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TRAINING REPORT
ON
MARKETING STRATEAGYSubmitted to
MAHARISHI DAYANAND UNIVERSITYIn partial fulfillment of the requirements
For the award of the degree of
BACHELOR OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION
(INDUSTRY INTEGRATED)
Submitted by
NAME DINESH VISHWAKARMA
REGN NO BBA10363Use the G00 series
ROLL NO
Guru Gram Business School
Front of CCA School Dhanwapur road laxman Vihar Gurgaon Haryana 122001
CERTIFICATE
This is to certify Dinesh Vishwakarma a student of the Maharishi Dayanand University Rohtak has prepared his training report entitled ldquoMarketing Strategyrdquo at Continental Manufacturing Co under the guidance He has fulfilled the requirement leading to award of the degree of BBA (Industrial Integrated) This report is the record of bonafide training undertaken by him and no part of it has been submitted to any other University or Educational Institution for award of any other degree diplomafellowship or similar titled or prizes
I wish him all success in life
SIGN OF FACALITY GUID
NAME OF FACALITY GUID
DESIGNATION
QUALIFICATION
SEAL OF ELC
STUDENT DECLARATION
I hereby declare that Training Report conducted at
CONTINEANTAL MANUFACTURING CO
353 MEHRALI ROAD OPP GOVT COLLAGE
GUEGAON-122001(HARYANA)
Under the guidance of
Mrs Bhavana
Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of
BACHELOR OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION
(INDUSTRY INTEGRATED)
To
MAHARISHI DYNAND UNIVERSITY ROHTAKIs my original work and the same has not been submitted for the award of any other degreediplomafellowship or other similar titled or prizes
STUDENT SIGNATURE
NAME
PLACE
DATE
Company certificate
ACKNOWNLEDGEMENT
I wish to acknowledge my sincere gratitude to Mr Pravin Kumar (Marketing manager) for giving me an opportunity to carry out my Training at CONTINENTAL MANUFACTURING CO Rewari
I am immensely thanks to Mrs Bhvana for this guidance and valuable information It would not have been possible for me for the successful completion of my project on Marketing Strategy without her help
Above all I offer my heartiest thanks to god almighty for his fullest support and wonderful guidance
CONTENT OF THE REPORT
1) General introduction about the sector2) Industry profile
i Origin and development of industryii Growth present status of the industry
iii Future of the company3) ndash Origin of organization4) ndash Growth development and present status of the
organization5) ndash Product and service profile of the company6) - profile of the company7) ndash Discussion on training8) ndash Study of selected research problem
i (Problem objective methodology)9) - Summary and conclusion10) Appendices11) Bibliography
12)
1 GENERAL INTRODUCTION ABOUT SECTOR
2 - INDUSTRY PROFILE
I Origin and development of the industry
CONTINENTAL MANUFACTURING COMPANY establised in 1990 with the aim to manufacture Precision and High Quality Plastic and Steel metal component At CMC we have been serving OEMrsquos in Gurgaon Fom very bigning and have made good cutomer on base due to our industrial background sonce 1958 We have specialization in manufacturing of deep draw components in seat metal and injection molded plastic part with critical shape and size A brief count of our achievement and appritiation given by companyrsquos customer is given below
II GROWTH AND PRESENT STATUS OF THE INDUSTRY
There is two axis one shows series 1 in which targets achieved is given in crores Second axis shows the year I which targets achieved
III FUTURE OF THE INDUSTRY
3 ORIGIN OF ORGANIZATION
CONTINENTAL MANUFACTURING COMPANY establised in 1990 with the aim to manufacture Precision and High Quality Plastic and Steel metal component At CMC we have been serving OEMrsquos in Gurgaon Fom very bigning and have made good cutomer on base due to our industrial background sonce 1958 We have specialization in manufacturing of deep draw components in seat metal and injection molded plastic part with critical shape and size We have two uit amp offices they are given below-
4 GROWTH DEVELOPMENT AND PRESENT STATUS OF THE ORGANIZATION
5 PRODUCT AND SERVICE PROFILE OF THE COMPANY
6 PROFILE OF ORGNIZATION
Organizational structure
cEO
7 DISCUSSION ON TRAINING
Marketing strategy is a process that can allow an organization to concentrate its limited resources on the greatest opportunities to increase sales and achieve a sustainable competitive advantage
Developing a marketing strategy
Marketing strategies serve as the fundamental underpinning of marketing plans designed to fill market needs and reach marketing objectives Plans and objectives are generally tested for measurable results Commonly marketing strategies are developed as multi-year plans with a tactical plan detailing specific actions to be accomplished in the current year Time horizons covered by the marketing plan vary by company by industry and by nation however time horizons are becoming shorter as the speed of change in the environment increases Marketing strategies are dynamic and interactive They are partially planned and partially unplanned See strategy dynamics
Marketing strategy involves careful scanning of the internal and external environments which are summarized in a SWOT analysis Internal environmental factors include the marketing mix plus performance analysis and strategic constraints External environmental factors include customer analysis competitor analysis target market analysis as well as evaluation of any elements of the technological economic cultural or politicallegal environment likely toimpact success A key component of marketing strategy is often to
keep marketing in line with a companys overarching mission statement
Types of strategies
Marketing strategies may differ depending on the unique situation of the individual business However there are a number of ways of categorizing some generic strategies A brief description of the most common categorizing schemes is presented below
Strategies based on market dominance - In this scheme firms are classified based on their market share or dominance of an industry Typically there are four types of market dominance strategies
Leader
Challenger
Follower
Nicher
Porter generic strategies - strategy on the dimensions of strategic scope and strategic strength Strategic scope refers to the market penetration while strategic strength refers to the firmrsquos sustainable competitive advantage The generic strategy framework (porter 1984) comprises two alternatives each with two alternative scopes These are Differentiation and low-cost leadership each with a dimension of Focus-broad or narrow
Product differentiation (broad)
Cost leadership (broad)
Market segmentation (narrow)
Innovation strategies - This deals with the firms rate of the new product development and business model innovation It asks whether the company is on the cutting edge of technology and business innovation There are three types
Pioneers
Close followers
Late followers
Growth strategies - In this scheme we ask the question ldquoHow should the firm growrdquo There are a number of different ways of answering that question but the most common gives four answers
Horizontal integration
Vertical integration
Diversification
Intensification
A more detailed scheme uses the categories[10]
Prospector
Analyzer
Defender
Reactor
Marketing warfare strategies - This scheme draws parallels between marketing strategies and military strategies
Many architects make the mistake of thinking that marketing has
only a peripheral relationship to what their firm does In fact marketing works best when it is totally integrated into the operations of your firm when itrsquos a part of everything you do You canrsquot create a plan for how to improve your marketing and increase your business without first considering your long-term goalsmdashnot just in terms of fee revenue or winning work but in terms of who you want to be and where you want to go both as a firm and as a professional There are a number of ways strategic planning
can help your firm
_ Build a shared vision for the firmrsquos future _ Articulate your vision so that it can be communicated to others
_ Get approval and support for the vision from senior leadership and ultimately your entire staff
_ Create a framework for all future decision making _ Figure out (and agree on) how much yoursquore going to spend on
marketing and other initiatives to make it happen
The discussion of strategic planning and marketing planning are divided into the following five areas
Strategic Planning
Getting to the Starting Line
Strategic planning is the process of developing a vision of who you are as a firm and what your longterm goals are Itrsquos about more than just marketing it can influence everything human resources finance information technology operations hiring promotions strategy design process client relationships the design of your office and absolutely anything else that affects your firm and its performance Firms typically engage in strategic planning at defining moments in their practice when the firmrsquos leadership changes or when the practice undergoes some kind of profound transformation The strategic planning process enables the firmrsquos leadership to build a shared vision for the firmrsquos future articulate the vision so that it can be communicated and create a framework for all future decision making When yoursquore ready to
engage in strategic planning itrsquos important to open your mind as much as possible Get ready to think big
Because strategic planning is a process not a document or a report it isnrsquot effective for a small group of leaders to issue a fat document as the strategic plan for the firm It will probably go unread It will certainly not achieve approval and support from the people who need to understand it and act on it Strategic planning is best conducted as an open process one that involves all your firmrsquos key leaders To begin the process set up a strategic planning meeting either as a retreat outside the office or as an extended in-house meeting (You may want to bring in a marketing consultant to help you with this) Figure out who should be there to give input to the vision for your firmrsquos future Keep the group as small as possible but donrsquot leave anyone out Ask everyone to commit half a day for the meeting (two hours just isnrsquot enough) and to come relaxed and prepared to focus on the firmrsquos strategic direction Give everyone an agenda in advance and ask each person to bring historical data based on his or her area of expertise or interest (financial data hiring or retention info winloss reports client feedback etc) Gather any existing documents that attempt to define the firm or its vision such as mission statements a firm description marketing materials articles that have been written about the firm and so on Plan to spend about half the meeting talking about where you are now (your firm your markets your competitors etc) and the other half talking about where yoursquod like to go (your mission your vision the action plan)
MARKETS FOR INDUSTRIAL GOODS
The market is the place where supply meets demand Suppliers and customers meet discuss and evaluate the conditions for exchange of goods and services and exchanges take place The conditions under which these exchanges occur especially that of price are influenced by the characteristics and structure of the market for example the number and market power of suppliers and customers Traditional economic analysis of markets presupposes that they are characterized by certain basic features firstly there is an assumption of free movement in the market and thus a customer will always buy where he obtains the best terms of exchange at that moment similarly the assumption is that suppliers will move to and from the market freely Thus the market is portrayed as atomistic Each unit in the market is free and independent to do as it wishes Also as a result of this free movement the market is characterized by change and stability is an exception Underlying these two assumptions is the further assumption that there is little or no cost of transaction In other words it is assumed that there are no costs in obtaining accurate information or in negotiations etc One effect of this assumption is that production costs
are considered central and that sellers can be simply represented by a production function
The traditional economic theory of the market has of course been subject to challenge and modification However it has influenced the models and principles used in marketing management The basic model that most of the literature in marketing is built on is the marketing mix model The key problems in marketing according to that model are
(a) to allocate resources to different competitive means or mix elements
(b) to design each mean as well as possible within the firms resource limitations
The market is often described in terms of response curves each defined in relation to a certain marketing decision variable or to the whole mix of a company The assumption is of course that the market consists of many individual customers that are affected by the marketers variables in accordance with a certain statistical distribution The same kind of influence can also be identified in the purchasing management
literature The focus here is largely on the management of a single purchase This does not give full consideration to the factors which have contributed to the way this purchase takes place or to the effects of this purchase on the subsequent dealings with the supplying company
Marketing Management
As we mentioned in the first section of this chapter the models and principles for industrial marketing management that are given by the literature are normally related to the marketing mix model The problems identified in these are the allocation of resources and the designing of competitive means However marketers in for example a highly concentrated industry may find different problems The issues associated with the handling of ten very large customers are of totally different character from those of handling 1000 small customers Thus marketers in firms in concentrated markets have a lack of accurate models for analyzing their marketing problems They have also a lack of relevant data expressed in a systematic way about the behaviour of other firms in the same situation
MARKETING ORGANIZATION
Overall Organization
Belters sales operations are split into three areas as follows
(i) Sales Manger mdash UK responsible for 60mdash70 per cent of total sales Four area offices handling all accounts except two major ones which are managed from the Companys main office
(ii) Sales Manager mdash Middle East Africa Eastern Europe accounting for approximately 20 per cent of total sales One manager plus two sales engineers The Company is currently building up an agencymdashdistributor network for this territory
(iii) Sales Manager mdash Western Europe responsible for the remaining 20 per cent of total sales The sales manager is located in Brussels with additional sales offices in Germany France and Italy The Brussels sales office is owned by Belters parent group All major commercial
transactions are carried out by Belters Head Office although the Brussels Company does have some price discretion This European sales company takes 85 per cent of its products for sale in Europe from Belter The remaining 15 per cent of products are sourced from the North-American parent company Apart from the European operation all agents and distributors overseas are handled from the UK
Evolution of Marketing Organization
Belter has often faced problems in the distribution of its products in France for example the Company had a combined agent and distributor operating until 1963 Belter provided applications engineering but had no commercial involvement in sales The company found that it had no influence on pricing in the market and this led to a rather artificial pricing structure and to a decreased market share This problem was not solved by the appointment of a second distributor Mergers amongst French suppliers have led to more competition in the market The second distributor did little to stimulate the first one or to improve the Companys overall penetration
In 1966 Belter separated out a number of products and major customers which were not to be handled via distributors These customers and products were to be controlled by the UK sales operation Also from 1970 the Brussels office ceased to have overall responsibility for sales to France and a Paris office was established The
overall market situation faced in France (and in other European countries) is as follows
There are many actual and potential users for some products which are not known by the Company Heavy competition exists especially on price for large customers who are often buying what they view as a commodity product Belters emerging strategy has been to handle these large customers through its own sales offices The Paris office actively seek sales of large volume products as well as acting as a `post office for products specially developed for individual customers which are then handled from the Companys main office Small customers and small volume products are handled by the two French distributors The development process in Italy has been similar to that in France Sales in Scandinavia do not justify a local sales office sales here are handled through a distributor from the Brussels office A small number of major accounts are however handled directly from the UK
BUYERmdashSELLER RELATIONSHIPS
A Customer Relationship in the United Kingdom
The three aspects of the relationship which are studied are competition technical development and personal contacts
This customer is Belters largest and is responsible for 20 per cent of its total business The Company operates in the aerospace industry at the limit of current technology The relationship involves considerable development liaison on wholly new products
Competition
Competition for this customer comes primarily from American suppliers The competition is on price and reflects the spare capacity in the American industry Competition from UK companies is also on price and comes from companies having a wider production spread than Belter
Development
This customer has always relied on Belter alone for development work in this product area However they have looked to other sources of supply when development has taken place The development process for a new product can be started either by a government development contract or by an order from the customer Belter acknowledged that it
has to stand the costs of this development in the latter case The customer has intimate knowledge of all of Belters procedures Methods of manufacture are agreed in detail and even the particular production machinery to be used is specified The closeness of the relationship between the two companies is indicated by the fact that the customer has approved Belters quality procedure and accepts their testing
Contact Pattern
Interpersonal contacts between Belter and its UK customer are summarized as
follows
(1) Formal Contacts
Every six months Technical policy liaison meeting jointly chaired by Belters Technical Director and the customers Chief Materials Manager Every sixmdashnine months Commercial meeting Belters Managing and Marketing Directors and Sales Manager and the customers Purchasing Director and Senior Purchasing Staff
Monthly UK Sales Manager visits customers purchasing staff to discuss delivery and order positions
(2) Other Contacts
These can be studied according to the formally assigned responsibility Personnel who have full-time responsibility One sales office man has daily contact with the customer Additionally one applications engineer is engaged on work for this customer Finally one man determines market trends and is in contact with the customers marketing personnel and customers clients Personnel with `half-time responsibility Four applications engineers also spend some of their time on the customers problems and are in personal contact with customer staff
PURPOSE OF A MARKETING PLAN
The purpose of a Marketing Plan is to-
1048766Define the Market
1048766Refine the Production Plan to market requirements
1048766Develop a marketing strategy
1048766Minimize risk
Each FFT group should have a Marketing Plan covering each commodity based on their own study of the local market
Defining the Market and Commodities-
1048766Market demand and prices -An assessment based on published market information discussions with local extension staff farmers dealers and buyers of the commodity of the likely demand and prices on offer during the year and during any period of seasonal shortfall
1048766Market Requirement- Varieties size grading packaging maturity demanded by the buyers in the particular market
1048766Yield Price Assumptions- How much commodity will be available How much premium grade Second grade Losses If the commodity crop is aimed to be produced for a particular period eg for a low supply period while the price assumptions (expectation) may be higher some reassessment of yield and cost of production assumptions in the gross margin analysis or partial budgets is usually necessary 1048766Marketing Returns and Costs Calculate expected income and costs in marketing
The Most Important Elements of Marketing There are four important elements in the marketing process
1048766Prioritising the customer Marketing begins with the customer not the product Knowing what the customer needs or wants is essential
1048766Process of selection The farmer needs to know who to sell the product to This will determine how and where the produce is marketed
1048766Promotion The farmer is selling something that other people want to buy Naturally it is helpful to let them know that the product is available and of good quality
The Marketing Training Manual 23 Marketing Module 3 Markets and Marketing
1048766Trust Good marketing occurs when the customers trust the farmer The customer should feel they are not being cheated and they are getting value for their money
In thinking about these elements farmers need to ask themselves about the six Ps
bull P p eople Who are the customers What do they want or need Who is actually going to market the product
bull P p lan How is the product going to reach the selected customers What are the steps
bull product What product is going to be marketed Is the family producing what the customer wants What services (for example a cooked product) if any are requested by the customer
bull place Where is the product going to be marketed
bull price What price will the product be offered on the market for
bull promotion How are people going to be informed that the product is available
Supply Demand and Price
In a free market prices for inputs and products are determined by supply and demand
Supply Is what producers are willing to market at a certain price
Demand Is how much consumers are prepared to buy at the market price
In theory as the price of a product goes up the quantity supplied rises and the quantity demanded falls Likewise when the price goes down the quantity supplied falls and the quantity demanded rises
For agricultural produce demand is affected by a number of factors the most
The Marketing Training Manual 24 Marketing Module 3 Markets and Marketing
Industrial or business to business (B2B) marketing
An organization seeks to build a new warehouse After documenting requirements it obtains three proposals from suitable construction firms After a long process of evaluation and negotiation it places an order with the organization that it believes offers the best value for money
An organization needs legal services and obtains submissions from two law firms Analysis of the proposals and subsequent discussions determines that there is no price advantage to placing all of the work with one firm and the organization decides to split the work between the two firms based on an evaluation of each firms capabilities
A sales representative makes an appointment with an organization that employs 22 people He demonstrates a photocopierfaxprinter to the office administrator After discussing a proposal the business owner signs a contract to obtain the machine on a fully-maintained rental and consumables basis with an upgrade after 2 years
Main features of the B2B selling process are
Marketing is one-to-one in nature It is relatively easy for the seller to identify a prospective customers and build a face-to-face relationship Highly professional and trained people in buying processes are involved In many cases two or three decision makers must approve a purchase plan Often the buying or selling process is complex and includes many stages (for example request for proposal request for tender selection process awarding of tender contract negotiations and signing of final contract) Selling activities involve long processes of prospecting qualifying wooing making representations preparing tenders developing strategies and contract negotiations
Blurring between B2B and B2C
Industrial marketing can cross the border into consumer marketing For example an electronic component seller may distribute its products through industrial marketing channels (see channel (marketing)) but also support consumer sales Many products are equally desired by business and consumersmdashsuch as audio products furniture paint hardware etc Nonetheless manufactures and service providers frequently maintain separate industrial and consumer marketing operations to reflect the different needs of the two channels
Competitive tendering
Industrial marketing often involves competitive tendering (see tender tendering) This is a process where a purchasing organization undertakes to procure goods and services from suitable suppliers Due to the high value of some purchases (for example buying a new computer system manufacturing
machinery or outsourcing a maintenance contract) and the complexity of such purchases the purchasing organization will seek to obtain a number of bids from competing suppliers and choose the best offering An entire profession (strategic procurement) that includes tertiary training and qualifications has been built around the process of making important purchases The key requirement in any competitive tender is to ensure that
The business case for the purchase has been completed and approved
The purchasing organizations objectives for the purchase are clearly defined
The procurement process is agreed upon and it conforms with fiscal guidelines and organisational policies The selection criteria have been established
A budget has been estimated and the financial resources are available
A buying team (or committee) has been assembled
A specification has been written
A preliminary scan of the market place has determined that enough potential suppliers are available to make the process viable (this can sometimes be achieved using an expression of interest process)
It has been clearly established that a competitive tendering process is the best method for meeting the objectives of this purchasing project If (for example) it was known that there was only one organisation capable of supplying best to get on with talking to them and negotiating a contract
Because of the significant value of many purchases issues of probity arise Organisations seek to ensure that awarding a contract is based on best fit to the agreed criteria and not bribery corruption or incompetence
Bidding process
Suppliers who are seeking to win a competitive tender go through a bidding process At its most primitive this would consist of evaluating the specification (issued by the purchasing organization) designing a suitable proposal and working out a price This is a primitive approach because
There is an old saying in industrial marketing if the first time you have heard about a tender is when you are invited to submit then you have already lost it
While flippant the previous point illustrates a basic requirement for being successful in competitive tendering it is important to develop a strong relationship with a prospective customer organization well before they have started the formal part of their procurement process
Non-tender purchasing
Not all industrial sales involve competitive tendering Tender processes are time consuming and expensive particularly when executed with the aim of ensuring probity Government agencies are particularly likely to utilise elaborate competitive tendering processes due to the expectation that they should be seen at all times to be responsibly and accountably spending public monies Private companies are able to avoid the complexity of a fully transparent tender process but are still able to run the procurement process with some rigourBeneficial
Developing a sales strategysolution sellingtechnical selling
The art of technical selling (solution selling) follows a three stage process
Stage 1 Sell the appointment Never sell over the telephone The aim of the first contact with a prospective purchaser is to sell the appointment The reason is simple industrial sales are complex any attempt to sell over the phone will trivialise your product or service and run the risk of not fully understanding the customers need
Stage 2 Understand their needs The best method of selling is to minimise the information about your goods or services until you have fully understood your customers requirements
Stage 3 Develop and propose a solution The solution is (of course) developed from your (or the firm that you represents) product or service offerings
Marketing supports solution selling through methods like account-based marketingmdashunderstanding a specific target organizations requirements as the foundation of a marketing program As research shows[1] sales success is heavily weighted towards suppliers who understand the customer In UK research 77 per cent of senior decision-makers believe new suppliers marketing From cannon fodder to preferred tenderer
The term cannon fodder derives from the World Wars and refers to the massing of undertrained and recently recruited troops sent to the fronts to face the enemy Such troops invariably had a poor survival rate but provided the tactical advantage of distracting the enemy while
professional soldiers mounted more effective operations In adopting the term to Industrial Marketing it means those bids being submitted that have no chance of winning but are involved to make up the numbers (you cant have only one bid in a competitive tender process that wouldnt satisfy the requirements of probity) (for example in government tenders or for private enterprise the requirement to truly test the market and to keep them honest) The reader might be wondering why anybody would go to all of the work of submitting a tender when they had no chance of winning for the same reason that troops were sent in to battle to die they thought they had a real chance
The key features of a successful industrial sales organisation
In industrial marketing the personal selling is still very effective because many products must be customized to suit the requirements of the individual customer Indicators such as the sales tunnel give information on the expected sales in the near future the hit rate indicates whether the sales organization is busy with promising sales leads or it is spending too much effort on projects that are eventually lost to the competition or that are abandoned by the prospect
RESEARCH PROBLEM
1 Identify your target market
Which businesses need cleaning services Which ones can afford it and will pay for it Why
In your case I would think that small businesses may not be your ideal client But then again define small business Are you referring to sales volume or number of employees
I can tell you right now as a marketing consultant that has worked with a wide variety of businesses including small companies
Small businesses are very price sensitive and prefer to do more themselves rather than pay someone else (They hold this belief even if it would free up more time to be more productive Go figure)
So before you randomly begin picking a target market have a rational reason why Continue to read below and youll begin to see what I am talking about
2 Determine their wants and needs
It may be obvious to you but ask yourself Why would someone want a clean office
These businesses never have walk-in traffic They do not have customers visit them So naturally there is far less of a concern for a clean office Sure it would be nice to have but since no revenue will be lost if their office is not spectacular looking they are not motivated to do anything about it
However seek out the businesses that do deal with customers directly especially professional services where they have very high end clients visit them Now they NEED a very presentable office or they risk losing out on a lot of revenue
3 Determine the level and type of demand
If you have ever read any of my previous work you will know that I am a very strong advocate of knowing whether the type of demand is Primary Demand or Selective Demand It is one of the most overlooked aspects of marketing being ignored today
Primary Demand If a business does not already use your TYPE of service and is not currently considering doing so you will need to create primary demand Simply put you will have to convince them first to even want your type of service (or product) before you even get them to buy it from you
So for your cleaning business example if you are approaching businesses that currently do not use a cleaning service you will have to explain the time saving and productivity enhancing benefits of using one Then explain why YOU are the one they need
Selective Demand These businesses already use a service (or product) or are in the market for it and are actively looking In these cases you do not need to spend much effort convincing them why they need it
In this case you must state your argument why your cleaning service should be the one they choose
This is what you will encounter when you call on or contact businesses already using a cleaning service They will either be satisfied or unsatisfied with their current service provider Your emphasis will have to be on conquest sales -- meaning stealing customers from your competition
Now in your line of business and in many others slashing prices always seems to be the first technique used to steal customers This may work well for selling products But if you are marketing services let me tell you thisthink twice before doing that
Yes I am fully aware of the fact that there will be businesses that will be open to talking to you if you offer them a better deal In some cases they may feel they are legitimately getting ripped off or paying way
too much right now And they just might be right In those cases if you can give them a fair price that is a better deal for them AND still gives you healthy profit margins then go for it
However if you are slashing prices just to gain clients arent you really just hurting yourself in the long run First of all you can easily get into the game of How low will they go Secondly it de-values your perception of quality if you are cheap Thirdly whos to say after all this effort you wont lose the business in a month or two when someone else quotes them an even lower price
What will you do next price so low that you lose money with every client I didnt think so
Heres what you could do though
4 Develop a Hypothesis and a Solution to Match
After you know your target market have defined their needs and analyzed the competitive picture (currently using or not currently using a service like mine) go ahead and develop a clearly thought out hypothesis
For example start with business NOT currently using a cleaning service but that deal with customers or clients regularly at their location
Develop a strong case for WHY they would be wise to invest in your
cleaning services Show them on a break-even analysis that your fee will be well compensated in either customer retention or converting a higher level of store traffic or business appointments into paying customersclients
Then state your case why it is more cost effective and saves them valuable time to outsource this to you rather than doing it themselves or paying an employee overtime to do it You can also emphasize that you are the expert at this not someones secretary so it is expected that you will do a far better job at it
For businesses that ARE already using a cleaning service or are currently shopping for one state why you are unique and better
Determine the really compelling reasons why these businesses want a cleaning service to begin with
Maybe it is a retail store that wants to create a better first impression for their customers This will ultimately lead to a better customer experience and ultimately more in-store purchases
A good example may be that unlike most competitors you also clean windows Well as a marketing consultant to retail businesses I can tell you that many passerbys will first look in a store window before deciding to walk in or not
Now for successful marketing all retail businesses would perform better if they had more in-store traffic So therefore if your cleaning service also cleans windows you could rightfully justify that your services are more valuable to their retail business You actually HELP
them get more customers and sell more products
Maybe it is a professional service business that needs to impress prospective clients to choose their services over a similar competitor
Your cleaning service may dust chairs and polish wooden conference tables Many other cleaning services may not do this or do a poor job in doing so
Now as marketing consultants to service businesses I can also tell you that if a consultant attorney accountant or any other business professional needs to meet with prospective clients in their office they will appreciate a better appearance So if your cleaning services can provide this better than anyone else (or at least if you tell them about this first) you will get the business or at least be highly considered for it
Whatever the case may be establish what makes you different and have you are best suited to meet their needs
Do you see where I am going with this Your initial marketing questions asked how you can get more business by passing out flyers or sending faxes to small offices Truthfully that is simply not going to work You are not looking at the overall big picture of why anyone would either want to hire a cleaning service or to hire your particular cleaning service
5 You must make AN OFFER
Here are some examples
Marketing messagesales offer to a business that does NOT currently use a cleaning service
If you have never considered using a cleaning service before allow us to show you how XYZ Cleaning Inc can make your storeoffice more presentable to customers and how this newly improved appearance will affect your cash registerbank statement
If you are weary of trying new things dont worry Use us FREE for one month and if you are not completely satisfied with the results if you are not completely confident that it makes a difference to your customers if you are not completely aware of how it raises the morale of your employees then you do not have to using us again
But if YOU DO see a great improvement well make you a great deal on our services simply because we want your long term business Marketing messagesales offer to businesses that DO currently use a cleaning service
I understand that you currently use ABC Cleaners LLC Now you may or may not be completely happy right now but I want to make you a no-risk offer you cant refuse
The truth is that you likely get consumed in your day to day activities in running your business overseeing operations managing employees and handling customers Therefore there may be little imperfections your cleaning service is making that goes unnoticed by you But dont assume for one minute that your customers or potential customers wont notice And remember first impressions DO count
So heres our offer Have us come in the morning after your regular cleaning service cleans your office We will do a thorough inspection with you present and look for anything they may have done a less-than-satisfactory job on Then well show you why you probably over looked it for so long but why your customers will take notice and how they will think differently about you because of it
Now if everything is already 100 completely clean and presentable well thank you for your time and then be on our way But if together we find lots of little things that are carelessly being done we will cleanfix it for you for FREE
Thats right use our services as a compliment to what you are already paying for Compare the quality of work we do to what you are already paying for If you can see the difference in what we do for you compared to what you are already paying for then consider us as your new cleaning service
6 Develop your marketing message
Once you understand the true needs your potential clients have and the unique and competitive solutions you can offer only then should you develop your marketing copy -- your sales pitch
The two examples above incorporate great marketing copy with a strong benefits related offer You can then deliver this through direct mail telemarketing or a combination of both
I would only recommend distributing flyers if you are confident you can place there where they will get read by people who make the decision to hire a cleaning service So if there is an Open Bulletin board in an office building then go for it However they are rare and you probably need permission anyway
Id avoid the fax marketing altogether Its quite annoying ties up there fax line and unless people have already heard of you they are more likely to toss your message in the garbage
Try sending direct mail to the decision makers of these target companies and describe the benefits they will experience from using your services
7 Follow up
Even after identifying the businesses that are most likely to need your services after you have identified a solution and even after you contacted them with a compelling offer you still have to follow up
Chances are they loved the sound of it when they got it They had every intention of following up with you But then just got busy So your follow up call can make all the difference in the world and get your foot in the door in a very big way Then its up to you to DELIVER on your promise
8 ANALYSIS
Market Analysis
The goal of a market analysis is to determine the attractiveness of a market and to understand its evolving opportunities and threats as they relate to the strengths and weaknesses of the firm
David A Aaker outlined the following dimensions of a market analysis
Market size (current and future)
Market growth rate
Market profitability
Industry cost structure
Distribution channels
Market trends
Key success factors
Market Size
The size of the market can be evaluated based on present sales and on potential sales if the use of the product were expanded The following are some information sources for determining market size
government data
trade associations financial data from major players customer surveys
Market Growth Rate
A simple means of forecasting the market growth rate is to extrapolate historical data into the future While this method may provide a first-order estimate it does not predict important turning points A better method is to study growth drivers such as demographic information and sales growth in complementary products Such drivers serve as leading indicators that are more accurate than simply extrapolating historical data
Important inflection points in the market growth rate sometimes can be predicted by constructing a product diffusion curve The shape of the curve can be estimated by studying the characteristics of the adoption rate of a similar product in the past
Ultimately the maturity and decline stages of the product life cycle will be reached Some leading indicators of the decline phase include price pressure caused by competition a decrease in brand loyalty the emergence of substitute products market saturation and the lack of growth drivers
Market Profitability
While different firms in a market will have different levels of profitability the average profit potential for a market can be used as a guideline for knowing how difficult it is to make money in the market Michael Porter devised a useful framework for evaluating the attractiveness of an industry or market This framework known as Porters five forces identifies five factors that influence the market profitability
Buyer power
Supplier power
Barriers to entry
Threat of substitute products
Rivalry among firms in the industry
Industry Cost Structure
The cost structure is important for identifying key factors for success To this end Porters value chain model is useful for determining where value is added and for isolating the costs
The cost structure also is helpful for formulating strategies to develop a competitive advantage For example in some environments the experience curve effect can be used to develop a cost advantage over competitors
Distribution Channels
The following aspects of the distribution system are useful in a market analysis
Existing distribution channels - can be described by how direct they are to the customer
Trends and emerging channels - new channels can offer the opportunity to develop a competitive advantage
Channel power structure - for example in the case of a product having little brand equity retailers have negotiating power over manufacturers and can capture more margin
Market Trends
Changes in the market are important because they often are the source of new opportunities and threats The relevant trends are industry-dependent but some examples include changes in price sensitivity demand for variety and level of emphasis on service and support Regional trends also may be relevant
Key Success Factors
The key success factors are those elements that are necessary in order for the firm to achieve its marketing objectives A few examples of such factors include
Access to essential unique resources
Ability to achieve economies of scale
Access to distribution channels
Technological progress
It is important to consider that key success factors may change over time especially as the product progresses through its life cycle
9 CONCLUSIONS
Organizations engage in marketing research for two reasons
(1) (1) to identify (2) and (2) solve marketing problems
(3)
This distinction serves as a basis for classifying marketing research into problem identification research and problem solving research
Problem identification research is undertaken to help identify problems which are perhaps not apparent on the surface and yet exist or are likely to company image market characteristics sales analysis short-range forecasting long range forecasting and business trends research Research of this type provides information about the marketing environment and helps diagnose a problem For example The findings of problem solving research are used in making decisions which will solve specific marketing problems
The Stanford Research Institute on the other hand conducts an annual survey of consumers that is used to classify persons into homogeneous groups for segmentation purposes The National Purchase Diary panel (NPD) maintains the largest diary panel in the United States
Standardized services are research studies conducted for different client firms but in a standard way For example procedures for measuring
advertising effectiveness have been standardized so that the results can be compared across studies and evaluative norms can be established The Starch Readership Survey is the most widely used service for evaluating print advertisements another well-known service is the Gallup and Robinson Magazine Impact Studies These services are also sold on a syndicated basis
Customized services offer a wide variety of marketing research services customized to suit a clients specific needs Each marketing research project is treated uniquely
Limited-service suppliers specialize in one or a few phases of the marketing research project Services offered by such suppliers are classified as field services coding and data entry data analysis analytical services and branded products Field services collect data through mail personal or telephone interviewing and firms that specialize in interviewing are called field service organizations These organizations may range from small proprietary organizations which operate locally to large multinational organizations with WATS line interviewing facilities Some organizations maintain extensive interviewing facilities across the country for interviewing shoppers in malls
Coding and data entry services include editing completed questionnaires developing a coding scheme and transcribing the data on to diskettes or magnetic tapes for input into the computer NRC Data Systems provides such services
Analytical services include designing and pretesting questionnaires determining the best means of collecting data designing sampling plans and other aspects of the research design Some complex
marketing research projects require knowledge of sophisticated procedures including specialized experimental designs and analytical techniques such as conjoint analysis and multidimensional scaling This kind of expertise can be obtained from firms and consultants specializing in analytical services
Data analysis services are offered by firms also known as tab houses that specialize in computer analysis of quantitative data such as those obtained in large surveys Initially most data analysis firms supplied only tabulations (frequency counts) and cross tabulations (frequency counts that describe two or more variables simultaneously) With the proliferation of software many firms now have the capability to analyze their own data but data analysis firms are still in demand
Branded marketing research products and services are specialized data collection and analysis procedures developed to address specific types of marketing research problems These procedures are patented given brand names and marketed like any other branded product
Types of marketing research
Marketing research techniques come in many forms including
Ad Tracking ndash periodic or continuous in-market research to monitor a brandrsquos performance using measures such as brand awareness brand preference and product usage (Young 2005)
Advertising Research ndash used to predict copy testing or track the efficacy of advertisements for any medium measured by the adrsquos ability to get attention (measured with Attention Tracking) communicate the message build the brandrsquos image and motivate the consumer to purchase the product or service (Young 2005)
Brand equity research - how favorably do consumers view the brand
Brand association research - what do consumers associate with the brand
Brand attribute research - what are the key traits that describe the brand promise
Brand name testing - what do consumers feel about the names of the products
Commercial eye tracking research - examine advertisements package designs websites etc by analyzing visual behavior of the consumer
Concept testing - to test the acceptance of a concept by target consumers
Cool hunting - to make observations and predictions in changes of new or existing cultural trends in areas such as fashion music films television youth culture and lifestyle
Buyer decision processes research - to determine what motivates people to buy and what decision-making process they use
Copy testing ndash predicts in-market performance of an ad before it airs by analyzing audience levels of attention brand linkage motivation entertainment and communication as well as breaking down the adrsquos flow of attention and flow of emotion (Young p 213)
Customer satisfaction research - quantitative or qualitative studies that yields an understanding of a customers of satisfaction with a transaction
Demand estimation - to determine the approximate level of demand for the product
Distribution channel audits - to assess distributorsrsquo and retailersrsquo attitudes toward a product brand or company
Internet strategic intelligence - searching for customer opinions in the Internet chats forums web pages blogs where people express freely about their experiences with products becoming strong opinion formers
Marketing effectiveness and analytics - Building models and measuring results to determine the effectiveness of individual marketing activities
Mystery Consumer or Mystery shopping - An employee or representative of the market research firm anonymously contacts a salesperson and indicates he or she is shopping for a product The shopper then records the entire experience This method is often used for quality control or for researching competitors products
Positioning research - how does the target market see the brand relative to competitors - what does the brand stand for
Price elasticity testing - to determine how sensitive customers are to price changes
Sales forecasting - to determine the expected level of sales given the level of demand With respect to other factors like Advertising expenditure sales promotion etc
Segmentation research - to determine the demographic psychographic and behavioural characteristics of potential buyers
Online panel - a group of individual who accepted to respond to marketing research online
Store audit - to measure the sales of a product or product line at a statistically selected store sample in order to determine market share or to determine whether a retail store provides adequate service
Test marketing - a small-scale product launch used to determine the likely acceptance of the product when it is introduced into a wider market
Viral Marketing Research - refers to marketing research designed to estimate the probability that specific communications will be transmitted throughout an individuals Social Network Estimates of Social Networking Potential (SNP) are combined with estimates of selling effectiveness to estimate ROI on specific combinations of messages and media
All of these forms of marketing research can be classified as either problem-identification research or as problem-solving research
There are two main sources of data - primary and secondary Primary research is conducted from scratch It is original and collected to solve the problem in hand Secondary research already exists since it has been collected for other purposes It is conducted on data published previously and usually by someone else Secondary research costs far less than primary research but seldom comes in a form that exactly meets the needs of the researcher
A similar distinction exists between exploratory research and conclusive research Exploratory research provides insights into and comprehension of an issue or situation It should draw definitive conclusions only with extreme caution Conclusive research draws conclusions the results of the study can be generalized to the whole population
Exploratory research is conducted to explore a problem to get some basic idea about the solution at the preliminary stages of research It may serve as the input to conclusive research Exploratory research information is collected by focus group interviews reviewing literature or books discussing with experts etc This is unstructured and qualitative in nature If a secondary source of data is unable to serve the purpose a convenience sample of small size can be collected Conclusive research is conducted to draw some conclusion about the problem It is essentially structured and quantitative research and the
output of this research is the input to MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS (MIS)
Marketing research methods
Methodologically marketing research uses the following types of research designs
Based on questioning
Qualitative marketing research - generally used for exploratory purposes - small number of respondents - not generalizable to the whole population - statistical significance and confidence not calculated - examples include focus groups in-depth interviews and projective techniques
Quantitative marketing research - generally used to draw conclusions - tests a specific hypothesis - uses random sampling techniques so as to infer from the sample to the population - involves a large number of respondents - examples include surveys and questionnaires Techniques include choice modelling maximum difference preference scaling and covariance analysis
Based on observations
Ethnographic studies - by nature qualitative the researcher observes social phenomena in their natural setting - observations can
occur cross-sectionally (observations made at one time) or longitudinally (observations occur over several time-periods) ndash
examples include product-use analysis and computer cookie traces See also Ethnography and Observational techniques
Experimental techniques - by nature quantitative the researcher creates a quasi-artificial environment to try to control spurious factors
then manipulates at least one of the variables - examples include purchase laboratories and test markets
Questionnaires 1 What are the objectives of the marketing strategy Are they clearly stated Are they consistent with the objectives of the firm Is the entire marketing mix structured to meet these objectives
2 What marketing concepts are at issue in the current strategy Is the marketing strategy well planned and laid out Is the strategy consistent with sound marketing principles If the strategy takes exception to marketing principles is there a good reason for it
3 To what target market is the strategy directed Is it well defined Is the market large enough to be profitably served Does the market have long-run potential
4 What competitive advantage does the marketing strategy offer If none what can be done to gain a competitive advantage in the marketplace
5 What products are being sold What is the width depth and consistency of the firms product lines Does the firm need new products to fill out its product line Should any product be deleted What is the profitability of the various products
6 What promotion mix is being used Is promotion consistent with the products and product images What could be done to improve the promotion mix
7 What channels of distribution are being used Do they deliver the product at the right time and right place to meet consumer needs Are the channels typical of those used in the industry Could channels be made more efficient
8 What pricing strategies are being used How do prices compare with similar products of other firms How are prices determined
9 Are marketing research and information systematically integrated into the marketing strategy Is the overall marketing strategy internally consistent
CERTIFICATE
This is to certify Dinesh Vishwakarma a student of the Maharishi Dayanand University Rohtak has prepared his training report entitled ldquoMarketing Strategyrdquo at Continental Manufacturing Co under the guidance He has fulfilled the requirement leading to award of the degree of BBA (Industrial Integrated) This report is the record of bonafide training undertaken by him and no part of it has been submitted to any other University or Educational Institution for award of any other degree diplomafellowship or similar titled or prizes
I wish him all success in life
SIGN OF FACALITY GUID
NAME OF FACALITY GUID
DESIGNATION
QUALIFICATION
SEAL OF ELC
STUDENT DECLARATION
I hereby declare that Training Report conducted at
CONTINEANTAL MANUFACTURING CO
353 MEHRALI ROAD OPP GOVT COLLAGE
GUEGAON-122001(HARYANA)
Under the guidance of
Mrs Bhavana
Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of
BACHELOR OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION
(INDUSTRY INTEGRATED)
To
MAHARISHI DYNAND UNIVERSITY ROHTAKIs my original work and the same has not been submitted for the award of any other degreediplomafellowship or other similar titled or prizes
STUDENT SIGNATURE
NAME
PLACE
DATE
Company certificate
ACKNOWNLEDGEMENT
I wish to acknowledge my sincere gratitude to Mr Pravin Kumar (Marketing manager) for giving me an opportunity to carry out my Training at CONTINENTAL MANUFACTURING CO Rewari
I am immensely thanks to Mrs Bhvana for this guidance and valuable information It would not have been possible for me for the successful completion of my project on Marketing Strategy without her help
Above all I offer my heartiest thanks to god almighty for his fullest support and wonderful guidance
CONTENT OF THE REPORT
1) General introduction about the sector2) Industry profile
i Origin and development of industryii Growth present status of the industry
iii Future of the company3) ndash Origin of organization4) ndash Growth development and present status of the
organization5) ndash Product and service profile of the company6) - profile of the company7) ndash Discussion on training8) ndash Study of selected research problem
i (Problem objective methodology)9) - Summary and conclusion10) Appendices11) Bibliography
12)
1 GENERAL INTRODUCTION ABOUT SECTOR
2 - INDUSTRY PROFILE
I Origin and development of the industry
CONTINENTAL MANUFACTURING COMPANY establised in 1990 with the aim to manufacture Precision and High Quality Plastic and Steel metal component At CMC we have been serving OEMrsquos in Gurgaon Fom very bigning and have made good cutomer on base due to our industrial background sonce 1958 We have specialization in manufacturing of deep draw components in seat metal and injection molded plastic part with critical shape and size A brief count of our achievement and appritiation given by companyrsquos customer is given below
II GROWTH AND PRESENT STATUS OF THE INDUSTRY
There is two axis one shows series 1 in which targets achieved is given in crores Second axis shows the year I which targets achieved
III FUTURE OF THE INDUSTRY
3 ORIGIN OF ORGANIZATION
CONTINENTAL MANUFACTURING COMPANY establised in 1990 with the aim to manufacture Precision and High Quality Plastic and Steel metal component At CMC we have been serving OEMrsquos in Gurgaon Fom very bigning and have made good cutomer on base due to our industrial background sonce 1958 We have specialization in manufacturing of deep draw components in seat metal and injection molded plastic part with critical shape and size We have two uit amp offices they are given below-
4 GROWTH DEVELOPMENT AND PRESENT STATUS OF THE ORGANIZATION
5 PRODUCT AND SERVICE PROFILE OF THE COMPANY
6 PROFILE OF ORGNIZATION
Organizational structure
cEO
7 DISCUSSION ON TRAINING
Marketing strategy is a process that can allow an organization to concentrate its limited resources on the greatest opportunities to increase sales and achieve a sustainable competitive advantage
Developing a marketing strategy
Marketing strategies serve as the fundamental underpinning of marketing plans designed to fill market needs and reach marketing objectives Plans and objectives are generally tested for measurable results Commonly marketing strategies are developed as multi-year plans with a tactical plan detailing specific actions to be accomplished in the current year Time horizons covered by the marketing plan vary by company by industry and by nation however time horizons are becoming shorter as the speed of change in the environment increases Marketing strategies are dynamic and interactive They are partially planned and partially unplanned See strategy dynamics
Marketing strategy involves careful scanning of the internal and external environments which are summarized in a SWOT analysis Internal environmental factors include the marketing mix plus performance analysis and strategic constraints External environmental factors include customer analysis competitor analysis target market analysis as well as evaluation of any elements of the technological economic cultural or politicallegal environment likely toimpact success A key component of marketing strategy is often to
keep marketing in line with a companys overarching mission statement
Types of strategies
Marketing strategies may differ depending on the unique situation of the individual business However there are a number of ways of categorizing some generic strategies A brief description of the most common categorizing schemes is presented below
Strategies based on market dominance - In this scheme firms are classified based on their market share or dominance of an industry Typically there are four types of market dominance strategies
Leader
Challenger
Follower
Nicher
Porter generic strategies - strategy on the dimensions of strategic scope and strategic strength Strategic scope refers to the market penetration while strategic strength refers to the firmrsquos sustainable competitive advantage The generic strategy framework (porter 1984) comprises two alternatives each with two alternative scopes These are Differentiation and low-cost leadership each with a dimension of Focus-broad or narrow
Product differentiation (broad)
Cost leadership (broad)
Market segmentation (narrow)
Innovation strategies - This deals with the firms rate of the new product development and business model innovation It asks whether the company is on the cutting edge of technology and business innovation There are three types
Pioneers
Close followers
Late followers
Growth strategies - In this scheme we ask the question ldquoHow should the firm growrdquo There are a number of different ways of answering that question but the most common gives four answers
Horizontal integration
Vertical integration
Diversification
Intensification
A more detailed scheme uses the categories[10]
Prospector
Analyzer
Defender
Reactor
Marketing warfare strategies - This scheme draws parallels between marketing strategies and military strategies
Many architects make the mistake of thinking that marketing has
only a peripheral relationship to what their firm does In fact marketing works best when it is totally integrated into the operations of your firm when itrsquos a part of everything you do You canrsquot create a plan for how to improve your marketing and increase your business without first considering your long-term goalsmdashnot just in terms of fee revenue or winning work but in terms of who you want to be and where you want to go both as a firm and as a professional There are a number of ways strategic planning
can help your firm
_ Build a shared vision for the firmrsquos future _ Articulate your vision so that it can be communicated to others
_ Get approval and support for the vision from senior leadership and ultimately your entire staff
_ Create a framework for all future decision making _ Figure out (and agree on) how much yoursquore going to spend on
marketing and other initiatives to make it happen
The discussion of strategic planning and marketing planning are divided into the following five areas
Strategic Planning
Getting to the Starting Line
Strategic planning is the process of developing a vision of who you are as a firm and what your longterm goals are Itrsquos about more than just marketing it can influence everything human resources finance information technology operations hiring promotions strategy design process client relationships the design of your office and absolutely anything else that affects your firm and its performance Firms typically engage in strategic planning at defining moments in their practice when the firmrsquos leadership changes or when the practice undergoes some kind of profound transformation The strategic planning process enables the firmrsquos leadership to build a shared vision for the firmrsquos future articulate the vision so that it can be communicated and create a framework for all future decision making When yoursquore ready to
engage in strategic planning itrsquos important to open your mind as much as possible Get ready to think big
Because strategic planning is a process not a document or a report it isnrsquot effective for a small group of leaders to issue a fat document as the strategic plan for the firm It will probably go unread It will certainly not achieve approval and support from the people who need to understand it and act on it Strategic planning is best conducted as an open process one that involves all your firmrsquos key leaders To begin the process set up a strategic planning meeting either as a retreat outside the office or as an extended in-house meeting (You may want to bring in a marketing consultant to help you with this) Figure out who should be there to give input to the vision for your firmrsquos future Keep the group as small as possible but donrsquot leave anyone out Ask everyone to commit half a day for the meeting (two hours just isnrsquot enough) and to come relaxed and prepared to focus on the firmrsquos strategic direction Give everyone an agenda in advance and ask each person to bring historical data based on his or her area of expertise or interest (financial data hiring or retention info winloss reports client feedback etc) Gather any existing documents that attempt to define the firm or its vision such as mission statements a firm description marketing materials articles that have been written about the firm and so on Plan to spend about half the meeting talking about where you are now (your firm your markets your competitors etc) and the other half talking about where yoursquod like to go (your mission your vision the action plan)
MARKETS FOR INDUSTRIAL GOODS
The market is the place where supply meets demand Suppliers and customers meet discuss and evaluate the conditions for exchange of goods and services and exchanges take place The conditions under which these exchanges occur especially that of price are influenced by the characteristics and structure of the market for example the number and market power of suppliers and customers Traditional economic analysis of markets presupposes that they are characterized by certain basic features firstly there is an assumption of free movement in the market and thus a customer will always buy where he obtains the best terms of exchange at that moment similarly the assumption is that suppliers will move to and from the market freely Thus the market is portrayed as atomistic Each unit in the market is free and independent to do as it wishes Also as a result of this free movement the market is characterized by change and stability is an exception Underlying these two assumptions is the further assumption that there is little or no cost of transaction In other words it is assumed that there are no costs in obtaining accurate information or in negotiations etc One effect of this assumption is that production costs
are considered central and that sellers can be simply represented by a production function
The traditional economic theory of the market has of course been subject to challenge and modification However it has influenced the models and principles used in marketing management The basic model that most of the literature in marketing is built on is the marketing mix model The key problems in marketing according to that model are
(a) to allocate resources to different competitive means or mix elements
(b) to design each mean as well as possible within the firms resource limitations
The market is often described in terms of response curves each defined in relation to a certain marketing decision variable or to the whole mix of a company The assumption is of course that the market consists of many individual customers that are affected by the marketers variables in accordance with a certain statistical distribution The same kind of influence can also be identified in the purchasing management
literature The focus here is largely on the management of a single purchase This does not give full consideration to the factors which have contributed to the way this purchase takes place or to the effects of this purchase on the subsequent dealings with the supplying company
Marketing Management
As we mentioned in the first section of this chapter the models and principles for industrial marketing management that are given by the literature are normally related to the marketing mix model The problems identified in these are the allocation of resources and the designing of competitive means However marketers in for example a highly concentrated industry may find different problems The issues associated with the handling of ten very large customers are of totally different character from those of handling 1000 small customers Thus marketers in firms in concentrated markets have a lack of accurate models for analyzing their marketing problems They have also a lack of relevant data expressed in a systematic way about the behaviour of other firms in the same situation
MARKETING ORGANIZATION
Overall Organization
Belters sales operations are split into three areas as follows
(i) Sales Manger mdash UK responsible for 60mdash70 per cent of total sales Four area offices handling all accounts except two major ones which are managed from the Companys main office
(ii) Sales Manager mdash Middle East Africa Eastern Europe accounting for approximately 20 per cent of total sales One manager plus two sales engineers The Company is currently building up an agencymdashdistributor network for this territory
(iii) Sales Manager mdash Western Europe responsible for the remaining 20 per cent of total sales The sales manager is located in Brussels with additional sales offices in Germany France and Italy The Brussels sales office is owned by Belters parent group All major commercial
transactions are carried out by Belters Head Office although the Brussels Company does have some price discretion This European sales company takes 85 per cent of its products for sale in Europe from Belter The remaining 15 per cent of products are sourced from the North-American parent company Apart from the European operation all agents and distributors overseas are handled from the UK
Evolution of Marketing Organization
Belter has often faced problems in the distribution of its products in France for example the Company had a combined agent and distributor operating until 1963 Belter provided applications engineering but had no commercial involvement in sales The company found that it had no influence on pricing in the market and this led to a rather artificial pricing structure and to a decreased market share This problem was not solved by the appointment of a second distributor Mergers amongst French suppliers have led to more competition in the market The second distributor did little to stimulate the first one or to improve the Companys overall penetration
In 1966 Belter separated out a number of products and major customers which were not to be handled via distributors These customers and products were to be controlled by the UK sales operation Also from 1970 the Brussels office ceased to have overall responsibility for sales to France and a Paris office was established The
overall market situation faced in France (and in other European countries) is as follows
There are many actual and potential users for some products which are not known by the Company Heavy competition exists especially on price for large customers who are often buying what they view as a commodity product Belters emerging strategy has been to handle these large customers through its own sales offices The Paris office actively seek sales of large volume products as well as acting as a `post office for products specially developed for individual customers which are then handled from the Companys main office Small customers and small volume products are handled by the two French distributors The development process in Italy has been similar to that in France Sales in Scandinavia do not justify a local sales office sales here are handled through a distributor from the Brussels office A small number of major accounts are however handled directly from the UK
BUYERmdashSELLER RELATIONSHIPS
A Customer Relationship in the United Kingdom
The three aspects of the relationship which are studied are competition technical development and personal contacts
This customer is Belters largest and is responsible for 20 per cent of its total business The Company operates in the aerospace industry at the limit of current technology The relationship involves considerable development liaison on wholly new products
Competition
