Know-How Exchange : Strategy

As your marketing plan develops, focus on the benefits and values that your unique enterprise creates for your potential customers. A SWOT is a good tool here. You might also consider holding a set of focus groups among targeted decision makers to unearth how they see that what you do will be advantageous for them.

If I understand this, you are building an entity that will determine customer needs and then utilize a network of expert firms to package the right expertise, locations and personalitities to fulfill the need in the project.

The nature of your business organization will by definition exclude certain other organizations, such as very large, integrated engineering firms in your space.

It seems like what you are describing is a co-op organization.

I just attended a conference in a completely different industry -- pharma. A keynote speaker gave a brilliant speech where he compared the industry of drug development to the movie industry. His point was, the old pharma business model is nearing death, but all around us are successful new business models that are build on networks of firms. The movie business was a perfect example of this manifestation. And that is where he aimed to take his drug company -- into a networked model. And he has been very successful so far.

You might take a look at how such an industry, very common to all of us, exists in networked form, which then would help you convince other firms beyond the three founding member firms that they need to jump in with you because you have a good grip on the proper trend.

Then the test will be if the new entity can successfully create business relationships for its affiliates.

Good luck to you. Write me back if these thoughts stimulate questions.

Jamie has some good advice. I'd start by identifying a small sub-set of your target audience -- the low-hanging fruit, if you know what it is -- and get to know that audience in depth.

The value you're adding is in-depth customer knowledge and understanding, so you can solve customers' problems by drawing on the right resources and expertise. If you don't have the understanding, there's no reason for CTC to exist. You're just a trade association, where members can tell each other war stories and reminisce about the old days.

If you can hit a few home runs in one small sub-segment of your broad target audience, that will not only prove out the concept, but also energize the members to support a broader effort (i.e., go after additional sub-segments) but also give you credibility with the customer base you're serving.

If you try to serve too large a market up-front, you increase the marketing challenge, make it less efficient, and decrease the chances of hitting a home run. It's like saying you want to be a professional athlete, and you want to start by playing baseball, football, basketball, hockey, and tennis all at the same time. The chances that you'll excel in any of them, under those circumstances, is slim.

If, on the other hand, you pick one -- the one you're best at or the one with the biggest rewards for success -- you have a chance to make it, and when you do, you'll have the credibility to either move on to other sports or pusue your chosen one at a higher level.

One more thing: If this is really a serious venture, you need to get an experienced marketing/management consultant to help you with the business planning. This is a major undertaking, and the prize for doing it right is big. Having the outside perspective and being able to draw on the experience of professionals who have "been there and done that" is more valuable than you can imagine.

I've seen this first-hand, as a consultant to a NFP organization whose members were largely big FP companies. They could never have accomplished their objective(s) without someone from the outside to lead and coordinate the efforts, keep the staff focused on the goal, and create the necessary marketing materials and liaisons required.

Good luck. This one sounds juicy!

This is probably more tactical, but is there room for some kind of relationship with other member-based organisations, such as the Society of Automotive Engineers?

This might give opportunities for CTC to speak to other organisations and promote the idea of their member firms becoming involved/aligned with CTC.

ChrisB