Jared Hecht’s Post

In the past month, several startup founders requested meetings with me. They wanted feedback about their competitive positioning in the DS/ML/AI marketplace. I'm happy to meet with anyone who wants help, and it's not "business development." I'm not building a consulting business, and I don't plan to accept fees from anyone. That relieves me of any incentive to sugarcoat my feedback. Starting a business is hard. If you want to succeed, you can't be all things to all people. You can't build something that is "just like XYZ" and expect to get market traction. XYZ is bigger than you, they are more mature, and they have more feet on the street. If your product is "just like XYZ," you're dead. You need to do one thing 10 times better than anyone else. And you must be able to say what that thing is in fifteen seconds or less.

As founders, we often get so caught up in acquiring new customers that we overlook the goldmine of growth lying within our existing base. Here’s a personal insight that transformed our stagnant situation into a growth opportunity. The Challenge: Our business was experiencing a plateau—churn balanced out new customer gains, leading to zero net growth. A Family Insight: During a discussion, my brother questioned our approach to engaging long-term customers. "Do you regularly inform your loyal customers about changes and improvements?" he asked. I realized we had neglected this crucial engagement. The Strategy: We launched a monthly newsletter dedicated to keeping our community informed about our continuous improvements and the evolving benefits of our services. The Outcome: The newsletter was a hit! It not only boosted our engagement but surprisingly reactivated old customers who had drifted away. They reconnected with our brand and appreciated the updates, bringing fresh vitality and referrals back to our business. Advice for Founders: Don’t underestimate the power of consistent communication. Regular updates can re-engage old customers and strengthen loyalty with current ones, unlocking growth that acquisition alone cannot achieve. Remember, your next business breakthrough might come from where you least expect it—sometimes even from a casual family conversation! #BusinessGrowth #Startups #Founders #CustomerEngagement #BusinessAdvice #Innovation

Structured thinking is essential from day one, especially when you are building a startup. Random actions at arbitrary times seldom yield optimal results. If you are founder who have recently launched their product and are currently navigating the intricacies of Go-To-Market (GTM) strategy and finding the perfect selling model. This is for you: There is a proven sequence that has consistently worked for many founders in the past. The approach to entering the market and selling your product follows the same patterns as successful founders before you. It's a wise idea to invest time in discovering what has genuinely worked for similar products and consider replicating it without overthinking. In my entrepreneurial journey, where I successfully sold various products, I adhered to the same process every time, never failing to make a sale. 1. Acquiring that crucial first paying customer. 2. Scaling up to the next 10 customers with SDRs 3. Building a team to attract next 50 customers. 4. Establishing a system for consistently acquiring 100+ customers. Good news, I've put together this in to an editable template with step-step method I tested this approach with my network of founders, including those I have never met. Despite market challenges, they experienced surprising growth. Interested in learning? Provided the link in the comments. #founders #sales

Ever wondered about the "Dark Funnel"? It's like a secret space where potential customers hang out, often overlooked by businesses. No worries! We've got 5 smart tricks to uncover your business's hidden power. Let's dive in! Send a DM, and let's chat to discover more. #B2BMarketing #B2BMarketingStrategy #CreativeAgencyIndia #SaaSMarketing #TechBusiness #TechnologyMarketing #TechStartups #StartUpTips

With Furst Spark Services: Elevate Your Business to New Heights. In today's competitive business landscape, it's more important than ever to have a strong online presence. That's where Furst Spark Services comes in. We provide a comprehensive suite of services to help businesses of all sizes grow and succeed. With Furst Spark Services, you can: Stay ahead of your competitors. We'll help you identify and implement the latest marketing strategies and technologies to keep you ahead of the pack. Increase revenue. We'll help you generate more leads and close more deals, so you can reach your full financial potential. Build customer-centric relationships. We'll show you how to create and nurture relationships with your customers, so you can build a loyal following. Close leads like never before. We'll teach you the best practices for closing leads, so you can convert more prospects into paying customers. Ready to Up your game in 2024? Comment below and we'll send you a DM to schedule a free consultation. #businessownership #contentmarketing #strugglingbusiness #startup #marketingagency

Comparison is the thief of joy: - It hinders your business progress - It made you copy your competition And now you feel like you're at a standstill. But… How can you get it back? You can when you understand “Context” in Business: - You might want to copy the current business. - Or sales strategies and tips from the big (or growing) names in your industry - But their context is considerably different from yours. And not only that... You're not them in the same way their audience is not yours. With that said. Here’s a few pointers for you. All businesses eventually get disrupted(A new thing). Some people call it rebranding. I’ll say it gives you the license to disrupt(repositioning): - It might feel like you're back to the beginning. - But you are in a wonderful position that most startups would envy. - You have information on previous sales. - You can now solve a bigger problem - And a bigger customer segment. If you find this helpful, please consider: • Reposting this ♻️ • Giving me a follow (+ 🔔) for more PS: DM me "Positioning " if you feel your business is at a standstill.