Competition for this customer comes primarily from American suppliers The competition is on price and reflects the spare capacity in the American industry Competition from UK companies is also on price and comes from companies having a wider production spread than Belter
Development
This customer has always relied on Belter alone for development work in this product area However they have looked to other sources of supply when development has taken place The development process for a new product can be started either by a government development contract or by an order from the customer Belter acknowledged that it
has to stand the costs of this development in the latter case The customer has intimate knowledge of all of Belters procedures Methods of manufacture are agreed in detail and even the particular production machinery to be used is specified The closeness of the relationship between the two companies is indicated by the fact that the customer has approved Belters quality procedure and accepts their testing
Contact Pattern
Interpersonal contacts between Belter and its UK customer are summarized as
follows
(1) Formal Contacts
Every six months Technical policy liaison meeting jointly chaired by Belters Technical Director and the customers Chief Materials Manager Every sixmdashnine months Commercial meeting Belters Managing and Marketing Directors and Sales Manager and the customers Purchasing Director and Senior Purchasing Staff
Monthly UK Sales Manager visits customers purchasing staff to discuss delivery and order positions
(2) Other Contacts
These can be studied according to the formally assigned responsibility Personnel who have full-time responsibility One sales office man has daily contact with the customer Additionally one applications engineer is engaged on work for this customer Finally one man determines market trends and is in contact with the customers marketing personnel and customers clients Personnel with `half-time responsibility Four applications engineers also spend some of their time on the customers problems and are in personal contact with customer staff
PURPOSE OF A MARKETING PLAN
The purpose of a Marketing Plan is to-
1048766Define the Market
1048766Refine the Production Plan to market requirements
1048766Develop a marketing strategy
1048766Minimize risk
Each FFT group should have a Marketing Plan covering each commodity based on their own study of the local market
Defining the Market and Commodities-
1048766Market demand and prices -An assessment based on published market information discussions with local extension staff farmers dealers and buyers of the commodity of the likely demand and prices on offer during the year and during any period of seasonal shortfall
1048766Market Requirement- Varieties size grading packaging maturity demanded by the buyers in the particular market
1048766Yield Price Assumptions- How much commodity will be available How much premium grade Second grade Losses If the commodity crop is aimed to be produced for a particular period eg for a low supply period while the price assumptions (expectation) may be higher some reassessment of yield and cost of production assumptions in the gross margin analysis or partial budgets is usually necessary 1048766Marketing Returns and Costs Calculate expected income and costs in marketing
The Most Important Elements of Marketing There are four important elements in the marketing process
1048766Prioritising the customer Marketing begins with the customer not the product Knowing what the customer needs or wants is essential
1048766Process of selection The farmer needs to know who to sell the product to This will determine how and where the produce is marketed
1048766Promotion The farmer is selling something that other people want to buy Naturally it is helpful to let them know that the product is available and of good quality
The Marketing Training Manual 23 Marketing Module 3 Markets and Marketing
1048766Trust Good marketing occurs when the customers trust the farmer The customer should feel they are not being cheated and they are getting value for their money
In thinking about these elements farmers need to ask themselves about the six Ps
bull P p eople Who are the customers What do they want or need Who is actually going to market the product
bull P p lan How is the product going to reach the selected customers What are the steps
bull product What product is going to be marketed Is the family producing what the customer wants What services (for example a cooked product) if any are requested by the customer
bull place Where is the product going to be marketed
bull price What price will the product be offered on the market for
bull promotion How are people going to be informed that the product is available
Supply Demand and Price
In a free market prices for inputs and products are determined by supply and demand
Supply Is what producers are willing to market at a certain price
Demand Is how much consumers are prepared to buy at the market price
In theory as the price of a product goes up the quantity supplied rises and the quantity demanded falls Likewise when the price goes down the quantity supplied falls and the quantity demanded rises
For agricultural produce demand is affected by a number of factors the most
The Marketing Training Manual 24 Marketing Module 3 Markets and Marketing
Industrial or business to business (B2B) marketing
An organization seeks to build a new warehouse After documenting requirements it obtains three proposals from suitable construction firms After a long process of evaluation and negotiation it places an order with the organization that it believes offers the best value for money
An organization needs legal services and obtains submissions from two law firms Analysis of the proposals and subsequent discussions determines that there is no price advantage to placing all of the work with one firm and the organization decides to split the work between the two firms based on an evaluation of each firms capabilities
A sales representative makes an appointment with an organization that employs 22 people He demonstrates a photocopierfaxprinter to the office administrator After discussing a proposal the business owner signs a contract to obtain the machine on a fully-maintained rental and consumables basis with an upgrade after 2 years
Main features of the B2B selling process are
Marketing is one-to-one in nature It is relatively easy for the seller to identify a prospective customers and build a face-to-face relationship Highly professional and trained people in buying processes are involved In many cases two or three decision makers must approve a purchase plan Often the buying or selling process is complex and includes many stages (for example request for proposal request for tender selection process awarding of tender contract negotiations and signing of final contract) Selling activities involve long processes of prospecting qualifying wooing making representations preparing tenders developing strategies and contract negotiations
Blurring between B2B and B2C
Industrial marketing can cross the border into consumer marketing For example an electronic component seller may distribute its products through industrial marketing channels (see channel (marketing)) but also support consumer sales Many products are equally desired by business and consumersmdashsuch as audio products furniture paint hardware etc Nonetheless manufactures and service providers frequently maintain separate industrial and consumer marketing operations to reflect the different needs of the two channels
Competitive tendering
Industrial marketing often involves competitive tendering (see tender tendering) This is a process where a purchasing organization undertakes to procure goods and services from suitable suppliers Due to the high value of some purchases (for example buying a new computer system manufacturing
machinery or outsourcing a maintenance contract) and the complexity of such purchases the purchasing organization will seek to obtain a number of bids from competing suppliers and choose the best offering An entire profession (strategic procurement) that includes tertiary training and qualifications has been built around the process of making important purchases The key requirement in any competitive tender is to ensure that
The business case for the purchase has been completed and approved
The purchasing organizations objectives for the purchase are clearly defined
The procurement process is agreed upon and it conforms with fiscal guidelines and organisational policies The selection criteria have been established
A budget has been estimated and the financial resources are available
A buying team (or committee) has been assembled
A specification has been written
A preliminary scan of the market place has determined that enough potential suppliers are available to make the process viable (this can sometimes be achieved using an expression of interest process)
It has been clearly established that a competitive tendering process is the best method for meeting the objectives of this purchasing project If (for example) it was known that there was only one organisation capable of supplying best to get on with talking to them and negotiating a contract
Because of the significant value of many purchases issues of probity arise Organisations seek to ensure that awarding a contract is based on best fit to the agreed criteria and not bribery corruption or incompetence
Bidding process
Suppliers who are seeking to win a competitive tender go through a bidding process At its most primitive this would consist of evaluating the specification (issued by the purchasing organization) designing a suitable proposal and working out a price This is a primitive approach because
There is an old saying in industrial marketing if the first time you have heard about a tender is when you are invited to submit then you have already lost it
While flippant the previous point illustrates a basic requirement for being successful in competitive tendering it is important to develop a strong relationship with a prospective customer organization well before they have started the formal part of their procurement process
Non-tender purchasing
Not all industrial sales involve competitive tendering Tender processes are time consuming and expensive particularly when executed with the aim of ensuring probity Government agencies are particularly likely to utilise elaborate competitive tendering processes due to the expectation that they should be seen at all times to be responsibly and accountably spending public monies Private companies are able to avoid the complexity of a fully transparent tender process but are still able to run the procurement process with some rigourBeneficial
Developing a sales strategysolution sellingtechnical selling
The art of technical selling (solution selling) follows a three stage process
Stage 1 Sell the appointment Never sell over the telephone The aim of the first contact with a prospective purchaser is to sell the appointment The reason is simple industrial sales are complex any attempt to sell over the phone will trivialise your product or service and run the risk of not fully understanding the customers need
Stage 2 Understand their needs The best method of selling is to minimise the information about your goods or services until you have fully understood your customers requirements
Stage 3 Develop and propose a solution The solution is (of course) developed from your (or the firm that you represents) product or service offerings
Marketing supports solution selling through methods like account-based marketingmdashunderstanding a specific target organizations requirements as the foundation of a marketing program As research shows[1] sales success is heavily weighted towards suppliers who understand the customer In UK research 77 per cent of senior decision-makers believe new suppliers marketing From cannon fodder to preferred tenderer
The term cannon fodder derives from the World Wars and refers to the massing of undertrained and recently recruited troops sent to the fronts to face the enemy Such troops invariably had a poor survival rate but provided the tactical advantage of distracting the enemy while
professional soldiers mounted more effective operations In adopting the term to Industrial Marketing it means those bids being submitted that have no chance of winning but are involved to make up the numbers (you cant have only one bid in a competitive tender process that wouldnt satisfy the requirements of probity) (for example in government tenders or for private enterprise the requirement to truly test the market and to keep them honest) The reader might be wondering why anybody would go to all of the work of submitting a tender when they had no chance of winning for the same reason that troops were sent in to battle to die they thought they had a real chance
The key features of a successful industrial sales organisation
In industrial marketing the personal selling is still very effective because many products must be customized to suit the requirements of the individual customer Indicators such as the sales tunnel give information on the expected sales in the near future the hit rate indicates whether the sales organization is busy with promising sales leads or it is spending too much effort on projects that are eventually lost to the competition or that are abandoned by the prospect
RESEARCH PROBLEM
1 Identify your target market
Which businesses need cleaning services Which ones can afford it and will pay for it Why
In your case I would think that small businesses may not be your ideal client But then again define small business Are you referring to sales volume or number of employees
I can tell you right now as a marketing consultant that has worked with a wide variety of businesses including small companies
Small businesses are very price sensitive and prefer to do more themselves rather than pay someone else (They hold this belief even if it would free up more time to be more productive Go figure)
So before you randomly begin picking a target market have a rational reason why Continue to read below and youll begin to see what I am talking about
2 Determine their wants and needs
It may be obvious to you but ask yourself Why would someone want a clean office
These businesses never have walk-in traffic They do not have customers visit them So naturally there is far less of a concern for a clean office Sure it would be nice to have but since no revenue will be lost if their office is not spectacular looking they are not motivated to do anything about it
However seek out the businesses that do deal with customers directly especially professional services where they have very high end clients visit them Now they NEED a very presentable office or they risk losing out on a lot of revenue
3 Determine the level and type of demand
If you have ever read any of my previous work you will know that I am a very strong advocate of knowing whether the type of demand is Primary Demand or Selective Demand It is one of the most overlooked aspects of marketing being ignored today
Primary Demand If a business does not already use your TYPE of service and is not currently considering doing so you will need to create primary demand Simply put you will have to convince them first to even want your type of service (or product) before you even get them to buy it from you
So for your cleaning business example if you are approaching businesses that currently do not use a cleaning service you will have to explain the time saving and productivity enhancing benefits of using one Then explain why YOU are the one they need
Selective Demand These businesses already use a service (or product) or are in the market for it and are actively looking In these cases you do not need to spend much effort convincing them why they need it
In this case you must state your argument why your cleaning service should be the one they choose
This is what you will encounter when you call on or contact businesses already using a cleaning service They will either be satisfied or unsatisfied with their current service provider Your emphasis will have to be on conquest sales -- meaning stealing customers from your competition
Now in your line of business and in many others slashing prices always seems to be the first technique used to steal customers This may work well for selling products But if you are marketing services let me tell you thisthink twice before doing that
Yes I am fully aware of the fact that there will be businesses that will be open to talking to you if you offer them a better deal In some cases they may feel they are legitimately getting ripped off or paying way
too much right now And they just might be right In those cases if you can give them a fair price that is a better deal for them AND still gives you healthy profit margins then go for it
However if you are slashing prices just to gain clients arent you really just hurting yourself in the long run First of all you can easily get into the game of How low will they go Secondly it de-values your perception of quality if you are cheap Thirdly whos to say after all this effort you wont lose the business in a month or two when someone else quotes them an even lower price
What will you do next price so low that you lose money with every client I didnt think so
Heres what you could do though
4 Develop a Hypothesis and a Solution to Match
After you know your target market have defined their needs and analyzed the competitive picture (currently using or not currently using a service like mine) go ahead and develop a clearly thought out hypothesis
For example start with business NOT currently using a cleaning service but that deal with customers or clients regularly at their location
Develop a strong case for WHY they would be wise to invest in your
cleaning services Show them on a break-even analysis that your fee will be well compensated in either customer retention or converting a higher level of store traffic or business appointments into paying customersclients
Then state your case why it is more cost effective and saves them valuable time to outsource this to you rather than doing it themselves or paying an employee overtime to do it You can also emphasize that you are the expert at this not someones secretary so it is expected that you will do a far better job at it
For businesses that ARE already using a cleaning service or are currently shopping for one state why you are unique and better
Determine the really compelling reasons why these businesses want a cleaning service to begin with
Maybe it is a retail store that wants to create a better first impression for their customers This will ultimately lead to a better customer experience and ultimately more in-store purchases
A good example may be that unlike most competitors you also clean windows Well as a marketing consultant to retail businesses I can tell you that many passerbys will first look in a store window before deciding to walk in or not
Now for successful marketing all retail businesses would perform better if they had more in-store traffic So therefore if your cleaning service also cleans windows you could rightfully justify that your services are more valuable to their retail business You actually HELP
them get more customers and sell more products
Maybe it is a professional service business that needs to impress prospective clients to choose their services over a similar competitor
Your cleaning service may dust chairs and polish wooden conference tables Many other cleaning services may not do this or do a poor job in doing so
Now as marketing consultants to service businesses I can also tell you that if a consultant attorney accountant or any other business professional needs to meet with prospective clients in their office they will appreciate a better appearance So if your cleaning services can provide this better than anyone else (or at least if you tell them about this first) you will get the business or at least be highly considered for it
Whatever the case may be establish what makes you different and have you are best suited to meet their needs
Do you see where I am going with this Your initial marketing questions asked how you can get more business by passing out flyers or sending faxes to small offices Truthfully that is simply not going to work You are not looking at the overall big picture of why anyone would either want to hire a cleaning service or to hire your particular cleaning service
5 You must make AN OFFER
Here are some examples
Marketing messagesales offer to a business that does NOT currently use a cleaning service
If you have never considered using a cleaning service before allow us to show you how XYZ Cleaning Inc can make your storeoffice more presentable to customers and how this newly improved appearance will affect your cash registerbank statement
If you are weary of trying new things dont worry Use us FREE for one month and if you are not completely satisfied with the results if you are not completely confident that it makes a difference to your customers if you are not completely aware of how it raises the morale of your employees then you do not have to using us again
But if YOU DO see a great improvement well make you a great deal on our services simply because we want your long term business Marketing messagesales offer to businesses that DO currently use a cleaning service
I understand that you currently use ABC Cleaners LLC Now you may or may not be completely happy right now but I want to make you a no-risk offer you cant refuse
The truth is that you likely get consumed in your day to day activities in running your business overseeing operations managing employees and handling customers Therefore there may be little imperfections your cleaning service is making that goes unnoticed by you But dont assume for one minute that your customers or potential customers wont notice And remember first impressions DO count
So heres our offer Have us come in the morning after your regular cleaning service cleans your office We will do a thorough inspection with you present and look for anything they may have done a less-than-satisfactory job on Then well show you why you probably over looked it for so long but why your customers will take notice and how they will think differently about you because of it
Now if everything is already 100 completely clean and presentable well thank you for your time and then be on our way But if together we find lots of little things that are carelessly being done we will cleanfix it for you for FREE
Thats right use our services as a compliment to what you are already paying for Compare the quality of work we do to what you are already paying for If you can see the difference in what we do for you compared to what you are already paying for then consider us as your new cleaning service
6 Develop your marketing message
Once you understand the true needs your potential clients have and the unique and competitive solutions you can offer only then should you develop your marketing copy -- your sales pitch
The two examples above incorporate great marketing copy with a strong benefits related offer You can then deliver this through direct mail telemarketing or a combination of both
I would only recommend distributing flyers if you are confident you can place there where they will get read by people who make the decision to hire a cleaning service So if there is an Open Bulletin board in an office building then go for it However they are rare and you probably need permission anyway
Id avoid the fax marketing altogether Its quite annoying ties up there fax line and unless people have already heard of you they are more likely to toss your message in the garbage
Try sending direct mail to the decision makers of these target companies and describe the benefits they will experience from using your services
7 Follow up
Even after identifying the businesses that are most likely to need your services after you have identified a solution and even after you contacted them with a compelling offer you still have to follow up
Chances are they loved the sound of it when they got it They had every intention of following up with you But then just got busy So your follow up call can make all the difference in the world and get your foot in the door in a very big way Then its up to you to DELIVER on your promise
8 ANALYSIS
Market Analysis
The goal of a market analysis is to determine the attractiveness of a market and to understand its evolving opportunities and threats as they relate to the strengths and weaknesses of the firm
David A Aaker outlined the following dimensions of a market analysis
Market size (current and future)
Market growth rate
Market profitability
Industry cost structure
Distribution channels
Market trends
Key success factors
Market Size
The size of the market can be evaluated based on present sales and on potential sales if the use of the product were expanded The following are some information sources for determining market size
government data
trade associations financial data from major players customer surveys
Market Growth Rate
A simple means of forecasting the market growth rate is to extrapolate historical data into the future While this method may provide a first-order estimate it does not predict important turning points A better method is to study growth drivers such as demographic information and sales growth in complementary products Such drivers serve as leading indicators that are more accurate than simply extrapolating historical data
Important inflection points in the market growth rate sometimes can be predicted by constructing a product diffusion curve The shape of the curve can be estimated by studying the characteristics of the adoption rate of a similar product in the past
Ultimately the maturity and decline stages of the product life cycle will be reached Some leading indicators of the decline phase include price pressure caused by competition a decrease in brand loyalty the emergence of substitute products market saturation and the lack of growth drivers
Market Profitability
While different firms in a market will have different levels of profitability the average profit potential for a market can be used as a guideline for knowing how difficult it is to make money in the market Michael Porter devised a useful framework for evaluating the attractiveness of an industry or market This framework known as Porters five forces identifies five factors that influence the market profitability
Buyer power
Supplier power
Barriers to entry
Threat of substitute products
Rivalry among firms in the industry
Industry Cost Structure
The cost structure is important for identifying key factors for success To this end Porters value chain model is useful for determining where value is added and for isolating the costs
The cost structure also is helpful for formulating strategies to develop a competitive advantage For example in some environments the experience curve effect can be used to develop a cost advantage over competitors
Distribution Channels
The following aspects of the distribution system are useful in a market analysis
Existing distribution channels - can be described by how direct they are to the customer
Trends and emerging channels - new channels can offer the opportunity to develop a competitive advantage
Channel power structure - for example in the case of a product having little brand equity retailers have negotiating power over manufacturers and can capture more margin
Market Trends
Changes in the market are important because they often are the source of new opportunities and threats The relevant trends are industry-dependent but some examples include changes in price sensitivity demand for variety and level of emphasis on service and support Regional trends also may be relevant
Key Success Factors
The key success factors are those elements that are necessary in order for the firm to achieve its marketing objectives A few examples of such factors include
Access to essential unique resources
Ability to achieve economies of scale
Access to distribution channels
Technological progress
It is important to consider that key success factors may change over time especially as the product progresses through its life cycle
9 CONCLUSIONS
Organizations engage in marketing research for two reasons
(1) (1) to identify (2) and (2) solve marketing problems
(3)
This distinction serves as a basis for classifying marketing research into problem identification research and problem solving research
Problem identification research is undertaken to help identify problems which are perhaps not apparent on the surface and yet exist or are likely to company image market characteristics sales analysis short-range forecasting long range forecasting and business trends research Research of this type provides information about the marketing environment and helps diagnose a problem For example The findings of problem solving research are used in making decisions which will solve specific marketing problems
The Stanford Research Institute on the other hand conducts an annual survey of consumers that is used to classify persons into homogeneous groups for segmentation purposes The National Purchase Diary panel (NPD) maintains the largest diary panel in the United States
Standardized services are research studies conducted for different client firms but in a standard way For example procedures for measuring
advertising effectiveness have been standardized so that the results can be compared across studies and evaluative norms can be established The Starch Readership Survey is the most widely used service for evaluating print advertisements another well-known service is the Gallup and Robinson Magazine Impact Studies These services are also sold on a syndicated basis
Customized services offer a wide variety of marketing research services customized to suit a clients specific needs Each marketing research project is treated uniquely
Limited-service suppliers specialize in one or a few phases of the marketing research project Services offered by such suppliers are classified as field services coding and data entry data analysis analytical services and branded products Field services collect data through mail personal or telephone interviewing and firms that specialize in interviewing are called field service organizations These organizations may range from small proprietary organizations which operate locally to large multinational organizations with WATS line interviewing facilities Some organizations maintain extensive interviewing facilities across the country for interviewing shoppers in malls
Coding and data entry services include editing completed questionnaires developing a coding scheme and transcribing the data on to diskettes or magnetic tapes for input into the computer NRC Data Systems provides such services
Analytical services include designing and pretesting questionnaires determining the best means of collecting data designing sampling plans and other aspects of the research design Some complex
marketing research projects require knowledge of sophisticated procedures including specialized experimental designs and analytical techniques such as conjoint analysis and multidimensional scaling This kind of expertise can be obtained from firms and consultants specializing in analytical services
Data analysis services are offered by firms also known as tab houses that specialize in computer analysis of quantitative data such as those obtained in large surveys Initially most data analysis firms supplied only tabulations (frequency counts) and cross tabulations (frequency counts that describe two or more variables simultaneously) With the proliferation of software many firms now have the capability to analyze their own data but data analysis firms are still in demand
Branded marketing research products and services are specialized data collection and analysis procedures developed to address specific types of marketing research problems These procedures are patented given brand names and marketed like any other branded product
Types of marketing research
Marketing research techniques come in many forms including
Ad Tracking ndash periodic or continuous in-market research to monitor a brandrsquos performance using measures such as brand awareness brand preference and product usage (Young 2005)
Advertising Research ndash used to predict copy testing or track the efficacy of advertisements for any medium measured by the adrsquos ability to get attention (measured with Attention Tracking) communicate the message build the brandrsquos image and motivate the consumer to purchase the product or service (Young 2005)
Brand equity research - how favorably do consumers view the brand
Brand association research - what do consumers associate with the brand
Brand attribute research - what are the key traits that describe the brand promise
Brand name testing - what do consumers feel about the names of the products
Commercial eye tracking research - examine advertisements package designs websites etc by analyzing visual behavior of the consumer
Concept testing - to test the acceptance of a concept by target consumers
Cool hunting - to make observations and predictions in changes of new or existing cultural trends in areas such as fashion music films television youth culture and lifestyle
Buyer decision processes research - to determine what motivates people to buy and what decision-making process they use
Copy testing ndash predicts in-market performance of an ad before it airs by analyzing audience levels of attention brand linkage motivation entertainment and communication as well as breaking down the adrsquos flow of attention and flow of emotion (Young p 213)
Customer satisfaction research - quantitative or qualitative studies that yields an understanding of a customers of satisfaction with a transaction
Demand estimation - to determine the approximate level of demand for the product
Distribution channel audits - to assess distributorsrsquo and retailersrsquo attitudes toward a product brand or company
Internet strategic intelligence - searching for customer opinions in the Internet chats forums web pages blogs where people express freely about their experiences with products becoming strong opinion formers
Marketing effectiveness and analytics - Building models and measuring results to determine the effectiveness of individual marketing activities
Mystery Consumer or Mystery shopping - An employee or representative of the market research firm anonymously contacts a salesperson and indicates he or she is shopping for a product The shopper then records the entire experience This method is often used for quality control or for researching competitors products
Positioning research - how does the target market see the brand relative to competitors - what does the brand stand for
Price elasticity testing - to determine how sensitive customers are to price changes
Sales forecasting - to determine the expected level of sales given the level of demand With respect to other factors like Advertising expenditure sales promotion etc
Segmentation research - to determine the demographic psychographic and behavioural characteristics of potential buyers
Online panel - a group of individual who accepted to respond to marketing research online
Store audit - to measure the sales of a product or product line at a statistically selected store sample in order to determine market share or to determine whether a retail store provides adequate service
Test marketing - a small-scale product launch used to determine the likely acceptance of the product when it is introduced into a wider market
Viral Marketing Research - refers to marketing research designed to estimate the probability that specific communications will be transmitted throughout an individuals Social Network Estimates of Social Networking Potential (SNP) are combined with estimates of selling effectiveness to estimate ROI on specific combinations of messages and media
All of these forms of marketing research can be classified as either problem-identification research or as problem-solving research
There are two main sources of data - primary and secondary Primary research is conducted from scratch It is original and collected to solve the problem in hand Secondary research already exists since it has been collected for other purposes It is conducted on data published previously and usually by someone else Secondary research costs far less than primary research but seldom comes in a form that exactly meets the needs of the researcher
A similar distinction exists between exploratory research and conclusive research Exploratory research provides insights into and comprehension of an issue or situation It should draw definitive conclusions only with extreme caution Conclusive research draws conclusions the results of the study can be generalized to the whole population
Exploratory research is conducted to explore a problem to get some basic idea about the solution at the preliminary stages of research It may serve as the input to conclusive research Exploratory research information is collected by focus group interviews reviewing literature or books discussing with experts etc This is unstructured and qualitative in nature If a secondary source of data is unable to serve the purpose a convenience sample of small size can be collected Conclusive research is conducted to draw some conclusion about the problem It is essentially structured and quantitative research and the
output of this research is the input to MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS (MIS)
Marketing research methods
Methodologically marketing research uses the following types of research designs
Based on questioning
Qualitative marketing research - generally used for exploratory purposes - small number of respondents - not generalizable to the whole population - statistical significance and confidence not calculated - examples include focus groups in-depth interviews and projective techniques
Quantitative marketing research - generally used to draw conclusions - tests a specific hypothesis - uses random sampling techniques so as to infer from the sample to the population - involves a large number of respondents - examples include surveys and questionnaires Techniques include choice modelling maximum difference preference scaling and covariance analysis
Based on observations
Ethnographic studies - by nature qualitative the researcher observes social phenomena in their natural setting - observations can
occur cross-sectionally (observations made at one time) or longitudinally (observations occur over several time-periods) ndash
examples include product-use analysis and computer cookie traces See also Ethnography and Observational techniques
Experimental techniques - by nature quantitative the researcher creates a quasi-artificial environment to try to control spurious factors
then manipulates at least one of the variables - examples include purchase laboratories and test markets
Questionnaires 1 What are the objectives of the marketing strategy Are they clearly stated Are they consistent with the objectives of the firm Is the entire marketing mix structured to meet these objectives
2 What marketing concepts are at issue in the current strategy Is the marketing strategy well planned and laid out Is the strategy consistent with sound marketing principles If the strategy takes exception to marketing principles is there a good reason for it
3 To what target market is the strategy directed Is it well defined Is the market large enough to be profitably served Does the market have long-run potential
4 What competitive advantage does the marketing strategy offer If none what can be done to gain a competitive advantage in the marketplace
5 What products are being sold What is the width depth and consistency of the firms product lines Does the firm need new products to fill out its product line Should any product be deleted What is the profitability of the various products
6 What promotion mix is being used Is promotion consistent with the products and product images What could be done to improve the promotion mix
7 What channels of distribution are being used Do they deliver the product at the right time and right place to meet consumer needs Are the channels typical of those used in the industry Could channels be made more efficient
8 What pricing strategies are being used How do prices compare with similar products of other firms How are prices determined
9 Are marketing research and information systematically integrated into the marketing strategy Is the overall marketing strategy internally consistent
STUDENT DECLARATION
I hereby declare that Training Report conducted at
CONTINEANTAL MANUFACTURING CO
353 MEHRALI ROAD OPP GOVT COLLAGE
GUEGAON-122001(HARYANA)
Under the guidance of
Mrs Bhavana
Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of
BACHELOR OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION
(INDUSTRY INTEGRATED)
To
MAHARISHI DYNAND UNIVERSITY ROHTAKIs my original work and the same has not been submitted for the award of any other degreediplomafellowship or other similar titled or prizes
STUDENT SIGNATURE
NAME
PLACE
DATE
Company certificate
ACKNOWNLEDGEMENT
I wish to acknowledge my sincere gratitude to Mr Pravin Kumar (Marketing manager) for giving me an opportunity to carry out my Training at CONTINENTAL MANUFACTURING CO Rewari
I am immensely thanks to Mrs Bhvana for this guidance and valuable information It would not have been possible for me for the successful completion of my project on Marketing Strategy without her help
Above all I offer my heartiest thanks to god almighty for his fullest support and wonderful guidance
CONTENT OF THE REPORT
1) General introduction about the sector2) Industry profile
i Origin and development of industryii Growth present status of the industry
iii Future of the company3) ndash Origin of organization4) ndash Growth development and present status of the
organization5) ndash Product and service profile of the company6) - profile of the company7) ndash Discussion on training8) ndash Study of selected research problem
i (Problem objective methodology)9) - Summary and conclusion10) Appendices11) Bibliography
12)
1 GENERAL INTRODUCTION ABOUT SECTOR
2 - INDUSTRY PROFILE
I Origin and development of the industry
CONTINENTAL MANUFACTURING COMPANY establised in 1990 with the aim to manufacture Precision and High Quality Plastic and Steel metal component At CMC we have been serving OEMrsquos in Gurgaon Fom very bigning and have made good cutomer on base due to our industrial background sonce 1958 We have specialization in manufacturing of deep draw components in seat metal and injection molded plastic part with critical shape and size A brief count of our achievement and appritiation given by companyrsquos customer is given below
II GROWTH AND PRESENT STATUS OF THE INDUSTRY
There is two axis one shows series 1 in which targets achieved is given in crores Second axis shows the year I which targets achieved
III FUTURE OF THE INDUSTRY
3 ORIGIN OF ORGANIZATION
CONTINENTAL MANUFACTURING COMPANY establised in 1990 with the aim to manufacture Precision and High Quality Plastic and Steel metal component At CMC we have been serving OEMrsquos in Gurgaon Fom very bigning and have made good cutomer on base due to our industrial background sonce 1958 We have specialization in manufacturing of deep draw components in seat metal and injection molded plastic part with critical shape and size We have two uit amp offices they are given below-
4 GROWTH DEVELOPMENT AND PRESENT STATUS OF THE ORGANIZATION
5 PRODUCT AND SERVICE PROFILE OF THE COMPANY
6 PROFILE OF ORGNIZATION
Organizational structure
cEO
7 DISCUSSION ON TRAINING
Marketing strategy is a process that can allow an organization to concentrate its limited resources on the greatest opportunities to increase sales and achieve a sustainable competitive advantage
Developing a marketing strategy
Marketing strategies serve as the fundamental underpinning of marketing plans designed to fill market needs and reach marketing objectives Plans and objectives are generally tested for measurable results Commonly marketing strategies are developed as multi-year plans with a tactical plan detailing specific actions to be accomplished in the current year Time horizons covered by the marketing plan vary by company by industry and by nation however time horizons are becoming shorter as the speed of change in the environment increases Marketing strategies are dynamic and interactive They are partially planned and partially unplanned See strategy dynamics
Marketing strategy involves careful scanning of the internal and external environments which are summarized in a SWOT analysis Internal environmental factors include the marketing mix plus performance analysis and strategic constraints External environmental factors include customer analysis competitor analysis target market analysis as well as evaluation of any elements of the technological economic cultural or politicallegal environment likely toimpact success A key component of marketing strategy is often to
keep marketing in line with a companys overarching mission statement
Types of strategies
Marketing strategies may differ depending on the unique situation of the individual business However there are a number of ways of categorizing some generic strategies A brief description of the most common categorizing schemes is presented below
Strategies based on market dominance - In this scheme firms are classified based on their market share or dominance of an industry Typically there are four types of market dominance strategies
Leader
Challenger
Follower
Nicher
Porter generic strategies - strategy on the dimensions of strategic scope and strategic strength Strategic scope refers to the market penetration while strategic strength refers to the firmrsquos sustainable competitive advantage The generic strategy framework (porter 1984) comprises two alternatives each with two alternative scopes These are Differentiation and low-cost leadership each with a dimension of Focus-broad or narrow
Product differentiation (broad)
Cost leadership (broad)
Market segmentation (narrow)
Innovation strategies - This deals with the firms rate of the new product development and business model innovation It asks whether the company is on the cutting edge of technology and business innovation There are three types
Pioneers
Close followers
Late followers
Growth strategies - In this scheme we ask the question ldquoHow should the firm growrdquo There are a number of different ways of answering that question but the most common gives four answers
Horizontal integration
Vertical integration
Diversification
Intensification
A more detailed scheme uses the categories[10]
Prospector
Analyzer
Defender
Reactor
Marketing warfare strategies - This scheme draws parallels between marketing strategies and military strategies
Many architects make the mistake of thinking that marketing has
only a peripheral relationship to what their firm does In fact marketing works best when it is totally integrated into the operations of your firm when itrsquos a part of everything you do You canrsquot create a plan for how to improve your marketing and increase your business without first considering your long-term goalsmdashnot just in terms of fee revenue or winning work but in terms of who you want to be and where you want to go both as a firm and as a professional There are a number of ways strategic planning
can help your firm
_ Build a shared vision for the firmrsquos future _ Articulate your vision so that it can be communicated to others
_ Get approval and support for the vision from senior leadership and ultimately your entire staff
_ Create a framework for all future decision making _ Figure out (and agree on) how much yoursquore going to spend on
marketing and other initiatives to make it happen
The discussion of strategic planning and marketing planning are divided into the following five areas
Strategic Planning
Getting to the Starting Line
Strategic planning is the process of developing a vision of who you are as a firm and what your longterm goals are Itrsquos about more than just marketing it can influence everything human resources finance information technology operations hiring promotions strategy design process client relationships the design of your office and absolutely anything else that affects your firm and its performance Firms typically engage in strategic planning at defining moments in their practice when the firmrsquos leadership changes or when the practice undergoes some kind of profound transformation The strategic planning process enables the firmrsquos leadership to build a shared vision for the firmrsquos future articulate the vision so that it can be communicated and create a framework for all future decision making When yoursquore ready to
engage in strategic planning itrsquos important to open your mind as much as possible Get ready to think big
Because strategic planning is a process not a document or a report it isnrsquot effective for a small group of leaders to issue a fat document as the strategic plan for the firm It will probably go unread It will certainly not achieve approval and support from the people who need to understand it and act on it Strategic planning is best conducted as an open process one that involves all your firmrsquos key leaders To begin the process set up a strategic planning meeting either as a retreat outside the office or as an extended in-house meeting (You may want to bring in a marketing consultant to help you with this) Figure out who should be there to give input to the vision for your firmrsquos future Keep the group as small as possible but donrsquot leave anyone out Ask everyone to commit half a day for the meeting (two hours just isnrsquot enough) and to come relaxed and prepared to focus on the firmrsquos strategic direction Give everyone an agenda in advance and ask each person to bring historical data based on his or her area of expertise or interest (financial data hiring or retention info winloss reports client feedback etc) Gather any existing documents that attempt to define the firm or its vision such as mission statements a firm description marketing materials articles that have been written about the firm and so on Plan to spend about half the meeting talking about where you are now (your firm your markets your competitors etc) and the other half talking about where yoursquod like to go (your mission your vision the action plan)
MARKETS FOR INDUSTRIAL GOODS
The market is the place where supply meets demand Suppliers and customers meet discuss and evaluate the conditions for exchange of goods and services and exchanges take place The conditions under which these exchanges occur especially that of price are influenced by the characteristics and structure of the market for example the number and market power of suppliers and customers Traditional economic analysis of markets presupposes that they are characterized by certain basic features firstly there is an assumption of free movement in the market and thus a customer will always buy where he obtains the best terms of exchange at that moment similarly the assumption is that suppliers will move to and from the market freely Thus the market is portrayed as atomistic Each unit in the market is free and independent to do as it wishes Also as a result of this free movement the market is characterized by change and stability is an exception Underlying these two assumptions is the further assumption that there is little or no cost of transaction In other words it is assumed that there are no costs in obtaining accurate information or in negotiations etc One effect of this assumption is that production costs
are considered central and that sellers can be simply represented by a production function
The traditional economic theory of the market has of course been subject to challenge and modification However it has influenced the models and principles used in marketing management The basic model that most of the literature in marketing is built on is the marketing mix model The key problems in marketing according to that model are
(a) to allocate resources to different competitive means or mix elements
(b) to design each mean as well as possible within the firms resource limitations
The market is often described in terms of response curves each defined in relation to a certain marketing decision variable or to the whole mix of a company The assumption is of course that the market consists of many individual customers that are affected by the marketers variables in accordance with a certain statistical distribution The same kind of influence can also be identified in the purchasing management
literature The focus here is largely on the management of a single purchase This does not give full consideration to the factors which have contributed to the way this purchase takes place or to the effects of this purchase on the subsequent dealings with the supplying company
Marketing Management
As we mentioned in the first section of this chapter the models and principles for industrial marketing management that are given by the literature are normally related to the marketing mix model The problems identified in these are the allocation of resources and the designing of competitive means However marketers in for example a highly concentrated industry may find different problems The issues associated with the handling of ten very large customers are of totally different character from those of handling 1000 small customers Thus marketers in firms in concentrated markets have a lack of accurate models for analyzing their marketing problems They have also a lack of relevant data expressed in a systematic way about the behaviour of other firms in the same situation
MARKETING ORGANIZATION
Overall Organization
Belters sales operations are split into three areas as follows
(i) Sales Manger mdash UK responsible for 60mdash70 per cent of total sales Four area offices handling all accounts except two major ones which are managed from the Companys main office
(ii) Sales Manager mdash Middle East Africa Eastern Europe accounting for approximately 20 per cent of total sales One manager plus two sales engineers The Company is currently building up an agencymdashdistributor network for this territory
(iii) Sales Manager mdash Western Europe responsible for the remaining 20 per cent of total sales The sales manager is located in Brussels with additional sales offices in Germany France and Italy The Brussels sales office is owned by Belters parent group All major commercial
transactions are carried out by Belters Head Office although the Brussels Company does have some price discretion This European sales company takes 85 per cent of its products for sale in Europe from Belter The remaining 15 per cent of products are sourced from the North-American parent company Apart from the European operation all agents and distributors overseas are handled from the UK
Evolution of Marketing Organization
Belter has often faced problems in the distribution of its products in France for example the Company had a combined agent and distributor operating until 1963 Belter provided applications engineering but had no commercial involvement in sales The company found that it had no influence on pricing in the market and this led to a rather artificial pricing structure and to a decreased market share This problem was not solved by the appointment of a second distributor Mergers amongst French suppliers have led to more competition in the market The second distributor did little to stimulate the first one or to improve the Companys overall penetration
In 1966 Belter separated out a number of products and major customers which were not to be handled via distributors These customers and products were to be controlled by the UK sales operation Also from 1970 the Brussels office ceased to have overall responsibility for sales to France and a Paris office was established The
overall market situation faced in France (and in other European countries) is as follows
There are many actual and potential users for some products which are not known by the Company Heavy competition exists especially on price for large customers who are often buying what they view as a commodity product Belters emerging strategy has been to handle these large customers through its own sales offices The Paris office actively seek sales of large volume products as well as acting as a `post office for products specially developed for individual customers which are then handled from the Companys main office Small customers and small volume products are handled by the two French distributors The development process in Italy has been similar to that in France Sales in Scandinavia do not justify a local sales office sales here are handled through a distributor from the Brussels office A small number of major accounts are however handled directly from the UK
BUYERmdashSELLER RELATIONSHIPS
A Customer Relationship in the United Kingdom
The three aspects of the relationship which are studied are competition technical development and personal contacts
This customer is Belters largest and is responsible for 20 per cent of its total business The Company operates in the aerospace industry at the limit of current technology The relationship involves considerable development liaison on wholly new products
Competition
Competition for this customer comes primarily from American suppliers The competition is on price and reflects the spare capacity in the American industry Competition from UK companies is also on price and comes from companies having a wider production spread than Belter
Development
This customer has always relied on Belter alone for development work in this product area However they have looked to other sources of supply when development has taken place The development process for a new product can be started either by a government development contract or by an order from the customer Belter acknowledged that it
has to stand the costs of this development in the latter case The customer has intimate knowledge of all of Belters procedures Methods of manufacture are agreed in detail and even the particular production machinery to be used is specified The closeness of the relationship between the two companies is indicated by the fact that the customer has approved Belters quality procedure and accepts their testing
Contact Pattern
Interpersonal contacts between Belter and its UK customer are summarized as
follows
(1) Formal Contacts
Every six months Technical policy liaison meeting jointly chaired by Belters Technical Director and the customers Chief Materials Manager Every sixmdashnine months Commercial meeting Belters Managing and Marketing Directors and Sales Manager and the customers Purchasing Director and Senior Purchasing Staff
Monthly UK Sales Manager visits customers purchasing staff to discuss delivery and order positions
(2) Other Contacts
These can be studied according to the formally assigned responsibility Personnel who have full-time responsibility One sales office man has daily contact with the customer Additionally one applications engineer is engaged on work for this customer Finally one man determines market trends and is in contact with the customers marketing personnel and customers clients Personnel with `half-time responsibility Four applications engineers also spend some of their time on the customers problems and are in personal contact with customer staff
PURPOSE OF A MARKETING PLAN
The purpose of a Marketing Plan is to-
1048766Define the Market
1048766Refine the Production Plan to market requirements
1048766Develop a marketing strategy
1048766Minimize risk
Each FFT group should have a Marketing Plan covering each commodity based on their own study of the local market
Defining the Market and Commodities-
1048766Market demand and prices -An assessment based on published market information discussions with local extension staff farmers dealers and buyers of the commodity of the likely demand and prices on offer during the year and during any period of seasonal shortfall
1048766Market Requirement- Varieties size grading packaging maturity demanded by the buyers in the particular market
1048766Yield Price Assumptions- How much commodity will be available How much premium grade Second grade Losses If the commodity crop is aimed to be produced for a particular period eg for a low supply period while the price assumptions (expectation) may be higher some reassessment of yield and cost of production assumptions in the gross margin analysis or partial budgets is usually necessary 1048766Marketing Returns and Costs Calculate expected income and costs in marketing
The Most Important Elements of Marketing There are four important elements in the marketing process
1048766Prioritising the customer Marketing begins with the customer not the product Knowing what the customer needs or wants is essential
1048766Process of selection The farmer needs to know who to sell the product to This will determine how and where the produce is marketed
1048766Promotion The farmer is selling something that other people want to buy Naturally it is helpful to let them know that the product is available and of good quality
The Marketing Training Manual 23 Marketing Module 3 Markets and Marketing
1048766Trust Good marketing occurs when the customers trust the farmer The customer should feel they are not being cheated and they are getting value for their money
In thinking about these elements farmers need to ask themselves about the six Ps
bull P p eople Who are the customers What do they want or need Who is actually going to market the product
bull P p lan How is the product going to reach the selected customers What are the steps
bull product What product is going to be marketed Is the family producing what the customer wants What services (for example a cooked product) if any are requested by the customer
bull place Where is the product going to be marketed
bull price What price will the product be offered on the market for
bull promotion How are people going to be informed that the product is available
Supply Demand and Price
In a free market prices for inputs and products are determined by supply and demand
Supply Is what producers are willing to market at a certain price
Demand Is how much consumers are prepared to buy at the market price
In theory as the price of a product goes up the quantity supplied rises and the quantity demanded falls Likewise when the price goes down the quantity supplied falls and the quantity demanded rises
For agricultural produce demand is affected by a number of factors the most
The Marketing Training Manual 24 Marketing Module 3 Markets and Marketing
Industrial or business to business (B2B) marketing
An organization seeks to build a new warehouse After documenting requirements it obtains three proposals from suitable construction firms After a long process of evaluation and negotiation it places an order with the organization that it believes offers the best value for money
An organization needs legal services and obtains submissions from two law firms Analysis of the proposals and subsequent discussions determines that there is no price advantage to placing all of the work with one firm and the organization decides to split the work between the two firms based on an evaluation of each firms capabilities
A sales representative makes an appointment with an organization that employs 22 people He demonstrates a photocopierfaxprinter to the office administrator After discussing a proposal the business owner signs a contract to obtain the machine on a fully-maintained rental and consumables basis with an upgrade after 2 years
Main features of the B2B selling process are
Marketing is one-to-one in nature It is relatively easy for the seller to identify a prospective customers and build a face-to-face relationship Highly professional and trained people in buying processes are involved In many cases two or three decision makers must approve a purchase plan Often the buying or selling process is complex and includes many stages (for example request for proposal request for tender selection process awarding of tender contract negotiations and signing of final contract) Selling activities involve long processes of prospecting qualifying wooing making representations preparing tenders developing strategies and contract negotiations
Blurring between B2B and B2C
Industrial marketing can cross the border into consumer marketing For example an electronic component seller may distribute its products through industrial marketing channels (see channel (marketing)) but also support consumer sales Many products are equally desired by business and consumersmdashsuch as audio products furniture paint hardware etc Nonetheless manufactures and service providers frequently maintain separate industrial and consumer marketing operations to reflect the different needs of the two channels
Competitive tendering
Industrial marketing often involves competitive tendering (see tender tendering) This is a process where a purchasing organization undertakes to procure goods and services from suitable suppliers Due to the high value of some purchases (for example buying a new computer system manufacturing
machinery or outsourcing a maintenance contract) and the complexity of such purchases the purchasing organization will seek to obtain a number of bids from competing suppliers and choose the best offering An entire profession (strategic procurement) that includes tertiary training and qualifications has been built around the process of making important purchases The key requirement in any competitive tender is to ensure that
The business case for the purchase has been completed and approved
The purchasing organizations objectives for the purchase are clearly defined
The procurement process is agreed upon and it conforms with fiscal guidelines and organisational policies The selection criteria have been established
A budget has been estimated and the financial resources are available
A buying team (or committee) has been assembled
A specification has been written
A preliminary scan of the market place has determined that enough potential suppliers are available to make the process viable (this can sometimes be achieved using an expression of interest process)
It has been clearly established that a competitive tendering process is the best method for meeting the objectives of this purchasing project If (for example) it was known that there was only one organisation capable of supplying best to get on with talking to them and negotiating a contract
Because of the significant value of many purchases issues of probity arise Organisations seek to ensure that awarding a contract is based on best fit to the agreed criteria and not bribery corruption or incompetence
Bidding process
Suppliers who are seeking to win a competitive tender go through a bidding process At its most primitive this would consist of evaluating the specification (issued by the purchasing organization) designing a suitable proposal and working out a price This is a primitive approach because
There is an old saying in industrial marketing if the first time you have heard about a tender is when you are invited to submit then you have already lost it
While flippant the previous point illustrates a basic requirement for being successful in competitive tendering it is important to develop a strong relationship with a prospective customer organization well before they have started the formal part of their procurement process
Non-tender purchasing
Not all industrial sales involve competitive tendering Tender processes are time consuming and expensive particularly when executed with the aim of ensuring probity Government agencies are particularly likely to utilise elaborate competitive tendering processes due to the expectation that they should be seen at all times to be responsibly and accountably spending public monies Private companies are able to avoid the complexity of a fully transparent tender process but are still able to run the procurement process with some rigourBeneficial
Developing a sales strategysolution sellingtechnical selling
The art of technical selling (solution selling) follows a three stage process
Stage 1 Sell the appointment Never sell over the telephone The aim of the first contact with a prospective purchaser is to sell the appointment The reason is simple industrial sales are complex any attempt to sell over the phone will trivialise your product or service and run the risk of not fully understanding the customers need
Stage 2 Understand their needs The best method of selling is to minimise the information about your goods or services until you have fully understood your customers requirements
Stage 3 Develop and propose a solution The solution is (of course) developed from your (or the firm that you represents) product or service offerings
Marketing supports solution selling through methods like account-based marketingmdashunderstanding a specific target organizations requirements as the foundation of a marketing program As research shows[1] sales success is heavily weighted towards suppliers who understand the customer In UK research 77 per cent of senior decision-makers believe new suppliers marketing From cannon fodder to preferred tenderer
The term cannon fodder derives from the World Wars and refers to the massing of undertrained and recently recruited troops sent to the fronts to face the enemy Such troops invariably had a poor survival rate but provided the tactical advantage of distracting the enemy while
professional soldiers mounted more effective operations In adopting the term to Industrial Marketing it means those bids being submitted that have no chance of winning but are involved to make up the numbers (you cant have only one bid in a competitive tender process that wouldnt satisfy the requirements of probity) (for example in government tenders or for private enterprise the requirement to truly test the market and to keep them honest) The reader might be wondering why anybody would go to all of the work of submitting a tender when they had no chance of winning for the same reason that troops were sent in to battle to die they thought they had a real chance
The key features of a successful industrial sales organisation
In industrial marketing the personal selling is still very effective because many products must be customized to suit the requirements of the individual customer Indicators such as the sales tunnel give information on the expected sales in the near future the hit rate indicates whether the sales organization is busy with promising sales leads or it is spending too much effort on projects that are eventually lost to the competition or that are abandoned by the prospect
RESEARCH PROBLEM
1 Identify your target market
Which businesses need cleaning services Which ones can afford it and will pay for it Why
In your case I would think that small businesses may not be your ideal client But then again define small business Are you referring to sales volume or number of employees
I can tell you right now as a marketing consultant that has worked with a wide variety of businesses including small companies
Small businesses are very price sensitive and prefer to do more themselves rather than pay someone else (They hold this belief even if it would free up more time to be more productive Go figure)
So before you randomly begin picking a target market have a rational reason why Continue to read below and youll begin to see what I am talking about
2 Determine their wants and needs
It may be obvious to you but ask yourself Why would someone want a clean office
These businesses never have walk-in traffic They do not have customers visit them So naturally there is far less of a concern for a clean office Sure it would be nice to have but since no revenue will be lost if their office is not spectacular looking they are not motivated to do anything about it
However seek out the businesses that do deal with customers directly especially professional services where they have very high end clients visit them Now they NEED a very presentable office or they risk losing out on a lot of revenue
3 Determine the level and type of demand
If you have ever read any of my previous work you will know that I am a very strong advocate of knowing whether the type of demand is Primary Demand or Selective Demand It is one of the most overlooked aspects of marketing being ignored today
Primary Demand If a business does not already use your TYPE of service and is not currently considering doing so you will need to create primary demand Simply put you will have to convince them first to even want your type of service (or product) before you even get them to buy it from you
So for your cleaning business example if you are approaching businesses that currently do not use a cleaning service you will have to explain the time saving and productivity enhancing benefits of using one Then explain why YOU are the one they need
Selective Demand These businesses already use a service (or product) or are in the market for it and are actively looking In these cases you do not need to spend much effort convincing them why they need it
In this case you must state your argument why your cleaning service should be the one they choose
This is what you will encounter when you call on or contact businesses already using a cleaning service They will either be satisfied or unsatisfied with their current service provider Your emphasis will have to be on conquest sales -- meaning stealing customers from your competition
Now in your line of business and in many others slashing prices always seems to be the first technique used to steal customers This may work well for selling products But if you are marketing services let me tell you thisthink twice before doing that
Yes I am fully aware of the fact that there will be businesses that will be open to talking to you if you offer them a better deal In some cases they may feel they are legitimately getting ripped off or paying way
too much right now And they just might be right In those cases if you can give them a fair price that is a better deal for them AND still gives you healthy profit margins then go for it
However if you are slashing prices just to gain clients arent you really just hurting yourself in the long run First of all you can easily get into the game of How low will they go Secondly it de-values your perception of quality if you are cheap Thirdly whos to say after all this effort you wont lose the business in a month or two when someone else quotes them an even lower price
What will you do next price so low that you lose money with every client I didnt think so
Heres what you could do though
4 Develop a Hypothesis and a Solution to Match
After you know your target market have defined their needs and analyzed the competitive picture (currently using or not currently using a service like mine) go ahead and develop a clearly thought out hypothesis
For example start with business NOT currently using a cleaning service but that deal with customers or clients regularly at their location
Develop a strong case for WHY they would be wise to invest in your
cleaning services Show them on a break-even analysis that your fee will be well compensated in either customer retention or converting a higher level of store traffic or business appointments into paying customersclients
Then state your case why it is more cost effective and saves them valuable time to outsource this to you rather than doing it themselves or paying an employee overtime to do it You can also emphasize that you are the expert at this not someones secretary so it is expected that you will do a far better job at it
For businesses that ARE already using a cleaning service or are currently shopping for one state why you are unique and better
Determine the really compelling reasons why these businesses want a cleaning service to begin with
Maybe it is a retail store that wants to create a better first impression for their customers This will ultimately lead to a better customer experience and ultimately more in-store purchases
