Nuggets from Behind Closed Doors

Inside every private Alliance meeting, there are hundreds of years of experience. While keeping confidentiality of the member who provided the challenge to their group, we’ve captured (with permission) just some of the insightful comments from a handful of members. Read what these members had to say to get a glimpse of what it is like to be an Alliance member.

To see insights for a certain category, choose one from the following list:

Marketing - Search Results (13)

Member Craig Hinkley Speaks: Tempted to Turn Down Funds? Consider These Risks

When the financial markets are hot, business leaders are often faced with the question: should I fundraise or not – and what’s at stake if I don’t? Craig Hinkley, CEO of WhiteHat Security, offers insight into assessing competitor risk and staying on top of the market. 

Read More

Insight categories include: Finance   Leadership   Marketing   Sales   Strategy & Planning   

Member Sheeroy Desai Speaks: Cut Through The Noise

Interest in the service you are offering is a beautiful thing. But interest does not equate to action. Sheeroy Desai, Co-Founder & CEO of Gild Inc., shares a clever strategy to seal the deal.

Read More

Insight categories include: Entrepreneurship   Marketing   Sales   

Member Navin Nagiah Speaks: You are not ready (yet) to make a decision.

Torn between being a market leader & IPO’ing or selling the company? Navin Nagiah, President & CEO of DNN Corporation, offers some considerations to help distill a smart decision.

Read More

Insight categories include: Culture   Finance   M&A   Marketing   Operations   Sales   Strategy & Planning   

Member Marco Marini Speaks: Take Advantage of Your Small Size

Though it may seem like bad news when companies like Amazon or Costco move into your market, Marco Marini, CEO of ClickMail Marketing, sees an opportunity to differentiate and thrive.

Read More

Insight categories include: Marketing   Sales   Strategy & Planning   

Member Edmundo Costa Speaks: Stop Trying to Boil the Ocean

New technology can offer value to customers across multiple verticals. Edmundo Costa, Vice President of Sales at Automation Anywhere and previously the CEO at Catbird, shares his perspective on maintaining focus while scaling the business.

Read More

Insight categories include: Marketing   Sales   Strategy & Planning   Technology   

Member John Maydonovitch Speaks: Don’t Miss the Analyst Calls

Managing risk exposure in your client portfolio is key to sustainable growth. John Maydonovitch, CEO of MCE, reveals a simple way to gain helpful insights.

Read More

Insight categories include: Marketing   Sales   Strategy & Planning   

Member Ittai Bareket Speaks: The CEO Should Be the Best Salesperson in the Company

Is your staff excited about a new product, but it just isn’t selling? Alliance Member, Ittai Bareket, CEO of Netformx, explains how to jump in proactively and quickly distill what’s the matter.

Read More

Insight categories include: Marketing   Sales   Strategy & Planning   

Member Ted Christianson Speaks: 3 Basics to Remember as You Grow a Startup

The excitement of driving growth in a startup can all too often distract from critical business basics. Member Ted Christianson, Chairman of Christianson Systems, discusses key business ideas that are precursors to any sustainable growth.

Read More

Insight categories include: Marketing   Sales   Strategy & Planning   Technology   

Member Peter Bailey Speaks: Be the White Knight, Not a Kamikaze

Alliance Member, Peter Bailey, President & CEO of Vertical Communications, shares his insights on a case brought by the CEO of a technology company that was disrupting a traditional market by replacing hardware with a much cheaper software solution.

Read More

Insight categories include: M&A   Marketing   Sales   Strategy & Planning   Technology   Trends   

Member Burt Cummings Speaks: Sell Yourself Through the Pain You Solve

Read what member Burt Cummings, CEO of Versaic, shared with his Alliance peers during a brainstorming session with a CEO who was challenged to more clearly explain his company’s value proposition.

Read More

Insight categories include: Marketing   Sales   Strategy & Planning   Technology   

Member Brad Freitag Speaks: Go Direct, Go Small, Learn Lots

Alliance Top Team Member, Brad Freitag of FileMaker, shared his thoughts on a case brought by an SVP whose company was reinventing itself as a cloud provider offering SaaS in place of their current hardware/software package.

Read More

Insight categories include: Boards   Leadership   Marketing   Operations   Sales   Strategy & Planning   Technology   

Member Rick Martig Speaks: Get a Product Marketing VP

When a fellow Alliance member's product management efforts were stuck in research, Alliance Top Team Member, Rick Martig, CFO of Nexenta Systems, suggested jumpstarting their marketing initiatives in a way that tied its R&D with market needs.

Read More

Insight categories include: Marketing   Operations   Sales   Strategy & Planning   

Member Prem Uppaluru Speaks: Be Careful About Switching to Product Business

Read what Prem Uppaluru, CEO of Transera Communications, shared with an Alliance member whose consulting company was considering whether to create a successful new product or transform itself into a product company.

Read More

Insight categories include: Leadership   Marketing   Organizational Design   Sales   Strategy & Planning