IMC Case Studies (2004-2011)

Project Case: OEMs, VADs, Channel Partners Seek New Opportunities with Technology / Information Technology Products and Services

By focusing on its strengths, its key customers, and the company’s underlying core values and with vast experience in the Technology – Information Technology Industry, I increased sales to more than $10 million as a Business Development Manager and a strong technical competency focused on the IT landscape.  With expertise and a talent for developing unique and compelling marketing campaigns, generating more revenue for the company across a variety of emerging technology advancement in the last 15 years planning, developing, managing sales efforts – that’s me!

As someone with strong experience in the Information Technology industry and 20 years overall work experience in different techno-commercial roles, I know what it takes to deliver Selling Solutions around competing OEM’S, VADs, and channel partners of complex Networks / Security / Cloud / Unified Communications to Enterprises for developing outcomes.

In this Technology role at IMC Business Consulting:

• grown new lead generation by 50% in just six months,
• guided the sales cycle production and execution of 10 unique monthly sales and marketing technology campaigns
• increased long-term strategic relationships with key companies.
• maintain an accurate forecast and various business reports.
• engage at all levels of a customer and partner organization, including C-level of the business.
• making technical presentations demonstrating how a company offering products meets client needs.

This business call plan leads the way by renewing my vision and strategic focus of adding value to my target market segments—the large business and high-end Information technology users in national market. I also can provide a step-by-step plan  for improving sales, gross margin, and profitability.

This includes the summary sales plan on products & services.

Objectives

1. From learning the ins and outs of the particular technology I work with to researching potential clients and putting together packages to meet their needs,
2. Sales increased to more than $10 million by the third year.
3. Bring gross margin back up to above 25% and maintain that level.
4. Sell $2 millions of service, support, and training by 2022.

 Mission

I am built on the assumption that the sales management of information technology for business is sales force automation, data quality, making better business decisions, and going online with other bodies of knowledge, in that it is inherently a do-it-yourself prospect. Smart businesspeople who aren’t computer savvy need to find quality vendors of reliable hardware, software, service, and support and they need to use these quality vendors as they use their other professional service suppliers—as trusted allies. This is where I come in providing a network of OEM data scientists, architect knowledge experts that know the products intimately.

I serve clients as a trusted ally, providing them with the loyalty of a business partner and the economics of an outside vendor. I make sure that my clients have what they need in order to run their businesses at peak performance levels, with maximum efficiency and reliability.

Many of our information applications are mission-critical, so we assure our clients that we’ll be there when they need us.

Keys to Success

1. Differentiate from box-pushing, price-oriented businesses by offering and delivering technical knowhow service and support—and charging for it accordingly.
2. Increase gross margin to more than 25%.
3. Increase hardware sales to 20% of the total sales by the third year.

Professional Summary

As a Business Development Manager or Technical Sales Representative, I interact with technical staff from a variety of companies and are responsible for selling products and providing support. Some of my duties are identifying potential customers, demonstrating product features and benefits, negotiating, and closing sales.

• Grew sales in 2019, 2020 by 13% (6% Profit).
• Recognized impediments to growth and recommended strategy that successfully increased sales in 2 territories 13% and 50% respectively.
• Managed diversified and grew $0.5 million.’
• Represented over 25 lines with consistent sales of $2.5-$3 million.
• Worked closely with all principals to optimize sales results.
• Formed strong relationships and maintained close contact with key decision makers in the sales territory.
• Composed detailed call reports, territory sales plans and forecasts.
• Planned and conducted sales presentations and trainings.

Products and Services

I consult, present, sell technology for OEMs, VADs, and channel partners to large Fortune 100, 500 companies including personal computer hardware, servers, peripherals, networks, software, support, service, and training.

Ultimately, I am selling information technology. We sell reliability and confidence. We sell the assurance to small business people that their business will not suffer any information technology disasters or critical downtimes.

I serve my clients as a trusted ally, providing them with the loyalty of a business partner and the economics of an outside vendor. We make sure that my clients have what they need to run their businesses at peak performance levels, with maximum efficiency and reliability. Since many of the information applications are mission critical, I give my clients the confidence that I’ll be there when they need me.