Excited to unveil the new Sales Primer website!  After working closely with early stage start-ups and ventures ready to scale, we’ve both expanded and refined our offerings to help Founders get to “Customers and Cash” more quickly.  Our updated services are curated for Founders at any Growth Stage and include:    RAPID VALIDATION: Discover quickly if your business is on the right track. Our Sales Primer assessment cuts through the noise offering clear, actionable insights that validate your market, value proposition, pricing and sales model. FOUNDER SALES: We work alongside Founders, equipping them with the sales skills and strategies needed to rapidly qualify and secure your first customers. REPEATABLE & REPLICABLE SALES: We transform your sales operation from Founder-led selling to team-selling through effective recruitment, training, compensation, and management practices. SCALING: Automate, streamline, and expand your sales at higher margins. FUNDRAISING: Expert strategies to finance your venture. Tailored to your model and stage of growth.  Because you often need some cash to make more cash.   Let us know the support you need, whether a dedicated Sales Primer “sales-readiness” workshop, fractional CRO services, investor-readiness prep, or simply retail access to our Sales Primer web application and video library.   Stay tuned for our first US-based certified Sales Primer partner announcement!   And always remember…   Without Sales, All Else Fails!   www.salesprimer.ca   #sales #salesmodeling #salesexecution #growth #fundraising #startup #venture #scale #businessdevelopment #gotomarket

Excited to unveil the new Sales Primer website!  After working closely with early stage start-ups and ventures ready to scale, we’ve both expanded and refined our offerings to help Founders get to “Customers and Cash” more quickly.  Our updated services are curated for Founders at any Growth Stage and include:    RAPID VALIDATION: Discover quickly if your business is on the right track. Our Sales Primer assessment cuts through the noise offering clear, actionable insights that validate your market, value proposition, pricing and sales model. FOUNDER SALES: We work alongside Founders, equipping them with the sales skills and strategies needed to rapidly qualify and secure your first customers. REPEATABLE & REPLICABLE SALES: We transform your sales operation from Founder-led selling to team-selling through effective recruitment, training, compensation, and management practices. SCALING: Automate, streamline, and expand your sales at higher margins. FUNDRAISING: Expert strategies to finance your venture. Tailored to your model and stage of growth.  Because you often need some cash to make more cash.   Let us know the support you need, whether a dedicated Sales Primer “sales-readiness” workshop, fractional CRO services, investor-readiness prep, or simply retail access to our Sales Primer web application and video library.   Stay tuned for our first US-based certified Sales Primer partner announcement!   And always remember…   Without Sales, All Else Fails!   www.salesprimer.ca   #sales #salesmodeling #salesexecution #growth #fundraising #startup #venture #scale #businessdevelopment #gotomarket

A trap many entrepreneurs fall into: You launch your company and orders begin to come in. There is a grand celebration, as there ought to be; it took blood, sweat, and tears to get here. But this moment, my friends, is NOT marketplace validation. It is not the time to sit back and slack off. This IS JUST the beginning. This is the INNOVATOR phase. Innovators LOVE trying new things. They LOVE to be first. They LOVE to be on the cutting edge. But, they LOVE to chase shiny objects. And the moment the next shiny object launches, off they go. There is no loyalty, there is no interest in your success. Don't be fooled by the Innovator stage of your company launch. This is why building a community BEFORE you launch, to find those Early Adopters who want to find proof your solution works and works for them is vital! THEY are more eager to stick around and even collaborate with you to find ways to MAKE your idea work in the marketplace. They are the ones who will help you dig and build the foundation your company needs to thrive and grow and reach success. If you haven't read Crossing the Chasm by Geoffrey A. Moore then it needs to be next on your list. We got this 🤘 #communitybuilding #productmarketfit #organicmarketing

As someone with a short attention span and an insatiable thirst for growth, I immediately loved the concept of Snackable Idea - short form actionable tips from subject matter experts. So when Konstantinos Papakonstantinou asked me to share some insights on partnerships, I was all in. My snackable ideas just dropped, here’s one of them below - MEASURE & TRACK EVERYTHING 💪 Download their app or subscribe to their YouTube channel for more great insights from SMEs across a spectrum of industries and subjects. #partnerships #shorts