Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 12, 2021

If you are a passionate technologist , it’s easy to forget that marketing is required to sell even the most compelling solution, to cut through the information overload everyone sees today on the internet. If customers don’t know you exist, you can’t solve their problem, they won’t buy.

Technical Advisors 154

Technical Advisors Tips Marketing Case Study 154

TechCrunch LA

JANUARY 26, 2022

Glossier, the popular beauty brand led by former blogger Emily Weiss, let go of 80 of its corporate employees today, according to an internal email obtained by Modern Retail. E-commerce sales typically account for 80% of Glossier’s revenue, the Business of Fashion reported last July. .

CTO Hire 197

CTO Hire Layoffs Commerce Email 197

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 28, 2011

I’ve taken to saying, “Email is our personal to-do list that anybody adds to – whether they know us or not.” about their marathon 4-hour sessions to get to zero inbox or somebody else claiming email bankruptcy ( definition if you don’t know it already ). I have taken to limiting my outbound email.

Email 314

Email Product Startup Writing 314

Berkonomics

SEPTEMBER 28, 2023

First customers are critical. Your first customers for any product or service form your reference base, the important group of allies that your marketing and salespeople rely upon when attempting to create buzz and make a mass market for a new product. These first customers are critical. The result of your efforts?

Resource 156

Resource Customer Custom Product 156

Berkonomics

JUNE 27, 2019

And that behavior results in leaving little time for outreach to the most critical component in your chain – your key customers. Then, what is a benchmark for customer outreach? But, do your customer know that they want? Do customers know what they want from their suppliers for future products? That’s bad behavior!

Customer 120

Customer Custom Course Email 120

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 4, 2009

Most start-up entrepreneurs have little or no sales experience. But through nearly a decade of startups I learned that sales comes down to three essential elements: 1. Even businesses that attempt to sign up customers directly on a website need to answer this question for people albeit programmatically and through good website copy.

Sales 319

Sales Startup Platform Tips 319

socalTECH

JULY 24, 2014

Southern California has a growing number of companies in the customer relationship management area, including a fairly new company in the area, Pipeliner CRM (www.pipelinersales.com). The people we spoke with told us that CRM sucks, and sales people have to use this software, but don''t like to use it. Who are your customers?

Sales 229

Sales Startup Software Los Angeles 229

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 29, 2020

Entrepreneurs and business executives seem to be even more focused on their technology than the rest of us, and less inclined to listen to the voice of the customer, even if they remember to ask. Real two-way conversations with real customers, including the all-important body language, are unheard-of these days.

Customer 128

Customer Custom Activity Social Network 128

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 31, 2023

Every entrepreneur knows that good demand generation marketing is the key to growth these days, but very few have the discipline or know-how to measure return in a world of a thousand tools and techniques. In fact, we now live in a buyer-led digital age, where the traditional media push-marketing efforts just don’t work.

Metrics 102

Metrics Demand Paramount Content 102

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 14, 2022

Here are a few specifics on how to be part of the solution, without the costs, rather than part of the problem: Put a personal face and address on your site; don’t hide behind an “info” email address. Market your solution and user benefits, not the mysterious technology behind it. Don’t take shortcuts on these.

Customer 137

Customer Custom Technical Review Symantec 137

Berkonomics

JUNE 25, 2020

But businesses that expose their story to tens of millions of potential customers through the Internet need additional tools. CHURN (% customer cancelling each month). This is calculated by dividing the number of cancellations by the total number of customers before cancellations and multiplying by 100. The lower, the better.

Acquisition 156

Acquisition Statistics Sales Customer 156

Tech.Co

MAY 31, 2023

Business tools — from customer relationship management ( CRM ) platforms to accounting software — help to save startups time and money by automating key processes and maximizing efficiency. Yet, with so many tools vying for the attention of business owners, navigating the over-saturated market can be overwhelming.

