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

NEW PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT: Clearing Up The FUZZY Front End... The PIC Exercise

New Product Development “PIC” Exercise

Successful companies translate their corporate strategy into a strategic policy for common vision before initiating the NPD process.

(PIC) Product Innovation Chart:

A 1-2 page document that gets everyone in the organization on the same page (finance, sales, engineering, production, reception). The PIC includes, at a high level;

1. Back ground of product line
2. Customers
3. Market places
4. Core competencies
5. How to make and sustain product advantage
6. Product goals and objectives
7. Tactical approach to market place


The PIC accelerates critical discussions between Engineering and Marketing. It's not difficult to do and takes about 1-2 hours to complete. It is simplistic yet powerful!

Brought to you by Dennis Paris of Tangerine Strategies, LLC
Please share your experiences with dennisparis@tangerinestrategies.com

Business Strategy and Planning: What's at risk?

Businesses that operate solely on near term customer perspectives versus a forward looking, market based strategy, carry considerable risk to future growth, particularly due to the shifting economy, and changes in your market's value perceptions. Unlike in the past, current market instability requires more than relying on your sales rep "bagging" the next project, in effect, to save the day...or the next couple of months.

What amazes me is how often business owners and CEOs admit to not having a long or even a short term business plan. And of the business plans that do exist, many do not consider future growth scenarios and projections. They mostly emphasize the obvious, including near term sales projections and not much more.

A forward looking business plan and strategy is crucial to laying the foundation for perspectives and actions that lead to sustainability and future growth. Furthermore, a forward looking plan often results in near term incremental growth, mainly because of new actions taken to support your future plan. For example, product or service market repositioning and expansion, or something as innocuous as recharging your management and staff with a "believable vision" based on solid planning. Future growth planning also positively impacts near term profitability through a review of activity based costing, and the crafting of a new product or service commercialization plan, will typically generate "new" customer interest during market assessments that coincide with an appropriate process for the planning of your new products. Moreover, the surprise to many companies is that, this new customer interest develops around "existing products", as well as with your new impending products and services. In many ways, forward looking planning becomes a super food to the health of your business!

The bottom line is that now more than ever, business strategy, planning and of course execution are critical elements to your business' sustainability and future growth. End of story...Dropping the Microphone!

Dennis Paris

Innovation/New Product Development Case Study

One of Tangerine Strategies' case studies that has gotten quite a bit of attention is about a Military Contract Manufacturer that engaged our Innovation/New Product Development Services. What is striking about this case study is that, like so many small to mid-sized companies, attempts to develop and commercialize new products result in an extraordinarily high failure rate or, do not achieve expected returns on investment.

Ehmke Manufacturing Inc. did attempt twice to commercialize new products without a structured process and on the 3rd attempt, they engaged our expertise to install a custom process, coach the senior team, help U.S. Special Ops military personnel with transitioning to a product manager role, and then assist with all aspects of planning and commercialization. Since the writing of this case study, Ehmke has hired additional personnel to support this growing business unit.

Read more at:  Ehmke Manufacturing, Inc. Case Study

Visit Ehmke's new business unit on line to understand more about the product line addressed in the case study at:
http://www.highgroundgear.com/

Problems We Solve for Clients

• Business Is Slowing Down or Declining


• Business Is Struggling To Get To The Next Level


• Current Marketing Practices Are Ineffective Or Questionable


• There Is Speculation About The Success Of A New Product Or Service Launch Without A Foundational Strategy


• Confusion About How To Test, Best Position Or Enter The Market With A Newly Invented Product.

Copyright © Dennis Paris, 2016

What executives struggling with execution should learn from the Presidential election!

AN INSIGHTFUL PARALLEL TO A PAST PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION. A GEM OF A BLOG-ARTICLE AND A MUST READ FOR ALL BUSINESS EXECUTIVES!

Written by Elliot Schreiber, Ph.D., one of the world's most knowledgeable and insightful business and market strategists.

The related BLOG will provide you with a thought provoking topic and is meant to stimulate fresh thinking about your business' strategy. This information might make a few recipients, out of thousands reading this blog, just a little uncomfortable. Actually, that is exactly its intent! This BLOG is meant to convey some fresh thinking that can without question, help to make your business more successful.

