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22 Years of Leveraging the Internet, for Sales Revenue, Valuations, IPO or Acquisition.
You may need my type of new-media business development - if:
- You need sales revenue, and marketing
"buzz" to improve your valuation.
- You need strategies to
co-opt EQUITY intrest from specific companies.
- You want to leverage others to
proactively resell or license your product.
- You need “specific” reference
customers or OEM Alliance relationships.
I have helped 4 Silicon Valley technology companies get to multi-million
dollar acquisitions or IPOs, via highly creative
internet marketing and business development
tactics. I have pioneered ways to leverege the internet since 1988.
For over 30 years I have developed
some innovative sales models that have driven up revenue for what were unknown technologies,
with little or no established market, and sometimes very hard-to-sell
products. My main tactic was to invent a new-media path to recognition and revenue using the
internet in a new and novel way, and then personally implement the sales process. This resulted is some
new ways to license software, such as an early SaaS and Cloud models in 1995, and new
ways to reach prospects, such as via internet marketing beginning in 1990, and also strategies to leverage
partners to license or resell a new product on my behalf.
Such business
model improvements
not only hockey-sticked sales, and therefore the valuations as well,
and resulted in 3 acquisitions and an IPO since 1995. I have employed
this approach, along with
strategic alliance relationship development, to co-opt and persuade
specifically targeted companies to become eventual M&A partners.
Who these potential partners could be decided in the very
beginning.
I prefer to consult with leading-edge technology
startups to improve their valuation while at the
same time lining-up new equity stakeholders, and can do
so primarily for success fees and stock, and in the background if needed.
Specific industry experience, since 1982, has for been in software and hardware
for data storage, backup, archiving, networking, security appliances, indexing
video, cloud computing and SaaS models. Solar Energy, HDTV, Stereo/HiFi and Ham Radio.
The four steps I can take:
1. Develop a New or Incremental Business model — On a
practical not theoretical level, I have a background of developing
“out-of-the-box” sales models and techniques, e.g., “enterprise licensing”,
“software leasing” and ”pay as you use” concepts, as a way around the usual
barriers, often resetting the rules. Starting in 1994, these morphed into
ASP and then SaaS models in common use today. Along with negotiating OEM
contracts and reseller agreements to support them, the revenue growth has led
to investment traction. As a prolific team brain-stormer, I am also practical in
getting to the revenue quickly. A “new” model makes sense if the current model
is dysfunctional, otherwise it is best used as an “incremental” path to new
revenue when existing models are working well; being careful to not disturb
what already works.
2. Develop SPECIFIC
Marquee Accounts —
Through focused direct sales tactics we penetrate, educate and create
evangelists out of opinion leaders within target organizations. We
identify the few relationships we need, for strategic reasons, considering who
might be an eventual investment partner, for example. I find several entry
points, develop and articulate compelling technical, business and
political reasons to engage, and get “buy in” with engineers first, so when
management asks, they are primed. Then make any deal that it takes, and see to
it they are extremely happy.
3. Develop a Reseller
CHANNEL to proactively sell new ideas — This is often difficult to do, as the
channel is 90% “fulfillment” oriented… meaning they only sell what the customer
specifically asks for… I had worked in this channel for 10 years in
sales management and as an owner, followed by 15 years selling to and though a
channel. I have developed channel models that target a small number of high-end
channels, and deliberately leverage them to success and to blaze a trail to add
Distribution and DMRs. With a combination or aggressive “registration”
programs, “special pricing” policies, and “incentives” such as spiffs for
targeted sales calls, this is the fastest and most economical path to revenue
traction. This can only work, however, if the product is fully developed and
the strategic “Marquee Accounts” have already been established.
4.
Develop ALLIANCES leading to EQUITY (IPO, or acquisitions)— I can develop
ways to leverage others to incorporate my technology into theirs, and enable
thousands of “feet on the street” to create fresh revenue, with the OEM’s own
customers and/or with the OEM supporting it; all for a profit margin only. By
working with industry “opinion leaders” who have impact with analysts, and
gaining the attention of targeted OEM prospects. After the proper reference
accounts are in place, (from #2 above) it is practical to craft both
technology, and business reasons, to persuade the OEM’s to enhance their
offerings by licensing and incorporating a new technology. Some of the more
creative licensing models come to play in here, such as SaaS or Cloud. Although
selling to OEMs is strategic and takes the most time and expense, the payoff
can easily be 10x in eventual valuations.
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