A good example may be that unlike most competitors you also clean windows Well as a marketing consultant to retail businesses I can tell you that many passerbys will first look in a store window before deciding to walk in or not
Now for successful marketing all retail businesses would perform better if they had more in-store traffic So therefore if your cleaning service also cleans windows you could rightfully justify that your services are more valuable to their retail business You actually HELP
them get more customers and sell more products
Maybe it is a professional service business that needs to impress prospective clients to choose their services over a similar competitor
Your cleaning service may dust chairs and polish wooden conference tables Many other cleaning services may not do this or do a poor job in doing so
Now as marketing consultants to service businesses I can also tell you that if a consultant attorney accountant or any other business professional needs to meet with prospective clients in their office they will appreciate a better appearance So if your cleaning services can provide this better than anyone else (or at least if you tell them about this first) you will get the business or at least be highly considered for it
Whatever the case may be establish what makes you different and have you are best suited to meet their needs
Do you see where I am going with this Your initial marketing questions asked how you can get more business by passing out flyers or sending faxes to small offices Truthfully that is simply not going to work You are not looking at the overall big picture of why anyone would either want to hire a cleaning service or to hire your particular cleaning service
5 You must make AN OFFER
Here are some examples
Marketing messagesales offer to a business that does NOT currently use a cleaning service
If you have never considered using a cleaning service before allow us to show you how XYZ Cleaning Inc can make your storeoffice more presentable to customers and how this newly improved appearance will affect your cash registerbank statement
If you are weary of trying new things dont worry Use us FREE for one month and if you are not completely satisfied with the results if you are not completely confident that it makes a difference to your customers if you are not completely aware of how it raises the morale of your employees then you do not have to using us again
But if YOU DO see a great improvement well make you a great deal on our services simply because we want your long term business Marketing messagesales offer to businesses that DO currently use a cleaning service
I understand that you currently use ABC Cleaners LLC Now you may or may not be completely happy right now but I want to make you a no-risk offer you cant refuse
The truth is that you likely get consumed in your day to day activities in running your business overseeing operations managing employees and handling customers Therefore there may be little imperfections your cleaning service is making that goes unnoticed by you But dont assume for one minute that your customers or potential customers wont notice And remember first impressions DO count
So heres our offer Have us come in the morning after your regular cleaning service cleans your office We will do a thorough inspection with you present and look for anything they may have done a less-than-satisfactory job on Then well show you why you probably over looked it for so long but why your customers will take notice and how they will think differently about you because of it
Now if everything is already 100 completely clean and presentable well thank you for your time and then be on our way But if together we find lots of little things that are carelessly being done we will cleanfix it for you for FREE
Thats right use our services as a compliment to what you are already paying for Compare the quality of work we do to what you are already paying for If you can see the difference in what we do for you compared to what you are already paying for then consider us as your new cleaning service
6 Develop your marketing message
Once you understand the true needs your potential clients have and the unique and competitive solutions you can offer only then should you develop your marketing copy -- your sales pitch
The two examples above incorporate great marketing copy with a strong benefits related offer You can then deliver this through direct mail telemarketing or a combination of both
I would only recommend distributing flyers if you are confident you can place there where they will get read by people who make the decision to hire a cleaning service So if there is an Open Bulletin board in an office building then go for it However they are rare and you probably need permission anyway
Id avoid the fax marketing altogether Its quite annoying ties up there fax line and unless people have already heard of you they are more likely to toss your message in the garbage
Try sending direct mail to the decision makers of these target companies and describe the benefits they will experience from using your services
7 Follow up
Even after identifying the businesses that are most likely to need your services after you have identified a solution and even after you contacted them with a compelling offer you still have to follow up
Chances are they loved the sound of it when they got it They had every intention of following up with you But then just got busy So your follow up call can make all the difference in the world and get your foot in the door in a very big way Then its up to you to DELIVER on your promise
8 ANALYSIS
Market Analysis
The goal of a market analysis is to determine the attractiveness of a market and to understand its evolving opportunities and threats as they relate to the strengths and weaknesses of the firm
David A Aaker outlined the following dimensions of a market analysis
Market size (current and future)
Market growth rate
Market profitability
Industry cost structure
Distribution channels
Market trends
Key success factors
Market Size
The size of the market can be evaluated based on present sales and on potential sales if the use of the product were expanded The following are some information sources for determining market size
government data
trade associations financial data from major players customer surveys
Market Growth Rate
A simple means of forecasting the market growth rate is to extrapolate historical data into the future While this method may provide a first-order estimate it does not predict important turning points A better method is to study growth drivers such as demographic information and sales growth in complementary products Such drivers serve as leading indicators that are more accurate than simply extrapolating historical data
Important inflection points in the market growth rate sometimes can be predicted by constructing a product diffusion curve The shape of the curve can be estimated by studying the characteristics of the adoption rate of a similar product in the past
Ultimately the maturity and decline stages of the product life cycle will be reached Some leading indicators of the decline phase include price pressure caused by competition a decrease in brand loyalty the emergence of substitute products market saturation and the lack of growth drivers
Market Profitability
While different firms in a market will have different levels of profitability the average profit potential for a market can be used as a guideline for knowing how difficult it is to make money in the market Michael Porter devised a useful framework for evaluating the attractiveness of an industry or market This framework known as Porters five forces identifies five factors that influence the market profitability
Buyer power
Supplier power
Barriers to entry
Threat of substitute products
Rivalry among firms in the industry
Industry Cost Structure
The cost structure is important for identifying key factors for success To this end Porters value chain model is useful for determining where value is added and for isolating the costs
The cost structure also is helpful for formulating strategies to develop a competitive advantage For example in some environments the experience curve effect can be used to develop a cost advantage over competitors
Distribution Channels
The following aspects of the distribution system are useful in a market analysis
Existing distribution channels - can be described by how direct they are to the customer
Trends and emerging channels - new channels can offer the opportunity to develop a competitive advantage
Channel power structure - for example in the case of a product having little brand equity retailers have negotiating power over manufacturers and can capture more margin
Market Trends
Changes in the market are important because they often are the source of new opportunities and threats The relevant trends are industry-dependent but some examples include changes in price sensitivity demand for variety and level of emphasis on service and support Regional trends also may be relevant
Key Success Factors
The key success factors are those elements that are necessary in order for the firm to achieve its marketing objectives A few examples of such factors include
Access to essential unique resources
Ability to achieve economies of scale
Access to distribution channels
Technological progress
It is important to consider that key success factors may change over time especially as the product progresses through its life cycle
9 CONCLUSIONS
Organizations engage in marketing research for two reasons
(1) (1) to identify (2) and (2) solve marketing problems
(3)
This distinction serves as a basis for classifying marketing research into problem identification research and problem solving research
Problem identification research is undertaken to help identify problems which are perhaps not apparent on the surface and yet exist or are likely to company image market characteristics sales analysis short-range forecasting long range forecasting and business trends research Research of this type provides information about the marketing environment and helps diagnose a problem For example The findings of problem solving research are used in making decisions which will solve specific marketing problems
The Stanford Research Institute on the other hand conducts an annual survey of consumers that is used to classify persons into homogeneous groups for segmentation purposes The National Purchase Diary panel (NPD) maintains the largest diary panel in the United States
Standardized services are research studies conducted for different client firms but in a standard way For example procedures for measuring
advertising effectiveness have been standardized so that the results can be compared across studies and evaluative norms can be established The Starch Readership Survey is the most widely used service for evaluating print advertisements another well-known service is the Gallup and Robinson Magazine Impact Studies These services are also sold on a syndicated basis
Customized services offer a wide variety of marketing research services customized to suit a clients specific needs Each marketing research project is treated uniquely
Limited-service suppliers specialize in one or a few phases of the marketing research project Services offered by such suppliers are classified as field services coding and data entry data analysis analytical services and branded products Field services collect data through mail personal or telephone interviewing and firms that specialize in interviewing are called field service organizations These organizations may range from small proprietary organizations which operate locally to large multinational organizations with WATS line interviewing facilities Some organizations maintain extensive interviewing facilities across the country for interviewing shoppers in malls
Coding and data entry services include editing completed questionnaires developing a coding scheme and transcribing the data on to diskettes or magnetic tapes for input into the computer NRC Data Systems provides such services
Analytical services include designing and pretesting questionnaires determining the best means of collecting data designing sampling plans and other aspects of the research design Some complex
marketing research projects require knowledge of sophisticated procedures including specialized experimental designs and analytical techniques such as conjoint analysis and multidimensional scaling This kind of expertise can be obtained from firms and consultants specializing in analytical services
Data analysis services are offered by firms also known as tab houses that specialize in computer analysis of quantitative data such as those obtained in large surveys Initially most data analysis firms supplied only tabulations (frequency counts) and cross tabulations (frequency counts that describe two or more variables simultaneously) With the proliferation of software many firms now have the capability to analyze their own data but data analysis firms are still in demand
Branded marketing research products and services are specialized data collection and analysis procedures developed to address specific types of marketing research problems These procedures are patented given brand names and marketed like any other branded product
Types of marketing research
Marketing research techniques come in many forms including
Ad Tracking ndash periodic or continuous in-market research to monitor a brandrsquos performance using measures such as brand awareness brand preference and product usage (Young 2005)
Advertising Research ndash used to predict copy testing or track the efficacy of advertisements for any medium measured by the adrsquos ability to get attention (measured with Attention Tracking) communicate the message build the brandrsquos image and motivate the consumer to purchase the product or service (Young 2005)
Brand equity research - how favorably do consumers view the brand
Brand association research - what do consumers associate with the brand
Brand attribute research - what are the key traits that describe the brand promise
Brand name testing - what do consumers feel about the names of the products
Commercial eye tracking research - examine advertisements package designs websites etc by analyzing visual behavior of the consumer
Concept testing - to test the acceptance of a concept by target consumers
Cool hunting - to make observations and predictions in changes of new or existing cultural trends in areas such as fashion music films television youth culture and lifestyle
Buyer decision processes research - to determine what motivates people to buy and what decision-making process they use
Copy testing ndash predicts in-market performance of an ad before it airs by analyzing audience levels of attention brand linkage motivation entertainment and communication as well as breaking down the adrsquos flow of attention and flow of emotion (Young p 213)
Customer satisfaction research - quantitative or qualitative studies that yields an understanding of a customers of satisfaction with a transaction
Demand estimation - to determine the approximate level of demand for the product
Distribution channel audits - to assess distributorsrsquo and retailersrsquo attitudes toward a product brand or company
Internet strategic intelligence - searching for customer opinions in the Internet chats forums web pages blogs where people express freely about their experiences with products becoming strong opinion formers
Marketing effectiveness and analytics - Building models and measuring results to determine the effectiveness of individual marketing activities
Mystery Consumer or Mystery shopping - An employee or representative of the market research firm anonymously contacts a salesperson and indicates he or she is shopping for a product The shopper then records the entire experience This method is often used for quality control or for researching competitors products
Positioning research - how does the target market see the brand relative to competitors - what does the brand stand for
Price elasticity testing - to determine how sensitive customers are to price changes
Sales forecasting - to determine the expected level of sales given the level of demand With respect to other factors like Advertising expenditure sales promotion etc
Segmentation research - to determine the demographic psychographic and behavioural characteristics of potential buyers
Online panel - a group of individual who accepted to respond to marketing research online
Store audit - to measure the sales of a product or product line at a statistically selected store sample in order to determine market share or to determine whether a retail store provides adequate service
Test marketing - a small-scale product launch used to determine the likely acceptance of the product when it is introduced into a wider market
Viral Marketing Research - refers to marketing research designed to estimate the probability that specific communications will be transmitted throughout an individuals Social Network Estimates of Social Networking Potential (SNP) are combined with estimates of selling effectiveness to estimate ROI on specific combinations of messages and media
All of these forms of marketing research can be classified as either problem-identification research or as problem-solving research
There are two main sources of data - primary and secondary Primary research is conducted from scratch It is original and collected to solve the problem in hand Secondary research already exists since it has been collected for other purposes It is conducted on data published previously and usually by someone else Secondary research costs far less than primary research but seldom comes in a form that exactly meets the needs of the researcher
A similar distinction exists between exploratory research and conclusive research Exploratory research provides insights into and comprehension of an issue or situation It should draw definitive conclusions only with extreme caution Conclusive research draws conclusions the results of the study can be generalized to the whole population
Exploratory research is conducted to explore a problem to get some basic idea about the solution at the preliminary stages of research It may serve as the input to conclusive research Exploratory research information is collected by focus group interviews reviewing literature or books discussing with experts etc This is unstructured and qualitative in nature If a secondary source of data is unable to serve the purpose a convenience sample of small size can be collected Conclusive research is conducted to draw some conclusion about the problem It is essentially structured and quantitative research and the
output of this research is the input to MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS (MIS)
Marketing research methods
Methodologically marketing research uses the following types of research designs
Based on questioning
Qualitative marketing research - generally used for exploratory purposes - small number of respondents - not generalizable to the whole population - statistical significance and confidence not calculated - examples include focus groups in-depth interviews and projective techniques
Quantitative marketing research - generally used to draw conclusions - tests a specific hypothesis - uses random sampling techniques so as to infer from the sample to the population - involves a large number of respondents - examples include surveys and questionnaires Techniques include choice modelling maximum difference preference scaling and covariance analysis
Based on observations
Ethnographic studies - by nature qualitative the researcher observes social phenomena in their natural setting - observations can
occur cross-sectionally (observations made at one time) or longitudinally (observations occur over several time-periods) ndash
examples include product-use analysis and computer cookie traces See also Ethnography and Observational techniques
Experimental techniques - by nature quantitative the researcher creates a quasi-artificial environment to try to control spurious factors
then manipulates at least one of the variables - examples include purchase laboratories and test markets
Questionnaires 1 What are the objectives of the marketing strategy Are they clearly stated Are they consistent with the objectives of the firm Is the entire marketing mix structured to meet these objectives
2 What marketing concepts are at issue in the current strategy Is the marketing strategy well planned and laid out Is the strategy consistent with sound marketing principles If the strategy takes exception to marketing principles is there a good reason for it
3 To what target market is the strategy directed Is it well defined Is the market large enough to be profitably served Does the market have long-run potential
4 What competitive advantage does the marketing strategy offer If none what can be done to gain a competitive advantage in the marketplace
5 What products are being sold What is the width depth and consistency of the firms product lines Does the firm need new products to fill out its product line Should any product be deleted What is the profitability of the various products
6 What promotion mix is being used Is promotion consistent with the products and product images What could be done to improve the promotion mix
7 What channels of distribution are being used Do they deliver the product at the right time and right place to meet consumer needs Are the channels typical of those used in the industry Could channels be made more efficient
8 What pricing strategies are being used How do prices compare with similar products of other firms How are prices determined
9 Are marketing research and information systematically integrated into the marketing strategy Is the overall marketing strategy internally consistent
DATE
Company certificate
ACKNOWNLEDGEMENT
I wish to acknowledge my sincere gratitude to Mr Pravin Kumar (Marketing manager) for giving me an opportunity to carry out my Training at CONTINENTAL MANUFACTURING CO Rewari
I am immensely thanks to Mrs Bhvana for this guidance and valuable information It would not have been possible for me for the successful completion of my project on Marketing Strategy without her help
Above all I offer my heartiest thanks to god almighty for his fullest support and wonderful guidance
CONTENT OF THE REPORT
1) General introduction about the sector2) Industry profile
i Origin and development of industryii Growth present status of the industry
iii Future of the company3) ndash Origin of organization4) ndash Growth development and present status of the
organization5) ndash Product and service profile of the company6) - profile of the company7) ndash Discussion on training8) ndash Study of selected research problem
i (Problem objective methodology)9) - Summary and conclusion10) Appendices11) Bibliography
12)
1 GENERAL INTRODUCTION ABOUT SECTOR
2 - INDUSTRY PROFILE
I Origin and development of the industry
CONTINENTAL MANUFACTURING COMPANY establised in 1990 with the aim to manufacture Precision and High Quality Plastic and Steel metal component At CMC we have been serving OEMrsquos in Gurgaon Fom very bigning and have made good cutomer on base due to our industrial background sonce 1958 We have specialization in manufacturing of deep draw components in seat metal and injection molded plastic part with critical shape and size A brief count of our achievement and appritiation given by companyrsquos customer is given below
II GROWTH AND PRESENT STATUS OF THE INDUSTRY
There is two axis one shows series 1 in which targets achieved is given in crores Second axis shows the year I which targets achieved
III FUTURE OF THE INDUSTRY
3 ORIGIN OF ORGANIZATION
CONTINENTAL MANUFACTURING COMPANY establised in 1990 with the aim to manufacture Precision and High Quality Plastic and Steel metal component At CMC we have been serving OEMrsquos in Gurgaon Fom very bigning and have made good cutomer on base due to our industrial background sonce 1958 We have specialization in manufacturing of deep draw components in seat metal and injection molded plastic part with critical shape and size We have two uit amp offices they are given below-
4 GROWTH DEVELOPMENT AND PRESENT STATUS OF THE ORGANIZATION
5 PRODUCT AND SERVICE PROFILE OF THE COMPANY
6 PROFILE OF ORGNIZATION
Organizational structure
cEO
7 DISCUSSION ON TRAINING
Marketing strategy is a process that can allow an organization to concentrate its limited resources on the greatest opportunities to increase sales and achieve a sustainable competitive advantage
Developing a marketing strategy
Marketing strategies serve as the fundamental underpinning of marketing plans designed to fill market needs and reach marketing objectives Plans and objectives are generally tested for measurable results Commonly marketing strategies are developed as multi-year plans with a tactical plan detailing specific actions to be accomplished in the current year Time horizons covered by the marketing plan vary by company by industry and by nation however time horizons are becoming shorter as the speed of change in the environment increases Marketing strategies are dynamic and interactive They are partially planned and partially unplanned See strategy dynamics
Marketing strategy involves careful scanning of the internal and external environments which are summarized in a SWOT analysis Internal environmental factors include the marketing mix plus performance analysis and strategic constraints External environmental factors include customer analysis competitor analysis target market analysis as well as evaluation of any elements of the technological economic cultural or politicallegal environment likely toimpact success A key component of marketing strategy is often to
keep marketing in line with a companys overarching mission statement
Types of strategies
Marketing strategies may differ depending on the unique situation of the individual business However there are a number of ways of categorizing some generic strategies A brief description of the most common categorizing schemes is presented below
Strategies based on market dominance - In this scheme firms are classified based on their market share or dominance of an industry Typically there are four types of market dominance strategies
Leader
Challenger
Follower
Nicher
Porter generic strategies - strategy on the dimensions of strategic scope and strategic strength Strategic scope refers to the market penetration while strategic strength refers to the firmrsquos sustainable competitive advantage The generic strategy framework (porter 1984) comprises two alternatives each with two alternative scopes These are Differentiation and low-cost leadership each with a dimension of Focus-broad or narrow
Product differentiation (broad)
Cost leadership (broad)
Market segmentation (narrow)
Innovation strategies - This deals with the firms rate of the new product development and business model innovation It asks whether the company is on the cutting edge of technology and business innovation There are three types
Pioneers
Close followers
Late followers
Growth strategies - In this scheme we ask the question ldquoHow should the firm growrdquo There are a number of different ways of answering that question but the most common gives four answers
Horizontal integration
Vertical integration
Diversification
Intensification
A more detailed scheme uses the categories[10]
Prospector
Analyzer
Defender
Reactor
Marketing warfare strategies - This scheme draws parallels between marketing strategies and military strategies
Many architects make the mistake of thinking that marketing has
only a peripheral relationship to what their firm does In fact marketing works best when it is totally integrated into the operations of your firm when itrsquos a part of everything you do You canrsquot create a plan for how to improve your marketing and increase your business without first considering your long-term goalsmdashnot just in terms of fee revenue or winning work but in terms of who you want to be and where you want to go both as a firm and as a professional There are a number of ways strategic planning
can help your firm
_ Build a shared vision for the firmrsquos future _ Articulate your vision so that it can be communicated to others
_ Get approval and support for the vision from senior leadership and ultimately your entire staff
_ Create a framework for all future decision making _ Figure out (and agree on) how much yoursquore going to spend on
marketing and other initiatives to make it happen
The discussion of strategic planning and marketing planning are divided into the following five areas
Strategic Planning
Getting to the Starting Line
Strategic planning is the process of developing a vision of who you are as a firm and what your longterm goals are Itrsquos about more than just marketing it can influence everything human resources finance information technology operations hiring promotions strategy design process client relationships the design of your office and absolutely anything else that affects your firm and its performance Firms typically engage in strategic planning at defining moments in their practice when the firmrsquos leadership changes or when the practice undergoes some kind of profound transformation The strategic planning process enables the firmrsquos leadership to build a shared vision for the firmrsquos future articulate the vision so that it can be communicated and create a framework for all future decision making When yoursquore ready to
engage in strategic planning itrsquos important to open your mind as much as possible Get ready to think big
Because strategic planning is a process not a document or a report it isnrsquot effective for a small group of leaders to issue a fat document as the strategic plan for the firm It will probably go unread It will certainly not achieve approval and support from the people who need to understand it and act on it Strategic planning is best conducted as an open process one that involves all your firmrsquos key leaders To begin the process set up a strategic planning meeting either as a retreat outside the office or as an extended in-house meeting (You may want to bring in a marketing consultant to help you with this) Figure out who should be there to give input to the vision for your firmrsquos future Keep the group as small as possible but donrsquot leave anyone out Ask everyone to commit half a day for the meeting (two hours just isnrsquot enough) and to come relaxed and prepared to focus on the firmrsquos strategic direction Give everyone an agenda in advance and ask each person to bring historical data based on his or her area of expertise or interest (financial data hiring or retention info winloss reports client feedback etc) Gather any existing documents that attempt to define the firm or its vision such as mission statements a firm description marketing materials articles that have been written about the firm and so on Plan to spend about half the meeting talking about where you are now (your firm your markets your competitors etc) and the other half talking about where yoursquod like to go (your mission your vision the action plan)
MARKETS FOR INDUSTRIAL GOODS
The market is the place where supply meets demand Suppliers and customers meet discuss and evaluate the conditions for exchange of goods and services and exchanges take place The conditions under which these exchanges occur especially that of price are influenced by the characteristics and structure of the market for example the number and market power of suppliers and customers Traditional economic analysis of markets presupposes that they are characterized by certain basic features firstly there is an assumption of free movement in the market and thus a customer will always buy where he obtains the best terms of exchange at that moment similarly the assumption is that suppliers will move to and from the market freely Thus the market is portrayed as atomistic Each unit in the market is free and independent to do as it wishes Also as a result of this free movement the market is characterized by change and stability is an exception Underlying these two assumptions is the further assumption that there is little or no cost of transaction In other words it is assumed that there are no costs in obtaining accurate information or in negotiations etc One effect of this assumption is that production costs
are considered central and that sellers can be simply represented by a production function
The traditional economic theory of the market has of course been subject to challenge and modification However it has influenced the models and principles used in marketing management The basic model that most of the literature in marketing is built on is the marketing mix model The key problems in marketing according to that model are
(a) to allocate resources to different competitive means or mix elements
(b) to design each mean as well as possible within the firms resource limitations
The market is often described in terms of response curves each defined in relation to a certain marketing decision variable or to the whole mix of a company The assumption is of course that the market consists of many individual customers that are affected by the marketers variables in accordance with a certain statistical distribution The same kind of influence can also be identified in the purchasing management
literature The focus here is largely on the management of a single purchase This does not give full consideration to the factors which have contributed to the way this purchase takes place or to the effects of this purchase on the subsequent dealings with the supplying company
Marketing Management
As we mentioned in the first section of this chapter the models and principles for industrial marketing management that are given by the literature are normally related to the marketing mix model The problems identified in these are the allocation of resources and the designing of competitive means However marketers in for example a highly concentrated industry may find different problems The issues associated with the handling of ten very large customers are of totally different character from those of handling 1000 small customers Thus marketers in firms in concentrated markets have a lack of accurate models for analyzing their marketing problems They have also a lack of relevant data expressed in a systematic way about the behaviour of other firms in the same situation
MARKETING ORGANIZATION
Overall Organization
Belters sales operations are split into three areas as follows
(i) Sales Manger mdash UK responsible for 60mdash70 per cent of total sales Four area offices handling all accounts except two major ones which are managed from the Companys main office
(ii) Sales Manager mdash Middle East Africa Eastern Europe accounting for approximately 20 per cent of total sales One manager plus two sales engineers The Company is currently building up an agencymdashdistributor network for this territory
(iii) Sales Manager mdash Western Europe responsible for the remaining 20 per cent of total sales The sales manager is located in Brussels with additional sales offices in Germany France and Italy The Brussels sales office is owned by Belters parent group All major commercial
transactions are carried out by Belters Head Office although the Brussels Company does have some price discretion This European sales company takes 85 per cent of its products for sale in Europe from Belter The remaining 15 per cent of products are sourced from the North-American parent company Apart from the European operation all agents and distributors overseas are handled from the UK
Evolution of Marketing Organization
Belter has often faced problems in the distribution of its products in France for example the Company had a combined agent and distributor operating until 1963 Belter provided applications engineering but had no commercial involvement in sales The company found that it had no influence on pricing in the market and this led to a rather artificial pricing structure and to a decreased market share This problem was not solved by the appointment of a second distributor Mergers amongst French suppliers have led to more competition in the market The second distributor did little to stimulate the first one or to improve the Companys overall penetration
In 1966 Belter separated out a number of products and major customers which were not to be handled via distributors These customers and products were to be controlled by the UK sales operation Also from 1970 the Brussels office ceased to have overall responsibility for sales to France and a Paris office was established The
overall market situation faced in France (and in other European countries) is as follows
There are many actual and potential users for some products which are not known by the Company Heavy competition exists especially on price for large customers who are often buying what they view as a commodity product Belters emerging strategy has been to handle these large customers through its own sales offices The Paris office actively seek sales of large volume products as well as acting as a `post office for products specially developed for individual customers which are then handled from the Companys main office Small customers and small volume products are handled by the two French distributors The development process in Italy has been similar to that in France Sales in Scandinavia do not justify a local sales office sales here are handled through a distributor from the Brussels office A small number of major accounts are however handled directly from the UK
BUYERmdashSELLER RELATIONSHIPS
A Customer Relationship in the United Kingdom
The three aspects of the relationship which are studied are competition technical development and personal contacts
This customer is Belters largest and is responsible for 20 per cent of its total business The Company operates in the aerospace industry at the limit of current technology The relationship involves considerable development liaison on wholly new products
Competition
Competition for this customer comes primarily from American suppliers The competition is on price and reflects the spare capacity in the American industry Competition from UK companies is also on price and comes from companies having a wider production spread than Belter
Development
This customer has always relied on Belter alone for development work in this product area However they have looked to other sources of supply when development has taken place The development process for a new product can be started either by a government development contract or by an order from the customer Belter acknowledged that it
has to stand the costs of this development in the latter case The customer has intimate knowledge of all of Belters procedures Methods of manufacture are agreed in detail and even the particular production machinery to be used is specified The closeness of the relationship between the two companies is indicated by the fact that the customer has approved Belters quality procedure and accepts their testing
Contact Pattern
Interpersonal contacts between Belter and its UK customer are summarized as
follows
(1) Formal Contacts
Every six months Technical policy liaison meeting jointly chaired by Belters Technical Director and the customers Chief Materials Manager Every sixmdashnine months Commercial meeting Belters Managing and Marketing Directors and Sales Manager and the customers Purchasing Director and Senior Purchasing Staff
Monthly UK Sales Manager visits customers purchasing staff to discuss delivery and order positions
(2) Other Contacts
These can be studied according to the formally assigned responsibility Personnel who have full-time responsibility One sales office man has daily contact with the customer Additionally one applications engineer is engaged on work for this customer Finally one man determines market trends and is in contact with the customers marketing personnel and customers clients Personnel with `half-time responsibility Four applications engineers also spend some of their time on the customers problems and are in personal contact with customer staff
PURPOSE OF A MARKETING PLAN
The purpose of a Marketing Plan is to-
1048766Define the Market
1048766Refine the Production Plan to market requirements
1048766Develop a marketing strategy
1048766Minimize risk
Each FFT group should have a Marketing Plan covering each commodity based on their own study of the local market
Defining the Market and Commodities-
1048766Market demand and prices -An assessment based on published market information discussions with local extension staff farmers dealers and buyers of the commodity of the likely demand and prices on offer during the year and during any period of seasonal shortfall
1048766Market Requirement- Varieties size grading packaging maturity demanded by the buyers in the particular market
1048766Yield Price Assumptions- How much commodity will be available How much premium grade Second grade Losses If the commodity crop is aimed to be produced for a particular period eg for a low supply period while the price assumptions (expectation) may be higher some reassessment of yield and cost of production assumptions in the gross margin analysis or partial budgets is usually necessary 1048766Marketing Returns and Costs Calculate expected income and costs in marketing
The Most Important Elements of Marketing There are four important elements in the marketing process
1048766Prioritising the customer Marketing begins with the customer not the product Knowing what the customer needs or wants is essential
1048766Process of selection The farmer needs to know who to sell the product to This will determine how and where the produce is marketed
1048766Promotion The farmer is selling something that other people want to buy Naturally it is helpful to let them know that the product is available and of good quality
The Marketing Training Manual 23 Marketing Module 3 Markets and Marketing
1048766Trust Good marketing occurs when the customers trust the farmer The customer should feel they are not being cheated and they are getting value for their money
In thinking about these elements farmers need to ask themselves about the six Ps
bull P p eople Who are the customers What do they want or need Who is actually going to market the product
bull P p lan How is the product going to reach the selected customers What are the steps
bull product What product is going to be marketed Is the family producing what the customer wants What services (for example a cooked product) if any are requested by the customer
bull place Where is the product going to be marketed
bull price What price will the product be offered on the market for
bull promotion How are people going to be informed that the product is available
Supply Demand and Price
In a free market prices for inputs and products are determined by supply and demand
Supply Is what producers are willing to market at a certain price
Demand Is how much consumers are prepared to buy at the market price
In theory as the price of a product goes up the quantity supplied rises and the quantity demanded falls Likewise when the price goes down the quantity supplied falls and the quantity demanded rises
For agricultural produce demand is affected by a number of factors the most
The Marketing Training Manual 24 Marketing Module 3 Markets and Marketing
Industrial or business to business (B2B) marketing
An organization seeks to build a new warehouse After documenting requirements it obtains three proposals from suitable construction firms After a long process of evaluation and negotiation it places an order with the organization that it believes offers the best value for money
An organization needs legal services and obtains submissions from two law firms Analysis of the proposals and subsequent discussions determines that there is no price advantage to placing all of the work with one firm and the organization decides to split the work between the two firms based on an evaluation of each firms capabilities
A sales representative makes an appointment with an organization that employs 22 people He demonstrates a photocopierfaxprinter to the office administrator After discussing a proposal the business owner signs a contract to obtain the machine on a fully-maintained rental and consumables basis with an upgrade after 2 years
Main features of the B2B selling process are
Marketing is one-to-one in nature It is relatively easy for the seller to identify a prospective customers and build a face-to-face relationship Highly professional and trained people in buying processes are involved In many cases two or three decision makers must approve a purchase plan Often the buying or selling process is complex and includes many stages (for example request for proposal request for tender selection process awarding of tender contract negotiations and signing of final contract) Selling activities involve long processes of prospecting qualifying wooing making representations preparing tenders developing strategies and contract negotiations
Blurring between B2B and B2C
Industrial marketing can cross the border into consumer marketing For example an electronic component seller may distribute its products through industrial marketing channels (see channel (marketing)) but also support consumer sales Many products are equally desired by business and consumersmdashsuch as audio products furniture paint hardware etc Nonetheless manufactures and service providers frequently maintain separate industrial and consumer marketing operations to reflect the different needs of the two channels
Competitive tendering
Industrial marketing often involves competitive tendering (see tender tendering) This is a process where a purchasing organization undertakes to procure goods and services from suitable suppliers Due to the high value of some purchases (for example buying a new computer system manufacturing
machinery or outsourcing a maintenance contract) and the complexity of such purchases the purchasing organization will seek to obtain a number of bids from competing suppliers and choose the best offering An entire profession (strategic procurement) that includes tertiary training and qualifications has been built around the process of making important purchases The key requirement in any competitive tender is to ensure that
The business case for the purchase has been completed and approved
The purchasing organizations objectives for the purchase are clearly defined
The procurement process is agreed upon and it conforms with fiscal guidelines and organisational policies The selection criteria have been established
A budget has been estimated and the financial resources are available
A buying team (or committee) has been assembled
A specification has been written
A preliminary scan of the market place has determined that enough potential suppliers are available to make the process viable (this can sometimes be achieved using an expression of interest process)
It has been clearly established that a competitive tendering process is the best method for meeting the objectives of this purchasing project If (for example) it was known that there was only one organisation capable of supplying best to get on with talking to them and negotiating a contract
Because of the significant value of many purchases issues of probity arise Organisations seek to ensure that awarding a contract is based on best fit to the agreed criteria and not bribery corruption or incompetence
Bidding process
Suppliers who are seeking to win a competitive tender go through a bidding process At its most primitive this would consist of evaluating the specification (issued by the purchasing organization) designing a suitable proposal and working out a price This is a primitive approach because
There is an old saying in industrial marketing if the first time you have heard about a tender is when you are invited to submit then you have already lost it
While flippant the previous point illustrates a basic requirement for being successful in competitive tendering it is important to develop a strong relationship with a prospective customer organization well before they have started the formal part of their procurement process
Non-tender purchasing
Not all industrial sales involve competitive tendering Tender processes are time consuming and expensive particularly when executed with the aim of ensuring probity Government agencies are particularly likely to utilise elaborate competitive tendering processes due to the expectation that they should be seen at all times to be responsibly and accountably spending public monies Private companies are able to avoid the complexity of a fully transparent tender process but are still able to run the procurement process with some rigourBeneficial
Developing a sales strategysolution sellingtechnical selling
The art of technical selling (solution selling) follows a three stage process
Stage 1 Sell the appointment Never sell over the telephone The aim of the first contact with a prospective purchaser is to sell the appointment The reason is simple industrial sales are complex any attempt to sell over the phone will trivialise your product or service and run the risk of not fully understanding the customers need
Stage 2 Understand their needs The best method of selling is to minimise the information about your goods or services until you have fully understood your customers requirements
Stage 3 Develop and propose a solution The solution is (of course) developed from your (or the firm that you represents) product or service offerings
Marketing supports solution selling through methods like account-based marketingmdashunderstanding a specific target organizations requirements as the foundation of a marketing program As research shows[1] sales success is heavily weighted towards suppliers who understand the customer In UK research 77 per cent of senior decision-makers believe new suppliers marketing From cannon fodder to preferred tenderer
The term cannon fodder derives from the World Wars and refers to the massing of undertrained and recently recruited troops sent to the fronts to face the enemy Such troops invariably had a poor survival rate but provided the tactical advantage of distracting the enemy while
professional soldiers mounted more effective operations In adopting the term to Industrial Marketing it means those bids being submitted that have no chance of winning but are involved to make up the numbers (you cant have only one bid in a competitive tender process that wouldnt satisfy the requirements of probity) (for example in government tenders or for private enterprise the requirement to truly test the market and to keep them honest) The reader might be wondering why anybody would go to all of the work of submitting a tender when they had no chance of winning for the same reason that troops were sent in to battle to die they thought they had a real chance
The key features of a successful industrial sales organisation
In industrial marketing the personal selling is still very effective because many products must be customized to suit the requirements of the individual customer Indicators such as the sales tunnel give information on the expected sales in the near future the hit rate indicates whether the sales organization is busy with promising sales leads or it is spending too much effort on projects that are eventually lost to the competition or that are abandoned by the prospect
RESEARCH PROBLEM
1 Identify your target market
Which businesses need cleaning services Which ones can afford it and will pay for it Why
In your case I would think that small businesses may not be your ideal client But then again define small business Are you referring to sales volume or number of employees
I can tell you right now as a marketing consultant that has worked with a wide variety of businesses including small companies
Small businesses are very price sensitive and prefer to do more themselves rather than pay someone else (They hold this belief even if it would free up more time to be more productive Go figure)
So before you randomly begin picking a target market have a rational reason why Continue to read below and youll begin to see what I am talking about
2 Determine their wants and needs
It may be obvious to you but ask yourself Why would someone want a clean office
These businesses never have walk-in traffic They do not have customers visit them So naturally there is far less of a concern for a clean office Sure it would be nice to have but since no revenue will be lost if their office is not spectacular looking they are not motivated to do anything about it
However seek out the businesses that do deal with customers directly especially professional services where they have very high end clients visit them Now they NEED a very presentable office or they risk losing out on a lot of revenue
3 Determine the level and type of demand
If you have ever read any of my previous work you will know that I am a very strong advocate of knowing whether the type of demand is Primary Demand or Selective Demand It is one of the most overlooked aspects of marketing being ignored today
Primary Demand If a business does not already use your TYPE of service and is not currently considering doing so you will need to create primary demand Simply put you will have to convince them first to even want your type of service (or product) before you even get them to buy it from you
So for your cleaning business example if you are approaching businesses that currently do not use a cleaning service you will have to explain the time saving and productivity enhancing benefits of using one Then explain why YOU are the one they need
Selective Demand These businesses already use a service (or product) or are in the market for it and are actively looking In these cases you do not need to spend much effort convincing them why they need it
In this case you must state your argument why your cleaning service should be the one they choose
This is what you will encounter when you call on or contact businesses already using a cleaning service They will either be satisfied or unsatisfied with their current service provider Your emphasis will have to be on conquest sales -- meaning stealing customers from your competition
Now in your line of business and in many others slashing prices always seems to be the first technique used to steal customers This may work well for selling products But if you are marketing services let me tell you thisthink twice before doing that
Yes I am fully aware of the fact that there will be businesses that will be open to talking to you if you offer them a better deal In some cases they may feel they are legitimately getting ripped off or paying way
too much right now And they just might be right In those cases if you can give them a fair price that is a better deal for them AND still gives you healthy profit margins then go for it
However if you are slashing prices just to gain clients arent you really just hurting yourself in the long run First of all you can easily get into the game of How low will they go Secondly it de-values your perception of quality if you are cheap Thirdly whos to say after all this effort you wont lose the business in a month or two when someone else quotes them an even lower price
What will you do next price so low that you lose money with every client I didnt think so
Heres what you could do though
4 Develop a Hypothesis and a Solution to Match
After you know your target market have defined their needs and analyzed the competitive picture (currently using or not currently using a service like mine) go ahead and develop a clearly thought out hypothesis
For example start with business NOT currently using a cleaning service but that deal with customers or clients regularly at their location
Develop a strong case for WHY they would be wise to invest in your
cleaning services Show them on a break-even analysis that your fee will be well compensated in either customer retention or converting a higher level of store traffic or business appointments into paying customersclients
Then state your case why it is more cost effective and saves them valuable time to outsource this to you rather than doing it themselves or paying an employee overtime to do it You can also emphasize that you are the expert at this not someones secretary so it is expected that you will do a far better job at it
For businesses that ARE already using a cleaning service or are currently shopping for one state why you are unique and better
Determine the really compelling reasons why these businesses want a cleaning service to begin with
Maybe it is a retail store that wants to create a better first impression for their customers This will ultimately lead to a better customer experience and ultimately more in-store purchases
A good example may be that unlike most competitors you also clean windows Well as a marketing consultant to retail businesses I can tell you that many passerbys will first look in a store window before deciding to walk in or not
Now for successful marketing all retail businesses would perform better if they had more in-store traffic So therefore if your cleaning service also cleans windows you could rightfully justify that your services are more valuable to their retail business You actually HELP
them get more customers and sell more products
Maybe it is a professional service business that needs to impress prospective clients to choose their services over a similar competitor
Your cleaning service may dust chairs and polish wooden conference tables Many other cleaning services may not do this or do a poor job in doing so
Now as marketing consultants to service businesses I can also tell you that if a consultant attorney accountant or any other business professional needs to meet with prospective clients in their office they will appreciate a better appearance So if your cleaning services can provide this better than anyone else (or at least if you tell them about this first) you will get the business or at least be highly considered for it
Whatever the case may be establish what makes you different and have you are best suited to meet their needs
Do you see where I am going with this Your initial marketing questions asked how you can get more business by passing out flyers or sending faxes to small offices Truthfully that is simply not going to work You are not looking at the overall big picture of why anyone would either want to hire a cleaning service or to hire your particular cleaning service
5 You must make AN OFFER
Here are some examples
Marketing messagesales offer to a business that does NOT currently use a cleaning service
If you have never considered using a cleaning service before allow us to show you how XYZ Cleaning Inc can make your storeoffice more presentable to customers and how this newly improved appearance will affect your cash registerbank statement
If you are weary of trying new things dont worry Use us FREE for one month and if you are not completely satisfied with the results if you are not completely confident that it makes a difference to your customers if you are not completely aware of how it raises the morale of your employees then you do not have to using us again
But if YOU DO see a great improvement well make you a great deal on our services simply because we want your long term business Marketing messagesales offer to businesses that DO currently use a cleaning service
I understand that you currently use ABC Cleaners LLC Now you may or may not be completely happy right now but I want to make you a no-risk offer you cant refuse
The truth is that you likely get consumed in your day to day activities in running your business overseeing operations managing employees and handling customers Therefore there may be little imperfections your cleaning service is making that goes unnoticed by you But dont assume for one minute that your customers or potential customers wont notice And remember first impressions DO count
So heres our offer Have us come in the morning after your regular cleaning service cleans your office We will do a thorough inspection with you present and look for anything they may have done a less-than-satisfactory job on Then well show you why you probably over looked it for so long but why your customers will take notice and how they will think differently about you because of it
Now if everything is already 100 completely clean and presentable well thank you for your time and then be on our way But if together we find lots of little things that are carelessly being done we will cleanfix it for you for FREE
Thats right use our services as a compliment to what you are already paying for Compare the quality of work we do to what you are already paying for If you can see the difference in what we do for you compared to what you are already paying for then consider us as your new cleaning service
6 Develop your marketing message
Once you understand the true needs your potential clients have and the unique and competitive solutions you can offer only then should you develop your marketing copy -- your sales pitch
The two examples above incorporate great marketing copy with a strong benefits related offer You can then deliver this through direct mail telemarketing or a combination of both
I would only recommend distributing flyers if you are confident you can place there where they will get read by people who make the decision to hire a cleaning service So if there is an Open Bulletin board in an office building then go for it However they are rare and you probably need permission anyway
Id avoid the fax marketing altogether Its quite annoying ties up there fax line and unless people have already heard of you they are more likely to toss your message in the garbage
Try sending direct mail to the decision makers of these target companies and describe the benefits they will experience from using your services
7 Follow up
Even after identifying the businesses that are most likely to need your services after you have identified a solution and even after you contacted them with a compelling offer you still have to follow up
Chances are they loved the sound of it when they got it They had every intention of following up with you But then just got busy So your follow up call can make all the difference in the world and get your foot in the door in a very big way Then its up to you to DELIVER on your promise
8 ANALYSIS
Market Analysis
The goal of a market analysis is to determine the attractiveness of a market and to understand its evolving opportunities and threats as they relate to the strengths and weaknesses of the firm
David A Aaker outlined the following dimensions of a market analysis
Market size (current and future)
Market growth rate
Market profitability
Industry cost structure
Distribution channels
Market trends
Key success factors
Market Size
The size of the market can be evaluated based on present sales and on potential sales if the use of the product were expanded The following are some information sources for determining market size
government data
trade associations financial data from major players customer surveys
Market Growth Rate
A simple means of forecasting the market growth rate is to extrapolate historical data into the future While this method may provide a first-order estimate it does not predict important turning points A better method is to study growth drivers such as demographic information and sales growth in complementary products Such drivers serve as leading indicators that are more accurate than simply extrapolating historical data
Important inflection points in the market growth rate sometimes can be predicted by constructing a product diffusion curve The shape of the curve can be estimated by studying the characteristics of the adoption rate of a similar product in the past
Ultimately the maturity and decline stages of the product life cycle will be reached Some leading indicators of the decline phase include price pressure caused by competition a decrease in brand loyalty the emergence of substitute products market saturation and the lack of growth drivers
Market Profitability
While different firms in a market will have different levels of profitability the average profit potential for a market can be used as a guideline for knowing how difficult it is to make money in the market Michael Porter devised a useful framework for evaluating the attractiveness of an industry or market This framework known as Porters five forces identifies five factors that influence the market profitability
Buyer power
Supplier power
Barriers to entry
Threat of substitute products
Rivalry among firms in the industry
Industry Cost Structure
The cost structure is important for identifying key factors for success To this end Porters value chain model is useful for determining where value is added and for isolating the costs
The cost structure also is helpful for formulating strategies to develop a competitive advantage For example in some environments the experience curve effect can be used to develop a cost advantage over competitors
Distribution Channels
The following aspects of the distribution system are useful in a market analysis
Existing distribution channels - can be described by how direct they are to the customer
Trends and emerging channels - new channels can offer the opportunity to develop a competitive advantage
Channel power structure - for example in the case of a product having little brand equity retailers have negotiating power over manufacturers and can capture more margin
Market Trends
Changes in the market are important because they often are the source of new opportunities and threats The relevant trends are industry-dependent but some examples include changes in price sensitivity demand for variety and level of emphasis on service and support Regional trends also may be relevant
Key Success Factors
The key success factors are those elements that are necessary in order for the firm to achieve its marketing objectives A few examples of such factors include
Access to essential unique resources
Ability to achieve economies of scale
Access to distribution channels
Technological progress
It is important to consider that key success factors may change over time especially as the product progresses through its life cycle
9 CONCLUSIONS
Organizations engage in marketing research for two reasons
(1) (1) to identify (2) and (2) solve marketing problems
(3)
This distinction serves as a basis for classifying marketing research into problem identification research and problem solving research
Problem identification research is undertaken to help identify problems which are perhaps not apparent on the surface and yet exist or are likely to company image market characteristics sales analysis short-range forecasting long range forecasting and business trends research Research of this type provides information about the marketing environment and helps diagnose a problem For example The findings of problem solving research are used in making decisions which will solve specific marketing problems
The Stanford Research Institute on the other hand conducts an annual survey of consumers that is used to classify persons into homogeneous groups for segmentation purposes The National Purchase Diary panel (NPD) maintains the largest diary panel in the United States
Standardized services are research studies conducted for different client firms but in a standard way For example procedures for measuring
advertising effectiveness have been standardized so that the results can be compared across studies and evaluative norms can be established The Starch Readership Survey is the most widely used service for evaluating print advertisements another well-known service is the Gallup and Robinson Magazine Impact Studies These services are also sold on a syndicated basis
Customized services offer a wide variety of marketing research services customized to suit a clients specific needs Each marketing research project is treated uniquely
Limited-service suppliers specialize in one or a few phases of the marketing research project Services offered by such suppliers are classified as field services coding and data entry data analysis analytical services and branded products Field services collect data through mail personal or telephone interviewing and firms that specialize in interviewing are called field service organizations These organizations may range from small proprietary organizations which operate locally to large multinational organizations with WATS line interviewing facilities Some organizations maintain extensive interviewing facilities across the country for interviewing shoppers in malls
Coding and data entry services include editing completed questionnaires developing a coding scheme and transcribing the data on to diskettes or magnetic tapes for input into the computer NRC Data Systems provides such services
Analytical services include designing and pretesting questionnaires determining the best means of collecting data designing sampling plans and other aspects of the research design Some complex
marketing research projects require knowledge of sophisticated procedures including specialized experimental designs and analytical techniques such as conjoint analysis and multidimensional scaling This kind of expertise can be obtained from firms and consultants specializing in analytical services
Data analysis services are offered by firms also known as tab houses that specialize in computer analysis of quantitative data such as those obtained in large surveys Initially most data analysis firms supplied only tabulations (frequency counts) and cross tabulations (frequency counts that describe two or more variables simultaneously) With the proliferation of software many firms now have the capability to analyze their own data but data analysis firms are still in demand
Branded marketing research products and services are specialized data collection and analysis procedures developed to address specific types of marketing research problems These procedures are patented given brand names and marketed like any other branded product
Types of marketing research
Marketing research techniques come in many forms including
Ad Tracking ndash periodic or continuous in-market research to monitor a brandrsquos performance using measures such as brand awareness brand preference and product usage (Young 2005)
Advertising Research ndash used to predict copy testing or track the efficacy of advertisements for any medium measured by the adrsquos ability to get attention (measured with Attention Tracking) communicate the message build the brandrsquos image and motivate the consumer to purchase the product or service (Young 2005)
Brand equity research - how favorably do consumers view the brand
Brand association research - what do consumers associate with the brand
Brand attribute research - what are the key traits that describe the brand promise
Brand name testing - what do consumers feel about the names of the products
Commercial eye tracking research - examine advertisements package designs websites etc by analyzing visual behavior of the consumer
Concept testing - to test the acceptance of a concept by target consumers
Cool hunting - to make observations and predictions in changes of new or existing cultural trends in areas such as fashion music films television youth culture and lifestyle
Buyer decision processes research - to determine what motivates people to buy and what decision-making process they use
Copy testing ndash predicts in-market performance of an ad before it airs by analyzing audience levels of attention brand linkage motivation entertainment and communication as well as breaking down the adrsquos flow of attention and flow of emotion (Young p 213)
Customer satisfaction research - quantitative or qualitative studies that yields an understanding of a customers of satisfaction with a transaction
Demand estimation - to determine the approximate level of demand for the product
Distribution channel audits - to assess distributorsrsquo and retailersrsquo attitudes toward a product brand or company
Internet strategic intelligence - searching for customer opinions in the Internet chats forums web pages blogs where people express freely about their experiences with products becoming strong opinion formers
Marketing effectiveness and analytics - Building models and measuring results to determine the effectiveness of individual marketing activities
Mystery Consumer or Mystery shopping - An employee or representative of the market research firm anonymously contacts a salesperson and indicates he or she is shopping for a product The shopper then records the entire experience This method is often used for quality control or for researching competitors products
Positioning research - how does the target market see the brand relative to competitors - what does the brand stand for
Price elasticity testing - to determine how sensitive customers are to price changes
Sales forecasting - to determine the expected level of sales given the level of demand With respect to other factors like Advertising expenditure sales promotion etc
Segmentation research - to determine the demographic psychographic and behavioural characteristics of potential buyers
Online panel - a group of individual who accepted to respond to marketing research online
Store audit - to measure the sales of a product or product line at a statistically selected store sample in order to determine market share or to determine whether a retail store provides adequate service
Test marketing - a small-scale product launch used to determine the likely acceptance of the product when it is introduced into a wider market
Viral Marketing Research - refers to marketing research designed to estimate the probability that specific communications will be transmitted throughout an individuals Social Network Estimates of Social Networking Potential (SNP) are combined with estimates of selling effectiveness to estimate ROI on specific combinations of messages and media
All of these forms of marketing research can be classified as either problem-identification research or as problem-solving research
There are two main sources of data - primary and secondary Primary research is conducted from scratch It is original and collected to solve the problem in hand Secondary research already exists since it has been collected for other purposes It is conducted on data published previously and usually by someone else Secondary research costs far less than primary research but seldom comes in a form that exactly meets the needs of the researcher
A similar distinction exists between exploratory research and conclusive research Exploratory research provides insights into and comprehension of an issue or situation It should draw definitive conclusions only with extreme caution Conclusive research draws conclusions the results of the study can be generalized to the whole population
Exploratory research is conducted to explore a problem to get some basic idea about the solution at the preliminary stages of research It may serve as the input to conclusive research Exploratory research information is collected by focus group interviews reviewing literature or books discussing with experts etc This is unstructured and qualitative in nature If a secondary source of data is unable to serve the purpose a convenience sample of small size can be collected Conclusive research is conducted to draw some conclusion about the problem It is essentially structured and quantitative research and the
output of this research is the input to MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS (MIS)
Marketing research methods
Methodologically marketing research uses the following types of research designs
Based on questioning
Qualitative marketing research - generally used for exploratory purposes - small number of respondents - not generalizable to the whole population - statistical significance and confidence not calculated - examples include focus groups in-depth interviews and projective techniques
