Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 23, 2013

Every sales organization with more than a handful of reps or that is across multiple offices or time zones would benefit from having a sales methodology. But the number one reason sales stall when customers see the value in what you do is because they often don’t have a reason to buy NOW. The USP solves the, “Why Buy Me?”

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Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 17, 2013

In my first enterprise software company we developed a methodology for sales that we called PUCCKA. Having a methodology instead of just going on random sales visits helped force a bit of rigor and honesty amongst team members about how well or not we thought we were doing. The best sales meetings are discussions. Click here.

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Sales Slides Startup Customer 367

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 5, 2020

As a mentor to entrepreneurs, I tend to see many of the same obstacles appearing in every new startup, and since I don’t want to appear to be a downer , I’m not sure how to properly warn people ahead of time to be on the alert for these challenges. Even the strongest relationships are often tested and broken by the stresses of a new startup.

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Startup Entrepreneur Examples Customer 131

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 3, 2010

This is part of my series on Startup Advice. I love working with Aussies because their outlook on life seems very similar to what I grew up with in California. 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.

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Sales Startup Venture Capital Customer 314

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 30, 2014

Many startups now go through accelerators and have mentors passing through each day with advice – usually it’s conflicting. There are bootcamps, startup classes, video interviews – the sources are now endless. Because I’ve asked more than 100 VCs similar questions I start to notice patterns in thinking.

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Startup Framework CTO Coach Sales 407

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 19, 2021

If you need to know how to do something, just look it up online. For example, there are a dozen articles like this one for every area of expertise. My message today is to avoid the consultant stigma by signing up to do the job, not just talk about it. Then lead by example. Here are a few: Take the end-role directly.

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Startup Slides Email Customer 150

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 17, 2017

There are certain topics that even some of the smartest people I talk with who aren’t startup oriented can’t fully grok. It’s common cocktail party chatter to hear people confidently pronounce that some well known startup is sure to blow up because, “How could they succeed when they’re not even profitable!”

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Startup Venture Capital Sales Course 227

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 13, 2021

For example, I’m not sure the world needs one more social media niche site, or another dating site, or yet another flavored drink alternative. For example, smart entrepreneurs look for recognizable patterns in disconnected domains. A successful startup requires a full understanding of multiple domains, rarely embodied in one person.

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Startup Metrics Ideas Entrepreneur 162

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 26, 2023

If you are looking to start a new business in any domain, it’s definitely worth your time to check your fit for one of these models: Membership website model. So now may be the time to start or transform your business into a recurring revenue engine with subscriptions, or just add an option to get some extra sales growth.

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Startup Pricing Customer Custom 117

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 15, 2020

They are devastated when their business growth never starts or stalls, and they have no idea how to get it moving again. As an advisor to many startups, I often spend hours with business owners helping them anticipate every possible obstacle to the adoption of their solution, and developing a rollout plan to include antidotes.

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Case Study Startup Customer Custom 174

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 12, 2022

As a business advisor, I have too often seen technical entrepreneurs get a product or service off the ground with ease, but then struggle mightily when their business reaches a couple of million in annual sales, or the employee count grows beyond a handful. With a startup, everything is an experiment. Many don’t survive the change.

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Startup Training Entrepreneur Organization 137

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 23, 2022

Every startup lucky enough to get some traction gets to the point where they decide to hire some “regular employees” for sales, marketing, and administrative tasks. The entrepreneurial mindset is a function of motivation, priorities, and risk versus reward, all of which you set or enable by your leadership and example.

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Startup Training Sales Entrepreneur 134

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 29, 2020

For example, you may think that disruptive smartphones were an overnight sensation, but in reality, it took huge investments by several different companies starting in 1992, including IBM, Apple, and Google, before the market really took off in 2007. Innovation doesn’t even require technology.

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Startup Artificial Inteligence Examples Google 129

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 30, 2021

There is also more going on in every location, so this personal need and super sensitivity to the local community has spawned a new breed of Internet startups, called “hyperlocal.” Foursquare is good example of a modern hyperlocal site, which describes itself as “50% friend-finder, 30% social city guide, 20% nightlife game.”

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Startup Sites Content Sales 144

socalTECH

APRIL 24, 2020

Carey tells us a bit about what OC4 is doing, how it invests and works with companies, and also gives startups some advice about how to approach moving forward in light of the pandemic. I've had every role in a company, from CEO, COO, CFO, CMO, chief product officer, head of business development, corporate development, and sales.

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Invest Startup Ideas Examples 124

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 19, 2020

Investors will tell you that they love to put money into startups that are scalable, and ready to become the next unicorn. A software product is a classic example of a scalable solution, since it costs real money to build the first copy, but unlimited additional copies can be quickly cloned for almost no incremental cost.

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Startup Outsource Ideas Research 154

socalTECH

MAY 2, 2017

He was just trying to collect more data for his startup on what was happening on real estate deals that the company had been referring to brokers. However, starting in 2015, we found that creating this was really hard. For example, if they were working a deal, they would have to wait until it closed to get another deal.

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Sales Startup Email Tool 145

Tech.Co

APRIL 20, 2020

Wix has announced a limited-time half price sale on its website builder plans, with a 50% off deal beginning today and ending on Wednesday. The half price sale is open to new users and anyone currently using Wix's free plan. Getting started with Wix is super straightforward. Click to expand. How to Build a Site Using Wix.

Pricing 138

Pricing Sales Template Technical Review 138

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 4, 2013

This is part of a series that describes a sales methodology for technology companies or frankly many other types of companies, too. ” But many people get secure in their sales process with just meeting / talking to the people who are the nicest to you. Unique Selling Proposition. Compelling Event. The enemy is against you.

