Exploiting your Niche - How to understand and develop your market presences

1. Exploiting Your Niche:
Identifying and Marketing your Expertise
August 19, 2012
Daniel Spandau, President
DJS Consulting Inc.
DJS Consulting The Center for Compliance Focus

2. Daniel Spandau
Dan Spandau is President and Senior Consulting Partner with DJS Consulting, Inc. He has been
working in the environmental field for over 30 years and has worked specifically with the
petroleum industry since the late 80’s. His work has been focused in the storage of petroleum
products, regulatory representation, evaluation of risk transfer instruments, environmental
remediation, audits, training, and the design and implementation of management systems to help
monitor regulatory compliance practices.
Dan has a degree in Chemistry and an MBA with a focus in Information Management. He spent 10
years working with the EPA and the Department of Energy developing instruments to monitor
Environmental Pollutants.
In 1988, Dan started a commercial environmental laboratory for a Pump and Tank contractor in the
Northeast. As an executive member of the staff, he helped expand the business into a national
firm that offered Engineering, Permitting, Construction, Maintenance, and Environmental services
to Petroleum Retail Marketers and Distributors. Dan has been an independent consultant since
2001.
Dan’s focus over the last 11 years has been assisting Petroleum Marketers and Distributors,
Environmental Law Firms and Real Estate Investment Firms deal with regulatory changes by
helping them evaluate, design and implement programs to streamline regulatory compliance.
New product developments incorporate data collection and analysis to identify trends in business
and target areas to minimize expenses and boost business profits.
DJS Consulting The Center for Compliance Focus

3. Identify your Business
Past, Present and Future
Lessons learned
Continuous improvement
Innovation – application of skill
sets
DJS Consulting The Center for Compliance Focus

4. Driving Forces $$
• Start a family
• Loved my work
• Dynamic environment
• Continuous learning
• New Grad • Time with my family
• Gravitated to MBA
• Loved my work • Loved my work
• Good Pay
• Dynamic environment • Dynamic environment
• Really long hours
• Continuous learning • Continuous learning
• Lots of stress
• Need PhD to advance • Focus my profession
• Low Pay • Limited management
**Critical Educational Choice • Good Pay
Research Chemist Management DJS Consulting
1977 1988 2001 2012
DJS Consulting The Center for Compliance Focus

5. Skill Focus
Marketing < 2% < 20% > 50%
> 70%
Management < 5% < 10%
Technology < 50% < 50% < 50%
Writing
Presentation < 50% < 50% < 50%
Scientific
Research < 50% < 10% < 5%
Research Chemist Management DJS Consulting
1977 1988 2001 2012
DJS Consulting The Center for Compliance Focus

6. Skill Components
Marketing Technology Transfer Products and Services Products and Services
Project Project Project
Client Client
Management Personnel
Computers Computers Computers
Instrument Development Commercial Instruments Data Collection
Technology Formulations Procedure Development Procedure Development
Research Grants Statement of Qualifications Statement of Qualifications
Writing Publications Procedures Association Presentations
Presentation Business Publications Business Publications
Analytical Chemistry Analytical Chemistry Field experiments
Science Environmental Chemistry Environmental Chemistry Product testing
Research New Products*** New Products*** New Products***
Research Chemist Management DJS Consulting
1977 1988 2001 2012
DJS Consulting The Center for Compliance Focus

7. Who Am I?
I am a company that….
fills my client needs because I listen to them and
determine how my skill set can solve one of their
current issues
is a project driven entity
exploits the information I collect to develop profitable
opportunities for my client
is always trying to use technology to enhance
productivity for my client
believes that information is power
continues to explore and invest time and money into
new opportunities
©2009 HŪMDEV, LLC
DJS Consulting The Center for Compliance Focus

8. Predicted vs. Actual
DJS Consulting The Center for Compliance Focus

9. Who am I not?
I am not a company that…
can afford to be satisfied with what I have developed.
can slide back into my historic comfort zone of
expertise. If I can replace that expertise with better
people at a cheaper price, I have to do it.
waits for clients to come to me. Even though most of
my clients are generated through recommendations, I
continually develop marketing strategies to entice
new clients to use my services.
without a short, medium and long term plan. Each
may change radically over time, but I always have
some general direction to keep me focused on a goal.
©2009 HŪMDEV, LLC
DJS Consulting The Center for Compliance Focus

10. Who Are You?
You need to identify your critical expertise and all of
the possibilities.
Be an excellent listener/investigator to determine
how your expertise can improve your client’s
business.
You need to market yourself.
You need to understand and evaluate the cost of
doing business.
You need to know how to negotiate a fair deal.
DJS Consulting The Center for Compliance Focus