Quantitative marketing research - generally used to draw conclusions - tests a specific hypothesis - uses random sampling techniques so as to infer from the sample to the population - involves a large number of respondents - examples include surveys and questionnaires Techniques include choice modelling maximum difference preference scaling and covariance analysis
Based on observations
Ethnographic studies - by nature qualitative the researcher observes social phenomena in their natural setting - observations can
occur cross-sectionally (observations made at one time) or longitudinally (observations occur over several time-periods) ndash
examples include product-use analysis and computer cookie traces See also Ethnography and Observational techniques
Experimental techniques - by nature quantitative the researcher creates a quasi-artificial environment to try to control spurious factors
then manipulates at least one of the variables - examples include purchase laboratories and test markets
Questionnaires 1 What are the objectives of the marketing strategy Are they clearly stated Are they consistent with the objectives of the firm Is the entire marketing mix structured to meet these objectives
2 What marketing concepts are at issue in the current strategy Is the marketing strategy well planned and laid out Is the strategy consistent with sound marketing principles If the strategy takes exception to marketing principles is there a good reason for it
3 To what target market is the strategy directed Is it well defined Is the market large enough to be profitably served Does the market have long-run potential
4 What competitive advantage does the marketing strategy offer If none what can be done to gain a competitive advantage in the marketplace
5 What products are being sold What is the width depth and consistency of the firms product lines Does the firm need new products to fill out its product line Should any product be deleted What is the profitability of the various products
6 What promotion mix is being used Is promotion consistent with the products and product images What could be done to improve the promotion mix
7 What channels of distribution are being used Do they deliver the product at the right time and right place to meet consumer needs Are the channels typical of those used in the industry Could channels be made more efficient
8 What pricing strategies are being used How do prices compare with similar products of other firms How are prices determined
9 Are marketing research and information systematically integrated into the marketing strategy Is the overall marketing strategy internally consistent
ACKNOWNLEDGEMENT
I wish to acknowledge my sincere gratitude to Mr Pravin Kumar (Marketing manager) for giving me an opportunity to carry out my Training at CONTINENTAL MANUFACTURING CO Rewari
I am immensely thanks to Mrs Bhvana for this guidance and valuable information It would not have been possible for me for the successful completion of my project on Marketing Strategy without her help
Above all I offer my heartiest thanks to god almighty for his fullest support and wonderful guidance
CONTENT OF THE REPORT
1) General introduction about the sector2) Industry profile
i Origin and development of industryii Growth present status of the industry
iii Future of the company3) ndash Origin of organization4) ndash Growth development and present status of the
organization5) ndash Product and service profile of the company6) - profile of the company7) ndash Discussion on training8) ndash Study of selected research problem
i (Problem objective methodology)9) - Summary and conclusion10) Appendices11) Bibliography
12)
1 GENERAL INTRODUCTION ABOUT SECTOR
2 - INDUSTRY PROFILE
I Origin and development of the industry
CONTINENTAL MANUFACTURING COMPANY establised in 1990 with the aim to manufacture Precision and High Quality Plastic and Steel metal component At CMC we have been serving OEMrsquos in Gurgaon Fom very bigning and have made good cutomer on base due to our industrial background sonce 1958 We have specialization in manufacturing of deep draw components in seat metal and injection molded plastic part with critical shape and size A brief count of our achievement and appritiation given by companyrsquos customer is given below
II GROWTH AND PRESENT STATUS OF THE INDUSTRY
There is two axis one shows series 1 in which targets achieved is given in crores Second axis shows the year I which targets achieved
III FUTURE OF THE INDUSTRY
3 ORIGIN OF ORGANIZATION
CONTINENTAL MANUFACTURING COMPANY establised in 1990 with the aim to manufacture Precision and High Quality Plastic and Steel metal component At CMC we have been serving OEMrsquos in Gurgaon Fom very bigning and have made good cutomer on base due to our industrial background sonce 1958 We have specialization in manufacturing of deep draw components in seat metal and injection molded plastic part with critical shape and size We have two uit amp offices they are given below-
4 GROWTH DEVELOPMENT AND PRESENT STATUS OF THE ORGANIZATION
5 PRODUCT AND SERVICE PROFILE OF THE COMPANY
6 PROFILE OF ORGNIZATION
Organizational structure
cEO
7 DISCUSSION ON TRAINING
Marketing strategy is a process that can allow an organization to concentrate its limited resources on the greatest opportunities to increase sales and achieve a sustainable competitive advantage
Developing a marketing strategy
Marketing strategies serve as the fundamental underpinning of marketing plans designed to fill market needs and reach marketing objectives Plans and objectives are generally tested for measurable results Commonly marketing strategies are developed as multi-year plans with a tactical plan detailing specific actions to be accomplished in the current year Time horizons covered by the marketing plan vary by company by industry and by nation however time horizons are becoming shorter as the speed of change in the environment increases Marketing strategies are dynamic and interactive They are partially planned and partially unplanned See strategy dynamics
Marketing strategy involves careful scanning of the internal and external environments which are summarized in a SWOT analysis Internal environmental factors include the marketing mix plus performance analysis and strategic constraints External environmental factors include customer analysis competitor analysis target market analysis as well as evaluation of any elements of the technological economic cultural or politicallegal environment likely toimpact success A key component of marketing strategy is often to
keep marketing in line with a companys overarching mission statement
Types of strategies
Marketing strategies may differ depending on the unique situation of the individual business However there are a number of ways of categorizing some generic strategies A brief description of the most common categorizing schemes is presented below
Strategies based on market dominance - In this scheme firms are classified based on their market share or dominance of an industry Typically there are four types of market dominance strategies
Leader
Challenger
Follower
Nicher
Porter generic strategies - strategy on the dimensions of strategic scope and strategic strength Strategic scope refers to the market penetration while strategic strength refers to the firmrsquos sustainable competitive advantage The generic strategy framework (porter 1984) comprises two alternatives each with two alternative scopes These are Differentiation and low-cost leadership each with a dimension of Focus-broad or narrow
Product differentiation (broad)
Cost leadership (broad)
Market segmentation (narrow)
Innovation strategies - This deals with the firms rate of the new product development and business model innovation It asks whether the company is on the cutting edge of technology and business innovation There are three types
Pioneers
Close followers
Late followers
Growth strategies - In this scheme we ask the question ldquoHow should the firm growrdquo There are a number of different ways of answering that question but the most common gives four answers
Horizontal integration
Vertical integration
Diversification
Intensification
A more detailed scheme uses the categories[10]
Prospector
Analyzer
Defender
Reactor
Marketing warfare strategies - This scheme draws parallels between marketing strategies and military strategies
Many architects make the mistake of thinking that marketing has
only a peripheral relationship to what their firm does In fact marketing works best when it is totally integrated into the operations of your firm when itrsquos a part of everything you do You canrsquot create a plan for how to improve your marketing and increase your business without first considering your long-term goalsmdashnot just in terms of fee revenue or winning work but in terms of who you want to be and where you want to go both as a firm and as a professional There are a number of ways strategic planning
can help your firm
_ Build a shared vision for the firmrsquos future _ Articulate your vision so that it can be communicated to others
_ Get approval and support for the vision from senior leadership and ultimately your entire staff
_ Create a framework for all future decision making _ Figure out (and agree on) how much yoursquore going to spend on
marketing and other initiatives to make it happen
The discussion of strategic planning and marketing planning are divided into the following five areas
Strategic Planning
Getting to the Starting Line
Strategic planning is the process of developing a vision of who you are as a firm and what your longterm goals are Itrsquos about more than just marketing it can influence everything human resources finance information technology operations hiring promotions strategy design process client relationships the design of your office and absolutely anything else that affects your firm and its performance Firms typically engage in strategic planning at defining moments in their practice when the firmrsquos leadership changes or when the practice undergoes some kind of profound transformation The strategic planning process enables the firmrsquos leadership to build a shared vision for the firmrsquos future articulate the vision so that it can be communicated and create a framework for all future decision making When yoursquore ready to
engage in strategic planning itrsquos important to open your mind as much as possible Get ready to think big
Because strategic planning is a process not a document or a report it isnrsquot effective for a small group of leaders to issue a fat document as the strategic plan for the firm It will probably go unread It will certainly not achieve approval and support from the people who need to understand it and act on it Strategic planning is best conducted as an open process one that involves all your firmrsquos key leaders To begin the process set up a strategic planning meeting either as a retreat outside the office or as an extended in-house meeting (You may want to bring in a marketing consultant to help you with this) Figure out who should be there to give input to the vision for your firmrsquos future Keep the group as small as possible but donrsquot leave anyone out Ask everyone to commit half a day for the meeting (two hours just isnrsquot enough) and to come relaxed and prepared to focus on the firmrsquos strategic direction Give everyone an agenda in advance and ask each person to bring historical data based on his or her area of expertise or interest (financial data hiring or retention info winloss reports client feedback etc) Gather any existing documents that attempt to define the firm or its vision such as mission statements a firm description marketing materials articles that have been written about the firm and so on Plan to spend about half the meeting talking about where you are now (your firm your markets your competitors etc) and the other half talking about where yoursquod like to go (your mission your vision the action plan)
MARKETS FOR INDUSTRIAL GOODS
The market is the place where supply meets demand Suppliers and customers meet discuss and evaluate the conditions for exchange of goods and services and exchanges take place The conditions under which these exchanges occur especially that of price are influenced by the characteristics and structure of the market for example the number and market power of suppliers and customers Traditional economic analysis of markets presupposes that they are characterized by certain basic features firstly there is an assumption of free movement in the market and thus a customer will always buy where he obtains the best terms of exchange at that moment similarly the assumption is that suppliers will move to and from the market freely Thus the market is portrayed as atomistic Each unit in the market is free and independent to do as it wishes Also as a result of this free movement the market is characterized by change and stability is an exception Underlying these two assumptions is the further assumption that there is little or no cost of transaction In other words it is assumed that there are no costs in obtaining accurate information or in negotiations etc One effect of this assumption is that production costs
are considered central and that sellers can be simply represented by a production function
The traditional economic theory of the market has of course been subject to challenge and modification However it has influenced the models and principles used in marketing management The basic model that most of the literature in marketing is built on is the marketing mix model The key problems in marketing according to that model are
(a) to allocate resources to different competitive means or mix elements
(b) to design each mean as well as possible within the firms resource limitations
The market is often described in terms of response curves each defined in relation to a certain marketing decision variable or to the whole mix of a company The assumption is of course that the market consists of many individual customers that are affected by the marketers variables in accordance with a certain statistical distribution The same kind of influence can also be identified in the purchasing management
literature The focus here is largely on the management of a single purchase This does not give full consideration to the factors which have contributed to the way this purchase takes place or to the effects of this purchase on the subsequent dealings with the supplying company
Marketing Management
As we mentioned in the first section of this chapter the models and principles for industrial marketing management that are given by the literature are normally related to the marketing mix model The problems identified in these are the allocation of resources and the designing of competitive means However marketers in for example a highly concentrated industry may find different problems The issues associated with the handling of ten very large customers are of totally different character from those of handling 1000 small customers Thus marketers in firms in concentrated markets have a lack of accurate models for analyzing their marketing problems They have also a lack of relevant data expressed in a systematic way about the behaviour of other firms in the same situation
MARKETING ORGANIZATION
Overall Organization
Belters sales operations are split into three areas as follows
(i) Sales Manger mdash UK responsible for 60mdash70 per cent of total sales Four area offices handling all accounts except two major ones which are managed from the Companys main office
(ii) Sales Manager mdash Middle East Africa Eastern Europe accounting for approximately 20 per cent of total sales One manager plus two sales engineers The Company is currently building up an agencymdashdistributor network for this territory
(iii) Sales Manager mdash Western Europe responsible for the remaining 20 per cent of total sales The sales manager is located in Brussels with additional sales offices in Germany France and Italy The Brussels sales office is owned by Belters parent group All major commercial
transactions are carried out by Belters Head Office although the Brussels Company does have some price discretion This European sales company takes 85 per cent of its products for sale in Europe from Belter The remaining 15 per cent of products are sourced from the North-American parent company Apart from the European operation all agents and distributors overseas are handled from the UK
Evolution of Marketing Organization
Belter has often faced problems in the distribution of its products in France for example the Company had a combined agent and distributor operating until 1963 Belter provided applications engineering but had no commercial involvement in sales The company found that it had no influence on pricing in the market and this led to a rather artificial pricing structure and to a decreased market share This problem was not solved by the appointment of a second distributor Mergers amongst French suppliers have led to more competition in the market The second distributor did little to stimulate the first one or to improve the Companys overall penetration
In 1966 Belter separated out a number of products and major customers which were not to be handled via distributors These customers and products were to be controlled by the UK sales operation Also from 1970 the Brussels office ceased to have overall responsibility for sales to France and a Paris office was established The
overall market situation faced in France (and in other European countries) is as follows
There are many actual and potential users for some products which are not known by the Company Heavy competition exists especially on price for large customers who are often buying what they view as a commodity product Belters emerging strategy has been to handle these large customers through its own sales offices The Paris office actively seek sales of large volume products as well as acting as a `post office for products specially developed for individual customers which are then handled from the Companys main office Small customers and small volume products are handled by the two French distributors The development process in Italy has been similar to that in France Sales in Scandinavia do not justify a local sales office sales here are handled through a distributor from the Brussels office A small number of major accounts are however handled directly from the UK
BUYERmdashSELLER RELATIONSHIPS
A Customer Relationship in the United Kingdom
The three aspects of the relationship which are studied are competition technical development and personal contacts
This customer is Belters largest and is responsible for 20 per cent of its total business The Company operates in the aerospace industry at the limit of current technology The relationship involves considerable development liaison on wholly new products
Competition
Competition for this customer comes primarily from American suppliers The competition is on price and reflects the spare capacity in the American industry Competition from UK companies is also on price and comes from companies having a wider production spread than Belter
Development
This customer has always relied on Belter alone for development work in this product area However they have looked to other sources of supply when development has taken place The development process for a new product can be started either by a government development contract or by an order from the customer Belter acknowledged that it
has to stand the costs of this development in the latter case The customer has intimate knowledge of all of Belters procedures Methods of manufacture are agreed in detail and even the particular production machinery to be used is specified The closeness of the relationship between the two companies is indicated by the fact that the customer has approved Belters quality procedure and accepts their testing
Contact Pattern
Interpersonal contacts between Belter and its UK customer are summarized as
follows
(1) Formal Contacts
Every six months Technical policy liaison meeting jointly chaired by Belters Technical Director and the customers Chief Materials Manager Every sixmdashnine months Commercial meeting Belters Managing and Marketing Directors and Sales Manager and the customers Purchasing Director and Senior Purchasing Staff
Monthly UK Sales Manager visits customers purchasing staff to discuss delivery and order positions
(2) Other Contacts
These can be studied according to the formally assigned responsibility Personnel who have full-time responsibility One sales office man has daily contact with the customer Additionally one applications engineer is engaged on work for this customer Finally one man determines market trends and is in contact with the customers marketing personnel and customers clients Personnel with `half-time responsibility Four applications engineers also spend some of their time on the customers problems and are in personal contact with customer staff
PURPOSE OF A MARKETING PLAN
The purpose of a Marketing Plan is to-
1048766Define the Market
1048766Refine the Production Plan to market requirements
1048766Develop a marketing strategy
1048766Minimize risk
Each FFT group should have a Marketing Plan covering each commodity based on their own study of the local market
Defining the Market and Commodities-
1048766Market demand and prices -An assessment based on published market information discussions with local extension staff farmers dealers and buyers of the commodity of the likely demand and prices on offer during the year and during any period of seasonal shortfall
1048766Market Requirement- Varieties size grading packaging maturity demanded by the buyers in the particular market
1048766Yield Price Assumptions- How much commodity will be available How much premium grade Second grade Losses If the commodity crop is aimed to be produced for a particular period eg for a low supply period while the price assumptions (expectation) may be higher some reassessment of yield and cost of production assumptions in the gross margin analysis or partial budgets is usually necessary 1048766Marketing Returns and Costs Calculate expected income and costs in marketing
The Most Important Elements of Marketing There are four important elements in the marketing process
1048766Prioritising the customer Marketing begins with the customer not the product Knowing what the customer needs or wants is essential
1048766Process of selection The farmer needs to know who to sell the product to This will determine how and where the produce is marketed
1048766Promotion The farmer is selling something that other people want to buy Naturally it is helpful to let them know that the product is available and of good quality
The Marketing Training Manual 23 Marketing Module 3 Markets and Marketing
1048766Trust Good marketing occurs when the customers trust the farmer The customer should feel they are not being cheated and they are getting value for their money
In thinking about these elements farmers need to ask themselves about the six Ps
bull P p eople Who are the customers What do they want or need Who is actually going to market the product
bull P p lan How is the product going to reach the selected customers What are the steps
bull product What product is going to be marketed Is the family producing what the customer wants What services (for example a cooked product) if any are requested by the customer
bull place Where is the product going to be marketed
bull price What price will the product be offered on the market for
bull promotion How are people going to be informed that the product is available
Supply Demand and Price
In a free market prices for inputs and products are determined by supply and demand
Supply Is what producers are willing to market at a certain price
Demand Is how much consumers are prepared to buy at the market price
In theory as the price of a product goes up the quantity supplied rises and the quantity demanded falls Likewise when the price goes down the quantity supplied falls and the quantity demanded rises
For agricultural produce demand is affected by a number of factors the most
The Marketing Training Manual 24 Marketing Module 3 Markets and Marketing
Industrial or business to business (B2B) marketing
An organization seeks to build a new warehouse After documenting requirements it obtains three proposals from suitable construction firms After a long process of evaluation and negotiation it places an order with the organization that it believes offers the best value for money
An organization needs legal services and obtains submissions from two law firms Analysis of the proposals and subsequent discussions determines that there is no price advantage to placing all of the work with one firm and the organization decides to split the work between the two firms based on an evaluation of each firms capabilities
A sales representative makes an appointment with an organization that employs 22 people He demonstrates a photocopierfaxprinter to the office administrator After discussing a proposal the business owner signs a contract to obtain the machine on a fully-maintained rental and consumables basis with an upgrade after 2 years
Main features of the B2B selling process are
Marketing is one-to-one in nature It is relatively easy for the seller to identify a prospective customers and build a face-to-face relationship Highly professional and trained people in buying processes are involved In many cases two or three decision makers must approve a purchase plan Often the buying or selling process is complex and includes many stages (for example request for proposal request for tender selection process awarding of tender contract negotiations and signing of final contract) Selling activities involve long processes of prospecting qualifying wooing making representations preparing tenders developing strategies and contract negotiations
Blurring between B2B and B2C
Industrial marketing can cross the border into consumer marketing For example an electronic component seller may distribute its products through industrial marketing channels (see channel (marketing)) but also support consumer sales Many products are equally desired by business and consumersmdashsuch as audio products furniture paint hardware etc Nonetheless manufactures and service providers frequently maintain separate industrial and consumer marketing operations to reflect the different needs of the two channels
Competitive tendering
Industrial marketing often involves competitive tendering (see tender tendering) This is a process where a purchasing organization undertakes to procure goods and services from suitable suppliers Due to the high value of some purchases (for example buying a new computer system manufacturing
machinery or outsourcing a maintenance contract) and the complexity of such purchases the purchasing organization will seek to obtain a number of bids from competing suppliers and choose the best offering An entire profession (strategic procurement) that includes tertiary training and qualifications has been built around the process of making important purchases The key requirement in any competitive tender is to ensure that
The business case for the purchase has been completed and approved
The purchasing organizations objectives for the purchase are clearly defined
The procurement process is agreed upon and it conforms with fiscal guidelines and organisational policies The selection criteria have been established
A budget has been estimated and the financial resources are available
A buying team (or committee) has been assembled
A specification has been written
A preliminary scan of the market place has determined that enough potential suppliers are available to make the process viable (this can sometimes be achieved using an expression of interest process)
It has been clearly established that a competitive tendering process is the best method for meeting the objectives of this purchasing project If (for example) it was known that there was only one organisation capable of supplying best to get on with talking to them and negotiating a contract
Because of the significant value of many purchases issues of probity arise Organisations seek to ensure that awarding a contract is based on best fit to the agreed criteria and not bribery corruption or incompetence
Bidding process
Suppliers who are seeking to win a competitive tender go through a bidding process At its most primitive this would consist of evaluating the specification (issued by the purchasing organization) designing a suitable proposal and working out a price This is a primitive approach because
There is an old saying in industrial marketing if the first time you have heard about a tender is when you are invited to submit then you have already lost it
While flippant the previous point illustrates a basic requirement for being successful in competitive tendering it is important to develop a strong relationship with a prospective customer organization well before they have started the formal part of their procurement process
Non-tender purchasing
Not all industrial sales involve competitive tendering Tender processes are time consuming and expensive particularly when executed with the aim of ensuring probity Government agencies are particularly likely to utilise elaborate competitive tendering processes due to the expectation that they should be seen at all times to be responsibly and accountably spending public monies Private companies are able to avoid the complexity of a fully transparent tender process but are still able to run the procurement process with some rigourBeneficial
Developing a sales strategysolution sellingtechnical selling
The art of technical selling (solution selling) follows a three stage process
Stage 1 Sell the appointment Never sell over the telephone The aim of the first contact with a prospective purchaser is to sell the appointment The reason is simple industrial sales are complex any attempt to sell over the phone will trivialise your product or service and run the risk of not fully understanding the customers need
Stage 2 Understand their needs The best method of selling is to minimise the information about your goods or services until you have fully understood your customers requirements
Stage 3 Develop and propose a solution The solution is (of course) developed from your (or the firm that you represents) product or service offerings
Marketing supports solution selling through methods like account-based marketingmdashunderstanding a specific target organizations requirements as the foundation of a marketing program As research shows[1] sales success is heavily weighted towards suppliers who understand the customer In UK research 77 per cent of senior decision-makers believe new suppliers marketing From cannon fodder to preferred tenderer
The term cannon fodder derives from the World Wars and refers to the massing of undertrained and recently recruited troops sent to the fronts to face the enemy Such troops invariably had a poor survival rate but provided the tactical advantage of distracting the enemy while
professional soldiers mounted more effective operations In adopting the term to Industrial Marketing it means those bids being submitted that have no chance of winning but are involved to make up the numbers (you cant have only one bid in a competitive tender process that wouldnt satisfy the requirements of probity) (for example in government tenders or for private enterprise the requirement to truly test the market and to keep them honest) The reader might be wondering why anybody would go to all of the work of submitting a tender when they had no chance of winning for the same reason that troops were sent in to battle to die they thought they had a real chance
The key features of a successful industrial sales organisation
In industrial marketing the personal selling is still very effective because many products must be customized to suit the requirements of the individual customer Indicators such as the sales tunnel give information on the expected sales in the near future the hit rate indicates whether the sales organization is busy with promising sales leads or it is spending too much effort on projects that are eventually lost to the competition or that are abandoned by the prospect
RESEARCH PROBLEM
1 Identify your target market
Which businesses need cleaning services Which ones can afford it and will pay for it Why
In your case I would think that small businesses may not be your ideal client But then again define small business Are you referring to sales volume or number of employees
I can tell you right now as a marketing consultant that has worked with a wide variety of businesses including small companies
Small businesses are very price sensitive and prefer to do more themselves rather than pay someone else (They hold this belief even if it would free up more time to be more productive Go figure)
So before you randomly begin picking a target market have a rational reason why Continue to read below and youll begin to see what I am talking about
2 Determine their wants and needs
It may be obvious to you but ask yourself Why would someone want a clean office
These businesses never have walk-in traffic They do not have customers visit them So naturally there is far less of a concern for a clean office Sure it would be nice to have but since no revenue will be lost if their office is not spectacular looking they are not motivated to do anything about it
However seek out the businesses that do deal with customers directly especially professional services where they have very high end clients visit them Now they NEED a very presentable office or they risk losing out on a lot of revenue
3 Determine the level and type of demand
If you have ever read any of my previous work you will know that I am a very strong advocate of knowing whether the type of demand is Primary Demand or Selective Demand It is one of the most overlooked aspects of marketing being ignored today
Primary Demand If a business does not already use your TYPE of service and is not currently considering doing so you will need to create primary demand Simply put you will have to convince them first to even want your type of service (or product) before you even get them to buy it from you
So for your cleaning business example if you are approaching businesses that currently do not use a cleaning service you will have to explain the time saving and productivity enhancing benefits of using one Then explain why YOU are the one they need
Selective Demand These businesses already use a service (or product) or are in the market for it and are actively looking In these cases you do not need to spend much effort convincing them why they need it
In this case you must state your argument why your cleaning service should be the one they choose
This is what you will encounter when you call on or contact businesses already using a cleaning service They will either be satisfied or unsatisfied with their current service provider Your emphasis will have to be on conquest sales -- meaning stealing customers from your competition
Now in your line of business and in many others slashing prices always seems to be the first technique used to steal customers This may work well for selling products But if you are marketing services let me tell you thisthink twice before doing that
Yes I am fully aware of the fact that there will be businesses that will be open to talking to you if you offer them a better deal In some cases they may feel they are legitimately getting ripped off or paying way
too much right now And they just might be right In those cases if you can give them a fair price that is a better deal for them AND still gives you healthy profit margins then go for it
However if you are slashing prices just to gain clients arent you really just hurting yourself in the long run First of all you can easily get into the game of How low will they go Secondly it de-values your perception of quality if you are cheap Thirdly whos to say after all this effort you wont lose the business in a month or two when someone else quotes them an even lower price
What will you do next price so low that you lose money with every client I didnt think so
Heres what you could do though
4 Develop a Hypothesis and a Solution to Match
After you know your target market have defined their needs and analyzed the competitive picture (currently using or not currently using a service like mine) go ahead and develop a clearly thought out hypothesis
For example start with business NOT currently using a cleaning service but that deal with customers or clients regularly at their location
Develop a strong case for WHY they would be wise to invest in your
cleaning services Show them on a break-even analysis that your fee will be well compensated in either customer retention or converting a higher level of store traffic or business appointments into paying customersclients
Then state your case why it is more cost effective and saves them valuable time to outsource this to you rather than doing it themselves or paying an employee overtime to do it You can also emphasize that you are the expert at this not someones secretary so it is expected that you will do a far better job at it
For businesses that ARE already using a cleaning service or are currently shopping for one state why you are unique and better
Determine the really compelling reasons why these businesses want a cleaning service to begin with
Maybe it is a retail store that wants to create a better first impression for their customers This will ultimately lead to a better customer experience and ultimately more in-store purchases
A good example may be that unlike most competitors you also clean windows Well as a marketing consultant to retail businesses I can tell you that many passerbys will first look in a store window before deciding to walk in or not
Now for successful marketing all retail businesses would perform better if they had more in-store traffic So therefore if your cleaning service also cleans windows you could rightfully justify that your services are more valuable to their retail business You actually HELP
them get more customers and sell more products
Maybe it is a professional service business that needs to impress prospective clients to choose their services over a similar competitor
Your cleaning service may dust chairs and polish wooden conference tables Many other cleaning services may not do this or do a poor job in doing so
Now as marketing consultants to service businesses I can also tell you that if a consultant attorney accountant or any other business professional needs to meet with prospective clients in their office they will appreciate a better appearance So if your cleaning services can provide this better than anyone else (or at least if you tell them about this first) you will get the business or at least be highly considered for it
Whatever the case may be establish what makes you different and have you are best suited to meet their needs
Do you see where I am going with this Your initial marketing questions asked how you can get more business by passing out flyers or sending faxes to small offices Truthfully that is simply not going to work You are not looking at the overall big picture of why anyone would either want to hire a cleaning service or to hire your particular cleaning service
5 You must make AN OFFER
Here are some examples
Marketing messagesales offer to a business that does NOT currently use a cleaning service
If you have never considered using a cleaning service before allow us to show you how XYZ Cleaning Inc can make your storeoffice more presentable to customers and how this newly improved appearance will affect your cash registerbank statement
If you are weary of trying new things dont worry Use us FREE for one month and if you are not completely satisfied with the results if you are not completely confident that it makes a difference to your customers if you are not completely aware of how it raises the morale of your employees then you do not have to using us again
But if YOU DO see a great improvement well make you a great deal on our services simply because we want your long term business Marketing messagesales offer to businesses that DO currently use a cleaning service
I understand that you currently use ABC Cleaners LLC Now you may or may not be completely happy right now but I want to make you a no-risk offer you cant refuse
The truth is that you likely get consumed in your day to day activities in running your business overseeing operations managing employees and handling customers Therefore there may be little imperfections your cleaning service is making that goes unnoticed by you But dont assume for one minute that your customers or potential customers wont notice And remember first impressions DO count
So heres our offer Have us come in the morning after your regular cleaning service cleans your office We will do a thorough inspection with you present and look for anything they may have done a less-than-satisfactory job on Then well show you why you probably over looked it for so long but why your customers will take notice and how they will think differently about you because of it
Now if everything is already 100 completely clean and presentable well thank you for your time and then be on our way But if together we find lots of little things that are carelessly being done we will cleanfix it for you for FREE
Thats right use our services as a compliment to what you are already paying for Compare the quality of work we do to what you are already paying for If you can see the difference in what we do for you compared to what you are already paying for then consider us as your new cleaning service
6 Develop your marketing message
Once you understand the true needs your potential clients have and the unique and competitive solutions you can offer only then should you develop your marketing copy -- your sales pitch
The two examples above incorporate great marketing copy with a strong benefits related offer You can then deliver this through direct mail telemarketing or a combination of both
I would only recommend distributing flyers if you are confident you can place there where they will get read by people who make the decision to hire a cleaning service So if there is an Open Bulletin board in an office building then go for it However they are rare and you probably need permission anyway
Id avoid the fax marketing altogether Its quite annoying ties up there fax line and unless people have already heard of you they are more likely to toss your message in the garbage
Try sending direct mail to the decision makers of these target companies and describe the benefits they will experience from using your services
7 Follow up
Even after identifying the businesses that are most likely to need your services after you have identified a solution and even after you contacted them with a compelling offer you still have to follow up
Chances are they loved the sound of it when they got it They had every intention of following up with you But then just got busy So your follow up call can make all the difference in the world and get your foot in the door in a very big way Then its up to you to DELIVER on your promise
8 ANALYSIS
Market Analysis
The goal of a market analysis is to determine the attractiveness of a market and to understand its evolving opportunities and threats as they relate to the strengths and weaknesses of the firm
David A Aaker outlined the following dimensions of a market analysis
Market size (current and future)
Market growth rate
Market profitability
Industry cost structure
Distribution channels
Market trends
Key success factors
Market Size
The size of the market can be evaluated based on present sales and on potential sales if the use of the product were expanded The following are some information sources for determining market size
government data
trade associations financial data from major players customer surveys
Market Growth Rate
A simple means of forecasting the market growth rate is to extrapolate historical data into the future While this method may provide a first-order estimate it does not predict important turning points A better method is to study growth drivers such as demographic information and sales growth in complementary products Such drivers serve as leading indicators that are more accurate than simply extrapolating historical data
Important inflection points in the market growth rate sometimes can be predicted by constructing a product diffusion curve The shape of the curve can be estimated by studying the characteristics of the adoption rate of a similar product in the past
Ultimately the maturity and decline stages of the product life cycle will be reached Some leading indicators of the decline phase include price pressure caused by competition a decrease in brand loyalty the emergence of substitute products market saturation and the lack of growth drivers
Market Profitability
While different firms in a market will have different levels of profitability the average profit potential for a market can be used as a guideline for knowing how difficult it is to make money in the market Michael Porter devised a useful framework for evaluating the attractiveness of an industry or market This framework known as Porters five forces identifies five factors that influence the market profitability
Buyer power
Supplier power
Barriers to entry
Threat of substitute products
Rivalry among firms in the industry
Industry Cost Structure
The cost structure is important for identifying key factors for success To this end Porters value chain model is useful for determining where value is added and for isolating the costs
The cost structure also is helpful for formulating strategies to develop a competitive advantage For example in some environments the experience curve effect can be used to develop a cost advantage over competitors
Distribution Channels
The following aspects of the distribution system are useful in a market analysis
Existing distribution channels - can be described by how direct they are to the customer
Trends and emerging channels - new channels can offer the opportunity to develop a competitive advantage
Channel power structure - for example in the case of a product having little brand equity retailers have negotiating power over manufacturers and can capture more margin
Market Trends
Changes in the market are important because they often are the source of new opportunities and threats The relevant trends are industry-dependent but some examples include changes in price sensitivity demand for variety and level of emphasis on service and support Regional trends also may be relevant
Key Success Factors
The key success factors are those elements that are necessary in order for the firm to achieve its marketing objectives A few examples of such factors include
Access to essential unique resources
Ability to achieve economies of scale
Access to distribution channels
Technological progress
It is important to consider that key success factors may change over time especially as the product progresses through its life cycle
9 CONCLUSIONS
Organizations engage in marketing research for two reasons
(1) (1) to identify (2) and (2) solve marketing problems
(3)
This distinction serves as a basis for classifying marketing research into problem identification research and problem solving research
Problem identification research is undertaken to help identify problems which are perhaps not apparent on the surface and yet exist or are likely to company image market characteristics sales analysis short-range forecasting long range forecasting and business trends research Research of this type provides information about the marketing environment and helps diagnose a problem For example The findings of problem solving research are used in making decisions which will solve specific marketing problems
The Stanford Research Institute on the other hand conducts an annual survey of consumers that is used to classify persons into homogeneous groups for segmentation purposes The National Purchase Diary panel (NPD) maintains the largest diary panel in the United States
Standardized services are research studies conducted for different client firms but in a standard way For example procedures for measuring
advertising effectiveness have been standardized so that the results can be compared across studies and evaluative norms can be established The Starch Readership Survey is the most widely used service for evaluating print advertisements another well-known service is the Gallup and Robinson Magazine Impact Studies These services are also sold on a syndicated basis
Customized services offer a wide variety of marketing research services customized to suit a clients specific needs Each marketing research project is treated uniquely
Limited-service suppliers specialize in one or a few phases of the marketing research project Services offered by such suppliers are classified as field services coding and data entry data analysis analytical services and branded products Field services collect data through mail personal or telephone interviewing and firms that specialize in interviewing are called field service organizations These organizations may range from small proprietary organizations which operate locally to large multinational organizations with WATS line interviewing facilities Some organizations maintain extensive interviewing facilities across the country for interviewing shoppers in malls
Coding and data entry services include editing completed questionnaires developing a coding scheme and transcribing the data on to diskettes or magnetic tapes for input into the computer NRC Data Systems provides such services
Analytical services include designing and pretesting questionnaires determining the best means of collecting data designing sampling plans and other aspects of the research design Some complex
marketing research projects require knowledge of sophisticated procedures including specialized experimental designs and analytical techniques such as conjoint analysis and multidimensional scaling This kind of expertise can be obtained from firms and consultants specializing in analytical services
Data analysis services are offered by firms also known as tab houses that specialize in computer analysis of quantitative data such as those obtained in large surveys Initially most data analysis firms supplied only tabulations (frequency counts) and cross tabulations (frequency counts that describe two or more variables simultaneously) With the proliferation of software many firms now have the capability to analyze their own data but data analysis firms are still in demand
Branded marketing research products and services are specialized data collection and analysis procedures developed to address specific types of marketing research problems These procedures are patented given brand names and marketed like any other branded product
Types of marketing research
Marketing research techniques come in many forms including
Ad Tracking ndash periodic or continuous in-market research to monitor a brandrsquos performance using measures such as brand awareness brand preference and product usage (Young 2005)
Advertising Research ndash used to predict copy testing or track the efficacy of advertisements for any medium measured by the adrsquos ability to get attention (measured with Attention Tracking) communicate the message build the brandrsquos image and motivate the consumer to purchase the product or service (Young 2005)
Brand equity research - how favorably do consumers view the brand
Brand association research - what do consumers associate with the brand
Brand attribute research - what are the key traits that describe the brand promise
Brand name testing - what do consumers feel about the names of the products
Commercial eye tracking research - examine advertisements package designs websites etc by analyzing visual behavior of the consumer
Concept testing - to test the acceptance of a concept by target consumers
Cool hunting - to make observations and predictions in changes of new or existing cultural trends in areas such as fashion music films television youth culture and lifestyle
Buyer decision processes research - to determine what motivates people to buy and what decision-making process they use
Copy testing ndash predicts in-market performance of an ad before it airs by analyzing audience levels of attention brand linkage motivation entertainment and communication as well as breaking down the adrsquos flow of attention and flow of emotion (Young p 213)
Customer satisfaction research - quantitative or qualitative studies that yields an understanding of a customers of satisfaction with a transaction
Demand estimation - to determine the approximate level of demand for the product
Distribution channel audits - to assess distributorsrsquo and retailersrsquo attitudes toward a product brand or company
Internet strategic intelligence - searching for customer opinions in the Internet chats forums web pages blogs where people express freely about their experiences with products becoming strong opinion formers
Marketing effectiveness and analytics - Building models and measuring results to determine the effectiveness of individual marketing activities
Mystery Consumer or Mystery shopping - An employee or representative of the market research firm anonymously contacts a salesperson and indicates he or she is shopping for a product The shopper then records the entire experience This method is often used for quality control or for researching competitors products
Positioning research - how does the target market see the brand relative to competitors - what does the brand stand for
Price elasticity testing - to determine how sensitive customers are to price changes
Sales forecasting - to determine the expected level of sales given the level of demand With respect to other factors like Advertising expenditure sales promotion etc
Segmentation research - to determine the demographic psychographic and behavioural characteristics of potential buyers
Online panel - a group of individual who accepted to respond to marketing research online
Store audit - to measure the sales of a product or product line at a statistically selected store sample in order to determine market share or to determine whether a retail store provides adequate service
Test marketing - a small-scale product launch used to determine the likely acceptance of the product when it is introduced into a wider market
Viral Marketing Research - refers to marketing research designed to estimate the probability that specific communications will be transmitted throughout an individuals Social Network Estimates of Social Networking Potential (SNP) are combined with estimates of selling effectiveness to estimate ROI on specific combinations of messages and media
All of these forms of marketing research can be classified as either problem-identification research or as problem-solving research
There are two main sources of data - primary and secondary Primary research is conducted from scratch It is original and collected to solve the problem in hand Secondary research already exists since it has been collected for other purposes It is conducted on data published previously and usually by someone else Secondary research costs far less than primary research but seldom comes in a form that exactly meets the needs of the researcher
A similar distinction exists between exploratory research and conclusive research Exploratory research provides insights into and comprehension of an issue or situation It should draw definitive conclusions only with extreme caution Conclusive research draws conclusions the results of the study can be generalized to the whole population
Exploratory research is conducted to explore a problem to get some basic idea about the solution at the preliminary stages of research It may serve as the input to conclusive research Exploratory research information is collected by focus group interviews reviewing literature or books discussing with experts etc This is unstructured and qualitative in nature If a secondary source of data is unable to serve the purpose a convenience sample of small size can be collected Conclusive research is conducted to draw some conclusion about the problem It is essentially structured and quantitative research and the
output of this research is the input to MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS (MIS)
Marketing research methods
Methodologically marketing research uses the following types of research designs
Based on questioning
Qualitative marketing research - generally used for exploratory purposes - small number of respondents - not generalizable to the whole population - statistical significance and confidence not calculated - examples include focus groups in-depth interviews and projective techniques
Quantitative marketing research - generally used to draw conclusions - tests a specific hypothesis - uses random sampling techniques so as to infer from the sample to the population - involves a large number of respondents - examples include surveys and questionnaires Techniques include choice modelling maximum difference preference scaling and covariance analysis
Based on observations
Ethnographic studies - by nature qualitative the researcher observes social phenomena in their natural setting - observations can
occur cross-sectionally (observations made at one time) or longitudinally (observations occur over several time-periods) ndash
examples include product-use analysis and computer cookie traces See also Ethnography and Observational techniques
Experimental techniques - by nature quantitative the researcher creates a quasi-artificial environment to try to control spurious factors
then manipulates at least one of the variables - examples include purchase laboratories and test markets
Questionnaires 1 What are the objectives of the marketing strategy Are they clearly stated Are they consistent with the objectives of the firm Is the entire marketing mix structured to meet these objectives
2 What marketing concepts are at issue in the current strategy Is the marketing strategy well planned and laid out Is the strategy consistent with sound marketing principles If the strategy takes exception to marketing principles is there a good reason for it
3 To what target market is the strategy directed Is it well defined Is the market large enough to be profitably served Does the market have long-run potential
4 What competitive advantage does the marketing strategy offer If none what can be done to gain a competitive advantage in the marketplace
5 What products are being sold What is the width depth and consistency of the firms product lines Does the firm need new products to fill out its product line Should any product be deleted What is the profitability of the various products
6 What promotion mix is being used Is promotion consistent with the products and product images What could be done to improve the promotion mix
7 What channels of distribution are being used Do they deliver the product at the right time and right place to meet consumer needs Are the channels typical of those used in the industry Could channels be made more efficient
8 What pricing strategies are being used How do prices compare with similar products of other firms How are prices determined
9 Are marketing research and information systematically integrated into the marketing strategy Is the overall marketing strategy internally consistent
CONTENT OF THE REPORT
1) General introduction about the sector2) Industry profile
i Origin and development of industryii Growth present status of the industry
iii Future of the company3) ndash Origin of organization4) ndash Growth development and present status of the
organization5) ndash Product and service profile of the company6) - profile of the company7) ndash Discussion on training8) ndash Study of selected research problem
i (Problem objective methodology)9) - Summary and conclusion10) Appendices11) Bibliography
12)
1 GENERAL INTRODUCTION ABOUT SECTOR
2 - INDUSTRY PROFILE
I Origin and development of the industry
CONTINENTAL MANUFACTURING COMPANY establised in 1990 with the aim to manufacture Precision and High Quality Plastic and Steel metal component At CMC we have been serving OEMrsquos in Gurgaon Fom very bigning and have made good cutomer on base due to our industrial background sonce 1958 We have specialization in manufacturing of deep draw components in seat metal and injection molded plastic part with critical shape and size A brief count of our achievement and appritiation given by companyrsquos customer is given below
II GROWTH AND PRESENT STATUS OF THE INDUSTRY
There is two axis one shows series 1 in which targets achieved is given in crores Second axis shows the year I which targets achieved
III FUTURE OF THE INDUSTRY
3 ORIGIN OF ORGANIZATION
CONTINENTAL MANUFACTURING COMPANY establised in 1990 with the aim to manufacture Precision and High Quality Plastic and Steel metal component At CMC we have been serving OEMrsquos in Gurgaon Fom very bigning and have made good cutomer on base due to our industrial background sonce 1958 We have specialization in manufacturing of deep draw components in seat metal and injection molded plastic part with critical shape and size We have two uit amp offices they are given below-
4 GROWTH DEVELOPMENT AND PRESENT STATUS OF THE ORGANIZATION
5 PRODUCT AND SERVICE PROFILE OF THE COMPANY
6 PROFILE OF ORGNIZATION
Organizational structure
cEO
7 DISCUSSION ON TRAINING
Marketing strategy is a process that can allow an organization to concentrate its limited resources on the greatest opportunities to increase sales and achieve a sustainable competitive advantage
Developing a marketing strategy
Marketing strategies serve as the fundamental underpinning of marketing plans designed to fill market needs and reach marketing objectives Plans and objectives are generally tested for measurable results Commonly marketing strategies are developed as multi-year plans with a tactical plan detailing specific actions to be accomplished in the current year Time horizons covered by the marketing plan vary by company by industry and by nation however time horizons are becoming shorter as the speed of change in the environment increases Marketing strategies are dynamic and interactive They are partially planned and partially unplanned See strategy dynamics
Marketing strategy involves careful scanning of the internal and external environments which are summarized in a SWOT analysis Internal environmental factors include the marketing mix plus performance analysis and strategic constraints External environmental factors include customer analysis competitor analysis target market analysis as well as evaluation of any elements of the technological economic cultural or politicallegal environment likely toimpact success A key component of marketing strategy is often to
keep marketing in line with a companys overarching mission statement
Types of strategies
Marketing strategies may differ depending on the unique situation of the individual business However there are a number of ways of categorizing some generic strategies A brief description of the most common categorizing schemes is presented below
Strategies based on market dominance - In this scheme firms are classified based on their market share or dominance of an industry Typically there are four types of market dominance strategies
Leader
Challenger
Follower
Nicher
Porter generic strategies - strategy on the dimensions of strategic scope and strategic strength Strategic scope refers to the market penetration while strategic strength refers to the firmrsquos sustainable competitive advantage The generic strategy framework (porter 1984) comprises two alternatives each with two alternative scopes These are Differentiation and low-cost leadership each with a dimension of Focus-broad or narrow
Product differentiation (broad)
Cost leadership (broad)
Market segmentation (narrow)
Innovation strategies - This deals with the firms rate of the new product development and business model innovation It asks whether the company is on the cutting edge of technology and business innovation There are three types
Pioneers
Close followers
Late followers
Growth strategies - In this scheme we ask the question ldquoHow should the firm growrdquo There are a number of different ways of answering that question but the most common gives four answers
Horizontal integration
Vertical integration
Diversification
Intensification
A more detailed scheme uses the categories[10]
Prospector
Analyzer
Defender
Reactor
Marketing warfare strategies - This scheme draws parallels between marketing strategies and military strategies
Many architects make the mistake of thinking that marketing has
only a peripheral relationship to what their firm does In fact marketing works best when it is totally integrated into the operations of your firm when itrsquos a part of everything you do You canrsquot create a plan for how to improve your marketing and increase your business without first considering your long-term goalsmdashnot just in terms of fee revenue or winning work but in terms of who you want to be and where you want to go both as a firm and as a professional There are a number of ways strategic planning
can help your firm
_ Build a shared vision for the firmrsquos future _ Articulate your vision so that it can be communicated to others
_ Get approval and support for the vision from senior leadership and ultimately your entire staff
_ Create a framework for all future decision making _ Figure out (and agree on) how much yoursquore going to spend on
marketing and other initiatives to make it happen
The discussion of strategic planning and marketing planning are divided into the following five areas
Strategic Planning
Getting to the Starting Line
Strategic planning is the process of developing a vision of who you are as a firm and what your longterm goals are Itrsquos about more than just marketing it can influence everything human resources finance information technology operations hiring promotions strategy design process client relationships the design of your office and absolutely anything else that affects your firm and its performance Firms typically engage in strategic planning at defining moments in their practice when the firmrsquos leadership changes or when the practice undergoes some kind of profound transformation The strategic planning process enables the firmrsquos leadership to build a shared vision for the firmrsquos future articulate the vision so that it can be communicated and create a framework for all future decision making When yoursquore ready to
engage in strategic planning itrsquos important to open your mind as much as possible Get ready to think big
Because strategic planning is a process not a document or a report it isnrsquot effective for a small group of leaders to issue a fat document as the strategic plan for the firm It will probably go unread It will certainly not achieve approval and support from the people who need to understand it and act on it Strategic planning is best conducted as an open process one that involves all your firmrsquos key leaders To begin the process set up a strategic planning meeting either as a retreat outside the office or as an extended in-house meeting (You may want to bring in a marketing consultant to help you with this) Figure out who should be there to give input to the vision for your firmrsquos future Keep the group as small as possible but donrsquot leave anyone out Ask everyone to commit half a day for the meeting (two hours just isnrsquot enough) and to come relaxed and prepared to focus on the firmrsquos strategic direction Give everyone an agenda in advance and ask each person to bring historical data based on his or her area of expertise or interest (financial data hiring or retention info winloss reports client feedback etc) Gather any existing documents that attempt to define the firm or its vision such as mission statements a firm description marketing materials articles that have been written about the firm and so on Plan to spend about half the meeting talking about where you are now (your firm your markets your competitors etc) and the other half talking about where yoursquod like to go (your mission your vision the action plan)
MARKETS FOR INDUSTRIAL GOODS
The market is the place where supply meets demand Suppliers and customers meet discuss and evaluate the conditions for exchange of goods and services and exchanges take place The conditions under which these exchanges occur especially that of price are influenced by the characteristics and structure of the market for example the number and market power of suppliers and customers Traditional economic analysis of markets presupposes that they are characterized by certain basic features firstly there is an assumption of free movement in the market and thus a customer will always buy where he obtains the best terms of exchange at that moment similarly the assumption is that suppliers will move to and from the market freely Thus the market is portrayed as atomistic Each unit in the market is free and independent to do as it wishes Also as a result of this free movement the market is characterized by change and stability is an exception Underlying these two assumptions is the further assumption that there is little or no cost of transaction In other words it is assumed that there are no costs in obtaining accurate information or in negotiations etc One effect of this assumption is that production costs
are considered central and that sellers can be simply represented by a production function
The traditional economic theory of the market has of course been subject to challenge and modification However it has influenced the models and principles used in marketing management The basic model that most of the literature in marketing is built on is the marketing mix model The key problems in marketing according to that model are
(a) to allocate resources to different competitive means or mix elements
(b) to design each mean as well as possible within the firms resource limitations
The market is often described in terms of response curves each defined in relation to a certain marketing decision variable or to the whole mix of a company The assumption is of course that the market consists of many individual customers that are affected by the marketers variables in accordance with a certain statistical distribution The same kind of influence can also be identified in the purchasing management
literature The focus here is largely on the management of a single purchase This does not give full consideration to the factors which have contributed to the way this purchase takes place or to the effects of this purchase on the subsequent dealings with the supplying company
Marketing Management
As we mentioned in the first section of this chapter the models and principles for industrial marketing management that are given by the literature are normally related to the marketing mix model The problems identified in these are the allocation of resources and the designing of competitive means However marketers in for example a highly concentrated industry may find different problems The issues associated with the handling of ten very large customers are of totally different character from those of handling 1000 small customers Thus marketers in firms in concentrated markets have a lack of accurate models for analyzing their marketing problems They have also a lack of relevant data expressed in a systematic way about the behaviour of other firms in the same situation
MARKETING ORGANIZATION
Overall Organization
Belters sales operations are split into three areas as follows
(i) Sales Manger mdash UK responsible for 60mdash70 per cent of total sales Four area offices handling all accounts except two major ones which are managed from the Companys main office
(ii) Sales Manager mdash Middle East Africa Eastern Europe accounting for approximately 20 per cent of total sales One manager plus two sales engineers The Company is currently building up an agencymdashdistributor network for this territory
(iii) Sales Manager mdash Western Europe responsible for the remaining 20 per cent of total sales The sales manager is located in Brussels with additional sales offices in Germany France and Italy The Brussels sales office is owned by Belters parent group All major commercial
transactions are carried out by Belters Head Office although the Brussels Company does have some price discretion This European sales company takes 85 per cent of its products for sale in Europe from Belter The remaining 15 per cent of products are sourced from the North-American parent company Apart from the European operation all agents and distributors overseas are handled from the UK
Evolution of Marketing Organization
Belter has often faced problems in the distribution of its products in France for example the Company had a combined agent and distributor operating until 1963 Belter provided applications engineering but had no commercial involvement in sales The company found that it had no influence on pricing in the market and this led to a rather artificial pricing structure and to a decreased market share This problem was not solved by the appointment of a second distributor Mergers amongst French suppliers have led to more competition in the market The second distributor did little to stimulate the first one or to improve the Companys overall penetration
In 1966 Belter separated out a number of products and major customers which were not to be handled via distributors These customers and products were to be controlled by the UK sales operation Also from 1970 the Brussels office ceased to have overall responsibility for sales to France and a Paris office was established The
overall market situation faced in France (and in other European countries) is as follows
There are many actual and potential users for some products which are not known by the Company Heavy competition exists especially on price for large customers who are often buying what they view as a commodity product Belters emerging strategy has been to handle these large customers through its own sales offices The Paris office actively seek sales of large volume products as well as acting as a `post office for products specially developed for individual customers which are then handled from the Companys main office Small customers and small volume products are handled by the two French distributors The development process in Italy has been similar to that in France Sales in Scandinavia do not justify a local sales office sales here are handled through a distributor from the Brussels office A small number of major accounts are however handled directly from the UK
BUYERmdashSELLER RELATIONSHIPS
A Customer Relationship in the United Kingdom
The three aspects of the relationship which are studied are competition technical development and personal contacts
This customer is Belters largest and is responsible for 20 per cent of its total business The Company operates in the aerospace industry at the limit of current technology The relationship involves considerable development liaison on wholly new products
Competition
Competition for this customer comes primarily from American suppliers The competition is on price and reflects the spare capacity in the American industry Competition from UK companies is also on price and comes from companies having a wider production spread than Belter
Development
This customer has always relied on Belter alone for development work in this product area However they have looked to other sources of supply when development has taken place The development process for a new product can be started either by a government development contract or by an order from the customer Belter acknowledged that it
has to stand the costs of this development in the latter case The customer has intimate knowledge of all of Belters procedures Methods of manufacture are agreed in detail and even the particular production machinery to be used is specified The closeness of the relationship between the two companies is indicated by the fact that the customer has approved Belters quality procedure and accepts their testing