PLEASE READ THE ENTIRE BLOG-ARTICLE ON THIS TOPIC BY CLICKING ON:
"What Executives Struggling With Execution Should Learn From The Presidential Election."
or cut and past the following into your URL address window: http://schreiberbartgroup.com/article-details.php?id=108#.UJ186GnBI34

TIP: When you read this BLOG, think about both your entire business (as a CXO or Owner), as well as your own department (if you have departmental responsibile).  Feel free to let me know your thoughts after reading this article!

Best wishes,

Dennis  

Dennis Paris
Tangerine Strategies, LLC
dennisparis@tangerinestrategies.com

What does Failure and a Business Growth Strategy have in common?

... POOR EXECUTION.

Through out my 30 years in business, either on the consulting or on the client side, or in small or even large businesses, how STRATEGY EXECUTION is handled has been one of the top causes of failure. Notice that I did not say "strategy failure".

Ironically, or maybe I should say understandably, the blame is almost always placed on the strategy, where in most cases, the strategy is sound. So we have 3 issues here, a.) what can go wrong with execution, b.) why is the strategy usually the blame and c.) how to assure good strategy execution?

What can, and almost always goes wrong with execution is that while all of the focus is on building perceived value (PV) in the customer market, generating simultaneous PV among the company's employees and its investors (bank, private and/or shareholders) is completely neglected. The results include;

• Internal tension between support groups, particularly between Sales and Operations.
• Disconnects on what the strategy is between executive management, middle management and staff.
• Confusion in the market over the company's evolving position, including a disconnect between its promises and, level of responsiveness by support resources.
• A decline in profitability.
• Misalignment between how investors or the board, view the company's direction and that of senior management.

These are only a few examples of the myriad of issues that can arise when execution does not have a plan of its own and, IT IS NOT IMPLEMENTED ACROSS ALL 3 TARGET AUDIENCES! I use the term "target audience" because of the importance of understanding that once we develop, through a meticulous plan of execution, perceived value among all 3 groups, everyone is on the same page. What results are enthusiastic and unsolicited levels of internal problem solving, planing and management of operational efficiencies, customer support and sales-enabling financial oversight. And the effort of all support functions become synergistic. This occurs when (a) everyone clearly understands the strategy and (b) they have translated their own perceptions of the strategy's value to their personal wealth, the wealth of their company and/or their investment in the company.

Once, through proper execution, PV is intentionally developed among the company's investors, management teams, employees and customer markets, something almost magical occurs; efficiencies increase, costs decline, profit goes up, quality goes up, responsiveness increases and the value of your product or service rises. This translates to the movement of your product or services' value, closer to the "price ceiling" in the market place. Simply put, the market will pay more for your product.

This unified synergy is seldom experienced by companies who's strategies have been blamed as the reason for failure. And why not blame strategy? Because the profound effect of (integrated) PV across customers, staff and investors is simply not understood, and rarely experienced! It is easier to blame the strategy when in fact, without effective (connected) execution, a good strategy never had a chance.

So, to assure good strategy execution, a company must factor into the post strategy development timeline, an execution plan that includes not only staff or department readiness, but how to generate a realistic level of perceived value, and what behavior this PV is expected to generate! Not much different than sales and market tactics that target specific customer and market-wide behaviors, a similar plan and tactics executions are required to knit together, a strategy execution engine that will optimize success.

Have you experienced a winning execution plan that led to strategy success? Please share your story or thoughts!

I also want to give credit for the conceptual application of (PV) Perceived Value to Dr. Elliot Schreiber, past Professor of Marketing and Strategy at the LeBow College of Business at Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA. Dr. Schreiber was also the past Chair of the Schreiber-Bart Group, a strategy execution consulting company.

