Legal-Bay, an active member of the lawsuit funding industry, will be looking at further cash investment in their DePuy ASR Hip Replacement cases through their most recently acquired credit facility worth $2.5 MM.

The company’s Managing Director, Mr. Chris Janish, discusses more about this good news in this recent e-interview with Lead411:

Who are your competitors and how are you different from them?

Oasis Legal Funding and Peachtree Funding are our competitors. We are different from them because we offer the best customer service, the quickest turnaround, better value for your case, and in most cases better rates/fees.

What percentage of your marketing budget are spent on the following?

A.            Advertising – 40%

B.            Social Media Marketing – 10%

C.            SEO – 20%

D.            PR – 20%

E.            Direct Marketing

F.            Other

What marketing tactic has given you the highest ROI?  What percentage ROI do you get back on this?

Our best returns are on P.R. and SEO where our ROI’s are typically 400%, though on lower volume.

What do you plan to spend your new funding on?  Product development?  Marketing?

We plan to use our capital to primarily invest in Lawsuits involving the DePuy Hip Recall. Our company has ample cash flow to handle our marketing budgets.

If this is your first round of financing and you’re the CEO, how many hours did you put into working on getting your financing?  Was that taking up the most of your day?

Typically as a CEO, I try to focus 80% on keeping the business sound and less than 20% -usually after hours- on raising capital to grow the business. You can allocate too much time on “raising money” and the next thing you know you have destroyed the fundamentals of your business. And then no one wants to “fund” you. However, clearly there are two parts to a growing business: the operations and capital raising. Both are important, but you can’t lose sight on staying cash flow positive at all times.

If you are the CEO, what are your biggest challenges?

In this environment, as CEO, you need to focus on cash flow. Remaining profitable every single month is what is the paramount challenge. If you can do that, good things will come from. Growing a business is never a problem if your operational cash flow is there.

How many employees do you have?

We currently have 5 employees and numerous independent consultants.

When were you founded?

We were founded in NJ and have a west coast presence in AZ, as well.

How much did you revenue increase(if any) this year over last year?

Our revenue has increased by 25% the last year, and we are on track to continue to grow revenue at a minimum of 25% for the next 3 years.

Want to learn more about their recent funding? You can read through their press release here.

Verizon Wireless recently announced the appointment of Tyrone Rice as the company’s new director – Business Sales for the Houston/Gulf Coast Region. Prior to this, he served as associate director – Business Sales for the Georgia/Alabama Region. Rice brings to the team over 27 year of work history in the field of sales. There’s more about his appointment on this news link.

Vormetric, Inc. has recently designated Tina Stewart as the new vice president marketing. She will contribute to the team her comprehensive experience in the field of Enterprise and Digital marketing. Stewart was previously with Lyris, Inc as their senior vice president of marketing. There’s more about his appointment on this news link.

Rahul Bakshi was recently named as the new Sr. Vice President of Sales for Mezeo Software®. He brings to the team his comprehensive 15 years of experience in the field of solution design, product management, and sales.  Bakshi was previously with for VeriCenter as their director of sales and marketing. There’s more about his appointment on this news link.

Visionary Solutions Inc. recently named Mike Piper as the company’s new vice president of sales and marketing. He co-founded Telestream and was previously its director of product marketing. Piper was also previously employed at RGB Spectrum. There’s more about his appointment on this news link.

Manx Telecom recently welcomed Fergal McKenna as the company’s new Sales Director. He hails from the Republic of Ireland, where he graduated from Trinity College Dublin with a BSc in Management. There’s more about his appointment on this news link.

Amber Simpson was recently appointed as the new Senior Manager of Marketing & Communications for SearchDex LLC. She brings to the team over 10 years of experience in the field of information technology and marketing. Simpson has previously worked with Engenium and Kroll Ontrack. There’s more about her appointment on this news link.

ConvergEx Group has recently designated Laura Ryan as their new sales manager. She brings to the team her seven years of experience in the field of Asian sales. Ryan previously worked with Tora Trading as their director of Sales for Southeast Asia, India and Australia. There’s more about her appointment on this news link.