Contact Pattern
Interpersonal contacts between Belter and its UK customer are summarized as
follows
(1) Formal Contacts
Every six months Technical policy liaison meeting jointly chaired by Belters Technical Director and the customers Chief Materials Manager Every sixmdashnine months Commercial meeting Belters Managing and Marketing Directors and Sales Manager and the customers Purchasing Director and Senior Purchasing Staff
Monthly UK Sales Manager visits customers purchasing staff to discuss delivery and order positions
(2) Other Contacts
These can be studied according to the formally assigned responsibility Personnel who have full-time responsibility One sales office man has daily contact with the customer Additionally one applications engineer is engaged on work for this customer Finally one man determines market trends and is in contact with the customers marketing personnel and customers clients Personnel with `half-time responsibility Four applications engineers also spend some of their time on the customers problems and are in personal contact with customer staff
PURPOSE OF A MARKETING PLAN
The purpose of a Marketing Plan is to-
1048766Define the Market
1048766Refine the Production Plan to market requirements
1048766Develop a marketing strategy
1048766Minimize risk
Each FFT group should have a Marketing Plan covering each commodity based on their own study of the local market
Defining the Market and Commodities-
1048766Market demand and prices -An assessment based on published market information discussions with local extension staff farmers dealers and buyers of the commodity of the likely demand and prices on offer during the year and during any period of seasonal shortfall
1048766Market Requirement- Varieties size grading packaging maturity demanded by the buyers in the particular market
1048766Yield Price Assumptions- How much commodity will be available How much premium grade Second grade Losses If the commodity crop is aimed to be produced for a particular period eg for a low supply period while the price assumptions (expectation) may be higher some reassessment of yield and cost of production assumptions in the gross margin analysis or partial budgets is usually necessary 1048766Marketing Returns and Costs Calculate expected income and costs in marketing
The Most Important Elements of Marketing There are four important elements in the marketing process
1048766Prioritising the customer Marketing begins with the customer not the product Knowing what the customer needs or wants is essential
1048766Process of selection The farmer needs to know who to sell the product to This will determine how and where the produce is marketed
1048766Promotion The farmer is selling something that other people want to buy Naturally it is helpful to let them know that the product is available and of good quality
The Marketing Training Manual 23 Marketing Module 3 Markets and Marketing
1048766Trust Good marketing occurs when the customers trust the farmer The customer should feel they are not being cheated and they are getting value for their money
In thinking about these elements farmers need to ask themselves about the six Ps
bull P p eople Who are the customers What do they want or need Who is actually going to market the product
bull P p lan How is the product going to reach the selected customers What are the steps
bull product What product is going to be marketed Is the family producing what the customer wants What services (for example a cooked product) if any are requested by the customer
bull place Where is the product going to be marketed
bull price What price will the product be offered on the market for
bull promotion How are people going to be informed that the product is available
Supply Demand and Price
In a free market prices for inputs and products are determined by supply and demand
Supply Is what producers are willing to market at a certain price
Demand Is how much consumers are prepared to buy at the market price
In theory as the price of a product goes up the quantity supplied rises and the quantity demanded falls Likewise when the price goes down the quantity supplied falls and the quantity demanded rises
For agricultural produce demand is affected by a number of factors the most
The Marketing Training Manual 24 Marketing Module 3 Markets and Marketing
Industrial or business to business (B2B) marketing
An organization seeks to build a new warehouse After documenting requirements it obtains three proposals from suitable construction firms After a long process of evaluation and negotiation it places an order with the organization that it believes offers the best value for money
An organization needs legal services and obtains submissions from two law firms Analysis of the proposals and subsequent discussions determines that there is no price advantage to placing all of the work with one firm and the organization decides to split the work between the two firms based on an evaluation of each firms capabilities
A sales representative makes an appointment with an organization that employs 22 people He demonstrates a photocopierfaxprinter to the office administrator After discussing a proposal the business owner signs a contract to obtain the machine on a fully-maintained rental and consumables basis with an upgrade after 2 years
Main features of the B2B selling process are
Marketing is one-to-one in nature It is relatively easy for the seller to identify a prospective customers and build a face-to-face relationship Highly professional and trained people in buying processes are involved In many cases two or three decision makers must approve a purchase plan Often the buying or selling process is complex and includes many stages (for example request for proposal request for tender selection process awarding of tender contract negotiations and signing of final contract) Selling activities involve long processes of prospecting qualifying wooing making representations preparing tenders developing strategies and contract negotiations
Blurring between B2B and B2C
Industrial marketing can cross the border into consumer marketing For example an electronic component seller may distribute its products through industrial marketing channels (see channel (marketing)) but also support consumer sales Many products are equally desired by business and consumersmdashsuch as audio products furniture paint hardware etc Nonetheless manufactures and service providers frequently maintain separate industrial and consumer marketing operations to reflect the different needs of the two channels
Competitive tendering
Industrial marketing often involves competitive tendering (see tender tendering) This is a process where a purchasing organization undertakes to procure goods and services from suitable suppliers Due to the high value of some purchases (for example buying a new computer system manufacturing
machinery or outsourcing a maintenance contract) and the complexity of such purchases the purchasing organization will seek to obtain a number of bids from competing suppliers and choose the best offering An entire profession (strategic procurement) that includes tertiary training and qualifications has been built around the process of making important purchases The key requirement in any competitive tender is to ensure that
The business case for the purchase has been completed and approved
The purchasing organizations objectives for the purchase are clearly defined
The procurement process is agreed upon and it conforms with fiscal guidelines and organisational policies The selection criteria have been established
A budget has been estimated and the financial resources are available
A buying team (or committee) has been assembled
A specification has been written
A preliminary scan of the market place has determined that enough potential suppliers are available to make the process viable (this can sometimes be achieved using an expression of interest process)
It has been clearly established that a competitive tendering process is the best method for meeting the objectives of this purchasing project If (for example) it was known that there was only one organisation capable of supplying best to get on with talking to them and negotiating a contract
Because of the significant value of many purchases issues of probity arise Organisations seek to ensure that awarding a contract is based on best fit to the agreed criteria and not bribery corruption or incompetence
Bidding process
Suppliers who are seeking to win a competitive tender go through a bidding process At its most primitive this would consist of evaluating the specification (issued by the purchasing organization) designing a suitable proposal and working out a price This is a primitive approach because
There is an old saying in industrial marketing if the first time you have heard about a tender is when you are invited to submit then you have already lost it
While flippant the previous point illustrates a basic requirement for being successful in competitive tendering it is important to develop a strong relationship with a prospective customer organization well before they have started the formal part of their procurement process
Non-tender purchasing
Not all industrial sales involve competitive tendering Tender processes are time consuming and expensive particularly when executed with the aim of ensuring probity Government agencies are particularly likely to utilise elaborate competitive tendering processes due to the expectation that they should be seen at all times to be responsibly and accountably spending public monies Private companies are able to avoid the complexity of a fully transparent tender process but are still able to run the procurement process with some rigourBeneficial
Developing a sales strategysolution sellingtechnical selling
The art of technical selling (solution selling) follows a three stage process
Stage 1 Sell the appointment Never sell over the telephone The aim of the first contact with a prospective purchaser is to sell the appointment The reason is simple industrial sales are complex any attempt to sell over the phone will trivialise your product or service and run the risk of not fully understanding the customers need
Stage 2 Understand their needs The best method of selling is to minimise the information about your goods or services until you have fully understood your customers requirements
Stage 3 Develop and propose a solution The solution is (of course) developed from your (or the firm that you represents) product or service offerings
Marketing supports solution selling through methods like account-based marketingmdashunderstanding a specific target organizations requirements as the foundation of a marketing program As research shows[1] sales success is heavily weighted towards suppliers who understand the customer In UK research 77 per cent of senior decision-makers believe new suppliers marketing From cannon fodder to preferred tenderer
The term cannon fodder derives from the World Wars and refers to the massing of undertrained and recently recruited troops sent to the fronts to face the enemy Such troops invariably had a poor survival rate but provided the tactical advantage of distracting the enemy while
professional soldiers mounted more effective operations In adopting the term to Industrial Marketing it means those bids being submitted that have no chance of winning but are involved to make up the numbers (you cant have only one bid in a competitive tender process that wouldnt satisfy the requirements of probity) (for example in government tenders or for private enterprise the requirement to truly test the market and to keep them honest) The reader might be wondering why anybody would go to all of the work of submitting a tender when they had no chance of winning for the same reason that troops were sent in to battle to die they thought they had a real chance
The key features of a successful industrial sales organisation
In industrial marketing the personal selling is still very effective because many products must be customized to suit the requirements of the individual customer Indicators such as the sales tunnel give information on the expected sales in the near future the hit rate indicates whether the sales organization is busy with promising sales leads or it is spending too much effort on projects that are eventually lost to the competition or that are abandoned by the prospect
RESEARCH PROBLEM
1 Identify your target market
Which businesses need cleaning services Which ones can afford it and will pay for it Why
In your case I would think that small businesses may not be your ideal client But then again define small business Are you referring to sales volume or number of employees
I can tell you right now as a marketing consultant that has worked with a wide variety of businesses including small companies
Small businesses are very price sensitive and prefer to do more themselves rather than pay someone else (They hold this belief even if it would free up more time to be more productive Go figure)
So before you randomly begin picking a target market have a rational reason why Continue to read below and youll begin to see what I am talking about
2 Determine their wants and needs
It may be obvious to you but ask yourself Why would someone want a clean office
These businesses never have walk-in traffic They do not have customers visit them So naturally there is far less of a concern for a clean office Sure it would be nice to have but since no revenue will be lost if their office is not spectacular looking they are not motivated to do anything about it
However seek out the businesses that do deal with customers directly especially professional services where they have very high end clients visit them Now they NEED a very presentable office or they risk losing out on a lot of revenue
3 Determine the level and type of demand
If you have ever read any of my previous work you will know that I am a very strong advocate of knowing whether the type of demand is Primary Demand or Selective Demand It is one of the most overlooked aspects of marketing being ignored today
Primary Demand If a business does not already use your TYPE of service and is not currently considering doing so you will need to create primary demand Simply put you will have to convince them first to even want your type of service (or product) before you even get them to buy it from you
So for your cleaning business example if you are approaching businesses that currently do not use a cleaning service you will have to explain the time saving and productivity enhancing benefits of using one Then explain why YOU are the one they need
Selective Demand These businesses already use a service (or product) or are in the market for it and are actively looking In these cases you do not need to spend much effort convincing them why they need it
In this case you must state your argument why your cleaning service should be the one they choose
This is what you will encounter when you call on or contact businesses already using a cleaning service They will either be satisfied or unsatisfied with their current service provider Your emphasis will have to be on conquest sales -- meaning stealing customers from your competition
Now in your line of business and in many others slashing prices always seems to be the first technique used to steal customers This may work well for selling products But if you are marketing services let me tell you thisthink twice before doing that
Yes I am fully aware of the fact that there will be businesses that will be open to talking to you if you offer them a better deal In some cases they may feel they are legitimately getting ripped off or paying way
too much right now And they just might be right In those cases if you can give them a fair price that is a better deal for them AND still gives you healthy profit margins then go for it
However if you are slashing prices just to gain clients arent you really just hurting yourself in the long run First of all you can easily get into the game of How low will they go Secondly it de-values your perception of quality if you are cheap Thirdly whos to say after all this effort you wont lose the business in a month or two when someone else quotes them an even lower price
What will you do next price so low that you lose money with every client I didnt think so
Heres what you could do though
4 Develop a Hypothesis and a Solution to Match
After you know your target market have defined their needs and analyzed the competitive picture (currently using or not currently using a service like mine) go ahead and develop a clearly thought out hypothesis
For example start with business NOT currently using a cleaning service but that deal with customers or clients regularly at their location
Develop a strong case for WHY they would be wise to invest in your
cleaning services Show them on a break-even analysis that your fee will be well compensated in either customer retention or converting a higher level of store traffic or business appointments into paying customersclients
Then state your case why it is more cost effective and saves them valuable time to outsource this to you rather than doing it themselves or paying an employee overtime to do it You can also emphasize that you are the expert at this not someones secretary so it is expected that you will do a far better job at it
For businesses that ARE already using a cleaning service or are currently shopping for one state why you are unique and better
Determine the really compelling reasons why these businesses want a cleaning service to begin with
Maybe it is a retail store that wants to create a better first impression for their customers This will ultimately lead to a better customer experience and ultimately more in-store purchases
A good example may be that unlike most competitors you also clean windows Well as a marketing consultant to retail businesses I can tell you that many passerbys will first look in a store window before deciding to walk in or not
Now for successful marketing all retail businesses would perform better if they had more in-store traffic So therefore if your cleaning service also cleans windows you could rightfully justify that your services are more valuable to their retail business You actually HELP
them get more customers and sell more products
Maybe it is a professional service business that needs to impress prospective clients to choose their services over a similar competitor
Your cleaning service may dust chairs and polish wooden conference tables Many other cleaning services may not do this or do a poor job in doing so
Now as marketing consultants to service businesses I can also tell you that if a consultant attorney accountant or any other business professional needs to meet with prospective clients in their office they will appreciate a better appearance So if your cleaning services can provide this better than anyone else (or at least if you tell them about this first) you will get the business or at least be highly considered for it
Whatever the case may be establish what makes you different and have you are best suited to meet their needs
Do you see where I am going with this Your initial marketing questions asked how you can get more business by passing out flyers or sending faxes to small offices Truthfully that is simply not going to work You are not looking at the overall big picture of why anyone would either want to hire a cleaning service or to hire your particular cleaning service
5 You must make AN OFFER
Here are some examples
Marketing messagesales offer to a business that does NOT currently use a cleaning service
If you have never considered using a cleaning service before allow us to show you how XYZ Cleaning Inc can make your storeoffice more presentable to customers and how this newly improved appearance will affect your cash registerbank statement
If you are weary of trying new things dont worry Use us FREE for one month and if you are not completely satisfied with the results if you are not completely confident that it makes a difference to your customers if you are not completely aware of how it raises the morale of your employees then you do not have to using us again
But if YOU DO see a great improvement well make you a great deal on our services simply because we want your long term business Marketing messagesales offer to businesses that DO currently use a cleaning service
I understand that you currently use ABC Cleaners LLC Now you may or may not be completely happy right now but I want to make you a no-risk offer you cant refuse
The truth is that you likely get consumed in your day to day activities in running your business overseeing operations managing employees and handling customers Therefore there may be little imperfections your cleaning service is making that goes unnoticed by you But dont assume for one minute that your customers or potential customers wont notice And remember first impressions DO count
So heres our offer Have us come in the morning after your regular cleaning service cleans your office We will do a thorough inspection with you present and look for anything they may have done a less-than-satisfactory job on Then well show you why you probably over looked it for so long but why your customers will take notice and how they will think differently about you because of it
Now if everything is already 100 completely clean and presentable well thank you for your time and then be on our way But if together we find lots of little things that are carelessly being done we will cleanfix it for you for FREE
Thats right use our services as a compliment to what you are already paying for Compare the quality of work we do to what you are already paying for If you can see the difference in what we do for you compared to what you are already paying for then consider us as your new cleaning service
6 Develop your marketing message
Once you understand the true needs your potential clients have and the unique and competitive solutions you can offer only then should you develop your marketing copy -- your sales pitch
The two examples above incorporate great marketing copy with a strong benefits related offer You can then deliver this through direct mail telemarketing or a combination of both
I would only recommend distributing flyers if you are confident you can place there where they will get read by people who make the decision to hire a cleaning service So if there is an Open Bulletin board in an office building then go for it However they are rare and you probably need permission anyway
Id avoid the fax marketing altogether Its quite annoying ties up there fax line and unless people have already heard of you they are more likely to toss your message in the garbage
Try sending direct mail to the decision makers of these target companies and describe the benefits they will experience from using your services
7 Follow up
Even after identifying the businesses that are most likely to need your services after you have identified a solution and even after you contacted them with a compelling offer you still have to follow up
Chances are they loved the sound of it when they got it They had every intention of following up with you But then just got busy So your follow up call can make all the difference in the world and get your foot in the door in a very big way Then its up to you to DELIVER on your promise
8 ANALYSIS
Market Analysis
The goal of a market analysis is to determine the attractiveness of a market and to understand its evolving opportunities and threats as they relate to the strengths and weaknesses of the firm
David A Aaker outlined the following dimensions of a market analysis
Market size (current and future)
Market growth rate
Market profitability
Industry cost structure
Distribution channels
Market trends
Key success factors
Market Size
The size of the market can be evaluated based on present sales and on potential sales if the use of the product were expanded The following are some information sources for determining market size
government data
trade associations financial data from major players customer surveys
Market Growth Rate
A simple means of forecasting the market growth rate is to extrapolate historical data into the future While this method may provide a first-order estimate it does not predict important turning points A better method is to study growth drivers such as demographic information and sales growth in complementary products Such drivers serve as leading indicators that are more accurate than simply extrapolating historical data
Important inflection points in the market growth rate sometimes can be predicted by constructing a product diffusion curve The shape of the curve can be estimated by studying the characteristics of the adoption rate of a similar product in the past
Ultimately the maturity and decline stages of the product life cycle will be reached Some leading indicators of the decline phase include price pressure caused by competition a decrease in brand loyalty the emergence of substitute products market saturation and the lack of growth drivers
Market Profitability
While different firms in a market will have different levels of profitability the average profit potential for a market can be used as a guideline for knowing how difficult it is to make money in the market Michael Porter devised a useful framework for evaluating the attractiveness of an industry or market This framework known as Porters five forces identifies five factors that influence the market profitability
Buyer power
Supplier power
Barriers to entry
Threat of substitute products
Rivalry among firms in the industry
Industry Cost Structure
The cost structure is important for identifying key factors for success To this end Porters value chain model is useful for determining where value is added and for isolating the costs
The cost structure also is helpful for formulating strategies to develop a competitive advantage For example in some environments the experience curve effect can be used to develop a cost advantage over competitors
Distribution Channels
The following aspects of the distribution system are useful in a market analysis
Existing distribution channels - can be described by how direct they are to the customer
Trends and emerging channels - new channels can offer the opportunity to develop a competitive advantage
Channel power structure - for example in the case of a product having little brand equity retailers have negotiating power over manufacturers and can capture more margin
Market Trends
Changes in the market are important because they often are the source of new opportunities and threats The relevant trends are industry-dependent but some examples include changes in price sensitivity demand for variety and level of emphasis on service and support Regional trends also may be relevant
Key Success Factors
The key success factors are those elements that are necessary in order for the firm to achieve its marketing objectives A few examples of such factors include
Access to essential unique resources
Ability to achieve economies of scale
Access to distribution channels
Technological progress
It is important to consider that key success factors may change over time especially as the product progresses through its life cycle
9 CONCLUSIONS
Organizations engage in marketing research for two reasons
(1) (1) to identify (2) and (2) solve marketing problems
(3)
This distinction serves as a basis for classifying marketing research into problem identification research and problem solving research
Problem identification research is undertaken to help identify problems which are perhaps not apparent on the surface and yet exist or are likely to company image market characteristics sales analysis short-range forecasting long range forecasting and business trends research Research of this type provides information about the marketing environment and helps diagnose a problem For example The findings of problem solving research are used in making decisions which will solve specific marketing problems
The Stanford Research Institute on the other hand conducts an annual survey of consumers that is used to classify persons into homogeneous groups for segmentation purposes The National Purchase Diary panel (NPD) maintains the largest diary panel in the United States
Standardized services are research studies conducted for different client firms but in a standard way For example procedures for measuring
advertising effectiveness have been standardized so that the results can be compared across studies and evaluative norms can be established The Starch Readership Survey is the most widely used service for evaluating print advertisements another well-known service is the Gallup and Robinson Magazine Impact Studies These services are also sold on a syndicated basis
Customized services offer a wide variety of marketing research services customized to suit a clients specific needs Each marketing research project is treated uniquely
Limited-service suppliers specialize in one or a few phases of the marketing research project Services offered by such suppliers are classified as field services coding and data entry data analysis analytical services and branded products Field services collect data through mail personal or telephone interviewing and firms that specialize in interviewing are called field service organizations These organizations may range from small proprietary organizations which operate locally to large multinational organizations with WATS line interviewing facilities Some organizations maintain extensive interviewing facilities across the country for interviewing shoppers in malls
Coding and data entry services include editing completed questionnaires developing a coding scheme and transcribing the data on to diskettes or magnetic tapes for input into the computer NRC Data Systems provides such services
Analytical services include designing and pretesting questionnaires determining the best means of collecting data designing sampling plans and other aspects of the research design Some complex
marketing research projects require knowledge of sophisticated procedures including specialized experimental designs and analytical techniques such as conjoint analysis and multidimensional scaling This kind of expertise can be obtained from firms and consultants specializing in analytical services
Data analysis services are offered by firms also known as tab houses that specialize in computer analysis of quantitative data such as those obtained in large surveys Initially most data analysis firms supplied only tabulations (frequency counts) and cross tabulations (frequency counts that describe two or more variables simultaneously) With the proliferation of software many firms now have the capability to analyze their own data but data analysis firms are still in demand
Branded marketing research products and services are specialized data collection and analysis procedures developed to address specific types of marketing research problems These procedures are patented given brand names and marketed like any other branded product
Types of marketing research
Marketing research techniques come in many forms including
Ad Tracking ndash periodic or continuous in-market research to monitor a brandrsquos performance using measures such as brand awareness brand preference and product usage (Young 2005)
Advertising Research ndash used to predict copy testing or track the efficacy of advertisements for any medium measured by the adrsquos ability to get attention (measured with Attention Tracking) communicate the message build the brandrsquos image and motivate the consumer to purchase the product or service (Young 2005)
Brand equity research - how favorably do consumers view the brand
Brand association research - what do consumers associate with the brand
Brand attribute research - what are the key traits that describe the brand promise
Brand name testing - what do consumers feel about the names of the products
Commercial eye tracking research - examine advertisements package designs websites etc by analyzing visual behavior of the consumer
Concept testing - to test the acceptance of a concept by target consumers
Cool hunting - to make observations and predictions in changes of new or existing cultural trends in areas such as fashion music films television youth culture and lifestyle
Buyer decision processes research - to determine what motivates people to buy and what decision-making process they use
Copy testing ndash predicts in-market performance of an ad before it airs by analyzing audience levels of attention brand linkage motivation entertainment and communication as well as breaking down the adrsquos flow of attention and flow of emotion (Young p 213)
Customer satisfaction research - quantitative or qualitative studies that yields an understanding of a customers of satisfaction with a transaction
Demand estimation - to determine the approximate level of demand for the product
Distribution channel audits - to assess distributorsrsquo and retailersrsquo attitudes toward a product brand or company
Internet strategic intelligence - searching for customer opinions in the Internet chats forums web pages blogs where people express freely about their experiences with products becoming strong opinion formers
Marketing effectiveness and analytics - Building models and measuring results to determine the effectiveness of individual marketing activities
Mystery Consumer or Mystery shopping - An employee or representative of the market research firm anonymously contacts a salesperson and indicates he or she is shopping for a product The shopper then records the entire experience This method is often used for quality control or for researching competitors products
Positioning research - how does the target market see the brand relative to competitors - what does the brand stand for
Price elasticity testing - to determine how sensitive customers are to price changes
Sales forecasting - to determine the expected level of sales given the level of demand With respect to other factors like Advertising expenditure sales promotion etc
Segmentation research - to determine the demographic psychographic and behavioural characteristics of potential buyers
Online panel - a group of individual who accepted to respond to marketing research online
Store audit - to measure the sales of a product or product line at a statistically selected store sample in order to determine market share or to determine whether a retail store provides adequate service
Test marketing - a small-scale product launch used to determine the likely acceptance of the product when it is introduced into a wider market
Viral Marketing Research - refers to marketing research designed to estimate the probability that specific communications will be transmitted throughout an individuals Social Network Estimates of Social Networking Potential (SNP) are combined with estimates of selling effectiveness to estimate ROI on specific combinations of messages and media
All of these forms of marketing research can be classified as either problem-identification research or as problem-solving research
There are two main sources of data - primary and secondary Primary research is conducted from scratch It is original and collected to solve the problem in hand Secondary research already exists since it has been collected for other purposes It is conducted on data published previously and usually by someone else Secondary research costs far less than primary research but seldom comes in a form that exactly meets the needs of the researcher
A similar distinction exists between exploratory research and conclusive research Exploratory research provides insights into and comprehension of an issue or situation It should draw definitive conclusions only with extreme caution Conclusive research draws conclusions the results of the study can be generalized to the whole population
Exploratory research is conducted to explore a problem to get some basic idea about the solution at the preliminary stages of research It may serve as the input to conclusive research Exploratory research information is collected by focus group interviews reviewing literature or books discussing with experts etc This is unstructured and qualitative in nature If a secondary source of data is unable to serve the purpose a convenience sample of small size can be collected Conclusive research is conducted to draw some conclusion about the problem It is essentially structured and quantitative research and the
output of this research is the input to MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS (MIS)
Marketing research methods
Methodologically marketing research uses the following types of research designs
Based on questioning
Qualitative marketing research - generally used for exploratory purposes - small number of respondents - not generalizable to the whole population - statistical significance and confidence not calculated - examples include focus groups in-depth interviews and projective techniques
Quantitative marketing research - generally used to draw conclusions - tests a specific hypothesis - uses random sampling techniques so as to infer from the sample to the population - involves a large number of respondents - examples include surveys and questionnaires Techniques include choice modelling maximum difference preference scaling and covariance analysis
Based on observations
Ethnographic studies - by nature qualitative the researcher observes social phenomena in their natural setting - observations can
occur cross-sectionally (observations made at one time) or longitudinally (observations occur over several time-periods) ndash
examples include product-use analysis and computer cookie traces See also Ethnography and Observational techniques
Experimental techniques - by nature quantitative the researcher creates a quasi-artificial environment to try to control spurious factors
then manipulates at least one of the variables - examples include purchase laboratories and test markets
Questionnaires 1 What are the objectives of the marketing strategy Are they clearly stated Are they consistent with the objectives of the firm Is the entire marketing mix structured to meet these objectives
2 What marketing concepts are at issue in the current strategy Is the marketing strategy well planned and laid out Is the strategy consistent with sound marketing principles If the strategy takes exception to marketing principles is there a good reason for it
3 To what target market is the strategy directed Is it well defined Is the market large enough to be profitably served Does the market have long-run potential
4 What competitive advantage does the marketing strategy offer If none what can be done to gain a competitive advantage in the marketplace
5 What products are being sold What is the width depth and consistency of the firms product lines Does the firm need new products to fill out its product line Should any product be deleted What is the profitability of the various products
6 What promotion mix is being used Is promotion consistent with the products and product images What could be done to improve the promotion mix
7 What channels of distribution are being used Do they deliver the product at the right time and right place to meet consumer needs Are the channels typical of those used in the industry Could channels be made more efficient
8 What pricing strategies are being used How do prices compare with similar products of other firms How are prices determined
9 Are marketing research and information systematically integrated into the marketing strategy Is the overall marketing strategy internally consistent
12)
1 GENERAL INTRODUCTION ABOUT SECTOR
2 - INDUSTRY PROFILE
I Origin and development of the industry
CONTINENTAL MANUFACTURING COMPANY establised in 1990 with the aim to manufacture Precision and High Quality Plastic and Steel metal component At CMC we have been serving OEMrsquos in Gurgaon Fom very bigning and have made good cutomer on base due to our industrial background sonce 1958 We have specialization in manufacturing of deep draw components in seat metal and injection molded plastic part with critical shape and size A brief count of our achievement and appritiation given by companyrsquos customer is given below
II GROWTH AND PRESENT STATUS OF THE INDUSTRY
There is two axis one shows series 1 in which targets achieved is given in crores Second axis shows the year I which targets achieved
III FUTURE OF THE INDUSTRY
3 ORIGIN OF ORGANIZATION
CONTINENTAL MANUFACTURING COMPANY establised in 1990 with the aim to manufacture Precision and High Quality Plastic and Steel metal component At CMC we have been serving OEMrsquos in Gurgaon Fom very bigning and have made good cutomer on base due to our industrial background sonce 1958 We have specialization in manufacturing of deep draw components in seat metal and injection molded plastic part with critical shape and size We have two uit amp offices they are given below-
4 GROWTH DEVELOPMENT AND PRESENT STATUS OF THE ORGANIZATION
5 PRODUCT AND SERVICE PROFILE OF THE COMPANY
6 PROFILE OF ORGNIZATION
Organizational structure
cEO
7 DISCUSSION ON TRAINING
Marketing strategy is a process that can allow an organization to concentrate its limited resources on the greatest opportunities to increase sales and achieve a sustainable competitive advantage
Developing a marketing strategy
Marketing strategies serve as the fundamental underpinning of marketing plans designed to fill market needs and reach marketing objectives Plans and objectives are generally tested for measurable results Commonly marketing strategies are developed as multi-year plans with a tactical plan detailing specific actions to be accomplished in the current year Time horizons covered by the marketing plan vary by company by industry and by nation however time horizons are becoming shorter as the speed of change in the environment increases Marketing strategies are dynamic and interactive They are partially planned and partially unplanned See strategy dynamics
Marketing strategy involves careful scanning of the internal and external environments which are summarized in a SWOT analysis Internal environmental factors include the marketing mix plus performance analysis and strategic constraints External environmental factors include customer analysis competitor analysis target market analysis as well as evaluation of any elements of the technological economic cultural or politicallegal environment likely toimpact success A key component of marketing strategy is often to
keep marketing in line with a companys overarching mission statement
Types of strategies
Marketing strategies may differ depending on the unique situation of the individual business However there are a number of ways of categorizing some generic strategies A brief description of the most common categorizing schemes is presented below
Strategies based on market dominance - In this scheme firms are classified based on their market share or dominance of an industry Typically there are four types of market dominance strategies
Leader
Challenger
Follower
Nicher
Porter generic strategies - strategy on the dimensions of strategic scope and strategic strength Strategic scope refers to the market penetration while strategic strength refers to the firmrsquos sustainable competitive advantage The generic strategy framework (porter 1984) comprises two alternatives each with two alternative scopes These are Differentiation and low-cost leadership each with a dimension of Focus-broad or narrow
Product differentiation (broad)
Cost leadership (broad)
Market segmentation (narrow)
Innovation strategies - This deals with the firms rate of the new product development and business model innovation It asks whether the company is on the cutting edge of technology and business innovation There are three types
Pioneers
Close followers
Late followers
Growth strategies - In this scheme we ask the question ldquoHow should the firm growrdquo There are a number of different ways of answering that question but the most common gives four answers
Horizontal integration
Vertical integration
Diversification
Intensification
A more detailed scheme uses the categories[10]
Prospector
Analyzer
Defender
Reactor
Marketing warfare strategies - This scheme draws parallels between marketing strategies and military strategies
Many architects make the mistake of thinking that marketing has
only a peripheral relationship to what their firm does In fact marketing works best when it is totally integrated into the operations of your firm when itrsquos a part of everything you do You canrsquot create a plan for how to improve your marketing and increase your business without first considering your long-term goalsmdashnot just in terms of fee revenue or winning work but in terms of who you want to be and where you want to go both as a firm and as a professional There are a number of ways strategic planning
can help your firm
_ Build a shared vision for the firmrsquos future _ Articulate your vision so that it can be communicated to others
_ Get approval and support for the vision from senior leadership and ultimately your entire staff
_ Create a framework for all future decision making _ Figure out (and agree on) how much yoursquore going to spend on
marketing and other initiatives to make it happen
The discussion of strategic planning and marketing planning are divided into the following five areas
Strategic Planning
Getting to the Starting Line
Strategic planning is the process of developing a vision of who you are as a firm and what your longterm goals are Itrsquos about more than just marketing it can influence everything human resources finance information technology operations hiring promotions strategy design process client relationships the design of your office and absolutely anything else that affects your firm and its performance Firms typically engage in strategic planning at defining moments in their practice when the firmrsquos leadership changes or when the practice undergoes some kind of profound transformation The strategic planning process enables the firmrsquos leadership to build a shared vision for the firmrsquos future articulate the vision so that it can be communicated and create a framework for all future decision making When yoursquore ready to
engage in strategic planning itrsquos important to open your mind as much as possible Get ready to think big
Because strategic planning is a process not a document or a report it isnrsquot effective for a small group of leaders to issue a fat document as the strategic plan for the firm It will probably go unread It will certainly not achieve approval and support from the people who need to understand it and act on it Strategic planning is best conducted as an open process one that involves all your firmrsquos key leaders To begin the process set up a strategic planning meeting either as a retreat outside the office or as an extended in-house meeting (You may want to bring in a marketing consultant to help you with this) Figure out who should be there to give input to the vision for your firmrsquos future Keep the group as small as possible but donrsquot leave anyone out Ask everyone to commit half a day for the meeting (two hours just isnrsquot enough) and to come relaxed and prepared to focus on the firmrsquos strategic direction Give everyone an agenda in advance and ask each person to bring historical data based on his or her area of expertise or interest (financial data hiring or retention info winloss reports client feedback etc) Gather any existing documents that attempt to define the firm or its vision such as mission statements a firm description marketing materials articles that have been written about the firm and so on Plan to spend about half the meeting talking about where you are now (your firm your markets your competitors etc) and the other half talking about where yoursquod like to go (your mission your vision the action plan)
MARKETS FOR INDUSTRIAL GOODS
The market is the place where supply meets demand Suppliers and customers meet discuss and evaluate the conditions for exchange of goods and services and exchanges take place The conditions under which these exchanges occur especially that of price are influenced by the characteristics and structure of the market for example the number and market power of suppliers and customers Traditional economic analysis of markets presupposes that they are characterized by certain basic features firstly there is an assumption of free movement in the market and thus a customer will always buy where he obtains the best terms of exchange at that moment similarly the assumption is that suppliers will move to and from the market freely Thus the market is portrayed as atomistic Each unit in the market is free and independent to do as it wishes Also as a result of this free movement the market is characterized by change and stability is an exception Underlying these two assumptions is the further assumption that there is little or no cost of transaction In other words it is assumed that there are no costs in obtaining accurate information or in negotiations etc One effect of this assumption is that production costs
are considered central and that sellers can be simply represented by a production function
The traditional economic theory of the market has of course been subject to challenge and modification However it has influenced the models and principles used in marketing management The basic model that most of the literature in marketing is built on is the marketing mix model The key problems in marketing according to that model are
(a) to allocate resources to different competitive means or mix elements
(b) to design each mean as well as possible within the firms resource limitations
The market is often described in terms of response curves each defined in relation to a certain marketing decision variable or to the whole mix of a company The assumption is of course that the market consists of many individual customers that are affected by the marketers variables in accordance with a certain statistical distribution The same kind of influence can also be identified in the purchasing management
literature The focus here is largely on the management of a single purchase This does not give full consideration to the factors which have contributed to the way this purchase takes place or to the effects of this purchase on the subsequent dealings with the supplying company
Marketing Management
As we mentioned in the first section of this chapter the models and principles for industrial marketing management that are given by the literature are normally related to the marketing mix model The problems identified in these are the allocation of resources and the designing of competitive means However marketers in for example a highly concentrated industry may find different problems The issues associated with the handling of ten very large customers are of totally different character from those of handling 1000 small customers Thus marketers in firms in concentrated markets have a lack of accurate models for analyzing their marketing problems They have also a lack of relevant data expressed in a systematic way about the behaviour of other firms in the same situation
MARKETING ORGANIZATION
Overall Organization
Belters sales operations are split into three areas as follows
(i) Sales Manger mdash UK responsible for 60mdash70 per cent of total sales Four area offices handling all accounts except two major ones which are managed from the Companys main office
(ii) Sales Manager mdash Middle East Africa Eastern Europe accounting for approximately 20 per cent of total sales One manager plus two sales engineers The Company is currently building up an agencymdashdistributor network for this territory
(iii) Sales Manager mdash Western Europe responsible for the remaining 20 per cent of total sales The sales manager is located in Brussels with additional sales offices in Germany France and Italy The Brussels sales office is owned by Belters parent group All major commercial
transactions are carried out by Belters Head Office although the Brussels Company does have some price discretion This European sales company takes 85 per cent of its products for sale in Europe from Belter The remaining 15 per cent of products are sourced from the North-American parent company Apart from the European operation all agents and distributors overseas are handled from the UK
Evolution of Marketing Organization
Belter has often faced problems in the distribution of its products in France for example the Company had a combined agent and distributor operating until 1963 Belter provided applications engineering but had no commercial involvement in sales The company found that it had no influence on pricing in the market and this led to a rather artificial pricing structure and to a decreased market share This problem was not solved by the appointment of a second distributor Mergers amongst French suppliers have led to more competition in the market The second distributor did little to stimulate the first one or to improve the Companys overall penetration
In 1966 Belter separated out a number of products and major customers which were not to be handled via distributors These customers and products were to be controlled by the UK sales operation Also from 1970 the Brussels office ceased to have overall responsibility for sales to France and a Paris office was established The
overall market situation faced in France (and in other European countries) is as follows
There are many actual and potential users for some products which are not known by the Company Heavy competition exists especially on price for large customers who are often buying what they view as a commodity product Belters emerging strategy has been to handle these large customers through its own sales offices The Paris office actively seek sales of large volume products as well as acting as a `post office for products specially developed for individual customers which are then handled from the Companys main office Small customers and small volume products are handled by the two French distributors The development process in Italy has been similar to that in France Sales in Scandinavia do not justify a local sales office sales here are handled through a distributor from the Brussels office A small number of major accounts are however handled directly from the UK
BUYERmdashSELLER RELATIONSHIPS
A Customer Relationship in the United Kingdom
The three aspects of the relationship which are studied are competition technical development and personal contacts
This customer is Belters largest and is responsible for 20 per cent of its total business The Company operates in the aerospace industry at the limit of current technology The relationship involves considerable development liaison on wholly new products
Competition
Competition for this customer comes primarily from American suppliers The competition is on price and reflects the spare capacity in the American industry Competition from UK companies is also on price and comes from companies having a wider production spread than Belter
Development
This customer has always relied on Belter alone for development work in this product area However they have looked to other sources of supply when development has taken place The development process for a new product can be started either by a government development contract or by an order from the customer Belter acknowledged that it
has to stand the costs of this development in the latter case The customer has intimate knowledge of all of Belters procedures Methods of manufacture are agreed in detail and even the particular production machinery to be used is specified The closeness of the relationship between the two companies is indicated by the fact that the customer has approved Belters quality procedure and accepts their testing
Contact Pattern
Interpersonal contacts between Belter and its UK customer are summarized as
follows
(1) Formal Contacts
Every six months Technical policy liaison meeting jointly chaired by Belters Technical Director and the customers Chief Materials Manager Every sixmdashnine months Commercial meeting Belters Managing and Marketing Directors and Sales Manager and the customers Purchasing Director and Senior Purchasing Staff
Monthly UK Sales Manager visits customers purchasing staff to discuss delivery and order positions
(2) Other Contacts
These can be studied according to the formally assigned responsibility Personnel who have full-time responsibility One sales office man has daily contact with the customer Additionally one applications engineer is engaged on work for this customer Finally one man determines market trends and is in contact with the customers marketing personnel and customers clients Personnel with `half-time responsibility Four applications engineers also spend some of their time on the customers problems and are in personal contact with customer staff
PURPOSE OF A MARKETING PLAN
The purpose of a Marketing Plan is to-
1048766Define the Market
1048766Refine the Production Plan to market requirements
1048766Develop a marketing strategy
1048766Minimize risk
Each FFT group should have a Marketing Plan covering each commodity based on their own study of the local market
Defining the Market and Commodities-
1048766Market demand and prices -An assessment based on published market information discussions with local extension staff farmers dealers and buyers of the commodity of the likely demand and prices on offer during the year and during any period of seasonal shortfall
1048766Market Requirement- Varieties size grading packaging maturity demanded by the buyers in the particular market
1048766Yield Price Assumptions- How much commodity will be available How much premium grade Second grade Losses If the commodity crop is aimed to be produced for a particular period eg for a low supply period while the price assumptions (expectation) may be higher some reassessment of yield and cost of production assumptions in the gross margin analysis or partial budgets is usually necessary 1048766Marketing Returns and Costs Calculate expected income and costs in marketing
The Most Important Elements of Marketing There are four important elements in the marketing process
1048766Prioritising the customer Marketing begins with the customer not the product Knowing what the customer needs or wants is essential
1048766Process of selection The farmer needs to know who to sell the product to This will determine how and where the produce is marketed
1048766Promotion The farmer is selling something that other people want to buy Naturally it is helpful to let them know that the product is available and of good quality
The Marketing Training Manual 23 Marketing Module 3 Markets and Marketing
1048766Trust Good marketing occurs when the customers trust the farmer The customer should feel they are not being cheated and they are getting value for their money
In thinking about these elements farmers need to ask themselves about the six Ps
bull P p eople Who are the customers What do they want or need Who is actually going to market the product
bull P p lan How is the product going to reach the selected customers What are the steps
bull product What product is going to be marketed Is the family producing what the customer wants What services (for example a cooked product) if any are requested by the customer
bull place Where is the product going to be marketed
bull price What price will the product be offered on the market for
bull promotion How are people going to be informed that the product is available
Supply Demand and Price
In a free market prices for inputs and products are determined by supply and demand
Supply Is what producers are willing to market at a certain price
Demand Is how much consumers are prepared to buy at the market price
In theory as the price of a product goes up the quantity supplied rises and the quantity demanded falls Likewise when the price goes down the quantity supplied falls and the quantity demanded rises
For agricultural produce demand is affected by a number of factors the most
The Marketing Training Manual 24 Marketing Module 3 Markets and Marketing
Industrial or business to business (B2B) marketing
An organization seeks to build a new warehouse After documenting requirements it obtains three proposals from suitable construction firms After a long process of evaluation and negotiation it places an order with the organization that it believes offers the best value for money
An organization needs legal services and obtains submissions from two law firms Analysis of the proposals and subsequent discussions determines that there is no price advantage to placing all of the work with one firm and the organization decides to split the work between the two firms based on an evaluation of each firms capabilities
A sales representative makes an appointment with an organization that employs 22 people He demonstrates a photocopierfaxprinter to the office administrator After discussing a proposal the business owner signs a contract to obtain the machine on a fully-maintained rental and consumables basis with an upgrade after 2 years
Main features of the B2B selling process are
Marketing is one-to-one in nature It is relatively easy for the seller to identify a prospective customers and build a face-to-face relationship Highly professional and trained people in buying processes are involved In many cases two or three decision makers must approve a purchase plan Often the buying or selling process is complex and includes many stages (for example request for proposal request for tender selection process awarding of tender contract negotiations and signing of final contract) Selling activities involve long processes of prospecting qualifying wooing making representations preparing tenders developing strategies and contract negotiations
Blurring between B2B and B2C
Industrial marketing can cross the border into consumer marketing For example an electronic component seller may distribute its products through industrial marketing channels (see channel (marketing)) but also support consumer sales Many products are equally desired by business and consumersmdashsuch as audio products furniture paint hardware etc Nonetheless manufactures and service providers frequently maintain separate industrial and consumer marketing operations to reflect the different needs of the two channels
Competitive tendering
Industrial marketing often involves competitive tendering (see tender tendering) This is a process where a purchasing organization undertakes to procure goods and services from suitable suppliers Due to the high value of some purchases (for example buying a new computer system manufacturing
machinery or outsourcing a maintenance contract) and the complexity of such purchases the purchasing organization will seek to obtain a number of bids from competing suppliers and choose the best offering An entire profession (strategic procurement) that includes tertiary training and qualifications has been built around the process of making important purchases The key requirement in any competitive tender is to ensure that
The business case for the purchase has been completed and approved
The purchasing organizations objectives for the purchase are clearly defined
The procurement process is agreed upon and it conforms with fiscal guidelines and organisational policies The selection criteria have been established
A budget has been estimated and the financial resources are available
A buying team (or committee) has been assembled
A specification has been written
A preliminary scan of the market place has determined that enough potential suppliers are available to make the process viable (this can sometimes be achieved using an expression of interest process)
It has been clearly established that a competitive tendering process is the best method for meeting the objectives of this purchasing project If (for example) it was known that there was only one organisation capable of supplying best to get on with talking to them and negotiating a contract
Because of the significant value of many purchases issues of probity arise Organisations seek to ensure that awarding a contract is based on best fit to the agreed criteria and not bribery corruption or incompetence
Bidding process
Suppliers who are seeking to win a competitive tender go through a bidding process At its most primitive this would consist of evaluating the specification (issued by the purchasing organization) designing a suitable proposal and working out a price This is a primitive approach because
There is an old saying in industrial marketing if the first time you have heard about a tender is when you are invited to submit then you have already lost it
While flippant the previous point illustrates a basic requirement for being successful in competitive tendering it is important to develop a strong relationship with a prospective customer organization well before they have started the formal part of their procurement process
Non-tender purchasing
Not all industrial sales involve competitive tendering Tender processes are time consuming and expensive particularly when executed with the aim of ensuring probity Government agencies are particularly likely to utilise elaborate competitive tendering processes due to the expectation that they should be seen at all times to be responsibly and accountably spending public monies Private companies are able to avoid the complexity of a fully transparent tender process but are still able to run the procurement process with some rigourBeneficial
Developing a sales strategysolution sellingtechnical selling
The art of technical selling (solution selling) follows a three stage process
Stage 1 Sell the appointment Never sell over the telephone The aim of the first contact with a prospective purchaser is to sell the appointment The reason is simple industrial sales are complex any attempt to sell over the phone will trivialise your product or service and run the risk of not fully understanding the customers need
Stage 2 Understand their needs The best method of selling is to minimise the information about your goods or services until you have fully understood your customers requirements
Stage 3 Develop and propose a solution The solution is (of course) developed from your (or the firm that you represents) product or service offerings
Marketing supports solution selling through methods like account-based marketingmdashunderstanding a specific target organizations requirements as the foundation of a marketing program As research shows[1] sales success is heavily weighted towards suppliers who understand the customer In UK research 77 per cent of senior decision-makers believe new suppliers marketing From cannon fodder to preferred tenderer
The term cannon fodder derives from the World Wars and refers to the massing of undertrained and recently recruited troops sent to the fronts to face the enemy Such troops invariably had a poor survival rate but provided the tactical advantage of distracting the enemy while
professional soldiers mounted more effective operations In adopting the term to Industrial Marketing it means those bids being submitted that have no chance of winning but are involved to make up the numbers (you cant have only one bid in a competitive tender process that wouldnt satisfy the requirements of probity) (for example in government tenders or for private enterprise the requirement to truly test the market and to keep them honest) The reader might be wondering why anybody would go to all of the work of submitting a tender when they had no chance of winning for the same reason that troops were sent in to battle to die they thought they had a real chance
The key features of a successful industrial sales organisation
In industrial marketing the personal selling is still very effective because many products must be customized to suit the requirements of the individual customer Indicators such as the sales tunnel give information on the expected sales in the near future the hit rate indicates whether the sales organization is busy with promising sales leads or it is spending too much effort on projects that are eventually lost to the competition or that are abandoned by the prospect
RESEARCH PROBLEM
1 Identify your target market
Which businesses need cleaning services Which ones can afford it and will pay for it Why
In your case I would think that small businesses may not be your ideal client But then again define small business Are you referring to sales volume or number of employees
I can tell you right now as a marketing consultant that has worked with a wide variety of businesses including small companies
Small businesses are very price sensitive and prefer to do more themselves rather than pay someone else (They hold this belief even if it would free up more time to be more productive Go figure)
So before you randomly begin picking a target market have a rational reason why Continue to read below and youll begin to see what I am talking about
2 Determine their wants and needs
It may be obvious to you but ask yourself Why would someone want a clean office
These businesses never have walk-in traffic They do not have customers visit them So naturally there is far less of a concern for a clean office Sure it would be nice to have but since no revenue will be lost if their office is not spectacular looking they are not motivated to do anything about it
However seek out the businesses that do deal with customers directly especially professional services where they have very high end clients visit them Now they NEED a very presentable office or they risk losing out on a lot of revenue
3 Determine the level and type of demand
If you have ever read any of my previous work you will know that I am a very strong advocate of knowing whether the type of demand is Primary Demand or Selective Demand It is one of the most overlooked aspects of marketing being ignored today
Primary Demand If a business does not already use your TYPE of service and is not currently considering doing so you will need to create primary demand Simply put you will have to convince them first to even want your type of service (or product) before you even get them to buy it from you
So for your cleaning business example if you are approaching businesses that currently do not use a cleaning service you will have to explain the time saving and productivity enhancing benefits of using one Then explain why YOU are the one they need
Selective Demand These businesses already use a service (or product) or are in the market for it and are actively looking In these cases you do not need to spend much effort convincing them why they need it
In this case you must state your argument why your cleaning service should be the one they choose
This is what you will encounter when you call on or contact businesses already using a cleaning service They will either be satisfied or unsatisfied with their current service provider Your emphasis will have to be on conquest sales -- meaning stealing customers from your competition
Now in your line of business and in many others slashing prices always seems to be the first technique used to steal customers This may work well for selling products But if you are marketing services let me tell you thisthink twice before doing that
Yes I am fully aware of the fact that there will be businesses that will be open to talking to you if you offer them a better deal In some cases they may feel they are legitimately getting ripped off or paying way
too much right now And they just might be right In those cases if you can give them a fair price that is a better deal for them AND still gives you healthy profit margins then go for it
However if you are slashing prices just to gain clients arent you really just hurting yourself in the long run First of all you can easily get into the game of How low will they go Secondly it de-values your perception of quality if you are cheap Thirdly whos to say after all this effort you wont lose the business in a month or two when someone else quotes them an even lower price
What will you do next price so low that you lose money with every client I didnt think so
Heres what you could do though
4 Develop a Hypothesis and a Solution to Match
After you know your target market have defined their needs and analyzed the competitive picture (currently using or not currently using a service like mine) go ahead and develop a clearly thought out hypothesis
For example start with business NOT currently using a cleaning service but that deal with customers or clients regularly at their location
Develop a strong case for WHY they would be wise to invest in your
cleaning services Show them on a break-even analysis that your fee will be well compensated in either customer retention or converting a higher level of store traffic or business appointments into paying customersclients
Then state your case why it is more cost effective and saves them valuable time to outsource this to you rather than doing it themselves or paying an employee overtime to do it You can also emphasize that you are the expert at this not someones secretary so it is expected that you will do a far better job at it
For businesses that ARE already using a cleaning service or are currently shopping for one state why you are unique and better
Determine the really compelling reasons why these businesses want a cleaning service to begin with
Maybe it is a retail store that wants to create a better first impression for their customers This will ultimately lead to a better customer experience and ultimately more in-store purchases
A good example may be that unlike most competitors you also clean windows Well as a marketing consultant to retail businesses I can tell you that many passerbys will first look in a store window before deciding to walk in or not
Now for successful marketing all retail businesses would perform better if they had more in-store traffic So therefore if your cleaning service also cleans windows you could rightfully justify that your services are more valuable to their retail business You actually HELP
them get more customers and sell more products
Maybe it is a professional service business that needs to impress prospective clients to choose their services over a similar competitor
Your cleaning service may dust chairs and polish wooden conference tables Many other cleaning services may not do this or do a poor job in doing so
Now as marketing consultants to service businesses I can also tell you that if a consultant attorney accountant or any other business professional needs to meet with prospective clients in their office they will appreciate a better appearance So if your cleaning services can provide this better than anyone else (or at least if you tell them about this first) you will get the business or at least be highly considered for it
Whatever the case may be establish what makes you different and have you are best suited to meet their needs
Do you see where I am going with this Your initial marketing questions asked how you can get more business by passing out flyers or sending faxes to small offices Truthfully that is simply not going to work You are not looking at the overall big picture of why anyone would either want to hire a cleaning service or to hire your particular cleaning service
5 You must make AN OFFER
Here are some examples
Marketing messagesales offer to a business that does NOT currently use a cleaning service
If you have never considered using a cleaning service before allow us to show you how XYZ Cleaning Inc can make your storeoffice more presentable to customers and how this newly improved appearance will affect your cash registerbank statement
If you are weary of trying new things dont worry Use us FREE for one month and if you are not completely satisfied with the results if you are not completely confident that it makes a difference to your customers if you are not completely aware of how it raises the morale of your employees then you do not have to using us again
