In New York, everyone “does Biz Dev.” It’s the magic thing that people do that turns little companies into giant empires. It’s what makes great CEOs and revolutionizes whole markets and companies. But what is it?I meet plenty of Biz Dev people who “don’t do marketing or sales because they’re focused on biz dev.” These [...]
The going is good, and we’re still screwing it up We’ve been helping companies utilize new and powerful technology for just under three years now. It has been fantastic. We’re growing rapidly and seeing the sea-change in how some businesses are using software. But what’s even more astounding is the fact that so few people [...]
Selling anything can be a mess mired in stress, anticipation and anxiety. Especially in Professional Services. People waffle, other stuff comes up, budgets drop… a lot. At VM Associates, we just closed a deal from a client that contacted us back in December. It’s important to always remember that sales aren’t about what you’re selling, [...]
To all the Cloud Vanguards (consultants, CIOs, etc.): Please, PLEASE, don’t be an Affiliated Software Seller. Don’t take kickbacks, don’t work off of the margin, don’t try to sell in volume. Why? Because THERE IS NOTHING TO RESELL. Falling back on a traditional reseller scheme is absolutely not going to work. There is absolutely no [...]
Referrals, Word of Mouth and Free Lunch Only Go So Far. In the young and emerging SMB sector, many SaaS vendors are turning to referral marketing as a way to spread the word. This “you win, I win” model means User A recommends the application, User B signs up, both get a 10% discount. For [...]
The explosion of SaaS offerings ranges from contact management and email to ERP and Sales Force workflow is mind blowing. I demo software every single day and I’m constantly amazed at how much of this stuff is out there. Of course, just like everything, 80% of it is derivative schlock – a copy of a [...]
The most common thing people look for when moving to a new business solution is the desire to increase productivity. We all believe this. Usually productivity in our minds equals better use of time. If we can save 30 minutes a day for our employees it will be worth the investment. If we have a [...]
Probably the biggest question for businesses looking to migrate to the cloud is security. Maybe you’ve had a CRM provider run you through a demo and you’re thrilled with what’s being offered. But the one hiccup that crosses your mind is the idea that someone could steal five years of contacts, knowledge base and financial [...]
Yesterday I was demoing several new CRM SaaS offerings that have been picking up steam lately. The quality across the board has been relatively high, but one thing that sets apart the cream is the attention to user experience. There’s a test I do which immediately tells me how successful user experience will be: how [...]
Last month I did a presentation for small business owners at the American Chamber of Commerce in Paris. For many businesses, “cloud computing” is just a marketing term that’s being pitched to them, hot buzz words thrown in their faces. I wanted to really outline what cloud computing is, and how it can make a [...]