About Dennis Paris

Dennis has over 25 years of success with developing and implementing domestic and international start-up, growth and marketing strategies. Many major industry product and service brands have benefited from Dennis' unique approach to 360 degree business diagnostics and strategy formulations.

Dennis' experience in research, planning and implementing critical growth and product marketing strategies spans small, medium and large businesses, high and low tech, from IT to pharmaceutical packaging, and a host of professional services. Dennis' services have also extended to product innovation markets that represent both foreign and domestic firms seeking import and export opportunities.

Dennis has a rich history as a director and team leader on numerous, highly successful, high profile, national and global new product development and market expansion initiatives. Several have resulted in millions of dollars in revenue growth.

Some of his accomplishments include marketing strategy formulations, product line management, business plan development and tactical implementations with Japanese management teams in North America and in Japan for over 14 years; subsidiary start-up operations in Brazil and Mexico; new market entry and expansion in Argentina, Chile, Peru, Colombia, Venezuela, and Central American export markets through distribution channels in Miami; market growth planing, new product development, launch and life cycle management throughout the European Continent, and an MBA 360-Residency in Beijing and Shanghai, China including research and meetings with executive management teams at SAP/China, Disney/China, Oerlikon/China, CitiBank/China, Suzhou Industrial Park, and with the CEO of Boeing/China.

Dennis earned his Master in Business Administration (MBA) from the LeBow College of Business at Drexel University and a Bachelor in Business Administration (BBA) and in Marketing, from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. He also received advanced training in enterprise management through the Wharton-INSEAD Alliance in Evian/France, as well as in creative leadership skills at the Center for Creative Leadership in Boulder/Colorado.

Dennis has served on the board of the Philadelphia Drug Exchange, and was also a member of the Business Advisory Council at Peirce College in Philadelphia. He is an adviser and Board Director to the Gloucester Township, N.J. Economic Development Corporation, and a VP of Thought Leadership for the Philadelphia Society of Human Resource Management (PSHRM).
Dennis has held contract positions as an Executive Business Coach with the Manufacturing Alliance of Philadelphia, and as a Product Innovation and New Product Development Consultant with the Delaware Valley Industrial Resource Center.

Dennis is an Assistant Professor of Practice at the Fox School of Business at Temple University where he teaches Graduate and Undergraduate level Marketing Management, Analysis, Strategy and Planning. He has also been a visiting Professor teaching Global Marketing, Marketing Management and Innovation/New Product Development Strategies at Drexel University's LeBow and the Rutgers schools of business.

Copyright © Tangerine Strategies LLC, 2016

About Becca Zinn

Becca is an Assistant Professor of Marketing at the Fox School of Business and a Project Executive with Fox Management Consulting, where she manages consulting engagements and leads marketing strategy for the practice. 

She has professional experience in entrepreneurial ventures, marketing, sales, and nonprofit fundraising. Her consulting experience includes market evaluation for a financial services software company, new market development for a regional lender, sales training for loan officers at local community bank, a US market entry strategy for an Australian beverage company, a business model and revenue strategy for a fashion-related social media app, and a turnaround strategy for a local performing arts center. 

Prior to joining Fox, Becca served as cofounder and Executive Director of VCC-West Philly, a congregation located in the University City section of Philadelphia. In this role, she bootstrapped it to a self-sustained enterprise with 200+ active participants and 65 regular volunteers. While there, an independent survey ranked the organization in the top 15% of 27,000 similar organizations.  

Becca has completed work in Bolivia, Uganda, and Brazil, and India. These projects focused on entrepreneurship in limited resource economies, microfinance, marketing and sales, and social impact. 

Becca earned an MBA from Temple University’s Fox School of Business and a BA in English from Loyola University, Chicago.

Small/Start-Up Business Strategy Presentation... Strategic Marketing B4 You Invest!!!

A vast majority of our clients have come to Tangerine Strategies after experiencing disappointing results from working with web developers, social marketing and various creative marketing agencies. Often, our clients admit to not having clearly developed Business Plans or Market Strategies...