Technology– Providing sales and marketing service for Information Technology industry. Calling into CIO, CTO bringing them together with OEMs, VADs, and channel partners in the word to solve companies’ problems to help them market and sell a wide array of technology solutions from securing and virtualization to convergence and cloud computing. From list building gathering intelligence and acquisition to inbound and outbound lead generation to business development / campaign – project management working with the world’s top technology companies entrusted me to help plan, develop, and manage their sales and marketing effort. Campaigns consisted of scripted, unique-value-statements to specific technology utilizing consultative sales approach; Cloud Computing, IBM Data Storage solutions, IBM Storwise Storage, Enterprise Data Protection and software-defined storage,

To be successful in technology sales and marketing campaigns, I utilize technology or automation tools to tackle the challenges of prospecting, leads qualifications, via data entry, emailing prospects and customers, sharing notes and collaborating on tasks and scheduling calls and meetings. I continue to team execute and maintain an understanding 0f the technology and its business applications, locating creative content, prospecting about 100 calls / day, lead enrichment, reporting, creating, tracking, and sending prospects.

Here are just some of the technologies that I have been trained on.

• IT Infrastructure
• Servers
• Hardware
• Networking
• Software
• Back-up
• Virtualization
• Hyper Converged Infrastructure
• Storage
•  Cloud Computing
• I o T
• Managed Services
• System Migrations
• Disaster Recovery
• Cybersecurity

 

Project Case: Leading Medical Manufacturer Did Not Care About Its Database & Seeks New Customers in Marketplace   

This company that falls under the category of “enterprise and mobile NoSQL database software” or even heard of a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) database.

To not have a CRM – Customer relationship management process to which a business can administrate interactions with customers, using data analyses to study large amount of information, is unheard of in 2021.

My assignment for company is helping retool their information architecture. Today businesses live and die by their applications, which means that the plumbing matters—a lot. It shouldn’t be a surprise, then, that there has been strong growth for non-relational databases as companies move away from the relational incumbents—Oracle, Microsoft—and toward databases that are built to embrace big data and cloud computing.

We now see 100% revenue growth in 2021 and landed new or increased business with Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic, UCLA Medical Center, John Hopkins Hospital, Massachusetts General Hospital, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, New York Presbyterian Hospital-Columbia and Cornell, NYU Langone Hospitals, UCSF Medical Center, Northwestern Memorial Hospital, and List of America’s Best Hospitals  It also doubled its headcount las well. It’s full steam ahead.

Case History:

This has created and has been to help guide this medical company, in consultation with the surgeon doctors, to the right products when they need best medical systems and tools. The devastating coronavirus pandemic underscored the importance of high-quality health surgical care and safety. While disrupting life in many ways, it only reinforced this medical companies and the doctor surgeons, staff, nurses, hospitals long-standing commitment to help staff, patients, customers across the nation find the best products for their needs.

This client company develops and manufactures devices and research new techniques for surgeries in surgical operating rooms in the USA and worldwide. Its advanced products, services, systems and accessories are used by top surgical teams worldwide. Every device is produced, assembled, tested and quality assured in-house at the company’s manufacturing facility in USA. By maintaining total control over the engineering and production processes, the quality, integrity and reliability of these surgical tools, systems, and accessories undergo rigorous QA and testing procedures to ensure that they are manufactured to the highest standards. All products are made with virgin raw materials sourced from reliable suppliers and produced and assembled in a pristine manufacturing environment by a well-trained and highly skilled workforce.

These advanced products are very powerful, long-lasting and of high quality. New industry and environment conditions are occurring, and advanced surgical products are on the rise with the occurrence of Covid – 19, Coronavirus Delta Variant, and other infectious diseases are causing changes in operating rooms patient, staff health & safety and need for sterile and toxic-free operating rooms is required.

The client realizes an opportunity for and a need of creating market segmentation as demand is on the rise and the client has no distribution marketing mix.  The client needs a process making this product and service available to every surgeon, surgical unit, hospitals surgical teams who use it and needs this specialty instrument(s). This cannot be done directly by the producer of these products, but establishment of in-direct channels will be established with distribution by sales representatives, independent distributors reps and intermediaries.

Target Marketing and Direct Sales have been put in place for a direct contact presentation, selling and demonstrating to surgeons, surgery centers and hospitals surgical smoke evacuation equipment. Research, identify, build existing and customers in New York State, and branching out, establishing contact information in Salesforce database to direct cold calls for appointments and meetings discuss, present, close samples.

This attempt to increase the overall company awareness and availability of these products. This client’s product is offered to every surgeon, hospital surgery centers and private surgical practices customer in each state in USA. In this case, the client is concerned about maintaining profits, given these new market conditions.
As a result, The question raised has been answered and successful:

• Sales strategy related and involved brainstorming discussion and research working out possible avenues for the client to explore in an attempt to maintain profits, given, changing market conditions has increased sales over 150%.
• increased the overall company awareness and availability of these products 10-fold.
• Added jobs – sales reps, channel partners resulting in more customer strategy.