Tool 131

Tool Startup Software Review Technical Review 131

socalTECH

MARCH 1, 2018

As part of the lead in to the conference, and as a part of our sponsor relationship with the conference, we're running a series of interviews with speakers from the conference about their experience in the area of recurring revenues, customer service, and similar topics. We respond very quickly to all of our customers. Kevin Anderson.

Customer 113

Customer Custom Services Conference 113

socalTECH

MARCH 19, 2013

Santa Monica-based customer relationship management software developer Nimble has hired Eric Quanstrom as its new Chief Marketing Officer and Vice President of Marketing and Sales, the company announced today. Quanstrom joins the company from Sorenson Media, where he was Chief Operating Officer. READ MORE>>.

Marketing 153

Marketing Santa Monica Email Software Development 153

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 7, 2022

Some make big mistakes, such as Webvan expanding too fast with a huge infrastructure, and Pets.com , trying to grow the business with a negative margin, under the mistaken assumption that winning customers is more important than making a profit. Continually add new marketing and distribution partners.

Startup 134

Startup Search Engine Optimization Social Media Metrics 134

Berkonomics

JULY 26, 2018

These are so succinct, so well defined, so precise that everyone in sales and everyone involved in marketing must be able to answer these three questions without pause, and convincingly. It would pay you to work over this set of questions in a special session with sales, marketing and senior management in the room at once.

Sales 226

Sales Customer Custom Pricing 226

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 3, 2010

I’d like to talk about Crocodile Salesmen in 3 scenarios: 1) when YOU are selling (or someone on your team), 2) when you are trying to recruit a sales person. But how to apply “listening&# in a sales meeting? Let’s assume you run a Customer Support software company. I still do this sometimes, too.

Sales 314

Sales Startup Venture Capital Customer 314

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 22, 2019

More and more customers these days are doing their own marketing research, scanning internet reviews and feedback from friends, rather than trusting messages that you push out through advertising. Update your website to make it totally customer-focused. Provide mobile device apps and interactive support.

Marketing 94

Marketing Social Media Technical Review Customer 94

Berkonomics

APRIL 21, 2022

Owned media comes from the databases you own, such as your company’s web site, email newsletters, profiles in social media, or apps you have created requiring registration or download. Expand your definition of advertising to include four, not just two methods of finding your potential customers. What resources do you already own?

Advertising 156

Advertising Media Social Media Newsletter 156

InfoChachkie

NOVEMBER 5, 2012

However, many people are not aware that prior to entering academia, Steve was a wily and creative marketing entrepreneur. As the VP of Marketing, Steve inherited a department of 14people that was burning $4M annually. Despite these abundant resources, the team's ineffectiveness was reflected by the company's dismal 11% market share.

Marketing 271

Marketing Startup Sales Customer 271

Tech Zulu Event

MARCH 20, 2015

One of the hardest parts of email marketing is building a subscriber base and getting them to open your emails but that’s only half the battle. The goal of email marketing is opening a conversation and turning that conversation into a relationship. The remaining 20% should include direct sales. Say My Name.

Email 40

Email Marketing Customer Custom 40

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 30, 2011

It’s the lifeblood of any organization and yet most startups don’t have any sales DNA on their teams. It’s important enough that I dedicate a tab on my blog to startup sales & marketing. But the ground we covered was awesome for anybody wanting to know more about sales. What is your sales process?

Software Review 300

Software Review Sales Tips Help 300

socalTECH

NOVEMBER 20, 2017

Irvine-based Cirrus Insight , which develops software for helping aid in sales followups, email marketing, and customer relationship management, has acquired Attach.io , a developer of real time document tracking software. Financial terms of the buy were not announced. was based in Knoxville, Tennessee. READ MORE>>.

Email 113

Email Sales Software Customer 113

Berkonomics

JUNE 4, 2020

That’s impressive sales leverage. Email readers, continue here…] In an Internet-based business, power comes not just from high gross margins, but also from an increase in the percent of conversions. Just to be fair, a 5% cut in costs would also double net profit. How does this work with online-based companies?

