The 10 traits of remarkable software businesses
Put your software business on momentum you've always dreamt about
The 3-lever framework to unleash the remarkable effect
inside your company
Remarkable software businesses have a special ability to create and keep their momentum. What’s their secret?
First of all, they realize they can’t please everyone. They offer something valuable and desirable. They strive to be different; not just better. They create new value possibilities and with that positive energy. They create fans, not just customers.
These are just five of the ten traits that define a remarkable software business. Traits that allow them to get noticed in a dense market, constantly increase customer life-time value, win more, and win bigger. They receive value because they provide value.
Being remarkable is something I believe every software company can achieve with the right guidance. That’s what my service is all about: A structured approach that will put your software business on the momentum you’re proud of, by unleashing the remarkable effect inside it.
Here’s how:
1 - The Value Lever - Get noticed in a dense market
This is literally your foundation – Crystalizing the big idea behind your company or solution, revealing its true value, and providing a framework to tell your best story.
This lever is about closing the gap (test yourself here) around the first three out of ten traits that define a remarkable software business:
1) You can’t please everyone (Who are you for, who are you not for?)
2) Offer something valuable and desirable.
3) Be different; not just better.
It’s the foundation to align the trinity of product, marketing and sales to create ultimate leverage for growth and momentum and make tough decisions simple.
Irrespective of which path you take to get results – whether you simply use my book as your guide, join the workstream program, or work with me directly, the structured approach will force you to look at your business or solution from all the critical angles. You’ll see your business with fresh eyes and remove your blind spots. It will challenge the status quo, turn every stone and, and help you find the nuggets to your success.
2 - The Viability Lever - Grow customer lifetime value
The second lever will align what you develop with what you promise. Having your value foundation in place will enable you to see the future of your solution/platform in a completely different way.
This lever is about closing the gap (test yourself here) around the next set of four traits that define a remarkable software business:
4) Master the art of curiosity.
5) Create new value possibilities.
6) Create fans, not just customers.
7) Focus on the essence.
You’ll be able to work hands-on with your product team(s) to maximize the impact of your roadmap. You’ll highlight new R&D investment opportunities that are not ‘just’ interesting, but most of all valuable (to your ideal customers). You’ll be able to drive swift execution by freeing up precious capacity currently earmarked to ‘stuff’. A ‘lack of resources’ is never the issue. It’s resourcefulness. Now that you have defined your big idea with clarity everything will fall in place. This clarity will enable you to make the decisions required to protect your edge and further grow momentum – both with new business as well as by growing the lifetime value of your ideal customers.
3 - The Volume lever - Win more, and win bigger
Last but not least – it’s about magnifying your impact through sales. The framework is set. We’ve defined your edge. You have a compelling value proposition. And your product roadmap is tuned to leverage your edge. Now it’s the art to help sales harvest your value.
This lever is about closing the gap (test yourself here) around the last set of three traits that define a remarkable software business:
8) Create momentum.
9) Sell the idea, not the product.
10) Surprise and hit the right nerve.
This will help you transform your sales force to turn 20% win-rates into 80% win-rates and to eliminate the ‘need’ of discounting altogether. Your entire sales team will understand how to approach, structure and deliver sales conversations that stick and communicate the unique values of your company, product or platform in a way that will win the heart of each decision-maker.
Three different paths to create momentum
Do it yourself
Get a copy of my book 'The Remarkable Effect' and embrace yourself with the framework and many inspirations from tech-entrepreneurs like you.
Make progress with people like you
Join The Remarkable Effect Tribe / Workshop - An interactive workstream for tech-entrepreneurs who think and act like you, on a mission to do something big and meaningful too.
Work with me directly
Outsourcing most of the work to me and/or let me guide to drive the transformation with you and your team
See where your business stands on its journey to become a remarkable software company
Do the test
This quote from Rosabeth Kanter sums up what you do: “Leaders must wake people out of inertia. They must get people excited about something they’ve never seen before, something that does not yet exist.”
– David Griffiths, CEO Fiscal Technologies
Ton is one of the brightest professionals I’ve worked with in my career. His commitment to innovation and his talent for turning user experiences into true added value in the roadmap is remarkable.
– Juan A. Fernández, CEO Unit4 Iberica
Ton has helped us create a value proposition for our Exonum Blockchain Development platform that stands out in a dense, highly competitive market. He transformed our message from feature- into value-oriented, enabling us to tell stories that resonate, clearly communicate our differentiators, and extend the purpose of our company in a meaningful way.
– George Givishvili, CMO Bitfury Group
Working with Ton Dobbe has been an inspiration for all my team. His knowledge of product marketing combined with the fast understanding of our target market allowed us to reshape the product marketing vision and create the most inspired value proposition for the Company.
– Joaquim Jesus Santos, CEO ebankIT (Porto, Portugal)