Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 16, 2020

For decades, efforts to satisfy customers have been built around demographics – capitalizing on race, ethnicity, gender, income, and other attributes. Customer personalities define customer experience, and sets what they love, and what they hate. There is no one set of exceptional experiences that will work for all customers.

Customer 158

Customer Custom Social Media Satisfaction 158

Berkonomics

AUGUST 2, 2018

There can be nothing more important in your business planning that selecting the proper pricing niche, making your story clear using that niche, and the defending your position against the competition. They are: Price. Companies that compete on price rarely compete against others who emphasize service or quality.

Pricing 226

Pricing Competition Examples Class 226

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 29, 2021

New generations of customers respond better to the “ participative ” approach, where they get to provide input via social media and the Internet. Some call it a move from always “ hunting ” for new customers in the wild, to “gardening” or nurturing loyalty and value from the ones you already have.

Customer 168

Customer Custom Marketing Social Media 168

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 3, 2014

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 like a solid product, well defined pricing, good references to sell against, a clear quota and well defined competitors. Customers buy solutions to solve their problems.

Sales 383

Sales Help Startup Pricing 383

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 23, 2021

Yet, as a business consultant, I often find minimal focus on improving employee engagement and assessing their customer-facing performance. For example, I commonly see metrics to keep track of revenue per employee, overtime, and absenteeism, but I don’t often see measures of overall customer satisfaction with individual employees.

Customer 147

Customer Custom Technical Review Metrics 147

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 30, 2022

Today’s customers are much more in control of their buying decision, as they have more choices and more information than ever before. Bloom’s classic book, “ The New Experts: Win Today's Newly Empowered Customers.” These decisive moments, and how to respond, are outlined in Robert H. Build a relationship and trust quickly.

Customer 146

Customer Custom Startup Course 146

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 25, 2021

Today’s customers are overloaded and overwhelmed by too much information, so making a decision is a challenge. You may think this is only important to your marketing and sales people, but in reality it doesn’t matter how great your product or technology might be, you won’t succeed if you don’t understand your target customer decision process.

Customer 136

Customer Custom Sales Social Media 136

TechCrunch LA

MAY 3, 2022

Upgrade’s e-commerce marketplace has two sides: one that enables consumers to choose a vetted stylist and have their wig colored or customized based on their desired look. However, although they are providing such significant value, a lot of them operate with limited funding and resources, which ultimately affects the customer experience.

Tool 179

Tool Customer Custom Marketing 179

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 14, 2021

As an advisor to new business owners, I’m accustomed to seeing primarily the simple traditional product pricing strategies , usually driven by competitor prices, or cost plus a reasonable margin. I often wonder whether you as the entrepreneur have worked as hard on your pricing strategy as you have on your innovative solution.

Pricing 145

Pricing Startup Competition Examples 145

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 4, 2013

Compelling in the sense that you solve a real problem a target group of potential customers has with a product that is significantly better than the alternatives on that market. The idea of “going deep” with customers has always shaped how I think. I found myself in violent agreement with Fred’s blog post(s).

Startup 402

Startup Customer Custom Technical Review 402

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 25, 2022

I’m sure you have all noticed how today’s customers have changed the way they shop, but I still find, as an advisor and consultant, that many of you aren’t sure how to deal with the new mode, or are still waiting for things to get back to the old normal. Convenience is in the eye of the customer, not your company.

Demand 126

Demand Customer Custom Startup 126

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 21, 2013

So he made hand-made batches in a bucket and drove it to customers in his van. He wanted to keep his prices low (apparently he has never raised his wholesale price in 30 years). Focus on the customer and provide value - ”We just do our own thing and try to keep the price low. What I learned from the article?

Entrepreneur 415

Entrepreneur Startup Pricing Product 415

Berkonomics

FEBRUARY 9, 2023

The rest of the purchase price was concocted from a brew of zero-coupon bonds (where the face value is many times the invested amount until the reduced cost bonds mature thirty years later), and borrowing using the target company’s accounts receivable and other assets as collateral for a loan to purchase the company. What power!

