Showing posts with label sourcing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sourcing. Show all posts

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Aircraft sourcing efficiency

Most likely what will prevent you or your business from dominating your market is the failure to recognize the efficiencies provided by the Internet and computer technology. The procurement of aircraft parts can be one of the most inefficient processes on earth if not approached in the correct manner. The opportunity cost associated with searching for parts can be enormous. Some companies just accept the time drain of searching and calling as a normal cost of doing business. These companies will be the ones that struggle the most in the coming years. The search for parts is only going to become more difficult as chips and boards become obsolete at the fastest rates ever. If you can't find the part fast, the hidden cost of prolonged part procurement will sink you.

Savvy parts suppliers anticipated the need for simplified sourcing systems, and have developed databases and search engines to make sourcing simpler than ever. The key for you is finding these data repositories and leveraging their enormous potential to make your life easier and your company more profitable. Often times, navigating complex data bases via search engines, can be a daunting task for someone who doesn't have much experience with procurement. Maybe they just got the order from higher up to “just find it”. “ I don't care how you do it, or how long it takes you, just find me that (insert expletive here) part.” Well, the truth of the matter is, they do care how you do it , and they do care how long it takes you. And finding aircraft parts that meet strict regulations and design tolerances is obviously no easy task. If you come up empty handed after your search, what options are you left with? Most likely only one, the dreaded, expensive, redesign. Not good.


Diminishing manufacturing sources and material shortages will continue to increase costs at an astounding rate in the next few years. Commodities are experiencing bull market runs like we have never seen before. Adding wasted time into the cost equation simply results in a slow, inefficient business model. Trouble shooting and finding parts fast has always been important, but now, as more parts are outsourced, inventory management will truly be the cornerstone to a successful operation. The procurement specialist is faced with two options: training themselves or staff, to perfect a sourcing process, or pay someone to do it for you. The latter is usually the wisest choice. Take advantage of the economies of scale that businesses have created. Finding an experienced business is all one needs to do in today's technological intensive parts environment. Let these companies work for you at a cost that is far cheaper than a drawn out sourcing search. They will have systems in place designed to trouble shoot your specific problems. Most likely you are not the only person on the planet to have experienced the problem, someone else may have had the same issue, or at least something similar. Harness the power of the experiences of all the people who deal with these issue every day, and your life will be much easier.

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Branding Your Ebiz - Creating A Name Your Customers Trust

If you want customers to spend money with you online, you have to make them feel confident they’re dealing with a legitimate business. They’re giving you their personal information, as well as their credit card number. If your website sends a clear message you run your business from home, they may not feel comfortable entrusting you with that kind of info. That’s why it’s important to create a brand your customers recognize and trust. What’s a Brand? A brand is what differentiates you from every other eBiz out there: • A brand is a set of expectations you create in your customers’ minds in regards to your business. It comprises everything from the quality of your website to your customer service to your actual merchandise. More than just a name and logo, it’s your buyer’s entire experience with your company. • A brand is a reputation. A good brand adds value to your product—buyers expect a certain quality based on the brand name. If they recognize your brand and have a good association with it, they’re likely to choose it over other similar products, even if it costs a little more. Your Branding Should Be Consistent Explains Eileen Parzek, of http://SohoItGoes.com, “Consistently use a brand design throughout all your different marketing material… It gives a sense you’re bigger than you really are.” You need to figure out what your marketing message is and carry that message through all your promotional materials. If you have business cards, press kits, and print materials, they should reflect the design of your website from the fonts and color palette to the logo and tagline. Your format should also persist through all of your web pages—the layout, the tone of your copy, even your navigation. Having a unified, professional-looking web store can go a long way towards building a customer’s confidence in you. A well-designed site gives your business credibility—customers associate the quality of your site with the quality of service and merchandise they expect from you. Your Branding Should Be Continuous Your brand should evolve to reflect the changing needs of your target market—branding’s an ongoing process. It begins, ideally, in your business’ startup phase and continues through the life cycle of your business. Says Parzek, “[Branding] is not something you ever stop doing. You have to be conscious of it at all times.”

Thursday, January 28, 2010

5 Benefits Of Using Feeds - How Feeds Can Help Your Ebiz

What’s a Feed?

Feeds are a way of sharing content. When you make material from your website available for publishing on other sites, you provide them with a feed. Basically, it’s a code that lets them post your articles and blogs. There are different kinds of code—XML, RSS, Atom, etc.—but essentially they’re all just different ways of accessing a feed.

According to internet expert Sydney Johnston, “The great thing about a feed is everybody wins.” The article writer gains exposure, the reader learns about something of interest to them, and the online seller gets an endless source of pertinent content.

What Can a Feed Do for My Online Business?

Feeds are useful in a number of different ways:

• They Eliminate Spam-filters. They’re 100% opt-in, so readers can subscribe and unsubscribe at will. Feeds are delivered directly to your subscribers, so you don’t contend with filters knocking you out of their inboxes.

• They Provide Free Content. One of the best ways to differentiate your site is to supply readers with interesting material—educate them on topics relating to the product you’re selling. If you sell preschool toys, chances are you don’t want to study child development and write numerous articles on the subject—so find someone else who’s already done that and make their feed available to your customers. The constantly updating, applicable subject matter gives your visitors a reason to keep coming back.

• They Can Improve Your Search Engine Rankings. In the past, search engines were unable to read feeds, but software is now available to translate them into live links the engines can see (check out http://CyberWS.com). Search engines love fresh, dynamic content, so feeds are ideal. They provide relevant information that updates automatically. Not only do your customers get the facts they’re looking for, but the search engines like your site and give it better position.

• For Affiliate Marketers, They’re an Alternative to Banners. You not only give your customer valuable knowledge, but if they click through and purchase something, you get credit. And unlike with banners, you don’t look like you’re putting up junk ads or spam.

• They Can Increase Your Traffic. Anything you write, you should make available as a feed. When other sites pick it up, it’s free advertising for you—all their traffic is able to click through the feed to your site. So you gain new potential customers you wouldn’t have otherwise.

Feeds on any subject are easy to find. There’s a whole collection of search engines just for feeds, like http://Plazoo.com and http://Feedster.com. Says Johnston, “The future of the internet for entrepreneurs is feeds. If people don’t master them, they’re going to get left behind, period.”