But if YOU DO see a great improvement well make you a great deal on our services simply because we want your long term business Marketing messagesales offer to businesses that DO currently use a cleaning service
I understand that you currently use ABC Cleaners LLC Now you may or may not be completely happy right now but I want to make you a no-risk offer you cant refuse
The truth is that you likely get consumed in your day to day activities in running your business overseeing operations managing employees and handling customers Therefore there may be little imperfections your cleaning service is making that goes unnoticed by you But dont assume for one minute that your customers or potential customers wont notice And remember first impressions DO count
So heres our offer Have us come in the morning after your regular cleaning service cleans your office We will do a thorough inspection with you present and look for anything they may have done a less-than-satisfactory job on Then well show you why you probably over looked it for so long but why your customers will take notice and how they will think differently about you because of it
Now if everything is already 100 completely clean and presentable well thank you for your time and then be on our way But if together we find lots of little things that are carelessly being done we will cleanfix it for you for FREE
Thats right use our services as a compliment to what you are already paying for Compare the quality of work we do to what you are already paying for If you can see the difference in what we do for you compared to what you are already paying for then consider us as your new cleaning service
6 Develop your marketing message
Once you understand the true needs your potential clients have and the unique and competitive solutions you can offer only then should you develop your marketing copy -- your sales pitch
The two examples above incorporate great marketing copy with a strong benefits related offer You can then deliver this through direct mail telemarketing or a combination of both
I would only recommend distributing flyers if you are confident you can place there where they will get read by people who make the decision to hire a cleaning service So if there is an Open Bulletin board in an office building then go for it However they are rare and you probably need permission anyway
Id avoid the fax marketing altogether Its quite annoying ties up there fax line and unless people have already heard of you they are more likely to toss your message in the garbage
Try sending direct mail to the decision makers of these target companies and describe the benefits they will experience from using your services
7 Follow up
Even after identifying the businesses that are most likely to need your services after you have identified a solution and even after you contacted them with a compelling offer you still have to follow up
Chances are they loved the sound of it when they got it They had every intention of following up with you But then just got busy So your follow up call can make all the difference in the world and get your foot in the door in a very big way Then its up to you to DELIVER on your promise
8 ANALYSIS
Market Analysis
The goal of a market analysis is to determine the attractiveness of a market and to understand its evolving opportunities and threats as they relate to the strengths and weaknesses of the firm
David A Aaker outlined the following dimensions of a market analysis
Market size (current and future)
Market growth rate
Market profitability
Industry cost structure
Distribution channels
Market trends
Key success factors
Market Size
The size of the market can be evaluated based on present sales and on potential sales if the use of the product were expanded The following are some information sources for determining market size
government data
trade associations financial data from major players customer surveys
Market Growth Rate
A simple means of forecasting the market growth rate is to extrapolate historical data into the future While this method may provide a first-order estimate it does not predict important turning points A better method is to study growth drivers such as demographic information and sales growth in complementary products Such drivers serve as leading indicators that are more accurate than simply extrapolating historical data
Important inflection points in the market growth rate sometimes can be predicted by constructing a product diffusion curve The shape of the curve can be estimated by studying the characteristics of the adoption rate of a similar product in the past
Ultimately the maturity and decline stages of the product life cycle will be reached Some leading indicators of the decline phase include price pressure caused by competition a decrease in brand loyalty the emergence of substitute products market saturation and the lack of growth drivers
Market Profitability
While different firms in a market will have different levels of profitability the average profit potential for a market can be used as a guideline for knowing how difficult it is to make money in the market Michael Porter devised a useful framework for evaluating the attractiveness of an industry or market This framework known as Porters five forces identifies five factors that influence the market profitability
Buyer power
Supplier power
Barriers to entry
Threat of substitute products
Rivalry among firms in the industry
Industry Cost Structure
The cost structure is important for identifying key factors for success To this end Porters value chain model is useful for determining where value is added and for isolating the costs
The cost structure also is helpful for formulating strategies to develop a competitive advantage For example in some environments the experience curve effect can be used to develop a cost advantage over competitors
Distribution Channels
The following aspects of the distribution system are useful in a market analysis
Existing distribution channels - can be described by how direct they are to the customer
Trends and emerging channels - new channels can offer the opportunity to develop a competitive advantage
Channel power structure - for example in the case of a product having little brand equity retailers have negotiating power over manufacturers and can capture more margin
Market Trends
Changes in the market are important because they often are the source of new opportunities and threats The relevant trends are industry-dependent but some examples include changes in price sensitivity demand for variety and level of emphasis on service and support Regional trends also may be relevant
Key Success Factors
The key success factors are those elements that are necessary in order for the firm to achieve its marketing objectives A few examples of such factors include
Access to essential unique resources
Ability to achieve economies of scale
Access to distribution channels
Technological progress
It is important to consider that key success factors may change over time especially as the product progresses through its life cycle
9 CONCLUSIONS
Organizations engage in marketing research for two reasons
(1) (1) to identify (2) and (2) solve marketing problems
(3)
This distinction serves as a basis for classifying marketing research into problem identification research and problem solving research
Problem identification research is undertaken to help identify problems which are perhaps not apparent on the surface and yet exist or are likely to company image market characteristics sales analysis short-range forecasting long range forecasting and business trends research Research of this type provides information about the marketing environment and helps diagnose a problem For example The findings of problem solving research are used in making decisions which will solve specific marketing problems
The Stanford Research Institute on the other hand conducts an annual survey of consumers that is used to classify persons into homogeneous groups for segmentation purposes The National Purchase Diary panel (NPD) maintains the largest diary panel in the United States
Standardized services are research studies conducted for different client firms but in a standard way For example procedures for measuring
advertising effectiveness have been standardized so that the results can be compared across studies and evaluative norms can be established The Starch Readership Survey is the most widely used service for evaluating print advertisements another well-known service is the Gallup and Robinson Magazine Impact Studies These services are also sold on a syndicated basis
Customized services offer a wide variety of marketing research services customized to suit a clients specific needs Each marketing research project is treated uniquely
Limited-service suppliers specialize in one or a few phases of the marketing research project Services offered by such suppliers are classified as field services coding and data entry data analysis analytical services and branded products Field services collect data through mail personal or telephone interviewing and firms that specialize in interviewing are called field service organizations These organizations may range from small proprietary organizations which operate locally to large multinational organizations with WATS line interviewing facilities Some organizations maintain extensive interviewing facilities across the country for interviewing shoppers in malls
Coding and data entry services include editing completed questionnaires developing a coding scheme and transcribing the data on to diskettes or magnetic tapes for input into the computer NRC Data Systems provides such services
Analytical services include designing and pretesting questionnaires determining the best means of collecting data designing sampling plans and other aspects of the research design Some complex
marketing research projects require knowledge of sophisticated procedures including specialized experimental designs and analytical techniques such as conjoint analysis and multidimensional scaling This kind of expertise can be obtained from firms and consultants specializing in analytical services
Data analysis services are offered by firms also known as tab houses that specialize in computer analysis of quantitative data such as those obtained in large surveys Initially most data analysis firms supplied only tabulations (frequency counts) and cross tabulations (frequency counts that describe two or more variables simultaneously) With the proliferation of software many firms now have the capability to analyze their own data but data analysis firms are still in demand
Branded marketing research products and services are specialized data collection and analysis procedures developed to address specific types of marketing research problems These procedures are patented given brand names and marketed like any other branded product
Types of marketing research
Marketing research techniques come in many forms including
Ad Tracking ndash periodic or continuous in-market research to monitor a brandrsquos performance using measures such as brand awareness brand preference and product usage (Young 2005)
Advertising Research ndash used to predict copy testing or track the efficacy of advertisements for any medium measured by the adrsquos ability to get attention (measured with Attention Tracking) communicate the message build the brandrsquos image and motivate the consumer to purchase the product or service (Young 2005)
Brand equity research - how favorably do consumers view the brand
Brand association research - what do consumers associate with the brand
Brand attribute research - what are the key traits that describe the brand promise
Brand name testing - what do consumers feel about the names of the products
Commercial eye tracking research - examine advertisements package designs websites etc by analyzing visual behavior of the consumer
Concept testing - to test the acceptance of a concept by target consumers
Cool hunting - to make observations and predictions in changes of new or existing cultural trends in areas such as fashion music films television youth culture and lifestyle
Buyer decision processes research - to determine what motivates people to buy and what decision-making process they use
Copy testing ndash predicts in-market performance of an ad before it airs by analyzing audience levels of attention brand linkage motivation entertainment and communication as well as breaking down the adrsquos flow of attention and flow of emotion (Young p 213)
Customer satisfaction research - quantitative or qualitative studies that yields an understanding of a customers of satisfaction with a transaction
Demand estimation - to determine the approximate level of demand for the product
Distribution channel audits - to assess distributorsrsquo and retailersrsquo attitudes toward a product brand or company
Internet strategic intelligence - searching for customer opinions in the Internet chats forums web pages blogs where people express freely about their experiences with products becoming strong opinion formers
Marketing effectiveness and analytics - Building models and measuring results to determine the effectiveness of individual marketing activities
Mystery Consumer or Mystery shopping - An employee or representative of the market research firm anonymously contacts a salesperson and indicates he or she is shopping for a product The shopper then records the entire experience This method is often used for quality control or for researching competitors products
Positioning research - how does the target market see the brand relative to competitors - what does the brand stand for
Price elasticity testing - to determine how sensitive customers are to price changes
Sales forecasting - to determine the expected level of sales given the level of demand With respect to other factors like Advertising expenditure sales promotion etc
Segmentation research - to determine the demographic psychographic and behavioural characteristics of potential buyers
Online panel - a group of individual who accepted to respond to marketing research online
Store audit - to measure the sales of a product or product line at a statistically selected store sample in order to determine market share or to determine whether a retail store provides adequate service
Test marketing - a small-scale product launch used to determine the likely acceptance of the product when it is introduced into a wider market
Viral Marketing Research - refers to marketing research designed to estimate the probability that specific communications will be transmitted throughout an individuals Social Network Estimates of Social Networking Potential (SNP) are combined with estimates of selling effectiveness to estimate ROI on specific combinations of messages and media
All of these forms of marketing research can be classified as either problem-identification research or as problem-solving research
There are two main sources of data - primary and secondary Primary research is conducted from scratch It is original and collected to solve the problem in hand Secondary research already exists since it has been collected for other purposes It is conducted on data published previously and usually by someone else Secondary research costs far less than primary research but seldom comes in a form that exactly meets the needs of the researcher
A similar distinction exists between exploratory research and conclusive research Exploratory research provides insights into and comprehension of an issue or situation It should draw definitive conclusions only with extreme caution Conclusive research draws conclusions the results of the study can be generalized to the whole population
Exploratory research is conducted to explore a problem to get some basic idea about the solution at the preliminary stages of research It may serve as the input to conclusive research Exploratory research information is collected by focus group interviews reviewing literature or books discussing with experts etc This is unstructured and qualitative in nature If a secondary source of data is unable to serve the purpose a convenience sample of small size can be collected Conclusive research is conducted to draw some conclusion about the problem It is essentially structured and quantitative research and the
output of this research is the input to MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS (MIS)
Marketing research methods
Methodologically marketing research uses the following types of research designs
Based on questioning
Qualitative marketing research - generally used for exploratory purposes - small number of respondents - not generalizable to the whole population - statistical significance and confidence not calculated - examples include focus groups in-depth interviews and projective techniques
Quantitative marketing research - generally used to draw conclusions - tests a specific hypothesis - uses random sampling techniques so as to infer from the sample to the population - involves a large number of respondents - examples include surveys and questionnaires Techniques include choice modelling maximum difference preference scaling and covariance analysis
Based on observations
Ethnographic studies - by nature qualitative the researcher observes social phenomena in their natural setting - observations can
occur cross-sectionally (observations made at one time) or longitudinally (observations occur over several time-periods) ndash
examples include product-use analysis and computer cookie traces See also Ethnography and Observational techniques
Experimental techniques - by nature quantitative the researcher creates a quasi-artificial environment to try to control spurious factors
then manipulates at least one of the variables - examples include purchase laboratories and test markets
Questionnaires 1 What are the objectives of the marketing strategy Are they clearly stated Are they consistent with the objectives of the firm Is the entire marketing mix structured to meet these objectives
2 What marketing concepts are at issue in the current strategy Is the marketing strategy well planned and laid out Is the strategy consistent with sound marketing principles If the strategy takes exception to marketing principles is there a good reason for it
3 To what target market is the strategy directed Is it well defined Is the market large enough to be profitably served Does the market have long-run potential
4 What competitive advantage does the marketing strategy offer If none what can be done to gain a competitive advantage in the marketplace
5 What products are being sold What is the width depth and consistency of the firms product lines Does the firm need new products to fill out its product line Should any product be deleted What is the profitability of the various products
6 What promotion mix is being used Is promotion consistent with the products and product images What could be done to improve the promotion mix
7 What channels of distribution are being used Do they deliver the product at the right time and right place to meet consumer needs Are the channels typical of those used in the industry Could channels be made more efficient
8 What pricing strategies are being used How do prices compare with similar products of other firms How are prices determined
9 Are marketing research and information systematically integrated into the marketing strategy Is the overall marketing strategy internally consistent
2 - INDUSTRY PROFILE
I Origin and development of the industry
CONTINENTAL MANUFACTURING COMPANY establised in 1990 with the aim to manufacture Precision and High Quality Plastic and Steel metal component At CMC we have been serving OEMrsquos in Gurgaon Fom very bigning and have made good cutomer on base due to our industrial background sonce 1958 We have specialization in manufacturing of deep draw components in seat metal and injection molded plastic part with critical shape and size A brief count of our achievement and appritiation given by companyrsquos customer is given below
II GROWTH AND PRESENT STATUS OF THE INDUSTRY
There is two axis one shows series 1 in which targets achieved is given in crores Second axis shows the year I which targets achieved
III FUTURE OF THE INDUSTRY
3 ORIGIN OF ORGANIZATION
CONTINENTAL MANUFACTURING COMPANY establised in 1990 with the aim to manufacture Precision and High Quality Plastic and Steel metal component At CMC we have been serving OEMrsquos in Gurgaon Fom very bigning and have made good cutomer on base due to our industrial background sonce 1958 We have specialization in manufacturing of deep draw components in seat metal and injection molded plastic part with critical shape and size We have two uit amp offices they are given below-
4 GROWTH DEVELOPMENT AND PRESENT STATUS OF THE ORGANIZATION
5 PRODUCT AND SERVICE PROFILE OF THE COMPANY
6 PROFILE OF ORGNIZATION
Organizational structure
cEO
7 DISCUSSION ON TRAINING
Marketing strategy is a process that can allow an organization to concentrate its limited resources on the greatest opportunities to increase sales and achieve a sustainable competitive advantage
Developing a marketing strategy
Marketing strategies serve as the fundamental underpinning of marketing plans designed to fill market needs and reach marketing objectives Plans and objectives are generally tested for measurable results Commonly marketing strategies are developed as multi-year plans with a tactical plan detailing specific actions to be accomplished in the current year Time horizons covered by the marketing plan vary by company by industry and by nation however time horizons are becoming shorter as the speed of change in the environment increases Marketing strategies are dynamic and interactive They are partially planned and partially unplanned See strategy dynamics
Marketing strategy involves careful scanning of the internal and external environments which are summarized in a SWOT analysis Internal environmental factors include the marketing mix plus performance analysis and strategic constraints External environmental factors include customer analysis competitor analysis target market analysis as well as evaluation of any elements of the technological economic cultural or politicallegal environment likely toimpact success A key component of marketing strategy is often to
keep marketing in line with a companys overarching mission statement
Types of strategies
Marketing strategies may differ depending on the unique situation of the individual business However there are a number of ways of categorizing some generic strategies A brief description of the most common categorizing schemes is presented below
Strategies based on market dominance - In this scheme firms are classified based on their market share or dominance of an industry Typically there are four types of market dominance strategies
Leader
Challenger
Follower
Nicher
Porter generic strategies - strategy on the dimensions of strategic scope and strategic strength Strategic scope refers to the market penetration while strategic strength refers to the firmrsquos sustainable competitive advantage The generic strategy framework (porter 1984) comprises two alternatives each with two alternative scopes These are Differentiation and low-cost leadership each with a dimension of Focus-broad or narrow
Product differentiation (broad)
Cost leadership (broad)
Market segmentation (narrow)
Innovation strategies - This deals with the firms rate of the new product development and business model innovation It asks whether the company is on the cutting edge of technology and business innovation There are three types
Pioneers
Close followers
Late followers
Growth strategies - In this scheme we ask the question ldquoHow should the firm growrdquo There are a number of different ways of answering that question but the most common gives four answers
Horizontal integration
Vertical integration
Diversification
Intensification
A more detailed scheme uses the categories[10]
Prospector
Analyzer
Defender
Reactor
Marketing warfare strategies - This scheme draws parallels between marketing strategies and military strategies
Many architects make the mistake of thinking that marketing has
only a peripheral relationship to what their firm does In fact marketing works best when it is totally integrated into the operations of your firm when itrsquos a part of everything you do You canrsquot create a plan for how to improve your marketing and increase your business without first considering your long-term goalsmdashnot just in terms of fee revenue or winning work but in terms of who you want to be and where you want to go both as a firm and as a professional There are a number of ways strategic planning
can help your firm
_ Build a shared vision for the firmrsquos future _ Articulate your vision so that it can be communicated to others
_ Get approval and support for the vision from senior leadership and ultimately your entire staff
_ Create a framework for all future decision making _ Figure out (and agree on) how much yoursquore going to spend on
marketing and other initiatives to make it happen
The discussion of strategic planning and marketing planning are divided into the following five areas
Strategic Planning
Getting to the Starting Line
Strategic planning is the process of developing a vision of who you are as a firm and what your longterm goals are Itrsquos about more than just marketing it can influence everything human resources finance information technology operations hiring promotions strategy design process client relationships the design of your office and absolutely anything else that affects your firm and its performance Firms typically engage in strategic planning at defining moments in their practice when the firmrsquos leadership changes or when the practice undergoes some kind of profound transformation The strategic planning process enables the firmrsquos leadership to build a shared vision for the firmrsquos future articulate the vision so that it can be communicated and create a framework for all future decision making When yoursquore ready to
engage in strategic planning itrsquos important to open your mind as much as possible Get ready to think big
Because strategic planning is a process not a document or a report it isnrsquot effective for a small group of leaders to issue a fat document as the strategic plan for the firm It will probably go unread It will certainly not achieve approval and support from the people who need to understand it and act on it Strategic planning is best conducted as an open process one that involves all your firmrsquos key leaders To begin the process set up a strategic planning meeting either as a retreat outside the office or as an extended in-house meeting (You may want to bring in a marketing consultant to help you with this) Figure out who should be there to give input to the vision for your firmrsquos future Keep the group as small as possible but donrsquot leave anyone out Ask everyone to commit half a day for the meeting (two hours just isnrsquot enough) and to come relaxed and prepared to focus on the firmrsquos strategic direction Give everyone an agenda in advance and ask each person to bring historical data based on his or her area of expertise or interest (financial data hiring or retention info winloss reports client feedback etc) Gather any existing documents that attempt to define the firm or its vision such as mission statements a firm description marketing materials articles that have been written about the firm and so on Plan to spend about half the meeting talking about where you are now (your firm your markets your competitors etc) and the other half talking about where yoursquod like to go (your mission your vision the action plan)
MARKETS FOR INDUSTRIAL GOODS
The market is the place where supply meets demand Suppliers and customers meet discuss and evaluate the conditions for exchange of goods and services and exchanges take place The conditions under which these exchanges occur especially that of price are influenced by the characteristics and structure of the market for example the number and market power of suppliers and customers Traditional economic analysis of markets presupposes that they are characterized by certain basic features firstly there is an assumption of free movement in the market and thus a customer will always buy where he obtains the best terms of exchange at that moment similarly the assumption is that suppliers will move to and from the market freely Thus the market is portrayed as atomistic Each unit in the market is free and independent to do as it wishes Also as a result of this free movement the market is characterized by change and stability is an exception Underlying these two assumptions is the further assumption that there is little or no cost of transaction In other words it is assumed that there are no costs in obtaining accurate information or in negotiations etc One effect of this assumption is that production costs
are considered central and that sellers can be simply represented by a production function
The traditional economic theory of the market has of course been subject to challenge and modification However it has influenced the models and principles used in marketing management The basic model that most of the literature in marketing is built on is the marketing mix model The key problems in marketing according to that model are
(a) to allocate resources to different competitive means or mix elements
(b) to design each mean as well as possible within the firms resource limitations
The market is often described in terms of response curves each defined in relation to a certain marketing decision variable or to the whole mix of a company The assumption is of course that the market consists of many individual customers that are affected by the marketers variables in accordance with a certain statistical distribution The same kind of influence can also be identified in the purchasing management
literature The focus here is largely on the management of a single purchase This does not give full consideration to the factors which have contributed to the way this purchase takes place or to the effects of this purchase on the subsequent dealings with the supplying company
Marketing Management
As we mentioned in the first section of this chapter the models and principles for industrial marketing management that are given by the literature are normally related to the marketing mix model The problems identified in these are the allocation of resources and the designing of competitive means However marketers in for example a highly concentrated industry may find different problems The issues associated with the handling of ten very large customers are of totally different character from those of handling 1000 small customers Thus marketers in firms in concentrated markets have a lack of accurate models for analyzing their marketing problems They have also a lack of relevant data expressed in a systematic way about the behaviour of other firms in the same situation
MARKETING ORGANIZATION
Overall Organization
Belters sales operations are split into three areas as follows
(i) Sales Manger mdash UK responsible for 60mdash70 per cent of total sales Four area offices handling all accounts except two major ones which are managed from the Companys main office
(ii) Sales Manager mdash Middle East Africa Eastern Europe accounting for approximately 20 per cent of total sales One manager plus two sales engineers The Company is currently building up an agencymdashdistributor network for this territory
(iii) Sales Manager mdash Western Europe responsible for the remaining 20 per cent of total sales The sales manager is located in Brussels with additional sales offices in Germany France and Italy The Brussels sales office is owned by Belters parent group All major commercial
transactions are carried out by Belters Head Office although the Brussels Company does have some price discretion This European sales company takes 85 per cent of its products for sale in Europe from Belter The remaining 15 per cent of products are sourced from the North-American parent company Apart from the European operation all agents and distributors overseas are handled from the UK
Evolution of Marketing Organization
Belter has often faced problems in the distribution of its products in France for example the Company had a combined agent and distributor operating until 1963 Belter provided applications engineering but had no commercial involvement in sales The company found that it had no influence on pricing in the market and this led to a rather artificial pricing structure and to a decreased market share This problem was not solved by the appointment of a second distributor Mergers amongst French suppliers have led to more competition in the market The second distributor did little to stimulate the first one or to improve the Companys overall penetration
In 1966 Belter separated out a number of products and major customers which were not to be handled via distributors These customers and products were to be controlled by the UK sales operation Also from 1970 the Brussels office ceased to have overall responsibility for sales to France and a Paris office was established The
overall market situation faced in France (and in other European countries) is as follows
There are many actual and potential users for some products which are not known by the Company Heavy competition exists especially on price for large customers who are often buying what they view as a commodity product Belters emerging strategy has been to handle these large customers through its own sales offices The Paris office actively seek sales of large volume products as well as acting as a `post office for products specially developed for individual customers which are then handled from the Companys main office Small customers and small volume products are handled by the two French distributors The development process in Italy has been similar to that in France Sales in Scandinavia do not justify a local sales office sales here are handled through a distributor from the Brussels office A small number of major accounts are however handled directly from the UK
BUYERmdashSELLER RELATIONSHIPS
A Customer Relationship in the United Kingdom
The three aspects of the relationship which are studied are competition technical development and personal contacts
This customer is Belters largest and is responsible for 20 per cent of its total business The Company operates in the aerospace industry at the limit of current technology The relationship involves considerable development liaison on wholly new products
Competition
Competition for this customer comes primarily from American suppliers The competition is on price and reflects the spare capacity in the American industry Competition from UK companies is also on price and comes from companies having a wider production spread than Belter
Development
This customer has always relied on Belter alone for development work in this product area However they have looked to other sources of supply when development has taken place The development process for a new product can be started either by a government development contract or by an order from the customer Belter acknowledged that it
has to stand the costs of this development in the latter case The customer has intimate knowledge of all of Belters procedures Methods of manufacture are agreed in detail and even the particular production machinery to be used is specified The closeness of the relationship between the two companies is indicated by the fact that the customer has approved Belters quality procedure and accepts their testing
Contact Pattern
Interpersonal contacts between Belter and its UK customer are summarized as
follows
(1) Formal Contacts
Every six months Technical policy liaison meeting jointly chaired by Belters Technical Director and the customers Chief Materials Manager Every sixmdashnine months Commercial meeting Belters Managing and Marketing Directors and Sales Manager and the customers Purchasing Director and Senior Purchasing Staff
Monthly UK Sales Manager visits customers purchasing staff to discuss delivery and order positions
(2) Other Contacts
These can be studied according to the formally assigned responsibility Personnel who have full-time responsibility One sales office man has daily contact with the customer Additionally one applications engineer is engaged on work for this customer Finally one man determines market trends and is in contact with the customers marketing personnel and customers clients Personnel with `half-time responsibility Four applications engineers also spend some of their time on the customers problems and are in personal contact with customer staff
PURPOSE OF A MARKETING PLAN
The purpose of a Marketing Plan is to-
1048766Define the Market
1048766Refine the Production Plan to market requirements
1048766Develop a marketing strategy
1048766Minimize risk
Each FFT group should have a Marketing Plan covering each commodity based on their own study of the local market
Defining the Market and Commodities-
1048766Market demand and prices -An assessment based on published market information discussions with local extension staff farmers dealers and buyers of the commodity of the likely demand and prices on offer during the year and during any period of seasonal shortfall
1048766Market Requirement- Varieties size grading packaging maturity demanded by the buyers in the particular market
1048766Yield Price Assumptions- How much commodity will be available How much premium grade Second grade Losses If the commodity crop is aimed to be produced for a particular period eg for a low supply period while the price assumptions (expectation) may be higher some reassessment of yield and cost of production assumptions in the gross margin analysis or partial budgets is usually necessary 1048766Marketing Returns and Costs Calculate expected income and costs in marketing
The Most Important Elements of Marketing There are four important elements in the marketing process
1048766Prioritising the customer Marketing begins with the customer not the product Knowing what the customer needs or wants is essential
1048766Process of selection The farmer needs to know who to sell the product to This will determine how and where the produce is marketed
1048766Promotion The farmer is selling something that other people want to buy Naturally it is helpful to let them know that the product is available and of good quality
The Marketing Training Manual 23 Marketing Module 3 Markets and Marketing
1048766Trust Good marketing occurs when the customers trust the farmer The customer should feel they are not being cheated and they are getting value for their money
In thinking about these elements farmers need to ask themselves about the six Ps
bull P p eople Who are the customers What do they want or need Who is actually going to market the product
bull P p lan How is the product going to reach the selected customers What are the steps
bull product What product is going to be marketed Is the family producing what the customer wants What services (for example a cooked product) if any are requested by the customer
bull place Where is the product going to be marketed
bull price What price will the product be offered on the market for
bull promotion How are people going to be informed that the product is available
Supply Demand and Price
In a free market prices for inputs and products are determined by supply and demand
Supply Is what producers are willing to market at a certain price
Demand Is how much consumers are prepared to buy at the market price
In theory as the price of a product goes up the quantity supplied rises and the quantity demanded falls Likewise when the price goes down the quantity supplied falls and the quantity demanded rises
For agricultural produce demand is affected by a number of factors the most
The Marketing Training Manual 24 Marketing Module 3 Markets and Marketing
Industrial or business to business (B2B) marketing
An organization seeks to build a new warehouse After documenting requirements it obtains three proposals from suitable construction firms After a long process of evaluation and negotiation it places an order with the organization that it believes offers the best value for money
An organization needs legal services and obtains submissions from two law firms Analysis of the proposals and subsequent discussions determines that there is no price advantage to placing all of the work with one firm and the organization decides to split the work between the two firms based on an evaluation of each firms capabilities
A sales representative makes an appointment with an organization that employs 22 people He demonstrates a photocopierfaxprinter to the office administrator After discussing a proposal the business owner signs a contract to obtain the machine on a fully-maintained rental and consumables basis with an upgrade after 2 years
Main features of the B2B selling process are
Marketing is one-to-one in nature It is relatively easy for the seller to identify a prospective customers and build a face-to-face relationship Highly professional and trained people in buying processes are involved In many cases two or three decision makers must approve a purchase plan Often the buying or selling process is complex and includes many stages (for example request for proposal request for tender selection process awarding of tender contract negotiations and signing of final contract) Selling activities involve long processes of prospecting qualifying wooing making representations preparing tenders developing strategies and contract negotiations
Blurring between B2B and B2C
Industrial marketing can cross the border into consumer marketing For example an electronic component seller may distribute its products through industrial marketing channels (see channel (marketing)) but also support consumer sales Many products are equally desired by business and consumersmdashsuch as audio products furniture paint hardware etc Nonetheless manufactures and service providers frequently maintain separate industrial and consumer marketing operations to reflect the different needs of the two channels
Competitive tendering
Industrial marketing often involves competitive tendering (see tender tendering) This is a process where a purchasing organization undertakes to procure goods and services from suitable suppliers Due to the high value of some purchases (for example buying a new computer system manufacturing
machinery or outsourcing a maintenance contract) and the complexity of such purchases the purchasing organization will seek to obtain a number of bids from competing suppliers and choose the best offering An entire profession (strategic procurement) that includes tertiary training and qualifications has been built around the process of making important purchases The key requirement in any competitive tender is to ensure that
The business case for the purchase has been completed and approved
The purchasing organizations objectives for the purchase are clearly defined
The procurement process is agreed upon and it conforms with fiscal guidelines and organisational policies The selection criteria have been established
A budget has been estimated and the financial resources are available
A buying team (or committee) has been assembled
A specification has been written
A preliminary scan of the market place has determined that enough potential suppliers are available to make the process viable (this can sometimes be achieved using an expression of interest process)
It has been clearly established that a competitive tendering process is the best method for meeting the objectives of this purchasing project If (for example) it was known that there was only one organisation capable of supplying best to get on with talking to them and negotiating a contract
Because of the significant value of many purchases issues of probity arise Organisations seek to ensure that awarding a contract is based on best fit to the agreed criteria and not bribery corruption or incompetence
Bidding process
Suppliers who are seeking to win a competitive tender go through a bidding process At its most primitive this would consist of evaluating the specification (issued by the purchasing organization) designing a suitable proposal and working out a price This is a primitive approach because
There is an old saying in industrial marketing if the first time you have heard about a tender is when you are invited to submit then you have already lost it
While flippant the previous point illustrates a basic requirement for being successful in competitive tendering it is important to develop a strong relationship with a prospective customer organization well before they have started the formal part of their procurement process
Non-tender purchasing
Not all industrial sales involve competitive tendering Tender processes are time consuming and expensive particularly when executed with the aim of ensuring probity Government agencies are particularly likely to utilise elaborate competitive tendering processes due to the expectation that they should be seen at all times to be responsibly and accountably spending public monies Private companies are able to avoid the complexity of a fully transparent tender process but are still able to run the procurement process with some rigourBeneficial
Developing a sales strategysolution sellingtechnical selling
The art of technical selling (solution selling) follows a three stage process
Stage 1 Sell the appointment Never sell over the telephone The aim of the first contact with a prospective purchaser is to sell the appointment The reason is simple industrial sales are complex any attempt to sell over the phone will trivialise your product or service and run the risk of not fully understanding the customers need
Stage 2 Understand their needs The best method of selling is to minimise the information about your goods or services until you have fully understood your customers requirements
Stage 3 Develop and propose a solution The solution is (of course) developed from your (or the firm that you represents) product or service offerings
Marketing supports solution selling through methods like account-based marketingmdashunderstanding a specific target organizations requirements as the foundation of a marketing program As research shows[1] sales success is heavily weighted towards suppliers who understand the customer In UK research 77 per cent of senior decision-makers believe new suppliers marketing From cannon fodder to preferred tenderer
The term cannon fodder derives from the World Wars and refers to the massing of undertrained and recently recruited troops sent to the fronts to face the enemy Such troops invariably had a poor survival rate but provided the tactical advantage of distracting the enemy while
professional soldiers mounted more effective operations In adopting the term to Industrial Marketing it means those bids being submitted that have no chance of winning but are involved to make up the numbers (you cant have only one bid in a competitive tender process that wouldnt satisfy the requirements of probity) (for example in government tenders or for private enterprise the requirement to truly test the market and to keep them honest) The reader might be wondering why anybody would go to all of the work of submitting a tender when they had no chance of winning for the same reason that troops were sent in to battle to die they thought they had a real chance
The key features of a successful industrial sales organisation
In industrial marketing the personal selling is still very effective because many products must be customized to suit the requirements of the individual customer Indicators such as the sales tunnel give information on the expected sales in the near future the hit rate indicates whether the sales organization is busy with promising sales leads or it is spending too much effort on projects that are eventually lost to the competition or that are abandoned by the prospect
RESEARCH PROBLEM
1 Identify your target market
Which businesses need cleaning services Which ones can afford it and will pay for it Why
In your case I would think that small businesses may not be your ideal client But then again define small business Are you referring to sales volume or number of employees
I can tell you right now as a marketing consultant that has worked with a wide variety of businesses including small companies
Small businesses are very price sensitive and prefer to do more themselves rather than pay someone else (They hold this belief even if it would free up more time to be more productive Go figure)
So before you randomly begin picking a target market have a rational reason why Continue to read below and youll begin to see what I am talking about
2 Determine their wants and needs
It may be obvious to you but ask yourself Why would someone want a clean office
These businesses never have walk-in traffic They do not have customers visit them So naturally there is far less of a concern for a clean office Sure it would be nice to have but since no revenue will be lost if their office is not spectacular looking they are not motivated to do anything about it
However seek out the businesses that do deal with customers directly especially professional services where they have very high end clients visit them Now they NEED a very presentable office or they risk losing out on a lot of revenue
3 Determine the level and type of demand
If you have ever read any of my previous work you will know that I am a very strong advocate of knowing whether the type of demand is Primary Demand or Selective Demand It is one of the most overlooked aspects of marketing being ignored today
Primary Demand If a business does not already use your TYPE of service and is not currently considering doing so you will need to create primary demand Simply put you will have to convince them first to even want your type of service (or product) before you even get them to buy it from you
So for your cleaning business example if you are approaching businesses that currently do not use a cleaning service you will have to explain the time saving and productivity enhancing benefits of using one Then explain why YOU are the one they need
Selective Demand These businesses already use a service (or product) or are in the market for it and are actively looking In these cases you do not need to spend much effort convincing them why they need it
In this case you must state your argument why your cleaning service should be the one they choose
This is what you will encounter when you call on or contact businesses already using a cleaning service They will either be satisfied or unsatisfied with their current service provider Your emphasis will have to be on conquest sales -- meaning stealing customers from your competition
Now in your line of business and in many others slashing prices always seems to be the first technique used to steal customers This may work well for selling products But if you are marketing services let me tell you thisthink twice before doing that
Yes I am fully aware of the fact that there will be businesses that will be open to talking to you if you offer them a better deal In some cases they may feel they are legitimately getting ripped off or paying way
too much right now And they just might be right In those cases if you can give them a fair price that is a better deal for them AND still gives you healthy profit margins then go for it
However if you are slashing prices just to gain clients arent you really just hurting yourself in the long run First of all you can easily get into the game of How low will they go Secondly it de-values your perception of quality if you are cheap Thirdly whos to say after all this effort you wont lose the business in a month or two when someone else quotes them an even lower price
What will you do next price so low that you lose money with every client I didnt think so
Heres what you could do though
4 Develop a Hypothesis and a Solution to Match
After you know your target market have defined their needs and analyzed the competitive picture (currently using or not currently using a service like mine) go ahead and develop a clearly thought out hypothesis
For example start with business NOT currently using a cleaning service but that deal with customers or clients regularly at their location
Develop a strong case for WHY they would be wise to invest in your
cleaning services Show them on a break-even analysis that your fee will be well compensated in either customer retention or converting a higher level of store traffic or business appointments into paying customersclients
Then state your case why it is more cost effective and saves them valuable time to outsource this to you rather than doing it themselves or paying an employee overtime to do it You can also emphasize that you are the expert at this not someones secretary so it is expected that you will do a far better job at it
For businesses that ARE already using a cleaning service or are currently shopping for one state why you are unique and better
Determine the really compelling reasons why these businesses want a cleaning service to begin with
Maybe it is a retail store that wants to create a better first impression for their customers This will ultimately lead to a better customer experience and ultimately more in-store purchases
A good example may be that unlike most competitors you also clean windows Well as a marketing consultant to retail businesses I can tell you that many passerbys will first look in a store window before deciding to walk in or not
Now for successful marketing all retail businesses would perform better if they had more in-store traffic So therefore if your cleaning service also cleans windows you could rightfully justify that your services are more valuable to their retail business You actually HELP
them get more customers and sell more products
Maybe it is a professional service business that needs to impress prospective clients to choose their services over a similar competitor
Your cleaning service may dust chairs and polish wooden conference tables Many other cleaning services may not do this or do a poor job in doing so
Now as marketing consultants to service businesses I can also tell you that if a consultant attorney accountant or any other business professional needs to meet with prospective clients in their office they will appreciate a better appearance So if your cleaning services can provide this better than anyone else (or at least if you tell them about this first) you will get the business or at least be highly considered for it
Whatever the case may be establish what makes you different and have you are best suited to meet their needs
Do you see where I am going with this Your initial marketing questions asked how you can get more business by passing out flyers or sending faxes to small offices Truthfully that is simply not going to work You are not looking at the overall big picture of why anyone would either want to hire a cleaning service or to hire your particular cleaning service
5 You must make AN OFFER
Here are some examples
Marketing messagesales offer to a business that does NOT currently use a cleaning service
If you have never considered using a cleaning service before allow us to show you how XYZ Cleaning Inc can make your storeoffice more presentable to customers and how this newly improved appearance will affect your cash registerbank statement
If you are weary of trying new things dont worry Use us FREE for one month and if you are not completely satisfied with the results if you are not completely confident that it makes a difference to your customers if you are not completely aware of how it raises the morale of your employees then you do not have to using us again
But if YOU DO see a great improvement well make you a great deal on our services simply because we want your long term business Marketing messagesales offer to businesses that DO currently use a cleaning service
I understand that you currently use ABC Cleaners LLC Now you may or may not be completely happy right now but I want to make you a no-risk offer you cant refuse
The truth is that you likely get consumed in your day to day activities in running your business overseeing operations managing employees and handling customers Therefore there may be little imperfections your cleaning service is making that goes unnoticed by you But dont assume for one minute that your customers or potential customers wont notice And remember first impressions DO count
So heres our offer Have us come in the morning after your regular cleaning service cleans your office We will do a thorough inspection with you present and look for anything they may have done a less-than-satisfactory job on Then well show you why you probably over looked it for so long but why your customers will take notice and how they will think differently about you because of it
Now if everything is already 100 completely clean and presentable well thank you for your time and then be on our way But if together we find lots of little things that are carelessly being done we will cleanfix it for you for FREE
Thats right use our services as a compliment to what you are already paying for Compare the quality of work we do to what you are already paying for If you can see the difference in what we do for you compared to what you are already paying for then consider us as your new cleaning service
6 Develop your marketing message
Once you understand the true needs your potential clients have and the unique and competitive solutions you can offer only then should you develop your marketing copy -- your sales pitch
The two examples above incorporate great marketing copy with a strong benefits related offer You can then deliver this through direct mail telemarketing or a combination of both
I would only recommend distributing flyers if you are confident you can place there where they will get read by people who make the decision to hire a cleaning service So if there is an Open Bulletin board in an office building then go for it However they are rare and you probably need permission anyway
Id avoid the fax marketing altogether Its quite annoying ties up there fax line and unless people have already heard of you they are more likely to toss your message in the garbage
Try sending direct mail to the decision makers of these target companies and describe the benefits they will experience from using your services
7 Follow up
Even after identifying the businesses that are most likely to need your services after you have identified a solution and even after you contacted them with a compelling offer you still have to follow up
Chances are they loved the sound of it when they got it They had every intention of following up with you But then just got busy So your follow up call can make all the difference in the world and get your foot in the door in a very big way Then its up to you to DELIVER on your promise
8 ANALYSIS
Market Analysis
The goal of a market analysis is to determine the attractiveness of a market and to understand its evolving opportunities and threats as they relate to the strengths and weaknesses of the firm
David A Aaker outlined the following dimensions of a market analysis
Market size (current and future)
Market growth rate
Market profitability
Industry cost structure
Distribution channels
Market trends
Key success factors
Market Size
The size of the market can be evaluated based on present sales and on potential sales if the use of the product were expanded The following are some information sources for determining market size
government data
trade associations financial data from major players customer surveys
Market Growth Rate
A simple means of forecasting the market growth rate is to extrapolate historical data into the future While this method may provide a first-order estimate it does not predict important turning points A better method is to study growth drivers such as demographic information and sales growth in complementary products Such drivers serve as leading indicators that are more accurate than simply extrapolating historical data
Important inflection points in the market growth rate sometimes can be predicted by constructing a product diffusion curve The shape of the curve can be estimated by studying the characteristics of the adoption rate of a similar product in the past
Ultimately the maturity and decline stages of the product life cycle will be reached Some leading indicators of the decline phase include price pressure caused by competition a decrease in brand loyalty the emergence of substitute products market saturation and the lack of growth drivers
Market Profitability
While different firms in a market will have different levels of profitability the average profit potential for a market can be used as a guideline for knowing how difficult it is to make money in the market Michael Porter devised a useful framework for evaluating the attractiveness of an industry or market This framework known as Porters five forces identifies five factors that influence the market profitability
Buyer power
Supplier power
Barriers to entry
Threat of substitute products
Rivalry among firms in the industry
Industry Cost Structure
The cost structure is important for identifying key factors for success To this end Porters value chain model is useful for determining where value is added and for isolating the costs
The cost structure also is helpful for formulating strategies to develop a competitive advantage For example in some environments the experience curve effect can be used to develop a cost advantage over competitors
Distribution Channels
The following aspects of the distribution system are useful in a market analysis
Existing distribution channels - can be described by how direct they are to the customer
Trends and emerging channels - new channels can offer the opportunity to develop a competitive advantage
Channel power structure - for example in the case of a product having little brand equity retailers have negotiating power over manufacturers and can capture more margin
Market Trends
Changes in the market are important because they often are the source of new opportunities and threats The relevant trends are industry-dependent but some examples include changes in price sensitivity demand for variety and level of emphasis on service and support Regional trends also may be relevant
Key Success Factors
The key success factors are those elements that are necessary in order for the firm to achieve its marketing objectives A few examples of such factors include
Access to essential unique resources
Ability to achieve economies of scale
Access to distribution channels
Technological progress
It is important to consider that key success factors may change over time especially as the product progresses through its life cycle
9 CONCLUSIONS
Organizations engage in marketing research for two reasons
(1) (1) to identify (2) and (2) solve marketing problems
(3)
This distinction serves as a basis for classifying marketing research into problem identification research and problem solving research
Problem identification research is undertaken to help identify problems which are perhaps not apparent on the surface and yet exist or are likely to company image market characteristics sales analysis short-range forecasting long range forecasting and business trends research Research of this type provides information about the marketing environment and helps diagnose a problem For example The findings of problem solving research are used in making decisions which will solve specific marketing problems
The Stanford Research Institute on the other hand conducts an annual survey of consumers that is used to classify persons into homogeneous groups for segmentation purposes The National Purchase Diary panel (NPD) maintains the largest diary panel in the United States
Standardized services are research studies conducted for different client firms but in a standard way For example procedures for measuring
advertising effectiveness have been standardized so that the results can be compared across studies and evaluative norms can be established The Starch Readership Survey is the most widely used service for evaluating print advertisements another well-known service is the Gallup and Robinson Magazine Impact Studies These services are also sold on a syndicated basis
Customized services offer a wide variety of marketing research services customized to suit a clients specific needs Each marketing research project is treated uniquely
Limited-service suppliers specialize in one or a few phases of the marketing research project Services offered by such suppliers are classified as field services coding and data entry data analysis analytical services and branded products Field services collect data through mail personal or telephone interviewing and firms that specialize in interviewing are called field service organizations These organizations may range from small proprietary organizations which operate locally to large multinational organizations with WATS line interviewing facilities Some organizations maintain extensive interviewing facilities across the country for interviewing shoppers in malls
Coding and data entry services include editing completed questionnaires developing a coding scheme and transcribing the data on to diskettes or magnetic tapes for input into the computer NRC Data Systems provides such services
Analytical services include designing and pretesting questionnaires determining the best means of collecting data designing sampling plans and other aspects of the research design Some complex
marketing research projects require knowledge of sophisticated procedures including specialized experimental designs and analytical techniques such as conjoint analysis and multidimensional scaling This kind of expertise can be obtained from firms and consultants specializing in analytical services
Data analysis services are offered by firms also known as tab houses that specialize in computer analysis of quantitative data such as those obtained in large surveys Initially most data analysis firms supplied only tabulations (frequency counts) and cross tabulations (frequency counts that describe two or more variables simultaneously) With the proliferation of software many firms now have the capability to analyze their own data but data analysis firms are still in demand
Branded marketing research products and services are specialized data collection and analysis procedures developed to address specific types of marketing research problems These procedures are patented given brand names and marketed like any other branded product
Types of marketing research
Marketing research techniques come in many forms including
Ad Tracking ndash periodic or continuous in-market research to monitor a brandrsquos performance using measures such as brand awareness brand preference and product usage (Young 2005)
Advertising Research ndash used to predict copy testing or track the efficacy of advertisements for any medium measured by the adrsquos ability to get attention (measured with Attention Tracking) communicate the message build the brandrsquos image and motivate the consumer to purchase the product or service (Young 2005)
Brand equity research - how favorably do consumers view the brand
Brand association research - what do consumers associate with the brand
Brand attribute research - what are the key traits that describe the brand promise
Brand name testing - what do consumers feel about the names of the products
Commercial eye tracking research - examine advertisements package designs websites etc by analyzing visual behavior of the consumer
Concept testing - to test the acceptance of a concept by target consumers
Cool hunting - to make observations and predictions in changes of new or existing cultural trends in areas such as fashion music films television youth culture and lifestyle
Buyer decision processes research - to determine what motivates people to buy and what decision-making process they use
Copy testing ndash predicts in-market performance of an ad before it airs by analyzing audience levels of attention brand linkage motivation entertainment and communication as well as breaking down the adrsquos flow of attention and flow of emotion (Young p 213)
Customer satisfaction research - quantitative or qualitative studies that yields an understanding of a customers of satisfaction with a transaction
Demand estimation - to determine the approximate level of demand for the product
Distribution channel audits - to assess distributorsrsquo and retailersrsquo attitudes toward a product brand or company
Internet strategic intelligence - searching for customer opinions in the Internet chats forums web pages blogs where people express freely about their experiences with products becoming strong opinion formers
Marketing effectiveness and analytics - Building models and measuring results to determine the effectiveness of individual marketing activities
Mystery Consumer or Mystery shopping - An employee or representative of the market research firm anonymously contacts a salesperson and indicates he or she is shopping for a product The shopper then records the entire experience This method is often used for quality control or for researching competitors products
Positioning research - how does the target market see the brand relative to competitors - what does the brand stand for
Price elasticity testing - to determine how sensitive customers are to price changes
Sales forecasting - to determine the expected level of sales given the level of demand With respect to other factors like Advertising expenditure sales promotion etc
Segmentation research - to determine the demographic psychographic and behavioural characteristics of potential buyers
Online panel - a group of individual who accepted to respond to marketing research online
Store audit - to measure the sales of a product or product line at a statistically selected store sample in order to determine market share or to determine whether a retail store provides adequate service
Test marketing - a small-scale product launch used to determine the likely acceptance of the product when it is introduced into a wider market
Viral Marketing Research - refers to marketing research designed to estimate the probability that specific communications will be transmitted throughout an individuals Social Network Estimates of Social Networking Potential (SNP) are combined with estimates of selling effectiveness to estimate ROI on specific combinations of messages and media
All of these forms of marketing research can be classified as either problem-identification research or as problem-solving research
There are two main sources of data - primary and secondary Primary research is conducted from scratch It is original and collected to solve the problem in hand Secondary research already exists since it has been collected for other purposes It is conducted on data published previously and usually by someone else Secondary research costs far less than primary research but seldom comes in a form that exactly meets the needs of the researcher
A similar distinction exists between exploratory research and conclusive research Exploratory research provides insights into and comprehension of an issue or situation It should draw definitive conclusions only with extreme caution Conclusive research draws conclusions the results of the study can be generalized to the whole population
Exploratory research is conducted to explore a problem to get some basic idea about the solution at the preliminary stages of research It may serve as the input to conclusive research Exploratory research information is collected by focus group interviews reviewing literature or books discussing with experts etc This is unstructured and qualitative in nature If a secondary source of data is unable to serve the purpose a convenience sample of small size can be collected Conclusive research is conducted to draw some conclusion about the problem It is essentially structured and quantitative research and the
output of this research is the input to MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS (MIS)
Marketing research methods
Methodologically marketing research uses the following types of research designs
Based on questioning
Qualitative marketing research - generally used for exploratory purposes - small number of respondents - not generalizable to the whole population - statistical significance and confidence not calculated - examples include focus groups in-depth interviews and projective techniques
Quantitative marketing research - generally used to draw conclusions - tests a specific hypothesis - uses random sampling techniques so as to infer from the sample to the population - involves a large number of respondents - examples include surveys and questionnaires Techniques include choice modelling maximum difference preference scaling and covariance analysis
Based on observations
Ethnographic studies - by nature qualitative the researcher observes social phenomena in their natural setting - observations can
occur cross-sectionally (observations made at one time) or longitudinally (observations occur over several time-periods) ndash
examples include product-use analysis and computer cookie traces See also Ethnography and Observational techniques
Experimental techniques - by nature quantitative the researcher creates a quasi-artificial environment to try to control spurious factors
then manipulates at least one of the variables - examples include purchase laboratories and test markets
Questionnaires 1 What are the objectives of the marketing strategy Are they clearly stated Are they consistent with the objectives of the firm Is the entire marketing mix structured to meet these objectives
2 What marketing concepts are at issue in the current strategy Is the marketing strategy well planned and laid out Is the strategy consistent with sound marketing principles If the strategy takes exception to marketing principles is there a good reason for it
3 To what target market is the strategy directed Is it well defined Is the market large enough to be profitably served Does the market have long-run potential
4 What competitive advantage does the marketing strategy offer If none what can be done to gain a competitive advantage in the marketplace
5 What products are being sold What is the width depth and consistency of the firms product lines Does the firm need new products to fill out its product line Should any product be deleted What is the profitability of the various products
6 What promotion mix is being used Is promotion consistent with the products and product images What could be done to improve the promotion mix
7 What channels of distribution are being used Do they deliver the product at the right time and right place to meet consumer needs Are the channels typical of those used in the industry Could channels be made more efficient
8 What pricing strategies are being used How do prices compare with similar products of other firms How are prices determined
9 Are marketing research and information systematically integrated into the marketing strategy Is the overall marketing strategy internally consistent
II GROWTH AND PRESENT STATUS OF THE INDUSTRY
There is two axis one shows series 1 in which targets achieved is given in crores Second axis shows the year I which targets achieved
III FUTURE OF THE INDUSTRY
3 ORIGIN OF ORGANIZATION
CONTINENTAL MANUFACTURING COMPANY establised in 1990 with the aim to manufacture Precision and High Quality Plastic and Steel metal component At CMC we have been serving OEMrsquos in Gurgaon Fom very bigning and have made good cutomer on base due to our industrial background sonce 1958 We have specialization in manufacturing of deep draw components in seat metal and injection molded plastic part with critical shape and size We have two uit amp offices they are given below-
4 GROWTH DEVELOPMENT AND PRESENT STATUS OF THE ORGANIZATION
5 PRODUCT AND SERVICE PROFILE OF THE COMPANY
6 PROFILE OF ORGNIZATION
Organizational structure
