January 2012
2 posts
“don’t worry about the mosquito of techcrunch trolls, focus on the raging...”
– Paul Graham
“Don’t sign contracts that you don’t need to.”
December 2011
4 posts
The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People
The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, first published in 1989, is a self-help book written by Stephen R. Covey.
The First Three Habits surround moving from dependence to independence (i.e. self mastery):
Habit 1: Be Proactive
Synopsis: Take initiative in life by realizing that your decisions (and how they align with life’s principles) are the primary determining factor for...
“I think we will succeed in this market place, because we’re a software...”
– sj on iPhone
“The difference between invention and innovation is that you execute, you bring...”
How to Win Friends and Influence People
Written by Dale Carnegie and first published in 1936, it has sold 15 million copies world-wide.
The major points in the book are:
Fundamental Techniques in Handling People
Don’t criticize, condemn, or complain.
Give honest and sincere appreciation.
Arouse in the other person an eager want.
Six Ways to Make People Like You
Become genuinely interested in other people.
Smile.
Remember...
November 2011
3 posts
Creativity requires isolation →
Apple's three A's used to alleviate customer...
A - Acknowledge that their concerns are valid. A - Align with the customer, agreeing that you would feel the same were you in their shoes. A - Assure the customer that you will be able to solve their problem to their satisfaction.
Apple's Retail Customer Service Approach
A - Approach the customer with a “warm welcome” P - Position, Permission, Probe — Tell the customer what you want to do, ask permission, and then ask them questions to determine their needs. P - Present the appropriate product solution that fits their needs. L - Listen to their concerns. E - End with a fond farewell and an invitation to return.
You could even use this as...
October 2011
8 posts
Markkula's Marketing Principles
Walter Issacson’s blog talks about when Mike Markkula first started with Apple he wrote his marketing principles in a one-page paper titled “The Apple Marketing Philosophy”. There were three key points:
Empathy
We will truly understand their needs better than any other company.
Focus
In order to do a good job of those things that we decide to do, we must eliminate all of...
“Kitsch is “the absolute denial of shit”
– Milan Kundera
“People appreciate it when you have an opinion.”
– Dave L Jones
“It’s okay to say I don’t know. Especially with clients.”
– Marcus Schappi
Fletcher's angry list of startup rules →
1. Your idea isn’t new. Pick an idea; at least 50 other people have thought of it. Get over your stunning brilliance and realize that execution matters more.
2. Stealth startups suck. You’re not working on the Manhattan Project, Einstein. Get something out as quickly as possible and promote the hell out of it.
3. If you don’t have scaling problems, you’re not growing...
12 Lessons Steve Jobs Taught Guy Kawasaki →
1. Experts are clueless
2. Customers cannot tell you what they need
3. Biggest challenges beget the best work
4. Design counts
5. Big graphics, big fonts
6. Jump curves, not better sameness
7. “Work” or “doesn’t work” is all that matters
8. “Value” is different than “price”
9. A players higher A players
10. Real CEOs demo
11. Real...
Two Strikes and You Are Out
This gem is from the Tech Stars book Do More Faster.
If a person screws you, give ‘em a Yellow Card. If they do it twice, give them a Red Card and don’t deal with them again.
“To be a high achiever, always work on something important, using it as a way to...”
– John Perry
September 2011
2 posts
Bootstrapping a Software Product →
Copywriting tips to drive up sales →
Copywriting for Products:
1) Hit them at the heart:
“a skilled copywriter will paint a picture of what life will be like when you buy the featured product.”
2) Talk benefits not features:
“A great way to convert features to benefits is to play the ‘so what?’ game.”
3) Use dynamic language:
“Replace dull, passive words with exciting, dynamic alternatives to...
August 2011
3 posts
87% of the U.S. Population are uniquely identified... →
“Speak less”
10 immutable laws of mistakes →
Everyone makes mistakes
Not all mistakes are bad mistakes
Mistakes not seen by others are not mistakes
Ignorance does not excuse your mistakes
Mistakes occur at the very worst time
Mistakes beget mistakes
Mistakes made with computers propagate faster and cause more damage
Mistakes of inaction are mistakes nonetheless
Failing to own up to your mistakes is a mistake
Failing to learn from...
July 2011
3 posts
On Manipulation
Robert Chowdini’s principles of Manipulation:
1. Reciprocity.
An example Chowdini gave was that a waiter can significantly increase the size of a tip by giving something to the customer immediately before they pay the bill. Eg. a dinner mint. A study found that if they gave one mint (per person on the table) the waiter received a 3.3% tip, if they give 2 mints per person the tips jumped...
The right number of emails to be advertized by... →
Mike Cannon-Brookes on Scaling Problems
The Model Itself
Do software companies scale?
Know really really well what doesn’t scale in your model
Software = Support / Sales
Invest in simple, installable, supportable, documented, quality product
Simple != Simplified
Beware of scaling too fast (eg “the US Question”)
Build the right product not the first product
Did we build anything new?
Keep it simple …...
June 2011
2 posts
“Energy + Knowledge = Saleability”
– Adam Steinhardt
Don't be a Donkey... →
May 2011
27 posts
“A mirror is your best sales tool.”