Bridget Crawley was recently named as the new Director of Marketing & Communications for The Maryland & District of Columbia Credit Union Association (MDDCCUA). She brings to the team more than a decade of experience in the field of public relations and marketing. There’s more about her appointment on this news link.

Mike Eyre was recently appointed as the Global Sales Manager for Fugro-Jason. He is an experienced sales and marketing professional, with his work history spanning over two decades. Eyre founded and was CEO of Apollo Sales & Marketing Group. There’s more about his appointment on this news link.

Four Season Hotel Damascus recently designated Aboud Haboury as the company’s new director of marketing. He earned his Diploma in Hospitality from the Damascus Institute of Hospitality in Syria back in 1991. Haboury became part of the Four Season family back in 2006. There’s more about his appointment on this news link.

Knoa® Software recently took on Michael Zuckerman as the company’s new management team member. He will be taking on the role of chief marketing officer and vice president. Zuckerman was with Queplix Corporation as CMO before he joined Knoa. There’s more about his appointment on this news link.

Tekserve was recently joined by Charlie McCormick as the company’s Sales Director for its Pro/AV solutions practice. He will contribute to the team his two decades of experience in the media entertainment and broadcast fields. McCormick was formerly with Virtual Media Corporation as Director of Sales. There’s more about his appointment on this news link.

Michael Tighe was recently named as the new vice president of Marketing for AboveNet, Inc. He was previously with Verizon, where he he had senior level positions. Tighe was also part of the MEF (Metro Ethernet Forum) board in the years 2006 to 2008. There’s more about his appointment on this news link.

Heineken USA has recently announced the appointment of Brian Fried as the company’s new Regional Vice President Sales, Western Region. He was most recently their Director of Business Development. Fried joined the company in the year 2004. There’s more about his appointment on this news link.

AGC Aerospace & Defense has recently designated Johnny Lantz as the company’s new Director of Marketing & Communications. He has worked on trade show exhibits, publishing work, and website traffic among others. Lantz has a Bachelor of Science degree. There’s more about his appointment on this news link.

Business & Decision has recently promoted Andrew Fletcher as the company’s new Vice President of North American Sales. He previously served as their Director of North American Sales, for BI, CRM and E-Business. Fletcher was also formerly with Velocity Solutions Group as their CEO. There’s more about his appointment on this news link.

February starts off with a lot of appreciation for New York’s most innovative technology businesses as Lead411 awards the “Hottest Companies in New York City”.

Tom Blue, Lead411’s CEO, shares this about the most recent awards, “This is our 3rd Annual New York City award. We are pleased with the recognition the Award has received over the past few years, and we are very proud of the respected list of companies for the 2012 winners.”

The New York set of companies for this particular awards is a product of the Lead411 team’s industriously going through more than 600 business articles, customer press releases, company launches, etc.

There was originally 2200 on the list, and the final awardees were condensed to the top 73 companies.

In order to qualify, the company must be a privately-held organization that is part of the Software, Wireless, Internet, Hardware, or Media industries. It must also have either 100% increase in revenues or more than $5M in funding for the past couple of years.

ContextWeb Inc., Legolas Media, and Tumblr Inc. are just a few of the Hottest Companies in New York. Interested to know what other companies succeeded in making it to the list? You can view it here.

Aria Systems has recently designated Sandra Vaughan as their new Chief Marketing Officer. She was previously with YouSendIt and also served as their Chief Marketing Officer. Vaughan has also previously worked with companies like Serious Materials, Sybase, and Oracle Corporation. There’s more about her appointment on this news link.

MiaSole has recently appointed Richard Hossfeld as the company’s new Vice President of Global Business Development and Sales. He has previously worked with companies like First Solar and Fluidic Energy where he served as vice president of business development.There’s more about his appointment on this news link.

Scientia Advisors was recently joined by Meghan Needham as the company’s new director of Marketing.  She was previously with Hamilton Brook Smith Reynolds as their Director of Marketing and Business Development. Needham also previously worked with Foley Hoag. There’s more about her appointment on this news link.