Pricing 156

Pricing Sales Examples Tool 156

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 4, 2015

It wins through better distribution, logistics, inventory management, warehousing, customer support, merchandising, cross-selling and ultimately on price & scale. Most customers won’t drive more than a few miles to a self storage unit making the incumbents essentially local retail businesses. It’s a no brainer.

Ideas 364

Ideas Startup Technical Review Pricing 364

TechCrunch LA

APRIL 28, 2020

And despite the collapse in fossil fuel energy prices, Shao said that Amply’s value proposition still makes sense. “Raw electric energy is half the price on average as fossil fuels,” Shao said. The lowest price of extracting a barrel of oil right now is $20… and then you need to add processing and distilling.”

Funding 267

Funding Pricing Los Angeles Customer 267

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 20, 2022

As a startup advisor, I see too many entrepreneurs get distracted by technology or their favorite cause, and then wonder why they can’t find an investor, attract customers, or build a long-term business. Customers now put big value on experience, social impact, empowerment, and feedback.

Customer 103

Customer Custom Competition Netflix 103

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 27, 2011

When they look at buying your company they often think in terms of “how long will it take until I earn back the profits to pay for my acquisition price?” If you had huge customer growth but just didn’t focus on revenue that’s a different story. million in revenue three years later is, “So effing what?”

Startup 419

Startup Venture Capital Sales Technical Review 419

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 21, 2023

Proof of any business model starts with a finished product or solution, sold to a new customer for full price, with high satisfaction for the value received. Customer support is more than handling exceptions. Your challenge is to present a total business solution to the right customer set to build your credibility and momentum.

Customer 109

Customer Custom Satisfaction Sales 109

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 22, 2015

So that we’re speaking the same language I would define “exclusive” as a period in which your company is prohibited from doing business with certain customers or business partners, which is why many incorrectly assume this is necessarily bad. Why Exclusivity Matters to Your Customers or Business Development Partners.

Outsource Development 329

Outsource Development Startup Customer Custom 329

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 14, 2017

There is nothing more pure than building a product, putting it out in the world and seeing paying customers using your product and in some cases loving it. As companies get this initial customer feedback on their product they start to have to ask harder questions about unit economics: How much does it cost us to acquire a new customer?

Startup 286

Startup Technical Review Customer Custom 286

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 9, 2013

I researched the pricing of the car at TrueCar – not because we’re an investor – but because it gives you complete price transparency over what other people in your area paid for a car. “Invoice price” is an equally meaningless marketing tool. As many air bags as possible. But I digress.

Conference 398

Conference Technical Review Truecar Software Review 398

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 1, 2014

The second is that the retailers were constrained by their high costs of local real estate and service staff relative to the costs of centralized warehouses where goods could be stacked high, sorted by robots, managed by RFIDs and then shipped via overnight to eager, cost-conscious customers across the US. 10x the experience.

Technical Review 380

Technical Review Software Review CTO Hire Startup 380

TechCrunch LA

MARCH 14, 2019

Customers can already place an order for the Tesla Model Y, a mid-sized crossover SUV that won’t go into production until 2020. During the presentation, Musk didn’t mention that customers could order the Model Y. To get the 7-seater configuration, customers have to pay an additional $3,000.

Startup 237

Startup Los Angeles Pricing Design 237

Berkonomics

JULY 26, 2018

Is your product or service one that responds to a customer need, real or perceived? In general, there are three types of products or services: those a customer needs, those a customer wants, an d those a customer believes he does not want or need. An example of how not to do it.

Sales 226

Sales Customer Custom Pricing 226

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 15, 2022

<== Our conclusion was that this isn’t a temporary blip that will swiftly trend-back up in a V-shaped recovery of valuations but rather represented a new normal on how the market will price these companies somewhat permanently. When you look at how much median valuations were driven up in the past 5 years alone it’s bananas.

Venture Capital 417

Venture Capital Marketing Technical Review Seed Funding 417

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 1, 2014

You enter your make, model, trim & year and out pops a price curve of purchases in your area and in most states you will then be offered a fixed price to purchase that car. So what could be wrong with price transparency in the auto sector? So what could be wrong with price transparency in the auto sector?