– Andrew I**** (a client I met with today). Andrew explained that people love a demo that involves them.
“You can get people to agree on values, where as you can’t them to agree on...”
– Dr. Naif Al-Mutawa, creator of The 99.
“Button names should be verbs. [Marcus: I.e. A word used to describe an action,...”
– Gruber
Mitch Altman on Manufacturing (and selling) your... →
Interesting points:
On package design
I found out that the size of the package is important. If a package is too small, that may limit the price people are willing to pay for it. But if a package is too big, it costs much more to ship and store.
Mitch’s One Rule of Doing Business
Only do business with people you like!
There’s much more in the entire article. Check it out.
Advanced Google Analytics for Startups →
Website Credibility guidelines by BJ Fogg
Design your website so it looks professional (or as appropriate for your site’s purpose).
Make it easy to verify the accuracy of the information on your site.
Show that there’s a real organization behind your site.
Highlight the expertise in your organization and in the content and services you provide.
Show that honest and trustworthy people stand behind your site.
Make it easy to contact...
“Civilization advances by extending the number of operations we can perform...”
– The philosopher A.N. Whitehead
5 Things To Consider In Choosing Co-Founders →
Lessons…. you need to have:
Good Communication
Respect and Trust
Ability To Accept Feedback
Aligned Goals
Cultural Fit
The Argument for not doing live screen sharing... →
I’ve been doing live demos of my company’s software iMDM (a Mobile Device Management Server) via Skype and GoToMeeting. So it was interesting to read Sales School’s post arguing not to do live demos.
The lessons:
Jan Schultink of IdeaTransplant, recently suggested that live screen sharing demos can be dangerous.
Murphy’s Law - What can go wrong will go wrong, especially...
Mark Suster on The Importance of The Narrative →
The Lessons:
When you speak to crowds – whether 5 or 500 – you need to tell a story. Your speech needs to have a cohesive narrative to it. You need a thesis. You need to speak in human terms. You need emotion. You need to CONNECT.
Have a thesis from which to build your story
Have supporting evidence
Use analogies
Keep it human
Reinforce the storyline at the end
Red Bull's Billionaire Maniac →
Dietrich Mateschitz is the Austrian CEO of Red Bull. It sold 4.2 billion cans of its drink, including more than a billion in the U.S. alone.
Lessons
On message control:
A curious hybrid of a mogul, Mateschitz has a zest for life that rivals Richard Branson’s, but his obsession with controlling information puts him closer to Steve Jobs. Like the Apple (AAPL) chief, Mateschitz pulls the...
The Basic Laws of Human Stupidity →
Summarised:
Always and inevitably everyone underestimates the number of stupid individuals in circulation.
The probability that a certain person be stupid is independent of any other characteristic of that person.
A stupid person is a person who causes losses to another person or to a group of persons while himself deriving no gain and even possibly incurring losses.
Non-stupid people always...
NEIL PATEL - 8 Things I Wish I Knew When I Became... →
Summarised :
You don’t need to be a Jack of all trades
Don’t focus on the bad, focus on the good
Your parents aren’t dumb
There is no such thing as “trying”
Little is the new big
Compliments are free
Don’t be afraid of confrontation
You eat what you measure
David Tisch of TechStars NY on filtering...
David Tisch of TechStars NY says that they filter on the following basis:
Team
Market Size
Product
… in that order.
Google App Galaxy →
Build a business, not an app.
WordPress Discontinues Support for Internet... →
If WordPress can do it, so can you and I!
I noticed today on an installation of Windows Server 2008 on Amazon EC2, that server used IE8.
How to write effective automated email
Lessons learned from Ryan Carson’s How to write awesome automated emails post:
Make the automated email:
Feel Personal
Helpful
Proactive
Make it feel personal
Even if the email is generated by a chunk of code, make the email feel like it was actually sent by a human. Familiar terms like ‘Friend’, ‘Love’ and an informal style achieve this.
Make the email...
Summary of Page.ly's Lean Startup Post
The take away lessons from Page.ly’s lean startup post.
A company is a set of systems
Adding variables (like employees, capital, etc) make it more complex
Complex systems take more resources to manage
Reduce complexity
Automate everything
A company is a set of systems (repeat)
Earn revenue on user #1
Raising capital is an inefficient use of time
Zero dollar marketing (i.e. word of...
Advice from PushStart Mentor Session
On Tuesday I took part in the PushStart Mentor session (as an entrepreneur asking for advice). Here’s the advice I received (with a lot of paraphrasing):
Dave Cunningham:
When expanding internationally, you have to hire the local sales people. If you’re going to expand into China, you need to live in China.
Alex North:
To motivate your developers, you need to put them on...
“You must let go of clients that aren’t making you money.”
– Marcus Schappi
Get enterprise to pay quickly
Before large organisations can pay you, they more than likely need to draw up a purchase order. For most organisations they’ll also need an invoice before they an draw up that purchase order.
So in a line:
Submit an invoice with your Proposal.
How to close a Sale.
Keep it simple:
Close by asking if the customer would like to make the purchase. This is the most simple and straightforward way of closing.
Via http://www.wikihow.com/Close-a-Sale
“Fake it till you make it.”
– Jason on domain names