Alex Armstrong has recently named FCm Travel Solutions as the company’s new global director of sales. He will share with the sales team his comprehensive experience in both travel, sales, and tourism. Armstrong became part of the company back in the year 2000. There’s more about his appointment on this news link.

Cathay Pacific Airways recently took on Sebastien Granier as the company’s new Sales Director, Eastern US. He had previously worked with companies such as Air France and Amadeus. Granier will contribute to the Cathay Pacific team his 22 years of experience in the commercial aviation industry. There’s more about his appointment on this news link.

Michael Podany was recently designated by the officials of Samsung Medison America as their new Vice President of Sales, West USA. He has previously worked with GE Healthcare for 8 years. Podany will contribute to the Samsung team his comprehensive 18-year experience. There’s more about his appointment on this news link.

Core Services Corporation has recently appointed Joseph Ung as their new Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing. He is the founder of Thought Digital, LLC, which was later sold to Zensar Technologies Limited. Ung brings to the team his wealth of experience spanning 22 years. There’s more about his appointment on this news link.

Atrium Corporation has recently welcomed Mike Cornwell as the company’s new Executive Vice President of Sales & Marketing. Cornwell brings to the team 27 years of experience in the window industry.  He started out with The Ellison Company back in 1976. There’s more about his appointment on this news link.

Data-Dynamix, Inc. has recently designated Tricia Etienne as the company’s new Vice President of Sales and Business Development. She was most recently with Los Angeles Newspaper Group as their Vice President of Advertising Verticals. Etienne brings to the team her 15 years of experience in the multimedia industry. There’s more about her appointment on this news link.

The Wood Energy Group, Inc. has recently added Natalie Ann Macey to their management team as their Vice President Sales and Marketing. She was previously with Superior Railroad as their Vice President of Sales and Shipping. Macey will contribute to the team more than a decade of experience in doing sales and marketing work. There’s more about his appointment on this news link.

Knight Capital Group, Inc.’s Margaret E. Wyrwas has recently resigned as the company’s new Senior Managing Director of Communications, Marketing and Investor Relations. Her resignation is effective February 17, 2012. She will be transferring to AQR Capital Management and taking on the post of Chief Marketing Officer. There’s more about her resignation on this news link.

Gilt Groupe, Inc. recently appointed Elizabeth Francis as the company’s new Chief Marketing Officer (CMO). She will contribute to the team her 12 years of work history in the field of advertising and marketing. Prior to joining Gilt Groupe, Francis was with Intelligent Beauty also as CMO. There’s more about her appointment on this news link.

When putting together a business proposal for a prospective client, it’s important to do your homework. Slapping together a proposal that’s identical to one you gave another client won’t address this particular client’s specific needs, so it’s important to customize it to fit. Here are more tips to ensure your proposal gets the attention it deserves.

1. Make it all about your customer. While it may be tempting to cut and paste from previous proposals, the truth is: each of your potential clients has a particular set of needs and problems that you seek to solve. Focus on these issues as the centerpoint of your proposal, and illustrate how you can help solve those problems with your products or services.

2. Simplify, simplify, simplify. You don’t need high-fallutin’ language to get your point across. In fact, your customer will probably prefer simplicity, so don’t overshoot. Keep your sentences short and your language targeted toward an 8th-grade audience.

3. Keep a template…but modify. The truth is: there are parts of your proposal you’ll use over and over. Like your About Us section. And if you provide the same services for multiple clients, some of your proposed services will stay the same. Keep a template handy and cut and paste where it’s appropriate. But always read through it and change the parts that need more customization, such as the section addressing this client’s particular needs.

4. Make it easy on yourself; get help. There are tons of great business proposal building software out there, like Quote Roller. Take advantage of their ease of use to make your proposal building process more streamlined. You can start with templates that others have had success with, and build upon them. You can save your templates to customize in the future as well.

