Strategic Prospecting Plan Szolyd Concrete Corp.
Project scope
Categories
Communications Market research Sales strategy Marketing strategySkills
competitive assessment environmental review marketing communications market assessment basic financial analysisHeritage restoration projects are usually done by specialists. There are a small number of architects. engineers, contractors and masons that specialise in heritage restoration. They tend to be regional in focus and commonly work together on projects in their area. Ownership of heritage buildings is often government, non-profits like churches or developers maintaining a building or façade as part of a new development project. Our enquiries can come from any of these participants. We would like the students to help us better understand the market dimensions and how best to raise our profile within the heritage community.
We are usually contacted when the project planning is well underway. It may already be at a request for proposal stage with terra cotta specified in the tender documents. It is important that we find a way to make the market more aware of our services in anticipation that they will contact us for general information earlier in the planning process.
There are associations like the Canadian Association of Heritage Professionals (CAHA) that have search functions to find heritage professionals in a specific area. We have successfully done a major project in Portland and have provided information for projects in Seattle and Oakland California. We think our overall market is North America and would appreciate assistance from the students to prioritise our market focus.
About the company
The company sells pre-cast concrete from Ultra High Performance Concrete called Ductal under a sublicense from Lafargeholsim. www.Ductal.com It was owned by a sole proprietor. It limped from feast to famine as it would get a relatively large job that required multiple staff and then burn money waiting for the next project to come in. I mentor MBA students and start-ups from a technology incubator and agreed to mentor this company although it was insolvent. After getting to know the product and the opportunities I suggested that the only way for the company to succeed was to recapitalise it with "smart money" We recently started a new company with a group of 6 shareholders with expertise in manufacturing, production and operational efficiencies. They all run their own companies. From a project perspective the company has had success with Art Projects, landscape furnishings like planters and benches, commercial cladding and heritage restoration. I feel like our options are to focus on the low hanging fruit or to try and ramp up each vertical through strategic alliances with others. I do not have the basic information required to make informed decisions. We require information on the respective market size of each vertical, the barriers of entry, the competition and potential partners. For example we are quoting multi-million commercial cladding contracts in partnership with a bridge building company.