Marshall,
Your commentary is much appreciated and straight forward.
I agree, many companies come and go, even have viable products, but can't succeed without a marketing plan. That has always been my concern with Franklin in the past, and have discussed this at great length with Frank Peters.
My background was always marketing of consumer goods, so I quickly look for such, in a business plan. FNET's business plan seemed to be sketchy, but in place. Not much detail was provided. I was quick to point this out, and in return, was assured that a tremendous amount of effort and resources were going to be afforded to this segment of the business plan, once the $10 mill was raised.
That only addressed FNET, and I have always wondered why there was a lack of an aggressive sales force on the existing equipment that FTEL manufacturers. I was told that, due to budget constraints created by the R&D expenditures, and because the majority of business came from a loyal customer base of Fortune 100 companies that it was just a matter of priorities. This did however leave them at the mercy of ordering patterns, and therefore was reflected in the up and down qtrs over the past few years. I think more accurately stated, it reflected how bad the losses would be from quarter to quarter. It would also explain why they aren't exactly a household name in the high tech community.
But to assume that they are not known within the computer industry, would be a mistake also. Again, more accurately stated, Frank Peters is known by many of the mainstream computer guru's, on a first name basis. So, don't make the mistake that this is some wacky professor with a taped eyeglasses and a protractor hanging out of his shirt pocket.
His educational training was as a nuclear physisist, and even worked at the Jet Propulsion Labs, under one of the highest security clearances this country issues. So, let's face it, we're not talking about some fast talkin whizbang, that works off of some soapbox platform. His credentials also include IBM, where he to this day has a plaque hanging on mahogany row in LA Office of IBM and is part of the IBM Hall of Fame. OH, it has to do with sales, one of the largest orders on a single purchase order. So again, to make a judgement that he doesn't know his way around the block, would be another mistake.
But, back in FTEl's heyday (85 to 89) when they grew to a $48 million revenue base, he had a National Sales Manager that was a top notch honcho in the industry. From what I have been told, their renewed relationship is being discussed.
Marshall, as Debra so aptly put it, you would be best served to call Frank at 805.373.8688, I'm sure you would come away with a lot of answers to any questions you might have, including marketing plans for the immediate future.
Hope this helps,
Raleigh
BTW, I think Debra had another great idea, let's continue any conversations down on the Franklin thread, in fact I will copy this over there, and you can reply off that. |