 

Project Case: RV Batteries Strategic Differentiation in New Markets
The client company makes expensive specialist batteries for motor homes (Recreational Vehicles, RV) in the USA. The battery is very powerful, long-lasting and of high quality. New industry conditions are occurring, and motor home dealers are starting to use a cheaper battery as the ‘theory standard’ in an attempt to lower the overall price of motor homes. This client’s product is now only offered as an added feature, for which the customer must pay and extra $500. In this case, the client is concerned about maintaining profits, given these new market conditions.
The question raised is somewhat strategy related and involved brainstorming discussion and research working out possible avenues for the client to explore in an attempt to maintain profits, given, changing market conditions.

Possible Solutions – RV Batteries

In the discussions with the client, ideas were developed for a process to create a mind map or table to categorize the ideas and ensure that I have covered all the issues. Some of the profit maintaining ideas which may be a possibility for the business include the following:

Differentiation

With the battery obviously being quite large, powerful and long-lasting the client company could attempt to differentiate their existing product designed for motor homes into other product markets and therefore attempt to sell the existing battery to work the large motor boats/yachts, trucks, and busses/coaches. This would be initially costly exercise setting up contacts, finding sellers, marketing, etc. However, it’s the ability to also grow products in the future.

International Markets

Similarly, the client could export the existing battery to overseas markets such as Europe and Asia for use in mobile homes/motor homes within those countries. Again, this has high costs up front as trade partners need to be established but long-term growth prospects as a result are high.

Enhance / Improve Service

Another somewhat simpler option is to stick with the current situation yet offer a product warranty on the battery to entice customers to upgrade to the better battery for the extra $500. For example, doubling or tripling the length of the warranty of their battery.

Dealer Incentives

The client company could offer the dealerships selling the motor homes a 5-10% commission on any of their batteries sold. Therefore, the dealer’s sale staff would act as direct-marketers or promoters of the battery, strongly recommending it to every customer, and helping it to increase sales. The only cost being the commissions that must now be paid out.

Joint Venture / Alliance

The client company could attempt to bundle their battery with other companies who provide added features or accessories that also do not come as part of the ‘factory standard’ setup of the motor home.

For example, bundling the higher quality battery with leather seats, a better refrigerator unit, a higher quality bed, larger hot water tank, etc. could mean that all additional/higher quality items could be bundled into a discounted upgrade package available together for an extra $5000 where if purchased separately would cost maybe $20,000. The cost here is the administration of the JV / alliance and the discount factor given for bundling.

Produce Cheaper and lower quality battery.

The final option may be to compete directly with the battery manufacturer who has now become the default supplier. Either supply the existing battery at their lower price (however, this may not be possible) or design and produce a lower quality, cheaper battery to compete. The last option may be costly and not very effective depending on who the competitor is and what the price point actually is.
With all these options raised and discussed, the client was receptive to the options. The client requests mathematical calculations in the relation to the questions.

For example, the CEO wants to know what the fall in profit will be given this new competitive situation if they do nothing. I know the following:
• The battery wholesales for $5,000
• Fix costs equal $50 Million
• Variable costs equal $3,000 per unit/battery
• Sales volume equals 50,000 units per year
The client expects a 50% drop in sales if motor home retail customers are expected to pay extra $500 for the better-quality battery.

Current State
Battery Price = $5,000
Fixed cost per unit = $50 million/50,000 = $1,000 per unit
Variable costs = $3,000 per unit
Therefore, profit per unit = $5,000 – ($1,000 + $3000) = $1,000
Total Profit = $1,000 x 50,000 units = $50,000

Future State
Battery Price = $5,000
Fixed costs per unit = $50 million/25,000 = $2,000 per unit
Variable costs = $3,000 per unit
Therefore, profit per unit = $5,000 – ($2,000 + $3,000) = 0
Total Profit = 0 x 25,000 units = $0
Therefore, it is clear that the client must act given the new market conditions or they will only break even, making no actual profit.
The CEO has an initial idea of reducing the price by 5% to better compete with the lower quality battery of their competitor. This means the end customer only has to pay an extra $250 for their battery and the management team believes this may result in a drop-in sale for only 25%, what would the profit be then under this plan?

CEO’s Scenario
Battery Price = $5,000 x 95% = $4,750
Fixed costs per unit = $50 Million/ (50,000 x (1-25%)) = $1,353 per unit
Variable costs = $3,000 per unit
Therefore, profit per unit = $4,750 – ($1333 + $3000) = $417
Total Profit = $417 x 37,500 units = approximately $15.6 Million
The initial idea may therefore be an option to enable the client to stay in business for the short-term. However, it doesn’t come close to the goal of maintaining profits. Therefore, the options proposed earlier should be explored.

