What are the biggest factors that drive a company toward either a relentless focus on its core business or a penchant for business diversification? In my experience, the background, personal experiences, and attitudes of the CEO or founders. It really depends upon what these folks are used to and comfortable with. A CEO who came […]
What the Heck is Customer Development?
The term “customer development” has been floating around for a number of years now, although it seems to have gotten more play in the last couple. Regardless, it’s one of the most common buzzwords added to the technology business vernacular in recent times. I lump it in the buzzword box with “agile”, “lean-(anything)”, “growth hacking”, […]
Accessing Remote Software Markets
More often than not, software companies start off selling and marketing in their home market. This isn’t always the case, but it is true in the vast majority of cases. This occurs when a home market focus is intended to build an initial reference customer list of 10-20 customers, or lasts until the company establishes […]
Is a Strong Rolodex Important in Technology Businesses?
I always get this comment: “We’re looking for a VP-Sales/VP-Business Development/Sales Manager/Sales Rep with a strong Rolodex in the (pick your market segment) market”. I’m using “Rolodex” as a generic term for “contacts” since the advent of CRM software. But how important is a strong Rolodex really in the IT business? In my opinion, it’s […]
Creating a Distribution Channel Where One Doesn’t Exist
One of the least well-understood activities in growing a hardware or software business is the building of distribution channels. This looks very easy to the uninitiated. But in reality, it’s extremely difficult. Many subtleties are far from obvious and some aspects that are necessary for success are downright counter-intuitive. Building a distribution channel strategy for […]
