Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 2, 2010

This is part of a series on sales & marketing. I previously covered how early phase sales teams should be “evangelical&# and consultative in nature. The first post on scaling sales dealt with “aiming&# your sales teams – making sure they were focused on the right opportunities.

Sales 289

Sales Startup Training Pricing 289

InfoChachkie

SEPTEMBER 23, 2013

Indecisive prospects diffuse a startup''s focus and slow down its sales velocity. Thus, startups must quickly determine which prospects are most likely to purchase in the near term and focus their energy on delivering these prospective customers an incredible experience. product, geography, customer segment, etc.).

Sales 215

Sales Outsource Development Metrics Resource 215

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 23, 2023

Every business owner and entrepreneur like you I work with wishes they could better predict product demand and sales, for managing inventory and long-term business planning. We all have our favorite metric and our passion, but keeping up with real-world changes and trends seems to be always just out of reach.

Metrics 81

Metrics Demand Statistics Sample 81

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 30, 2022

Hire more help than helpers. In addition to fresh products, you need people smarter than you for real help, with the right combination of skills, experience, and passion to foster and manage new growth. Switch your attention from product development to sales. Managing business growth is more than metrics.

Sales 147

Sales Metrics Guide Startup 147

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 14, 2012

Entrepreneurs have no trouble focusing on how to build a product, and the good ones know how to find and nurture those first critical customers. What I’m talking about here is a level of discipline and skill necessary to collect and analyze the relevant business data, known as metrics. Customer loyalty and retention.

Metrics 106

Metrics Startup Sales Statistics 106

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 21, 2014

” It helps to have seen the way down twice before to know many of the signs. It’s when the noise stops and you can actually get customer attention, press articles and VC meetings. .” Work with customers on business cases (for internal use) and ask for case studies (for you to publish in marketing).

Marketing 354

Marketing Case Study Metrics Sales 354

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 31, 2022

If you are not sure of your best fit, like many people I know, I just found help in a new book, “ The 6 Types of Working Genius ,” by Patrick Lencioni. I like his model and examples from the field to help you identify the type of work that is your forte, and will likely bring you joy and energy, rather than frustration and burnout.

Activity 108

Activity Satisfaction Metrics Startup 108

Tech.Co

NOVEMBER 28, 2022

TikTok is struggling to make a dent in the world of US and European ecommerce , and has now enlisted the help of a number of startups to try and reverse that trend and bring the Live Shopping craze sweeping Asia to other markets. By some metrics, certainly not. Should Tech Giants Stop Trying to Make Social Commerce Happen?

Social Media 151

Social Media Startup Commerce News 151

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 15, 2022

There is still infinite room for new startup sales modes and models. This gives rise to the personalization and customization that we all want. Analytics will soon drive nearly all business decisions for any company that wants to remain relevant to its customers. Data enable: use metrics and measurements.

Startup 126

Startup Social Media Entertainment Metrics 126

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 27, 2023

Everyone in the company must adopt the principles of customer-first focus, agility in responding to change, and constant innovation to improve your processes as well as the solution. Measure progress through metrics on sales, revenue, and penetration. Seek customer feedback on ways to improve value and satisfaction.

Customer 91

Customer Custom Marketing Startup 91

socalTECH

MAY 17, 2019

For today's interview, we sat down and spoke with David Loo , the founder and CEO of Perspectium (www.perspectium.com), a startup which is developing service management applications designed to help connect different, enterprise service management software products together. What specific problem were you seeing?

SaaS 113

SaaS Startup Customer Custom 113

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 28, 2020

In business vernacular, targets are usually called metrics. A good metric has to be easily measurable, and directly correlated to results, rather than hours worked. For example, for a sales person, this metric number would likely measure new revenue or new customers.

Metrics 124

Metrics Entrepreneur Satisfaction Study 124

TechCrunch LA

NOVEMBER 5, 2021

In 2019, the company came out with its first product, Kelp Jerky, which comes in four flavors, and was a product Boyd Myers thought would be a good trial run to help people see ocean-farmed kelp in a new way. “It Ultimately 1,000 customers signed up, and The Kelp Burger is now the “hero product,” Boyd Myers said.

