Refine and curate your thoughts by reworking the first draft of your answers in an email or in response to a question from a customer or an audience member at a talk.
Refine and Curate Your Thoughts as FAQs, Articles, and Talks Read More »
Len Sklar, author “The Check is NOT in the Mail” has spoken several times at Bootstrapper Breakfasts. Here is a recent talk he gave where he stresses the importance of putting payment terms and the consequences on non-payment in writing, communicating them in advance, and ensuring that they are understood. It all seems so obvious
Len Sklar: Be Clear About Payment Terms And Consequences Read More »
Innovation is never able to “get it right the first time.” Getting unstuck when your perfectionism paralyzes you requires you to be willing to share bad versions and ugly drafts.
Getting Unstuck From Perfectionism Read More »
Understanding the reasons companies hire consultants can provide clues on what to look for and how to find more business.
Five Reasons Companies Hire Consultants Read More »
Keeping the ball rolling with prospects requires a mix of empathy for their situation and a project management mindset.
Keeping the Ball Rolling With Prospects Read More »
Earning and keeping your customers’ trust is essential to your success as a startup. Gerald Weinberg’s “Secrets of Consulting” offers “11 Laws of Trust” as a guideline for establishing and maintaining successful business relationships.
Keeping Your Customers’ Trust Read More »
I meet teams trying to cold call for their first business customer and I just haven’t seen it work; the trust issues cripple them. Here is a relevant excerpt from Gabriel Weinberg’s interview with me for his traction book.
Cold Calling Won’t Find Your First Business Customer Read More »
We focus on strategy and business development for software startups. We’ve been fortunate to develop strong relationships with firms who also serve startups but offer complementary services, as well as firms who focus on larger clients but whose expertise is also of benefit to startups. We work with a number of partners to create value
Recognizing Chris Finnie as a Partner and Advisor Read More »
Here is the transcript–edited for clarity and hyperlinked for context–for my recent interview with Floyd Tucker of DreamSimplicity Marketplace. The focus was on our startup stages model: formation, open for business, early customers, finding a niche, and scaling up.
DreamSimplicity Interview Transcript Read More »
Global teams work 24 hours a day, 7 day a week to “beat the clock.” Here are some tips to increase their effectiveness.
In 1995 I did some work for one of the early web startups in Palo Alto. They had delivered a number of database driven websites using a proprietary software technology that they had developed, and had sold the technology to several firms. But they had a problem collecting unpaid bills: they had not been paid
Collecting Unpaid Bills Read More »
Whether it’s a free phone call or a working session, a workshop, or a longer term engagement we normally send the following four question survey to all of the participants: Please help us improve our engagement and service delivery processes. Please take five minutes and answer the following four questions with one or two items
Simple Client Satisfaction & Process Improvement Survey Read More »
Matt Perez on How Nearsoft Leverages Yammer I met Matt Perez in 2003 just as I was starting SKMurphy. It was the tail end of nuclear winter in Silicon Valley and folks were trying to figure out what was next. We kept running into one another at various networking events and as we got to
Matt Perez on How Nearsoft Leverages Yammer Read More »
We were featured in a case study for Central Desktop. Compared to emailing Word files we felt Central Desktop made us at least 5 times more productive, especially in making reaching consensus on a project approaching a deadline.
SKMurphy Featured In Case Study For Central Desktop Read More »
Here are three good books for consultants that I routinely recommend: “Trusted Advisor”, “Secrets of Consulting”, and “Rainmaking.”
Three Good Books for Consultants Read More »
Layoffs continue to encourage old friends and co-workers to reconnect and many to consider–somewhat involuntarily–an entrepreneurial phase for their next career move. I spoke to three people today who had been laid off in the last month or so. Here is the summary of some key suggestions the three conversations: If you are considering joining
A Too Common Conversation of Late Read More »
Networking is good questions, listening, and helping others. Carry more than your own card. Connect folks who will benefit from talking.
Three Things I’ve Learned About Networking Read More »
I took part in a Marketing Consultants Forum at CNSV in 2009. My focus was on “Cultivating Communities to Get More Customers.”
Marketing Consultants Forum at CNSV Read More »
It’s time for measuring our 2008 goals against our accomplishments to prepare our plans for 2009. and what do we want to get done next year.
Measuring 2008 Goals Read More »
Worry about a good customer reference more than getting paid. A reference will lead to payment, but just because they pay does not mean they’re a reference. Plan for gaining customer references by starting with a request for feedback don the quality of your services and the business results you enabled.
Plan For Customer Reference as Much as Payment Read More »
