InfoChachkie

JULY 7, 2016

The entrepreneur cannot wait to show me their product via a demo. You’re the first one I’ve met who didn’t want to see our product.” I then explain that I evaluate the veracity of a product by seeking guidance from current, past and prospective users, rather than relying on a product demonstration.

Venture Capital 176

Venture Capital Product Software Review Technical Review 176

SoCal Tech Calendar

JANUARY 19, 2017

Wednesday, January 25, 2017 -- Direct-to-Consumer Packaging: Delighting Customers in a New Era of Retail. For product entrepreneurs, designers, and manufacturers: the first MAKE IT IN LA event for 2017! E-commerce has quadrupled in the past decade and direct-to-consumer has become a key sales channel for products.

Customer 100

Customer Custom Commerce Design 100

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 29, 2023

In my experience in large businesses as well as years of advising startups, I see far too much focus on product skills, and too little on people and process skills. His focus is on sales, but I see the same skills needed for entrepreneurs. Diagnosing and understanding the customer problem. Negotiating and creating win-win deals.

Startup 154

Startup Sales Entrepreneur Customer 154

Berkonomics

JUNE 25, 2020

But businesses that expose their story to tens of millions of potential customers through the Internet need additional tools. You will recognize the value of these for any business, even if they have not been in common use in the past. CHURN (% customer cancelling each month). CACR (Customer Acquisition Cost Ratio).

Acquisition 156

Acquisition Statistics Sales Customer 156

Berkonomics

JUNE 4, 2020

Here’s the importance of that event and how it affects every productive move you make after that moment. There is amazing leverage in high gross profit margins once a company is past breakeven. That’s impressive sales leverage. Let’s use breakeven as our test. Let’s say that your company is exactly at breakeven.

.Net 156

.Net Sales Tool Email 156

Berkonomics

JANUARY 27, 2022

Because the first rule for raising money is to do it on good news – right when sales are increasing at an accelerating rate. Or when a major customer signs a significant deal. It’s human nature for investors to want to buy into a fast growing future, proven by some event in the immediate past. Why is this important advice?

News 156

News SaaS Platform Sales 156

TechCrunch LA

OCTOBER 19, 2021

Locale, based in San Francisco, enables customers to order from dozens of businesses, including bakeries and restaurants, and get them delivered in one box for just a $5 delivery fee. When you move around a city, you often end up farther away from some of your favorite restaurants and bakeries.

Help 192

Help Startup Los Angeles Customer 192

InfoChachkie

AUGUST 22, 2016

We had a spirited discussion regarding a number of issues related to blowing past $10M in annual recurring SaaS revenue, in front of a sold-out crowd of about 400 entrepreneurs. He started by stating, “We track customer success.” In other words, are we measure whether or not we are truly making our customers more successful.”.

Customer 100

Customer Custom Cornerstone OnDemand Metrics 100

Berkonomics

MARCH 24, 2010

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 sales people rely upon when attempting to create buzz and make a mass market for a new product. Make your customer a partner in the process.

Customer 149

Customer Custom Resource Sales 149

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 10, 2011

The remainder of this article will deal with this decision but it comes down to the different economics of DVD rentals due to “ the first sale doctrine ” which gives Netflix a complete library of films and the fact that the first-sale doctrine doesn’t apply to digital downloads. ” customer segment.

Netflix 287

Netflix Customer Custom Pricing 287

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 21, 2021

Many entrepreneurs never get past their first-stage focus on their innovative product, to scaling the business globally, organizing a structure to handle thousands of employees, and concentrating their focus “on the business” rather than working “in the business.” Switch your focus from product development to sales.

Startup 151

Startup Course Sales Entrepreneur 151

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 1, 2009

As organizations we have become more open and I believe this is great for businesses and their customers. We spent time out in the marketplace talking with customers, looking at their solutions, comparing ourselves with our competition and then squirreling ourselves away in our offices designing our next set of features.

Organization 280

Organization Customer Custom Tips 280

Berkonomics

AUGUST 3, 2023

Some businesses require very little capital and the founder can self-finance the enterprise and retain 100% of its ownership and control from ignition through liquidity event (startup through sale). Many accelerators have come and gone during these past five years. For those of you who fit that description, nice work.

