Openness Can be a Competitive Advantage
With the tenth anniversary of 9/11 behind us and our ongoing financial woes, there seems to be a growing population out there worried about all the people and companies watching to…
Marketing & Sales Posts
You Don’t Have a Business Until You’ve Sold to Strangers
“Will the dogs eat the dog food?” This rather crude expression weighs heavily on the mind of all good startup founders, no matter how confident they appear. We all know…
5 Steps to Customer-Centric Sales
Entrepreneurs always work hard to create an innovative product or service, but often count on standard seller marketing for sales. But the reality is that sellers are no longer in…
Startup Marketing in the Age of Content
Your marketing launch is the most important element of startup success these days, to get customer attention in this world of information overload. Yet it is the one element that…
Hyperlocal Startup Opportunities
Even though the world is getting smaller, due to easy global connectivity, people still feel alone if not well-connected locally. There is also more going on in every location, so…
Startups Can Do PR Without an Agency
As an entrepreneur, it’s never too early to start selling yourself and your idea. I hear lots of excuses from startup founders, like “I’m too busy,” concern over IP security,…
Your Customers Don’t Share Your World View
As an entrepreneur, you should assume none of your customers are like you. In reality, most entrepreneurs assume just the opposite. Customers don’t have your technical knowledge, your passion, and…
Viral Marketing is Far From Free
Every time I challenge a business plan with little or no budget for marketing, I get the answer that they will be using “viral” marketing, which costs nothing. The founder…
12 Ways to Put the Customer First
I often deal with early-stage startups, and many of these don’t have any customers yet (but wish they did), so it’s not surprising they still don’t think of customers as…
Empowered Customers Are Earned, Not Sold
You can’t succeed in your new startup if you can’t win customers, and the new Internet-empowered customers are tough. They are in control, and they no longer care where or…