Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 21, 2010

BigCo calls you to review your product and decides they want to use you. Let’s say you give a warrant to a channel partner to sell your product. If you simply to a revenue number (say hitting $1 million in sales) and they hit it in year 1 then you’ve lost your carrot for year 2. million in sales.

Startup 298

Startup Sales Slides Metrics 298

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 22, 2013

It''s a line from an old movie "Field of Dreams" which is still leading to the demise of too many startups, led by entrepreneurs who really started their business to build an exciting new product or service. Most struggle with the idea and practice of marketing and sales, and see these as a necessary evil, if even required.

Sales 105

Sales Startup Metrics Customer 105

Berkonomics

NOVEMBER 15, 2012

Email readers, continue here.] So think of ways to make each process into a game, one in which there is a defined metric or measure of the winner at the end of a cycle short enough to permit teaching, celebration, challenge, and motivation for the next time played. Create and publish metrics as goals and comparisons to past accomplishments.

Metrics 176

Metrics Competition Coach Email 176

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 12, 2010

Company grew by more than “400% each year” for past few years [assume growth metric = revenues]. Private, flash sales site focused on apparel goods (women, men and children). Metrics: 2.5mm members, 1,000 brands, 2,500 sale events to-date. Metrics: 2.5mm members, 1,000 brands, 2,500 sale events to-date.

Venture Capital 217

Venture Capital Capital Metrics Competition 217

socalTECH

SEPTEMBER 3, 2019

Our interview today is with Amos Schwartzfarb , the author of Sell More Faster: The Ultimate Sales Playbook for Start-Ups , which comes out tomorrow, Wednesday. We caught up with Amos to learn about his new book, and to gain some tips for startup entrepreneurs on how to figure out when you're actually ready to scale your sales team.

Sales 113

Sales Startup Custom Development Framework 113

socalTECH

MAY 2, 2017

We spoke with Andrew about how the company pivoted from its original model after finding a huge amount of traction for its sales software and data, and its ability to guide brokers on the best practices for them to close more deals, which it is now offering as software-as-a-service. What is Digsy?

Sales 145

Sales Startup Email Tool 145

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 3, 2020

Selecting the right sales channels is one of the first strategic decisions that every startup faces. You need to track what content is resonating with your prospective customers, through metrics including submit rate by content offer, elasticity, velocity, cost, and ultimately revenue by content program. Lead-stage content performance.

Marketing 174

Marketing Invest Demand Metrics 174

socalTECH

JUNE 1, 2012

Are users willing to check into local businesses with another, mobile check-in product? My other co-founder, Rusty Jenkins, was also with that company, doing sales. Other than that, I don't really see a downside for a company that is trying to raise money, if they are close to product. We're also funding it out of pocket.

CTO Coach 223

CTO Coach Startup Mobile Artificial Inteligence 223

Berkonomics

AUGUST 15, 2013

Earliest warning metrics: What good is information if you can’t act upon it in a timely manner? Find metrics that will be “leading indicators” of trouble to come. Think of labor efficiency (future product or service delivery impairment) or warehouse inventory (sales slowdown, supply chain management problems) as examples.

Metrics 184

Metrics Software Review Technical Review Statistics 184

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 25, 2020

New product process. It starts with a vision, but benefits quickly from a structured process of idea generation, evaluation, prototyping, customer feedback, and success metrics. From time to time, include customers and sales members in ideation sessions. Failure is the best teacher. Set milestones and meet them. Ownership.

Coach 144

Coach Metrics Social Network Competition 144

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 7, 2015

Remember, investors are buying into the business, not the product. Investors are business experts, while the entrepreneur is more likely the product expert. In my experience, the team's credentials are more important than the product. Specific elements of your marketing and sales plans.

Product 103

Product Slides Customer Custom 103

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 18, 2020

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. Using data metrics alone for decisions, without seeking the root problem and alternative solutions, kills creativity. Tricked by recency.

