We started off discussing Cooney’s pipeline of opportunities and how the company manages initial enquiries.

‘The 30-40 enquiries we receive a week are all logged, analysed and prioritised,’ said Sims. ‘We use a grading system to sort the enquiry by value and potential for best return.

‘Some leads require initial design work, presentations and visits, while regular repeat orders are easier and quicker to deal with.’

On analysing lead times Sims explained: ‘The link we have between our sales management system and manufacturing system enables us to keep track of lead times.

‘Repeat orders are great and enable a fast turnaround, while at the other end of the scale we have the new business opportunities - increasingly abroad - that can take many months.

The initial enquiry for one recent win was taken in November 2006.

‘We also review the sources of enquiries. As advertisers in a number of marine publications our established brand and reputation we find is the major source of incoming leads.’

But what happens if the pipeline starts to run dry? ‘You need to step back and look at a higher level where the business is going before this happens. We’ve identified our longer term customers, new export markets and markets outside the marine industry to give the business a sound sales opportunity pipeline.

‘It's important to ensure the marketing is in place to deliver the pipeline results. For example, opportunities in the Middle East market will be achieved by market visits and attendance at the Dubai show.’

Sims concluded: ‘And if, in the short term, the leads are running dry, we'll get on the phone!’