RE:RE:US promotional / informational campaign
Hard to say. I think that the inbound interest is and will continue to be strong, for the foreseeable future. Thing is though, when courting direct ["whale"] sales prospects 'vetting' is a matter of outsized importance -- especially with a new product such as this one. As we all know, people often say one thing, do another. Also, 'who will go first' (ie. 'adoption' dynamics). Finally, when whale hunting, the stakes due to opportunity cost are especially high. Finally, there is the politics (guv funding, looking after local potential buyers first, etc.) and bureaucracy. ("I don't think we'll have any trouble selling them" was an early refrain btw -- weeks and months ahead will reveal..;).
Maybe a bit overconfident, maybe the 'vaccine narrative' (as dubbed by PG himself) derailed (wrongly now it would seem, and I don't think irreversably btw) some efforts (however unlikely), or perhaps it should have been more obvious that Bioclouds for public environments such as schools could not be installed 'en masse' given the overall huge cost. In the end, none of it really matters though because IMHO (and that of countless others) the opportunity in other sectors and GLOBALLY is enormous and 'durable' (ie category creation of 'Safe Space Technology') -- that is, a long-term program. It is also complementary to the core business providing very compelling synergies. As uptake proceeds, then we may see a huge 'spike' amongst the heel-dragging groups (including ed). Due to public and/or consumer demand they may in fact "have no choice" any longer to continue to 'ignore' this powerful tool that is so readily available to them.
That is why, I keep advocating (and have all along) that it is CRUCIAL for (quality) sales to build awareness of the product. The cheapest (which they may have been banking on) way to do it is by way of large, very public sales. It's 'free advertising'. But, as many have pointed out, once you commit to this 'standard' there are implications for being 'held to it'. It's a bit of a can of worms at a time when decision-makers (in particular, public ones) have countless other major things to consider and decide on. But even if it ain't free you still got to do it. Tongue-and-cheek, call it an 'encirclement strategy' or perhaps a 'critical mass' exercise. Once enough material sales happen, then many others can be expected to 'fall into place' IMO (note: opinion and not advice -- always do your own due dilligence! :). Until that time, you need to get enough exposure to maximize the probability that enough eyes from attractive, qualified (including willing and able to act fast) buyers will see it, to generate 'robust' and quality deal flow/sales. Also, separately (though can work hand-in-hand) word-of-mouth can play a role even if we can't see its effects. This can include pilots, and discussions under NDA, but which may be circulating between business associates. One way it may be revealed to us however, is through social media posts/tags/etc.
The distributor model has powerful 'network' effects too which can't be discounted. I continue to believe however that material direct sales will be a big part of overall revenues IMHO and early on. And I think following early experiences mgmt probably has (and has suggested as much actually) arrived at a place where 'a sale is a sale' and are looking beyond our borders and across sectors. Emerging Markets plays a role in getting the name out there to US audiences/investors which is also important to the Nasdaq uplisting process (to say nothing of getting the SP to a level that makes us feel a bit better while we hold).
Even if big direct sales had occured (or are presently underway), spending some real money on promotion and communication (especially in the crowded and noisy US space) is arguably, a good idea as you also state. My hope though is that these guys really do a good, differentiated job for Kontrol/BioCloud and really sell it to not only the public audiences, but internally via their contact networks as well. Despite some possible twists and turns, I'm still feeling very bullish about KNR's prospects and positive developments/news in the near-term. They've surprised us [pleasantly!] before and I wouldn't be as surprised if it were to happen again very soon. GLTA .