Dear Stakeholders,
Whether you are clients, vendors or otherwise, each year at this time ICP Solar benefits from attempts by some lowly competitor to paint a bleak picture of its future and try to un-nerve clients into thinking that we are going away. The farces who promote this position have now done so for six years running.
Each year, for at least the past five, they would point to our public company financials, and admonish clients and vendors alike to abandon us. And each year, we keep delivering, keep innovating and keep being market leader.
I guess I was a bit disappointed when last week I heard from our sales team that these yahoos were once again promoting these concerns. While its absolutely true that we had very large paper losses in the past year, most are a result of stock options, warrants and others non-performance considerations. An in-depth look at our performance would show anyone that we are on the right path in cost controls, margin increases and sales stabilization.
Having invested so much in R&D last year, our efforts proved worthy enough to be granted the global Energizer license for solar power. Do you think they would do so with a company unable to deliver? Our investors stand behind us and at this time, we have used $0 of an available credit line, preferring to continue reigning in costs, working on sales increases and margin growth.
To Les, Mike and Dan…nice try…I guess if you had something really distinctive to offer the market by which it could call you innovators with, you would resort to that rather than trying to diss ICP. Selling Sharp panels at substantially more to your market than dealers could buy directly from solar distributors must be very hard to justify. And although I feel bad that this is the only strategy you find of value, it is of your own making and your universe will circle back on you. It is perhaps why your largest clients are today looking for alternatives, having seen that the low cost, low quality offerings can only go so far, until a market grows to learn and sees the lacking of poorer and shallower ranges of products.
As the asian vendors go direct to retailers and distributors, bypassing non-value added members of the supply chain, a price strategy wallows in defeat. It is only by innovation and consumer confidence that any company can win. What I write here is nothing new, its just a strategy that is not as easy to deliver upon as many would think, and why I am absolutely confident that with our brand partners, Coleman and Energizer, and with our own in-house brand Sunsei, ICP Solar is positioned to deliver what consumers want in 2010 and beyond.
Should ANYONE have any question about ICP Solar’s ability to deliver on the promise of the future, please do not hesitate to contact me. I am at anyone’s disposal to help you gain the confidence you need to join our bandwagon into a great future.
Sass
1 Comment
Dear Sass,
first congratulation for the energizer deal. To combine batteries and solar chargers is a wise thing and if i think about the future abilities its an great opportunity. In Europe you should do so with Varta, because energizer has here no huge market.
But as you know i always think, that every company needs powerful marketing. Of course i know, that ICP cannot do high jumps, but efficient marketing is not expensive.
You could eg. make an university student contest in Canada in order that student develop animated ad banners for the web. Or you could simply purchase adbanners, they cost about 25-100 Dollars each, depends on size and graphic designer.
Advertisement should be done via affiliate networks like clickbank(mainly US), Zanox(mainly Germany) and others. Or offer your own affiliate programm in that webmasters can earn money for each sold product generated by a vistor, who entered via their side.
CPM campaigns could be run via adbrite, the biggest network in North America, but CPM is often expensive.
Well and you should make product videos, even if low cost production, it just important, that somene explains to vistors your products and how simple they are to use. The target group is mainly male, so some attractive female employees could work as eyecatcher.
Many companies in the world use funny commercial videos for viral marketing to get attention. Especially the name ICP invites to do funny commercials.
The successful companies hire “the sweet shop” from New Zealand. They have excellent reputation but aren´t cheap at all.
See i agree, that your company has good know how and good products, but not only we have to know it, but the people in the world who shall buy the products. ICP has to become known around the world, then more retailers will buy the products.
And do not be worried about the asians with their low cost products, low prices often mean low quality. In Asia it is the mentality always to say yes to customers , but often they do not have the know how to meet customer demands. And if you ever read a product description, then you know its from asia.
Customers do not want low quality and the majority is willing to pay the price for good products.
They just have to know that you exist, then iam convinced many will purchase your products.
Promotion, Marketing and Sales is what ICP needs now.