An underrated competency in software and hardware companies–which should be considered MUCH more important– is the customer service function. I suppose that’s only natural; tech companies are very focused on gaining strategic advantage via technological advances and product differentiation. Once the product is in good shape, companies tend to shift their primary focus from product […]
Direct Email–Good or Evil?
One of the most misunderstood tools in the Marketer’s Bag of Tricks is direct email. There’s good reason for it, of course. Everyone hates SPAM! I expect that even the most evil, notorious spammers of the world have SPAM filters on their personal email accounts. The end result of this universal distaste of SPAM is […]
Channel Conflict
In my consulting practice I do a lot of work with software and hardware companies in area of channel development. One of the hardest things to manage while growing a channel business is the inevitable conflict between all the players throughout your various distribution methods, including your direct sales force. Of course, my colleagues in […]
Engineers Hiring Sales Reps
The hiring of salespeople is often one of the most frustrating aspects of staffing a software or hardware company. In fact, it’s often viewed as a… Necessary Evil Particularly in the startup phase of a software or hardware company, the CEO and many of the senior management has often come from a technical (or at […]
