Liquidmetal Technologies Inc (LQMT)

[chipboarder]

I’m an engineer, not a sales/marketing type but I have worked closely with them and I may have an explaination for the lack of selling success that many of you are groaning about...

LQMTdoesnt have a sales force per se. a sales force is expensive with base salaries, transportation, hospitality so it could cost $350-500k to put one dedicated salesperson on the road for a year...a true sales force needs a dozen of them to provide coverage and be effective. As an alternative, LQMT has “manufacturers reps” who work on commission and who will carry the word but reps have many clients/many product lines that they are hawking so they gravitate toward the easiest products with the highest near term potential dollars. It’s easy to become a lower priority in their scheme of things.

What LQMTdoes rely upon is someone like Hauck or Kent who is a sales/marketing hybrid to drum up new opportunities. They need to work closely with the potential customers, hold their hands etc, handle all communications with the technical people internally and of course manage some network of Manufacturer’s Reps to make sure they get their technical support etc. Kent covers the entire US including the potential customers, trade shows and the Rep system. Wow

Like I said, I’m the engineer...any of you sales/marketing types want to chime in?