After giving a presentation on the benefits of Strategic Marketing at a past Loral Langemeier LBT Big-Table session, not only did several clients sign on with Tangerine Strategies, but we were asked to give the presentation again at an alumni members conference in Scottsdale, AZ. This timeless "Presentation On Strategic Marketing" provides a convincing argument for why EVERY start-up or existing business (large or small) should develop a clearly defined market strategy and integrate marketing tactics BEFORE investing further.

Please feel free to view this presentation, and if I can help answer any questions about marketing strategy and tactics in your business, feel free to contact me at dennisparis@tangerinestrategies.com.

What Others Say

“I hired Dennis to conduct strategic planning for my organization – to help us, among other things, identify our major strengths, weaknesses and opportunities. He did an outstanding job and delivered 150 percent of what he promised. It’s not often that you get far more than you expect from an outside consultant, but Dennis delivered! As a result, I invited Dennis to become part of the Manufacturing Alliance of Philadelphia’s Coaching Consortium – a very selective group of specialist/coaches positioned to make a significant contribution to manufacturers in the City. I have over the years worked with a large number of consultants, particularly in my specialty field - marketing, and Dennis Paris is by far one of the most knowledgeable. His attention to detail is truly astounding, as is his ability to make significant contributions to strategy, product development and ultimately, a company’s bottom line. I highly recommend Dennis as a seasoned, competent and reliable marketing professional.” Top qualities: Great Results, Expert, Good Value

Steve Jurash, President, Philadelphia Urban Industry Initiative and The Manufacturers Alliance of Philadelphia


“As the owner of Windle Mechanical Solutions Inc., I've recently joined the Board of Directors of, The Manufacturing Alliance of Philadelphia (MAP). Dennis (President of Tangerine Strategies LLC) was contracted by MAP to lead a major strategic marketing initiative. Dennis's field work with Owners and CEO's of large, medium, and small manufacturers across the city, his report submission, and stage 1 strategy recommendations were impressive and looked as good as reports submitted on projects by some major large consulting firms that I worked with in the past. Dennis's deliverables will assist with near and long term future growth of the Manufacturing Alliance. His depth of background and skills in market strategy, product marketing and new product development have also become a valuable service offering by MAP to individual member businesses. Based on my experience with Dennis' work, I would highly recommend any company that seeks market growth, turnaround or guidance with new product development to consider Dennis' services.”

Pete Windle, President /CEO, Windle Mechanical Solutions Inc



“Dennis and the team at Tangerine have absolutely cracked the code on what really works in marketing. When I graduated with my MBA I already knew that I did not really understand marketing in spite of attending a great school and really applying myself. Turns out very few people understand it so it is very difficult to teach and even harder to practice; no one seems to know how to frame the problem, really design a solution and measure the results. Dennis has created models that I finally understand and with minimal implementation have resulted in amazing results already. I do not hesitate to recommend Tangerine Strategies to businesses (large and small). I have so often found myself, and those I consult, seeking serious solutions to an often soft and indefinable part of the business puzzle. I really believe Dennis has some outstanding actual solutions to marketing and is a really nice guy.”
Top qualities: Great Results, Expert, Creative

Krista Black, Active Rreal Estate Investor, Lender, Angel Investor, Speaker, Author and Entrepreneur



“Dennis has consistently demonstrated his unique ability to research and identify market opportunities for new product entry and business expansion. His application of advanced strategy-development and planning methods, combined with his creative marketing skills has led to the launch and success of numerous new products domestically and internationally.”

Michael McCormick, Principal Segment Analyst, IBMworked with Dennis at TANGERINE Strategies, LLC



“Dennis is among those rare few that can translate complex business issues and opportunities into clear strategic plans. He’s demonstrated this time and again, including the development, positioning and launch of a new line of business into international markets. Additionally, his ability to collaborate among key business participants and then drive the process with deft leadership is only matched by his positive outlook and team-wide encouragement.”

