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	<title>Thomas H. Gray - Consultant, CEO, Director</title>
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	<link>http://www.tom-gray.com</link>
	<description>Consultant, CEO, Director</description>
	<lastBuildDate>Mon, 14 May 2012 13:01:47 +0000</lastBuildDate>
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		<title>TMA’s “The Outlook for Manufacturing” Panel: A Listener’s Takeaways</title>
		<link>http://www.tom-gray.com/2012/05/14/tmas-the-outlook-for-manufacturing-panel-a-listeners-takeaways/</link>
		<comments>http://www.tom-gray.com/2012/05/14/tmas-the-outlook-for-manufacturing-panel-a-listeners-takeaways/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 14 May 2012 13:01:47 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>tomgray</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Manufacturing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Small Business Techniques]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[in-market-for-market]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[outlook for manufacturing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[postponement]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[productivity growth]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[reduced complexity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[standardization]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[TMA]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[trends toward re-shoring]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Turnaround Management Association]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.tom-gray.com/?p=1160</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[US manufacturing is important, recovering, and marked by trends toward re-shoring, reduced complexity, in-market-for-market, and productivity growth. These are the “takeaways” of one listener at “The Outlook for Manufacturing” panel hosted by the Turnaround Management Association’s (TMA) Chicago/Midwest Chapter on May 11. The USA produces 21% of the world’s manufactured goods. 80% of US exports [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Techniques to Prune Your Business</title>
		<link>http://www.tom-gray.com/2012/05/08/techniques-to-prune-your-business/</link>
		<comments>http://www.tom-gray.com/2012/05/08/techniques-to-prune-your-business/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 08 May 2012 21:45:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>tomgray</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Prune Your Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Small Business Techniques]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[develop winners]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[nine-cell grid]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[old way new way]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[starve laggards]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[three levels of action]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.tom-gray.com/?p=1149</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Last week’s post, “Growth through Focus”: Prune Your Business &#124; Thomas H. Gray, pointed out that the road to profits is one of focus and simplicity. Owners must understand which products, markets, customers or processes have been winners for the company, and focus on them while shedding or starving the losers. It’ a strategy of [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>“Growth through Focus”: Prune Your Business</title>
		<link>http://www.tom-gray.com/2012/05/02/growth-through-focus-prune-your-business/</link>
		<comments>http://www.tom-gray.com/2012/05/02/growth-through-focus-prune-your-business/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 02 May 2012 13:51:47 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>tomgray</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Prune Your Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Small Business Techniques]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[engines of growth]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[segment profitability analysis]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[success not rehab]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[turnaround experts ask what works today]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[“Growth through Focus”: Prune Your Business]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.tom-gray.com/?p=1142</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Every business seeks growth, especially small business, where a few new customers can cover the overhead and transform loss into profit. The owner tries a new marketing message, or goes after a new market, even if it means new products. He or she is not afraid to customize to get one new customer, or may [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Ten Pricing Techniques from Business Techniques in Troubled Times</title>
		<link>http://www.tom-gray.com/2012/05/02/ten-pricing-techniques-from-business-techniques-in-troubled-times/</link>
		<comments>http://www.tom-gray.com/2012/05/02/ten-pricing-techniques-from-business-techniques-in-troubled-times/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 02 May 2012 13:43:48 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>tomgray</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Pricing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Small Business Techniques]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[margin and markup]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[price structure]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[pricing basics.pricing tips]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[pricing techniques]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[pricing to distributors]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.tom-gray.com/?p=1139</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Business Techniques in Troubled Times has been running a series of ten articles on pricing techniques. This article sums them up. To see them all, go to Pricing &#124; Thomas H. Gray. Pricing Basics: Value Positioning and Margin – these are the two basics in pricing. Customers buy value, so you must know what your [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Pricing To Distributors: What is Reasonable Markup?</title>
		<link>http://www.tom-gray.com/2012/04/26/pricing-to-distributors-what-is-reasonable-markup/</link>
		<comments>http://www.tom-gray.com/2012/04/26/pricing-to-distributors-what-is-reasonable-markup/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 26 Apr 2012 10:16:35 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>tomgray</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Pricing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Small Business Techniques]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[markup vs. margin]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[middleman]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[three-tier distribution]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[vertical integration]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[wholesaler markups average]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.tom-gray.com/?p=1136</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Distributors are the middle component of a three-tier distribution chain: producer à distributor à retailer. The distributor is the “middleman”. The distributor and the retailer incur their own costs in bringing the product to customers, and both need to recover those costs and earn adequate margins. To set prices to distributors at the right level, [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Promotional Pricing</title>
