Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 26, 2013

But succinctly this press places a marker in the ground for your company. The funding rounds will also build customer confidence and they’ll help journalists feel air cover in writing your more important pieces when you brag about customers, traction, revenue or whatever. Should I Bundle it With More Juicy News?

Startup 355

Startup Funding News Press 355

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 14, 2013

Ever notice how some companies tend to be in the press all the time and your big new product launch struggled for inches? Here’s what’s going through his/her head: Is this story “newsworthy” or am I being asked to publish a press release? ” Can you imagine that ever getting inches in the press?

Marketing 389

Marketing Press Blogging Startup 389

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 26, 2014

Yesterday I wrote a post about The Silent Benefits of PR in which I pointed out that most young companies I encounter don’t fully grasp the benefits of PR because they are less measurable than product milestones or customer acquisition analyses (like CAC/LTV). Make sure you’re not spewing out meaningless reams of press releases.

Press 319

Press Startup Writing Training 319

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 21, 2014

It’s when the noise stops and you can actually get customer attention, press articles and VC meetings. People attending marquee conferences with rock bands, prominent speakers, Gartner Group prognosticators and lots of other happy customers. And as I always assert, “Great companies are built in downturns.

Marketing 354

Marketing Case Study Metrics Sales 354

Tech Zulu Event

FEBRUARY 16, 2012

A Silicon Valley conference is a room full of suits, with the occasional skirt suite. A 50 car line stacked up the street from the conference entrance filled with women idling, applying mascara, brushing their hair, and finishing early morning conference calls. Explaining that customers were.

Conference 77

Conference Startup Technical Review Software Review 77

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 14, 2014

In fact 61% of all mobile searches where a customer contacts a business it is via a phone call (source: Google). Only naive people believe that but for inexperienced entrepreneurs you can be fooled into the narrative by the press who sometimes write stories without the actual data. I don’t want to speak to customer service reps!!

Email 339

Email SaaS Venture Capital Google 339

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 16, 2011

Understanding customer requirement ? Whatever amount you’re getting out and talking with prospects, customers, employees, recruits, competitors, press, investors, potential investors … it’s never enough. unless you’re a conference ho … then it’s too much ). 50 coffee meetings.

Startup 410

Startup Writing Press Venture Capital 410

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 13, 2009

They got us invited to the Fortune CEO conference in Paris held at Versailles. We headlined at the Red Herring Europe conference (they were the equivalent of TechCrunch today). We listened way too much to what the press said. We instructed customers about how eCommerce was going to change their future. Not so much.).

Startup 310

Startup Venture Capital Press Journal 310

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 16, 2018

That doesn’t mean that everyone needs to participate in creating the typical marketing hype, or needs to face the press on a regular basis. Unfortunately, I often find team members who are not believers, or have a different view of the customer. Facilitate participation in industry conferences and networking.

Marketing 71

Marketing Tips Technical Review Social Media 71

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 27, 2011

.&# Marketing futures can be really good for enterprise software companies where the information is passed between sales rep and potential customer in terms of near-term roadmap. But don’t let this information get out into the general press and don’t market more than a few months out. Say hello to them at conferences.

Marketing 380

Marketing Startup Press Technical Advisors 380

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 23, 2011

I pointed out the fact that they only ever talked to the press when the had an announcement and that it was a continual process. You need somebody who is thinking laterally about how to creatively get extra attention at conferences or trade-shows. You need somebody who REALLY understands your company, its customers and its competitors.

Startup 349

Startup Writing Press Blogging 349

Xconomy

SEPTEMBER 7, 2016

IBM bought Resilient Systems , Cisco Systems snapped up CloudLock , Symantec acquired Blue Coat , and Carbon Black purchased Confer , to name a few. Cyber industry alliances, the thinking goes, could make customers’ cyber defenses stronger and easier to manage. We know our customers are managing multiple solutions and vendors.

Press 40

Press Symantec Organization IBM 40

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 25, 2015

As we went from a small band of missionaries hell bent on making our idea a reality, raising capital, getting press, and selling to customers – we were all having fun. We built a business with $36 million in bookings and real customers who relied upon our service.

