Morettini on (High Tech) Management

Business Intelligence Software 101

noreply@blogger.com (Phil Morettini) — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 20:29:59 PDT

This month we have a guest Blogger: The Actuate Corporation Team. Acutuate is an Open Source Business Intelligence Software vendor. Hope you enjoy their post-Phil MorettiniThanks to the global recession, companies worldwide are looking for ways to streamline their organizations and cut costs. Increasingly, they’re turning to business intelligence software to help find solutions. Developed by

Will Microsoft's BING Finally Bring Success in the Search Engine Market?

noreply@blogger.com (Phil Morettini) — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 16:08:46 PDT

Microsoft's new search service is called BING, and takes a contrarian approach to the simple Google Interface. The BING interface is kind of a cross between Google and the Yahoo Directory, with a bit of Expedia, MapQuest, Shopping.com, UTube and Flicker thrown in for good measure. Never accuse Microsoft of being modest in their ambitions--this site takes on directly just about every major

Cloud Computing, SaaS and Such--Have We Read This Story Before?

noreply@blogger.com (Phil Morettini) — Mon, 04 May 2009 17:30:56 PDT

I have this incredible feeling of déjà vu.Cloud computing and Software as a Service is all the rage. In my practice at PJM Consulting, I am very involved in software startup activity. Nearly every new software company that I see today is being built on the Software as a Service business model. It's all the rage--so much so that it appears that any self-respecting software entrepreneur would be

Oracle is buying Sun?

noreply@blogger.com (Phil Morettini) — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 17:25:41 PDT

Breaking News…. Oracle buys Sun!? What's wrong with this picture?What's surprising is that a very large software company is buying a very large hardware company. You often see a hardware company buying a software company, but I can't really think of a deal that's gone the other way around. Certainly not at this level. My practice at PJM Consulting serves all kinds of technology companies--but a

White Papers in the High Tech and Software Marketing Mix

noreply@blogger.com (Phil Morettini) — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 16:52:39 PDT

There are many marketing methods in Software and IT marketing that can be appropriate in some, but not all situations. I'd put White Papers in that category. The term "white paper" is a broadly used term, and can mean different things to different people. I define a white paper as a document written to provide insight or expertise specific to a market, process or product category.PRODUCT & MARKET

The Future of Venture Capital Funding in High Tech

noreply@blogger.com (Phil Morettini) — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 16:44:49 PST

Like almost every aspect of the current economy, Venture Capital Fundings of High Tech and Software startups are way down.There is pressure on virtually every segment of our economy, and the worldwide financial system is in by far the greatest disarray of our lifetime. The preferred exit strategy for Venture Capitalists, the IPO, pretty much shut down quite a while back. Financial returns at

Inside TeleSales versus Outside Sales in Software and High Tech Companies

noreply@blogger.com (Phil Morettini) — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 17:09:39 PST

There are many ways to deliver your software and technology products to the market. For example, one and two step distribution through third party channels, direct marketing/sales over the Internet, OEM relationships and many variations of these, as well as other methods.One classic method of delivering products to the marketplace is by using a direct sales force. Within the direct sales

Effective Management During an Economic Crisis

noreply@blogger.com (Phil Morettini) — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 15:59:58 PST

This month we're doing something a bit different--we have a guest post from Holly McCarthy. Please be aware that Ms. McCarthy is not affiliated with PJM Consulting, and the views expressed in this post are her own.In the current economic climate, there is much that can still be done to turn business around. Certainly, technology has come a long way in helping businesses to maximize productivity

What Happens to Apple after Steve Jobs?

noreply@blogger.com (Phil Morettini) — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 14:31:47 PST

I've written several times on Steve Jobs and Apple, one of the most fascinating companies and executives that we've seen in the history of high technology.I don't mean to make this a morbid article; the current speculation on Steve Job's health has been well-documented. I hope that Mr. Jobs is fine, and that he has many more years of good health, with a continued long reign at Apple.But it does

Integrating Sales and Marketing at Software and Technology Companies

noreply@blogger.com (Phil Morettini) — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 14:42:31 PST

In some, but not all tech companies, the Sales and Marketing functions are managed separately. They are separate, but closely related functions that some people (especially technical folks) have a tendency to confuse. Normally, there is a VP or Director heading up the Marketing department, and another VP or Director leading the Sales staff. But it is also not unusual to see a VP or Director of

Structuring a High Tech Sales Force

noreply@blogger.com (Phil Morettini) — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 21:45:12 PST

There are many ways to organize a sales force. In my opinion, there is no one "right" way. There is only the BEST way for unique circumstances of your current company.Like most aspects of developing a software or technology company, there are guidelines, but no exact roadmap to building a successful sales force. In my practice at PJM Consulting, I often suggest that a management exercise like

Google Chrome--a Strategic Platform or just another Browser?

noreply@blogger.com (Phil Morettini) — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 16:27:15 PDT

Google's new Chrome Browser came out a few weeks ago to quite a bit of attention. It's big news 1) because it's from Google and 2) it brings back memories of the "browser wars", and seems like it could potentially signal the next big battleground in the intense rivalry between Google and Microsoft.I've downloaded Chrome and played with it a bit, but this isn't intended to be a technical review of

Structuring Channel Discounts for Software and Technology Companies

noreply@blogger.com (Phil Morettini) — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 15:44:11 PDT

