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FAQ
How do I do business with Market Plan Engineering?
You can contact our Managing
Partner. We'll schedule a call to discuss the help you need and if
there is a mutual interest we will respond with a proposal and draft
engagement letter.
What can MPE do for a firm that already has a marketing department?
If you already have marketing department we will be able to help
structure the goals and objectives of that function and align them with
the longer term goals of promoting and positioning a product family. We
specialize in evaluating “what if” scenarios that your current business
doesn't leave time for you to accomplish.
How much does it cost?
The first year cost of outsourcing the product marketing function to our
firm will be about $100,000.
For comparison, the market rate of a single marketing executive with
equivalent experience to any one of our principal consultants would be
about $250,000 per year, with an expectation of stock options, benefits,
and an incentive plan; when benefits and payroll taxes are included, this
cost would quickly jump to at least $300,000.
Our business development support can be provide on a base retainer with
ad hoc billing of additional hours at a $185/hour base rate. After
6-months we will be open to negotiating a performance based incentive
plan.
I know a firm that could really use your services; will I get a referral
fee?
Yes. We pay for referrals after the engagement is activated and we
get paid. If you refer a firm in an industry in which you have a unique expertise
you may be able to act as an affiliate consultant on that engagement. In
that case you’d get the referral fee and be able to earn a bit more.
Do I work with an experienced Principal Consultant, or do I get some
snot-nosed kid from an Ivy League school who
just uses an internal reporting template and then tries to tell me about
my own business? I have been burned in the past by big firms doing just
that.
We assign a Principal Consultant or someone of equal or equivalent
expertise from your industry to every account. We have a few kids with
degrees from good schools in our network, but you will probably never see
anyone under the age of forty.
We know our technology, markets, and competencies; can we skip the
strategic bits and just get your help in developing sales tools?
Yes, we have resources to accomplish this for your firm. We encourage
this as a way to get to see the value in a broader strategic consulting
engagement. The terms of the engagement can be changed at any time to
include a strategic assessment of your product-lines to include pricing,
positioning, and sales channel placement.
Can you help us raise venture capital?
We can certainly advise you on the process and make sure that your
investment presentation reflects the strongest possible image and covers
all of the valid business concerns. Collectively our principals have
raised early stage venture capital from Alliance Technology Ventures,
Atlanta Technology Angles, Crystal Internet Ventures, Encina
Technology Ventures, Five Paces Ventures, Imlay Investments, Intelligent
Systems, and the Yamacraw fund. We have
consulted for Mohr Davidow Ventures, and have
the experience to guide clients through the venture funding process. That
having been said, we typically work for firms that have already been
funded through sales or prior investment.
Will you work for equity in our business?
No. You can propose warrants on preferred stock to negotiate a discounted
rate, but we don’t accept equity as payment.
Can I hire my consultant full-time?
No. Our consultants would command a bit more than $250k/year as a base if
they took a full-time job, they are working with
MPE because they do not want a traditional full-time job. If you manage
to get one to of our consultants to come to work for you full-time you'd
be expected to pay a negotiated finder’s fee to MPE.
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