Demand 150

Demand SaaS Startup Sales 150

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 13, 2011

Of course they “need&# the title to convince customers, biz dev partners and VCs that they’re to be taken seriously. They talk about the need of the CEO to be chief evangelist, speak at conference, lead executive recruiting, etc. So what does a COO at a startup do if the CEO should be managing things?

Startup 325

Startup Technical Review Sales Report 325

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 27, 2013

Partly out of the fact that in 1 week I depart for England to speak at LeWeb, attend our DataSift board meeting and generally make myself available to the DataSift team to meet their customers, partners and employees. Ask for short conference calls. Ask for help reviewing your press release. Assigns tasks. Already covered.

Tips 365

Tips Email Venture Capital CTO Coach 365

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 20, 2012

It represents the great majority of entrepreneurship and eschews the fairytale rags-to-VC-riches stories we so often read about in the press. She focused on her customer. Instead of doing guest posts on TechCrunch or speaking at startup conferences, Tracy became a regular contributor on wedding and women’s lifestyle blogs.

Startup 363

Startup Entrepreneur SEO Venture Capital 363

Tech Zulu Event

SEPTEMBER 22, 2012

From devising a tweet length pitch to having an easy to remember name, each branding opportunity is a touch point for a new customer to be attracted to what you have to offer. I needed to have a plan to be efficient with my time during the 3 day conference. Speaking of time thievery = long winded boring press releases.

Press 97

Press Startup Technical Review Email 97

Tech Zulu Event

AUGUST 21, 2013

To immerse themselves in the culture where their potential customers are actively involved = YouTube. It’s a conference about the community, not as much a business conference. It’s like a press junket for online with public access. The conference is primarily targeted to people with a passion for the YouTube platform.

Conference 99

Conference Hollywood eHow Content 99

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 6, 2010

Some people do the conference circuit too much, get involved in lots of side projects and attend every entrepreneur dinner. When I go to conference I never sit in the meeting section – I always cruise the halls meeting people. You get on a plane at a moment’s notice because a senior customer agreed to meet you.

Venture Capital 312

Venture Capital Technical Review Startup Entrepreneur 312

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 3, 2016

They offer leadership conferences, regular content articles on leadership, board pack templates and the like. Early-stage and first-time entrepreneurs often value advice in the full marketing mix including blogging, content marketing, positioning, branding and customer acquisition that a senior marketer has done for years.

Venture Capital 150

Venture Capital Platform Startup Resource 150

socalTECH

MAY 7, 2010

However, it's a very large market--we peg it at around $11 billion a year, and some estimate it to be as big as $20 billion a year, including scientific journals, academic journals, scientific societies, and conferences. Can you talk about your deal with Thomson and who your typical customers would be? Can you describe how that works?

Journal 124

Journal Technical Review UCSD Web 124

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 1, 2016

A great leader knows customers and has direct relationships with them. She can anticipate reactions to price increases or product changes by customers and she can sustain competitive challenges because she knows the customer will stick by her. The reality of most startups is about survival. Chip Kelly had bunker mentality.

Startup 150

Startup Coach Course Invest 150

socalTECH

JUNE 2, 2010

You go on to our site, create a project telling the world what you need, and what increments you're willing to accept it in, and what you're willing to give back for those increments, and you customize your project with your own branding and everything. What sort of projects are people using your site for? We didn't have that option.

Sites 237

Sites Startup Invest SoCalTech 237

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 4, 2013

I like to debate with them how they will land customers and how they deal with the press. ” I love businesses that don’t lend themselves well to VC Panels at conferences or Demo Days. Getting excited about a company at a conference and investing is a sucker’s bet. I love complexity.

Venture Capital 347

Venture Capital Startup Pricing Invest 347

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 25, 2013

The best VCs I know take 11pm conference calls. It’s hard for me to imagine that an entrepreneur who was waiting to see the CEO of their largest potential customer would leave if that customer were 20 minutes late. Not in my experience, Andy. Meet with their teams on weekends. They understand that it just is.