.Net 156

.Net Sales Tool Email 156

socalTECH

APRIL 2, 2014

How can marketers make better decisions and get better results from their online marketing? Pasadena-based Smartify (www.getsmartify.com)''s CEO, Carla Bourque , recently talked to us about the company''s online marketing platform, and how it differentiates itself from a lot of other competitors in the market.

Marketing 196

Marketing Pasadena Platform Email 196

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 5, 2023

Let me be a bit more specific on how follow-up trumps ideas for success in the key challenges of a startup, or any small business: Networking with investors, partners, and customers. They are too busy to follow-up on a major partner opportunity, customer inquiry, or a critical internal process that simply isn’t working.

Startup 155

Startup Ideas IBM IBM 155

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 27, 2017

Customer service has traditionally been a support function to respond to customer initiated requests, meaning someone waits for the phone to ring or for a website support request form. The old days of routing a customer to a single phone queue for any request will quickly kill any brand loyalty or advocate referral.

Customer 95

Customer Custom Services Technical Review 95

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? Been skewered for slow customer service?

Resource 156

Resource Competition Examples Customer 156

Berkonomics

AUGUST 2, 2012

And that behavior results in leaving little time for outreach to the most critical possible component in your chain – your key customers. Email readers, continue here.] Do customers know what they want from their suppliers for future products? Do customers know what they like when they see it? Of course they do.

Customer 159

Customer Custom Course Email 159

Berkonomics

MARCH 18, 2021

Sometimes, you can reduce your personal risk by taking in other people’s money in various ways, perhaps starting with a consulting contract with a customer, purchasing a going business where profit or loss is known, or spinning off an existing revenue-generating portion of an existing business. The same is true about marketing.

Entrepreneur 156

Entrepreneur Resource Statistics Customer 156

Berkonomics

APRIL 16, 2020

Raising money during this crisis will be almost impossible, even from friends and family shocked by the stock market declines. Email readers, continue here… ] DURING THIS CRISIS: Having no plan is like having a bad plan. Do you still need marketing costs when there is no-one out there buying new product?

Layoffs 218

Layoffs Sales News Marketing 218

TechCrunch LA

OCTOBER 5, 2020

“The only success criteria of my startup career is whether GrubMarket can eventually make $100 billion of annual sales,” he said to me over both email and in a phone conversation. Its opportunity comes in the form of disruption and a gap in the market. ” I don’t doubt that he means it.

Technical Review 343

Technical Review Startup Marketing San Diego 343

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 29, 2018

As a long-time advisor to small businesses and startups, I still find many who think marketing is still primarily broadcasting your message to as many customers as possible, hitting them again and again, until it sticks. Yet even conversation marketing has to be done right to get customer attention and have an impact.

Marketing 91

Marketing Examples Startup Customer 91

socalTECH

SEPTEMBER 30, 2014

Vonjour (www.vonjour.com), a Los Angeles startup, has developed a cloud-based customer support and phone system which, in addition to handling all of a company''s usual enterprise phone needs--also lets employers harness employee smartphones to deal with customer support issues, make calls, and interact with customers directly from a mobile app.

Customer 133

Customer Custom Startup Web 133

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 6, 2016

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.

Customer 60

Customer Custom Marketing Social Media 60

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 21, 2015

Every entrepreneur knows that good demand generation marketing is the key to growth these days, but very few have the discipline or know-how to measure return in a world of a thousand tools and techniques. In fact, we now live in a buyer-led digital age, where the traditional media push-marketing efforts just don’t work.

Metrics 101

Metrics Marketing Demand Paramount 101

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 14, 2018

I know that you can use an email system with this to track my open rate, whether I forwarded the email, the IP address where I read it, whether I was on a mobile device or a wired computer and you can tell who else read the document. Competition isn’t won or lost by your marketing decks?—?it’s What should not be in your deck?

Funding 239

Funding Venture Capital IP Competition 239