5.1
Treatise, by Michael Drapkin
When I was a kid, I used to ask my grandfather if he remembered the invention of
the airplane around the turn of the century. Many years from now, our grandchildren
will ask us to tell them stories about the Great Internet Gold Rush at the turn of
the millennium. We live in a time where the web and eCommerce are turning the fabric
of business and society inside out. This frenzy has unleashed an incredible demand
for change upon unsuspecting and unprepared audiences - from huge multinational
conglomerates all the way to the corner shop.
The Internet is the most significant change in the structure of how business is
transacted since the invention of the telephone. It is a market maker, a market
destroyer and an inverter of traditional models. This radical change has put
enormous pressure on today's firms to present their products, services, and brands
online. Managers and executives are suddenly faced with the responsibility of
leading electronic commerce initiatives but do not have the tools or education in
order to respond effectively. This is becoming increasingly critical since in
many cases their traditionally safe businesses are being turned on their ears as
they find themselves being cannibalized by dot coms.
Today's business leaders quickly need to grasp the fundamentals of the eCommerce
landscape to be successful. While the web is certainly revolutionary,
the traditional rules of good business sense still apply and the following questions
need to be asked:
- What are we trying to accomplish?
- Can it be measured?
- What is the cost of bringing one consumer, one time, to our Web site?
- What is the cost of having that consumer return?
- If this works, can we scale it?
Enter Drapkin Technology - experts in web, internet and eCommerce.
Our visionaries can provide leaders of organizations with the tools they need
to navigate the inherently multi-disciplinary world of eCommerce. We focus
on how to develop eCommerce strategy, how to formulate an effective organization,
and how to manage the projects. All of the issues are presented from the
perspective of the business leader: how can you effectively manage eCommerce in
a rapidly changing, critical, technical and complex environment?
Over the years it has become apparent that there are two main reasons why clients
engage a firm like ours and are willing to pay the premium associated with hiring
consultants:
- We either save them money or make them money
- We make their lives easier
We must satisfy one of these needs or else we will not be successful in the chosen
endeavor. Everything we do flows from this principle. Our job is to apply our
talents, experiences and resources towards achieving one of those two goals on behalf
of our clients.
Recently, a major customer asked for an on the spot short description of what we do
best. Our reply was, "we bring order from chaos." While this may seem
like a broad oversimplification, the actual execution of this tenet is something
else altogether.
Experience that Drapkin Technology principals have gained from working in the rough
and tumble world of the New York City investment banking community have honed our
skills in delivering complex solutions in chaotic environments. These were gained
in a Darwinian way: you either delivered, or you were gone. No excuses, only results.
It is this drive and desire to succeed that is applied to all of our projects: we
do whatever is necessary to get the job done. We are expert at that and excel
at it.
While this seems like a stark and raw form of delivery, in fact we find working in
this mode to be a gratifying and even fun modus operandi. We enjoy seeing our
projects come to fruition successfully in an on time and on budget manner, and
while we are generally paid on a time and materials basis, our clients give us
follow on business because we have made their lives easier (or met their financial
goals) and have developed a reputation for reliability and an ability to deliver.
This gratifies us in a way that goes beyond any financial remuneration.
We have the rare ability to combine project management skills with specific knowledge
in web and eCommerce, business and administration, legacy system integration and the
follow on operational management of what we deliver. Our vision allows us to see the
razor thin and sometimes dim path toward achievement of business goals, as well as
the solution of the complex puzzles that rear their heads along the way. Anybody
can write code, but few can bridge the gulf between technology and the achievement
of business objectives. This is our space; where we live.
If you have a complex and thorny task that spans multiple platforms, multiple
locations and multiple resources, give us a call. This kind of thing is
fun for us.
5.2
Recommended Reading
The following books are highly recommended for supplimental reading on eCommerce:
Permission Marketing By: Seth Godin, Don Peppers
Information Rules By: Carl Shapiro, Hal R. Varian
Net Worth By: John Hagel, Marc Singer
Purchasing books from these links (through Amazon) will benefit the
NYU Stern School of Business Technology and New Media Group.
For more titles, look at their reading list.
