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Unilever launches world’s first smile-activated ice cream vending machine
While instantly gratifying, buying ice cream from a vending machine isn’t as fun as it could be.Rice cracker brand’s cafés serve free drinks and snacks
There’s nothing like free samples to get consumers to try something new, as countless brands have recognized over the ages.
Virtual ‘consultant’ helps businesses grow on a budget
Professional services rarely come cheap, which is why we’ve seen so many lower-budget alternatives emerge in recent years. Late last year we covered PPT Salon , for example, and just recently we came across iCanPilot , which aims to guide businesses through projects the way a consultant would, but without the associated hefty fee. Authored in conjunction with well-known business consultants including Kay Plantes and Mohan Sawhney, iCanPilot is consulting software that’s designed to guide users step-by-step through a business growth project such as creating a new business plan or developing a value proposition.
Five businesses that look to the crowds for content
Tapping the crowd for creative input can provide a double-sided benefit for businesses: first, it unleashes a huge resource of ideas, often at little or no cost. Second, it’s a powerful marketing tool, providing information about who potential customers are, and about what they like.
We’ve seen plenty of social networks appearing over the last few years, from sites helping commuters meet others on the go , sites for sharing fitness activity , and even sites for dogs to connect . Now there’s Bitsy , a new B2B online network that offers an online marketplace and social features. Bitsy serves as a way for small businesses to communicate and link up, as well as claiming to offer relief from the loneliness that can come from working alone.
B2B social network connects small businesses online
David Skok tells a story about how rethinking his sales cycle helped him generate sales of $3.5 million in one day , after doing $4 million the whole previous year . Of course that’s not a typical result, but as you listen to him explain how he did it, you’ll see how the methodical way that he thinks about the customer acquisition process can be applied to your company. You’ll hear several stories like that in this interview as I ask David about the companies he launched when he was an entrepreneur and the ones he helps grow now that he’s a venture capitalist. David Skok is a serial entrepreneur turned VC. He started his first company a few months after leaving university at the age of 21, and over the next 25 years, founded a total of four companies (Skok Systems, Corporate Software Europe, Watermark Software, and SilverStream Software) and did one turnaround (Xionics).
Getting Measurable Growth In Sales By Understanding Your Customer – with David Skok
Twelve Rules of B2B Sales Productivity (an ode to the economic d
When we combine the #1 issue for CEOs with today's economic downturn, what emerges are Twelve Rules of B2B Sales Productivity. Each by itself is a path to improved sales productivity. The most productive firms are those who live by a combination of all twelve:
Last week I read a blog post 7 Personal Branding Predictions for 2011 by personal branding expert Dan Schawbel . One of his seven predications for 2011 was that soft skills will become more important than hard skills. Dan said, “ When enough people have similar talents, and are competing for the same positions and opportunities, the real differentiator is your interpersonal skills . The way you present yourself, how you communicate with other people, whether it’s in an interview or with management at work, can make or break your personal brand.
10 Verbal Communication Skills Worth Mastering
All the theory in the world won’t make a lick of difference if you don’t get into the field and do something. That’s why advice isn’t worth as much as it should be, and isn’t nearly as effective as it should be. Entrepreneurs consistently make the same mistakes over and over, even when there are lots of competent and successful people out there advising otherwise (and non-successful, non-competent people too!). Founders are doers, simple as that. Not theorists. Not passersby.
In Customer Interviews Don’t Rush to Pitch the Solution (Build 20100722155716)
‘Social ideation’ platform taps the crowds to help develop new ideas
Even the best ideas are rarely perfected alone, and technology continues to offer ways of bringing creative minds together. Focusing on what it calls “social ideation”, Ahhha is a brand-new crowdsourcing platform that aims to help innovators bring their ideas to life.