Venture Capital 295

Venture Capital Startup Class Invest 295

Berkonomics

APRIL 16, 2020

COVID will become a word used in the past tense. Do you still need marketing costs when there is no-one out there buying new product? Are you salespeople making few if any sales because your prospective customers are distracted by their own problems? Everything will recover. Stocks will climb again.

Layoffs 218

Layoffs Sales News Marketing 218

TechCrunch LA

SEPTEMBER 23, 2020

But the no-longer nascent sneaker and streetwear market is a big market, with the potential to reach $30 billion in sales globally by 2030, according to a recent report by the research firm, Cowen ( cited by The Wall Street Journal , which first reported the financing). ” Money, it’s gotta be the shoes.

Commerce 255

Commerce Journal Los Angeles Research 255

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 13, 2021

As a long-time business consultant and investor, especially to entrepreneurs, I recognize your sparkle of vision , to build the ultimate world-changing product. I found these maladies summarized well in a new book, “ Radical Product Thinking ,” by entrepreneur Radhika Dutt. Obsessive sales – must meet revenue goals.

Metrics 133

Metrics Product Yahoo Examples 133

TechCrunch LA

OCTOBER 5, 2020

GrubMarket , which provides a B2C platform for consumers to order produce and other food and home items for delivery, and a B2B service where it supplies grocery stores, meal-kit companies and other food tech startups with products that they resell, is today announcing that it has raised $60 million in a Series D round of funding.

Technical Review 343

Technical Review Startup Marketing San Diego 343

Berkonomics

NOVEMBER 24, 2022

Well, even though that acquisition is still playing itself out on the field of battle, it appears quite clear that the new parent has directed its new subsidiary to abandon the lower end of the market and focus upon the larger sales, corporate customers, and major brands. Been skewered for slow customer service?

Resource 156

Resource Competition Examples Customer 156

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 20, 2013

In my first enterprise software company we developed a methodology for sales that we called PUCCKA , which I wrote about previously. Having a good sales methodology can help you ensure your company runs more disciplined campaigns and focuses scarce resources on your best opportunities. It the second rule of sales, “Why Buy Me?”

Sales 336

Sales Startup Competition Customer 336

InfoChachkie

SEPTEMBER 20, 2016

However, savvy startups can leverage LinkedIn to create a customer acquisition and a churn reduction tool. However, in some cases, especially with its larger customers, the company displaces a competitor. A key component of SimpleLegal’s strategy is the strong relationships it establishes with its customers. Bro Benefits.

Customer 100

Customer Custom Software Review Technical Review 100

InfoChachkie

JANUARY 5, 2015

A recurring entrepreneurial challenge is to determine the optimal price of a new product, especially absent a directly competitive alternative. When we launched GoToAssist, we offered our customers the option to brand the customer-facing webpages with their logo and brand colors. How Much For A Rib?

Pricing 100

Pricing Product Startup Customer 100

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 18, 2023

Customer service has traditionally been focused on the resolution of complaints , primarily after a transaction. My recommendations always include adopting a customer mindset, as well as the following steps: Accept today’s definition of relevant customer support. Treat every customer exceptionally before they complain.

Competition 109

Competition Services Customer Custom 109

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 13, 2022

The “valley of death” is a common term in the startup world, referring to the difficulty of covering the negative cash flow in the early stages of a startup, before their new product or service is bringing in revenue from real customers. Only one-third make it past their tenth anniversary. Commit to a major customer.

Startup 136

Startup Technical Review Equity Incubator 136

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 6, 2020

In my experience in large businesses as well as years of advising startups, I see far too much focus on product skills, and too little on people and process skills. His focus is on sales, but I see the same skills needed for entrepreneurs. Diagnosing and understanding the customer problem. Negotiating and creating win-win deals.

Entrepreneur 134

Entrepreneur Startup Sales Customer 134

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 28, 2017

With the advent of the Internet, social media, and instant communication via texting, customer expectations for service, as part of their entire customer experience, have changed. They expect you to be there, to know their history as a customer, and to treat them with priority and respect.