Larry Siegel, Sr. Manager, VP, Marketing at Ventraq was with another company when working with Dennis at TANGERINE Strategies, LLC



“Dennis is solid team player who knows how to get things done in the area of product management and marketing. We worked together on several product launches into Latin America where his knowledge of the "big picture", help to develop and execute the right strategies.”

Fred Miller II, Vice President of Client Services at Schottenstein, Zox & Dunn

Deeply troubled businesses don't usually seek help... Why?

Many small to mid-sized businesses that need help the most are least likely to ask for it. Why? The most critical issue centers with the owner or manager. Small wonder that owners of troubled businesses tend to shy away from seeking help from the outside. They know that they will have to do some serious self examination. This, according to Richard Farson, author of Managing the Absurd, which is required reading for Executive MBA candidates.

I could not agree more. I have worked with many entrepreneurs, owners and senior managers of small and medium sized businesses. Some of the most skeptical and change resistant leaders have been those of companies who's positions in the market have degraded or are stagnating at best.

Please share your thoughts with Dennis at dennisparis@tangerinestrategies.com

China Market Expansion - Effective Communications

In response to my offer to research answers to questions about China business practices during my past residency there, a senior executive in the pharmaceutical industry asked about the best way to effectively communicate with the Chinese.  While there is much written about this subject on the Internet, the following is a result of my own research while in Beijing and Shanghai.

It really all depends on what you are trying to accomplish with your communications. Let’s take the high road and assume that you are trying to develop early relationships that will ultimately lead to a successful business transaction. Let’s also assume that defining “effective communications” with the Chinese in the context of this response are those that contribute to “developing necessary relationships”. Keep in mind that even in this scenario, there are a multitude of possibilities, but in general the following would be valuable to consider.

What I learned was that developing relationships with Chinese business people is only one value chain outcome of successful communications. Regardless of communicating from half way around the world, and what percentage of communications are “lost in translation”, the big picture is really about developing the right type of, and volume of relationships over a long enough period of time to build the necessary “Relationship Assets"!

So, the operative term here is “relationship assets”, and in an attempt to answer this question, putting a communication strategy in place that enables you to develop such assets, is much different than how one might define “successful communications”. A term that you may or may not be familiar with is “Guanxi”. You can find the definition in Wikipedia (sourced via: Gold, Thomas, Douglas Guthrie, and David Wank. 2002. Social Connections in China: Institutions, Culture and the Changing Nature of Guanxi. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ) as: “Guanxi describes the basic dynamic in personalized networks of influence, and is a central idea in Chinese society. Two Western common translations of guanxi as "connections" and "relationships" do not come close to sufficiently reflect the wide cultural implications that guanxi describes.” I would suggest that you go to the URL.. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guanxi#cite_ref-1 to read about this practice in greater detail. 

In its purest form, guanxi is central to business practiced in China. The better that a Western business person understands this practice, the greater the chance of a successful communication and relationship development outcome.

It describes how two people are connected whereas one may request of the other to conduct a favor or vis-a-versa. Guanxi is also described as a network of relationship assets that you can call on to progress a business proposition. And guanxi is also translated as an understanding between parties, that each is aware of each other’s “wants and needs” and each will “take them into account when deciding her/his course of future actions…”

In this regard, the relationship building value chain might look something like this.

1. First wave/initial communication to establish awareness of a business proposition.

2. Second wave follow-up communications to identify wants and needs of mutual interest.

3. Third wave of follow-up communications with a greater detail of the business proposition and reaffirmation of mutual interests.

4.  Forth wave/advanced communications that seek to identify other important relationship network additions OR, a parallel sequence of similar communications with other supporting business AND Government contacts previously identified as important to the business proposition.

5. Fifth wave of communications that continue to move relationship assets toward the same end of consummating a successful business proposition. 

