Commercial Strategy Review

Our work on commercial strategy development for a client, whether for a single product, product area or progression of the company as a whole, focuses on employing critical thinking to systematically develop an actionable plan. Our approach to commercial strategy considers these key elements:

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1. Core concept: What capabilities or unique commercial insights within the company provide leverage points over potential competitors? What are the main obstacles that need to be overcome to achieve commercial success?  This is a diagnosis of the problem to be solved for customers and define the opportunity for the company.

2. Strategic Focus: Defining clear boundaries on what to do and not to do as a guiding policy will help to focus development and ensure investments are directed effectively.

3. Specific Practical Steps and Initiatives: We will work with you to define a coordinated set of practical steps and initiatives to implement the guiding policy and address the diagnosed problem. These steps will be directly connected to your core concept and strategic focus areas, to form a cohesive plan.  This can include providing stage-gate systems to help make objective decisions and identify challenges early.

 
Product Selection

A number of improvements in process of selecting, modifying and cultivating microbes in the last decade, from the dramatic reductions in the cost of sequencing and synthesizing DNA to lab automation and integration of machine learning have lowered the cost of developing technology. However, there are still fundamental constraints on the cost of manufacturing, from the cost of raw materials to the cost of building and operating production sites.

 

Drawing on my experience, I understand the importance of making the right product decisions early on, combining imagination for what is possible with rigor in analyzing what the cost of manufacture will ultimately be, and the costs of intermediate scale during commercial ramp up. The most important decisions for a company are usually in deciding what to produce. With continuous improvements in lab methods, we can envisage being able to produce most chemicals or microbes found in nature. The key question then is what will compete effectively with the incumbent technologies, whether those are based on chemical processes or traditional production methods such as agriculture. We offer decision support to help identify good targets. We can help you navigate the crucial early stages of development by applying rigorous analysis and our deep understanding of both the technical and economic landscapes. As a second set of eyes on your feasibility analysis, we can provide an objective perspective and help you avoid costly pitfalls, ultimately increasing your chances of selecting a winning product and building a successful business.