 

Project Case: Lagging Sales Growth and Down-Time Creating Rising Costs

Case: A National Association of Manufacturer member company saw declining product sales over the last year, product lines were remining stagnant, clients were struggling to find the right part as well as the latest technology resulting in down process-lines when a part failed, and sales reps were not meeting the client demands.

It was identified that seven specific issues faced the Manufacturing Member in which a product Line Card showing all their wares was created and implemented an establishment of these strategies (listed here in order) which were deployed to grow sales.

Increase Penetration in Existing Markets
Over sixty percent of the manufacturers were focused on what they are already good at–selling to their current market. All the systems are set up. The team knows how to make it right. Stick to your meeting demands and grow market share in what they do best already. The member has a good reputation here–exploit this foundational portion of their business to get the easiest quickest sales.

New Products Line Extensions
Extending the product line as a new complementary product that existing clients would be pleased you now offer. For example, for years the company, XYZ Steel, only offered wire baskets but were frequently asked to make sheet metal fabrications but they did not have the technology nor the skill set. In 2008, they broadened the line and bought the best sheet metal fabrication machine in the industry and this enabled them to please their best clients. They became more indispensable to their operations and more orders flowed. It made the great recession a non-event and opportunity for additional product lines were planning to be added over the next 6-12 months.

New Customer Segments

Over forty percent of manufacturers believed focusing on new client segments will power strong growth. Observed and identified other activities client is buying from others that could make for them. For example, at XYZ Steel they focused for years on baskets for material handling that complement nicely in a factory environment, but they overlooked the ultrasonic cleaning market in the R&D labs or in the cleaning stations at the end of the line. By broadening client segments, they grabbed more clients that worked under the same roof. These prospects already had the confidence of the clients (their customers) –it made for easier growth.

New Export Clients

95% of the world’s population is overseas. Most American companies do not export. This oversight misses huge opportunities overseas that can rapidly grow the company. The “American” brand is prized overseas. They are fortunate that the American quality resonates before even starting the dialogue with the prospect. Over thirty percent of the NAM survey members began deploying this technique to power growth smartly.

New Channels of Distribution

Aggressively opening up new channels of distribution increased sales. For years, XYZ Steel sold to large factories and pharmaceutical companies. Over the last decade we added selling to catalog houses. We sell this channel in big volume (like we do to large factories) but the catalog houses are geared to sell single lot sizes that make no sense for our company to deal with. This new channel has increased

Lagging Sales Growth and Down-Time Creating Rising Costs

Case: A National Association of Manufacturer member company saw declining product sales over the last year, product lines were remining stagnant, clients were struggling to find the right part as well as the latest technology resulting in down process-lines when a part failed, and sales reps were not meeting the client demands.

It was identified that seven specific issues faced the Manufacturing Member in which a product Line Card showing all their wares was created and implemented an establishment of these strategies (listed here in order) which were deployed to grow sales.

Increase Penetration in Existing Markets
Over sixty percent of the manufacturers were focused on what they are already good at–selling to their current market. All the systems are set up. The team knows how to make it right. Stick to your meeting demands and grow market share in what they do best already. The member has a good reputation here–exploit this foundational portion of their business to get the easiest quickest sales.

New Products Line Extensions

Extending the product line as a new complementary product that existing clients would be pleased you now offer. For example, for years the company, XYZ Steel, only offered wire baskets but were frequently asked to make sheet metal fabrications but they did not have the technology nor the skill set. In 2008, they broadened the line and bought the best sheet metal fabrication machine in the industry and this enabled them to please their best clients. They became more indispensable to their operations and more orders flowed. It made the great recession a non-event and opportunity for additional product lines were planning to be added over the next 6-12 months.

New Customer Segments

Over forty percent of manufacturers believed focusing on new client segments will power strong growth. Observed and identified other activities client is buying from others that could make for them. For example, at XYZ Steel they focused for years on baskets for material handling that complement nicely in a factory environment, but they overlooked the ultrasonic cleaning market in the R&D labs or in the cleaning stations at the end of the line. By broadening client segments, they grabbed more clients that worked under the same roof. These prospects already had the confidence of the clients (their customers) –it made for easier growth.

New Export Clients

95% of the world’s population is overseas. Most American companies do not export. This oversight misses huge opportunities overseas that can rapidly grow the company. The “American” brand is prized overseas. They are fortunate that the American quality resonates before even starting the dialogue with the prospect. Over thirty percent of the NAM survey members began deploying this technique to power growth smartly.

New Channels of Distribution
Aggressively opening up new channels of distribution increased sales. For years, XYZ Steel sold to large factories and pharmaceutical companies. Over the last decade we added selling to catalog houses. We sell this channel in big volume (like we do to large factories) but the catalog houses are geared to sell single lot sizes that make no sense for our company to deal with. This new channel has increased

business nicely and smoothed out erratic purchases from the existing client base. Finding new channels strengthened the brand and made the company more impervious to the ups and downs of existing channels.

