THE BLOG

(Image Courtesy Dominik Bartsch on Flickr)

Deal drivers are the things that your prospect (and marketplace) has articulated as being of greatest importance in making a buying decision. It may be price, ease-of-use, performance, support, or a range of other factors. It’s important to note that the deal drivers are very different than requirements; these are the desires of either the company or the specific buyer with which you are dealing.

Bob Apollo, founder if the...

You own your business.  You make the hiring and firing decisions.  But do you know what’s necessary for keeping today’s generation involved and invested in your company?

By 2014, the US workforce will be 34% Millennials with that number climbing to 46% by 2020.  As you look to your company’s future, its fate lies with this generation — and hey, that’s not a bad thing.  They bring a lot to the table. Your average Millennial is...

If you were teaching a class on social media strategy, what would you teach? What are the most important things you’d want your students to take away at the end of the semester?

As it turns out, I actually do teach a class on Social Media at Villanova University. Every semester, I have to gather my thoughts – gather what I know about current trends in social media – and teach my students (many of whom know a lot about social media already, but maybe not exactly how it...

Is the glass half full or half empty, and does it matter to your business?

I think it does matter, but maybe not in the way you’d initially think.

As an entrepreneur, my default is optimism. Optimism is an essential part of an entrepreneur’s “DNA” – how else are we supposed to persevere despite the many forces that push back against our ideas? I have persevered again and again. I have dreamt new dreams and tried them – I have taken risks, I have...

“Would you like some bacon with that?”

Smile if you will, but don’t be surprised if you hear that phrase uttered by the cashier at your local Burger King the next time you order a sundae. Yes. A sundae.

Burger King, in an attempt to re-ignite revenue growth (since being challenged – not so much by McDonald’s – but by newer players, such as Five Guys) has decided to jump on “the bacon bandwagon” and unveiled their Bacon Sundae (along with a...

Do you know what I mean by that title? You should, because we see it every day in the business world.

Sometimes we think too small – we can only think of what we see in front of us – and we are thus bound by the tactical. Other times, our vision is too big – we are out to change the world (but forget we have to pay the rent) – and thus are blinded by the strategic.

Obviously, there are risks on both sides – and focusing too much on one or the other can...

Disclaimer: I am fully away this article might make me a few enemies. But it must be said. Because really, it’s what we’ve all been thinking anyways.

What’s the point of the Windows Phone?

I’m not trying to be unnecessarily biting here. Really – I’m genuinely curious.

What’s the point?

I’d love to pose this question to Microsoft’s development team. Or rather, I wish I could have been in the room during their stage gate process....

As an entrepreneur, product manager, or CEO, you have to be vigilant of what is going on in the marketplace. Are you taking a holistic view of both competitors and even more importantly, trends? Ask yourself: are you really offering something that has a truly distinct Value Proposition? If not, someone else will.

The following are practical suggestions for keeping up with Competitors, Alternatives, and Disruptors in the Marketplace:

1. Talk to your customers and...