Our healthcare system continues to fail entrepreneurs

/ Robert Pease / Leave a comment

Regardless of your opinion on the recent healthcare reform debate, process, and resulting legislation, one would expect the output of so much brain power and political capital to truly improve things.

I am not a policy wonk, healthcare expert, and have not read the Obamacare bill in its entirety (like most members of Congress) but this story about Sarah Perez leaving ReadWriteWeb due to the lack of affordable healthcare coverage makes my blood boil.

Sarah is awesome, a great journalist, and was very kind to us as we created and launched Gist.  She is leaving ReadWriteWeb because of a growing family and the lack of employer provided healthcare.  This quote alone lays it out in black and white for me:

Now my husband runs his own business, and we pay for our own health care. It’s expensive, and it’s a struggle. 

So I’m moving on, to somewhere that can offer me the benefits of a larger organization.

This makes my blood boil because a great person is leaving the "best job she ever had" due to the costs of healthcare as she and her husband both pursue entrepreneurial endeavors.

How does this make sense? Why wasn't this obvious obstacle to entrepreneurship addressed in the healthcare reform debate?  We sorely need jobs and economic growth in this country and it breaks my heart that this situation continues to exist.  There are many, many talented and smart entrepreneurs staying in corporate jobs or needing to return to one because of the costs of self-insuring.

Sarah – I will miss you and your readers will miss you.  Thank you for sharing your story..and for inspiring me to write this post.

40 Things I’ve Learned in 40 Years

/ Robert Pease / 7 Comments

Today is my birthday and it is a significant one – 40. I am in Colorado looking out over the Rocky Mountains this morning and reflecting on 40 years of life.  I felt a post about what I have learned over my life appropriate and maybe you can take a few things from it for your life regardless of age.  These are in no particular order and are a bit scattered but hope you enjoy!