Selling through sales and distribution channels of various types is very important to many software and tech companies. Yet channel programs, and specifically discount structures, are often thrown together quickly and haphazardly, without looking at any real hard data. Let's examine some of the key items it's advisable to consider, when structuring a channel discount program:Market NormsThe

Competing with Entrenched Software & Technology Industry Giants

noreply@blogger.com (Phil Morettini) — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 16:56:19 PDT

I was reading an article in the business section of our local newspaper recently about a new Search Engine name CUIL (pronounced Cool). I already knew about CUIL, because I had noticed that it had recently indexed the PJM Consulting website. One of their claimed differentiating factors is that they've their search index is twice as large as Google's is. In addition, they believe that they have

Integrating the Marketing and Engineering Functions at Technology Companies

noreply@blogger.com (Phil Morettini) — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 16:09:56 PDT

In most tech companies, Product Marketing and Product Development/Engineering are managed separately. There is usually a VP over the Product Development function and another over the overall marketing function, which usually includes future product marketing/planning.While this is certainly an appropriate way to organize a tech company, there is a great danger in one are when it comes to these

Trade Shows for Software & Technology Firms - Do They Still Make Sense?

noreply@blogger.com (Phil Morettini) — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 16:15:06 PDT

Let's talk about what, for some people, is a marketing method from a bygone era: Trade shows, or Trade Fairs, as they're referred to in most places outside of the US.At one point in time, Trade Shows were a staple in most every tech company's marketing budget--shows like Comdex, PC Expo, Network World and a host of others were annual rites of passage. But in this Internet age, they have been

The End of Customer Service

noreply@blogger.com (Phil Morettini) — Tue, 06 May 2008 16:11:04 PDT

No one answers the telephone anymore.At least, technology companies in the US surely don't. With big companies, you are either presented with an endless phone tree--"press 1 for a company directory"--or the newest innovation in communications technology: the cheerful "automated voice attendant". In many cases these attendants, and several other "innovative" service options, can lead to a great

Retail Distribution of Software Products

noreply@blogger.com (Phil Morettini) — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 15:48:59 PDT

Selling software at retail at one point in time was the "Holy Grail" for consumer, home office and small office software suppliers. That's where the volume was. Everything that a company did starting up was intended to build enough volume to get into a distributor, so they could then pursue shelf space at the major retailers of software.But oh, how times have changed. The advent of the Internet

High Tech Market Research for New Products

noreply@blogger.com (Phil Morettini) — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 20:24:49 PDT

One of the biggest problems in High Tech businesses is the "technology-driven" approach that tends to predominate, especially among startups. Much of this occurs due to the fact the many founders of software and technology companies tend to come from an engineering, programming or other technical background. While a strength in creating a flow of technical innovation, this can be a real problem

Which Online Advertising Platforms Should You Include in Your Marketing Mix?

noreply@blogger.com (Phil Morettini) — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 08:59:41 PST

I often write about online marketing, as many of my regular readers know. A frequent topic of mine is Pay-Per-Click (PPC) advertising, also known as Cost-Per-Click (CPC). Occasionally, people will refer to this marketing vehicle as Search Engine Advertising. What you're hearing this called more and more is "Google Adwords".HAS GOOGLE ADWORDS "BECOME" ONLINE ADVERTISING?Of course, its kind of like

Strategies for a Technology Market Slowdown

noreply@blogger.com (Phil Morettini) — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 17:01:51 PST

Is the world economy slowing down? What are the implications for technology companies?Recently, technology stocks (along with the stock market in general) have tanked. There is a credit crunch that shows no signs of abating, and inflation is rearing its ugly head, with the continual climb in the prices of oil and other natural resources--commodities which touch every aspect of the world economy.

Negotiating and Working with Large Technology OEM Partners

noreply@blogger.com (Phil Morettini) — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 15:11:22 PST

The Holy Grail for many software and technology companies, especially the early stage type, is the big deal. Everyone is looking for the big deal, the one that will fund the company's early activities, provide market credibility and momentum in the marketplace. Of course, if it goes well, there can be nothing better. Many times the big deal takes the form of an OEM partnership with a much larger

Channel Pricing Strategy for Software and Hardware Products

noreply@blogger.com (Phil Morettini) — Fri, 23 Nov 2007 17:32:59 PST

Pricing software products is always a difficult exercise. With high product development costs, but near zero costs of goods sold, there are many different strategies that people have followed successfully (and not so successfully!) over time. Pricing hardware products is a bit simpler because there is generally a significant cost of goods sold that acts as a governor on pricing behavior. But even

Forecasting New Technology Products

noreply@blogger.com (Phil Morettini) — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 17:14:56 PDT

Forecasting is a thankless job. It's a lot like being a referee or umpire in your favorite sport; the only time a game official is noticed is when they do something wrong! Similarly, a forecaster's primary aim is too stay out of the "news".Make no mistake; forecasting is a very important function in any business. In the software business, your whole business plan could be riding on meeting the

More SEO Tools

noreply@blogger.com (Phil Morettini) — Fri, 28 Sep 2007 16:58:44 PDT

From time to time, I let you know about some of the more useful (out of the abundant crop available on the Internet!) online tools for Search Engine Optimization (SEO) that I have come across. So here's the latest batch of valuable, and free, widgets that I've found:The first is a site that checks on all of your back links, with a twist: it actually details not only the back link itself, but the