Startup 191

Startup Los Angeles Sample Funding 191

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 13, 2021

For example, a few years ago, the company Beepi had a vision to build a new market for buying and selling used cars, but became overly focused on fundraising to grow fast, and ignored many customer complaints. Obsessive sales – must meet revenue goals. Hypermetricemia – metrics for everything.

Metrics 133

Metrics Product Yahoo Examples 133

socalTECH

JANUARY 5, 2009

Los Angeles-based Image Metrics (www.image-metrics.com) recently landed a $6.5M, Series B funding round for the firm's facial animation products. We're now waiting to help people learn that they can now do this, and use it to tell a better story. I was introduced to Image Metrics a year before I joined, and was helping them along.

Metrics 100

Metrics Startup Sales Newsletter 100

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 18, 2023

As a mentor to many entrepreneurs, I also encourage an entrepreneur exit focus early, and I really like the specific steps outlined in the classic book, “ Exit Signs ,” by Pamela Dennis, who has helped companies through this critical transition for decades. New startup founders keep all the operating metrics they need in their head.

Startup 99

Startup Entrepreneur Metrics Acquisition 99

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 14, 2018

No amount of tracking when she read your deck is going to truly help you get inside her head so those benefits are oversold. Summary: Send the Deck Pitch decks are sales & marketing decks and like in any sales activity, any great sales person assumes his or her competition will eventually get their deck.

Funding 239

Funding Venture Capital IP Email 239

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 13, 2019

In the interests of helping you work smarter and last longer, I would like to offer my top ten list of key resource drains to avoid in early businesses and startups, based on my years of advising entrepreneurs and my own business experience: Expanding your product line too quickly for scaling. Poor communication and visibility from the top.

Outsource Development 122

Outsource Development Outsource Metrics Technical Review 122

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 4, 2021

Waste in a startup is any activity that burns resources, but creates no value or competitive advantage in the eyes of customers. For market changing products, build first a minimally viable product (MVP), and never build products for sale until you have real orders in hand. Hire real help and learn to delegate.

Startup 161

Startup Resource Training Entrepreneur 161

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 15, 2020

In the spirit of helping you avoid some of our own learning experiences with startups, I will paraphrase here the nine key stages that he and I both see most businesses going through in their evolution from a startup to a successful and stable entity: You can’t sustain a business without positive cash flow. Stay in your personal sweet spot.

Metrics 140

Metrics Entrepreneur Coach Satisfaction 140

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 12, 2021

If customers don’t know you exist, you can’t solve their problem, they won’t buy. Getting customer attention often takes more innovation today than solving the tough technical problems. If marketing is not your thing, then you need to find a partner or outside expert to help you.

Technical Advisors 154

Technical Advisors Tips Marketing Case Study 154

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 1, 2019

Hire more help than helpers. In addition to fresh products, you need people smarter than you for real help, with the right combination of skills, experience, and passion to foster and manage new growth. Switch your attention from product development to sales. Managing business growth is more than metrics.

Startup 97

Startup Sales Metrics Guide 97

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 1, 2022

Winning business owners really listen and act on feedback from customers and advisors. Technology, competitors, and customers are changing every day, so the “ tried and trusted ” ways you do things need to be reviewed and updated regularly. Don’t be totally driven by a key customer. Listening to customers also helps.

Technical Review 120

Technical Review Customer Custom Social Media 120

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 9, 2021

As a mentor to many entrepreneurs, I also encourage an entrepreneur exit focus early, and I really like the specific steps outlined in the classic book, “ Exit Signs ,” by Pamela Dennis, who has helped companies through this critical transition for decades. New startup founders keep all the operating metrics they need in their head.

Startup 173

Startup Entrepreneur Metrics Acquisition 173

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 30, 2023

If your mission is to change the world or help the disadvantaged, another dating site or online gambling may not be for you, no matter how financially lucrative. For example , when Yvon Chouinard founded Patagonia , a successful outdoor products company, his real goal was building safe products to help the environment.