cEO
7 DISCUSSION ON TRAINING
Marketing strategy is a process that can allow an organization to concentrate its limited resources on the greatest opportunities to increase sales and achieve a sustainable competitive advantage
Developing a marketing strategy
Marketing strategies serve as the fundamental underpinning of marketing plans designed to fill market needs and reach marketing objectives Plans and objectives are generally tested for measurable results Commonly marketing strategies are developed as multi-year plans with a tactical plan detailing specific actions to be accomplished in the current year Time horizons covered by the marketing plan vary by company by industry and by nation however time horizons are becoming shorter as the speed of change in the environment increases Marketing strategies are dynamic and interactive They are partially planned and partially unplanned See strategy dynamics
Marketing strategy involves careful scanning of the internal and external environments which are summarized in a SWOT analysis Internal environmental factors include the marketing mix plus performance analysis and strategic constraints External environmental factors include customer analysis competitor analysis target market analysis as well as evaluation of any elements of the technological economic cultural or politicallegal environment likely toimpact success A key component of marketing strategy is often to
keep marketing in line with a companys overarching mission statement
Types of strategies
Marketing strategies may differ depending on the unique situation of the individual business However there are a number of ways of categorizing some generic strategies A brief description of the most common categorizing schemes is presented below
Strategies based on market dominance - In this scheme firms are classified based on their market share or dominance of an industry Typically there are four types of market dominance strategies
Leader
Challenger
Follower
Nicher
Porter generic strategies - strategy on the dimensions of strategic scope and strategic strength Strategic scope refers to the market penetration while strategic strength refers to the firmrsquos sustainable competitive advantage The generic strategy framework (porter 1984) comprises two alternatives each with two alternative scopes These are Differentiation and low-cost leadership each with a dimension of Focus-broad or narrow
Product differentiation (broad)
Cost leadership (broad)
Market segmentation (narrow)
Innovation strategies - This deals with the firms rate of the new product development and business model innovation It asks whether the company is on the cutting edge of technology and business innovation There are three types
Pioneers
Close followers
Late followers
Growth strategies - In this scheme we ask the question ldquoHow should the firm growrdquo There are a number of different ways of answering that question but the most common gives four answers
Horizontal integration
Vertical integration
Diversification
Intensification
A more detailed scheme uses the categories[10]
Prospector
Analyzer
Defender
Reactor
Marketing warfare strategies - This scheme draws parallels between marketing strategies and military strategies
Many architects make the mistake of thinking that marketing has
only a peripheral relationship to what their firm does In fact marketing works best when it is totally integrated into the operations of your firm when itrsquos a part of everything you do You canrsquot create a plan for how to improve your marketing and increase your business without first considering your long-term goalsmdashnot just in terms of fee revenue or winning work but in terms of who you want to be and where you want to go both as a firm and as a professional There are a number of ways strategic planning
can help your firm
_ Build a shared vision for the firmrsquos future _ Articulate your vision so that it can be communicated to others
_ Get approval and support for the vision from senior leadership and ultimately your entire staff
_ Create a framework for all future decision making _ Figure out (and agree on) how much yoursquore going to spend on
marketing and other initiatives to make it happen
The discussion of strategic planning and marketing planning are divided into the following five areas
Strategic Planning
Getting to the Starting Line
Strategic planning is the process of developing a vision of who you are as a firm and what your longterm goals are Itrsquos about more than just marketing it can influence everything human resources finance information technology operations hiring promotions strategy design process client relationships the design of your office and absolutely anything else that affects your firm and its performance Firms typically engage in strategic planning at defining moments in their practice when the firmrsquos leadership changes or when the practice undergoes some kind of profound transformation The strategic planning process enables the firmrsquos leadership to build a shared vision for the firmrsquos future articulate the vision so that it can be communicated and create a framework for all future decision making When yoursquore ready to
engage in strategic planning itrsquos important to open your mind as much as possible Get ready to think big
Because strategic planning is a process not a document or a report it isnrsquot effective for a small group of leaders to issue a fat document as the strategic plan for the firm It will probably go unread It will certainly not achieve approval and support from the people who need to understand it and act on it Strategic planning is best conducted as an open process one that involves all your firmrsquos key leaders To begin the process set up a strategic planning meeting either as a retreat outside the office or as an extended in-house meeting (You may want to bring in a marketing consultant to help you with this) Figure out who should be there to give input to the vision for your firmrsquos future Keep the group as small as possible but donrsquot leave anyone out Ask everyone to commit half a day for the meeting (two hours just isnrsquot enough) and to come relaxed and prepared to focus on the firmrsquos strategic direction Give everyone an agenda in advance and ask each person to bring historical data based on his or her area of expertise or interest (financial data hiring or retention info winloss reports client feedback etc) Gather any existing documents that attempt to define the firm or its vision such as mission statements a firm description marketing materials articles that have been written about the firm and so on Plan to spend about half the meeting talking about where you are now (your firm your markets your competitors etc) and the other half talking about where yoursquod like to go (your mission your vision the action plan)
MARKETS FOR INDUSTRIAL GOODS
The market is the place where supply meets demand Suppliers and customers meet discuss and evaluate the conditions for exchange of goods and services and exchanges take place The conditions under which these exchanges occur especially that of price are influenced by the characteristics and structure of the market for example the number and market power of suppliers and customers Traditional economic analysis of markets presupposes that they are characterized by certain basic features firstly there is an assumption of free movement in the market and thus a customer will always buy where he obtains the best terms of exchange at that moment similarly the assumption is that suppliers will move to and from the market freely Thus the market is portrayed as atomistic Each unit in the market is free and independent to do as it wishes Also as a result of this free movement the market is characterized by change and stability is an exception Underlying these two assumptions is the further assumption that there is little or no cost of transaction In other words it is assumed that there are no costs in obtaining accurate information or in negotiations etc One effect of this assumption is that production costs
are considered central and that sellers can be simply represented by a production function
The traditional economic theory of the market has of course been subject to challenge and modification However it has influenced the models and principles used in marketing management The basic model that most of the literature in marketing is built on is the marketing mix model The key problems in marketing according to that model are
(a) to allocate resources to different competitive means or mix elements
(b) to design each mean as well as possible within the firms resource limitations
The market is often described in terms of response curves each defined in relation to a certain marketing decision variable or to the whole mix of a company The assumption is of course that the market consists of many individual customers that are affected by the marketers variables in accordance with a certain statistical distribution The same kind of influence can also be identified in the purchasing management
literature The focus here is largely on the management of a single purchase This does not give full consideration to the factors which have contributed to the way this purchase takes place or to the effects of this purchase on the subsequent dealings with the supplying company
Marketing Management
As we mentioned in the first section of this chapter the models and principles for industrial marketing management that are given by the literature are normally related to the marketing mix model The problems identified in these are the allocation of resources and the designing of competitive means However marketers in for example a highly concentrated industry may find different problems The issues associated with the handling of ten very large customers are of totally different character from those of handling 1000 small customers Thus marketers in firms in concentrated markets have a lack of accurate models for analyzing their marketing problems They have also a lack of relevant data expressed in a systematic way about the behaviour of other firms in the same situation
MARKETING ORGANIZATION
Overall Organization
Belters sales operations are split into three areas as follows
(i) Sales Manger mdash UK responsible for 60mdash70 per cent of total sales Four area offices handling all accounts except two major ones which are managed from the Companys main office
(ii) Sales Manager mdash Middle East Africa Eastern Europe accounting for approximately 20 per cent of total sales One manager plus two sales engineers The Company is currently building up an agencymdashdistributor network for this territory
(iii) Sales Manager mdash Western Europe responsible for the remaining 20 per cent of total sales The sales manager is located in Brussels with additional sales offices in Germany France and Italy The Brussels sales office is owned by Belters parent group All major commercial
transactions are carried out by Belters Head Office although the Brussels Company does have some price discretion This European sales company takes 85 per cent of its products for sale in Europe from Belter The remaining 15 per cent of products are sourced from the North-American parent company Apart from the European operation all agents and distributors overseas are handled from the UK
Evolution of Marketing Organization
Belter has often faced problems in the distribution of its products in France for example the Company had a combined agent and distributor operating until 1963 Belter provided applications engineering but had no commercial involvement in sales The company found that it had no influence on pricing in the market and this led to a rather artificial pricing structure and to a decreased market share This problem was not solved by the appointment of a second distributor Mergers amongst French suppliers have led to more competition in the market The second distributor did little to stimulate the first one or to improve the Companys overall penetration
In 1966 Belter separated out a number of products and major customers which were not to be handled via distributors These customers and products were to be controlled by the UK sales operation Also from 1970 the Brussels office ceased to have overall responsibility for sales to France and a Paris office was established The
overall market situation faced in France (and in other European countries) is as follows
There are many actual and potential users for some products which are not known by the Company Heavy competition exists especially on price for large customers who are often buying what they view as a commodity product Belters emerging strategy has been to handle these large customers through its own sales offices The Paris office actively seek sales of large volume products as well as acting as a `post office for products specially developed for individual customers which are then handled from the Companys main office Small customers and small volume products are handled by the two French distributors The development process in Italy has been similar to that in France Sales in Scandinavia do not justify a local sales office sales here are handled through a distributor from the Brussels office A small number of major accounts are however handled directly from the UK
BUYERmdashSELLER RELATIONSHIPS
A Customer Relationship in the United Kingdom
The three aspects of the relationship which are studied are competition technical development and personal contacts
This customer is Belters largest and is responsible for 20 per cent of its total business The Company operates in the aerospace industry at the limit of current technology The relationship involves considerable development liaison on wholly new products
Competition
Competition for this customer comes primarily from American suppliers The competition is on price and reflects the spare capacity in the American industry Competition from UK companies is also on price and comes from companies having a wider production spread than Belter
Development
This customer has always relied on Belter alone for development work in this product area However they have looked to other sources of supply when development has taken place The development process for a new product can be started either by a government development contract or by an order from the customer Belter acknowledged that it
has to stand the costs of this development in the latter case The customer has intimate knowledge of all of Belters procedures Methods of manufacture are agreed in detail and even the particular production machinery to be used is specified The closeness of the relationship between the two companies is indicated by the fact that the customer has approved Belters quality procedure and accepts their testing
Contact Pattern
Interpersonal contacts between Belter and its UK customer are summarized as
follows
(1) Formal Contacts
Every six months Technical policy liaison meeting jointly chaired by Belters Technical Director and the customers Chief Materials Manager Every sixmdashnine months Commercial meeting Belters Managing and Marketing Directors and Sales Manager and the customers Purchasing Director and Senior Purchasing Staff
Monthly UK Sales Manager visits customers purchasing staff to discuss delivery and order positions
(2) Other Contacts
These can be studied according to the formally assigned responsibility Personnel who have full-time responsibility One sales office man has daily contact with the customer Additionally one applications engineer is engaged on work for this customer Finally one man determines market trends and is in contact with the customers marketing personnel and customers clients Personnel with `half-time responsibility Four applications engineers also spend some of their time on the customers problems and are in personal contact with customer staff
PURPOSE OF A MARKETING PLAN
The purpose of a Marketing Plan is to-
1048766Define the Market
1048766Refine the Production Plan to market requirements
1048766Develop a marketing strategy
1048766Minimize risk
Each FFT group should have a Marketing Plan covering each commodity based on their own study of the local market
Defining the Market and Commodities-
1048766Market demand and prices -An assessment based on published market information discussions with local extension staff farmers dealers and buyers of the commodity of the likely demand and prices on offer during the year and during any period of seasonal shortfall
1048766Market Requirement- Varieties size grading packaging maturity demanded by the buyers in the particular market
1048766Yield Price Assumptions- How much commodity will be available How much premium grade Second grade Losses If the commodity crop is aimed to be produced for a particular period eg for a low supply period while the price assumptions (expectation) may be higher some reassessment of yield and cost of production assumptions in the gross margin analysis or partial budgets is usually necessary 1048766Marketing Returns and Costs Calculate expected income and costs in marketing
The Most Important Elements of Marketing There are four important elements in the marketing process
1048766Prioritising the customer Marketing begins with the customer not the product Knowing what the customer needs or wants is essential
1048766Process of selection The farmer needs to know who to sell the product to This will determine how and where the produce is marketed
1048766Promotion The farmer is selling something that other people want to buy Naturally it is helpful to let them know that the product is available and of good quality
The Marketing Training Manual 23 Marketing Module 3 Markets and Marketing
1048766Trust Good marketing occurs when the customers trust the farmer The customer should feel they are not being cheated and they are getting value for their money
In thinking about these elements farmers need to ask themselves about the six Ps
bull P p eople Who are the customers What do they want or need Who is actually going to market the product
bull P p lan How is the product going to reach the selected customers What are the steps
bull product What product is going to be marketed Is the family producing what the customer wants What services (for example a cooked product) if any are requested by the customer
bull place Where is the product going to be marketed
bull price What price will the product be offered on the market for
bull promotion How are people going to be informed that the product is available
Supply Demand and Price
In a free market prices for inputs and products are determined by supply and demand
Supply Is what producers are willing to market at a certain price
Demand Is how much consumers are prepared to buy at the market price
In theory as the price of a product goes up the quantity supplied rises and the quantity demanded falls Likewise when the price goes down the quantity supplied falls and the quantity demanded rises
For agricultural produce demand is affected by a number of factors the most
The Marketing Training Manual 24 Marketing Module 3 Markets and Marketing
Industrial or business to business (B2B) marketing
An organization seeks to build a new warehouse After documenting requirements it obtains three proposals from suitable construction firms After a long process of evaluation and negotiation it places an order with the organization that it believes offers the best value for money
An organization needs legal services and obtains submissions from two law firms Analysis of the proposals and subsequent discussions determines that there is no price advantage to placing all of the work with one firm and the organization decides to split the work between the two firms based on an evaluation of each firms capabilities
A sales representative makes an appointment with an organization that employs 22 people He demonstrates a photocopierfaxprinter to the office administrator After discussing a proposal the business owner signs a contract to obtain the machine on a fully-maintained rental and consumables basis with an upgrade after 2 years
Main features of the B2B selling process are
Marketing is one-to-one in nature It is relatively easy for the seller to identify a prospective customers and build a face-to-face relationship Highly professional and trained people in buying processes are involved In many cases two or three decision makers must approve a purchase plan Often the buying or selling process is complex and includes many stages (for example request for proposal request for tender selection process awarding of tender contract negotiations and signing of final contract) Selling activities involve long processes of prospecting qualifying wooing making representations preparing tenders developing strategies and contract negotiations
Blurring between B2B and B2C
Industrial marketing can cross the border into consumer marketing For example an electronic component seller may distribute its products through industrial marketing channels (see channel (marketing)) but also support consumer sales Many products are equally desired by business and consumersmdashsuch as audio products furniture paint hardware etc Nonetheless manufactures and service providers frequently maintain separate industrial and consumer marketing operations to reflect the different needs of the two channels
Competitive tendering
Industrial marketing often involves competitive tendering (see tender tendering) This is a process where a purchasing organization undertakes to procure goods and services from suitable suppliers Due to the high value of some purchases (for example buying a new computer system manufacturing
machinery or outsourcing a maintenance contract) and the complexity of such purchases the purchasing organization will seek to obtain a number of bids from competing suppliers and choose the best offering An entire profession (strategic procurement) that includes tertiary training and qualifications has been built around the process of making important purchases The key requirement in any competitive tender is to ensure that
The business case for the purchase has been completed and approved
The purchasing organizations objectives for the purchase are clearly defined
The procurement process is agreed upon and it conforms with fiscal guidelines and organisational policies The selection criteria have been established
A budget has been estimated and the financial resources are available
A buying team (or committee) has been assembled
A specification has been written
A preliminary scan of the market place has determined that enough potential suppliers are available to make the process viable (this can sometimes be achieved using an expression of interest process)
It has been clearly established that a competitive tendering process is the best method for meeting the objectives of this purchasing project If (for example) it was known that there was only one organisation capable of supplying best to get on with talking to them and negotiating a contract
Because of the significant value of many purchases issues of probity arise Organisations seek to ensure that awarding a contract is based on best fit to the agreed criteria and not bribery corruption or incompetence
Bidding process
Suppliers who are seeking to win a competitive tender go through a bidding process At its most primitive this would consist of evaluating the specification (issued by the purchasing organization) designing a suitable proposal and working out a price This is a primitive approach because
There is an old saying in industrial marketing if the first time you have heard about a tender is when you are invited to submit then you have already lost it
While flippant the previous point illustrates a basic requirement for being successful in competitive tendering it is important to develop a strong relationship with a prospective customer organization well before they have started the formal part of their procurement process
Non-tender purchasing
Not all industrial sales involve competitive tendering Tender processes are time consuming and expensive particularly when executed with the aim of ensuring probity Government agencies are particularly likely to utilise elaborate competitive tendering processes due to the expectation that they should be seen at all times to be responsibly and accountably spending public monies Private companies are able to avoid the complexity of a fully transparent tender process but are still able to run the procurement process with some rigourBeneficial
Developing a sales strategysolution sellingtechnical selling
The art of technical selling (solution selling) follows a three stage process
Stage 1 Sell the appointment Never sell over the telephone The aim of the first contact with a prospective purchaser is to sell the appointment The reason is simple industrial sales are complex any attempt to sell over the phone will trivialise your product or service and run the risk of not fully understanding the customers need
Stage 2 Understand their needs The best method of selling is to minimise the information about your goods or services until you have fully understood your customers requirements
Stage 3 Develop and propose a solution The solution is (of course) developed from your (or the firm that you represents) product or service offerings
Marketing supports solution selling through methods like account-based marketingmdashunderstanding a specific target organizations requirements as the foundation of a marketing program As research shows[1] sales success is heavily weighted towards suppliers who understand the customer In UK research 77 per cent of senior decision-makers believe new suppliers marketing From cannon fodder to preferred tenderer
The term cannon fodder derives from the World Wars and refers to the massing of undertrained and recently recruited troops sent to the fronts to face the enemy Such troops invariably had a poor survival rate but provided the tactical advantage of distracting the enemy while
professional soldiers mounted more effective operations In adopting the term to Industrial Marketing it means those bids being submitted that have no chance of winning but are involved to make up the numbers (you cant have only one bid in a competitive tender process that wouldnt satisfy the requirements of probity) (for example in government tenders or for private enterprise the requirement to truly test the market and to keep them honest) The reader might be wondering why anybody would go to all of the work of submitting a tender when they had no chance of winning for the same reason that troops were sent in to battle to die they thought they had a real chance
The key features of a successful industrial sales organisation
In industrial marketing the personal selling is still very effective because many products must be customized to suit the requirements of the individual customer Indicators such as the sales tunnel give information on the expected sales in the near future the hit rate indicates whether the sales organization is busy with promising sales leads or it is spending too much effort on projects that are eventually lost to the competition or that are abandoned by the prospect
RESEARCH PROBLEM
1 Identify your target market
Which businesses need cleaning services Which ones can afford it and will pay for it Why
In your case I would think that small businesses may not be your ideal client But then again define small business Are you referring to sales volume or number of employees
I can tell you right now as a marketing consultant that has worked with a wide variety of businesses including small companies
Small businesses are very price sensitive and prefer to do more themselves rather than pay someone else (They hold this belief even if it would free up more time to be more productive Go figure)
So before you randomly begin picking a target market have a rational reason why Continue to read below and youll begin to see what I am talking about
2 Determine their wants and needs
It may be obvious to you but ask yourself Why would someone want a clean office
These businesses never have walk-in traffic They do not have customers visit them So naturally there is far less of a concern for a clean office Sure it would be nice to have but since no revenue will be lost if their office is not spectacular looking they are not motivated to do anything about it
However seek out the businesses that do deal with customers directly especially professional services where they have very high end clients visit them Now they NEED a very presentable office or they risk losing out on a lot of revenue
3 Determine the level and type of demand
If you have ever read any of my previous work you will know that I am a very strong advocate of knowing whether the type of demand is Primary Demand or Selective Demand It is one of the most overlooked aspects of marketing being ignored today
Primary Demand If a business does not already use your TYPE of service and is not currently considering doing so you will need to create primary demand Simply put you will have to convince them first to even want your type of service (or product) before you even get them to buy it from you
So for your cleaning business example if you are approaching businesses that currently do not use a cleaning service you will have to explain the time saving and productivity enhancing benefits of using one Then explain why YOU are the one they need
Selective Demand These businesses already use a service (or product) or are in the market for it and are actively looking In these cases you do not need to spend much effort convincing them why they need it
In this case you must state your argument why your cleaning service should be the one they choose
This is what you will encounter when you call on or contact businesses already using a cleaning service They will either be satisfied or unsatisfied with their current service provider Your emphasis will have to be on conquest sales -- meaning stealing customers from your competition
Now in your line of business and in many others slashing prices always seems to be the first technique used to steal customers This may work well for selling products But if you are marketing services let me tell you thisthink twice before doing that
Yes I am fully aware of the fact that there will be businesses that will be open to talking to you if you offer them a better deal In some cases they may feel they are legitimately getting ripped off or paying way
too much right now And they just might be right In those cases if you can give them a fair price that is a better deal for them AND still gives you healthy profit margins then go for it
However if you are slashing prices just to gain clients arent you really just hurting yourself in the long run First of all you can easily get into the game of How low will they go Secondly it de-values your perception of quality if you are cheap Thirdly whos to say after all this effort you wont lose the business in a month or two when someone else quotes them an even lower price
What will you do next price so low that you lose money with every client I didnt think so
Heres what you could do though
4 Develop a Hypothesis and a Solution to Match
After you know your target market have defined their needs and analyzed the competitive picture (currently using or not currently using a service like mine) go ahead and develop a clearly thought out hypothesis
For example start with business NOT currently using a cleaning service but that deal with customers or clients regularly at their location
Develop a strong case for WHY they would be wise to invest in your
cleaning services Show them on a break-even analysis that your fee will be well compensated in either customer retention or converting a higher level of store traffic or business appointments into paying customersclients
Then state your case why it is more cost effective and saves them valuable time to outsource this to you rather than doing it themselves or paying an employee overtime to do it You can also emphasize that you are the expert at this not someones secretary so it is expected that you will do a far better job at it
For businesses that ARE already using a cleaning service or are currently shopping for one state why you are unique and better
Determine the really compelling reasons why these businesses want a cleaning service to begin with
Maybe it is a retail store that wants to create a better first impression for their customers This will ultimately lead to a better customer experience and ultimately more in-store purchases
A good example may be that unlike most competitors you also clean windows Well as a marketing consultant to retail businesses I can tell you that many passerbys will first look in a store window before deciding to walk in or not
Now for successful marketing all retail businesses would perform better if they had more in-store traffic So therefore if your cleaning service also cleans windows you could rightfully justify that your services are more valuable to their retail business You actually HELP
them get more customers and sell more products
Maybe it is a professional service business that needs to impress prospective clients to choose their services over a similar competitor
Your cleaning service may dust chairs and polish wooden conference tables Many other cleaning services may not do this or do a poor job in doing so
Now as marketing consultants to service businesses I can also tell you that if a consultant attorney accountant or any other business professional needs to meet with prospective clients in their office they will appreciate a better appearance So if your cleaning services can provide this better than anyone else (or at least if you tell them about this first) you will get the business or at least be highly considered for it
Whatever the case may be establish what makes you different and have you are best suited to meet their needs
Do you see where I am going with this Your initial marketing questions asked how you can get more business by passing out flyers or sending faxes to small offices Truthfully that is simply not going to work You are not looking at the overall big picture of why anyone would either want to hire a cleaning service or to hire your particular cleaning service
5 You must make AN OFFER
Here are some examples
Marketing messagesales offer to a business that does NOT currently use a cleaning service
If you have never considered using a cleaning service before allow us to show you how XYZ Cleaning Inc can make your storeoffice more presentable to customers and how this newly improved appearance will affect your cash registerbank statement
If you are weary of trying new things dont worry Use us FREE for one month and if you are not completely satisfied with the results if you are not completely confident that it makes a difference to your customers if you are not completely aware of how it raises the morale of your employees then you do not have to using us again
But if YOU DO see a great improvement well make you a great deal on our services simply because we want your long term business Marketing messagesales offer to businesses that DO currently use a cleaning service
I understand that you currently use ABC Cleaners LLC Now you may or may not be completely happy right now but I want to make you a no-risk offer you cant refuse
The truth is that you likely get consumed in your day to day activities in running your business overseeing operations managing employees and handling customers Therefore there may be little imperfections your cleaning service is making that goes unnoticed by you But dont assume for one minute that your customers or potential customers wont notice And remember first impressions DO count
So heres our offer Have us come in the morning after your regular cleaning service cleans your office We will do a thorough inspection with you present and look for anything they may have done a less-than-satisfactory job on Then well show you why you probably over looked it for so long but why your customers will take notice and how they will think differently about you because of it
Now if everything is already 100 completely clean and presentable well thank you for your time and then be on our way But if together we find lots of little things that are carelessly being done we will cleanfix it for you for FREE
Thats right use our services as a compliment to what you are already paying for Compare the quality of work we do to what you are already paying for If you can see the difference in what we do for you compared to what you are already paying for then consider us as your new cleaning service
6 Develop your marketing message
Once you understand the true needs your potential clients have and the unique and competitive solutions you can offer only then should you develop your marketing copy -- your sales pitch
The two examples above incorporate great marketing copy with a strong benefits related offer You can then deliver this through direct mail telemarketing or a combination of both
I would only recommend distributing flyers if you are confident you can place there where they will get read by people who make the decision to hire a cleaning service So if there is an Open Bulletin board in an office building then go for it However they are rare and you probably need permission anyway
Id avoid the fax marketing altogether Its quite annoying ties up there fax line and unless people have already heard of you they are more likely to toss your message in the garbage
Try sending direct mail to the decision makers of these target companies and describe the benefits they will experience from using your services
7 Follow up
Even after identifying the businesses that are most likely to need your services after you have identified a solution and even after you contacted them with a compelling offer you still have to follow up
Chances are they loved the sound of it when they got it They had every intention of following up with you But then just got busy So your follow up call can make all the difference in the world and get your foot in the door in a very big way Then its up to you to DELIVER on your promise
8 ANALYSIS
Market Analysis
The goal of a market analysis is to determine the attractiveness of a market and to understand its evolving opportunities and threats as they relate to the strengths and weaknesses of the firm
David A Aaker outlined the following dimensions of a market analysis
Market size (current and future)
Market growth rate
Market profitability
Industry cost structure
Distribution channels
Market trends
Key success factors
Market Size
The size of the market can be evaluated based on present sales and on potential sales if the use of the product were expanded The following are some information sources for determining market size
government data
trade associations financial data from major players customer surveys
Market Growth Rate
A simple means of forecasting the market growth rate is to extrapolate historical data into the future While this method may provide a first-order estimate it does not predict important turning points A better method is to study growth drivers such as demographic information and sales growth in complementary products Such drivers serve as leading indicators that are more accurate than simply extrapolating historical data
Important inflection points in the market growth rate sometimes can be predicted by constructing a product diffusion curve The shape of the curve can be estimated by studying the characteristics of the adoption rate of a similar product in the past
Ultimately the maturity and decline stages of the product life cycle will be reached Some leading indicators of the decline phase include price pressure caused by competition a decrease in brand loyalty the emergence of substitute products market saturation and the lack of growth drivers
Market Profitability
While different firms in a market will have different levels of profitability the average profit potential for a market can be used as a guideline for knowing how difficult it is to make money in the market Michael Porter devised a useful framework for evaluating the attractiveness of an industry or market This framework known as Porters five forces identifies five factors that influence the market profitability
Buyer power
Supplier power
Barriers to entry
Threat of substitute products
Rivalry among firms in the industry
Industry Cost Structure
The cost structure is important for identifying key factors for success To this end Porters value chain model is useful for determining where value is added and for isolating the costs
The cost structure also is helpful for formulating strategies to develop a competitive advantage For example in some environments the experience curve effect can be used to develop a cost advantage over competitors
Distribution Channels
The following aspects of the distribution system are useful in a market analysis
Existing distribution channels - can be described by how direct they are to the customer
Trends and emerging channels - new channels can offer the opportunity to develop a competitive advantage
Channel power structure - for example in the case of a product having little brand equity retailers have negotiating power over manufacturers and can capture more margin
Market Trends
Changes in the market are important because they often are the source of new opportunities and threats The relevant trends are industry-dependent but some examples include changes in price sensitivity demand for variety and level of emphasis on service and support Regional trends also may be relevant
Key Success Factors
The key success factors are those elements that are necessary in order for the firm to achieve its marketing objectives A few examples of such factors include
Access to essential unique resources
Ability to achieve economies of scale
Access to distribution channels
Technological progress
It is important to consider that key success factors may change over time especially as the product progresses through its life cycle
9 CONCLUSIONS
Organizations engage in marketing research for two reasons
(1) (1) to identify (2) and (2) solve marketing problems
(3)
This distinction serves as a basis for classifying marketing research into problem identification research and problem solving research
Problem identification research is undertaken to help identify problems which are perhaps not apparent on the surface and yet exist or are likely to company image market characteristics sales analysis short-range forecasting long range forecasting and business trends research Research of this type provides information about the marketing environment and helps diagnose a problem For example The findings of problem solving research are used in making decisions which will solve specific marketing problems
The Stanford Research Institute on the other hand conducts an annual survey of consumers that is used to classify persons into homogeneous groups for segmentation purposes The National Purchase Diary panel (NPD) maintains the largest diary panel in the United States
Standardized services are research studies conducted for different client firms but in a standard way For example procedures for measuring
advertising effectiveness have been standardized so that the results can be compared across studies and evaluative norms can be established The Starch Readership Survey is the most widely used service for evaluating print advertisements another well-known service is the Gallup and Robinson Magazine Impact Studies These services are also sold on a syndicated basis
Customized services offer a wide variety of marketing research services customized to suit a clients specific needs Each marketing research project is treated uniquely
Limited-service suppliers specialize in one or a few phases of the marketing research project Services offered by such suppliers are classified as field services coding and data entry data analysis analytical services and branded products Field services collect data through mail personal or telephone interviewing and firms that specialize in interviewing are called field service organizations These organizations may range from small proprietary organizations which operate locally to large multinational organizations with WATS line interviewing facilities Some organizations maintain extensive interviewing facilities across the country for interviewing shoppers in malls
Coding and data entry services include editing completed questionnaires developing a coding scheme and transcribing the data on to diskettes or magnetic tapes for input into the computer NRC Data Systems provides such services
Analytical services include designing and pretesting questionnaires determining the best means of collecting data designing sampling plans and other aspects of the research design Some complex
marketing research projects require knowledge of sophisticated procedures including specialized experimental designs and analytical techniques such as conjoint analysis and multidimensional scaling This kind of expertise can be obtained from firms and consultants specializing in analytical services
Data analysis services are offered by firms also known as tab houses that specialize in computer analysis of quantitative data such as those obtained in large surveys Initially most data analysis firms supplied only tabulations (frequency counts) and cross tabulations (frequency counts that describe two or more variables simultaneously) With the proliferation of software many firms now have the capability to analyze their own data but data analysis firms are still in demand
Branded marketing research products and services are specialized data collection and analysis procedures developed to address specific types of marketing research problems These procedures are patented given brand names and marketed like any other branded product
Types of marketing research
Marketing research techniques come in many forms including
Ad Tracking ndash periodic or continuous in-market research to monitor a brandrsquos performance using measures such as brand awareness brand preference and product usage (Young 2005)
Advertising Research ndash used to predict copy testing or track the efficacy of advertisements for any medium measured by the adrsquos ability to get attention (measured with Attention Tracking) communicate the message build the brandrsquos image and motivate the consumer to purchase the product or service (Young 2005)
Brand equity research - how favorably do consumers view the brand
Brand association research - what do consumers associate with the brand
Brand attribute research - what are the key traits that describe the brand promise
Brand name testing - what do consumers feel about the names of the products
Commercial eye tracking research - examine advertisements package designs websites etc by analyzing visual behavior of the consumer
Concept testing - to test the acceptance of a concept by target consumers
Cool hunting - to make observations and predictions in changes of new or existing cultural trends in areas such as fashion music films television youth culture and lifestyle
Buyer decision processes research - to determine what motivates people to buy and what decision-making process they use
Copy testing ndash predicts in-market performance of an ad before it airs by analyzing audience levels of attention brand linkage motivation entertainment and communication as well as breaking down the adrsquos flow of attention and flow of emotion (Young p 213)
Customer satisfaction research - quantitative or qualitative studies that yields an understanding of a customers of satisfaction with a transaction
Demand estimation - to determine the approximate level of demand for the product
Distribution channel audits - to assess distributorsrsquo and retailersrsquo attitudes toward a product brand or company
Internet strategic intelligence - searching for customer opinions in the Internet chats forums web pages blogs where people express freely about their experiences with products becoming strong opinion formers
Marketing effectiveness and analytics - Building models and measuring results to determine the effectiveness of individual marketing activities
Mystery Consumer or Mystery shopping - An employee or representative of the market research firm anonymously contacts a salesperson and indicates he or she is shopping for a product The shopper then records the entire experience This method is often used for quality control or for researching competitors products
Positioning research - how does the target market see the brand relative to competitors - what does the brand stand for
Price elasticity testing - to determine how sensitive customers are to price changes
Sales forecasting - to determine the expected level of sales given the level of demand With respect to other factors like Advertising expenditure sales promotion etc
Segmentation research - to determine the demographic psychographic and behavioural characteristics of potential buyers
Online panel - a group of individual who accepted to respond to marketing research online
Store audit - to measure the sales of a product or product line at a statistically selected store sample in order to determine market share or to determine whether a retail store provides adequate service
Test marketing - a small-scale product launch used to determine the likely acceptance of the product when it is introduced into a wider market
Viral Marketing Research - refers to marketing research designed to estimate the probability that specific communications will be transmitted throughout an individuals Social Network Estimates of Social Networking Potential (SNP) are combined with estimates of selling effectiveness to estimate ROI on specific combinations of messages and media
All of these forms of marketing research can be classified as either problem-identification research or as problem-solving research
There are two main sources of data - primary and secondary Primary research is conducted from scratch It is original and collected to solve the problem in hand Secondary research already exists since it has been collected for other purposes It is conducted on data published previously and usually by someone else Secondary research costs far less than primary research but seldom comes in a form that exactly meets the needs of the researcher
A similar distinction exists between exploratory research and conclusive research Exploratory research provides insights into and comprehension of an issue or situation It should draw definitive conclusions only with extreme caution Conclusive research draws conclusions the results of the study can be generalized to the whole population
Exploratory research is conducted to explore a problem to get some basic idea about the solution at the preliminary stages of research It may serve as the input to conclusive research Exploratory research information is collected by focus group interviews reviewing literature or books discussing with experts etc This is unstructured and qualitative in nature If a secondary source of data is unable to serve the purpose a convenience sample of small size can be collected Conclusive research is conducted to draw some conclusion about the problem It is essentially structured and quantitative research and the
output of this research is the input to MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS (MIS)
Marketing research methods
Methodologically marketing research uses the following types of research designs
Based on questioning
Qualitative marketing research - generally used for exploratory purposes - small number of respondents - not generalizable to the whole population - statistical significance and confidence not calculated - examples include focus groups in-depth interviews and projective techniques
Quantitative marketing research - generally used to draw conclusions - tests a specific hypothesis - uses random sampling techniques so as to infer from the sample to the population - involves a large number of respondents - examples include surveys and questionnaires Techniques include choice modelling maximum difference preference scaling and covariance analysis
Based on observations
Ethnographic studies - by nature qualitative the researcher observes social phenomena in their natural setting - observations can
occur cross-sectionally (observations made at one time) or longitudinally (observations occur over several time-periods) ndash
examples include product-use analysis and computer cookie traces See also Ethnography and Observational techniques
Experimental techniques - by nature quantitative the researcher creates a quasi-artificial environment to try to control spurious factors
then manipulates at least one of the variables - examples include purchase laboratories and test markets
Questionnaires 1 What are the objectives of the marketing strategy Are they clearly stated Are they consistent with the objectives of the firm Is the entire marketing mix structured to meet these objectives
2 What marketing concepts are at issue in the current strategy Is the marketing strategy well planned and laid out Is the strategy consistent with sound marketing principles If the strategy takes exception to marketing principles is there a good reason for it
3 To what target market is the strategy directed Is it well defined Is the market large enough to be profitably served Does the market have long-run potential
4 What competitive advantage does the marketing strategy offer If none what can be done to gain a competitive advantage in the marketplace
5 What products are being sold What is the width depth and consistency of the firms product lines Does the firm need new products to fill out its product line Should any product be deleted What is the profitability of the various products
6 What promotion mix is being used Is promotion consistent with the products and product images What could be done to improve the promotion mix
7 What channels of distribution are being used Do they deliver the product at the right time and right place to meet consumer needs Are the channels typical of those used in the industry Could channels be made more efficient
8 What pricing strategies are being used How do prices compare with similar products of other firms How are prices determined
9 Are marketing research and information systematically integrated into the marketing strategy Is the overall marketing strategy internally consistent
III FUTURE OF THE INDUSTRY
3 ORIGIN OF ORGANIZATION
CONTINENTAL MANUFACTURING COMPANY establised in 1990 with the aim to manufacture Precision and High Quality Plastic and Steel metal component At CMC we have been serving OEMrsquos in Gurgaon Fom very bigning and have made good cutomer on base due to our industrial background sonce 1958 We have specialization in manufacturing of deep draw components in seat metal and injection molded plastic part with critical shape and size We have two uit amp offices they are given below-
4 GROWTH DEVELOPMENT AND PRESENT STATUS OF THE ORGANIZATION
5 PRODUCT AND SERVICE PROFILE OF THE COMPANY
6 PROFILE OF ORGNIZATION
Organizational structure
cEO
7 DISCUSSION ON TRAINING
Marketing strategy is a process that can allow an organization to concentrate its limited resources on the greatest opportunities to increase sales and achieve a sustainable competitive advantage
Developing a marketing strategy
Marketing strategies serve as the fundamental underpinning of marketing plans designed to fill market needs and reach marketing objectives Plans and objectives are generally tested for measurable results Commonly marketing strategies are developed as multi-year plans with a tactical plan detailing specific actions to be accomplished in the current year Time horizons covered by the marketing plan vary by company by industry and by nation however time horizons are becoming shorter as the speed of change in the environment increases Marketing strategies are dynamic and interactive They are partially planned and partially unplanned See strategy dynamics
Marketing strategy involves careful scanning of the internal and external environments which are summarized in a SWOT analysis Internal environmental factors include the marketing mix plus performance analysis and strategic constraints External environmental factors include customer analysis competitor analysis target market analysis as well as evaluation of any elements of the technological economic cultural or politicallegal environment likely toimpact success A key component of marketing strategy is often to
keep marketing in line with a companys overarching mission statement
Types of strategies
Marketing strategies may differ depending on the unique situation of the individual business However there are a number of ways of categorizing some generic strategies A brief description of the most common categorizing schemes is presented below
Strategies based on market dominance - In this scheme firms are classified based on their market share or dominance of an industry Typically there are four types of market dominance strategies
Leader
Challenger
Follower
Nicher
Porter generic strategies - strategy on the dimensions of strategic scope and strategic strength Strategic scope refers to the market penetration while strategic strength refers to the firmrsquos sustainable competitive advantage The generic strategy framework (porter 1984) comprises two alternatives each with two alternative scopes These are Differentiation and low-cost leadership each with a dimension of Focus-broad or narrow
Product differentiation (broad)
Cost leadership (broad)
Market segmentation (narrow)
Innovation strategies - This deals with the firms rate of the new product development and business model innovation It asks whether the company is on the cutting edge of technology and business innovation There are three types
Pioneers
Close followers
Late followers
Growth strategies - In this scheme we ask the question ldquoHow should the firm growrdquo There are a number of different ways of answering that question but the most common gives four answers
Horizontal integration
Vertical integration
Diversification
Intensification
A more detailed scheme uses the categories[10]
Prospector
Analyzer
Defender
Reactor
Marketing warfare strategies - This scheme draws parallels between marketing strategies and military strategies
Many architects make the mistake of thinking that marketing has
only a peripheral relationship to what their firm does In fact marketing works best when it is totally integrated into the operations of your firm when itrsquos a part of everything you do You canrsquot create a plan for how to improve your marketing and increase your business without first considering your long-term goalsmdashnot just in terms of fee revenue or winning work but in terms of who you want to be and where you want to go both as a firm and as a professional There are a number of ways strategic planning
can help your firm
_ Build a shared vision for the firmrsquos future _ Articulate your vision so that it can be communicated to others
_ Get approval and support for the vision from senior leadership and ultimately your entire staff
_ Create a framework for all future decision making _ Figure out (and agree on) how much yoursquore going to spend on
marketing and other initiatives to make it happen
The discussion of strategic planning and marketing planning are divided into the following five areas
Strategic Planning
Getting to the Starting Line
Strategic planning is the process of developing a vision of who you are as a firm and what your longterm goals are Itrsquos about more than just marketing it can influence everything human resources finance information technology operations hiring promotions strategy design process client relationships the design of your office and absolutely anything else that affects your firm and its performance Firms typically engage in strategic planning at defining moments in their practice when the firmrsquos leadership changes or when the practice undergoes some kind of profound transformation The strategic planning process enables the firmrsquos leadership to build a shared vision for the firmrsquos future articulate the vision so that it can be communicated and create a framework for all future decision making When yoursquore ready to
engage in strategic planning itrsquos important to open your mind as much as possible Get ready to think big
Because strategic planning is a process not a document or a report it isnrsquot effective for a small group of leaders to issue a fat document as the strategic plan for the firm It will probably go unread It will certainly not achieve approval and support from the people who need to understand it and act on it Strategic planning is best conducted as an open process one that involves all your firmrsquos key leaders To begin the process set up a strategic planning meeting either as a retreat outside the office or as an extended in-house meeting (You may want to bring in a marketing consultant to help you with this) Figure out who should be there to give input to the vision for your firmrsquos future Keep the group as small as possible but donrsquot leave anyone out Ask everyone to commit half a day for the meeting (two hours just isnrsquot enough) and to come relaxed and prepared to focus on the firmrsquos strategic direction Give everyone an agenda in advance and ask each person to bring historical data based on his or her area of expertise or interest (financial data hiring or retention info winloss reports client feedback etc) Gather any existing documents that attempt to define the firm or its vision such as mission statements a firm description marketing materials articles that have been written about the firm and so on Plan to spend about half the meeting talking about where you are now (your firm your markets your competitors etc) and the other half talking about where yoursquod like to go (your mission your vision the action plan)
MARKETS FOR INDUSTRIAL GOODS
The market is the place where supply meets demand Suppliers and customers meet discuss and evaluate the conditions for exchange of goods and services and exchanges take place The conditions under which these exchanges occur especially that of price are influenced by the characteristics and structure of the market for example the number and market power of suppliers and customers Traditional economic analysis of markets presupposes that they are characterized by certain basic features firstly there is an assumption of free movement in the market and thus a customer will always buy where he obtains the best terms of exchange at that moment similarly the assumption is that suppliers will move to and from the market freely Thus the market is portrayed as atomistic Each unit in the market is free and independent to do as it wishes Also as a result of this free movement the market is characterized by change and stability is an exception Underlying these two assumptions is the further assumption that there is little or no cost of transaction In other words it is assumed that there are no costs in obtaining accurate information or in negotiations etc One effect of this assumption is that production costs
are considered central and that sellers can be simply represented by a production function
The traditional economic theory of the market has of course been subject to challenge and modification However it has influenced the models and principles used in marketing management The basic model that most of the literature in marketing is built on is the marketing mix model The key problems in marketing according to that model are
(a) to allocate resources to different competitive means or mix elements
(b) to design each mean as well as possible within the firms resource limitations
The market is often described in terms of response curves each defined in relation to a certain marketing decision variable or to the whole mix of a company The assumption is of course that the market consists of many individual customers that are affected by the marketers variables in accordance with a certain statistical distribution The same kind of influence can also be identified in the purchasing management
literature The focus here is largely on the management of a single purchase This does not give full consideration to the factors which have contributed to the way this purchase takes place or to the effects of this purchase on the subsequent dealings with the supplying company
Marketing Management
As we mentioned in the first section of this chapter the models and principles for industrial marketing management that are given by the literature are normally related to the marketing mix model The problems identified in these are the allocation of resources and the designing of competitive means However marketers in for example a highly concentrated industry may find different problems The issues associated with the handling of ten very large customers are of totally different character from those of handling 1000 small customers Thus marketers in firms in concentrated markets have a lack of accurate models for analyzing their marketing problems They have also a lack of relevant data expressed in a systematic way about the behaviour of other firms in the same situation
MARKETING ORGANIZATION
Overall Organization
Belters sales operations are split into three areas as follows
(i) Sales Manger mdash UK responsible for 60mdash70 per cent of total sales Four area offices handling all accounts except two major ones which are managed from the Companys main office
(ii) Sales Manager mdash Middle East Africa Eastern Europe accounting for approximately 20 per cent of total sales One manager plus two sales engineers The Company is currently building up an agencymdashdistributor network for this territory
(iii) Sales Manager mdash Western Europe responsible for the remaining 20 per cent of total sales The sales manager is located in Brussels with additional sales offices in Germany France and Italy The Brussels sales office is owned by Belters parent group All major commercial
transactions are carried out by Belters Head Office although the Brussels Company does have some price discretion This European sales company takes 85 per cent of its products for sale in Europe from Belter The remaining 15 per cent of products are sourced from the North-American parent company Apart from the European operation all agents and distributors overseas are handled from the UK
Evolution of Marketing Organization
Belter has often faced problems in the distribution of its products in France for example the Company had a combined agent and distributor operating until 1963 Belter provided applications engineering but had no commercial involvement in sales The company found that it had no influence on pricing in the market and this led to a rather artificial pricing structure and to a decreased market share This problem was not solved by the appointment of a second distributor Mergers amongst French suppliers have led to more competition in the market The second distributor did little to stimulate the first one or to improve the Companys overall penetration
In 1966 Belter separated out a number of products and major customers which were not to be handled via distributors These customers and products were to be controlled by the UK sales operation Also from 1970 the Brussels office ceased to have overall responsibility for sales to France and a Paris office was established The
overall market situation faced in France (and in other European countries) is as follows
There are many actual and potential users for some products which are not known by the Company Heavy competition exists especially on price for large customers who are often buying what they view as a commodity product Belters emerging strategy has been to handle these large customers through its own sales offices The Paris office actively seek sales of large volume products as well as acting as a `post office for products specially developed for individual customers which are then handled from the Companys main office Small customers and small volume products are handled by the two French distributors The development process in Italy has been similar to that in France Sales in Scandinavia do not justify a local sales office sales here are handled through a distributor from the Brussels office A small number of major accounts are however handled directly from the UK
BUYERmdashSELLER RELATIONSHIPS
A Customer Relationship in the United Kingdom
The three aspects of the relationship which are studied are competition technical development and personal contacts
This customer is Belters largest and is responsible for 20 per cent of its total business The Company operates in the aerospace industry at the limit of current technology The relationship involves considerable development liaison on wholly new products
Competition
Competition for this customer comes primarily from American suppliers The competition is on price and reflects the spare capacity in the American industry Competition from UK companies is also on price and comes from companies having a wider production spread than Belter
Development
This customer has always relied on Belter alone for development work in this product area However they have looked to other sources of supply when development has taken place The development process for a new product can be started either by a government development contract or by an order from the customer Belter acknowledged that it
has to stand the costs of this development in the latter case The customer has intimate knowledge of all of Belters procedures Methods of manufacture are agreed in detail and even the particular production machinery to be used is specified The closeness of the relationship between the two companies is indicated by the fact that the customer has approved Belters quality procedure and accepts their testing
Contact Pattern
Interpersonal contacts between Belter and its UK customer are summarized as
follows
(1) Formal Contacts
Every six months Technical policy liaison meeting jointly chaired by Belters Technical Director and the customers Chief Materials Manager Every sixmdashnine months Commercial meeting Belters Managing and Marketing Directors and Sales Manager and the customers Purchasing Director and Senior Purchasing Staff
Monthly UK Sales Manager visits customers purchasing staff to discuss delivery and order positions
(2) Other Contacts
These can be studied according to the formally assigned responsibility Personnel who have full-time responsibility One sales office man has daily contact with the customer Additionally one applications engineer is engaged on work for this customer Finally one man determines market trends and is in contact with the customers marketing personnel and customers clients Personnel with `half-time responsibility Four applications engineers also spend some of their time on the customers problems and are in personal contact with customer staff
PURPOSE OF A MARKETING PLAN
The purpose of a Marketing Plan is to-
1048766Define the Market
1048766Refine the Production Plan to market requirements
1048766Develop a marketing strategy
1048766Minimize risk
Each FFT group should have a Marketing Plan covering each commodity based on their own study of the local market
Defining the Market and Commodities-
1048766Market demand and prices -An assessment based on published market information discussions with local extension staff farmers dealers and buyers of the commodity of the likely demand and prices on offer during the year and during any period of seasonal shortfall
1048766Market Requirement- Varieties size grading packaging maturity demanded by the buyers in the particular market
1048766Yield Price Assumptions- How much commodity will be available How much premium grade Second grade Losses If the commodity crop is aimed to be produced for a particular period eg for a low supply period while the price assumptions (expectation) may be higher some reassessment of yield and cost of production assumptions in the gross margin analysis or partial budgets is usually necessary 1048766Marketing Returns and Costs Calculate expected income and costs in marketing
The Most Important Elements of Marketing There are four important elements in the marketing process
1048766Prioritising the customer Marketing begins with the customer not the product Knowing what the customer needs or wants is essential
1048766Process of selection The farmer needs to know who to sell the product to This will determine how and where the produce is marketed
1048766Promotion The farmer is selling something that other people want to buy Naturally it is helpful to let them know that the product is available and of good quality
The Marketing Training Manual 23 Marketing Module 3 Markets and Marketing
1048766Trust Good marketing occurs when the customers trust the farmer The customer should feel they are not being cheated and they are getting value for their money
In thinking about these elements farmers need to ask themselves about the six Ps
bull P p eople Who are the customers What do they want or need Who is actually going to market the product
bull P p lan How is the product going to reach the selected customers What are the steps
bull product What product is going to be marketed Is the family producing what the customer wants What services (for example a cooked product) if any are requested by the customer
bull place Where is the product going to be marketed
bull price What price will the product be offered on the market for
bull promotion How are people going to be informed that the product is available
Supply Demand and Price
In a free market prices for inputs and products are determined by supply and demand
Supply Is what producers are willing to market at a certain price
Demand Is how much consumers are prepared to buy at the market price
In theory as the price of a product goes up the quantity supplied rises and the quantity demanded falls Likewise when the price goes down the quantity supplied falls and the quantity demanded rises
For agricultural produce demand is affected by a number of factors the most
The Marketing Training Manual 24 Marketing Module 3 Markets and Marketing
Industrial or business to business (B2B) marketing
An organization seeks to build a new warehouse After documenting requirements it obtains three proposals from suitable construction firms After a long process of evaluation and negotiation it places an order with the organization that it believes offers the best value for money
An organization needs legal services and obtains submissions from two law firms Analysis of the proposals and subsequent discussions determines that there is no price advantage to placing all of the work with one firm and the organization decides to split the work between the two firms based on an evaluation of each firms capabilities
A sales representative makes an appointment with an organization that employs 22 people He demonstrates a photocopierfaxprinter to the office administrator After discussing a proposal the business owner signs a contract to obtain the machine on a fully-maintained rental and consumables basis with an upgrade after 2 years
Main features of the B2B selling process are
Marketing is one-to-one in nature It is relatively easy for the seller to identify a prospective customers and build a face-to-face relationship Highly professional and trained people in buying processes are involved In many cases two or three decision makers must approve a purchase plan Often the buying or selling process is complex and includes many stages (for example request for proposal request for tender selection process awarding of tender contract negotiations and signing of final contract) Selling activities involve long processes of prospecting qualifying wooing making representations preparing tenders developing strategies and contract negotiations
Blurring between B2B and B2C
Industrial marketing can cross the border into consumer marketing For example an electronic component seller may distribute its products through industrial marketing channels (see channel (marketing)) but also support consumer sales Many products are equally desired by business and consumersmdashsuch as audio products furniture paint hardware etc Nonetheless manufactures and service providers frequently maintain separate industrial and consumer marketing operations to reflect the different needs of the two channels