New Services

Offering new services to their customers became more enamored with NAM so they became more “sticky” and harder to leave. Making sure the services are profitable. They strengthened the bonds of the relationship. At XYZ Steel, they offered an aggressive new service–“consignment” programs to the creditworthy large accounts. This enabled the customers to order more from member because they were not sitting on big mounds of inventory, but they could react fast and ship large surprise orders because they had the products on their factory floor. In addition, the new consignment customers ordered in such large volumes they could take advantage of better freight since they bought in truck quantities (not little packages). After they took into account the drawn-out cash flow effect, they saw sales rise and the relationship solidified. They are currently looking into new unique services they can offer that will make the most for them.

Achieved:

• Grew markets 40% thus obtaining 100% market penetration.
  • Established new products line extensions that eliminated down-time and increased sales 100%
  • I went out and grew markets 60% increasing sales over 250% in 3 months
  • Increased export clients 10% each month
  • Established new channels of distribution through account penetration, customer referral program, and 3 tier marketing programs generating customers 100%
  • Established new services to meet market demands and trends that retain customer loyalty

Project Case: Strengthening Security After a Breach of Customer Data

Case Type: Improve Profitability
Industry Coverage: IT / Security

Case: In 2014, you heard it so often. It was in the news and still is today, almost every week, retailers are faced with their US stores suffering a public data breach that compromises millions of customers credit- and debit-card numbers. Overall, the retailer faced numerous shortcomings in its overall security practices. As a result of the breach, the retailer faced possible action by the FTC in the form of a consent decree mandating that violations be mitigated. The retailer needed help remediating the security breach and developing and implementing a sustainable security program. They also required assistance in selecting and deploying supporting technologies that would help with security and data privacy. Enterprises today are faced with three key challenges:
• Implementing new SMAC technologies to support the business, as part of their digital transformation programs, but while keeping it secure.
• Responding to the increasing and changing threat landscape of targeted attacks.
• Achieving and retaining compliance with an increasing number of rules and regulations.
How do enterprises respond, in the context of a nationwide shortage in cyber security skills? My hypothesis for this study was that enterprises are struggling to cope with the increase in workload and are increasingly offloading some of) their security provision to outsourcing providers as Managed Security Services (MSS).

This case dealt and resulted in the following solutions:
Once company understand the growing cyber threat landscape, the company met their resource challenges in cyber security by using external provider to meet these resource challenges.
The customer weighed the drivers and inhibitors for using external cyber security providers.
And alternative approaches to external cyber security provision have been considered.
The cyber security provider implemented services that met the company’s expectation offering competence-based strategies, a competitive advantage, and contemporary views giving them the capabilities and attributes of a credible cyber security provider unfolding superior value for the customer and its customers.

Achieved:

• Client met their resource challenge in cyber security by using external cyber security provider allowing automation, predictive, adaptive rapid response solutions staying ahead of bad guys.
  • Transformation saved company average $2.3M from @ 59% reduction in operating costs to 55% in personal costs
  • Implemented training, education, networking, support, and engagement leads knowledge of market trends restoring customer confidence

 

Project Case: TO CO-WORK OR NOT TO CO-WORK: ROCHESTER, NY

Case Type: Add Capacity & Growth.
Industry Coverage: restaurant & food service; small business.

Case: There is an increasing trend of co-working in Rochester, NY, fueled partly by the technology boom. Co-working spaces are communal workplaces, which freelancers and small companies can use as workspaces, while sharing the space with any number of other freelancers and/or small companies. As part of the arrangement, many resources, such as office equipment and bathroom and kitchen facilities, are also shared.

My thoughts may explain the trend well:

“The main benefits of this kind of setup are camaraderie (small start-ups can be
lonely), knowledge-sharing, high energy, culture, and cost sharing. I have heard.
many stories of software developers walking to the other side of the office to talk.
to software developers working for another company to talk about a thorny tech
issue. That same thing can happen in finance, legal, business development,
marketing, product management, really all parts of the business. You can get some.
of the benefits of scale without being at scale.”

Gary and Tony are two real estate entrepreneurs who want to capitalize on this trend, and start New Work Labs, a co-working space that fits 75 people. They are in talks with two office buildings to lease out the space. The first one is a building near the young and trendy Village Gate area, which will be $40 per square feet per annum. The second building is in the Downtown/East Avenue area, in an old loft surrounded by corporate offices at $30 per square feet per annum.

Which building should they select?

