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STRATEGIC PLAN
Common Strategies, Strategic Decisions, and Next Steps
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In discussing these success strategies and the deliberations leading to them, the group concluded that there are essentially three strategies, which apply in all these scenarios. They are:
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- Commit to helping members create and use an electronic commerce system for the industry.
- Realize that to be successful we must serve a wider group - both upstream and downstream in the distribution channel - than we have in the past. To succeed, OPEAA must serve the entire Aftermarket (i.e., the market for products to service whole goods after their initial sale) Industry - including producers, distributors, repair dealers and volume end users.
- Develop the information gathering and dissemination programs, which will give OPEAA members the key industry information they need to succeed. Whoever has the best information on sales and industry trends wins the intra-channel competition for profits. It is noted that this can flow directly from having an electronic commerce system, which is designed to produce this information as a by-product.
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This is a credible core strategy for the organization, but a major question remains; is this the direction OPEAA can and is willing to go. This is a major departure from the kinds of programs and services traditionally offered and will require significant resources - resources not presently on hand.
The group spent significant time discussing and debating this question and its many ramifications. As in all significant questions of fundamental strategy, the answer is often not easy to see and subject to many differing forces. There is no doubt that an electronic commerce system will be developed - the key questions are: who will develop it, and who, therefore, will write the rules under which others participate in the process. Whoever makes the development investment will control the system.
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The group decided to appoint a group to develop a business plan for creating an industry-wide electronic commerce system, one which will serve all the aftermarket industry (including dealers, distributors of all kinds, light manufacturers, and even OEM's). A report is due to the Board ASAP with a goal of providing real information to the rest of the membership by our event in Louisville.
This process produced a clear direction, which promises success under a wide variety of conditions over the next several years. It remains to be seen whether OPEAA has the entrepreneurial will to take the risks involved in following this direction. Those in the session largely support this direction. The task of sharing the vision of how this will strengthen OPEAA and its members - and is therefore worth the risk - is significant. A Board and Advisory Board truly committed to making this happen can lead the organization to new levels of member service and success. It is not, however, a path for the timid.
Prepared and Presented By:
David Domsch
Lawrence-Leiter And Company
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The Outdoor Power Equipment Aftermarket Association
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