Surfacing the insight that reshaped the proposition

A regional development bank commissioned work for a US clean-technology developer evaluating opportunities across Latin America and the Caribbean. I was brought in to lead the assignment and authored the report.

The initial work compared the regional opportunity and identified Panama as a strong candidate for an initial foothold. The market was concentrated around a national association and two dominant producers, so a small number of relationships could create access to much of the sector.

Then direct engagement added something the analysis could not.

Questions from industry leaders showed that a decisive issue was not simply the technology, economics or procurement process. The developer also had to establish why it was a credible partner for this market rather than a US organization arriving with an imported solution.

The commercial proposition was repositioned around the developer’s international capability and Latin American experience. We took that framing into the meetings in Panama City.

Both major market participants went on to engage around bank-funded feasibility studies.

The analysis identified where to start. Direct engagement surfaced the insight that reshaped the commercial proposition.