11. It works great
...but is that what the client wanted?
DJS Consulting The Center for Compliance Focus

12. Never Stop….
Identifying Who You Are
Know your strengths
More important – know you weaknesses
Create a niche
Don’t reinvent the wheel – surround yourself with experts
Networking
Local, Regional, National, International
Blogs, Teleconferences, Presentations, Articles, Books
Short, Medium and Long Term Investments
Listening To Your Customer
Identify their needs
Help solve their problems
Create a product/service
Funding New Ideas
With both your time and money
DJS Consulting The Center for Compliance Focus

13. Under-Selling
Tough economic times will always require more
product for a better value
The Buyer has the advantage
Not always – some companies still want the best, and
in many instances will pay a higher premium
There are a range of clients (understand your competition)
High volume/ Lower price
Lower volume / Higher price
DJS Consulting The Center for Compliance Focus

14. A List
All businesses need time
Cash, stamina, positivity and a willingness to do whatever it takes
All businesses are high risk
No paychecks, leverage, ability to deal with lots of change and adjust
All businesses need a plan and ongoing plan reviews
Initial plan, customer input, marketing, research and more…..
All business owners need a mentor and supporters
You need input, advice (product and business), and you can’t do it alone
All businesses need to understand their strengths and competitive advantages
What is your specialty, what differentiates you
All business need to understand their competition and market
Clients, type of product/service, pricing
Is it time to grow your business
Or
Half your customers and double your price
DJS Consulting The Center for Compliance Focus

15. Teamwork Payday
Consultant
Big Company
DJS Consulting The Center for Compliance Focus

16. Some final
thoughts…
Execution not implementation
Fast and nimble
Clients become friends
Friends help you get clients
Big companies are eliminating expenses
Consultants fill in the gaps
DJS Consulting The Center for Compliance Focus

17. Abstract
244th ACS National Meeting, Philadelphia, PA, Sunday August 19th 2012, 9:20 AM
Document ID: 12022
Program Area: SCHB: Division of Small Chemical Businesses
Symposium Title: (SCHB001) True Stories of Success and Best Practices from Chemical
Entrepreneurs
Author: Daniel J Spandau1 , 22258 Waterside Dr., Boca Raton, Florida, 33428, United States , 561-239-0090,
dspandau@officerx.biz
Title: Exploiting your niche: Identifying and marketing your expertise
Every professional has developed a set of expertise. A successful business entrepreneur
needs to identify and market these skills. Determining what your value added is to a specific
industry is the key to maintaining strong business relationships. A business or consulting
practice grows by finding out how to address client needs. This presentation will explore
how a consulting firm can exploit this process to gain a successful client niche service.
Services need to be identified, refined and successfully marketed to a set of potential clients.
Critical to the continued success is the constant review of what you have to offer and how to
get this information to potential clients.
DJS Consulting The Center for Compliance Focus

18. More Information
Daniel Spandau
DJS Consulting Inc.
22258 Waterside Dr.
Boca Raton, FL 33428
Email: dspandau@officerx.biz
Direct Line: (561) 239-0090
DJS Consulting The Center for Compliance Focus

19. Lessons from the
Links
Players on the golf course must battle the course and conditions in order to succeed.
While a caddy might lend a hand carrying the load, individuals must rely on their own
strengths to accomplish goals. Business is also a singular endeavor, and owners and
managers must battle market conditions, competitors, and unexpected challenges. To
succeed, a business must hire the right people, invest in the right training, and deliver
world-class customer service. Golfer and business owner Elizabeth knows these
lessons well; hoping to help her friend Matt, she teaches him the lessons she's learned
over a friendly game of golf. What ensues is a detailed tutorial on how to successfully
operate a business. As Matt plays each hole, he learns why vision is so important in
reaching goals, how to clearly articulate an end game, ways to avoid hazards and how to
escape them, and many other lessons from the golf course. If business owners
managed their businesses the way professional golfers play the game, they will find
themselves more successful and more profitable--and they'll have more fun in the
bargain! Find out how to succeed in business with Lessons from the Links Lessons
from the Links : Managing Business Like the Pros by Elly Valas
Business Lessons from the Links Track(s): PEI Workshops Add to Calendar Sunday,
October 2 | 9:15 AM to 10:00 AM Location: S103 A Page Content Presented by Mark
Mayberry If business people ran their businesses the way Phil Mickelson plays golf,
they would all be wearing green jackets! Much like golf, running a successful business
has a mental aspect. You battle market conditions, competitors and unexpected
challenges. Find out how to succeed in business by following rules the pros use on the
course.
DJS Consulting The Center for Compliance Focus