Is Budgeting Destructive? - Real Life Example

Flashback:  You can sense the tension in the board room as 3 of my Product Marketing LOB (line of business) management peers enter the darkened board room, only lit by the presentation screen, filled with Executive VPs and the CEO. All 4 LOB managers must accomplish 3 things, 1) present YTD budget results, successes, failures, causes, lessons learned, impact on business and financials and 2) present the best way for the remainder of the year's budget to be applied so as to optimize business objectives and, 3) propose the next year's budget requirements for their respective LOB's with enough external market trend data, internal sales projections and financial sensibility to just hope, that they appear to know what they are talking about. One by one, we each present, 60 - 90 minutes in length during which time we receive, absorb, deflect or down right choke on questions dished by the corporate governing body. Questioning is aggressive in a "take no prisoners" style. The body heat in the room noticeably rises with each presentation. We all know what's on the line. Some of us will be winners and receive what we asked for. Others will be loosers and not receive even what was approved in the current year and someone could be (and one was) terminated for presenting flawed data. That's a 25% mortality rate, which is pretty high.


The fact is, that we (each of 4 LOB managers) logged in on average 50+% of our time for 2 - 3 months of preparation for this annual blood bath, and about 10% - 15% of each week (or approximately 240 hours) during the remainder of the year was dedicated to budget analysis and reporting. In fact, all of our year-long actions and programs were enabled solely by the budgeting and approval process. Performance against budget remained central to our individual reviews. Bonuses were measured against revenue and budget management. The thick of politics constantly revolved around the budget. It was a never ending cycle...

An Executive MBA graduate school professor asked a room full of experienced EMBAs, is budgeting bad for business?  The overwhelming answer...The typical budgeting process has been, and still is one of the most destructive processes within a corporation. Good opportunities are missed, destructive politics and the character of good people become questionable. It's bad but, it's a necessary evil.

Question: Is it a necessary evil? How can we make it less destructive?

Are Budgets Bad for Business?

Here's an oldie but a goodie... an opposite view of "Budgeting is good for business";

1. They control the wrong things and miss the right ones.

2. They erect walls.

3. They assume that everything is translatable to dollars, but just because a budget was not over spent, doesn't mean that it was well spent.

4. They create distorted behavior, managers do incredibly stupid things to make budget.

5. They do not measure value creation.

(source: “Why Budgets Are Bad for Business,” Fortune, June 4, 1990)

Manufacturing Risk! What, no business plan?

Even a contract manufacturers that operates solely by a near term customer perspective versus a longer term market based strategy, assumes considerable risk to growth, and even its survivability. Unlike in the past, current market instability requires more than to rely on a sales rep bagging the next project, in effect, to save the day...or the next couple of months.

What amazes me is how often, even a mid-sized manufacturer, admits to not having a business plan. And of the business plans that do exist, many do not reflect a prediction of the future, but more of a near sighted view for the obvious, essentially a sales-plan. A forward looking business plan is crucial to laying the foundation for perspectives and actions that lead to sustainability, and future growth.

An important element of the plan comes from listening to the market for shifting needs and new or potential trends that have near or long term consequences. Changing competitive influences and industry wide trends provides the additional fuel for a projection of 2 or 3 possible strategies that a manufacturer will be poised to adopt, depending on future market conditions.

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

Manufacturing and the importance of innovation...

An article in the Autumn 2011 edition of Strategy and Business pointed out not only how important innovation is to the manufacturer itself, but to the U.S. economy. It stated that; In 2008, 67 percent of all private sector RnD was by manufacturing companies, according to the National Science Foundation. Innovation propels improvements in worker output, capital flow, usage of materials and energy among other components of productivity. Increased productivity leads to faster economic growth and higher standards of living. And from 2006 to 2008, 22 percent of U.S. manufacturing companies reported a new or significantly improved product, service or process, compared with only 8 percent of non-manufacturing companies. Trends of this nature are still relevant today.

From my vantage point as a market strategist and a new product development (NPD) process advisor, for a manufacturer that generates all of its revenue through custom contracts, very little investment is required to explore opportunities that leverage its future with either an improved production process or new commercialized product. A flexible NPD process offers a manufacturer the benefits of a "creeping commitment" and strong guidance to accumulate enough data to support the decision to take the leap!

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

600,000 Unfilled Manufacturing Jobs!