5. Review before it leaves your desktop. There can be nothing more embarrassing than putting out a $100,000 proposal with spelling errors. You want to look professional to your potential client, so take the time to read through your proposal, looking for misspelled words and syntax errors. Ask a colleague to review the proposal as well to point out any areas that need clarification. Take a day to step away from the document and come back to look at it with fresh eyes.

Spending time customizing each and every business proposal that goes to prospective clients will be well worth it when you win their business!

Photo credit: Stock.xchng user surely.

After its recent merger with Koto.com, and a successful launch of Alice.es last October 2011, Alice.com is enjoying a successful start of the year upon receiving its most recent funding of $3.6 million.

This round of funding was from a group of Spanish investors, and the total amount of investments received by Alice.com has so far reached $18.2 million.

The company’s PR & Communications Manager Rebecca Thorman shares a bit more about the company in this recent e-interview with Lead411:

Who are your competitors and how are you different from them?

As a leading provider of online retail and interactive marketing services for the Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) industry, Alice.com offers manufacturers a direct to consumer platform that provides shoppers with competitive pricing, instant coupons, and simple automation and management of household purchases.

What do you plan to spend your new funding on?  Product development?  Marketing?

Alice.com will use this latest round of funding to enhance its consumer offerings through site advancements and new features, maintaining a superior service that helps consumers manage household essential purchases conveniently, easily and affordably.

How many employees do you have?
Around 100

When were you founded?

Alice.com launched to the public in June 2009.

If you want to read more on their recent funding, you may check on their press release here.

Last year, ConforMIS, Inc. was able to double its revenues. And the first quarter of 2012 brings even more good news, as they had recently acquired their Series E funding amounting to $89 million.

This particular round was participated in by Axel Johnson, Inc. and AGC Equity Partners.  Investments also came from Government Investment Funds from Asia and the UAE.

ConforMIS’ CEO Philipp Lang shares more about their recent funding and the company in this recent e-interview with Lead411:

Who are your competitors and how are you different from them?

Because the market for knee replacement is large with over $6B in worldwide revenues, we compete with some very well known companies. They include Zimmer, DePuy (a J&J company), and Stryker. However, while ConforMIS competes in the same category, it is unique in its approach and technology. Other companies offer standard, off-the-shelf implants that come in a limited range of shapes and sizes. The ConforMIS approach takes advantage of the latest advances in imaging, 3D computing, and manufacturing technology to offer personalized implants and matching surgical tools in a simple, single use kit. No other company offers this type of customized solution with such an efficient delivery model.

What marketing tactic has given you the highest ROI?  What percentage ROI do you get back on this?

We are big believers in online marketing approaches, both to surgeons and to patients. Especially as anemerging, fast growing company, it makes our marketing approach highly cost effective and allows us to do more than we could using any other approaches. So we focus on our online presence and invest in digital assets that are scalable to a broader community as we grow.

What do you plan to spend your new funding on?  Product development?  Marketing?

We are on a fairly aggressive growth trajectory and want to continue that success. So we will use the funds to support ongoing sales and marketing expansion as we continue to roll out our award winning line of knee replacements. In addition, we will be building out our manufacturing infrastructure to support the growth and to get better control of our supply chain, which is its own source of innovation. Finally, we will be investing to continue filling out our line of knee implant solutions and looking into another joint as well.

If this is your first round of financing and you’re the CEO, how many hours did you put into working on getting your financing?  Was that taking up the most of your day?

This is our Series E round of financing so we’ve had experience going through the process. Fundraising is a highly demanding activity and requires a team that understands its importance and is dedicated to its success. We find that fundraising is not a start and stop activity, but something you spend years establishing the base on through your presentations and meetings with different groups over years. Then when you are at a stage where the fundraising makes sense, it becomes a very intense activity requiring a lot of time and involvement from the whole company. But the value is that it sharpens how you think about the company and operate as well, so a lot of the investment of time is in the actual running of the business, not just the external relationships.

How many employees do you have?

ConforMIS employs approximately 200 employees.

When were you founded?

2004

How much did you revenue increase(if any) this year over last year?

We more than doubled our revenues in 2011.

Want to read more on their recent funding? You can check ConforMIS’ press release here.