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Sales Organization Startup Resource 321

Tech.Co

JUNE 28, 2021

Startup tech businesses used to land on the scene with big ideas about how their tech could change the world. Facebook, for example, decided in 2008 that its mission was to “help you connect and share with the people in your life.” But the trend for world-changing mission statements is waning in the startup sphere.

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Startup Ideas Venture Capital Course 104

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 31, 2010

This is part of my ongoing Sales & Marketing Series. In the first part of this post I talked about how sales in a startup is often evangelical , requires as consultative sale and needs constant adjustments based on customer feedback. We had 4 or 5 sales reps that had been around since the early days.

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Sales Newsletter Technical Review Activity 286

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 1, 2022

Wouldn’t you like to be one of the lucky people who joined Google and Facebook when these were startups, and now be a multi-millionaire or better? So people ask me “How many shares should I ask for or expect when I join a startup today?” Thus, options don’t “pay the mortgage” today, so to speak. 7% Product Manager,2 -.3%

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Startup Equity Pricing Marketing 137

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 14, 2021

For example, I believe that Starbucks surprised most people by proving that they could take a commodity business, a coffee shop, and make it a worldwide profit winner, just by justifying premium pricing with a quality product, the right locations, personalized service, and appealing to the professional customer personas.

Pricing 145

Pricing Startup Competition Examples 145

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 16, 2009

This post is part of my series “ Startup Lessons &#. Elephants, Deer and Rabbits – Some thoughts on start-up segmentation. I know that this advice won’t apply to every possible startup – but I think it applies to many. So when I started my first company I naturally went for elephants.

Startup 389

Startup Customer Custom Resource 389

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 27, 2011

I find it amusing when a journalist writes an article about a prominent startup (either privately held or preparing for an IPO) and decries that, “They’re not even profitable!” The most obvious way to explain this is with sales people. What makes up revenue? One of them is profitability. Operating Costs.

Startup 418

Startup Venture Capital Sales Technical Review 418

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 17, 2022

Very few entrepreneurs have the range of skills and experience to be the solution creator as well as business creator, or operational as well as sales leader. A good overall example is the synergy between Google co-founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page, as well as long-time Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt.

Software Review 154

Software Review CTO Hire Outsource Development Startup 154

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 28, 2012

When you work inside a startup with lots of clever and motivated staff you’re never short of good ideas that you can implement. Each one incrementally sounds like a good idea, yet collectively they end up punishing undisciplined teams. That channel deal that you thought would take no times ends up burning scarce calories.

Resource 415

Resource Startup Product Ideas 415

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 21, 2010

This is part of my ongoing series on Startup Advice. As startup entrepreneurs we all want to work with them because having their name as reference clients makes it so much easier for marketing, PR, selling to other customers, fund raising and even recruiting. Large companies can be strange sometimes. Sometimes it actually does.

Startup 298

Startup Sales Slides Metrics 298

Berkonomics

DECEMBER 27, 2018

How to define “success” for a startup? To some it is financial security, building a base of wealth created from the increased value of the enterprise at the end point of sale or at an IPO. Everyone has a vision when starting a business. Then again, with the fifty percent rule, aren’t all entrepreneurs a bit insane to start?

Startup 120

Startup Entrepreneur Course Email 120

Berkonomics

DECEMBER 27, 2018

How to define “success” for a startup? To some it is financial security, building a base of wealth created from the increased value of the enterprise at the end point of sale or at an IPO. Everyone has a vision when starting a business. Then again, with the fifty percent rule, aren’t all entrepreneurs a bit insane to start?

Startup 120

Startup Entrepreneur Course Email 120

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 4, 2021

It means you’ve anticipated what your customers will need as they move up the power curve, For example, Google is a one-stop source for your online needs, ranging from simple search to managing your e-mail, to analyzing your Web site. For example, the Lexus experience is more than the steel, leather, glass, and rubber.

Ideas 155

Ideas Startup Summary Examples 155

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 20, 2021

Creating a startup, or managing any business, is all about problem solving. The Power of Self-Discipline ” that I believe will help entrepreneurs move up a notch in this category: Take the time to define the problem clearly. For example, “sales are too low” may mean strong competitors, ineffective advertising, or a poor sales process.

Startup 156

Startup Entrepreneur Sales Course 156

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 17, 2021

It wasn’t so many years ago that starting a new e-commerce business on the Internet was a complex custom development project, usually costing a million dollars or more. Almost anyone can start a company today on a shoestring budget, following these cost-cutting recommendations: Establish a solid legal structure for your business.

Entrepreneur 162

Entrepreneur Startup Social Media Outsource Development 162

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 11, 2021

Almost every early-stage startup who has approached investors for funding has heard the innocuous sounding rejection “I love your idea, but come back when you have more traction.” A graph that shows a hockey-stick “up and to the right” curve with at least three data points per key indicator is a great visual assist.

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Startup Metrics Customer Custom 121

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 14, 2017

Nearly every successful tech startup I’ve observed over the past 20 years has gone through a similar growth pattern: Innovate, systematize then scale operations. Innovate In the early years of a startup there is a lot of kinetic energy of enthusiastic innovators looking to launch a product that changes how an industry works.

Startup 286

Startup Technical Review Customer Custom 286

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 22, 2012

I think I’ve read Paul Graham’s post on “ Startup = Growth ” three or four times now. For example. “The growth of a successful startup usually has three phases: There’s an initial period of slow or no growth while the startup tries to figure out what it’s doing. Growth, again.

Startup 390

Startup Venture Capital Entrepreneur Technical Review 390

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 10, 2021

Thus there are some key things that we can do as a leader to improve people’s self confidence and ability to deliver, as well as be a better example for others: Practice what you preach on accountability. For example , Starbucks' chief executive officer, Kevin R. First of all, you need to be a role model for accountability.

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Startup Training Metrics Examples 132