Keep in mind that there are a lot of variations to the above scenario, however I am simply trying to demonstrate the need for a communication strategy that entails specific objectives for multiple waves of communications, before the first one is launched. I am also emphasizing the need for truly “developing” a relationship that goes far beyond trust, but one that takes time so that both parties share some common interest and ideally a life-event that each will feel a deeper desire to help with a successful business transaction.

The remaining element of maximizing communication effectiveness is to tweak the core message that works with customers in all markets, to account for differences in the local Chinese culture. This is just good international marketing practice.

China is a country of vastly different regional cultures and include at least 6 – 8 primary languages. For instance, the translator in Shanghai made an overt attempt to clarify that Shanghai is not China, and that China is not Shanghai. Her comments were very apparent as I witnessed the stark contrast between the apparent people’s spirit, dress, wealth, pace and the cuisines between Shanghai and Beijing. 

To this end, spend a little time conducting some research not only on business culture and etiquette differences with China, http://edition.cnn.com/2011/10/21/business/china-business-investors-culture, but also on cultural differences within China; http://www.quickmba.com/mgmt/intl/china/ 

OK, so here’s the deal. The fact is that on the current economic trajectory that China finds itself, it has a shot at becoming the largest global economic power in 15 – 20 years. Of course there are many factors that need to align for this to occur, but for sure, they are on there way and China wants this to happen. From a communication perspective, the implication is that virtually every business in the United States if not already, will be affected by what China produces, even their wage inflation (as high as 15%-20%), as well as their GDP growth. So, every foreign industry that conducts business with China needs to understand how to best communicate and develop relationship assets with China.

I also discovered that China is very much aware of its need to move from their primary position as a manufacturing powerhouse toward, becoming a global service provider. The implication of this strategy is obvious. Learn to leverage what China has to offer. Learn to communicate effectively with China.   

This, was a great question!

NEW PRODUCT/SERVICE DEVELOPMENT: Why New Product Initiatives Fail

If you attended my speech at a past IFAI EXPO business track on "Growing Your Business Through New Product Development" at the Orlando Convention Center, or not for that matter, consider this..

Only about 54%* of New Product Development (NPD) Initiatives and 65%* of New Product Launches actually succeed…

Conversely, why do so many fail? There are several reasons why an NPD initiative can fail, but in my experience, it all comes down to these 3 central reasons;

1. Voice of customer was not taken into consideration.
2. There was no process in place.
3. The business culture was not supportive.

Before beginning your NPD initiative, make sure that you;

(A) Get your staff or employees on the same page with regard to what you are trying to achieve with your new strategy

(B) Select the best New Product or Service Development process to use

(C) Embrace the voice of the customer in your innovation process

*Source: Booze-Allen & Hamilton

Brought to you by Dennis Paris of Tangerine Strategies, LLC.


Please share your experiences with dennisparis@tangerinestrategies.com

Before Investing In New Product Development

Make sure that your operation's capabilities meet or exceed the requirements of your new product development project BEFORE you make a major investment! Assess every requirement before investing in equipment, manpower or even 3rd party manufacturing resources including, but not limited to engineering, production, procurement, sales/marketing and customer services.

Recently, I listened to a horror story by an entrepreneur who took a new product concept to a manufacturing company that boasted a high level of engineering expertise. They reviewed the complexed product specifications and gave it a thumbs-up but missed one attribute of expertise that led to failure...precision.

After $400,000 was invested in new machinery and tooling, it was discovered that the level of precision necessary to convert the drawings into a properly functioning product, exceeded their engineering skill and equipment capabilities. Numerous production attempts consistently fell short of market worthiness and the investment was lost.

Determine if your new product development concept strategically fits your business or that of a 3rd party's manufacturing operation. Identify ALL of the requirements of your new product's attributes and then examine products with similar attributes that have successfully gone through the same engineering, design and manufacturing process. Leave no stone unturned.

Posted by Dennis Paris, Tangerine Strategies, dennisparis@tangerinestrategies.com