One of the challenges with customer development is that it involves not only formulating and testing hypotheses about your customer and their specific needs but also uncovering hidden assumptions that may be holding your team back. If you feel you’ve hit a brick wall in your efforts please sign up for a free teleconference session […]
Conference Call on Customer Development For Entrepreneurs Wed-Jun-3 Read More »
Here is a practical list of 20 ways to generate leads. Review the list and pick a few that you haven’t tried recently.
20 Ways To Generate Leads Read More »
Key takeaways from “Eight Rules for Prototyping” by John Hanks and Todd Dobberstein. A prototype is used both to assess technical feasibility and to provide a demonstration to a customer to get feedback. Customer development is a sequence of prototypes.
Customer Development is a Sequence of Prototypes Read More »
I came across a very thought provoking approach to customer development, or at least offering consulting services for customer development (a subject at least of personal interest to me). Juan Paredes’ “Spanish Method” is outlined in his “First Iteration of a New Minimum Viable Service“: I don’t price by project or by hour. I price
Spanish Method: Pay For Customer Development Per Iteration Read More »
Steve Blank’s “Four Steps to the Epiphany” was a source inspiration in founding SKMurphy, and I was delighted to see that Steve has started blogging and it seems clear to me that he is using his blog to develop a companion volume. This one is more personal and uses specific experiences from his life to
Steve Blank on Leaving the BatCave to Learn from Customers Read More »
Sales 2.01 addresses some additional thoughts on the Sales 2.0 conference, the focus is on enabling customer self-service
Customer relationship management is enabled by authentic human connection: conversation, hand crafted replies, and other person to person communication.
The Limits of Customer Relationship Management Systems Read More »
In addition the Steve Blank / Eric Ries approach to exploring non-existent markets, here are other customer development models from Mark Leslie and Frank Robinson.
Other Customer Development Models Read More »
Attracting new customers is at the heart of every business. Active participation in a community can make you more visible and allows you to demonstrate expertise.
Cultivating Communities to Get More Customers Read More »
The closing slide in our Idea to Revenue Workshop says In The Beginning…The Founders Are The Business. To Keep The Business Viable, Learn Faster Than the Competition. Successful Entrepreneurship Is a Self-Improvement Project.
In the Beginning…the Founders are the Business Read More »
What follows are some real questions I have answered either face to face or in e-mail over the last 90 days in response to the current downturn in Silicon Valley. Customer Development for a Consultants in a Downturn Q: I just completed my first two years of consulting–which were spectacular–after 20+ years of full time
Customer Development for a Consulting Practice in a Downturn Read More »
After blogging about how “User Communities are Critical for Complex Products” two days ago I thought I would offer some quick tips on how to get started: Be clear on the benefits to the members. So many social networking groups are very clear on how members bring benefit to a user site, but not very
3 Tips for Developing User Community Sites Read More »
User communities are not just a low cost way to market and support your product, they are essential to complex technology products.
User Communities Are Critical For Complex Products Read More »
I had the pleasure of attending a talk by Steve Blank on “Customer Development for Startups” on Wednesday, September 17, 2008 at TiE and I wanted to offer some pointers both to content he referenced and some related information on Customer Development.
Steve Blank on Customer Development at TiE Wed-Sep-17-2008 Read More »
An interview in 2008 with Herb Reiter of EDA 2 ASIC Consulting, Inc. on Static Timing Analysis and how to introduce it into a design flow.
Herb Reiter Interview on Fostering Static Timing Analysis Adoption Read More »
One of the strategies we cover in our Getting More Customers workshops is blogging. Below is a 90-plan developed by a workshop attendee last year, anonymized and presented with permission. Actual implementation took more than 90 days but he has been blogging for a little less than a year and has 60 blog posts that
90-day Plan for Blogging from “Getting More Customers” Workshop Read More »
Better is the enemy of good enough–This phrase is attributed to Sergey Gorshkov, the commander in chief of the Soviet Navy from 1956 to 1985, who managed it’s dramatic expansion during the Cold War. Perfectionists get this wrong, siding with “Better.” Entrepreneurs who prosper, for the most part, side with “Good Enough” and keep improving.
“Better” is the Enemy of “Good Enough” Read More »
Be ready when a busy customer asks you to summarize your startup in five minute. This is the normal limit for a long intro. Please practice.
You Have Five Minutes: Practice Read More »
Act like a doctor not a traditional high-pressure salesperson. Diagnose before you prescribe and always act with integrity.
You are a Doctor not a Salesperson Read More »
Adapted from a presentation on “Now What? Your Post Launch Growth Plan” at the KASE Entrepreneur Seminar on October 16, 2007.
“Now What? Your Post Launch Growth Plan” Podcast and Transcript Read More »
