A mentor of mine used to repeat this line fairly often to me: The main thing is keeping the main thing the main thing. The quote comes originally from Stephen [ … ]
Category: Alan
Summer’s here: Do something different
Yes, summer is here, and the vacations are beginning. Many of your co-workers are using this time to check out of their responsibilities, take a slower pace, to take some [ … ]
Reference customers for YOU, Inc.
Do you have reference customers? Think about that question again. I’m not asking about your company. I’m asking about you personally. The next time you are interviewing for a job, [ … ]
(How) do you measure customer satisfaction?
Dear Readers, I will be writing an article on how to measure customer satisfaction in B2B software. To prepare for that article I would like to hear your experiences or [ … ]
New Ideas: Are we masturbating here?
I haven’t cleared this topic with my co-bloggers, so please let me say up-front: I take full responsibility for this post. – Alan Armstrong Twice on the phone today the topic [ … ]
Who’s in charge of price? (Hint: It’s the person who speaks with the buyer.)
Eigenworks is shopping for a product. Over the last few months I’ve been looking to license some software from a vendor. The price is not astronomical, but it’s a significant [ … ]
A Product Manager’s homage to David Carradine
Just what happened to David Carradine? As I kicked open my morning browser, I was shocked by the news of his sudden death and of course by the questions of [ … ]
How to get a lost account to speak with you
One of the most difficult things in Win/Loss Analysis is getting someone from a lost account to speak with you. Why would they spend the time, and why would they [ … ]
Competitive intelligence using lost deals
Another idea for PMs who lack permission to do win/loss analysis Many PMs and PMMs complain that they lack the authority to perform Win/Loss analysis. And yet Win/Loss is one [ … ]
Contacting lost accounts
Customers will normally schedule time to speak with you, but it’s not easy to get ahold of lost accounts. My hit ratio is about 50%, meaning that if I want [ … ]