Metrics 157

Metrics Demand Statistics Sales 157

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 22, 2021

Too many founders have learned that passion and free beta products do not imply a sustainable business. 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. Word of mouth is not adequate for marketing and sales.

Sales 165

Sales Customer Custom Social Media 165

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 21, 2023

New product process. It starts with a vision, but benefits quickly from a structured process of idea generation, evaluation, prototyping, customer feedback, and success metrics. From time to time, include customers and sales members in ideation sessions. Failure is the best teacher. Set milestones and meet them. Ownership.

Coach 137

Coach Metrics Competition Ideas 137

InfoChachkie

SEPTEMBER 29, 2014

Sometimes we measure things and see that in the short term they actually hurt sales. But we do it anyway, because we believe that the short-term metrics probably aren''t indicative of the long term.”. If improperly administered, meetings become counter-productive, especially as an organization grows beyond its initial startup phase.

Tips 223

Tips Framework Metrics Cloud Computing 223

InfoChachkie

SEPTEMBER 15, 2011

At Expertcity (creator of GoToMyPC and GoToMeeting, acquired by Citrix), our VP of Product and Customer Experience led a number of teams during his seven-year tenure including Professional Services, Customer Service and Product Management. Sometimes we measure things and see that in the short term they actually hurt sales.

Tips 279

Tips Startup Framework Customer 279

socalTECH

MARCH 6, 2019

Eastham previously was at Bazaarvoice, and also was co-founder and CEO of Cmpare Metrics (Acquired by GroupBy). Weaver previously was Regional Vice President of Sales at Dosh, and also had served at Civitas Learning and Bazaarvoice. Vertebrae offers up 3D and AR software to brands and retailers.

Metrics 113

Metrics Sales Software Development Los Angeles 113

Berkonomics

JULY 9, 2020

Earliest warning metrics: [Email readers, continue here…] What good is information if you can’t act upon it in a timely manner? Find metrics that will be “leading indicators” of trouble to come. Items in the critical path (bottlenecks): This is one of my focus issues for my workshops, it is so important.

Metrics 156

Metrics Software Review Technical Review Statistics 156

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 22, 2016

That should make you wonder - how do you measure traction in a metric? According to most experts , business traction is evidence that somebody really wants your product. It’s business momentum, independent of whether you have a product delivered, proven the business model, or significantly penetrated the opportunity.

Metrics 57

Metrics Funding Startup Customer 57

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 7, 2022

Others do far too little, assuming the viral effect and word-of-mouth will soon kick in, and sales will suddenly grow exponentially. There is no magic lever for growth, so several initiatives are required, with metrics to assess value returned. Ask every employee to focus on sales. Shorten the close cycle to grow faster.

Startup 134

Startup Search Engine Optimization Social Media Metrics 134

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 23, 2012

In an over-funding environment companies are encouraged to eschew revenues in a land grab to acquire eyeballs, clicks, page views or whatever other vanity metrics give VCs the false comfort that they’re sitting on a gold mine. Mobile devices deliver “bottom of funnel” sales opportunities that deliver real & immediate economic results.

Venture Capital 347

Venture Capital Capital Technical Review Startup 347

socalTECH

APRIL 4, 2011

There are some basic things, as well, such as helping people to create mass numbers of ads really quickly, by putting in different iterations of copy and creative, changing demographic targeting criteria, interest targeting, and having the system automatically create those ads and optimize them based on conversion metrics. READ MORE>>.

Advertising 198

Advertising Startup Santa Monica Social Network 198

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 17, 2018

" Revenue doesn't pay your bills, GM does  —  @msuster 2/ Founders obsess with revenue as a vanity metric. More people aren't the answer if your core business isn't already productive. But if you want to add some in the comments section on Medium and I’ll make sure to read them.

