Highland Team Newsletter (July 19, 2002)
Highland Team continues to work with companies to create revenue-enhancing
go-to-market strategies and programs to launch and grow business.
In this newsletter, we'll share some of the insights and articles
we've been using to help our clients succeed in today's environment.
In this issue:
Positioning - 7 Reasons to Think or
Rethink Your Positioning
In today's environment, making sure you have the right positioning
is imperative. You must both differentiate yourself from other
companies and fulfill a crucial and compelling need that your
customers have. If you are having difficulty launching and growing
your business, you may need to rethink your positioning and messaging
to capture a uniquely differentiating and customer relevant position
that maximizes your revenues and ROI. Read
the 7 reasons to rethink your positioning now.
Highland Team Partners with Hyde Park
Group to offer Breakthrough Positioning Methodology
To further strengthen the positioning expertise of Highland Team,
we've recently joined forces with the Hyde Park Group, specialists
in positioning and branding. Too many times, positioning takes
place in an internal group, around a table, hashing out the words
to use but not validating with customers. The Hyde Park Group
combines analytical investigation with a positioning workshop
featuring scenarios where company leaders must compete in front
of customers for interest and share of mind and delivers breakthrough
results. See our News section for more
information and success stories.
Build, Buy or Partner, How To Speed Your Time
to Market, or So Little Time, So Many Choices
Recently, I gave a speech with Norma Watenpaugh of the Phoenix
Consulting group, to the Product Development and Management Association
on speeding time to market through buying or partnering with other
companies. We focused on the decision-making methodologies companies
can use to determine whether to build, buy or partner to bring
new products or extensions of products to market. Each strategy
has a place in a company's product portfolio, and decisions must
focus on risk/control analysis, time to market factors, where
in the technology adoption curve a product fits and whether a
company can deliver a whole product strategy by themselves. Building
is more risky, as environments and technology may change while
you are building, but allows for more control. Partnering is the
least risky strategy, but also provides less control. If a company
is early in the technology adoption curve, building usually makes
sense. Later in the curve, buying or partnering helps companies
get to market quickly. You can download the presentation at www.highlandteam.com,
go to the Information Corner, and download the Powerpoint slides.
If you'd prefer a White Paper, please send me an e-mail at dhenken@highlandteam.com.
IDC selects Highland Team as Authorized
Implementation Partner for Global Software Partnering and Alliances
Group
To further strengthen the resources of Highland Team in
the channel and partner development area, we are pleased to announce
that Highland Team has been selected by the Global Software
Partnering and Alliances Group of IDC as an Authorized Implementation
Partner. Highland Team can now add value to client engagements
by bringing the methodologies, research, and analysts from the
group into channel development projects, even if clients don't
subscribe to the service. We also now bring implementation services
to IDC clients to turn research into actionable results. For more
information, see the Global
Software Partnering Web site. If you need channel strategy
and implementation consulting, contact us at dhenken@highlandteam.com.
Other News
I've recently been asked to join the board of the Silicon Valley
American Marketing Association. If you haven't attended meetings
lately, do consider it. The Association has added many new programs
including member-only educational events, in-depth workshops,
and special events. Some of the workshops I've recently attended
include Creativity in Business, Marketing after The Bubble, and
a program I arranged with IDC for members on their newest research
on Influencer channels. For marketing education and networking,
you won't find better. For more information, see www.svama.org.
We've recently been helping clients identify market opportunities,
validate product ideas, analyze the best channels to penetrate specific
markets and create and implement marketing plans. If you need help
in these area, or know someone who does, contact us at dhenken@highlandteam.com.
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