PressMediaWire.com (Press Release Distribution) – Dec 23,2010 –

 As the worldwide economic slowdown drags on, marketing departments everywhere are expected to do more with less. New software-based ‘virtual consulting’ project management tools from iCanPilot aim to help them do just that.

“Businesses throughout the corporate world have downsized and right-sized their marketing departments, but the companies still need a strategic marketing edge to survive the recession,” notes iCanPilot president Mary Poul. “Remaining staff may not have the skill set to lead business growth projects like value proposition development. But companies may not have the budget to outsource project management to business consultants like us. That’s why we have ‘replaced’ ourselves by creating affordable ‘virtual consulting’ software.”

Created by three expert business consultants, iCanPilot project management software leads users through detailed business development projects such as business model development, value proposition development, product development, and market segmentation.

The first iCanPilot title, “Reinvent Your Business Model with Kay Plantes,” is based on the bestselling business book Beyond Price by Kay Plantes and Robert D. Finfrock. The second release, available in December, 2010, is “Design Your Value Proposition with Mohan Sawhney.” “A ‘virtual’ Mohan Sawhney guides project teams through the value proposition development process the same way he would if you hired him as a consultant,” says Poul. “You can get the same valuable insights, but for less than $1,000—which is just a fraction of the cost of hiring a top business consultant like Mohan.”

Poul, a former product development expert for 3M, continues, “When I started at 3M, I was a green MBA with previous marketing agency experience and feeling pretty good about my skills. Then I attended a 3M marketing conference and one of the presenters outlined all of the responsibilities and skill areas for the typical marketer at 3M. It took full three pages of small print…then he said that individual roles might require even more. And this was before eBusiness took off! I can’t imagine what this list looks like today.”

Doug Quam, a current Market Development Manager at 3M, is an example of iCanPilot’s target user. He notes, “As a marketer in 3M I am called on to manage a broad range of activities that span multiple marketing disciplines. As much as I’d like to, I can’t be an expert at everything.” Doug’s colleague Gretchen Hauble, a 3M Business Development Manager, adds, “Often times the marketing responsibility is combined with business leadership responsibilities as well as project management and/or team leadership. It can be difficult to devote the appropriate amount of time to the actual marketing tasks when you are facing day to day business and project issues.”

Mary Poul says, “With projects like open innovation campaigns or value proposition development, you may not do them often enough to master those strategic business skills. That doesn’t mean you can do a half-baked job though. If your team doesn’t have these infrequently-used skills, and your consulting budget has been cut, now marketers like Doug and Gretchen can ‘hire’ iCanPilot do-it-yourself virtual consulting software to get the job done.”

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About iCanPilot

Former 3M colleagues Mary Poul and Rita Shor founded iCanPilot in 2010 along with innovation consultant Tomasz Rudolf. The company’s mission is to help business teams achieve their growth goals by leveraging the expertise of top business consultants translated into do-it-yourself strategy and marketing project software. iCanPilot’s first strategy projectware, “Reinvent Your Business Model with Kay Plantes,” was published in  November, 2010. iCanPilot is also developing a product with the working title, “Design Your Value Proposition with Mohan Sawhney,” which is scheduled to launch in December, 2010.

For more information about iCanPilot, visit the company online at https://www.icanpilot.com or call (651) 334-9966.

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