A startup’s network is its lifeblood, and growing that network is key to its success. In its early days every component of that network matters – every potential investor, partner, and perhaps most of all, customer, fuels the dream of success. A company as big as Microsoft might not so much as bat an eyelash at a customer worth $100, but to an early-stage startup that same customer could represent significant revenue growth, crucial product validation, and so much more.

Paul Greenberg mentions that CRM is getting more credibility now and the credibility has come over a period of time. Companies like Cisco (non-traditional vendors – the not necessarily CRM vendors or not-really-social media vendors) are jumping into the pool as they find that they need to tap into the unstructured conversations happening and mine that for information thereby helping them provide better services/products. This is good news for all around.