By Francis Moran
There may be nothing quite so ubiquitous in the normal sales cycle for the enterprise software market as the software demo. And there may be nothing that kills as many promising deals as the software demo done poorly. And yet, the demo is such a critical part of the sales cycle. Delivered at the right stage in the sales process and sharply tuned to the prospect’s real needs, there are few tools in your sales kit more potent than a well-run demo.
The karmic gods must believe I deserve punishment for some dire past offence for they have obliged me to sit through well more than my share of wretched demos. The only solace I can take is that I don’t seem to be alone in this; a quick scan of colleagues plus my own experience made the following list of software demo failures all too easy to compile.
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Editors Note: As guest blogger Denzil Doyle addressed last month, Canada is a branch-plant economy with fewer and fewer head offices, which are usually the driving force behind the R&D needed to create a strong innovation economy. In today’s post, Maurice Smith relates Scotland’s comparable situation as a result of the concentration of economic decision-making in the south of England and how this impacts the rest of Britain.
By Maurice Smith
The independence debate is dominating Scottish political debate right now, and will continue to do so for at least the next 15 months.
On Sept. 18, 2014, Scotland will decide whether or not to remain within the U.K. The political debate embraces many issues, but the biggest is the economy.
I realize I don’t have to tell readers in Canada too much about the nuances of constitutional debate. TV reporters in Scotland and Quebec are already boosting their air miles crossing the Atlantic to produce speculative pieces about next year’s poll.
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By Jay Innes
Marketing and communications pros – hell, even PR folks and business developers – can force a smile after reading a study examining Canada’s productivity and following that with a scan of a Branham report on the Canadian ICT industry.
Deloitte Canada recently released The Future of Productivity: A Wake Up Call for Canadian Companies, assessing the worrisome trend that sees startups flourish and then flounder because growth and productivity aren’t sustained. The slowdown and full-blown failure of many startups is, the report states, a partial result of business leaders “not investing in the activities required to sustain growth.” The authors advise firms to increase their focus on gathering competitive intelligence as part of an effort to avoid slipping behind their peers.
“Canada’s entrepreneurs may have mastered the art of creating fast-growing businesses with great potential, but they fall short when it comes to sustaining them,” states the Deloitte study.
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By David French
In Part 1 last week, we addressed confidentiality agreements and nondisclosure agreements (NDAs), particularly the role that these documents serve in protecting patent rights. We ended Part 1 with the question, “But what is a disclosure made in confidence?”
It’s clearly established that disclosures made to professionals such as patent agents and patent attorneys are assumed to be in confidence. Also, if the parties have agreed that a disclosure is confidential, then the necessary standard of confidentiality has been established. And then there are other cases where the circumstances imply an understanding of confidentiality: Disclosures made to a draftsman or to an industrial designer to improve the product, disclosures made to find out whether there are public regulations that the invention must meet, disclosures within the family, and numerous other cases where a special relationship exists. The problem of establishing confidentiality arises when conversations occur between business persons in the context of arms-length relationships, such as between the inventor and a potential purchaser. Are these exchanges assumed to be confidential?
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By Hailley Griffis
Last month’s content lineup featured great posts that shattered common myths about listening to feedback from investors, the future of the tech-world for entrepreneurs and how far a little cleverness can take you in your marketing strategy. We also looked at the International Startup Festival being held in Montreal this month for the third year in a row and the astounding importance that neurons play in our day-to-day lives.
In case you missed any of it, here is a handy recap of our posts, as ranked by the enthusiasm of our readers:
June 18 : The art of ignoring feedback, by Anil Dilawri
June 04: Where do the next opportunities lie for savvy tech entrepreneurs?, by Denzil Doyle
June 26: International Startup Festival hits Montreal for third edition, by Francis Moran
June 17: A little cleverness goes a long, long way, by Leo Valiquette
June 19: You are what you think, by Bob Bailly
June 12: Why my pony tail ain’t my brand, by Francis Moran
June 06: House renos and the art of customer service, by Francis Moran
June 05: Your local newspaper may be your hardest to crack, and least relevant, media outlet, by Leo Valiquette
June 24: Why confidentiality, by David French
June 27: Running faster is not the solution to Canada’s productivity challenge, by Denzil Doyle
June 10: 4 reasons why you need a mobile website, by Debra Kaye
June 11: With clients, you must sometimes be cruel to be kind, by Leo Valiquette
June 20: Are developers responsible for how their products are used?, by Francis Moran
June 25: Summer is no time to slack off, by Leo Valiquette
June 13: Customer surveys are great. Unless you ask the wrong questions, by Francis Moran
Image: June 2013 Calendar Printable
By Francis Moran