Customer 57

Customer Custom Services Social Media 57

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 19, 2021

One of the reasons it’s so tough is that the rules are constantly changing on what it takes to win over customers, as customer attitudes and cultures change, and competitors continually strive to “raise the bar” on product and support. Existing customers can’t envision a new concept, or new behaviors.

Company 152

Company Companies Startup Customer 152

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 31, 2012

It takes on many of the lessons MBA programs and Corporate America have been teaching about business for the past 50+ years and questions whether lessons from Apple might be more applicable in thinking about the future. That student is Erin McCann who formerly worked in sales at Google, so she has some ground to stand on in her assertions.

Startup 319

Startup Sales Course Competition 319

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 28, 2011

That great productivity drain that we somehow all buy into. My last one went out past midnight. So I ask you – if you’re being reactive to somebody else’s emails are you really being as productive in your company as you could be? I spent a late morning meeting with a product exec at one portfolio company.

Email 314

Email Product Startup Writing 314

TechCrunch LA

JULY 16, 2020

For the greater Los Angeles-based Openpath, the new funding offers a chance to boost its sales and marketing efforts and develop new security-focused products for companies and property managers trying to woo tenants back to the shared office space during a global pandemic. ”

Los Angeles 177

Los Angeles Mobile Sales Venture Capital 177

Berkonomics

NOVEMBER 28, 2013

How do you judge a company’s prospects, if a corporate business-to-business sale has to be your game? I am assuming that you have an awesome product or service which cleverly solves some tough problem and promises to deliver solid ROI for the buyer. Read on! - DB. Email readers, continue here.]

Startup 214

Startup Sales Product Customer 214

InfoChachkie

JANUARY 20, 2015

If Smucker’s can annually generate hundreds of millions in sales for a variety of food products, there is little risk that a mediocre company or product name will preclude you from achieving similar success. Instead, expeditiously pick a reasonable moniker and then get back to work delivering value to your customers.

Customer 100

Customer Custom Technical Review Software Review 100

TechCrunch LA

OCTOBER 28, 2020

“We’ve spent the past decade in bev-alc at the forefront of providing solutions to changing consumer shopping behaviors. What we’ve seen is a more exploratory customer than the industry recognizes, ready to try new form factors, products and categories. The liquor side of the PCH business is indeed incredibly strong.

Company 188

Company Companies Los Angeles San Diego 188

Berkonomics

AUGUST 1, 2013

But businesses that expose their story to tens of millions of potential customers through the Internet need additional tools. You will recognize the value of these for any business, even if they have not been in common use in the past. CHURN (% customer cancelling each month). CHURN (% customer cancelling each month).

Acquisition 189

Acquisition Statistics Sales Customer 189

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 11, 2023

Successful entrepreneurs are the ones who think the most creatively, not only in their initial product or service, but more importantly all through the stages of growth from startup to maturity. Sales people tend to remember the latest product when selling to clients, not the one best for that customer. Failure to learn.

Marketing 119

Marketing Metrics Demand Statistics 119

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 8, 2012

Every startup needs to understand that the customer paradigm has dramatically shifted over the past two years with pervasive social networks and smartphones. If your business doesn’t connect with your customers, individually and as a community, demanding customers will not only ignore you, but will actively keep other customers away.

Customer 93

Customer Custom Networking Entrepreneur 93

InfoChachkie

MARCH 1, 2011

In essence, the Beatles offered a product with a higher value proposition as compared to their American counterparts. Minimally Viable Product Does Not Mean Minimal Utility. Much has been written regarding the benefits of crafting a minimally viable product (MVP) as a means of accelerating the product validation process.

Product 232

Product Marketing Sales Customer 232

Berkonomics

AUGUST 2, 2018

There are exceptions, based upon cost of sales. Assume that you are not an Internet retailer with many competing products to sell. Apple charges a premium for innovative products, with quality second and service third. For you, it is important for the image of the company to be known for one of the above attributes above others.

Pricing 226

Pricing Competition Examples Class 226