Startup Weekend NEXT starts with a “buck”!
Today was day one of our four day challenge with NEXT @ SXSW and let me say it was definitely the icebreaker that we all needed. Each individual of the program were put into teams of 3 or 4 and set off to complete a challenge.
What was that challenge you ask? The challenge was to take $1 and turn it into as much money as possible. Gareth and I were on separate teams so it was fun to be competing against each other. But at the same time it was interesting to see the different approaches we took. Some of the different things team members did were summer salts, cart wheels, rock-paper-scissor competitions, pillow fights, and straight up asking for money.
This task really got our mindsets fired up and semi-prepared for what this weekend will challenge us with. On the bottom end, one of the teams generated $36 with the winning team generating over $160 shattering the old record of $89. All this in about 50 minutes. Being paired up with individuals we just met and coming up with strategies to increase capital was a fun and great way to start the weekend!
Stay tuned for more updates over the weekend!
SalesGust accepted into NEXT @ SXSW!
We’re in NEXT!
We’re excited to announce that SalesGust is one of ten teams selected to participate in NEXT at SXSW! NEXT is an immersive curriculum based on Steve Blank’s Customer Development methodology. The program helps startups accelerate the process of nailing down a successful business model by engaging directly with customers.
Learn more about NEXT @ SXSW: http://www.swnext.co/sxsw/
We’ll blog our experience with the program here. Stay tuned!
Help us succeed this weekend (March 8 – 11th) in Austin!
If you work for an enterprise with commissioned channel/referral partners, a SaaS company or an online retailer (E-Commerce) – we’d love to discuss our product and get your feedback! Tweet @SalesGust or text Gareth: 719-357-7483. Face to face discussions at SXSW in Austin, TX this weekend are preferred, but a Skype video call works too.
Events for Marketers at SXSW 2013
Overwhelmed by all the sessions, events, parties and meetups at SXSW? No problem! We have you covered. Here’s a list of sessions (for Interactive badge holders) and free events (be sure to RSVP and show up early) covering advertising, marketing, and other growth strategies for technology and E-Commerce companies. We threw in an awesome music bash you should check out too. (more…)
SalesGust Preview & Early Access at #SXSW 2013
Attention enterprise SaaS companies, online retailers and fast-growth technology startups: Preview and apply for early access to the SalesGust referral marketing platform at SXSW 2013!
Accelerate the launch of your next referral marketing program by leveraging SalesGust to manage all the tracking, accounting and analytics needed to execute a successful campaign.
4 Tips for Referral Marketing Success
Build a great product and deliver outstanding customer service.
Make it easy for customers and partners to recommend the product and the company behind it. (If you have any doubt on the value of this investment, read the case studies on Zappos and Dropbox) (more…)
What is Referral Marketing?
Referral marketing is a growth strategy that works by cultivating a network of brand advocates to recommend a product or service. Brands can leverage the reputation and influence of their referral partners (advocates) to acquire leads, new users, and even help close deals. Forging the right partnerships can accelerate adoption of a new service or grow sales for an existing product by increasing distribution quickly. (more…)
Guiding Principles for SalesGust
A principle can guide a career, shape the direction of a company, or help define a product roadmap.
Inventing on Principle (http://bit.ly/V93Q81) is Bret Victor’s amazing talk on how a principle guides his career and how others have used their own principles to guide their careers. His talk inspired the creation of a set of guiding principles for SalesGust. When originally kicking around ideas for SalesGust I knew there was an opportunity to shake up referral marketing. Thinking about ways companies and their referral partners work together has led to strong opinions about how referral tracking software should work. These principles articulate those convictions and serve as a guide for product development. (more…)
SalesGust Introduction – What is SalesGust?
SalesGust is referral tracking software for SaaS and subscription businesses.
What problem does SalesGust solve?
Referral incentive programs grow B2B sales. However, tracking commissions for recurring subscriptions is a pain.
We know because at SearchSpring we built a network of partners that refer new business. We tried managing referrals manually using spreadsheets, we tried other referral tracking software, and nothing worked they way we wanted – so we built SalesGust. (more…)