TOM EVISON, Managing Director, Tecads
Now a tender consultant specialising in the technical marketing processes of competitive bidding, Tom trained first as a mechanical engineer, then as a sales engineer, then as a technical journalist.
Here's an insight into Tom's career ....
Education
Tom loved technical matters. His early achievements were to study for AMIMechE, and gain passes in physics, pure maths, applied maths and economics at Canterbury and Victoria universities.
Engineering
Next came an engineering apprenticeship and management positions in methods engineering, production control, estimating, sales engineering and marine engineering at sea.
Technical journalism
Tom joined the editorial staff of Engineering News in London and learned to tell the world about cutting-edge technology. He attended the technical journalism course at West London Polytech. Tom then became first editor and advertising manager of New Zealand Engineering News.
Technical Advertising Ltd
Finding that none of the 100-odd advertising agencies in New Zealand appeared competent at handling technical accounts, Tom formed Technical Advertising Ltd (Tecads) and led a team of up to ten colleagues to help clients communicate the technical excellence of their products and services. The division Technical Press Service was formed to produce first-class press releases and feature articles mainly for trade media.
Industrial marketing
Tom soon found that industrial buyers see many different types of sales communication: proposals and tenders, sales presentations, corporate promotion, product/service articles, display ads, sales letters, catalogues and leaflets, newsletters, displays and websites. Most important were the proposals and tenders. “All the rest should simply be there to help clients win the most profitable business in their marketplace”, says Tom. Tom devised effective planning and research programmes to improve results, solve problems and meet clients’ goals.
Sales engineering
Tom formed links with the British Institution of Sales Engineers and led a team to establish the NZ Institution of Sales Engineers.
Quality
Tecads became the only advertising agency in the Total Quality Management Institute, and Tom applied TQM principles to eliminate faults in tenders, proposals and other communications using quality circles and results analysis. Tom totally rejected the opinion attributed to a leading industrialist: “Half my advertising budget is wasted – but I don’t know which half”. Says Tom: “Waste in industrial communication reflects just as badly on management as waste in industrial production”.
Worldwide links
Over the years, Tom visited clients’ principals in nine countries to learn what works best (and worst) around the world in winning the most desirable contracts. Tom then introduced these innovative methods to Tecads clients.
Lecturing
Tom led two-day public seminars on Industrial Marketing in Auckland and Wellington. Customised training seminars were developed for clients.
Authorship
Some 40 of Tom’s articles on tendering, industrial marketing and quality in sales communication were published by several industry magazines. “Improving Your Tenders” (54 pp, 1997) and “Winning More Profitable Tenders” (64 pp, 2007) were published.
Consultancy
Today, Tom is passionate and optimistic about helping directors and senior managers to guide their teams towards winning the best, most profitable contracts. “Best Practice in tendering is an achievable goal”, says Tom. "Why settle for less?”
You can e-mail: Tom (at) tecadsnz.com