Software Review 242

Software Review Technical Review Pricing Metrics 242

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 9, 2020

Others do far too little, assuming the viral effect and word-of-mouth will soon kick in, and sales will suddenly grow exponentially. There is no magic lever for growth, so several initiatives are required, with metrics to assess value returned. Ask every employee to focus on sales. Shorten the close cycle to grow faster.

Search Engine Optimization 131

Search Engine Optimization Startup Social Media Metrics 131

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 16, 2013

The minute you try to monetize now they have metrics with which to beat you up and say you’re business has limitations.” Delaying going out of business gives you way more chances at product / market fit than any other strategy I know of. ” Case in point: Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, SnapChat. Again, all true.

Venture Capital 412

Venture Capital Startup Funding Snapchat 412

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 We went back to the drawing board during the pandemic on a new product and invented The Kelp Burger.”.

Startup 191

Startup Los Angeles Sample Funding 191

socalTECH

JANUARY 14, 2011

We have a very sophisticated, analytics and software platform that over half the Fortune 50 are now using, to help guide how they invest in marketing and sales activities and investments. Do your customers understand the need for your product, and has that been an issue? Did the TV stimulate search?

Social Media 235

Social Media Demand Activity Marketing 235

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 1, 2010

The consumer product they’ve created is called TrueCar. And finally, Scott demonstrated his internal management tool for managing the metrics of his business. Money to be used for hiring and additional product development. Company plans to use the capital to build out sales and marketing and r&d. -a Foursquare.

Zag 248

Zag Truecar Venture Capital CarsDirect 248

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 9, 2018

Selecting the right sales channels is one of the first strategic decisions that every startup faces. You need to track what content is resonating with your prospective customers, through metrics including submit rate by content offer, elasticity, velocity, cost, and ultimately revenue by content program. Lead-stage content performance.

Metrics 57

Metrics Demand Marketing Paramount 57

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

FEBRUARY 20, 2017

They are tasked with “getting deals done” so they race around talking to tons of potential partners inking anything from channel sale deals , product integration, international distribution agreements, co-marketing arrangements, M&A discussions, etc. Here’s how it goes: You have a business development group with two people.

Activity 164

Activity Conference Press Case Study 164

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 23, 2021

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. Incentives should be a combination of metrics and recognition to highlight results. Incent and reward employees who delight customers.

Customer 147

Customer Custom Technical Review Metrics 147

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 13, 2021

Ideas to improve the usability of an existing product, or ways to extend its audience, are not likely to be unique to you, and difficult to win over competitors. You may be a product expert, but have little experience with running a business, or marketing, or sales. Be prepared to ship a minimum viable product and pivot.

Startup 162

Startup Metrics Ideas Entrepreneur 162

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 30, 2021

Scan for unmet needs to match new products. When sales fall off, you need to dig deep for the “why,” rather than just assuming the price needs to go down. Establish and evaluate metrics at multiple levels. In addition to total sales, you need to look at categories and trends at lower levels.

Marketing 162

Marketing Social Media Metrics Customer 162

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 27, 2019

If you buy into the argument that a strong board can actually help you then this post will lay out how to help you have more productive meetings by preparing properly in advance. Often board members themselves don’t do the work to say “what metrics would we like to see.” This is part of a broader series on Board Meetings.

Startup 226

Startup Slides Metrics News 226

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 11, 2021

Traction is evidence that your product or service has started that “hockey- stick” adoption rate which implies a large market, a valid business model, and sustainable growth. As an investor, I would like to see one month of sales, and see how that compares to your projections. Free and freemium products need a solid base.

Startup 121

Startup Metrics Customer Custom 121

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 2, 2015

I can’t tell you how many people have thanked me for this advice and say their productivity increased exponentially. It freed up Ophir to grow out our sales organization, to work more closely with agencies, to innovate on product and to raise capital. The full financial details and metrics were in the deck.

Outsource Development 150

Outsource Development Metrics Startup Sales 150