During the "great recession" I was commissioned by the Manufacturing Alliance of Philadelpiha to develop a long term strategy for growth. During my research, in addition to City Council members and the Department of Commerce, I interviewed CEOs and Owners of small, medium and large manufacturers throughout the Philadelphia metropolitan area. One discovery back then, at the height of the recession, was a consistent theme of open job positions that could not be filled due the unavailability of applicants with fundamental skills, like eye and hand coordination, shop math etc...

Another was a complaint about the decline in employee work ethic that directly impacts productivity and firings that contributed to the challenge of filling positions. Now, add one last challenge associated with interviewing large numbers of applicants for each position and the vetting of potential candidates with frequent drug test failures, and having to begin the process over again.

Compare these past findings to the frightening levels of unemployment that we are "very" slowly recovering from, and there seems to be a serious disconnect. While most would say that fiscal and monetary policies have not done enough to stimulate consumption, productivity, nor to add jobs fast enough, I question if there is a disconnect between high unemployment, and the large number of open positions in manufacturing?

Fast forward to current day, where I recently sat in an Innovation and Manufacturing symposium at the LeBow College of Business at Drexel University. I listened to nationally recognized Economists who advise the President, make a case for an obvious correlation between innovation and growth in production capacities. A case was also made for the widening skills gap between manufacturing and the current labor force, and unemployment.

At the end of the presentations I asked the following question: "When you speak of steep employment declines in manufacturing and a widening skills gap, how are the hundreds of thousands (roughly *600,000 nationally) of current open job positions in this sector factored into your analysis, considering many positions require only foundational skills, like hand-eye coordination, shop math, measuring skills and speaking English? Imagine the immediate uptick in employment, in manufacturing productivity, in GDP, if these OPEN jobs were filled!" I also mentioned the work ethic finding.

The answer went something like this: Good Point! There does appear to be another layer of data here worth considering and, the work ethic issue does represent a shift in social patterns around which some studies have been done.

The point here is that we are focused almost exclusively on how to create more jobs... Completely understandable given the unemployment rate at that time. BUT, six hundred thousand unfilled positions (600,000) is a lot of jobs waiting to be filled, wouldn't you say? And the more time that passed, the wider the skills gap becomes. The same can be said about widening competency gaps today!

Do we rely on the Government to lead the way? Probably not. Manufacturing associations and alliances should increase collaborations with the Government for funding of proven models that foster strong partnerships between the education system and national manufacturing sectors. Manufacturer's should also take responsibility for employee training while taking advantage of state training funding. And finally, we have to reinstill a sense of place for manufacturing among our younger students, so that they envision a career in this sector.

I am not suggesting that these ideas are revolutionary, as there are disparate programs in place to help workers re-skill or to develop foundational skills. But I am suggesting that this effort be driven on a national level to ensure a multiplier effect on the strengthening of US Manufacturing. One such program here in Philadelphia is the Job Ready Program that is run by the Manufacturing Alliance of Philadelphia.

About Tangerine Strategies

Tangerine Strategies helps business owners, senior management teams and boards with meeting their organization's market-growth objectives. Our unique methods are employed through a series of product, market and competitive assessments, strategy development and execution planning that leads to predictable and effective market selections, product innovations and marketing tactics. The beauty of our approach is that Clients witness an increase in market interest during strategy development and prior to investment in tactical strategy executions.

Tangerine Strategies' Clients enjoy a close, collaborative relationship, working together to build a solid foundational or intervening business strategy and, an execution plan that aligns 100% with the strategy. Our goal is to guide our Clients to significantly strengthen their products, services, market positions, and to optimize their ROI on investments in sales and marketing. To do this, we offer a flexible set of customized services that help our Client's to achieve their unique business objectives.

We are high-energy and highly-experienced in strategic and creative market growth, product innovation and new product develop process implementations. We also bring to our Clients, decades of high profile experience with small, medium and large businesses throughout North, South America and Rest of World markets. We offer customized on-site and long-distance domestic and international services, designed to meet our Client's unique requirements.

Dennis Paris
Tangerine Strategies LLC

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