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Management,
Training, Consulting |
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Strategic
Planning doesn't
have to be complicated; in fact, it's a form of common sense.
Figure out what it is you're doing, define it in the simplest
of terms, investigate who might want it, and devise a plan
that targets those people in (again) simple terms they can
relate to. Then find the outlets where these people are most
likely to be or go, and get your message out. People complicate
things, don't you think?
Clear
writing is critical. AdviceGuy Tom has convinced
people all over the place. Spearheading hands-on
projects, he's written and implemented clear marketing
and business plans and can do the same for you.
A few stories... |
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GNC,
in the Middle East -- against all odds. A
Saudi family company with no retail experience had taken
the master license for General Nutrition Centers across the
Middle East. Tom relocated to Riyadh and within the first
year staff and built a three-store operation (Riyadh, Jeddah
and Dharan), gained Ministry of Health licenses for over
3000 products that had never been sold in the Kingdom, and
in the second year set up processing, warehousing and distribution
facilities that served as the foundation for today's 20-store
operations in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain. The U.A.E. and
Lebanon, featuring the full range of GNC products. |
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National
Fish & Seafood Promotional Council -- Congress
passed legislation giving $10 million to the fish industry,
to combat bad press resulting from water pollution and stories
about hypodermic needle washing up on beaches. Tom joined
as executive director and with two able colleagues and an
assistant, with help from an ad agency, created a comprehensive
information program that over three years turned the image
tide for fish, and saw per-capita consumption rise over a
percentage point across the U.S. |
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TAP
Productions -- video production in the era of the BetaMax. In
the early 70s most corporate training and communication was
accomplished via pesky carousel projectors or, even worse,
the old Duquesne filmstrip machines. Tom founded TAP Productions
and developed an interactive training and marketing program,
on videotape, for Baskin-Robbins. In 1982 he staged one of
the first true teleconference in which franchises in 26 downlinked
cities interacted with management for a daylong seminar on
how better to manage their mostly teenage employees. |
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The
Appraisers' Registry -- a service business run from a suburban
home. An
appraisal company, an affiliation of all the major appraisers
around Boston, needed a fresh approach to its marketing.
Thought it collected dues from its members, and made a decent
percentage on sales, it had never developed an advertising
fund, so budgets were seriously limited. We created "quickie" reminder
ads to place in the Services Listings of professional trade
publications (attorneys and insurance brokers, who most often
are in the position to recommend appraisers), directing them
to a redesigned and upgraded website. We remade the company
i.d. and came up with Trust is Priceless, a header that describes
the essential function of the Registry -- a clearinghouse
for appraisers, for whom there is no defined or agreed-upon
industry license or standard. We wrote and designed a new
company newsletter and display ad. Results: for a remake
budget of under $8,000, we doubled traffic and revenue in
the first year. |
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DeWolfe Relocation
Tom developed and undertook a review of the
operations and marketing for this multi-million-dollar business
in the Boston metropolitan area. The results were implemented
and sales increased by double-digit percentages, while we succeeded
in bringing down costs. He joined the company as Senior VP of
Marketing, for 18 months following.
Baskin-Robbins Europe
The iconic ice cream company had been purchased
by an English company that did not understand the concept of
the popular American ice cream chain. The parent wanted to commercialize
B-R in Europe but went about it haphazardly and problems had
proliferated across six countries. I joined as a consultant and
was then hired as managing director, working to stop the bleeding
of the troubled division. After a deep and painful assessment,
with my staff I recommended a joint venture that ultimately saved
the day.
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