James Dorn, President

Heavy-Duty Commercial Operating Model: How an Industrial Machinery Manufacturer Grows Sales and Profit

In the competitive landscape of industrial equipment sales and marketing, achieving sustainable growth and profitability requires more than just innovation in products or services. It demands a strategic evolution that aligns vision, operations, and sales processes to meet the dynamic needs of customers while maximizing internal efficiencies. The story of Compass Systems and Sales, a leading provider of engineered material handling solutions, exemplifies this journey of transformation and success. https://youtu.be/soUBVLUoB0k Crafting the Blueprint: Strategic Vision and Foundational Framework At the heart of Compass Systems and Sales' journey was a strategic vision [...]

Heavy-Duty Commercial Operating Model: How an Industrial Machinery Manufacturer Grows Sales and ProfitJames Dorn2025-03-06T17:12:11-06:00

New Market Entry: How to Fuel Growth by Penetrating New Markets

Your manufacturing firm is constantly in pursuit of growth. But if there’s one thing that can derail your plans for advancement, it’s down cycles in your core markets. It’s fairly easy to keep pace with growth targets when times are good. But if you want your manufacturing firm to consistently outperform market growth, you must find ways to capture more market share even when your core markets are slowing down. New market entry, or market development, allows you to do just that. By leveraging your existing products into new markets, you [...]

New Market Entry: How to Fuel Growth by Penetrating New MarketsJames Dorn2021-11-17T08:44:27-06:00

How To Harness Brand Power to Expand Market Share and Inspire Loyalty

https://youtu.be/ePLryAht8x8 In a market where loyalty is fleeting, brand strategy can be the secret weapon for businesses looking to elevate their performance. Watch James Dorn and Jim Perdue explore the potential power rooted in your brand. Start with a clear and customer-centric value proposition. Evaluate and optimize the overall brand portfolio for maximum impact. Use the brand strategically to steal market share from competitors. Leverage the brand to enhance customer loyalty and maintain share of wallet. Address internal challenges related to cultural fit and employee alignment for effective brand representation. Thoughts? Questions? Ask us about [...]

How To Harness Brand Power to Expand Market Share and Inspire LoyaltyJames Dorn2024-02-12T16:09:43-06:00

Driving Demand with an Enterprise-Wide, End-User Segmentation Strategy

Manufacturing companies exist because of their customers. Yet companies that sell their products through distributors can all too easily forget about their end-users. After all, from the manufacturer’s perspective, distributors are their customers. In many respects, distributors make manufacturers’ lives easier. But unless manufacturers do the work of uncovering their core customer segments, they will always be at the mercy of distributors to drive demand and add value to their end-users. It's not that most manufacturing marketing strategies don't consider customer segmentation at all. It’s just that these efforts are often [...]

Driving Demand with an Enterprise-Wide, End-User Segmentation StrategyJames Dorn2022-08-11T15:19:34-05:00

Go Big or Go Home: How (and When) to Use Big Bets to Achieve Aggressive Growth

CEOs of manufacturing companies spend a lot of time thinking about growth and how best to pursue it. Is it wiser to play it safe with smaller initiatives that achieve modest growth with less risk? Or is it smarter to focus on fewer and bigger bets with higher levels of risk and reward? The answer to this question depends on your firm’s specific situation as well as what's happening in the marketplace. PE-backed firms and emerging firms seek aggressive growth by nature. These firms are accustomed to taking bigger bets in [...]

Go Big or Go Home: How (and When) to Use Big Bets to Achieve Aggressive GrowthJames Dorn2021-11-17T09:01:51-06:00