Venture Capital 374

Venture Capital Entrepreneur Invest Funding 374

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 13, 2018

Other signs of engagement are: they ask you to meet with portfolio companies (they want feedback on your product and you), they ask you to meet a colleague, they set up a call to go through a product demo / financial walk-through, they ask to speak with customers, etc. even if it’s just a web conference call walk through.

Venture Capital 332

Venture Capital Funding Startup Sales 332

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 4, 2013

I like to debate with them how they will land customers and how they deal with the press. ” I love businesses that don’t lend themselves well to VC Panels at conferences or Demo Days. I like to watch how they respond to set-backs and adversity. I love complexity. And non-conventional ideas. That’s OK, too.

Startup 361

Startup Venture Capital Pricing Technical Review 361

socalTECH

JULY 13, 2016

In my case, I had a mentor at the time who helped me understand how there was a parallel between the printing press and the Renaissance, and the Internet as the next step in information and communications. Then, two years ago, I went to my first Bitcoin event and conference, and frankly�sorry, Dawn�that I had found my first love again.

Startup 100

Startup IP CTO Coach Allegis 100

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 12, 2010

Often these businesses have little or no press so it’s hard to tell what they’re doing and how well they’re performing. If the goal is simply to get the basic details (revenue, customers, staff numbers, prior funding) then no judgment is required.

Venture Capital 294

Venture Capital Entrepreneur Email Equity 294

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 25, 2010

They read the press releases of competitors or see them at a trade show and race to keep up with their feature sets. Don’t build features that will wow tech journalists, raise eyebrows on stage at a conference or make your competitors envious. Build features that will delight your customers. Obvious, I know.

Product 348

Product Startup Design Blogging 348

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 30, 2019

What every entrepreneur needs more than anything else, after they have built an innovative new product or service, is visibility, credibility, and trust by customers, potential employees, and future business partners. If you use a publisher, they may add more visibility with press releases and book-signing events.

Writing 19

Writing Technical Review Entrepreneur Advertising 19

Tech Zulu Event

JULY 24, 2012

These are not networking events, summits or conferences where people exchange business cards, or meet-ups where we create opportunities to make contacts that further our careers. We can customize a retreat for a companies needs and return participants refreshed, renewed and inspired. So, this is not a networking event?

Pricing 86

Pricing Coach Email Startup 86

Tech Zulu Event

DECEMBER 2, 2013

Audi Press Conference. As a result, they can customize tech solutions to different automakers and service providers (including car major rental companies) and deliver car connective solutions that include media & entertainment to information feedback and diagnostics. Overcoming the Distracted Driving Roadblock.

Mobile 94

Mobile Google Startup Technology 94

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 22, 2010

So I’ve always advised people that if they do launch at a big show, the most important public relations work they do is after the conference. Use the fact that you were on an anointed list to build credibility when you eventually approach journalists (and VC’s, customers, employees). Robert’s article is worth reading.

Tips 307

Tips Startup Press Blogging 307

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 31, 2010

I was on an airplane 2-3 times / week meeting potential customers, investors, employees, business partners and the press. Dinners were consumed with customers or in hotels and often past 10pm. I plodded through the conference and went straight to a doctor in London. 10k in Cologne with the CEO of my largest customer.

Entrepreneur 308

Entrepreneur Startup Venture Capital Conference 308

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 5, 2011

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. A key deal not only helps you raise venture capital but it can help attract employees, garner press attention, help with product focus & importantly drive customer adoption and/or revenue.

Venture Capital 317

Venture Capital Technical Review Startup Press 317

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 14, 2009

Your customers don’t care that you went to Stanford, Harvard or MIT. It just so happened that there was a conference coming up run by a guy named Ismael Ghalimi, a very well respected software executive who also was keeping a blog at the time for companies in the space. It’s just you now.

Entrepreneur 338

Entrepreneur Startup Venture Capital Google 338