A.T.A.A.R: "Always Think About Alternative Revenue!"

 Okay, we have to admit that A.T.A.A.R. doesn't quite flow off the tongue quite like A.B.C. (Always Be Closing) in Glengarry Glen Ross!   But "coffee is for leaders who embrace Alternative Revenue Streams!"

If you are a founder, company leader or early-stage CRO, the allure of the direct sales approach is very strong.  We know there is an eagerness to jump into the market and sell products directly. It's what you are taught. But it is not the only way to go to market.  So much time is spent in planning the direct approach to clients that often times low hanging fruit, or even easier ways to go-to-market are not considered. Quite frankly this is leaving money on the table and inhibiting early development.   Yes, it takes effort and know-how but if you want to give your company a fighting chance for success you need to be looking at all angles to grow your business, so we are huge advocates of the ATAAR approach to market development.  It is important from Day One to have an "Ecosystem First" mentality.  You need to think about ecosystems and alternative revenue streams even in the earliest days.

We watch companies with amazing ideas have difficulty getting traction.   The direct SaaS model is often positioned as a "disruptive" model for existing industries, so tech leaders think that the amazing new widget that they produced will wow target buyers into action.   These same leaders get frustrated when customers are not forming lines at the door to buy the product.  A tech founder recently told me "It just doesn't make sense.  We have the best product on the market, but these customers don't seem to understand and continue to buy crap."   His direct sales team had trouble getting in the door with the clients.    He was right.  He did have the best product on the market, but what he was not taking into consideration was how the end customer actually buys the product his company was selling.    The entrenched competitors with the crappy products understood the ecosystem in which they sold, and thus were not in position to be disrupted.   For an upstart to be successful, it is important to first adapt to existing entrenched purchasing methods to gain traction before you can be in position to create new buying habits.  And it takes participating in the client's ecosystem.   

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To be successful you need to ask yourself:

• "What ecosystems are we actually part of when we serve "X" client?"
• "Who does "X" client currently buy from and why?
• "How do I become a valuable part of this customer's ecosystem?"
• "What ecosystems should we be part of, and how?"
• "What ecosystems should we build, and how?"
• "What Alternative Revenue Streams could or should we develop based on this information?"

It is important to answer these questions up front and not as an afterthought years later.  Every company needs to get these fundamental ideas on the table as early as possible so the organization grows up with an “Ecosystem First” mentality.  Do this and we promise that you'll save yourself a lot of time and heartache.