Case Study I - Cashing in on Success
This first account actually drew me into the consulting business in the first place, and was a client of mine for nearly 10 years. Initially a friend and prior business associate asked me to “facilitate” a business strategy meeting with their entire management team (this meeting alone could justify it’s own case study!)
A down economy had affected all the businesses in their target market and was therefore squeezing cash flow. They needed to make some tough decisions quickly or go out of business.
Through open discussion among the management team, we identified the true core business and a few products that actually cost more to deliver and support than they were worth. So we trimmed the product line and made just one or two adjustments in the sales force and the company managed to survive and later prosper again as the economy improved.
A few years later they sought input on a new product scheme and on the viability of an underlying subcontractor for the core technology. They moved forward with this idea, but started faltering on the implementation of the product and its initial sales.
I then surveyed customers of this new, experimental product which led me to review the entire product development, qualification and support process which we quickly re-engineered. This effort produced both startling and gratifying results for the company and its new product.
Eventually we created a five year business case and a supporting business plan. This plan and the new product led to a sale of the company to a large international corporation… and essentially “everyone lived happily ever after”.
A down economy had affected all the businesses in their target market and was therefore squeezing cash flow. They needed to make some tough decisions quickly or go out of business.
Through open discussion among the management team, we identified the true core business and a few products that actually cost more to deliver and support than they were worth. So we trimmed the product line and made just one or two adjustments in the sales force and the company managed to survive and later prosper again as the economy improved.
A few years later they sought input on a new product scheme and on the viability of an underlying subcontractor for the core technology. They moved forward with this idea, but started faltering on the implementation of the product and its initial sales.
I then surveyed customers of this new, experimental product which led me to review the entire product development, qualification and support process which we quickly re-engineered. This effort produced both startling and gratifying results for the company and its new product.
Eventually we created a five year business case and a supporting business plan. This plan and the new product led to a sale of the company to a large international corporation… and essentially “everyone lived happily ever after”.