Launch Startup Quick List Acoustic

Launch Startup Quick List

Acoustic Research Zentral Home Command Smartphone Remote

Launch Start-up Checklist

The intent of this analysis is to provide a launch start-up checklist for the Acoustic Research Accessories Zentral Home Command Smartphone Remote. Transforming a Blackberry into an intelligent remote for managing home electronics and automation systems, this is highly differentiated in the convenience it has the potential of delivering to customers. For each of the functional areas of the checklist, specific tasks and strategies are mentioned.

Pricing

Definition of gross margin, standard and variable costs per unit to determine what price the Remote needs to be set at to attain profits that cover both types of expenses.

Determination of pricing strategy to support product positioning. This task is to determine if the market position will be focused on premium market positioning, mid-tier or low-end market positioning.

Pricing waterfall graph to define channel partner pricing and profitability in addition to discounts and price exception strategies.

Competitive analysis of each functional substitute of the remote, in addition to analysis of other full-features remotes that are in a different technology classification.

Pricing exception management workflows and integrating of pricing systems to contract management databases to ensure all pricing charged and discounts taken are consistent to contracts in place.

Distribution

Defining of multichannel distribution strategy that includes online and offline components and partners.

Supply chain integration planning and management to ensure distribution partners have a consistent supply of the remote.

Supply chain and distribution quality management to ensure the remotes and their associated components including software are consistently from one version to the next within the supply chain, distribution channels, and dealers.

Creation of distribution forecast for every 90 days of sales, or fiscal quarter to ensure channel performance is continually monitored and evaluated to see how it can be improved over time.

Process definitions for distributor and reseller training, support, pricing exception management including special pricing requests.

System definitions for integrating forecasts and distribution inventory management including support for Vendor Managed Inventory (VMI).

Positioning

Definition of market position based on unique value proposition of the remote and its highly unique functionality and footprint.

Positioning relative to potential substitute products including potential iPod/iTouch applications.

Demographic segmentation used to define key target markets and the position of the remote in each of them; potential use of psychographic data to define use cases of the remote and the relevance to lifestyles.

Positioning on security of the device and its use as a telephone, Web browser and e-mail device. The convergence factor of the device needs to be taken into account in the positioning.

Financials

The essential financial statements including Profit & Loss Statements, Pro Forma Income Statements, Distribution Sales Analysis and Profitability and Pricing Analysis are all necessary for managing the remote to continued profits.

Variance Analysis of the remote relative to standard costing structures.

Analysis of sales performance by channel partner and also by channel programs. In addition sales quota attainment and sales productivity by outbound and inbound selling departments.

Advertising

Advertising and marketing plan for the remote's product launch globally, defined by geography.

Online and offline advertising strategies broken out and defined with specific objectives for attainment on a quarterly and yearly basis. This will become the operating plan for advertising over time.

Social networking advertising plan and execution strategy in addition to special deals and pricing by each social networking platform during the first 12 months of the product launch.

Sales

Sales plan by indirect and direct channels, including revenue, profit and services pricing.

Development of sales training programs and launch of sales training plan for direct and indirect resellers.