Wednesday, May 04, 2016

Cheap PV Solar

Harvard Scientist, Longtime Solar Skeptic, Now Sees the Light - Bloomberg


"Even without government subsidies, power from large solar farms in some regions is now significantly below $40 a megawatt-hour and is on pace to drop below $20 by 2020...
That would be the cheapest power on the planet."
Cheap Solar Power — The Keith Group


The Art of Pricing

The first rule of pricing is: you do not talk about pricing — Fluxx Studio Notes — Medium







The Behavioral Psychology of Netflix's Plan to Charge Higher Prices - The Atlantic

Why You Should Never Ask Customers What They'll Pay
"An optimal price is one that is accepted but not without some initial resistance.
It is your job to both set that price and convince the customer"
  • Principle 1: Pricing is Part of the Product
  • Principle 2: Pricing Determines Your Customers
  • Principle 3: Pricing is Relative
How to Get Customers to Want to Pay Even Before Building Your Product
"The first objective with your MVP (minimum viable product) is to learn. I’d much rather have 10 “all-in” early adopters I can give my full attention than 100 “on-the-fence” users any day."
...
"AIDA is an marketing acronym for Attention, Interest, Desire, and Action. I find it a useful framework for structuring these type of solution interviews.
  • Attention: Get the customer’s attention with your unique value proposition 
  • Interest: Use the demo to show how you will deliver your UVP and generate interest.
  • Desire: secure strong customer commitments by triggering on desire. 
  • Action: Get a verbal, written, or pre-payment commitment that is appropriate."
Huber Payne Puto 1982 JoCR.pdf

Mastering the Art of Pricing: What the Textbooks Don't Teach You
"Pricing, ultimately, relies on so much more than data analysis: It’s rooted in human psychology and a touch of game theory. The lesson, then, is to show substantive value to the customer, or offer a point of comparison to anchor pricing options. Also: Showcase the high quality of your product and experiment with the perception of the product’s “fair” and reasonable value.
The highest art is to set a price that rewards you and your customer for building a lifetime relationship. That’s when you know that “the price is right.”

SharePoint 2016, Microsoft Flow

Microsoft overhauls SharePoint to compete with Slack in the mobile era | The Verge
"Microsoft faces increasing competition from rivals like Dropbox, Slack, and Box, but the company is responding with improvements to its own SharePoint software today. SharePoint has been used by businesses for 15 years to organize documents, build intranet sites, and manage content. While it's used by 190 million users, it hasn't fully adapted to the mobile era. Microsoft is overhauling SharePoint today, and introducing iOS, Android, and Windows 10 Mobile apps.
...
Microsoft plans to synchronize SharePoint Online document libraries with the new OneDrive sync client by the end of the year, and integrate SharePoint sites with Office 365 Groups. Microsoft's new Flow service"