DATA LIST AND QUESTIONS

1. How much space is needed for 75 people?
   a. Normal office allocates 200-225 sq. ft. per employee. However, co-working spaces in Rochester can be as dense as 100 sq. ft. per person.
   2. What is the total investment required to set up the space?
   a. Plain vanilla build-out and retrofitting will cost $50 per square foot.
   b. Furnishings will cost $20 per square foot.
   c. Assume total build-out for Downtown space is 30% cheaper than Village Gate.
   3. What are the utilities and maintenance costs (this includes everything, e.g., electricity, Wi-Fi, water, heat, repairs to furniture, security, etc.)?
   a. $10,000 per month.
   4. Do they need to hire someone?
   a. Yes, an office manager at $70,000 per annum total compensation.
   5. What will be the rental for these desks?
   a. $300 per month per person for monthly usage.
   b. $30 per day for daily usage.
   c. Assume that 1/3rd of total occupancy is for daily desks.
   d. No weekend hours.
   e. For simplicity, assume flat rates without any deals.
   6. What is the occupancy rate?
   a. Co-working spaces have been found to quickly reach 70% occupancy rate on average.
   b. The Village Gate location will have a higher occupancy (assume 80%). Downtown will see average occupancy. (Note: Possibility assuming that Downtown might see higher occupancy rates.)
   7. Are there any additional revenue opportunities?
   a. Co-working spaces double up as event spots during evening hours. Average rate for an event is $5,000.
   b. To avoid disrupting the regulars too much, a space holds no more than 6 events on average every month. (Note: Considering that Village Gate may have a harder time getting to 6 events per month.)
   8. How long do Gary and Tony want to do this?
   a. They would ideally exit in less than 10 years. (Note: Bonus points for asking this question.)

KEY ITEMS TESTED IN CASE
• Build-out costs.
• Calculate the operating costs.
• Generated revenues must exceed operating costs to maximize revenues and explore additional avenues. Take account of consideration for the community, which may mean letting go of some money generating opportunities.
• Which building offers a faster payout? This must be seen in light of earnings run rate, therefore also see which building will offer a better exit opportunity in 5-10 years.

 

Note that during this case, I would need to do this on paper and estimate to some degree. I may even want to concentrate mostly on the differences between the two offices to gain a perspective on which facility to rent.)

TAKEAWAYS
• The Village Gate office takes longer to repay the initial investment but generates more income n an ongoing basis. Ignoring discounting, the Village Gate office offers more income potential over a 10-year time frame.
• The decision is a close one, however, and is largely driven by assumptions about the relative occupancy rates and the number of events per month.
• If, in fact, the number of events per month is the same in each office, then the Downtown facility dominates the Village Gate facility (less investment and more cash flow per month).

 

Project Case: Regional Security Services Business Establish Single CRM Source

Case Type: Customer Strategy
Industry Coverage: Security Services

Case: A multimillion-dollar regional security services business needed to establish a single customer relationship management (CRM) program across three of its business units in order to rationalize its processes and platforms and implement a more unified view of its clients. With six different CRM systems in place, sales teams from different business units had no way to get an overall picture of the firm’s relationships with its clients. Additionally, the maintenance costs of so many systems were becoming costly and prohibitive. The security company needed a CRM overhaul. This security services firm needed to consolidate more than six different customer relationship management systems to improve visibility and enhance client value

Business unit leaders knew that a single comprehensive CRM solution that still allowed some regional and business unit customization would improve common client reporting, increase cross-sell and up-sell opportunities, improve sales productivity, and cut maintenance costs. The ideal platform would be more user-friendly, faster, and more flexible. Putting it in place would result in a significant business transformation.

Client initiated a long-term transformational effort that called upon expertise in change management to create long-lasting and meaningful improvements to the business way of doing business. The team enabled it to develop and deepen its client relationships by providing its sales teams easy-to-use, well-integrated tools and relevant, timely, and actionable information.

Achieved:

• A single CRM across three of its business units (reducing 6 different CRM systems in place) standardizing the redundancy of processes, platform, and procedures in a united view of its clients.
  • 30% sales increases within first 3 months, reduction of maintenance costs 250%

 

Project Case: Coquille Brook Trout Cart Owner to Sell Fish Burritos / Tacos

Case Type: Add Capacity & Growth.
Industry Coverage: restaurant & food service; small business.

Case: New Orleans is a Louisiana city on the Mississippi River, near the Gulf of Mexico. located in the United States, nicknamed the “Big Easy” known for its round-the-clock nightlife, vibrant live-music scene and spicy, singular cuisine reflecting its history as a melting pot of French, African and American cultures. Embodying its festive spirit is Mardi Gras, the tourism and late-winter carnival famed for raucous costumed parades, tasty shrimp, crab, fish – seafood, and street parties. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was about 1,167,764.
Client, ‘FINN’ is the owner of a burrito / taco cart in the city of Louisiana. ‘FINN’ business is profitable and growing rapidly. Recently, ‘FINN’ wishes to expand business and increase profitability by operating a second burrito cart in the city.

Market analysis section of food cart business plan illustrates not only a knowledge of the mobile food industry but general highlights and conclusions of utilizing the uniqueness of the fish meat health benefits and qualities that other fish in the market do not offer, lack of consumption and cooked in a variety of Cajun-style dishes not currently available with any other food cart. Industry description and outlook including trends and characteristics show tremendous opportunities and growth available. The customers or target market narrowed in a manageable size, current quarterly sales and financial projections are impressive. The characteristics and size of the market, extent of food truck business gaining market share and reasons why, pricing and gross margin targets resulting in meeting demand issues. In evaluating the competition, though the harvesting of the fish is complicated and rendering of fish for consumption in a market where competitors are using crab and shrimp, the availability of this product and information assesses the strengths and weaknesses of the top food carts which do not hinder entering the market.

Company increased food carts to 10 food carts and entering into instituting a small fleet of trucks for distribution of fresh fish products. Efforts to temper growth allocating profits for other market entries, product segmentation, market segmentation, and distribution.

Achieved:

• Grew small business,1 food cart offering variety of fish product meals to 12 food carts totaling $288,00/ year.
  • Established franchise opportunities available at $15,000.00

 

Project Case: Fish Manufacturer ‘FINN’ to Enter China, International Market.

Case Type: Market Entry.
Industry Coverage: food & food products; healthcare products

Case: Client is ‘FINN’, a catcher of fish and manufacturer of fish for food, food products, and products made from waste of the fish that is edible and non-edible. With profits, capital-venture and retro-fitting shrimping manufacturing facilities utilizing fishers in estuaries and tributaries in and along the Mississippi River and Bayou has grown exponentially. ‘FINNs’ fish harvesting and fish product-maker, whole fish, and brands through distribution, wholesale, and retail channels, Coquille Brook Trout through whole is divided into product parts and utilized by different cultures for face, beauty, and health products as well as eaten as fish fillets or ground-up bone-in products. Product diversification, market segmentation, and channel distribution opens the door for growth strategies and multiple revenue streams.

Over the past 8 years, the client has managed to increase their market share in North America through a combination of new brands and mergers / acquisitions of under-utilized business manufactures and seafood processing facilities, resulting from hurricane Katrina and the BP oil spill. Market opportunities continue to open identifying partnerships with the Chinese as a go-to strategy for international expansion. The opportunity and development offer additional challenges of harvesting which would increase 5000%. Being an archetypal market entry case: the market is attractive for the client to enter after performing some analysis to identify the most profitable ways of harvesting mass quantities using local fisher and catcher techniques. The majority of the case opportunity is un-capped and since the species is sustainable supply can meet the demand but with increased production costs need to be addressed.

Achieved:

• Revenue and sales channels created in wholesale, distribution, retail. import/export, multiple product lines generating over $10 million dollar in revenues
  • On-shelf food product placements regional to national grocery chains
  • Establishment import & export business of by-products and multiple product lines generating revenues $900,000 per month.
  • Earning residuals on sales at .06$ per pound

 

Project Case: Airlines Devise Mechanics Maintenance strategies to Spur Growth, Improve Profitability

Case Type: Spur Growth, Improve Profitability
Industry Coverage: airlines / aviation engine mechanic maintenance & training

Case: The aim is to provide cost effective, engine mechanic maintenance training solutions to engine lease companies, operators, airlines and MRO’s in USA, Alaska and Hawaii.
My client ‘Airlines’ in the United States together with its regional partners, public, private, operate an extensive domestic network with an average of nearly 10,000 plus flights per day to destinations in USA. The airlines are a major employer in United States and to improve profits a reduction of costs. Downtime, human error…. maintenance tasks that involves the assembly or any disturbance of a system or any part on an aircraft, engine or propeller that, if an error occurred during its performance, could directly endanger the flight safety. Airlines regulations require technicians and mechanics to be certified. Training is critical, costly, and timely and a training modality instrumental in meeting FAA requirements and safety standards needed a more efficient cost structure.

As you may already know, competition is very fierce among the major airlines in the United States, with plane ticket prices being driven steadily downward and issues effecting passenger’s safety has resulted in rising administration and production costs. After a year of weaker than average sustainable maintenance and training costs, a plan to devise a set of strategies to spur growth and improve profitability with the maintenance and training industry has resulted in efforts to automate and streamline maintenance training, certification, and regulatory reporting. How did I go about this case? Assuming management’s goal is profitable revenue growth, rather than just cost reduction.