Truecar 338

Truecar Startup Hulu Pricing 338

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 1, 2015

“the ecommerce company gained fauxmentum by raising artificially high amounts of venture capital and spent lavishly on customer acquisition despite long payback periods and questionable LTV” __. In the ecommerce arena I see some great companies spending heavily on customer acquisition. __. faux·men·tum.

Startup 330

Startup Marketing Customer Custom 330

TechEmpower

MARCH 4, 2024

Key Functions with High Impact Generative AI is revolutionizing sales by enabling dynamic pricing and personalized customer interactions, boosting conversion rates and customer satisfaction. Post-sale, AI analyzes customer data to improve service and loyalty, making it a cornerstone of modern sales methodologies.

Generative AI 297

Generative AI TechEmpower CTO Hire Outsource Development 297

TechCrunch LA

MARCH 27, 2021

Rowe Price, Dragoneer Investment Group, and ICONIQ Growth. ServiceTitan now boasts more than 7,500 customers that employ more than 100,000 technicians and conduct nearly $20 billion worth of transactions providing services ranging from plumbing, air conditioning, electrical work, chimney, pest services and lawn care.

SaaS 292

SaaS Glendale Statistics Los Angeles 292

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 7, 2013

And because I wanted Ethan to be able to attract a great team, build & iterate a product, test it with initial customers and refine his strategy before having to take the wrappers off of his company. Because I knew that Ethan was on to a powerful idea and one in which he had developed huge competence and domain knowledge in.

CTO Coach 360

CTO Coach Google CTO Hire Yammer 360

TechCrunch LA

SEPTEMBER 21, 2021

Los Angeles-based Just says it uses telematics “to reward safe drivers and reduce insurer bias” by looking at factors such as how, when and where customers drive, rather than factors such as ZIP code or marital status as most traditional insurers do. For its part, MetroMile charges customers a base rate plus a per mile rate.

Startup 203

Startup Customer Custom Los Angeles 203

TechCrunch LA

MARCH 2, 2021

But what started in the gaming world quickly spun out as the company slashed prices to $500 per month for its services. “ We were targeted to a small number of very premier customers. The pandemic also helped as artists who were cut off from their audiences began to explore alternative ways to reach fans — and make money.

Tool 315

Tool Commerce .Net Entertainment 315

TechCrunch LA

MARCH 20, 2019

Postmates is launching a new feature called Postmates Party that lets customers within the same neighborhood pool their orders. In return, these customers get the food delivered for free, eliminating a major pinch point for potential Postmates users. cities in which it currently operates. and Philadelphia. billion valuation.

Orange County 200

Orange County Long Beach San Diego Los Angeles 200

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 16, 2015

So he would allocate say – 20% to sales, 15% to marketing, 20% to eng priorities, 10% to customer support, 10% to ops, 20% to ‘platinum customers’ and maybe 5% directly to me as the CEO. We CEOs like to be heroes and with the power to push through pricing or product we have unfair advantages over the normal process.

Startup 339

Startup Sales CTO Coach Course 339

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 11, 2014

I tell people that they need to blog about their industry to drive customers and not blog to their egos to drive their peer group to their blogs. If you are early in a platform (Zynga to Facebook, AngryBirds to iOS, Maker Studios to YouTube) you catch a major marketing wave where acquiring customers and growing revenue is exponential.

Technical Review 384

Technical Review SEM SEO Marketing 384

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 8, 2021

Most leaders agree that poor customer service is a business killer today, in terms of lost customers, reduced profits, and low morale. Yet the average perception of customer experience has not improved. You have to start with hiring only people who are willing and able to make serious customer service happen.

Startup 154

Startup Training Customer Custom 154

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 3, 2013

But what if you’re a credit card company and you want to know where to find your next customers? Already 2/3rds of our customers are ingesting 2 or more data sources including Facebook, Tumblr, WordPress, Bit.ly Ming who the hero of so many customers whose primary reference to other customers is, “make sure you get a Ming.”

Social Media 358

Social Media Yammer Invest Organization 358