What is this service offering?

We assist government and non-profit organizations to gather market intelligence on the challenges, top priority assistance needs, and purchasing behavior of companies or clients they serve.

Who might need this service?

Government and non-profit economic development organizations with missions related to business growth and retention, competitiveness, and export assistance – particularly those focused on manufacturing.

How do we do this? What deliverables might we provide?
Client Segmentation Map / Targeting Strategy
We develop a map that defines meaningful client company segments and describes them in terms of size and growth; drivers and trends; priority assistance needs; purchasing behavior; and the landscape of public and private assistance providers that serve them. This segmentation allows organizations to make strategic choices, such as:

  • Prioritizing or targeting client segments based on explicit evaluation criteria (focus of resources)
  • Matching services and programs to client needs, or focusing on unmet needs or gaps where government and non-profit organization support is necessary to unlock opportunities (because private sector alternatives fall short)
  • Developing segment specific outreach, selling, marketing, and branding strategies.
Assessment of Impact of Key Trends That Affect Clients
Just as companies must adjust with agility to a changing world, government and nonprofit organizations that serve these companies must adjust quickly as well. We assess the impact of global competitive forces and industry trends (e.g. emergence of new global competition, new regulations, etc.) on the assistance needs and behavior of a program’s company clients. Organizations will gain insight into the implications of these trends for service offerings and program strategies.
Identification of Strategies and Practices of Successful Firms
Insights into what a successful client firm looks like and how it achieved success can help assistance organizations improve services. Because of our extensive private sector experience, our team can see through the lens of company leadership, allowing us to help organizations develop and tailor programs and services that disseminate best practices and foster the development of successful global competitors.
Why Stone & Associates?

With regard to small to mid-sized manufacturers (SMMs), no firm has more experience in conducting “real world” research on the needs and competitive position of SMMs, based on our dozens of projects for the US Department of Commerce (NIST/MEP — National Institute of Standards and Technology, Manufacturing Extension Partnership and the Commercial Service).

Most consulting firms tend to focus on either public sector or private sector clientele. We have experience in both worlds. We leverage our business experience to assist public sector organizations to better understand and serve manufacturing companies

Project Examples
  • Market Research and Analysis of SME Manufacturing Companies (NIST MEP)
  • Market Research and Segmentation – US Exporters
  • Strategies of Successful US Exporters
  • Auto B2B eCommerce – Impact on US SMM Suppliers
  • RoHS-WEEE Impact on US SMM Suppliers
  • Regional Market Analysis, Planning and Targeting Strategy for MEP Centers
  • Market Strategy for New Branded Service (NIST MEP)
  • Market Research – SMM Competitiveness
  • Report on Export Assistance Strategy for SMMs
  • Successful Strategies for Competing Against China / Low Cost Countries
More Details
Reports & Articles