us , both of whom missed customer changes and the move to online. Create an overt strategy to react to emerging customer trends. Remember when you were a startup?
Whenever I heard why we didn’t feel a sales process at an important customer was going well (or if we lost) I would get involved myself. They are as good at selling you as they are at selling your product to customers. Customer also buy social proof because others are acting as strong references.
Way back in the early eighties, I was privileged to be part of the original IBM PC development team, led by Don Estridge. For example, even though we were leading an entrepreneurial effort within IBM, we found it a challenge to deal with the inbred mainframe culture, reverence for process, and accounting practices of a large company.
Startups are usually so focused on selling more of their branded product or service to their own customer base (organic growth) that they don’t consider the more indirect methods (non-organic growth) of increasing revenue and market share. Fresh customer base. Even mergers and acquisitions (M&A) came quickly. New management skills.
Whenever I heard why we didn’t feel a sales process at an important customer was going well (or if we lost) I would get involved myself. They are as good at selling you as they are at selling your product to customers. Customer also buy social proof because others are acting as strong references. They’re in beta).
The new paradigm, driven by disruptive technologies, cloud-served supercomputing, and the new generation of young adults with global empathy, is partnering and giving something now for a competitive advantage in the future. A partnership was announced a while back with the City of New York, to connect and grow NYC's startup ecosystem.
The new paradigm, driven by disruptive technologies, cloud-served supercomputing, and the new generation of young adults with global empathy, is partnering and giving something now for a competitive advantage in the future. A partnership was announced with the City of New York, to connect and grow NYC's startup ecosystem.
We''re rolling it out to finance and Wall Street, monitoring thousands of sources of continuously changing information, such as news, social media, internal email systems, and analyzing specific, material conditions that our customers are looking for. We grew that up, and did very well, and eventually sold it to IBM.
The new paradigm, driven by disruptive technologies, cloud-served supercomputing, and the new generation of young adults with global empathy, is partnering and giving something now for a competitive advantage in the future. A partnership was announced with the City of New York, to connect and grow NYC's startup ecosystem.
Custom Insurance Programs for Technology Companies. Key Information Systems (www.keyinfo.com) Providing IBM Storage Solutions. www.pitchtheangels.com) Join Tech Coast Angels members and other start up investors at the 5th Annual Los Angeles Fast Pitch Competition. Costello and Sons Insurance Brokers (www.costelloandsons.com).
Investors hear this as trying to do too many things with limited resources, meaning the startup will not shine at anything, and will not survive the competition. Keep these balanced and aligned between people (customers, employees) and process (quality, service, revenue), and keep the scope realistic (eliminating world hunger is too broad).
Investors hear this as trying to do too many things with limited resources, meaning the startup will not shine at anything, and will not survive the competition. Keep these balanced and aligned between people (customers, employees) and process (quality, service, revenue), and keep the scope realistic (eliminating world hunger is too broad).
The new paradigm, driven by disruptive technologies, cloud-served supercomputing, and the new generation of young adults with global empathy, is partnering and giving something now for a competitive advantage in the future. A partnership was just announced with the City of New York, to connect and grow NYC''s startup ecosystem.
The new paradigm, driven by disruptive technologies, cloud-served supercomputing, and the new generation of young adults with global empathy, is partnering and giving something now for a competitive advantage in the future. A partnership was announced last year with the City of New York, to connect and grow NYC's startup ecosystem.
Customers Include: Reuters, Associated Press, , Dow Jones, Ask.com , healthcare companies, and major investment banks and hedge funds. Coremetrics (acquired by IBM). Will expand IBM’s business analytics capabilities and become part of IBM’s application and integration middleware portfolio. 406 Ventures.
Terms like “every customer needs this” and “next generation platform” are far too soft, and should be avoided. This is not the place for a detailed product specification, but an explanation of how and why it works, including a customer-centric quantification of the benefits. Competition and sustainable advantage.
Image via Pixabay.com Startups are usually so focused on selling more of their branded product or service to their own customer base (organic growth) that they don’t consider the more indirect methods (non-organic growth) of increasing revenue and market share. Fresh customer base. Even mergers and acquisitions (M&A) came quickly.
He listed all of the product releases that were up coming, the customers that were in the pipeline and where he saw his competition moving. When you account for competition for talent, the difficulty of retention, the cost of living and the difficulty of rising above the noise – there are many advantages of staying put.
Startups are usually so focused on selling more of their branded product or service to their own customer base (organic growth) that they don’t consider the more indirect methods (non-organic growth) of increasing revenue and market share. Fresh customer base. Even mergers and acquisitions (M&A) came early. New management skills.
Fortunately, I’ve had the opportunity to work and learn for many years in both the corporate environment (IBM), as well as the exploding Silicon Valley startup environment of the 90’s. Businesses require people relationships, to find the right team, investors, contract vendors, and attract customers.
Terms like “every customer needs this” and “next generation platform” are far too soft, and should be avoided. This is not the place for a detailed product specification, but an explanation of how and why it works, including a customer-centric quantification of the benefits. Competition and sustainable advantage.
Big company powerhouses, like IBM and Xerox, took fifty years to make the cycle, but new companies today, in the age of the Internet, often make the cycle in five to ten years, or even less. For additional growth, most companies expand the product portfolio to cater to more customers, and sell more to existing customers.
