"Speaking the Same Language" (From the Top, February 2006) really
"spoke" to one our Trendletter readers. He wrote the following:
Issues related
to "speaking
the same language" are
not limited to people from different lands, industries, or companies. Inside
my own company [a large multinational] the same words mean different things.
For
example, the words direct selling. To me, the term means when something
that we manufacture is sold directly to the end-user. In other words, we
bypass distributors or resellers and go directly to the
customer. Some people in my company who work with distributors consider direct
selling to mean bypassing a distributor and selling directly to a reseller.
Several
years ago, I was part of meeting that was delayed by almost two hours because
of disagreements on selling and organization strategies. Once it was figured
out that the term direct selling was being interpreted differently by the
meeting participants we were able move on.
Experience + Skill = A Formula for Success
Moshe Rotem, founder of Sunrise
Projects, wrote this response
to Trendlines Chairman Todd Dollinger after reading the feature article
in Israeli business journal, The Marker.
I read this morning the article
in The Marker with
your "do/don't do" guidelines. It reminded me of my experience as entrepreneur,
raising funds for my start-up (in 1983–84).
We were two engineers with excellent background and impressive success
-- managers in one of the Histadrut plans (salary workers) -- when we wrote
our first business plan (we used another plan for guidelines) and started
our own way.
On our time and money we traveled and met potential investors, mainly
in the United States, but also in Israel and Europe. We were close to a
success with ex-Israeli investors, but closing a deal and getting
the first dollar occurred only when we added an ex-Israeli partner who
was tuned to the differences between the Israeli and the U.S. cultures.
He instructed us how to present and what should be avoided. His contribution
was not in any technological or financial aspect, but with him on board
we got a bridge loan of $250,000 and later on an investment of $2,000,000
(huge sums in 1984).
Had we had a guiding hand like Trendlines we could have saved time and
cut down our risk. (I paid my traveling cost from my own savings and it
was not simple.) We did it, but for many others this is the difference
between make or break.
I truly believe that your experience and skill are very important for
all Israeli entrepreneurs.
Trade Show Success on a Small Budget
A very limited budget didn't prevent successful results at a major U.S. trade show. Read the full story.
Industrial Agreement
Pigmentech Ltd. recently signed a contract with an established American company in the specialty chemical industry. Trendlines began its work with Pigmentech by developing and writing a business plan and conducting market research. Establishing a model of a suitable partner for Pigmentech, we contacted the qualified companies and explained Pigmentech's technology to these leading players in the North American market to gauge interest and receive feedback.
In Brief Industry Reports from Trendlines
Our In Brief Industry Reports are one-page highlights that present an overview of a specific industry, some fast stats, a description of Trendlines, and a summary of the work we've done for clients in the selected sector.
We've published In Brief reports for a number of industries from automotive to
pharmaceuticals.
As the scope of the work expanded, we negotiated with potential partners. Mark Dollinger, president of Trendlines America, then planned and executed a U.S. market trip with Pigmentech's CEO. Mark explains that "we also performed due diligence on the value of the opportunity. With Trendlines ongoing assistance and follow-up, Pigmentech found a partner and signed an agreement."
Pigmentech operates within the framework Meytav – Technological Enterprises Initiation Center in Kiryat Shmona, Israel. Established in 2001, the company is developing ORGOPAK, a family of white polymeric pigments for a broad range of industrial applications. The ORGOPAK product line is manufactured using Pigmentech's proprietary process for producing urea-formaldehyde particles with a unique combination of properties.
New Markets for Polymers and Plastics
This undisclosed Trendlines client is a well established, medium sized (100 employees) manufacturer of polymers and plastic pipes. They have developed a polymer that lines the inner surface of ducts for fiber optic cables. The unique advantage of this polymer is its low-friction coefficient that facilitates longer stretches of cable, which means less connectors and less loss of power. Read the full story.
Bringing Relief to Depression Sufferers
"Feeling blue" is an expression that's become part of popular culture: people talk about being "down," singers croon about the blues, pop psychologists offer sound byte-sized advice. Even though there are few medical devices used in psychiatry, the battle against depression can be a daunting one: “severe depression … makes you think you’re dead, and when you realize that you aren’t makes you wish you were,” according to Dr. Margaret Manning, psychologist, manic depressive, and author of Undercurrents: A Life Beneath the Surface.Read the full story.
Pigmentech Ltd. recently signed a contract with an established American company in the specialty chemical industry. Trendlines began its work with Pigmentech by developing and writing a business plan and conducting market research. Establishing a model of a suitable partner for Pigmentech, we contacted the qualified companies and explained Pigmentech's technology to these leading players in the North American market to gauge interest and receive feedback.
This undisclosed Trendlines client is a well established, medium sized (100 employees) manufacturer of polymers and plastic pipes. They have developed a polymer that lines the inner surface of ducts for fiber optic cables. The unique advantage of this polymer is its low-friction coefficient that facilitates longer stretches of cable, which means less connectors and less loss of power. 
"Feeling blue" is an expression that's become part of popular culture: people talk about being "down," singers croon about the blues, pop psychologists offer sound byte-sized advice. Even though there are few medical devices used in psychiatry, the battle against depression can be a daunting one: “severe depression … makes you think you’re dead, and when you realize that you aren’t makes you wish you were,” according to Dr. Margaret Manning, psychologist, manic depressive, and author of Undercurrents: A Life Beneath the Surface. 