SOFTLETTER:

Softletter Subscriber Login | Contact Us | Home...

SEMINARS
ON CD

Software Sales Rep Bootcamp CD

SOFTLETTER PUBLICATIONS

The 2008 SoftLetter Financial Handbook

The financial data you need to succeed, $249

The 2008 Softletter SaaS (Software as a Service) Report

The best source of SaaS information and statistics for technology providers, $249

The Softletter Software Industry Sales and Marketing Superbook

Hundreds of tips case studies, and statistics on the software sales process, $299

The Softletter Services Marketing and Metrics Handbook

Help maximize your service revenues, $99

The Softletter Open Source Development and Marketing Report

Important data on the Open Source movement, $79

The Softletter Financial Handbook, $249
Per Copy

Latest Version Just Released

Over 400+ Pages Packed With
Hard Data about the Software Business

New information includes:

The Softletter Financial Handbook

New executive compensation benchmarks, including CEO, CFO, CTO, and more
New benchmarks on operating benchmarks, including profit and revenue per employee
New information on how to run effective Google AdWords campaigns (important)!
New benchmarks on sales compensation and performance
New benchmarks on telesales compensation and performance
New benchmarks on mergers and acquisitions
New M&A reports and analysis

And that's just the tip of the information iceberg you'll find in The Softletter Financial Services Handbook.

Publication date: Updated Twice a Year

Reader Reactions

The numbers you need...in the time you need them.

If you're putting together a budget or a business plan, you know the value of good industry benchmarks. Salary trends. Cost ratios. Productivity metrics. Sales commissions. Cash management. All those little details that you know can make or break a software company's bottom line.

The good news is, we've got exactly the numbers you need—in The Softletter Financial Handbook.

The Financial Handbook is a 300-page treasure chest of statistical reports and benchmark studies on software finance and operations. Here in one easy-to-navigate book you'll find dozens of separate surveys and reports on all kinds of software companies, public and private, with data that companies usually share only with the most trusted industry analysts.

And you'll find more than just raw numbers. We've drawn on our network of company managers and experts for a wealth of analysis, tips and metrics that will also help you develop smarter management strategies. You could spend years collecting this kind of savvy advice (just as we've done). Or you can browse the pages of The Softletter Financial Handbook—and get instant access to an invaluable knowledge base.

THE SOFTLETTER FINANCIAL HANDBOOK

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Metrics & Benchmarks

Mergers, IPOs, and Venture Finance

Preface

Introduction

Metrics & Benchmarks

Google Usage Survey
Benchmarks: OEM Contracts
Field Sales Compensation
Benchmarks: Sales & Marketing Staffing
Benchmarks: Sales & Marketing
Benchmarks: Sales & Marketing Cost Ratios
Marketing Ratios
Key Metrics: The Sales Pipeline
On Measuring the Cost of Customer Acquisition
Cardfile: Sales Forecasting
Benchmarks: Upgrade Pricing
Benchmarks: Web Lead Generation
Benchmarks: Electronic Software Distribution
Trialware Conversion Rates
E-Mail and Telephone Support Costs
Profit Metrics for Professional Services
Tech Support Turnover
Customer Satisfaction Metrics
Benchmarks: Headcount by Department
Benchmarks: Services Contribution
Benchmarks: Services Margins
Microsoft's Profit-per-Employee Ratio
How Microsoft Measures Employees
Benchmarks: Revenue per Employee
Benchmarks: Operating Profit per Employee
Benchmarks: Operating Income
Benchmarks: General & Administrative
Benchmarks: Research & Development
Who Gets the Most Bang for Their R&D Buck?
A New Metric for R&D Quality

Mergers, IPOs, and Venture Finance

A Valuation Model for Subscription Revenues
Benchmarks: Mergers & Acquisitions
What’s Your Company’s Value Multiplier?
M&A Valuation Trends
A Due Diligence Check List
What Drives Valuation Multiples?
Why Deals Fall Through
The 504b Option
Inside a Small-Cap IPO
IPO Valuation Trends
The CEO’s Post-IPO Equity Stake
M&A Roundup: The Deal-Size Factor
M&A Roundup: Valuation Multiples
The True Value of an M&A Advisor
M&A: A Global Process
Accounting Problems
Due Diligence Tips for Sellers
When Is the Right Time to Sell?
When Should I Begin Planning?
Exist Strategies: Think M&A
Is My Company Too Small to Sell?
The Ten Worst Things You Can Do When Selling Your Company
Getting a Deal Done: Spousal Approval
What Will Kill the Current Boom in Software M&A
Deal Killers: What’s Wrecking Value Today
The Power of the Minority
Negotiation Tactics
Passive vs. Active Shareholders
How to Detect a Non-Negotiating Buyer
Types of Statements That Can Spoil a Deal
Escrow Provisions in M&A Transactions
Using Straw Men in M&A Negotiations
Tax Reduction Tactics When Selling Your Company
The Art of the Earnout
How to Structure an Installment Sale
How to Negotiate an Asset Sale
How to Sell a Small Services Company
How to Sell Your Company When Shareholders Dissent
What to Do When a Deal Falls Through
How to Hang Onto Employees Through a Sale
How to Deal With a Weak Balance Sheet
How to Keep a Secret
M&A Trends: The First Six Months of 2004
Exit Strategies: M&A vs. IPO
Working With International Buyers
What Do Financial Buyers Want?
What Do Strategic Buyers Look For?
On Negotiating a Technology License
How to Avoid “Haircuts”
The Role of Revenue Recognition
Checklist: The Letter of Intent
The Letter of Intent 137The M&A Year in Review
The Sarbanes-Oxley Effect
How to Field an Unsolicited Offer
The Devil Is In the Deal Structure
Escrows and Holdbacks
Why Restricted Stock Is Risky
How to Structure an Earnout
Behind the Scenes
Guy Art
Entrepreneurship: “Burn Your Business Plan”
Why Angels Fear to Tread
Benchmarks: Venture Capital Investments
Creative Financing Tips From the Experts
An Insider’s Guide to Venture Capital Term Sheets
CardFile: Venture Capital Directories

