Jon Harmer

“Organizations buying your software are asking for a VPAT (Voluntary Product Accessibility Template) and you can tie business metrics to that.” Andrew Chung Chief Product Officer at Level Access explains that two strong ways of advocating for product resources for accessibility are to bring product customers who are asking for VPATs, and quantifying the business risk of not being accessible. He goes on to share a great reminder that “don’t wait, just start” is a compelling way to create evidence of the benefits of allocating a small amount of resources, which can then be used to build a business case for unlocking more resources to build accessible products. Use free tools to help you get started and if you can show early success you can build a much stronger case for incorporating accessibility early in the product process. We all purchase software, next time ask for a VPAT during the process.  Every request adds up, and it will make a meaningful difference in how Product teams prioritize limited resources. Full interview is in the comments. This is now conversation #5 in our series for National Disability Employment Awareness Month, and we have a few more that we’re editing and will share soon. My mission with these conversations is to help build awareness of the importance and business opportunity for building accessible, and give advocates the tactics and strategies they need to make forward progress in their organizations. Stay tuned for more and in the meantime let me know what more you’d like to hear from our guests.  Upcoming conversations include conversations with startup founders, senior accessibility leaders who have worked at major tech and consumer companies, venture capitalists who invest in the ability space, and more. Drop your questions in a comment, and I'll get as many asked as I can. #NDEAM #GoodJobsForAll #inclusionworks #DisabilityRights #InclusiveWorkplace #InclusionMatters

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I’m less enamored with Lean Startups than I was 16 years ago. I think it was a good philosophy when people were first starting to take advantage of the plunging costs of building software due to open source and the cloud. The idea of product-market fit is the most recognized concept to come out of the Lean Startup movement. Everyone wants to achieve product-market fit even if most people cannot define it.  I guess you know it when you see it... Every startup is in a rush to say they have product-market fit because that is what is demanded of them. Saying you haven’t achieved PMF is like broadcasting you’re incompetent. But the opposite of product-market fit is not failure or incompetence. You could be researching, learning and iterating (or pivoting). For early stage investors especially, those activities sound like they would build a lot of future value. As Steve Blank (quoting Tolkein) says, “not all those who wander are lost.” To build better companies, especially outside of software (eg deeptech) we need to value the wandering. It has to be wandering for a purpose. The timing of when a startup finishes wandering might not neatly line up with how we name funding rounds. True innovation usually resists standardized frameworks. Read my full post, Sceptic Mode Part II: https://lnkd.in/g2HqneVV

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Great conversation with Joey Brodsky! Definitely one of the sharpest guys I know. I love his passion, drive and unique perspectives. I have followed his podcast for a long time and was super happy to be able to be a guest. I will share more insights from our time together but wanted to post a quick thank you to Joey and share the episode. #NextGenSales

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Great dinner and discussion on the cutting edge of outbound automation and signals. Two nuggets from the discussion: 1) Email deliverability is especially critical for GTM motions with large scale outbound automation (usually selling to SMBs and wide TAM). There doesn’t seem to be a silver bullet, and banking on one deliverability vendor / approach is risky. 2) Bulllish on signals and automation for up-market GTM motions, but needs to be done thoughtfully. Likely keeping reps in the driver’s seat and less end-to-end automation.

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#Imagine inviting friends over for dinner and giving them a ridged diagram of the allowable conversation paths for the evening – that would be insane! So, why do companies do it to their fans / customers? Today, the ASAPP team released #GenerativeAgent to solve that nonsense! Their team of #AI #Scientists is well known for publishing peer reviewed AI #Research papers like Gold Records, so the below statement doesn't seem hyperbole. "GenerativeAgent isn't just groundbreaking—it's revolutionary, redefining what we thought was possible in what is likely the largest automation opportunity in the world today," said Gustavo Sapoznik, ASAPP's #Founder and #CEO. Thanking Amazon Web Services (AWS), EY, PTP, Infosys, Cisco, Genesys, and Avaya and many of the world's most #iconicbrands for helping to drive the #transformation. I love #investing in #extraordinary #founders!

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Anyone interested in generative AI, especially GAI for GTM, should study the work of Erik Brynjolfsson. Erik is an author and Stanford University professor who examines the effects of technology on business strategy and human productivity and performance. Here's just one of the many ideas I've gained from his work, and it relates to the hot topic of the AI SDR. It starts with the belief that AI can serve human performance and not replace humans - race with the machine, not against the machine as the quote says. In the bigger picture, he's an optimist who believes AI can reverse the trend of technology widening income inequality. But that's going a bit beyond my pay grade, so let's go back to the question of the AI SDR... He points out that replacing jobs is the wrong way to look at this because most jobs are a collection of tasks. Rote tasks can be automated with AI, but most jobs include a long tail of tasks and qualities that require human creativity and judgment. The delineation of jobs and tasks means you need to define the tasks an SDR owns. In the case of the SDR, research and writing the first draft are tasks that AI can do extremely well. But objection handling, authenticity, and human connection require a...human! The takeaway is that you need to define the tasks your SDRs own. If you think your SDRs can be fully replaced by AI, you are probably setting expectations too low. This happens to align with how we are building rule5 - as a complement to human performance that performs key tasks, not a replacement for human jobs. Btw, the quote here is from a 2013 TED talk that you can find on Youtube. I'll post it in the comments. Needless to say, this question isn't new it just feels more urgent now with AI. #generativeai #ai #humanintheloop

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Inefficient meetings, unnecessary meetings, meetings for the sake of meetings... It's so prevalent that books, workshops, articles and trainings are constantly being offered on how to effectively manage meetings. An entire industry is built around it. One common principle, though, to helping make meetings more efficient is that of leveraging data in order to focus the attention and effort on the issues/initiatives that matter. StrtifyPro is a differentiator when it comes to collecting, managing and providing the data that enables real-time insights. These insights empower collaboration and guide us toward the best solutions. All of which results in more efficient use of our time and efforts. No more guessing games - collaborate effectively with data as your compass! Learn more about StratifyPro and watch your meetings transform! Get a demo today https://lnkd.in/gt2CjFTV #collaboration #meetingsthatmatter #StratifyPro #Strategy #Vision-to-Outcomes

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