I guess in 10 years, we'll have replaced our job titles with the search terms we'd most like to be found by. Given how much driving I've been doing in the car lately, I wish mine was, Strategic Marketing Consultant - Orinda, CA -- or even Strategic Marketing Consultant - East Bay. There are some great software companies in Orinda - like Intraware, and Maxis, makers of Sim City started in Orinda. Down the road in Walnut Creek, CA, Dave Duffield founded PeopleSoft in 1987 and in 2005 Dave and Aneel Bhusri founded their newest startup, Workday.
I've not been posting a lot to the blog lately, thanks to some exciting new client projects. What few writing cycles I've had have gone to my online newsletter, Tennant Consulting Times.
This month's issue of Tennant Consulting Times talks about sales models -- and the many mistakes entrepreneurs make in putting together the go-to-market section of their business plan. I also took to the road to interview Joe Blank and Paul Gariboldi from Virsalent, a company offering a sales force-for-hire that may be relevant for many high-tech startups as an alternative to bringing on a VP Sales and entire team. Joe and Paul offer 10 common mistakes entreprenuers make - and I highly recommend you tap into their experience if you're starting your own company, launching a product in an existing company, or are in a sales or marketing role.
To subscribe, just enter your name and email on my home page, www.tennantconsulting.com. I only use the information for the newsletter, which currently comes once a month. You'll get a confirmation email back, click a link and - presto! - you'll immediately receive this month's issue.
I've used the most conservative email list building approach - double-opt-in - which results in a smaller email list, but a more enthusiastic audience because they're all people who explicity choose to hear from me. That means better delivery rates long term. I believe one can be successful marketing to people without SPAMMING them, and I plan to use my newsletter as a one small business data point to prove it.
In the Tennant Consulting Times newsletter, I'm committed to printing free articles from me and interviews of smart people I know to add value to my clients. Don't worry, it won't be hogwash about me which you could care less about, or pitching you my services.