Startup 94

Startup Ideas Metrics Entrepreneur 94

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 10, 2021

There are of course many Seed VCs who take board seats, don’t over-commit to too many deals and try to help with “company building” activities to help at a company’s vulnerable foundations. We can’t wait for customers to use the product for 12–18 months and do customer interviews or look at purchase cohorts.

Venture Capital 471

Venture Capital Writing Invest Pricing 471

Tech Zulu Event

NOVEMBER 28, 2011

And NOT even because they give until death refunds if a customer is ever dissatisfied with a purchase. I am a raving fan of AppSumo because the creator of the brand, Noah Kagan , leads his company focusing on community first and sales second. He says he cares most about “focusing on customers for life”. It makes sense.

Metrics 87

Metrics Email Startup Technical Review 87

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 6, 2021

I found a good summary of the most common mistakes in a classic book by Kelly Clifford, “ Profit Rocket ,” written primarily to help you on the other side of the equation – skyrocket your profits. A required metric is average days to payment compared to expectations. Thinking you are profitable once money begins to flow in.

Technical Review 151

Technical Review Startup Summary Pricing 151

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 19, 2018

Your historical trading information including financials and a “customer file” which shows the history of your transactions so that investors can run “cohort” analyses Customer reference, personal references, key team members, compensation, cap table, stock option plan, etc. and then asking to take a brochure home with you.

Funding 336

Funding Venture Capital Startup Email 336

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 25, 2011

Entrepreneurs always work hard to create an innovative product or service, but often count on standard seller marketing for sales. But the reality is that sellers are no longer in charge of the customer buying process. The best way to do this is with real customer interviews. Include planned measurements and metrics.

Customer 96

Customer Custom Search Engine Optimization Summary 96

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 13, 2022

You need to move to right location and get connected before you ask for help. billion dollar sale to Oracle from Bozeman, Montana. Exposure to customers, incumbents, and competitors all drive success. Being in the right location helps you to maintain pace because of access to skilled and experienced people.

Technical Review 123

Technical Review Oracle Software Review Ideas 123

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 2, 2015

I love the enthusiasm, the boundless energy and the sense of possibility that comes from having an idea that hasn’t yet been beat up in the marketplace of competing ideas, customer contracts, VC skepticism, jaded journalists or fickle consumers who are on the The New, New Thing. They can help you with pricing.

Outsource Development 150

Outsource Development Metrics Startup Sales 150

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 11, 2019

There is still infinite room for new startup sales modes and models. This gives rise to the personalization and customization that we all want. Analytics will soon drive nearly all business decisions for any company that wants to remain relevant to its customers. Data enable: use metrics and measurements.

Technology 97

Technology Social Media Startup Entertainment 97

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 22, 2021

Unfortunately, most of us don’t have enough resources to bootstrap our own startups, so we are completely dependent on investors to help turn great ideas into great businesses. Emphasize your real ambition to change the world, through helping the underprivileged, improving healthcare, or saving the environment.

Ideas 140

Ideas Entrepreneur Equity Resource 140

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. MakeSpace (as he named it) would help you get your excess goods into low-cost warehouses. How long does it take me to pay back my original customer acquisition costs?

Startup 286

Startup Technical Review Customer Custom 286

SoCal CTO

JULY 13, 2011

This site aggregates and filters content from thought leaders who talk about topics such as Marketing , Sales , Design , Revenue , Hiring , Social Media , Business Models , Metrics , PR , Venture Capital , Angel Investors , Bootstrapping , Incubators , Agile and many others.

Content 175

Content Startup Social Media IP 175

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 28, 2021

Look for validation from your mainstream customers. No matter how passionately you believe that everyone needs one, and positive feedback from friends and early adopters (false positives), before you invest in scaling the business, make sure you set and meet good metrics in cost of customer acquisition, recurring sales, and margin.

Technical Review 131

Technical Review Case Study Mentor Software Review 131