		<link>http://www.tom-gray.com/2012/04/25/promotional-pricing/</link>
		<comments>http://www.tom-gray.com/2012/04/25/promotional-pricing/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 25 Apr 2012 11:16:31 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>tomgray</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Pricing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Small Business Techniques]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[differentiated prices]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[lifetime value of the customer]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[promotion pricing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[promotional prices]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[test promotions]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[types of promotions]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.tom-gray.com/?p=1131</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Promotions are temporary. Promotional pricing is designed to provide a temporary boost in sales, by offering more attractive terms than the standard list price and options. Unlike differentiated prices (see Differentiated Pricing), promotional prices are available to all buyers, with the possible exception of a credit check for a promotion involving better credit terms. But [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.tom-gray.com/2012/04/25/promotional-pricing/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Differentiated Pricing</title>
		<link>http://www.tom-gray.com/2012/04/19/differentiated-pricing/</link>
		<comments>http://www.tom-gray.com/2012/04/19/differentiated-pricing/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 19 Apr 2012 11:20:11 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>tomgray</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[differentiated pricing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[earn higher margins]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[know the market]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[price differentiation techniques]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[test]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.tom-gray.com/?p=1122</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[“Differentiated Pricing” means different prices for the same product in different situations. Familiar examples are senior discounts, high prices at airports and resorts, and lower prices for last-minute tickets. The goal of differentiated pricing is to earn higher margins in one of two ways: higher prices in a location with less competition (airport, resort, pro [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.tom-gray.com/2012/04/19/differentiated-pricing/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Price Structure Alternatives</title>
		<link>http://www.tom-gray.com/2012/04/19/price-structure-alternatives/</link>
		<comments>http://www.tom-gray.com/2012/04/19/price-structure-alternatives/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 19 Apr 2012 11:19:42 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>tomgray</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Pricing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Small Business Techniques]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[late payment penalty]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[price structure alternatives]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[pro and con]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[progress payments]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[recommended techniques]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.tom-gray.com/?p=1124</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Your “price structure” is what you charge for (product or service component or package) and when the payment is due. For example, you might charge an hourly rate, or a package price for an entire job. Your price structure should meet some or all of these goals: more margin per unit sold; sell more units; [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.tom-gray.com/2012/04/19/price-structure-alternatives/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Consolidating State of Illinois Without Madigan</title>
		<link>http://www.tom-gray.com/2012/04/11/consolidating-state-of-illinois-without-madigan/</link>
		<comments>http://www.tom-gray.com/2012/04/11/consolidating-state-of-illinois-without-madigan/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 11 Apr 2012 21:11:04 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>tomgray</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Business Techniques for Government]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[common business reorganization technique]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[consolidated back office]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Illinois Comptroller and Treasurerboth sek to consolidate their two departments]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[separate offices nominally]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.tom-gray.com/?p=1118</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Illinois’ Comptroller and Treasurer both seek to consolidate their two departments and eliminate one of their jobs! The functions of these offices are related and in some cases duplicative. This is a common sense move, especially in these troubled times for budgets. But the Legislature, and especially its leader Mr. Madigan, will not pass a [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.tom-gray.com/2012/04/11/consolidating-state-of-illinois-without-madigan/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Pricing Technique: &#8220;Value in Use&#8221;</title>
		<link>http://www.tom-gray.com/2012/04/11/pricing-technique-value-in-use/</link>
		<comments>http://www.tom-gray.com/2012/04/11/pricing-technique-value-in-use/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 11 Apr 2012 21:03:46 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>tomgray</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Pricing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Small Business Techniques]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[cost-based pricing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[pricing to competition]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[upgrade path]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[value in use pricing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[value to the customer]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.tom-gray.com/?p=1115</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[“Value in Use” pricing means the price is based on the product&#8217;s value to the customer, not the manufacturer&#8217;s cost of production.  For example, if a normal saw blade is priced at $7, and you create one that lasts 4 times as long, the value to the customer of the long-life blade would be $28, [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
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