“Joel on Software” blog is coming to an end Max Effgen, March 4, 2010 Big news that Joel Spolsky is ending his Joel on Software blog as announced in Inc. The money quote: To really work, Sierra observed, an entrepreneur’s blog has to be about something bigger than his or her company and his or her product. This sounds simple, but it isn’t. It… Continue Reading
Business Advice From Van Halen Max Effgen, February 28, 2010 I have been a big fan of Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die by Chip and Dan Heath. It is engaging and practical and a worthwhile read. I have found myself recommending it lately. Great resources on their website as well. I am looking forward to… Continue Reading
Quote of the Week Max Effgen, February 26, 2010 Hide your craziness behind a beautiful smile. And don’t worry, that’s all you need. ~ Paulo Coelho Happy Friday! Continue Reading
Eclipse MP3, slick iPod Shuffle knock-off. Max Effgen, February 24, 2010 Recently my trusty Creative MuVo mp3 player has been having a tough time with AAA battery life. I use this player for working out and long runs because I know that I will inevitably crush one of my iPods — and that just can’t happen. It is simple and holds… Continue Reading
iPad, the Kindle Killer? Max Effgen, January 29, 2010 Lots of chatter about iPad as the Kindle killer. The chatter is bunk. Kindle has a specific target audience, a niche. That niche loves the Kindle. Niche is the new critical mass. Look at some of the advantages Kindle has: Battery Life. Kindle can last up to 7 days without… Continue Reading
Tablet Talk Max Effgen, January 20, 2010 With all the talk of an Apple tablet, it is worth taking the time to understand that this is far from a new idea. Jerry Kaplan’s Startup is not only a great read on the Silicon Valley start up life but on the origins and game of tablet computing. Notable… Continue Reading
5 Questions Max Effgen, November 24, 2009 All consultants like to ask questions. Sometimes too many questions. Here are 5 that I keep on hand for initial client engagements. What do your expectations of a service provider? How do you see out team helping you address challenges and opportunities? Why are you changing providers? How do we… Continue Reading
Know your customer… Max Effgen, October 23, 2009 A “Know your customer” re-post. Have a great weekend. “Know your customer” is the mantra. When you know the customer, good things happen. – Example, Client A increased user adoption to 70% of total call volume. ROI increase 25% in one quarter. When you know your customer, you can spot… Continue Reading
Social CRM Questions Max Effgen, October 15, 2009 My $0.02 on questions you need to answer in mapping out your Social CRM strategy: Where are your customers? Where do they go when they have issues with your products and services? How open is that conversation? How are you making them successful? What keeps them from flaming the CEO?… Continue Reading
Avoid the road to nowhere Max Effgen, October 8, 2009 Avoid the project road to nowhere with these 3 common sense tips: – Align technology and business process. – Proactively drive user adoption. – Never “package slam”. Continue Reading