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:
Strategy & Planning - Search Results (88)
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 MoreInsight categories include: Marketing Sales Strategy & Planning
Member Sudhir Aggarwal Speaks: Go for the Gold, But Fall Back on Silver and Bronze
Embrace a spirit of achieving excellence. Alliance Member, Sudhir Aggarwal, Managing Partner at Transition Management, discusses ways to set ambitious goals and hedge risk to company reputation and team morale.
Read MoreInsight categories include: Leadership Sales Strategy & Planning
Member Paul Finkle Speaks: How to Get to a Recurring Revenue Model
The golden goose of most service-based firms is to attain predictable, recurring revenue. Alliance Member Paul Finkle of ABD SharedHR gives some insight into how it can be done.
Read MoreInsight categories include: Operations Organizational Design Sales Strategy & Planning Technology
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 MoreInsight categories include: Marketing Sales Strategy & Planning Technology
Member Keith Matasci Speaks: Focus on Bench Strength
Got an all-star player on your team? Alliance Member, Keith Matasci, Vice President of Operations for Bentek, recommends building up alternative human resources who hold the same knowledge. A good coach doesn't neglect his or her bench.
Read MoreInsight categories include: Human Resources M&A Strategy & Planning
Member Kevin Chance Speaks: Breakneck Growth Demands Strong Processes
Here's a great problem to have: your business is growing at breakneck speed. Alliance Member Kevin Chance, President of Products & Services at Beckman Coulter, counsels the importance of building process within a dynamic business undergoing explosive growth.
Read MoreInsight categories include: Leadership Operations Sales Strategy & Planning
Member John Spottiswood Speaks: Use the Cloud to Improve — Not Repeat — Your Core Business
Instead of building specific, custom pieces of software to aide your client’s business processes, build up a common code base that can be deployed throughout your clientele. Member John Spottiswood, former EVP of Business & Corporate Development for Inflection, suggests using the cloud as an instigator to change one's core business model.
Read MoreInsight categories include: Leadership Operations Sales Strategy & Planning Technology
Member Stuart Latta Speaks: Forget the Org Chart. Own Processes For Which You’re Accountable
Alliance Top Team Member, Stuart Latta, Vice President of Supply Chain & CDS for Nestle Dreyer's Ice Cream, shared his insights with the CFO of a large, multinational corporation who felt a lack of control over what he was ultimately accountable for. He was fully accountable for the financials of the company, but the regional CFOs reported to a market head who reported directly to the CEO.
Read MoreInsight categories include: Executive Development Finance International Business Leadership Operations Strategy & Planning
Member Joe Budelli Speaks: For Strong Partnerships, Engage Your Tactical Players!
Here's what Alliance Top Team Member, Joe Budelli, Senior Vice President, Sales for ABBYY USA, shared with his Alliance peers during a discussion brought by a CEO looking to establish a channel partner with a bigger player, nominally in the same space. Read the insights Joe provided, including incentivizing the tactical players involved.
Read MoreInsight categories include: Entrepreneurship Sales Strategy & Planning
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 MoreInsight categories include: M&A Marketing Sales Strategy & Planning Technology Trends
Member Rob Conant Speaks: External Skills Solving Internal Problems
Alliance Member, Rob Conant, CEO of Cirrent, shares his insights on a case brought by the CEO of a recently purchased company, whose parent seemed unwilling to loosen the purse strings and invest in growing his company.
Read MoreInsight categories include: Leadership M&A Strategy & Planning
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 MoreInsight 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 MoreInsight categories include: Boards Leadership Marketing Operations Sales Strategy & Planning Technology
Member John Maydonovitch Speaks: Inspire with Breakthrough Objectives and Stretch Goals
Here’s what member John Maydonovitch, CEO of MCE, shared with his Alliance peers following a case presented by a CEO who had prepared a very detailed business plan to guide his management team through the next fiscal year.
Read MoreInsight categories include: Entrepreneurship Leadership Strategy & Planning
Member Doug Dooley Speaks: Speak to Your Audience’s Language and Viewpoint
Alliance Top Team Member, Doug Dooley of Venrock, shared his insights on a case brought by the top leader of a software subsidiary of a global technology giant who was preparing for a meeting with the CFO of the multi billion-dollar parent company.
Read MoreInsight categories include: Leadership Strategy & Planning Technology
Member Praful Saklani Speaks: Technology in a Luddite’s Industry
Read what Praful Saklani, Co-Founder & CEO of Pramata, shared with his Alliance peers regarding a case presented by a CEO in an industry with weak technology adoption and a history of poor employee retention. The CEO was looking for strategies to differentiate himself from his competitors and better retain his sales force.
Read MoreInsight categories include: Culture Sales Strategy & Planning Technology
Member Pat Lashinsky Speaks: Hire Fresh Talent from Outside Your Industry to Drive Innovation
When a CEO was looking for ways to innovate in a commoditized market, he felt discouraged by the consumer perception that their industry’s products are “all the same” and wondered how he could find the right people to innovate his product portfolio. Here’s what Pat Lashinsky, CEO of RealMassive, shared with his Alliance peers.
Read MoreInsight categories include: Leadership Strategy & Planning
Member Lesley Stolz Speaks: Build a Shared Vision
Lesley Stolz shared some well-seasoned insights regarding a case brought by a fellow Alliance member who planned to eventually sell their company and own the critical technology it then only licensed.
Read MoreInsight categories include: Finance M&A 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 MoreInsight categories include: Marketing Operations Sales Strategy & Planning
Russ Harrison Speaks: Change the Nature of the Conversation
When a fellow Alliance member wanted to acquire a company that would not allow any due diligence on its critical technology, Russ Harrison, President and CEO of The Leadership Group and an Alliance Director, shared the following insights with his Alliance peers.
Read MoreInsight categories include: Leadership M&A Strategy & Planning
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