Most technical entrepreneurs work hard on the proof of concept (technical), but skip any proof of the business model (revenue flow). In other words, once they are convinced that the product works, they assume customers will come, no matter what their price, sales channel, or marketing. These days, the technical side may be the easy part.

They soon find out that flexibility, visibility, and marketing are everything these days. You can have the best technology, but if the product misses the mark, customers don't know you exist, or they don't know how your technology solves a real problem for them, your startup will fail. Yet I see many entrepreneurs focus on the basics of customer interaction and marketing too little and too late.

This chapter outlines the alternatives for customer relationships and marketing in general, as well as the new rules required by social media and the overload of information bombarding potential...