Category Business Management

A Is For Authenticity

BY LINDSEY ANDERSON for biznology My series on the ABCs of Sales Leadership begins with Authenticity. Authenticity is one of the most important traits for a leader to embody and is critical for effective management, especially sales leadership. Sales, as a profession, is burdened with outdated archetypes like the sleazy snake oil salesmen or shifty, high-pressure car sales guy; so operating with authenticity and integrity is important in sales to counter these cliches. Authentic sales leaders are trusted advisors to their teams, peers, clients, and partners.  Why Authenticity is Critical What exactly is “Authenticity?” It means being honest, open, and willing to show your humanity…

Read More

Make Your Rebrand Look Easy

BY LUKE HEJL for Inc. You're a thoughtful and strategic business leader who pays close attention to your market and how your organization connects to it. You know that it's natural for products, services, and the people who need them to change. You also know when it's time for the public face of your company--your brand--to evolve right along with them. We recently went through this rebrand ourselves. At TimelyCare (formerly TimelyMD), we recognized that our mission to improve the health and well-being of students had already progressed beyond straightforward medical care and we evolved our services to include mental health…

Read More

Four free ways your CRM can drive more value across the business

by Luke Metcalfe for velocity CRMs are a bit like Swiss Army Knives. Despite their versatility, most folks only ever realize a fraction of their potential (whether that’s slicing open Amazon packages or storing lead data). But here’s the thing: unlocking your CRM’s potential is essentially free. So step forward, MarkOps friend. Here are four free ways you can use your CRM to drive more value across the whole company.  #1: Refine your ICP by feeding your CRM better data  You can look at your CRM in two opposing ways: as dumb storage or as a queryable database. Most businesses default to…

Read More

How to Fire Your Customers

BY HOWARD TULLMAN for INC. Mark Twain said that a banker is a fellow who lends you his umbrella when the sun is shining but wants it back the minute it begins to rain. I'd say his view was a little narrow, since plenty of investors are certainly charter members of the same unreliable club. The overnight run on Silicon Valley Bank and that institution's ultimate collapse -- which most of us believe was driven by the panic of a few key, well-connected, and cowardly VCs with social media megaphones -- is just one of the latest cases in point. As…

Read More

Leading Through a Sustained Crisis Requires a Different Approach

by Michaela J. Kerrissey and Amy C. Edmondson for the Harvard Business Review In May, the World Health Organization announced the end of the Covid-19 global emergency. Finally. But for many leaders, the announcement lifted little of the burden they carry. While the emergency is over, the crisis is not. We have shifted from the sudden crisis of the pandemic’s arrival to what we call a sustained crisis — a period of ongoing intense difficulty and uncertainty. The trouble with a sustained crisis is that, unlike a sudden crisis, it arrives with ambiguous signals and no clear start date. As a result, leaders, including those who are great…

Read More

The unconventional Palantir principles that catalyzed a generation of startups

by ADAM JUDELSON for Lenny's Newsletter Next in my special paternity-leave guest series, I’m excited to bring you an incredible post by Adam Judelson. Adam spent seven years at Palantir, where he led product for their flagship Gotham data platform. Below, Adam shares his most lasting lessons from his time at Palantir. After Palantir, Adam went on to lead product at Slingshot Aerospace, built a startup for Deloitte, and then served as president at mePrism, where he grew their data privacy marketplace from zero to 100 million data points protected. Adam is also a two-time founder and advisor to businesses ranging from scrappy drone…

Read More

How Ramp builds product

by LENNY RACHITSKY for Lenny's Newsletter I was talking to a prominent VC the other day about what startups he’s watching, and he told me that he’s seeing one company quickly becoming a gravity for the best talent: Ramp. If you’re not familiar with Ramp, they provide corporate cards and a spend management platform, helping startups save money and control spending. They were last valued at over $8 billion, are backed by Founders Fund, Redpoint, Stripe, and others, and in the past year grew 4x, to over $10 billion in annualized spending. I believe they are also the fastest-growing SaaS company…

Read More

BDR Compensation Model: Is it time for a change?

by LIZ CHRISTO for Dear Stage 2 DEAR STAGE 2: I manage a 7-person outbound BDR team and want to roll out a new comp plan for the second half of the year. What are my options? Any recommendations on the best plans to use? ~New to designing comp plansSubscribe DEAR NEW TO DESIGNING COMP PLANS: Let’s start with some simple advice — don’t assume your comp plan is broken. Before you throw out the current plan, ask yourself… What’s NOT working? What’s changed? If the plan is mostly working, consider making small tweaks or layering in short term SPIFFs.  But, if you need…

Read More

Boost Your Small Business With These Must-Have AI Tools

by Belle Wong for The Hartford In recent months, ChatGPT has shown the world how far artificial intelligence (AI) has come. But as AI developers and software companies release more and more AI tools on a near-daily basis, it can be challenging to know which tools are worth it for your small business. It’s worth digging deeper to learn more about the options available. By harnessing the power of AI, you can potentially compete with big businesses. Keep reading to learn more about the AI tools that can help take your business to the next level and beyond. 1. Chatbots Customers want…

Read More

Cost of Acquisition (CAC) trap.

by ELENA VERNA for Elena's Growth Scoop Cost of Acquisition (CAC) trap. And why you should optimize payback period instead. ELENA VERNA MAY 12, 2023 32 3 Share So many acquisition-focused teams tirelessly chase after reducing Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) or making it just one-third of the Customer's Lifetime Value (LTV). Yet, they often find themselves disappointed with lackluster results. Because in this "money doesn't grow on trees" economy, where every dollar counts, the real hero is the velocity of the payback period. ROI is back, baby. Where can CAC-reducing goals go wrong? Many acquisition teams are mandated to lower the…

Read More