Companies get their starts from all manner of places. Some come from an imaginative spark mixed with the fuel of venture capital. Others emerge from creative teams at existing companies. But what are the attributes necessary for long-term success?

I’ve always subscribed to the belief that winning companies have a rock solid combination of strategy and leverage – having one without the other isn’t enough to succeed in many cases.

That’s why I see great things ahead for Anura Strategies’ latest client: Conveyorware. Conveyorware is combined set of software systems for companies that manage inventories of one kind or another. The solution connects a full-fledged accounting system with other necessary functions including, point-of-sale, order processing, customer management, warehouse management, barcoding, etc. – almost everything you’d need to handle the operations end of a business, once sales and marketing have done their job.

So where does Conveyorware find its strategy and leverage?

First and foremost, what makes Conveyorware different is where the company gains its leverage – it’s been built by businesses that needed to perform the same tasks as its new clients do. Conveyorware was founded by a serial entrepreneur who had already built a couple of major corporations (House of Imports, Homedics and Ferber Warehousing) that also had significant and complex supply and demand chain needs. The Conveyorware software was developed and perfected in house while it was used to run and grow each of these companies. In fact, at Ferber Industries, some of the world’s largest manufacturers and retailers count on Conveyorware to ensure tracking and delivery of shipments everyday. This is leverage – customers like dealing with a company that truly understands their business challenges.

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As for strategy, Conveyorware stands out in three major ways:

1. Pricing: The software can be categorized in the ERP family of systems, but to do so might cause some to overlook its potential relevance to their organization – chiefly because Conveyorware is priced at a fraction of the cost of most of these kinds of systems.
2. Product Packaging: Conveyorware is an extraordinarily robust software system available via the cloud or as an on-premise license. The solution offers 10+ system modules for which most software companies would charge substantial upgrade fees to access. Conveyorware has built simplified packages, but does not charge tiered pricing to customers. The result is a simplified offering that will make it easier for channel partners to sell and customers to understand and buy.
3. Channel strategy: Conveyorware will make it easier for VARs and other system integrators to move into the lucrative SMB market. ERP systems have consistently carried enterprise-grade price tags, all but eliminating the possibility of a reasonable profit margin for companies attempting to sell and service these systems. With one of the industry’s most attractive commission structures, coupled with powerful software priced for SMB budgets, channel partners will be able to create a fair profit while helping SMB customers grow to their potential.

So where does Anura Strategies consulting services come into play within all of this? Well, I wish I could tell you, but if you were our client you probably wouldn’t want us going into all that detail either. However, true to our mission of helping clients “Leap Ahead,” suffice it to say that we’re one part team extension, one part objective counsel.

Stay tuned for updates!

• Scale Matters.

  For many years, I ran the business development function for a well-known technology focused marketing communications firm.  I formed Anura Strategies based on my experiences in that role and one key observation – there was a significant portion of the marketplace that was grossly underserved.

  Traditional agencies are great places with very talented people, but the business model of the traditional agency leaves a lot of companies on the outside looking in.  Neither company can afford to work with the other.

  A lot of innovative companies are born with sales and engineering cultures (we’ll call them SECs for short) – marketing is largely thought of as lead generation and sales support.  At some point, the network SECs depend upon to grow their companies begins to produce diminishing returns – they need a brand and marketing to soften the sales cycle with prospects that aren’t relying on the endorsement of a third-party as part of their decision-making process.

  

  Companies that find themselves in this position have a choice between a few basic directions:

  • Make a dedicated marketing hire – growing companies often debate about whether to hire a seasoned senior executive or someone early in their career development.  Both approaches have their pros and cons, but SECs often lack the first-hand knowledge to adequately evaluate the talent they interview and making the wrong hire is an expensive proposition.
  • Outsource marketing to a traditional agency – many SECs go in search of expert help and find that the minimum engagements that many traditional agencies require represent too large of a risk.  If they do decide to make the investment, SECs are ill-equipped to evaluate their potential partners and many are disappointed with the attention they receive, the results relative to the investment and become cynical toward the agency model.  The truth is that this is really a symptom of a scale issue – agency overhead and management models require a certain level of investment to turn a profit and SECs are often challenged to fully utilize what the agency has to offer.

  We formed Anura Strategies to address this issue and have developed  a business model that allows us to engage SECs in a manner that is flexible and more aligned to their needs.  Our model allows us to provide clients senior level expertise at a much more modest investment level until their business grows to the point where a traditional agency is a better and more realistic fit.

  Give us a call.  Leap Ahead!