ForumsStarting a Business

I found your website and visited it to try to learn more about your company. While there, I had about 20 pop-up ads pushed on me. That may be okay for some "fun" sites, but do you really expect a plant manager who is serious about Lean Manufacturing to endure ads for things like ringtones, Netflix, Monster, DogBlog, Hub-o-Love, and the ever-thrilling +Alisa and the Stuff Alisa Does+? I guess my first suggestion would be to make the website reflect a more professional image.

One of my firms shares your target market. Whatever methodologies we offer, our marketing efforts happen in three stages: First, we have to convince the client that they have a problem. Second, we have to convince them that they can (and should) do something about it. Third, we have to convince them that we can help. Each stage involves a separate set of strategies, and the first revenue we make from a client may be two or three years after we conclude that we can help them and decide to go after their business. So I guess my next suggestion would be to plan for that. Our early business plans overestimated how fast business would come in. We already had favorable press in trade journals, and I was being asked to speak at industrial conferences around the world. We thought all that attention would literally stampede business our way. The attention WAS beneficial, because it gave us credibility when were finally face-to-face with decision-makers -- but it didn't bring potential clients in the door one bit faster.

I noticed that a few of the professional organizations you listed are primarily UK-based. Are you from the UK, and/or it that a primary market for you?

Hope this helps. Best wishes!