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The Resource Center has all the info you'll need From content to user feedback, the resource center has the information you need for every level of the entrepreneurial process.
Rather than viewing compensation plans as a motivational tool, this entrepreneur believes they should be considered a means for managing risk and protecting the company's cash assets. He explains his firm's model, which is based on transferring more risk to sales associates, sharing resources across clients, and tying a portion of base salary to reaching certain revenue-related milestones.
Pharma reps at GSK are selling their products in a new way. The emphasis is more on communicating a drug's benefits and risks than trying to sell as much as possible. Read more about this change in approach to sales.
Pharmaceutical companies are trying to adapt their marketing to an increasingly digital world. To get a handle on this environment, one company has appointed a digital advisory board of marketers from other industries.
PPD's new CEO Ray Hill brings global knowledge and experience that will help the CRO succeed in today's healthcare business landscape. Read more on CROs and global entrepreneurship.
Making customers happy is the key to an entrepreneur's single most important job--identifying, finding, and keeping customers, says the founder of one of the country's premier direct-mail businesses. Company owners must devise a system for maintaining rapport with buyers even as the business grows, the author advises. Included are suggestions for doing so, such as selecting the right products for the right customers and offering money-back guarantees.
Vic Verma joined Savi Technology in 1990. He previously held the positions of vice president of engineering and chief operating officer at Savi, before becoming president and chief executive officer in 1997. As VP of Engineering, Vic helped design and develop Savi's product offerings, and as COO, he helped negotiate the acquisition of Savi by Texas Instruments in 1995. In 1997, the unit was sold to Raytheon. Vic led the management buyout of Savi from Raytheon in May 1999. He earned a B.S. degree from the Florida Institute of Technology, an M.S.E. degree from the University of Michigan, and an Advanced Engineers degree from Stanford University, all in electrical engineering. He also completed all the coursework and passed the qualifying exam for his Ph.D. candidacy in electrical engineering from Stanford University before leaving to join Savi. In addition, he attended the executive management program for CEOs at Harvard Business School, the AEA Executive Institute at Stanford University, and the Financial Management Program at the University of California-Berkeley. Vic has been granted eight patents and has several other patents pending. In 1994, his DF/Tag product was recognized as the "Most Innovative Technology Developed by a Small Business" by the White House Office of Science and Technology. In 1999, he was the recipient of Florida Institute of Technology's Distinguished Achievement Award.
Market research results can help an entrepreneur change company behavior. To that end, this author recommends a ten-step plan for tapping the power of focus groups to conduct research that is immediately actionable.
Turner is a producer at Electronic Arts specializing in action-hero titles. She is working on her second James Bond game and recently completed production on the Gameboy Advance version for release this November. Turner joined EA from another area of entertainment and technology: digital music. In 1999 she co-founded and led Gigabeat, a Kleiner Perkins company. Gigabeat provided music personalization and delivery technology and was acquired by Napster in 2001. Prior to Gigabeat, she worked on a series of projects in film and online music in Los Angeles. Turner holds a M.S. and B.A. from Stanford University.
In today's e-marketplace, allocating a larger portion of the budget to online marketing pays off for Petals, a silk floral company. The author writes about his company's commitment to using the Internet to positively impact sales.
Stephanie Tilenius is vice president and general manager for merchant services at PayPal, an eBay company. PayPal enables any individual or business with an email address to securely, easily and quickly send and receive payments online. An eBay employee since early 2001, she is responsible for the strategy, growth, and financial performance of PayPal's merchant services group, the business unit providing payment solutions to small and large e-commerce merchants. Before eBay, Tilenius was senior vice president of sales and marketing for PlanetRx.com, a company she co-founded and took public on the NASDAQ in 1999. Previously, she was vice president of business and product development for Firefly, a software start-up that was sold to Microsoft Corp. in 1997. Early in her career, Tilenius spent several years as an investment banker at Deutche Bank Alex Brown, primarily focusing on software and telecom. In this capacity, she worked on the Initial Public Offering for America Online in 1992, and she subsequently decided to join its corporate development group where she managed mergers, venture investments and strategic partnerships. Tilenius graduated with high honors from Brandeis University where she earned both her bachelor's degree in economics and her master's degree in international finance. She also received her master's in business administration from Harvard Business School. Tilenius also spent time as a presidential management intern through a two-year fellowship with the U.S. government where she worked for Treasury Secretary Brady and Carla Hills on Japan-U.S. trade negotiations.
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