The line between manufacturing success and market success can often trip up the most promising of products. At The Highlands Group, we can help you translate one into the other with in depth market analysis on feasibility, cost of entry, product viability and expected sales. If the waters look right for you to enter, we can then develop a comprehensive sales and marketing plan that gives you the most return on your investment.

Our consulting services are a benefit of our National Services, including:

• Market research
• Consumer insight
• Product viability and market feasibility analysis
• Costs and barriers to entry
• Access to key decision makers
• Formulation of Sales and Marketing plans
• Sales and collateral material development and review

The Highlands Group Consulting Services

Launching into the Office Products channel can be a very rewarding move. But it helps if you insure your success with an accurate understanding of how all the pieces will come together. Our Office Products Consulting Services help you capitalize on our comprehensive insight and access to consumers, resellers, distributors and suppliers to find out exactly where and how your product fits into the channel. Our areas of expertise include:

• Product Introductions - If you have a new product, line or line extension, we can help you manage it so that you don't waste time or money getting to market. We have in-depth knowledge of the rigid schedules for product presentations and placement. We can help you create product awareness and demand that works in concert with the product lifecycle.
• Market Feasibility - Is there a market for your product? You might be surprised how varied the demand in this category is. However, it is well worth your time to verify that the demand includes your product. We use proven research techniques that reach out directly to key decision makers to see exactly what they think of having your product(s) at their disposal.
• Product Viability - Is your product ready for the market? We can also use our research to trouble shoot your product to make sure that has the greatest chance of success with consumers. This can help you nail down price, design, marketing and other variable factors.
• Expected Sales - We are able to compile market data and use historical comparison to give you an indication of the sales volume you can anticipate based on distribution, price and marketing.
• Cost of Entry - Do the ends justify the means? We'll help you figure out what kind of initial investment it will take to get up and running with your launch. We have a knowledge of the program requirements for primary resellers and distributors as well as the operational capabilities you will need to address the needs of resellers. If there are already contractual obligations in place that hinder your entry, we will know about that in advance.
• Decision makers - Often it's a single person's decision that affects the product usage for an entire company. We have spent years getting to know 2500 of these influencers on a first name basis. Our strong relationships throughout the industry give us a broad range of insight and expertise.
• Competitive insight - We are constantly monitoring the competitive landscape to share every possible advantage with our clients. We have a fairly broad understanding of almost every supplier in the Office Products channel.

Developing your Sales & Marketing Plan

When you decide to move forward with an Office Products sales strategy, we will then develop a comprehensive sales and marketing plan that incorporates our strategies for the Office Products channel.

Market Research

The most valuable information you can have as a marketer is accurate insight into what your target customer really wants or needs. Yet the Office Products consumer, and the key contacts that make decisions for that consumer, can be difficult to track down and ask. Not for The Highlands Group however.

As a result of our years and experience in the business, we regularly call on key decision makers all down the line of the Office Products channel. Therefore it is easier for us to compile national surveys of real target consumers to get information on workplace dynamics, usage, satisfaction as well as existing needs and wants within the Office Products category. These reports will be delivered to you with a clear and concise breakout of specific metrics as they apply to your product or line.