  1. Run – it doesn't matter how far or fast but get out there and do it.  Both your body and mind will benefit.  At a minimum, do something to get your heart rate up for 20 minutes per day.
  2. Have goals – don't make them complicated but have directional goals.
  3. Keep goals in perspective – they are not the end.  As with most things, it is the journey that matters.
  4. Make goals matter – I had two financial goals – one for age 30 and one for age 40.  I have met them and it doesn't matter.  Make them matter.
  5. Savor the moment – celebrate your success and be proud of your accomplishments.  Don't pass up a little glory by looking to the next thing.
  6. All glory is fleeting – it might be because you are awesome or because you are lucky or benefit from the work of others.  Keep this in perspective.
  7. Take advantage of the time you have with others – the older you get, the shorter the time slots will be to develop and grow friendships.
  8. Follow up – simple but so important…and so few do it.  Most of getting things done is the follow up.
  9. Don't compromise yourself – know your boundaries and what makes you tick.  Be flexible but don't cross them to please others.
  10. Have shared expectations in any relationship – personal or professional.  Without a shared set of expectations on what is going to happen, you are in for a rough ride.
  11. Do 50 push ups a day – or at least do your age everyday.  You always have the exercise equipment with you and I believe everyone should be able to pick themselves up off the floor with ease.
  12. Get a dog – or a pet of some kind.  Everyone needs to experience unconditional love.
  13. Tell your Mom & Dad you love them everyday – they need to hear it and you need to say it. 
  14. Make decisions that alter your life path – it is refreshing to be reminded just how much you can control what happens in your life.  Don't be a spectator.
  15. Ideas are cheap, actions count – get off the fence and get involved.  It is comfortable but also intellectually corrupt to criticize from the sidelines or simply dwell on what is possible.
  16. Always think the best until proven otherwise – snap reactions without all the information can cause more damage than the original action.  Get the information to prove the negative before reacting.
  17. Forgive but do not forget – maybe a bit harsh but life is too short to be filled with spite.  That said, patterns repeat so be wary of those who have crossed you.
  18. Be generous – give freely of your time, expertise, and resources to help others without compromising yourself or your goals.
  19. Drink water – lots of it. 
  20. Get up early – get up 15 minutes earlier every morning until you hit 5am.  You will find yourself refreshed and ahead of the day.
  21. Don't have conversations in email – if it goes more than two rounds, get on the phone.
  22. Remember when you were a moron and learn from it – we all were at some point. Reflect on those times, don't do it again, and move on.
  23. Learn to cook – no one's life should be dependent on fast food and prepared meals.  If you cook it, you know what's in it.
  24. Always do the right thing – a simple statement but ask yourself this question in any situation and you should get a good feeling for what is proper and what is wrong.
  25. Meet new people – everybody you meet adds richness to your life
  26. Go new places – you will never have seen enough, keep going.
  27. Be happy when others are successful – hard to do sometimes, but celebrate the success of those around you like it was your own.
  28. Unplug – often.  Get away from gadgets, email, status updates and listen to the silence.  This is essential to keep you balanced.
  29. Be patient – I continue to suck at this and need to improve.  We all can.
  30. Try everything once – you can't say you don't like it unless you've tried it.
  31. Drive across the U.S.A – this country is huge, the sites amazing, and people gracious.  Do this in your life – I have done it twice.
  32. Visit big cities like New York, Chicago, San Francisco, & Houston – you need to understand the mass and speed of places like this. Good and bad.
  33. Visit small towns – you need to understand this way of life
  34. Mentor someone – whether they know it or not, work to help someone become successful at their job, hobby, or passion.  One of the most rewarding things you can do.
  35. Go to New Zealand – a long way from here, but worth the trip
  36. Don't text/email/surf while driving – this is crazy dangerous and only getting worse.  Whatever it is can wait or just pull over
  37. Always be polite and say "sir" when pulled over by the police – even if you think you were doing nothing wrong.  They are doing their job and deal with crap you can't imagine.
  38. Always thank the pilot when you get off an airplane – we all have bad days at the office. I want to make sure those are few and far between for the pilot of my plane.
  39. Don't make broad generalized statements – they make you look stupid and things are rarely that black and white.  Know the gaps of your knowledge and seek to fill them.
  40. Write (or blog) – this continues to be one of the most rewarding things I do to help structure thoughts, connect with new people, and create a living, breathing record of my life and thoughts.  It doesn't have to be public like this, but do take the time to write down your thoughts and perspectives.

Feel free to add your thoughts and comments below. I'd love to hear them!

Seth Godin in Seattle

/ Robert Pease / Leave a comment

  Seth_Godin_Seattle_stage

[cross posted from the Gist blog]

We were very fortunate to have Seth Godin visit Seattle on Friday and share his thinking with an intimate crowd downtown.  The tickets went fast and, if you were lucky enough to get one, the gathering definitely did not disappoint.  Starting with the song at the beginning (not Seth) to the quick and witty answers to questions from the crowd, Seth provided perspective and insight into how our connected world is changing how we work, think, and communicate.

While he didn’t come right out and say it, much of what he was talking about fit the new workstyle theme that we believe is defining the future of work.  From thinking about the difference between a job and work to knowing that whatever it is you are working on will get “blown up” due to innovation and ease of connection.  Jobs come and go but work combining both skills and passion transfers from project to project as you go through life.

I definitely recommend adding Seth’s blog to your daily reading (if it is not already there). Also, he posted pictures from the event here.  Be sure to check them out!

7 Ways to Spread the Word About Your Awesome Customer Case Study

/ Robert Pease / 1 Comment

A good friend's company just completed their first customer case study and he pinged me on what to do now that it is published.  Content creation is definitely important (and challenging) but how you distribute it these days makes all the difference in the world.  I shared the following with him via email and thought it good content to share with everyone on this question:

Congratulations, you have a customer saying how awesome your product or service is.  Now what?

