YOUR BUSINESS: Ashok Nalamalapu

Attention to detail can be key to survival

Copyright © 2004 Blethen Maine Newspapers Inc.

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File photo Ashok Nalamalapu is president of iCST in South Portland. iCST develops custom software and provides contract software engineers and integration services. He can be reached at ashok@ i-cst.com, at www.i-cst.com, or by calling 772-6898.

Business is an art, and we can make it beautiful by paying attention to details, using the right resources and constantly improving business processes and skills. Great companies pay attention to people, marketing, sales, customer service, legal matters, company vision, finances, product development and execution.

George Hogan, vice president of software development at Inovant (a subsidiary of VISA International), says, "Hiring the right people is perhaps the most important task a manager undertakes. Hiring mistakes are very expensive to a company and are typically a reflection of the interview process. Be equally up front with the exciting aspects of the position you are interviewing for, as well as the challenges of that position."

He says, "Finding the right person for a job is not necessarily finding the person with the most talent or the most experience." He looks for talented candidates with strong skills, and for people who fit into the company's culture.

Hogan believes that "creating a dynamic, collaborative and fun environment can really increase productivity as well as inspire creativity." He says, "At Inovant, we have tried to create an environment that is collaborative and open by utilizing a combination of technology (e.g. wireless), office design and process."

Marketing skills also are vital to a successful company.

Chris McCormick, CEO of L.L. Bean, says, "Marketing campaigns are pursued in countless ways, but the goal of all efforts should be to inform and remind consumers of why they deserve you, and you them.

"Even the most basic commodities - water, milk, gasoline, etc. - are branded and marketed in an attempt to remind us why one product should be chosen above all others. I think we all tend to view activities like advertising and customer outreach as the most pervasive and obvious forms of marketing.

"But marketing is a very broad discipline - one that extends to every corner of the business where there is the potential for customer interaction. Anyone who loses sight of this fact is likely missing opportunities to bolster their message."

McCormick adds, "Brand building is very much the process of identifying, qualifying and institutionalizing the attributes you want most readily associated with your company or product. However, one can't lose sight of the fact that brand credibility is consumer driven, so you better take care to see that your marketing efforts are consistent with the reality of the customer experience.

McCormick says, "The key to successful brands and the marketing efforts that sustain them is consistency - consistency of product, service and experience."

After marketing a product, businesses need to sell it well to succeed.

Steve Waterhouse of Waterhouse Group, a national sales consultancy company, says, "Every company and product must have a value to the customer to be successful. The best companies have both value and a unique advantage that differentiates them from the competition. The better a company is at matching their value and uniqueness to the prospect that needs it, the more successful they will be. The goal of sales is to solve customers' problems."

Waterhouse says a successful sales team has a clear understanding of the ideal customer. "They will have a clear plan of action, high motivation, sharp selling skills and a willingness to learn. Management needs to hire well, train better and motivate for success."

For prospecting, he suggests that you start by defining ideal customers. Determine a means of identifying them, then build a target list, and call, write, e-mail or visit each of them 10 times. Waterhouse stresses, "The bigger the sale, the higher you need to go to sell it!"

Beyond the sale, the long-term success of a company is related to its customer service.

David Stearns, president of Dale Carnegie of Maine, says, "The lifeblood of any organization is their ability to not only serve, but also to exceed the expectations of their customers. If you are not paying attention to your customers, someone else is."

To provide excellent customer service, build relationships, he said. "Provide as much of a personal touch as possible. This will make you stand out in our 'wired world.' Know what is expected and then exceed expectations . . . Go the extra mile; give the customer a "WOW" experience. Be known as a customer advocate; always try to see things from the customer's point of view."

Also, don't forget the legal aspects of running a business that are so crucial today.

David Warren, managing partner of the Portland law firm Verrill & Dana, says it is very important for a company to have legal counsel, for a number of reasons.

"First, there is the obvious benefit of ensuring that a company understands and observes any legal requirements in the conduct of its business. But, in addition, lawyers who serve as 'counselors' as well as 'attorneys' can provide real benefit to their corporate clients from a business and analytical perspective."

Lawyers can help in the critical business decision-making process and in analyzing risk. He notes that risk in legal proceedings can be very significant, and that "companies can go out of business because of crippling judgments against them in litigation matters."

Lawsuits can be extremely costly in terms of lost productivity of business management, he says. "Once a company becomes embroiled in a significant litigation matter, the future course of the lawsuit quickly becomes something over which the company has little control."

Having contracts with employees for protecting confidentiality of proprietary information such as customer lists is important. Also, contracts with vendors, customers and clients are important. These contracts should be for a mutually agreeable period of time (for meeting customers' needs, procurement of materials or services, etc.)

Finally, vision is crucial so that a company does not get lost in the details of its day-to-day operation.

Richard Pattenaude, president of University of Southern Maine, says, "An organization's vision is an essential part of focusing the energy of a group on a shared and understood outcome. Consulting the key players is a valuable way to get more depth and subtlety for that vision. Once it is established, one needs to share it via news releases, meetings, mailings and so on.

"If the leader does not articulate it and repeat it all the time, it will drift away. One place that has worked very hard on this Blue Cross/Blue Shield, another is Mercy Hospital. Both are worth looking at. I believe most people want their work to mean something, to be part of greater purpose. A vision helps meet that need."

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