Author Archives: Jim Cundiff

Sales Performance Associates Launches First Ever Survey of Media Technology Sales Effectiveness

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Posted by Jim Cundiff on April 23, 2009 – 12:47 am
Filed under Archives, News

nab_2009_06b_southWe released the following story at the NAB show in Las Vegas earlier today …

NAB, LAS VEGAS, April 22, 2009 – Sales Performance Associates announced today the launch of a comprehensive survey to benchmark the current state of sales, sales management and tactical marketing capabilities in media technology companies.  In addition to sales and marketing executives, the survey will also poll top level corporate executives in companies delivering solutions or services used for content creation, acquisition, production, distribution, delivery, management, measurement and monetization.

“Other research has examined sales capabilities and cultures across many industries but none have focused on the special situations facing media technology companies,” said Jim Cundiff, Executive Vice President at Sales Performance Associates.  “For example, research in 2008 found that technology companies lose as many as one quarter of opportunities forecast for closure to competitors or to a customer’s failure to reach a decision.  However, there’s no data on the scope of this sales frustration for media technology companies.”

The 2009 Media Technology Sales Conditioning Benchmark Study will examine the full sales cycle – from lead generation to close to post sale account management.

Invitations have been sent to executives in more than 500 companies in the global media technology space.

Participating executives receive a pre-publication edition of the survey findings.  They will also have the option to have their individual results compared with the overall survey sample.  The full survey results will be compiled and formally published in early June 2009.

“There will be no cost to participate in the study or to receive results,” Cundiff noted.  “We want to develop and distribute objective data so executives can make better decisions on sales organization improvements.”

Media technology executives who would like to participate in the survey but missed an invitation can request one on the Sales Performance Associates website – www.sales-perform.com.

About Sales Performance Associates

Sales Performance Associates helps media technology companies achieve sustainable, repeatable and predictable revenue growth by improving sales and marketing processes, methods and execution. The firm’s unique Sales Conditioning approach helps clients identify more and better sales opportunities; improve the size, qualification and velocity of their pipeline; enhance sales forecast accuracy; win more competitive opportunities; grow business within existing accounts and upgrade overall sales and marketing execution and efficiency.

Sales Performance Associates is a privately-held company based in Roswell, Georgia.

Insight Research “Streaming Content to Generate $70 Billion By 2013″

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Posted by Jim Cundiff on April 3, 2008 – 1:08 pm
Filed under Archives

ORIGINAL ARTICLE – Information Week By K.C. Jones

Internet, IPTV networks, and mobile handsets are expected to contribute to the increase, according to an Insight Research report.

Streaming video and music will generate $70 billion in revenue overt the next six years, according to a research report released Monday.

The Insight Research reported that content streamed over the Internet, IPTV networks, and mobile handsets will increase revenue through content and networks.

Insight’s study, “Streaming Media, IPTV, and Broadband Transport: Telecommunications Carriers and Entertainment Services 2008-2013,” covers several issues affecting the streaming market.

On-demand audio and video, as well as the revenue they generate, are expected to boost the market, which will grow at a compound annual rate of almost 29% through 2013, according to Insight.

“The outlook for streaming media has never been brighter,” Robert Rosenberg, Insight Research president, said in a statement released with the study. “Questions surrounding consumers’ willingness to pay for content have been dispelled by satellite radio and iTunes. The forecasts that we present are conservative and in line with current performance.”

In fact, if per-stream costs decrease faster than expected, or consumers accept IPTV sooner than predicted, or 3G delivery takes off more quickly than forecast, “it could blow the doors off” Insight’s predictions and push the industry’s growth to “explosive” levels, Rosenberg said.

Insight examined several factors that face the market, including: licensing, broadband Internet access, mass-market demand, and enterprise use.

Insight said its forecasts include revenues for the U.S. market by network services and by content services. The predictions for network services include digital rights management (DRM), encoding, and performance measurement. Revenue figures for content services cover advertising, music on-demand, Internet radio and video on-demand. Hard copies of the entire 140-page report are available for $3,995.

Dan Rayburn says in Seeking Alpha that he is skeptical of some aspects of the report.

FROM SEEKING ALPHA – READ FULL STORY BY Dan Rayburn

Insight Research is forecasting that streaming content will generate almost $70 billion in the U.S. by 2013. I don’t know how they come up with that number as I have not seen the full report, but $70 billion?

They say the revenue prediction comes from audio and video files transmitted over the Internet, via an IPTV network or to mobile phones. They say that advertising revenue will fuel this growth and that “Questions surrounding consumers’ willingness to pay for content have been dispelled by the popularity of satellite radio and iTunes.”

I would disagree. Customers are willing to pay for music via iTunes, but so far, not videos on a mass-market scale. Over time, yes, more video specific content via iTunes will be purchased but you have to back up the $70 billion number with more than just iTunes as an example. And what does satellite radio have to do with streaming?

They also say that if pre-stream costs drop faster than expected, or IPTV or 3G takes off faster than expected “it could blow the doors off of our forecasts, propelling this industry into explosive growth.”

I am all up for reports that show growth and make predication based on accurate data, but $70 billion is just so far away from reality. If someone has a copy of the full report, I’d love to see how the $70 billion number is calculated.