Hi Mike,

I think you and I are in perfect sync. I has been pretty obvious that
you have some real experience in these matters. I am looking for an
agency to help with the Marketing. These would be folks who look at
the product line, understand the target market, do some market
research, put together a Marketing Plan with recommendations for an
approach, a theme, an ad campaign, web-site look and feel, awareness
activities, etc.

For example, I read an article once about how the "Redbow Popcorn
Company" got started. It was founded by the guy who worked out a
unique hybrid poping corn (a "propeller head" no doubt!). They had a
lot of trouble selling it at first. Finally, they went to such an
agency for advice (a "Marketing Plan"). The agency advised them to use
the founder's name: "Orville Redenbacher" and refer to the product as
"Gourmet Poping Corn". Packaging was designed (jar, label, etc.), an
ad-campaign was created, and the rest is history. I'm sure that the
very article I read was part of the marketing plan that the agency
developed for him.

I would never want to partner with such an organization - just pay for
their services. I have approached a few and they want me to provide
them with the Marketing Plan. Lew seems to think that this is an
entirely acceptable practice designed to "minimize their risk". At the
very least, he believes that I should help them get to know me and
treat them like a partner (the "WE" stuff). I don't think I want to
pay anybody for doing work that they should be doing for me. I also
think that they should be trying to get my business, I shouldn't be
trying to get them to take my business. And, finally, I don't ever
want them to forget who is paying the bills!

On the other hand, there are organizations where such a "partnership"
of sorts is entirely appropriate. For example, an independent Sales
Agency would certainly need to see a Marketing Plan. Such a thing is
absolutely necessary for a sales force. They should certainly be
included in and coordinated with any advertising and awareness
activities. The word "WE" would be very appropriate and probably get
used quite often. Perhaps Lew has confused the Marketing Agency with
the Sales Agency. It's my understanding that HPs first sales rep was
an independent named Norm Neeley. The whole deal was made on a
handshake and Norm went off to sell oscillators to Disney!

Fund raising is another completely different topic. Some people will
grow a business by taking on partners (or acquisitions). I always
consider this when it comes to adding complimentary skills but it
hasn't happened yet. Some people go to the VCs. Some people go into
debt. Some people issue stock. So far, I'm self funded. And, since
my resources are fairly modest, it means growth needs to be slow and
controlled. I learned this lesson the hard way in the spring of '01
when I really screwed up my reseller channel. So, I'm not looking for
someone who will come along and turn my small shop into a
multi-bazillion doller operation. I now have a lot of excess capacity
which isn't getting used so it's time for some growth. I want an
agency to help me develop a new plan, point me in the right direction,
and get me going on the right foot. Everything to date was developed
in a vacuum by one individual (me) whose speciality isn't Marketing. I
haven't done too bad but it's time to pop the lid on this vacuum and
let some air in.

Thanks,
Ed Bennett

http://www.ts-aligner.com



Mike Marlow wrote:
wrote in message
oups.com...


They can find out as much as they like without my lifting a finger.
I'm not asking them to buy anything from me. I don't need to convince
them of anything. If I'm looking for a partnership, and they are
looking to assume some of the risk, then I'll use the word "WE".
Otherwise, I expect them to act like a company trying to sell me a
service. "WE" doesn't apply to anyone trying to minimize their risk to
zero.


Ed, I've been kind of hit and miss in this discussion, so apologies up front
if this is ground you've already covered.

There is one thing that has somewhat haunted me while I've watched the
pieces of this thread that I have. I keep seeing your desire for a
partnership and for a risk buy-in. Don't get me wrong... I don't believe
those are inappropriate ambitions. I do wonder though, if maybe you aren't
looking in the wrong places for those contributions. That's more the kind
of thing I would expect out of an investor - a venture capitalist. It just
seems to me that you might be mixing up a need for marketing with a need for
a business partner. Those two are really different animals. Typically, if
one is able to secure financing the marketing comes much easier, as the
proof of a good business plan, etc. are theoretically already established.

Frankly, I'd want to keep apples in the apple basket and oranges in the
vodka if I were you. I'd be looking for investment/risk partners in the VC
space and then going after marketing once positioned. I'm a sales guy and
the last thing I'd want is to entrust my business development to a marketing
group. Their focus is just not in that place. By its very defininition,
Marketing has to assume the marketability of a product (proof already
established) and assumes the creative responsibility for making that happen.
If it is simply the study of marketability that one is engaged in, then
that's a service to be paid for and typically from a different organization.
It would be hard to hope for risk sharing at that point.

Like I said - if I missed the obvious points by not staying closely coupled
to this thread then feel free to discard my ramblings. Well, at least some
of them. I'm sure there *must* be a nugget or two in there somewhere
though...

--

-Mike-