Compensation

How to Structure a Comp Plan
Climbing the Incentive Ladder
CardFile: Employee Incentives
Incentive Plans: "Punished by Rewards"
Severance Stats: What's the Going Rate?
The Devaluation of Options
Options Grants by Job Title
How to Structure a Sales Comp Plan
Recruiting: It Matters Where You Look
Benchmarks: CEO Compensation
Benchmarks: COO Compensation
The Top 50: Highest Paid Public Company CEOs
The Top 50: Highest Paid Public Company COOs
Benchmarks: CFO Compensation
Benchmarks: Controller Compensation
The Top 50: Highest Paid Public Company CFOs
Benchmarks: Chief Technology Officer Compensation
The Top 50: Highest PaidPublic Company CTOs
Benchmarks: Sales & Marketing Compensation
The Top 50: Highest Paid Public Company S&M Executives
Benchmarks: Executive-Level Sales Compensation
Benchmarks: Product Management Salaries
Benchmarks: Requirements Management Salaries
Developer Pay by Region
Programmer Salary Trends
Tech Support Salary Trends
Marketing Salaries
Benchmarks: Board of Directors Compensation

Operations

Google Promotions Survey
What’s Your Business Innovation IQ?
On Reinventing the Company
A Growth Strategy Roadmap
How to Survive Financial “Peaks and Valleys”
The Growth Imperative
The Science of “Meaningful Marketing”
“A Fundamental Change in Economics”
Six Rules for Sustained Success
Do You Have the Right Number of Employees?
Commentary: Squeeze Play
How to Become a Productivity Superstar
How to Plan for Profits
How to Get Paid Faster
Cash Management: Who Gets Paid First?
CardFile: Internet Merchant Accounts
Benchmarks: Days Sales Outstanding
Travel Cost Ratios 290
Cost-Saving Tips From the Experts
CardFile: Office Rentals
How to Break (or Bend) a Lease
The Soft•letter Occupancy Cost Survey
CardFile: Office Layout
Telecom Cost-Savings Tips
CardFile: Telecom Auditing
On Trimming the SKU Count
How Microsoft Tamed the SKU Explosion
The Art of Small-Scale Manufacturing
Shopping Cart Abandon Rates
Why Web Stores Lose Money
Why Upgrade Campaigns Bog Down
On Two-Dimensional Pricing
The Rebate Recoil
Pricing Strategies for Software Bundles
How to Price Support Contracts
The Psychology of Pricing
A Service Pricing Checklist
How to Structure a Usage-Based Pricing Option
On Keeping Discounts Under Control
Eight Ways to Raise Prices
Five Pricing Pitfalls
Channel Optimization
Keep Microsoft’s Pricing In Perspective
The Economics of Subscription Software
SaaS Pricing Models
New Rules on the Road to Revenue Recognition
How to Account for Services Revenue
SaaS: The Comeback Kid
The Hidden Cost of Capital
CardFile: Software Cost Estimation
CardFile: Liquidators
What’s Your Financial IQ?
CardFile: Software Finance & Accounting

Reader Reactions

UPCOMING EVENTS

Click to find out more about Softletter's Marketing and Selling Software as a Service, 2008 Seminar

Atlanta, GA (Sold Out!)

June 18/19, Boston, MA, October 23/24,
San Mateo, CA

Learn how to tame the SaaS tsunami and ride the waves of change to increased revenue and profits

SPONSORS

SOFTLETTER SPONSORS

Home | Subscribers | Archive Search | Events | Softletter Survey| About SoftLetter

©2007 Softletter, 34 Sugar Hill Road, Killingworth, CT, 06419.
(Voice) 860.663.0552, (Fax) 860.633.0553; E-mail: info@softletter.com