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Give each coupon a unique identifier (a serial number in effect) and then track when a coupon is used recording the used identifier to prevent it being used multiple times. Another option is to plan the promo in such a way that you have to do nothing and actually use people photocopying them as free marketing - it might not work in your scenario but it is ...

Robin, You're definitely on the right track. You know what you want and now just need to go find him/her. I don't have experience in software sales, but I do have extensive experience building a business development team(s). My advise to you make a list of clearly defined traits you would like for your new business development candidate to possess. This ...

Since this person will be in a customer service position you'll want to test their ability to listen. During an interview it is common for the prospective employee to be nervous and compensate by talking too much. That's OK to a degree but be wary of a babbler who won't shut their trap. If you mention, for example, that using Excel spreadsheets is ...

Paul Perhaps an alternate way of looking at this is to not look at hierarchy but talent, potential and drive. If I were in your position, I would advertise for both roles but pick the candidates that stood out (drive, talent, fit, attitude) irrespective of the role you expected them to play. In small start ups that I have worked with, the team I built ...

The get-rich-quick apps are a thing of the past. There's far too much competition in the marketplace and quality standards are significantly higher than they were a few years ago. It's still possible for a new company to release an app that achieves immediate success, but the odds are pretty slim. There are lots of good books on the app marketplace and ...

I am always rooting for the technical founder. If money is all your co-founder has to offer, and it's only 10k per year, I suggest you give him a very small cut, between 10% and 15%. If he has marketing skills, they won't even come into play until your product is online to show off to friends & family, which could take a year or longer... your friend is ...

It isn't necessary for both to have technical skills. It is much better if one does the initial tech work and one does the other stuff like marketing, sales, etc, i.e. all the business stuff. Any cash investment into the business should be to help the business grow. It is not for either party to withdraw as payment. You can have any arrangement you want, ...

How you compensate sales people differs greatly by region. Chicago, Boston, San Fran, Austin, NYC will likely have very different comp structure and expectations than Portland, OR. Also, different SaaS products have very different sales cycles and different sales process, so you really need to educate yourself before you get taken advantage of. This is by ...

I'm a software developer and I spent MONTHS looking for a good business co-founder. Biggest problem: they all have their own ideas that they want to pursue. They will never be as passionate about your idea. Well maybe you can sell your idea to them, but then you don't really need them. Go and sell the product yourself :) In my case I just started to sell ...

If you're looking for a person, I would go for a sales professional, someone that is able to find customers and close sales. But there are other options, check out Seth Godin Understanding Business Development.

Robin, The answers above are great. Good (active) listening skills are so critical for any customer-facing position. I would also add a little perspective: In my experience working with Sales, there is a difference in skill set between salespeople (hunters) and account managers (farmers), even though the titles might be the same. You may not find all ...