I had promised to check out and report back on “Questions That Sell: The Powerful Process For Discovering What Your Customers Really Want” by Paul Cherry, which was recommended by Jennifer Vessels at Next Step’s workshop “How to Sell the Real Value of Your Solution” on Thursday, November 7, 2006. This is a good book, […]
Questions That Sell By Paul Cherry Read More »
Create and Deliver Surprisingly Compelling Software Demonstrations is an interactive workshop we are presenting jointly with Peter Cohan of the Second Derivative on March 29 at the Moorpark Hotel (Saratoga/280) in San Jose. Sign up and bring a copy of your software demo: you can present the “executive attention span” version and get feedback. Guy Kawasaki mentioned one
Software Demo: Are You Showing The Last Thing First? Read More »
Sean Murphy is on a panel at the CINA Technology/ Innovation Program tonight (Thursday March 15, 2007). He joins expert bloggers Zoli Erdos and Henry Lu in discussing how to use blogs to benefit your professional and personal life. They will share with you their successes, walk you through the maze of online blogs, and provide tips for
CINA Panel on Blog: What It Can Do For You Read More »
Large firm IT departments are “gatekeepers”. Their job is to keep the enterprise network computing infrastructure safe and operational. New software from a new vendor is almost always viewed as a threat. Most of the time, they will say NO to any new software. Most of the time our clients have to sell around them. Here’s five
Selling Around IT in Larger Firms Read More »
We have added Google’s Search Co-op to our Resources page. As an entrepreneur, you need to dabble in so many fields. Some areas of expertise an startup needs are legal, accounting, funding, marketing, sales, public relations, recruiting, hiring, partners, and advisers. We work with some great experts and partners and you can take advantage of
Building Communities using Search Co-op Read More »
Don’t forget the dream to change the world that got you started: your passion is an important element of craftsmanship and a commitment to excellence. What’s Your Passion? Recently, I chatted with a well-established consultant–she’s been working for more than a decade. She was having trouble developing a short elevator pitch to describe what she
What’s Your Passion? Read More »
I attended FASTforward ’07, this week. There were some very interesting talks: John Battelle, author of Searchblog: Search is a conversion. Search becomes a way to have a dialog with your customers. Interaction with your website should mirror a conversation. Batelle offered the New York Times site as an example of one that did not seem
Interesting Discussions From Fast Forward 2007 Read More »
Join other bootstrappers–startup CEO’s, CTO’s, and founders–for breakfast and discussion. We meet at different restaurants in Silicon Valley from 7:30-9AM, your only cost is your meal and a tip. Come compare notes on operational, development, and business issues with peers. If you are serious about your business and are open to discussing substantive issues and helping your peers,
Bootstrappers Breakfast – Bootstrapping Startups Invited Read More »
I found an interesting little tool Website Grader which evaluates your website. It produces a score and a list of things you can do to improve it. Some of the things I don’t agree with, but most are pretty good. Last night I played with it and the best sites I looked at were 80-70/100
What is Your Website Grade? Read More »
Everyone has advice for you about how to run your company! Even if it’s in the form of question like “When are you going to Get a Job?” Friends and relatives who have only been employees may have your best interest at heart but not have the background or temperament to help you get your
Evaluating Business Advice Read More »
Here are three ways for building credibility. Referrals A referral is an introduction to a prospect with an endorsement. A referral allows you to borrow credibility from a trusted third party. They spring from shared success with your customers or former co-workers, someone who knows your potential and can vouch for you or your team’s
3 Ways to Build Credibility with Prospects Read More »
Ser Hou Kuang & Sean Murphy Granted US Patent #7162706 B2 for “Method for Analyzing and Validating Clock Integration Properties in Circuit Systems” on January 9, 2007. Abstract: A method for analyzing and validating clock integration properties in a circuit design is disclosed. A database of timing points that are clocked cell elements of the
Ser Hou Kuang & Sean Murphy Granted US Patent 7162706 B2 Read More »
Here’s a good blog post on website content. How Can 10 Simple Articles Change Your Life? In his post Chris Pearson, recounts a story about a friend who creates a website (nothing fancy) but has wonderful content (10 articles). He kills his competition with his content. If you are selling your expertise, try promoting yourself
Power of Website Content Read More »
We did an end of year de-briefing session an concluded that that the following changes had a things that had a positive effect on our business in 2006. Adding a logo to Business Cards Backgrounder (now in about SKMurphy, Inc. page) Improving Our Website Blogging LinkedIn Contacts Bootstrapper’s Breakfast “12 Books for the Busy CEO” Talk
Making Our Business More Credible in 2006 Read More »
Here are our 2007 New Year’s resolutions. Theresa plans to improve her public speaking, Francis wants to develop a better understanding of theories of entrepreneurship, and Sean hopes to develop a more positive outlook.
Our 2007 New Year’s Resolutions Read More »
Gone are the days of annual release cycle. For many companies, weekly releases are the new standard. Picking the best software release cycle impacts your customers, team, and management. At this roundtable discussion we will exchange tips and gotchas. Provide a look at the impact on business models, teams and product development. Tuesday October 30
SaaS Roundtable: Managing Rapid Release Cycles Read More »
Finding More Customers Every business owner asks “How do I Find More Customers? How can I get the phone to ring?” Is your New Year’s Resolution to develop a plan to grow your business? Now is the time to get started. SKMurphy offers a three hour Getting More Customers workshop where you develop a one-page
SKMurphy: Getting More Customers Workshop Read More »
Last night’s talk was well received. We had a good crowd, with folks filling the seats and and a few having to stand up along the back wall. Here’s the feedback from the talk: I was surprised that it was more than 12 capsule reviews back to back, that Sean was able to extract some
12 Books For the Busy CEO – Feedback Read More »
Map out a calendar of subjects to cover. Just planning one or two a week for the next 2 months will help you avoid writer’s block. This still leaves room for “inspired” work but can give you some structure. Pick a focus or related set of subjects for your writing. Inject your perspective and where
3 Tips for Blogging Read More »
I will be offering practical advice to startup entrepreneurs in this blog. I am a hardware engineer and a mom, so I like lists with a do-it/done methodology. My post are short and to the point. Hopefully you will find them useful. “It is the greatest of all mistakes to do nothing because you can only
Welcome from Theresa Shafer Read More »