Startups are usually so focused on selling more of their branded product or service to their own customer base (organic growth) that they don’t consider the more indirect methods (non-organic growth) of increasing revenue and market share. Fresh customer base. Even mergers and acquisitions (M&A) came early. New management skills.
It always amazes me how an entrepreneur can define his market opportunity so broadly, then assess his competition so narrowly in the next breath. Or worse yet, the entrepreneur is so arrogant that he hasn’t even used Google to figure out he has competition just down the street. We have strong interest from a major customer.”
None should be considered competitive mutually exclusive to any other. Every business should look at its cost of customer acquisition (COCA) and return on investment (ROI) twice a year and after each campaign. These give good customer connection and SEO. Integrate your social media content with some traditional media.
For example, I grew up in IBM when Bill Gates was helping us deliver the first IBM PC. In a very real sense, we funded him, and he superseded even IBM. Build connections with key customers and competitors. Very few businesses can grow organically fast enough to stay ahead of competition.
Startups are usually so focused on selling more of their branded product or service to their own customer base (organic growth) that they don’t consider the more indirect methods (non-organic growth) of increasing revenue and market share. Fresh customer base. Even mergers and acquisitions (M&A) came early. New management skills.
Most experienced business people love to help, but they don’t have the time or interest to give you a course on basic business concepts, like the need to be competitive. I get much more satisfaction, and can provide more realistic help, in steering you through specific pricing, organizational, or competitive challenges you face.
I quickly learned, after moving StrongMail, is all of that is true--but there sure is a lot more competition for those resources and capital. We''re spending money on these events, which are not marketing our product, and not marketing to try to get customers, but to pull the Los Angeles community together.
It always amazes me how an entrepreneur can define his market opportunity so broadly, then assess his competition so narrowly in the next breath. Or worse yet, the entrepreneur is so arrogant that he hasn’t even used Google to figure out he has competition just down the street. We have strong interest from a major customer.”
My friends who “grew up” with lifetime careers in General Motors, Exxon Mobil, or even IBM, are now often too embarrassed to even mention it. Competitive advantages are rapidly vaporizing on these. Customers today demand products and services personalized or tailored to local needs with embedded quality of life services.
Every startup needs a sustainable competitive advantage. With no competitive advantage, startups with new ideas gaining traction are never feared, and are usually eaten for lunch as sleeping giants wake up. In summary, whether you are running a startup, a family business, or a famous brand like IBM, you are all part of the jungle.
Fortunately, I’ve had the opportunity to work and learn for many years in both the corporate environment (IBM), as well as the exploding Silicon Valley startup environment of the 90’s. Businesses require people relationships, to find the right team, investors, contract vendors, and attract customers.
The opportunity for change is huge, with everyone taking a new look at the world after the recession, but the competition is also huge, since the cost of entry is at an all-time low. Every startup needs a sustainable competitive advantage. That’s the good news and the bad news. If you want to be feared.
One of the big, open source successes in both Southern California and the software world was Gluecode Software , which was based in Los Angeles and acquired by IBM in 2005. Adam also had a stint at Mission Ventures, and ran worldwide sales for open source middleware at IBM. It gives them an escalation path only dealing with us.
Every startup needs a sustainable competitive advantage. With no competitive advantage, startups with new ideas gaining traction are never feared, and are usually eaten for lunch as sleeping giants wake up. In summary, whether you are running a startup, a family business, or a famous brand like IBM, you are all part of the jungle.
In the mid 1960’s, large mainframe manufacturers, such as IBM, Burroughs and Honeywell, provided complete IT solutions. IBM might not have offered the best printers, but buyers had no choice because early mainframe vendors provided a closed set of proprietary technologies. Six Reasons Why The Time Is Now.
The first of question is about qualifying your potential customers aka leads. Assume competition and assume within the buying organization you have enemies. One thing I observed was that many customers wanted an “on premise” version of our software and were willing to pay extra money for it. Why Buy Anything ?
Unfortunately, often the result is potential customers who are confused, the limited resources of your business are spread too thin, and customers and investors look elsewhere for a better fit. Customers want a solution from you, not many. Realistically characterize the competition. Eliminating world hunger is too broad.
Every startup needs a sustainable competitive advantage. With no competitive advantage, startups with new ideas gaining traction are never feared, and are usually eaten for lunch as sleeping giants wake up. In summary, whether you are running a startup, a family business, or a famous brand like IBM, you are all part of the jungle.
My friends who “grew up” with lifetime careers in General Motors, Exxon Mobil, or even IBM, are now often too embarrassed to even mention it. Competitive advantages are rapidly vaporizing on these. Customers today demand products and services personalized or tailored to local needs with embedded quality of life services.
Big company powerhouses, like IBM and Xerox, took fifty years to make the cycle, but new companies today, in the age of the Internet, often make the cycle in five to ten years, or even less. For additional growth, most companies expand the product portfolio to cater to more customers, and sell more to existing customers.
My friends who “grew up” with lifetime careers in General Motors, Exxon Mobil, or even IBM, are now often too embarrassed to even mention it. Competitive advantages are rapidly vaporizing on these. Customers today demand products and services personalized or tailored to local needs with embedded quality of life services.
Terms like “every customer needs this” and “next generation platform” are far too soft, and should be avoided. This is not the place for a detailed product specification, but an explanation of how and why it works, including a customer-centric quantification of the benefits. Competition and sustainable advantage.
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