How To Build A Core Startup Team Build A Community – To Build A Brand Build A Community – To Build A Brand A Community – To Build A Brand","twitter":"Build A Community – To Build A Brand"}video/brightcove/3879167988001 How To Create Customer Demand How To Create Customer Demand To Create Customer Demand","twitter":"How To Create Customer Demand"}video/brightcove/3879321789001 How To Create A Loyal Following How To Create A Loyal Following To Create A Loyal Following","twitter":"How To Create A Loyal Following"}video/brightcove/3879167984001 Are Patents Worth It? (And Other Entrepreneurial Mistakes) Are Patents Worth It?
The 7 Steps of the Sales Process | The Steady Sales Group The BEST way to get to know me. 1. Product Knowledge This step is fairly straight forward, but it is also the great undoing of many a technical expert turned sales person. When one is extremely well versed in a particular product especially a technical one, it is easy to get caught up in a monologue of all the great features it provides. The technical expert turned sales person is so eager to explain how the product works or why it’s unique that the benefits to the customer are left out of the discussion. 2. In the broadest sense, prospecting is an ongoing process that everyone in the company (particularly the sales force) should be involved in. 3. Their product is a seminar, about which they presumably have sufficient knowledge. Quite often the type of call one makes is a follow up to some action i.e. seminar attendance, brochure mailed, etc. 4. 5. 6. In large part, closing is about discovering obstacles. — The Ask For It Close. Additional note: The question “How much does it cost?” 7.
10 Extreme Bootstrapping Ideas You're building your business with your own money, which means you get to keep control of it, not hand it over to some investor. But bootstrapping is tough, especially if it means putting every dollar you make back into the company instead of into your pocket. So other than taking out a second mortgage on your house, maxing out credit cards, and eating ramen every night, what can you do to get your idea to the next level all on your own? Jerry Jao, co-founder and CEO of Los Angeles-based Retention Science, has some ideas. His current start-up, which uses big data to help e-commerce retailers retain customers, raised $1.3 million last year in a VC- and angel-backed seed round. But his two former companies--one that flopped and another that was cash-flow positive before he morphed it into Retention Science--existed solely on Jao's and his co-founder's own dimes. Here's Jao's top 10 list of ways to save money and keep your budding company alive. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.
8 Tips for Successful Business Development This post originally appeared on the American Express OPEN Forum, where Mashable regularly contributes articles about leveraging social media and technology in small business. Many founders and CEOs come asking, “we need to hire a biz dev person, do you know anyone?” Few roles have more varied job descriptions than business development. It’s no wonder why it is hard to figure out who to hire, what this person should do and how to measure success. Read below for tips on successful business development for startups, including how to avoid many of the typical frustrations with business development. 1. A person with deep industry knowledge and strong network ready to “do deals” can turn into a disaster if it is too early in a company’s product lifecycle. Scouting: The earliest stage of a company. 2. In general, business development will identify and create partnerships that enable leverage for driving revenue, distribution or that enhance the product. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. Eric Grafstrom
10 Questions to Ask Before Determining Your Target Market The better you understand your customer, the faster your business will grow. But new ventures often struggle to define their target market and set their sights too broadly. "We often overestimate the market size, and in many cases there may not be one at all," says Robert Hisrich, director of the Walker Center for Global Entrepreneurship at the Thunderbird School of Global Management in Glendale, Ariz. Here are 10 questions that can help you determine whether you have a target market and what it is: Who would pay for my product or service? First, try to understand the problem that your product or service can solve, says Greg Habstritt, founder of SimpleWealth.com, an Alberta, Canada-based advice website for small-business owners. Who has already bought from me? Am I overestimating my reach? What does my network think? Am I making assumptions based on my personal knowledge and experience? What's my revenue model? How will I sell my product or service? How did my competitors get started?
Why Branding Is Important When It Comes to Marketing Branding can be in a name, slogan, sign, symbol or design, or a combination of these elements that identify products or services of a company. These elements differentiate the goods and or service from the competition. What Should a Brand Do? Branding is not only about getting your target market to select you over the competition, but about getting your prospects to see you as the sole provider of a solution to their problem or need. The objectives that a good brand will achieve include: Clearly delivers the messageConfirms your credibility Emotionally connects your target prospects with your product and or service.Motivates the buyer to buyCreates User Loyalty Branding and Understanding Your Customer To succeed in branding, you must understand the needs and wants of your customers and prospects. I am ________________.I exist because ________________.If you relate to who I am and why I exist you might like me, you can buy me and you can tell others about me. The Importance of Branding
Top 10 Business Crowdfunding Campaigns Of All Time Crowdfunding is becoming increasingly mainstream, recently tied to social giant Facebook after their recent acquisition of Oculus VR, a successfully crowdfunded gaming headset. With the skyrocketing adoption of crowdfunding and the incredible success that crowdfunded companies are having, there is little doubt that it is truly an industry on the rise. Crowdfunding websites raised a staggering $5.1 billion dollars last year alone and crowdfunding campaigns of all types are getting funded on a daily basis. Whether you’re crowdfunding your college tuition a dollar at a time or raising a Series A round from accredited investors, there is now a crowdfunding platform to meet your needs. The most exciting advancements this year relate to business crowdfunding — which has become an incredible tool for entrepreneurs looking to launch new products and grow and scale businesses. What is Business Crowdfunding? Equity Crowdfunding and the JOBS Act The Future of Business Crowdfunding 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
Debt Financing - Small Business Encyclopedia Definition: A method of financing in which a company receives a loan and gives its promise to repay the loan . Debt financing includes both secured and unsecured loans. Security involves a form of collateral as an assurance the loan will be repaid. If the debtor defaults on the loan, that collateral is forfeited to satisfy payment of the debt. Here are some types of security you can offer a lender: You can also try to acquire debt financing through an unsecured loan. Most outside lenders are very conservative and are unlikely to provide an unsecured loan unless you've done a tremendous amount of business with them in the past and have performed above expectations. In addition to secured or unsecured loans, most debt will be subject to a repayment period. Short-term loans are typically paid back within six to 18 months.Intermediate-term loans are paid back within three years.Long-term loans are paid back from the cash flow of the business in five years or less.
Business Model Generation: A Handbook for Visionaries, Game Changers, and Challengers (9780470876411): Alexander Osterwalder, Yves Pigneur: Books What is Equity Crowdfunding? | Equity Crowdfunding UK Research by the organisation NESTA indicates that business angels receive a higher than average rate of return on their investments. Unlike VCs and other funds, business angels put their own money into businesses they choose to invest in, and as such they are very careful about their investments. There are a number of reasons why this can benefit the crowd. Detailed due diligence Business angels are generally wealthy individuals, able to invest considerable amounts into early stage companies because they have been successful businessmen and women themselves. The crowd tend to be mindful of the type of product or service they invest in, and the size of its potential market, but are less likely to look into the strength of the team behind the business, to know how to scrutinise a company’s records or to be able to analyse broader considerations, such as the company’s competition. Post-investment guidance Negotiating the valuation Who wouldn’t want to price their own company highly?
The Lean Startup: How Today's Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically Successful Businesses: Eric Ries: 9780307887894: Amazon.com: Books