Category Archives: Marketing and Sales

Talk to Your Competitors

In my two decades of managing over a dozen peer groups, I frequently had the opportunity to sit in meetings with a business owner who competed with a member of another Board. I occasionally had to bite my tongue as someone vilified … Continue reading

Posted in Entrepreneurship, Marketing and Sales | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The Seventh Entrepreneurial Sin — Pride

Every business owner should be proud of his or her business. If you are the founder, you built every system, and probably landed the biggest customers. If you bought the business, you took what was in place and made it … Continue reading

Posted in Building Value, Entrepreneurship, Exit Planning, Leadership, Management, Marketing and Sales | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

“Congratulations — You are the Low Bidder!”

The sentence that titles this post could be defined as the epitome of mixed emotions for a business owner. You won the business, but only because you are willing to work for less than everyone else. Perhaps you deliberately cut … Continue reading

Posted in Entrepreneurship, Marketing and Sales | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Quest for Recurring Revenue

Recurring revenue is the current Holy Grail of business. Barriers to Entry, a traditional way of assessing your differentiation against competition, have been replaced by Barriers to Exit, how to make it at least inconvenient or at most excruciatingly painful for … Continue reading

Posted in Entrepreneurship, Marketing and Sales | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

When a Customer Outgrows You

There is nothing that quite matches the excitement of landing your first really big customer. It often brings with it the confidence that comes with knowing, really knowing, that you can compete in the big leagues. There could be the added security of … Continue reading

Posted in Entrepreneurship, Marketing and Sales | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment