Archive for Manufacture
When you expand your product line, where I would start?
Posted by: | CommentsWe talk a lot about Target Market, Ideal Client and your core message. But do you spend the time on analyzing what you are really good at? I mean think about it, what are you good at? Without question, is there one thing that you do better than anyone else? For example is there one product that just flies through your facility, while others just never seem to get done?
It seems pretty obvious but which one should you be marketing? Sometimes it is the ugly one, not the real attractive one to market. However, I challenge you to narrowly focus on these items and look at a way to develop this portion your business. Put some sizzle back in it. 
Don’t necessarily look at your competitors here; think of your own strengths. Think about those areas in which the organization excels. Leverage these to realize economies of scale and even the possibility to develop secondary products using your core products as leaders. Here is a 8-step process, you could use to go about it:
1. Describe your most profitable products.
2. Define any common characteristics of these products.
3. Analyze these characteristics; define core competences and processes that surround them.
4. Segment your customers that use these products.
5. Base your new marketing strategies on developing this customer segment.
6. Introduce new products to this segment first before trying to expand this segment.
7. If possible look at adding to the product line not only as an add-on sale but also find a low cost of entry into that product channel.
8. If these competences are hard to copy, give even greater priority to this segment.
Do you have any other suggestions?
Lean Marketing – Map Current State
Posted by: | CommentsSimply
put, you cannot determine how to get somewhere without knowing where you are at.
In a previous post on Lean Six Sigma marketing-Explore , I had stated Explore, the data to identify a cause and effect relationship between variables, was the 3rd step in building a Lean Six Sigma marketing process. I also stated that in the Duct Tape Marketing planning system that the Remarkable Story and Product or Service Innovation coincided with the definition of Explore.
I think this is one of the most powerful tools but is the least understood. Establishing a baseline or as it is so well put in Michael Kennedy’s book Product Development for the Lean Enterprise : “The root issues must be understood from two perspectives: what is causing them and what stands between how things should be and what they are. Failure to understand will result in widespread wishful thinking and superficial solutions.”
There is a true art to mapping and takes quite a bit of work to become proficient. However, utilizing Marketing Plan Pro will allow you to build that current state of your organization and your product or service. It is important to precisely know where you are at and be able to define that to your customer.
Cost of Quality
Posted by: | CommentsCraig Crook was Joe Dager’s guest on my show Connecting Your Passion. Craig’s company is a Learning Center and as Craig calls it -Learning faster than your competitors is the only sustainable advantage. What is the cost of Quality?
Evolution of Best practice
Posted by: | CommentsCraig Crook was Joe Dager’s guest on my show Connecting Your Passion. Craig’s company is a Learning Center and as Craig calls it -Learning faster than your competitors is the only sustainable advantage. What is the evolution of a best practice?