  1. Send an email blast showcasing it – you do have a house email list, right? Use a product like MailChimp to get the word out via email.
  2. Put it on your website and then add it to the signature block in all of your emails as a hyperlink so that every email you send is an opportunity to showcase the customer as well as drive traffic to your site.
  3. Put it into a few Powerpoint slides then upload it to Slideshare.  Send that link instead of an attachment next time.  Put your standard pitch presentation on the same branded account so that your content is easily consumed and shared.
  4. Create a summary of video of the situation/challenge/solution including ROI metrics. Upload it to your company's Youtube page.  You can also add this to the email blast and signature block as noted above.  Keep it to about a minute and half as we live in an increasingly short attention span society.  Use this video (and others) to help people understand what you do and the value you deliver.
  5. Pitch it to press/bloggers that cover your space to demonstrate how much you rock (you do have a press/influencer list, don't you?).  If you don't have one, create it.  Anybody can publish these days so there is no excuse to not get coverage…regardless of the publication.
  6. Push it through your own personal social channels (Linkedin, Twitter, Facebook, etc) in addition to any work ones.  We all have social graphs that we can spread our good news to – just don't over do it as people will tune you out.  A little good news every now and then about your work life is worth sharing…and reading.
  7. Get the profiled customer to push it through their communication channels like any upcoming executive presentations where the data or innovative approach would be relevant and/or differentiating.  If you are a small company and they are a large one, they will have many more opportunities to pitch the success.  Target being part of their standard pitch…or at least ones related to the solution area you play in.

There are definitely additional ways to get the word out but this list is my quick thoughts on it. What would you add?

I am not a sales lead

/ Robert Pease / Leave a comment

Saleslead

I have been doing considerable thinking about the current state of B2B sales and marketing and what is possible given new levels of social interaction, widespread publishing (blogs, Twitter, etc.), and connectedness.  One thing I continue to come back to deals with "demand signaling."  I have seen this referred to as a "personal RFP" or "broadcast shopping" as I have done more reading on the the topic but see very little being done to capture or consider it in any company's day to day operations.  I even wrote a post a while ago about how "we" are the missing piece of social selling.

B2B lead generation is all about getting contact information of prospective buyers that signal some kind of intent then dropping them into a process of nurture and follow up with an eye on converting them to a paying customer at some point.  The problem with this approach is that the "intent" is usually related to downloading a whitepaper, attending a webinar, or merely visiting a website – all of which demonstrate some type of interest but only in rare situations someone ready to make a purchase (see "leads are weak" clip from Glengarry GlenRoss).  People that want to buy from you contact you directly.

So why are millions of dollars, countless hours, and a significant chunk of a marketing team's energy devoted to putting up huge numbers of "leads" that salespeople often struggle with to move through the sales process because they weren't really qualified in the first place?  Good question.

Here's a two step framework to begin to put this into practice for all of us that sell (we all sell something):

Qualify yourself in (or out) – just do a little bit of research before you send that next email and see if the person on the other end is really in need of your product or service.  The bar is not high here and I am continually amazed at how most people will not even do a simple web search on me or my company before sending a pitch. That is one of the key values of a product like Gist.  It does this for you, just use it! At a minimum, visit the company's home page and read the most recent news.

Qualify me in (or out) – Am I asking for what you sell?  Did I blog about it, tweet about it, etc.?  These are really easy indicators to see for anyone who has a public social profile and will make the timing and appeal of your pitch so much better. 

I even decided to set up a Facebook Page to rally around this topic and share examples of doing this poorly.  Check out the "I Am Not A Sales Lead" page, post your stories, and help me spread the word!

Awesome time today at TechStars for a Day – Seattle [Slides]

/ Robert Pease / 1 Comment

I had a great time speaking today at a TechStars event here in Seattle.  Big thanks to Andy Sack and Kayla Roark for organizing and to Perkins Coie for the 48th floor conference room on a (finally) sunny day here.  I met lots of smart and energetic entrepreneurs, heard lots of pitches, and tried to add a bit of value along the way.  My presentation was about "getting started" which is arguably the hardest part of starting a company – just starting.