Utilizing cloud software as a service solutions offered increasingly more capable, configurable, and scalable training solutions to maintenance personnel of engine lease companies, operators, airlines and MRO’s offering all the airlines maintenance schedules, service intervals, training requirements, and unique business realities can helped unlock the potential of those products and use it to advantage towards meeting the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) test to becoming certified Airframe and Powerplant Technician. SAAS provides training as a self-paced, interactive, hands-on training that helps Government FAA officials, public and private airline owners and operators meet the current certification testing, training, and requirements, ensuring future success in today’s competitive world. This solution saved ‘Airline’ millions of dollars with a 500% reduction in operating training costs. It complimented the hands-on-training hours and classroom training that standards require.

Achieved:

• Cost-effective training modules for every airplane engine manufacturer made available to lease companies, operators, airlines and MRO’s as an annual license
  • As a result, minimized costs, downtime, human error while offering a solution transparent to multiple platforms reducing training & maintenance operating costs 500%.

 

Project Case: Animal Protein Replacement with Vegetable Protein Products and Putting on store Shelves.

Case Type: New Market
Industry Coverage: Food Industry

Case: Growing up in the United States, my dinner plate often consisted of a large portion of meat with two vegetables on the side. The need to include meat in every meal ties back to my obsession with protein and how a meal isn’t a meal unless it includes meat. The average person living in the United States consumes nearly double the amount of the daily recommended intake of protein and unfortunately, since the early 20th century, the main source of protein consumed by Americans has come from animals. Change in the way consumers get their protein, due to concerns such as climate change, health, and animal welfare, nearly one-third of Americans are consciously choosing to leave meat off their plate more frequently in favor of plant-based foods. The growth of the plant-based food sector is indicative of this change in our eating habits, particularly when it comes to plant-based meats. plant-based meat market is set to reach $5.2 billion by 2020 and could make up one-third of the market by 2050.

In response to the growing demand for plant-based meats, client wants to enter market with new plant-based meats offering many varieties and choices for the alternative proteins and flexitarian diets. In addition to offering vegan meat options, client seeks to penetrate the market adding these products to local, regional, and national food chains and grocery stores and hopefully offering grocery store branding as their own line of meats. Client was hoping to get into a new, local whole food store. Little did they know an opportunity to exceed their wildest imagination resulted in multiple stores with multiple prepared food meals.

With much corporate action in protein diversification, client’s success with roll-out the product(s) was strategic focus entering the marketplace one store at a time and now is currently in all local, regional and growing nationally into existing and new grocery store outlets. The Food Industry is embracing alternative proteins in which the client has seen 30% growth in each of the last 6 quarters.

Achieved:

• Leading consumer demand through innovative product development
  • Marketing <1 local store to >10 regional stores within 6 months
  • 20 ready plant-based meal options under brand, developed, product media advertising
  • Celebrity Chef marketing brand attracted extensive media coverage = growth
  • Labeling design appeals to wide range consumers, not just vegans
  • Strong engagement with investors: increasing as 1 of top business markets entry

 

Project Case: Bakery to Use Social Media for Advertising

Case Type: Business Turnaround.
Industry Coverage: restaurant & food service; small business.

Case: I got a referral call for some help.
“Hey buddy, I really need your help. You know the bakery I’ve been operating? I haven’t checked the balances in a while, but last week, I went through the financials and realized that the business has been making a loss. Can you help me figure out what the problem is and how to turn around the business and bring it back in the black?”

To cross promote his bakery for increased brand recognition and patronage is an excellent way to give the bakery marketing initiatives and some extra leverage to strengthen brand awareness, patronage among customers, and fans. Being a small, bakery business his budget was small but adding value for the business actually increased value and profits for his business. I presented Bakery with cross-promotional strategies that were put into action. Solutions of print marketing messages on receipts, partnering with suppliers, vendors, or local community businesses sending out digital joint promotional postcards utilizing shared mailing lists, Offering up bakery venue to host local community and philanthropic events, donating products to local food shelter and food pantries, inserting special promotional offers or coupons in local business shopping bags, posting social media specials and offering daily specials for special holiday, birthday, anniversary, graduation events, email blasts or SMS texting, and free food sampling in and around local business. These efforts promoted his bakery promoting branding of his business name and products creating exposure, customer awareness and increased buying habits and traffic flow in the bakery.

Achieved:

• Local Bakery has added 2 more locations
  • Catering services offered for special events; bridal showers, wedding parties, office lunches
  • Bakery added additional products to store menu

 

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