I am really looking forward to being a TechStars mentor to this year's class and seeing these great people be successful.  Here are my slides (also big thanks to the Slideshare folks for featuring this deck today on their site!):


 

TechStars for a Day – Seattle; Getting Started

Funnel Dynamics – Towards the $1 Cost of Acquisition [Slides]

/ Robert Pease / Leave a comment

I have been working to summarize and consolidate the experiences I had building the user acquisition funnel at Gist with a specific focus on programs, tactics, and actual costs. My goal (not reached) was to drive the cost of acquisition down to $1 per user – something unheard of in traditional lead/demand generation circles and aggressive even in a web-application world.

The deck below is sort of a version one and not necessarily optimized for visual appeal so apologies for being a bit text heavy.  It is pretty meaty and I have shared it with a few folks in one-on-one sessions so wanted to share this version broadly.  Enjoy!

Funnel Dynamics – Towards the $1 Cost of Acquisition

4 Reasons Why the New Workstyle is Mobile

/ Robert Pease / Leave a comment

I just posted this on the Gist blog and thought I'd share here as well:

We put forth the concept of the New Workstyle at the beginning of the year and theten characteristics we described created quite a bit of debate and discussion.  We fundamentally believe that the way we work is transforming and that high performance organizations will embrace these changes to further empower employees, realize the benefits of new innovation, and outpace their competition.

The first characteristic we included was being “mobile” and that this meant “always on and aware.”  This does not mean being a workaholic and failing at balance in your life as some of the comments reflected.  It’s quite the contrary actually.  Being mobile and being enabled with tools to share, communicate, and collaborate regardless of location unlocks new approaches to work and life.

We see four things driving this mobile workstyle:

1.  App marketplaces – where people can search, download, and run applications on their own without the need for IT support or training.  The applications available span work related tasks like time reporting, sales pipelines, and project management to non-work ones like games and photo sharing.  The line between these two categories continues to blur as apps thought of for fun translate into new and innovative ways to market, sell and support.  Most importantly, the technical aptitude of anyone who uses a smartphone and makes app choices goes up with each new app and each new experience.

2.  ”Screening” – interacting with information through various devices be that a phone, tablet, or laptop connected to a wireless network and accessing a multitude of cloud-based applications and content regardless of location or device. You can easily create a document with Google Apps on one device, share it with others, and then access and edit it on any device connected to the Internet all with proper versioning and access controls built in.

3.  Multiple communication channels – seamlessly switching between an email, a phone call, a text message, and a Facebook wall post creates a new dynamic in communication and the ability to share and reach people in your network.  The choice between both synchronous and asynchronous channels depending on the need and urgency opens up a new and more efficient approach to communication.

4.  A true on/off switch – while it may seem counter-intuitive and requires an explicit choice on the part of the individual, being mobile and fully enabled creates more freedom to work when and where you need to most.  News, information, updates, and content are always there and available so having the discipline to structure when and how you use them is essential.

What do you think?  Are there other drivers of the mobile workstyle?  How has your work evolved as you have become more mobile?

[Cross posted from the Gist blog]

Why don’t app marketplaces allow vendor responses to the reviews?

/ Robert Pease / 1 Comment

This seems so simple yet I have not seen it after launching products on the Google Apps Marketplace, Chrome Web Store, iTunes App Store, Android Market, and BlackBerry App World over the past couple years.

Travel review site TripAdvisor does a nice job of allowing the property to comment back when a review is given (positive or negative) with additional details, an explanation, or just an update that an issue was resolved.

There is no such capability in these app marketplaces and it would be a really nice both for marketing efforts and, more importantly, customer support.  In fact, in several cases we've commented back to a review by creating a review.  This is all very clumsy and doesn't really solve the problem.

Anybody working on this or adding this capability soon?  If you have an app marketplace, you should be.