Competitive tendering
Industrial marketing often involves competitive tendering (see tender tendering) This is a process where a purchasing organization undertakes to procure goods and services from suitable suppliers Due to the high value of some purchases (for example buying a new computer system manufacturing
machinery or outsourcing a maintenance contract) and the complexity of such purchases the purchasing organization will seek to obtain a number of bids from competing suppliers and choose the best offering An entire profession (strategic procurement) that includes tertiary training and qualifications has been built around the process of making important purchases The key requirement in any competitive tender is to ensure that
The business case for the purchase has been completed and approved
The purchasing organizations objectives for the purchase are clearly defined
The procurement process is agreed upon and it conforms with fiscal guidelines and organisational policies The selection criteria have been established
A budget has been estimated and the financial resources are available
A buying team (or committee) has been assembled
A specification has been written
A preliminary scan of the market place has determined that enough potential suppliers are available to make the process viable (this can sometimes be achieved using an expression of interest process)
It has been clearly established that a competitive tendering process is the best method for meeting the objectives of this purchasing project If (for example) it was known that there was only one organisation capable of supplying best to get on with talking to them and negotiating a contract
Because of the significant value of many purchases issues of probity arise Organisations seek to ensure that awarding a contract is based on best fit to the agreed criteria and not bribery corruption or incompetence
Bidding process
Suppliers who are seeking to win a competitive tender go through a bidding process At its most primitive this would consist of evaluating the specification (issued by the purchasing organization) designing a suitable proposal and working out a price This is a primitive approach because
There is an old saying in industrial marketing if the first time you have heard about a tender is when you are invited to submit then you have already lost it
While flippant the previous point illustrates a basic requirement for being successful in competitive tendering it is important to develop a strong relationship with a prospective customer organization well before they have started the formal part of their procurement process
Non-tender purchasing
Not all industrial sales involve competitive tendering Tender processes are time consuming and expensive particularly when executed with the aim of ensuring probity Government agencies are particularly likely to utilise elaborate competitive tendering processes due to the expectation that they should be seen at all times to be responsibly and accountably spending public monies Private companies are able to avoid the complexity of a fully transparent tender process but are still able to run the procurement process with some rigourBeneficial
Developing a sales strategysolution sellingtechnical selling
The art of technical selling (solution selling) follows a three stage process
Stage 1 Sell the appointment Never sell over the telephone The aim of the first contact with a prospective purchaser is to sell the appointment The reason is simple industrial sales are complex any attempt to sell over the phone will trivialise your product or service and run the risk of not fully understanding the customers need
Stage 2 Understand their needs The best method of selling is to minimise the information about your goods or services until you have fully understood your customers requirements
Stage 3 Develop and propose a solution The solution is (of course) developed from your (or the firm that you represents) product or service offerings
Marketing supports solution selling through methods like account-based marketingmdashunderstanding a specific target organizations requirements as the foundation of a marketing program As research shows[1] sales success is heavily weighted towards suppliers who understand the customer In UK research 77 per cent of senior decision-makers believe new suppliers marketing From cannon fodder to preferred tenderer
The term cannon fodder derives from the World Wars and refers to the massing of undertrained and recently recruited troops sent to the fronts to face the enemy Such troops invariably had a poor survival rate but provided the tactical advantage of distracting the enemy while
professional soldiers mounted more effective operations In adopting the term to Industrial Marketing it means those bids being submitted that have no chance of winning but are involved to make up the numbers (you cant have only one bid in a competitive tender process that wouldnt satisfy the requirements of probity) (for example in government tenders or for private enterprise the requirement to truly test the market and to keep them honest) The reader might be wondering why anybody would go to all of the work of submitting a tender when they had no chance of winning for the same reason that troops were sent in to battle to die they thought they had a real chance
The key features of a successful industrial sales organisation
In industrial marketing the personal selling is still very effective because many products must be customized to suit the requirements of the individual customer Indicators such as the sales tunnel give information on the expected sales in the near future the hit rate indicates whether the sales organization is busy with promising sales leads or it is spending too much effort on projects that are eventually lost to the competition or that are abandoned by the prospect
RESEARCH PROBLEM
1 Identify your target market
Which businesses need cleaning services Which ones can afford it and will pay for it Why
In your case I would think that small businesses may not be your ideal client But then again define small business Are you referring to sales volume or number of employees
I can tell you right now as a marketing consultant that has worked with a wide variety of businesses including small companies
Small businesses are very price sensitive and prefer to do more themselves rather than pay someone else (They hold this belief even if it would free up more time to be more productive Go figure)
So before you randomly begin picking a target market have a rational reason why Continue to read below and youll begin to see what I am talking about
2 Determine their wants and needs
It may be obvious to you but ask yourself Why would someone want a clean office
These businesses never have walk-in traffic They do not have customers visit them So naturally there is far less of a concern for a clean office Sure it would be nice to have but since no revenue will be lost if their office is not spectacular looking they are not motivated to do anything about it
However seek out the businesses that do deal with customers directly especially professional services where they have very high end clients visit them Now they NEED a very presentable office or they risk losing out on a lot of revenue
3 Determine the level and type of demand
If you have ever read any of my previous work you will know that I am a very strong advocate of knowing whether the type of demand is Primary Demand or Selective Demand It is one of the most overlooked aspects of marketing being ignored today
Primary Demand If a business does not already use your TYPE of service and is not currently considering doing so you will need to create primary demand Simply put you will have to convince them first to even want your type of service (or product) before you even get them to buy it from you
So for your cleaning business example if you are approaching businesses that currently do not use a cleaning service you will have to explain the time saving and productivity enhancing benefits of using one Then explain why YOU are the one they need
Selective Demand These businesses already use a service (or product) or are in the market for it and are actively looking In these cases you do not need to spend much effort convincing them why they need it
In this case you must state your argument why your cleaning service should be the one they choose
This is what you will encounter when you call on or contact businesses already using a cleaning service They will either be satisfied or unsatisfied with their current service provider Your emphasis will have to be on conquest sales -- meaning stealing customers from your competition
Now in your line of business and in many others slashing prices always seems to be the first technique used to steal customers This may work well for selling products But if you are marketing services let me tell you thisthink twice before doing that
Yes I am fully aware of the fact that there will be businesses that will be open to talking to you if you offer them a better deal In some cases they may feel they are legitimately getting ripped off or paying way
too much right now And they just might be right In those cases if you can give them a fair price that is a better deal for them AND still gives you healthy profit margins then go for it
However if you are slashing prices just to gain clients arent you really just hurting yourself in the long run First of all you can easily get into the game of How low will they go Secondly it de-values your perception of quality if you are cheap Thirdly whos to say after all this effort you wont lose the business in a month or two when someone else quotes them an even lower price
What will you do next price so low that you lose money with every client I didnt think so
Heres what you could do though
4 Develop a Hypothesis and a Solution to Match
After you know your target market have defined their needs and analyzed the competitive picture (currently using or not currently using a service like mine) go ahead and develop a clearly thought out hypothesis
For example start with business NOT currently using a cleaning service but that deal with customers or clients regularly at their location
Develop a strong case for WHY they would be wise to invest in your
cleaning services Show them on a break-even analysis that your fee will be well compensated in either customer retention or converting a higher level of store traffic or business appointments into paying customersclients
Then state your case why it is more cost effective and saves them valuable time to outsource this to you rather than doing it themselves or paying an employee overtime to do it You can also emphasize that you are the expert at this not someones secretary so it is expected that you will do a far better job at it
For businesses that ARE already using a cleaning service or are currently shopping for one state why you are unique and better
Determine the really compelling reasons why these businesses want a cleaning service to begin with
Maybe it is a retail store that wants to create a better first impression for their customers This will ultimately lead to a better customer experience and ultimately more in-store purchases
A good example may be that unlike most competitors you also clean windows Well as a marketing consultant to retail businesses I can tell you that many passerbys will first look in a store window before deciding to walk in or not
Now for successful marketing all retail businesses would perform better if they had more in-store traffic So therefore if your cleaning service also cleans windows you could rightfully justify that your services are more valuable to their retail business You actually HELP
them get more customers and sell more products
Maybe it is a professional service business that needs to impress prospective clients to choose their services over a similar competitor
Your cleaning service may dust chairs and polish wooden conference tables Many other cleaning services may not do this or do a poor job in doing so
Now as marketing consultants to service businesses I can also tell you that if a consultant attorney accountant or any other business professional needs to meet with prospective clients in their office they will appreciate a better appearance So if your cleaning services can provide this better than anyone else (or at least if you tell them about this first) you will get the business or at least be highly considered for it
Whatever the case may be establish what makes you different and have you are best suited to meet their needs
Do you see where I am going with this Your initial marketing questions asked how you can get more business by passing out flyers or sending faxes to small offices Truthfully that is simply not going to work You are not looking at the overall big picture of why anyone would either want to hire a cleaning service or to hire your particular cleaning service
5 You must make AN OFFER
Here are some examples
Marketing messagesales offer to a business that does NOT currently use a cleaning service
If you have never considered using a cleaning service before allow us to show you how XYZ Cleaning Inc can make your storeoffice more presentable to customers and how this newly improved appearance will affect your cash registerbank statement
If you are weary of trying new things dont worry Use us FREE for one month and if you are not completely satisfied with the results if you are not completely confident that it makes a difference to your customers if you are not completely aware of how it raises the morale of your employees then you do not have to using us again
But if YOU DO see a great improvement well make you a great deal on our services simply because we want your long term business Marketing messagesales offer to businesses that DO currently use a cleaning service
I understand that you currently use ABC Cleaners LLC Now you may or may not be completely happy right now but I want to make you a no-risk offer you cant refuse
The truth is that you likely get consumed in your day to day activities in running your business overseeing operations managing employees and handling customers Therefore there may be little imperfections your cleaning service is making that goes unnoticed by you But dont assume for one minute that your customers or potential customers wont notice And remember first impressions DO count
So heres our offer Have us come in the morning after your regular cleaning service cleans your office We will do a thorough inspection with you present and look for anything they may have done a less-than-satisfactory job on Then well show you why you probably over looked it for so long but why your customers will take notice and how they will think differently about you because of it
Now if everything is already 100 completely clean and presentable well thank you for your time and then be on our way But if together we find lots of little things that are carelessly being done we will cleanfix it for you for FREE
Thats right use our services as a compliment to what you are already paying for Compare the quality of work we do to what you are already paying for If you can see the difference in what we do for you compared to what you are already paying for then consider us as your new cleaning service
6 Develop your marketing message
Once you understand the true needs your potential clients have and the unique and competitive solutions you can offer only then should you develop your marketing copy -- your sales pitch
The two examples above incorporate great marketing copy with a strong benefits related offer You can then deliver this through direct mail telemarketing or a combination of both
I would only recommend distributing flyers if you are confident you can place there where they will get read by people who make the decision to hire a cleaning service So if there is an Open Bulletin board in an office building then go for it However they are rare and you probably need permission anyway
Id avoid the fax marketing altogether Its quite annoying ties up there fax line and unless people have already heard of you they are more likely to toss your message in the garbage
Try sending direct mail to the decision makers of these target companies and describe the benefits they will experience from using your services
7 Follow up
Even after identifying the businesses that are most likely to need your services after you have identified a solution and even after you contacted them with a compelling offer you still have to follow up
Chances are they loved the sound of it when they got it They had every intention of following up with you But then just got busy So your follow up call can make all the difference in the world and get your foot in the door in a very big way Then its up to you to DELIVER on your promise
8 ANALYSIS
Market Analysis
The goal of a market analysis is to determine the attractiveness of a market and to understand its evolving opportunities and threats as they relate to the strengths and weaknesses of the firm
David A Aaker outlined the following dimensions of a market analysis
Market size (current and future)
Market growth rate
Market profitability
Industry cost structure
Distribution channels
Market trends
Key success factors
Market Size
The size of the market can be evaluated based on present sales and on potential sales if the use of the product were expanded The following are some information sources for determining market size
government data
trade associations financial data from major players customer surveys
Market Growth Rate
A simple means of forecasting the market growth rate is to extrapolate historical data into the future While this method may provide a first-order estimate it does not predict important turning points A better method is to study growth drivers such as demographic information and sales growth in complementary products Such drivers serve as leading indicators that are more accurate than simply extrapolating historical data
Important inflection points in the market growth rate sometimes can be predicted by constructing a product diffusion curve The shape of the curve can be estimated by studying the characteristics of the adoption rate of a similar product in the past
Ultimately the maturity and decline stages of the product life cycle will be reached Some leading indicators of the decline phase include price pressure caused by competition a decrease in brand loyalty the emergence of substitute products market saturation and the lack of growth drivers
Market Profitability
While different firms in a market will have different levels of profitability the average profit potential for a market can be used as a guideline for knowing how difficult it is to make money in the market Michael Porter devised a useful framework for evaluating the attractiveness of an industry or market This framework known as Porters five forces identifies five factors that influence the market profitability
Buyer power
Supplier power
Barriers to entry
Threat of substitute products
Rivalry among firms in the industry
Industry Cost Structure
The cost structure is important for identifying key factors for success To this end Porters value chain model is useful for determining where value is added and for isolating the costs
The cost structure also is helpful for formulating strategies to develop a competitive advantage For example in some environments the experience curve effect can be used to develop a cost advantage over competitors
Distribution Channels
The following aspects of the distribution system are useful in a market analysis
Existing distribution channels - can be described by how direct they are to the customer
Trends and emerging channels - new channels can offer the opportunity to develop a competitive advantage
Channel power structure - for example in the case of a product having little brand equity retailers have negotiating power over manufacturers and can capture more margin
Market Trends
Changes in the market are important because they often are the source of new opportunities and threats The relevant trends are industry-dependent but some examples include changes in price sensitivity demand for variety and level of emphasis on service and support Regional trends also may be relevant
Key Success Factors
The key success factors are those elements that are necessary in order for the firm to achieve its marketing objectives A few examples of such factors include
Access to essential unique resources
Ability to achieve economies of scale
Access to distribution channels
Technological progress
It is important to consider that key success factors may change over time especially as the product progresses through its life cycle
9 CONCLUSIONS
Organizations engage in marketing research for two reasons
(1) (1) to identify (2) and (2) solve marketing problems
(3)
This distinction serves as a basis for classifying marketing research into problem identification research and problem solving research
Problem identification research is undertaken to help identify problems which are perhaps not apparent on the surface and yet exist or are likely to company image market characteristics sales analysis short-range forecasting long range forecasting and business trends research Research of this type provides information about the marketing environment and helps diagnose a problem For example The findings of problem solving research are used in making decisions which will solve specific marketing problems
The Stanford Research Institute on the other hand conducts an annual survey of consumers that is used to classify persons into homogeneous groups for segmentation purposes The National Purchase Diary panel (NPD) maintains the largest diary panel in the United States
Standardized services are research studies conducted for different client firms but in a standard way For example procedures for measuring
advertising effectiveness have been standardized so that the results can be compared across studies and evaluative norms can be established The Starch Readership Survey is the most widely used service for evaluating print advertisements another well-known service is the Gallup and Robinson Magazine Impact Studies These services are also sold on a syndicated basis
Customized services offer a wide variety of marketing research services customized to suit a clients specific needs Each marketing research project is treated uniquely
Limited-service suppliers specialize in one or a few phases of the marketing research project Services offered by such suppliers are classified as field services coding and data entry data analysis analytical services and branded products Field services collect data through mail personal or telephone interviewing and firms that specialize in interviewing are called field service organizations These organizations may range from small proprietary organizations which operate locally to large multinational organizations with WATS line interviewing facilities Some organizations maintain extensive interviewing facilities across the country for interviewing shoppers in malls
Coding and data entry services include editing completed questionnaires developing a coding scheme and transcribing the data on to diskettes or magnetic tapes for input into the computer NRC Data Systems provides such services
Analytical services include designing and pretesting questionnaires determining the best means of collecting data designing sampling plans and other aspects of the research design Some complex
marketing research projects require knowledge of sophisticated procedures including specialized experimental designs and analytical techniques such as conjoint analysis and multidimensional scaling This kind of expertise can be obtained from firms and consultants specializing in analytical services
Data analysis services are offered by firms also known as tab houses that specialize in computer analysis of quantitative data such as those obtained in large surveys Initially most data analysis firms supplied only tabulations (frequency counts) and cross tabulations (frequency counts that describe two or more variables simultaneously) With the proliferation of software many firms now have the capability to analyze their own data but data analysis firms are still in demand
Branded marketing research products and services are specialized data collection and analysis procedures developed to address specific types of marketing research problems These procedures are patented given brand names and marketed like any other branded product
Types of marketing research
Marketing research techniques come in many forms including
Ad Tracking ndash periodic or continuous in-market research to monitor a brandrsquos performance using measures such as brand awareness brand preference and product usage (Young 2005)
Advertising Research ndash used to predict copy testing or track the efficacy of advertisements for any medium measured by the adrsquos ability to get attention (measured with Attention Tracking) communicate the message build the brandrsquos image and motivate the consumer to purchase the product or service (Young 2005)
Brand equity research - how favorably do consumers view the brand
Brand association research - what do consumers associate with the brand
Brand attribute research - what are the key traits that describe the brand promise
Brand name testing - what do consumers feel about the names of the products
Commercial eye tracking research - examine advertisements package designs websites etc by analyzing visual behavior of the consumer
Concept testing - to test the acceptance of a concept by target consumers
Cool hunting - to make observations and predictions in changes of new or existing cultural trends in areas such as fashion music films television youth culture and lifestyle
Buyer decision processes research - to determine what motivates people to buy and what decision-making process they use
Copy testing ndash predicts in-market performance of an ad before it airs by analyzing audience levels of attention brand linkage motivation entertainment and communication as well as breaking down the adrsquos flow of attention and flow of emotion (Young p 213)
Customer satisfaction research - quantitative or qualitative studies that yields an understanding of a customers of satisfaction with a transaction
Demand estimation - to determine the approximate level of demand for the product
Distribution channel audits - to assess distributorsrsquo and retailersrsquo attitudes toward a product brand or company
Internet strategic intelligence - searching for customer opinions in the Internet chats forums web pages blogs where people express freely about their experiences with products becoming strong opinion formers
Marketing effectiveness and analytics - Building models and measuring results to determine the effectiveness of individual marketing activities
Mystery Consumer or Mystery shopping - An employee or representative of the market research firm anonymously contacts a salesperson and indicates he or she is shopping for a product The shopper then records the entire experience This method is often used for quality control or for researching competitors products
Positioning research - how does the target market see the brand relative to competitors - what does the brand stand for
Price elasticity testing - to determine how sensitive customers are to price changes
Sales forecasting - to determine the expected level of sales given the level of demand With respect to other factors like Advertising expenditure sales promotion etc
Segmentation research - to determine the demographic psychographic and behavioural characteristics of potential buyers
Online panel - a group of individual who accepted to respond to marketing research online
Store audit - to measure the sales of a product or product line at a statistically selected store sample in order to determine market share or to determine whether a retail store provides adequate service
Test marketing - a small-scale product launch used to determine the likely acceptance of the product when it is introduced into a wider market
Viral Marketing Research - refers to marketing research designed to estimate the probability that specific communications will be transmitted throughout an individuals Social Network Estimates of Social Networking Potential (SNP) are combined with estimates of selling effectiveness to estimate ROI on specific combinations of messages and media
All of these forms of marketing research can be classified as either problem-identification research or as problem-solving research
There are two main sources of data - primary and secondary Primary research is conducted from scratch It is original and collected to solve the problem in hand Secondary research already exists since it has been collected for other purposes It is conducted on data published previously and usually by someone else Secondary research costs far less than primary research but seldom comes in a form that exactly meets the needs of the researcher
A similar distinction exists between exploratory research and conclusive research Exploratory research provides insights into and comprehension of an issue or situation It should draw definitive conclusions only with extreme caution Conclusive research draws conclusions the results of the study can be generalized to the whole population
Exploratory research is conducted to explore a problem to get some basic idea about the solution at the preliminary stages of research It may serve as the input to conclusive research Exploratory research information is collected by focus group interviews reviewing literature or books discussing with experts etc This is unstructured and qualitative in nature If a secondary source of data is unable to serve the purpose a convenience sample of small size can be collected Conclusive research is conducted to draw some conclusion about the problem It is essentially structured and quantitative research and the
output of this research is the input to MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS (MIS)
Marketing research methods
Methodologically marketing research uses the following types of research designs
Based on questioning
Qualitative marketing research - generally used for exploratory purposes - small number of respondents - not generalizable to the whole population - statistical significance and confidence not calculated - examples include focus groups in-depth interviews and projective techniques
Quantitative marketing research - generally used to draw conclusions - tests a specific hypothesis - uses random sampling techniques so as to infer from the sample to the population - involves a large number of respondents - examples include surveys and questionnaires Techniques include choice modelling maximum difference preference scaling and covariance analysis
Based on observations
Ethnographic studies - by nature qualitative the researcher observes social phenomena in their natural setting - observations can
occur cross-sectionally (observations made at one time) or longitudinally (observations occur over several time-periods) ndash
examples include product-use analysis and computer cookie traces See also Ethnography and Observational techniques
Experimental techniques - by nature quantitative the researcher creates a quasi-artificial environment to try to control spurious factors
then manipulates at least one of the variables - examples include purchase laboratories and test markets
Questionnaires 1 What are the objectives of the marketing strategy Are they clearly stated Are they consistent with the objectives of the firm Is the entire marketing mix structured to meet these objectives
2 What marketing concepts are at issue in the current strategy Is the marketing strategy well planned and laid out Is the strategy consistent with sound marketing principles If the strategy takes exception to marketing principles is there a good reason for it
3 To what target market is the strategy directed Is it well defined Is the market large enough to be profitably served Does the market have long-run potential
4 What competitive advantage does the marketing strategy offer If none what can be done to gain a competitive advantage in the marketplace
5 What products are being sold What is the width depth and consistency of the firms product lines Does the firm need new products to fill out its product line Should any product be deleted What is the profitability of the various products
6 What promotion mix is being used Is promotion consistent with the products and product images What could be done to improve the promotion mix
7 What channels of distribution are being used Do they deliver the product at the right time and right place to meet consumer needs Are the channels typical of those used in the industry Could channels be made more efficient
8 What pricing strategies are being used How do prices compare with similar products of other firms How are prices determined
9 Are marketing research and information systematically integrated into the marketing strategy Is the overall marketing strategy internally consistent
3 ORIGIN OF ORGANIZATION
CONTINENTAL MANUFACTURING COMPANY establised in 1990 with the aim to manufacture Precision and High Quality Plastic and Steel metal component At CMC we have been serving OEMrsquos in Gurgaon Fom very bigning and have made good cutomer on base due to our industrial background sonce 1958 We have specialization in manufacturing of deep draw components in seat metal and injection molded plastic part with critical shape and size We have two uit amp offices they are given below-
4 GROWTH DEVELOPMENT AND PRESENT STATUS OF THE ORGANIZATION
5 PRODUCT AND SERVICE PROFILE OF THE COMPANY
6 PROFILE OF ORGNIZATION
Organizational structure
cEO
7 DISCUSSION ON TRAINING
Marketing strategy is a process that can allow an organization to concentrate its limited resources on the greatest opportunities to increase sales and achieve a sustainable competitive advantage
Developing a marketing strategy
Marketing strategies serve as the fundamental underpinning of marketing plans designed to fill market needs and reach marketing objectives Plans and objectives are generally tested for measurable results Commonly marketing strategies are developed as multi-year plans with a tactical plan detailing specific actions to be accomplished in the current year Time horizons covered by the marketing plan vary by company by industry and by nation however time horizons are becoming shorter as the speed of change in the environment increases Marketing strategies are dynamic and interactive They are partially planned and partially unplanned See strategy dynamics
Marketing strategy involves careful scanning of the internal and external environments which are summarized in a SWOT analysis Internal environmental factors include the marketing mix plus performance analysis and strategic constraints External environmental factors include customer analysis competitor analysis target market analysis as well as evaluation of any elements of the technological economic cultural or politicallegal environment likely toimpact success A key component of marketing strategy is often to
keep marketing in line with a companys overarching mission statement
Types of strategies
Marketing strategies may differ depending on the unique situation of the individual business However there are a number of ways of categorizing some generic strategies A brief description of the most common categorizing schemes is presented below
Strategies based on market dominance - In this scheme firms are classified based on their market share or dominance of an industry Typically there are four types of market dominance strategies
Leader
Challenger
Follower
Nicher
Porter generic strategies - strategy on the dimensions of strategic scope and strategic strength Strategic scope refers to the market penetration while strategic strength refers to the firmrsquos sustainable competitive advantage The generic strategy framework (porter 1984) comprises two alternatives each with two alternative scopes These are Differentiation and low-cost leadership each with a dimension of Focus-broad or narrow
Product differentiation (broad)
Cost leadership (broad)
Market segmentation (narrow)
Innovation strategies - This deals with the firms rate of the new product development and business model innovation It asks whether the company is on the cutting edge of technology and business innovation There are three types
Pioneers
Close followers
Late followers
Growth strategies - In this scheme we ask the question ldquoHow should the firm growrdquo There are a number of different ways of answering that question but the most common gives four answers
Horizontal integration
Vertical integration
Diversification
Intensification
A more detailed scheme uses the categories[10]
Prospector
Analyzer
Defender
Reactor
Marketing warfare strategies - This scheme draws parallels between marketing strategies and military strategies
Many architects make the mistake of thinking that marketing has
only a peripheral relationship to what their firm does In fact marketing works best when it is totally integrated into the operations of your firm when itrsquos a part of everything you do You canrsquot create a plan for how to improve your marketing and increase your business without first considering your long-term goalsmdashnot just in terms of fee revenue or winning work but in terms of who you want to be and where you want to go both as a firm and as a professional There are a number of ways strategic planning
can help your firm
_ Build a shared vision for the firmrsquos future _ Articulate your vision so that it can be communicated to others
_ Get approval and support for the vision from senior leadership and ultimately your entire staff
_ Create a framework for all future decision making _ Figure out (and agree on) how much yoursquore going to spend on
marketing and other initiatives to make it happen
The discussion of strategic planning and marketing planning are divided into the following five areas
Strategic Planning
Getting to the Starting Line
Strategic planning is the process of developing a vision of who you are as a firm and what your longterm goals are Itrsquos about more than just marketing it can influence everything human resources finance information technology operations hiring promotions strategy design process client relationships the design of your office and absolutely anything else that affects your firm and its performance Firms typically engage in strategic planning at defining moments in their practice when the firmrsquos leadership changes or when the practice undergoes some kind of profound transformation The strategic planning process enables the firmrsquos leadership to build a shared vision for the firmrsquos future articulate the vision so that it can be communicated and create a framework for all future decision making When yoursquore ready to
engage in strategic planning itrsquos important to open your mind as much as possible Get ready to think big
Because strategic planning is a process not a document or a report it isnrsquot effective for a small group of leaders to issue a fat document as the strategic plan for the firm It will probably go unread It will certainly not achieve approval and support from the people who need to understand it and act on it Strategic planning is best conducted as an open process one that involves all your firmrsquos key leaders To begin the process set up a strategic planning meeting either as a retreat outside the office or as an extended in-house meeting (You may want to bring in a marketing consultant to help you with this) Figure out who should be there to give input to the vision for your firmrsquos future Keep the group as small as possible but donrsquot leave anyone out Ask everyone to commit half a day for the meeting (two hours just isnrsquot enough) and to come relaxed and prepared to focus on the firmrsquos strategic direction Give everyone an agenda in advance and ask each person to bring historical data based on his or her area of expertise or interest (financial data hiring or retention info winloss reports client feedback etc) Gather any existing documents that attempt to define the firm or its vision such as mission statements a firm description marketing materials articles that have been written about the firm and so on Plan to spend about half the meeting talking about where you are now (your firm your markets your competitors etc) and the other half talking about where yoursquod like to go (your mission your vision the action plan)
MARKETS FOR INDUSTRIAL GOODS
The market is the place where supply meets demand Suppliers and customers meet discuss and evaluate the conditions for exchange of goods and services and exchanges take place The conditions under which these exchanges occur especially that of price are influenced by the characteristics and structure of the market for example the number and market power of suppliers and customers Traditional economic analysis of markets presupposes that they are characterized by certain basic features firstly there is an assumption of free movement in the market and thus a customer will always buy where he obtains the best terms of exchange at that moment similarly the assumption is that suppliers will move to and from the market freely Thus the market is portrayed as atomistic Each unit in the market is free and independent to do as it wishes Also as a result of this free movement the market is characterized by change and stability is an exception Underlying these two assumptions is the further assumption that there is little or no cost of transaction In other words it is assumed that there are no costs in obtaining accurate information or in negotiations etc One effect of this assumption is that production costs
are considered central and that sellers can be simply represented by a production function
The traditional economic theory of the market has of course been subject to challenge and modification However it has influenced the models and principles used in marketing management The basic model that most of the literature in marketing is built on is the marketing mix model The key problems in marketing according to that model are
(a) to allocate resources to different competitive means or mix elements
(b) to design each mean as well as possible within the firms resource limitations
The market is often described in terms of response curves each defined in relation to a certain marketing decision variable or to the whole mix of a company The assumption is of course that the market consists of many individual customers that are affected by the marketers variables in accordance with a certain statistical distribution The same kind of influence can also be identified in the purchasing management
literature The focus here is largely on the management of a single purchase This does not give full consideration to the factors which have contributed to the way this purchase takes place or to the effects of this purchase on the subsequent dealings with the supplying company
Marketing Management
As we mentioned in the first section of this chapter the models and principles for industrial marketing management that are given by the literature are normally related to the marketing mix model The problems identified in these are the allocation of resources and the designing of competitive means However marketers in for example a highly concentrated industry may find different problems The issues associated with the handling of ten very large customers are of totally different character from those of handling 1000 small customers Thus marketers in firms in concentrated markets have a lack of accurate models for analyzing their marketing problems They have also a lack of relevant data expressed in a systematic way about the behaviour of other firms in the same situation
MARKETING ORGANIZATION
Overall Organization
Belters sales operations are split into three areas as follows
(i) Sales Manger mdash UK responsible for 60mdash70 per cent of total sales Four area offices handling all accounts except two major ones which are managed from the Companys main office
(ii) Sales Manager mdash Middle East Africa Eastern Europe accounting for approximately 20 per cent of total sales One manager plus two sales engineers The Company is currently building up an agencymdashdistributor network for this territory
(iii) Sales Manager mdash Western Europe responsible for the remaining 20 per cent of total sales The sales manager is located in Brussels with additional sales offices in Germany France and Italy The Brussels sales office is owned by Belters parent group All major commercial
transactions are carried out by Belters Head Office although the Brussels Company does have some price discretion This European sales company takes 85 per cent of its products for sale in Europe from Belter The remaining 15 per cent of products are sourced from the North-American parent company Apart from the European operation all agents and distributors overseas are handled from the UK
Evolution of Marketing Organization
Belter has often faced problems in the distribution of its products in France for example the Company had a combined agent and distributor operating until 1963 Belter provided applications engineering but had no commercial involvement in sales The company found that it had no influence on pricing in the market and this led to a rather artificial pricing structure and to a decreased market share This problem was not solved by the appointment of a second distributor Mergers amongst French suppliers have led to more competition in the market The second distributor did little to stimulate the first one or to improve the Companys overall penetration
In 1966 Belter separated out a number of products and major customers which were not to be handled via distributors These customers and products were to be controlled by the UK sales operation Also from 1970 the Brussels office ceased to have overall responsibility for sales to France and a Paris office was established The
overall market situation faced in France (and in other European countries) is as follows
There are many actual and potential users for some products which are not known by the Company Heavy competition exists especially on price for large customers who are often buying what they view as a commodity product Belters emerging strategy has been to handle these large customers through its own sales offices The Paris office actively seek sales of large volume products as well as acting as a `post office for products specially developed for individual customers which are then handled from the Companys main office Small customers and small volume products are handled by the two French distributors The development process in Italy has been similar to that in France Sales in Scandinavia do not justify a local sales office sales here are handled through a distributor from the Brussels office A small number of major accounts are however handled directly from the UK
BUYERmdashSELLER RELATIONSHIPS
A Customer Relationship in the United Kingdom
The three aspects of the relationship which are studied are competition technical development and personal contacts
This customer is Belters largest and is responsible for 20 per cent of its total business The Company operates in the aerospace industry at the limit of current technology The relationship involves considerable development liaison on wholly new products
Competition
Competition for this customer comes primarily from American suppliers The competition is on price and reflects the spare capacity in the American industry Competition from UK companies is also on price and comes from companies having a wider production spread than Belter
Development
This customer has always relied on Belter alone for development work in this product area However they have looked to other sources of supply when development has taken place The development process for a new product can be started either by a government development contract or by an order from the customer Belter acknowledged that it
has to stand the costs of this development in the latter case The customer has intimate knowledge of all of Belters procedures Methods of manufacture are agreed in detail and even the particular production machinery to be used is specified The closeness of the relationship between the two companies is indicated by the fact that the customer has approved Belters quality procedure and accepts their testing
Contact Pattern
Interpersonal contacts between Belter and its UK customer are summarized as
follows
(1) Formal Contacts
Every six months Technical policy liaison meeting jointly chaired by Belters Technical Director and the customers Chief Materials Manager Every sixmdashnine months Commercial meeting Belters Managing and Marketing Directors and Sales Manager and the customers Purchasing Director and Senior Purchasing Staff
Monthly UK Sales Manager visits customers purchasing staff to discuss delivery and order positions
(2) Other Contacts
These can be studied according to the formally assigned responsibility Personnel who have full-time responsibility One sales office man has daily contact with the customer Additionally one applications engineer is engaged on work for this customer Finally one man determines market trends and is in contact with the customers marketing personnel and customers clients Personnel with `half-time responsibility Four applications engineers also spend some of their time on the customers problems and are in personal contact with customer staff
PURPOSE OF A MARKETING PLAN
The purpose of a Marketing Plan is to-
1048766Define the Market
1048766Refine the Production Plan to market requirements
1048766Develop a marketing strategy
1048766Minimize risk
Each FFT group should have a Marketing Plan covering each commodity based on their own study of the local market
Defining the Market and Commodities-
1048766Market demand and prices -An assessment based on published market information discussions with local extension staff farmers dealers and buyers of the commodity of the likely demand and prices on offer during the year and during any period of seasonal shortfall
1048766Market Requirement- Varieties size grading packaging maturity demanded by the buyers in the particular market
1048766Yield Price Assumptions- How much commodity will be available How much premium grade Second grade Losses If the commodity crop is aimed to be produced for a particular period eg for a low supply period while the price assumptions (expectation) may be higher some reassessment of yield and cost of production assumptions in the gross margin analysis or partial budgets is usually necessary 1048766Marketing Returns and Costs Calculate expected income and costs in marketing
The Most Important Elements of Marketing There are four important elements in the marketing process
1048766Prioritising the customer Marketing begins with the customer not the product Knowing what the customer needs or wants is essential
1048766Process of selection The farmer needs to know who to sell the product to This will determine how and where the produce is marketed
1048766Promotion The farmer is selling something that other people want to buy Naturally it is helpful to let them know that the product is available and of good quality
The Marketing Training Manual 23 Marketing Module 3 Markets and Marketing
1048766Trust Good marketing occurs when the customers trust the farmer The customer should feel they are not being cheated and they are getting value for their money
In thinking about these elements farmers need to ask themselves about the six Ps
bull P p eople Who are the customers What do they want or need Who is actually going to market the product
bull P p lan How is the product going to reach the selected customers What are the steps
bull product What product is going to be marketed Is the family producing what the customer wants What services (for example a cooked product) if any are requested by the customer
bull place Where is the product going to be marketed
bull price What price will the product be offered on the market for
bull promotion How are people going to be informed that the product is available
Supply Demand and Price
In a free market prices for inputs and products are determined by supply and demand
Supply Is what producers are willing to market at a certain price
Demand Is how much consumers are prepared to buy at the market price
In theory as the price of a product goes up the quantity supplied rises and the quantity demanded falls Likewise when the price goes down the quantity supplied falls and the quantity demanded rises
For agricultural produce demand is affected by a number of factors the most
The Marketing Training Manual 24 Marketing Module 3 Markets and Marketing
Industrial or business to business (B2B) marketing
An organization seeks to build a new warehouse After documenting requirements it obtains three proposals from suitable construction firms After a long process of evaluation and negotiation it places an order with the organization that it believes offers the best value for money
An organization needs legal services and obtains submissions from two law firms Analysis of the proposals and subsequent discussions determines that there is no price advantage to placing all of the work with one firm and the organization decides to split the work between the two firms based on an evaluation of each firms capabilities
A sales representative makes an appointment with an organization that employs 22 people He demonstrates a photocopierfaxprinter to the office administrator After discussing a proposal the business owner signs a contract to obtain the machine on a fully-maintained rental and consumables basis with an upgrade after 2 years
Main features of the B2B selling process are
Marketing is one-to-one in nature It is relatively easy for the seller to identify a prospective customers and build a face-to-face relationship Highly professional and trained people in buying processes are involved In many cases two or three decision makers must approve a purchase plan Often the buying or selling process is complex and includes many stages (for example request for proposal request for tender selection process awarding of tender contract negotiations and signing of final contract) Selling activities involve long processes of prospecting qualifying wooing making representations preparing tenders developing strategies and contract negotiations
Blurring between B2B and B2C
Industrial marketing can cross the border into consumer marketing For example an electronic component seller may distribute its products through industrial marketing channels (see channel (marketing)) but also support consumer sales Many products are equally desired by business and consumersmdashsuch as audio products furniture paint hardware etc Nonetheless manufactures and service providers frequently maintain separate industrial and consumer marketing operations to reflect the different needs of the two channels
Competitive tendering
Industrial marketing often involves competitive tendering (see tender tendering) This is a process where a purchasing organization undertakes to procure goods and services from suitable suppliers Due to the high value of some purchases (for example buying a new computer system manufacturing
machinery or outsourcing a maintenance contract) and the complexity of such purchases the purchasing organization will seek to obtain a number of bids from competing suppliers and choose the best offering An entire profession (strategic procurement) that includes tertiary training and qualifications has been built around the process of making important purchases The key requirement in any competitive tender is to ensure that
The business case for the purchase has been completed and approved
The purchasing organizations objectives for the purchase are clearly defined
The procurement process is agreed upon and it conforms with fiscal guidelines and organisational policies The selection criteria have been established
A budget has been estimated and the financial resources are available
A buying team (or committee) has been assembled
A specification has been written
A preliminary scan of the market place has determined that enough potential suppliers are available to make the process viable (this can sometimes be achieved using an expression of interest process)
It has been clearly established that a competitive tendering process is the best method for meeting the objectives of this purchasing project If (for example) it was known that there was only one organisation capable of supplying best to get on with talking to them and negotiating a contract
Because of the significant value of many purchases issues of probity arise Organisations seek to ensure that awarding a contract is based on best fit to the agreed criteria and not bribery corruption or incompetence
Bidding process
Suppliers who are seeking to win a competitive tender go through a bidding process At its most primitive this would consist of evaluating the specification (issued by the purchasing organization) designing a suitable proposal and working out a price This is a primitive approach because
There is an old saying in industrial marketing if the first time you have heard about a tender is when you are invited to submit then you have already lost it
While flippant the previous point illustrates a basic requirement for being successful in competitive tendering it is important to develop a strong relationship with a prospective customer organization well before they have started the formal part of their procurement process
Non-tender purchasing
Not all industrial sales involve competitive tendering Tender processes are time consuming and expensive particularly when executed with the aim of ensuring probity Government agencies are particularly likely to utilise elaborate competitive tendering processes due to the expectation that they should be seen at all times to be responsibly and accountably spending public monies Private companies are able to avoid the complexity of a fully transparent tender process but are still able to run the procurement process with some rigourBeneficial
Developing a sales strategysolution sellingtechnical selling
The art of technical selling (solution selling) follows a three stage process
Stage 1 Sell the appointment Never sell over the telephone The aim of the first contact with a prospective purchaser is to sell the appointment The reason is simple industrial sales are complex any attempt to sell over the phone will trivialise your product or service and run the risk of not fully understanding the customers need
Stage 2 Understand their needs The best method of selling is to minimise the information about your goods or services until you have fully understood your customers requirements
Stage 3 Develop and propose a solution The solution is (of course) developed from your (or the firm that you represents) product or service offerings
Marketing supports solution selling through methods like account-based marketingmdashunderstanding a specific target organizations requirements as the foundation of a marketing program As research shows[1] sales success is heavily weighted towards suppliers who understand the customer In UK research 77 per cent of senior decision-makers believe new suppliers marketing From cannon fodder to preferred tenderer
The term cannon fodder derives from the World Wars and refers to the massing of undertrained and recently recruited troops sent to the fronts to face the enemy Such troops invariably had a poor survival rate but provided the tactical advantage of distracting the enemy while
professional soldiers mounted more effective operations In adopting the term to Industrial Marketing it means those bids being submitted that have no chance of winning but are involved to make up the numbers (you cant have only one bid in a competitive tender process that wouldnt satisfy the requirements of probity) (for example in government tenders or for private enterprise the requirement to truly test the market and to keep them honest) The reader might be wondering why anybody would go to all of the work of submitting a tender when they had no chance of winning for the same reason that troops were sent in to battle to die they thought they had a real chance
The key features of a successful industrial sales organisation
In industrial marketing the personal selling is still very effective because many products must be customized to suit the requirements of the individual customer Indicators such as the sales tunnel give information on the expected sales in the near future the hit rate indicates whether the sales organization is busy with promising sales leads or it is spending too much effort on projects that are eventually lost to the competition or that are abandoned by the prospect
RESEARCH PROBLEM
1 Identify your target market
Which businesses need cleaning services Which ones can afford it and will pay for it Why
In your case I would think that small businesses may not be your ideal client But then again define small business Are you referring to sales volume or number of employees
I can tell you right now as a marketing consultant that has worked with a wide variety of businesses including small companies
Small businesses are very price sensitive and prefer to do more themselves rather than pay someone else (They hold this belief even if it would free up more time to be more productive Go figure)
So before you randomly begin picking a target market have a rational reason why Continue to read below and youll begin to see what I am talking about
2 Determine their wants and needs
It may be obvious to you but ask yourself Why would someone want a clean office
These businesses never have walk-in traffic They do not have customers visit them So naturally there is far less of a concern for a clean office Sure it would be nice to have but since no revenue will be lost if their office is not spectacular looking they are not motivated to do anything about it
However seek out the businesses that do deal with customers directly especially professional services where they have very high end clients visit them Now they NEED a very presentable office or they risk losing out on a lot of revenue
3 Determine the level and type of demand
If you have ever read any of my previous work you will know that I am a very strong advocate of knowing whether the type of demand is Primary Demand or Selective Demand It is one of the most overlooked aspects of marketing being ignored today
Primary Demand If a business does not already use your TYPE of service and is not currently considering doing so you will need to create primary demand Simply put you will have to convince them first to even want your type of service (or product) before you even get them to buy it from you
So for your cleaning business example if you are approaching businesses that currently do not use a cleaning service you will have to explain the time saving and productivity enhancing benefits of using one Then explain why YOU are the one they need
Selective Demand These businesses already use a service (or product) or are in the market for it and are actively looking In these cases you do not need to spend much effort convincing them why they need it
In this case you must state your argument why your cleaning service should be the one they choose
This is what you will encounter when you call on or contact businesses already using a cleaning service They will either be satisfied or unsatisfied with their current service provider Your emphasis will have to be on conquest sales -- meaning stealing customers from your competition
Now in your line of business and in many others slashing prices always seems to be the first technique used to steal customers This may work well for selling products But if you are marketing services let me tell you thisthink twice before doing that
Yes I am fully aware of the fact that there will be businesses that will be open to talking to you if you offer them a better deal In some cases they may feel they are legitimately getting ripped off or paying way
too much right now And they just might be right In those cases if you can give them a fair price that is a better deal for them AND still gives you healthy profit margins then go for it
However if you are slashing prices just to gain clients arent you really just hurting yourself in the long run First of all you can easily get into the game of How low will they go Secondly it de-values your perception of quality if you are cheap Thirdly whos to say after all this effort you wont lose the business in a month or two when someone else quotes them an even lower price
What will you do next price so low that you lose money with every client I didnt think so
Heres what you could do though
4 Develop a Hypothesis and a Solution to Match
After you know your target market have defined their needs and analyzed the competitive picture (currently using or not currently using a service like mine) go ahead and develop a clearly thought out hypothesis
For example start with business NOT currently using a cleaning service but that deal with customers or clients regularly at their location
Develop a strong case for WHY they would be wise to invest in your
cleaning services Show them on a break-even analysis that your fee will be well compensated in either customer retention or converting a higher level of store traffic or business appointments into paying customersclients
Then state your case why it is more cost effective and saves them valuable time to outsource this to you rather than doing it themselves or paying an employee overtime to do it You can also emphasize that you are the expert at this not someones secretary so it is expected that you will do a far better job at it
For businesses that ARE already using a cleaning service or are currently shopping for one state why you are unique and better
Determine the really compelling reasons why these businesses want a cleaning service to begin with
Maybe it is a retail store that wants to create a better first impression for their customers This will ultimately lead to a better customer experience and ultimately more in-store purchases
A good example may be that unlike most competitors you also clean windows Well as a marketing consultant to retail businesses I can tell you that many passerbys will first look in a store window before deciding to walk in or not
Now for successful marketing all retail businesses would perform better if they had more in-store traffic So therefore if your cleaning service also cleans windows you could rightfully justify that your services are more valuable to their retail business You actually HELP
them get more customers and sell more products
Maybe it is a professional service business that needs to impress prospective clients to choose their services over a similar competitor
Your cleaning service may dust chairs and polish wooden conference tables Many other cleaning services may not do this or do a poor job in doing so
Now as marketing consultants to service businesses I can also tell you that if a consultant attorney accountant or any other business professional needs to meet with prospective clients in their office they will appreciate a better appearance So if your cleaning services can provide this better than anyone else (or at least if you tell them about this first) you will get the business or at least be highly considered for it
Whatever the case may be establish what makes you different and have you are best suited to meet their needs
Do you see where I am going with this Your initial marketing questions asked how you can get more business by passing out flyers or sending faxes to small offices Truthfully that is simply not going to work You are not looking at the overall big picture of why anyone would either want to hire a cleaning service or to hire your particular cleaning service
5 You must make AN OFFER
Here are some examples
Marketing messagesales offer to a business that does NOT currently use a cleaning service
If you have never considered using a cleaning service before allow us to show you how XYZ Cleaning Inc can make your storeoffice more presentable to customers and how this newly improved appearance will affect your cash registerbank statement
If you are weary of trying new things dont worry Use us FREE for one month and if you are not completely satisfied with the results if you are not completely confident that it makes a difference to your customers if you are not completely aware of how it raises the morale of your employees then you do not have to using us again
But if YOU DO see a great improvement well make you a great deal on our services simply because we want your long term business Marketing messagesales offer to businesses that DO currently use a cleaning service
I understand that you currently use ABC Cleaners LLC Now you may or may not be completely happy right now but I want to make you a no-risk offer you cant refuse
The truth is that you likely get consumed in your day to day activities in running your business overseeing operations managing employees and handling customers Therefore there may be little imperfections your cleaning service is making that goes unnoticed by you But dont assume for one minute that your customers or potential customers wont notice And remember first impressions DO count
So heres our offer Have us come in the morning after your regular cleaning service cleans your office We will do a thorough inspection with you present and look for anything they may have done a less-than-satisfactory job on Then well show you why you probably over looked it for so long but why your customers will take notice and how they will think differently about you because of it
Now if everything is already 100 completely clean and presentable well thank you for your time and then be on our way But if together we find lots of little things that are carelessly being done we will cleanfix it for you for FREE
Thats right use our services as a compliment to what you are already paying for Compare the quality of work we do to what you are already paying for If you can see the difference in what we do for you compared to what you are already paying for then consider us as your new cleaning service
6 Develop your marketing message
Once you understand the true needs your potential clients have and the unique and competitive solutions you can offer only then should you develop your marketing copy -- your sales pitch
The two examples above incorporate great marketing copy with a strong benefits related offer You can then deliver this through direct mail telemarketing or a combination of both
I would only recommend distributing flyers if you are confident you can place there where they will get read by people who make the decision to hire a cleaning service So if there is an Open Bulletin board in an office building then go for it However they are rare and you probably need permission anyway
Id avoid the fax marketing altogether Its quite annoying ties up there fax line and unless people have already heard of you they are more likely to toss your message in the garbage
Try sending direct mail to the decision makers of these target companies and describe the benefits they will experience from using your services
7 Follow up
Even after identifying the businesses that are most likely to need your services after you have identified a solution and even after you contacted them with a compelling offer you still have to follow up
Chances are they loved the sound of it when they got it They had every intention of following up with you But then just got busy So your follow up call can make all the difference in the world and get your foot in the door in a very big way Then its up to you to DELIVER on your promise
8 ANALYSIS
Market Analysis
The goal of a market analysis is to determine the attractiveness of a market and to understand its evolving opportunities and threats as they relate to the strengths and weaknesses of the firm
David A Aaker outlined the following dimensions of a market analysis
Market size (current and future)
Market growth rate
Market profitability
Industry cost structure
Distribution channels
Market trends
Key success factors
Market Size
The size of the market can be evaluated based on present sales and on potential sales if the use of the product were expanded The following are some information sources for determining market size
government data
trade associations financial data from major players customer surveys
Market Growth Rate
A simple means of forecasting the market growth rate is to extrapolate historical data into the future While this method may provide a first-order estimate it does not predict important turning points A better method is to study growth drivers such as demographic information and sales growth in complementary products Such drivers serve as leading indicators that are more accurate than simply extrapolating historical data
Important inflection points in the market growth rate sometimes can be predicted by constructing a product diffusion curve The shape of the curve can be estimated by studying the characteristics of the adoption rate of a similar product in the past
Ultimately the maturity and decline stages of the product life cycle will be reached Some leading indicators of the decline phase include price pressure caused by competition a decrease in brand loyalty the emergence of substitute products market saturation and the lack of growth drivers
Market Profitability
While different firms in a market will have different levels of profitability the average profit potential for a market can be used as a guideline for knowing how difficult it is to make money in the market Michael Porter devised a useful framework for evaluating the attractiveness of an industry or market This framework known as Porters five forces identifies five factors that influence the market profitability
Buyer power
Supplier power
Barriers to entry
Threat of substitute products
Rivalry among firms in the industry
Industry Cost Structure
The cost structure is important for identifying key factors for success To this end Porters value chain model is useful for determining where value is added and for isolating the costs
The cost structure also is helpful for formulating strategies to develop a competitive advantage For example in some environments the experience curve effect can be used to develop a cost advantage over competitors
Distribution Channels
The following aspects of the distribution system are useful in a market analysis
Existing distribution channels - can be described by how direct they are to the customer
Trends and emerging channels - new channels can offer the opportunity to develop a competitive advantage
Channel power structure - for example in the case of a product having little brand equity retailers have negotiating power over manufacturers and can capture more margin
Market Trends
Changes in the market are important because they often are the source of new opportunities and threats The relevant trends are industry-dependent but some examples include changes in price sensitivity demand for variety and level of emphasis on service and support Regional trends also may be relevant
Key Success Factors
The key success factors are those elements that are necessary in order for the firm to achieve its marketing objectives A few examples of such factors include
Access to essential unique resources
Ability to achieve economies of scale
Access to distribution channels
Technological progress
It is important to consider that key success factors may change over time especially as the product progresses through its life cycle
9 CONCLUSIONS
Organizations engage in marketing research for two reasons
(1) (1) to identify (2) and (2) solve marketing problems
(3)
This distinction serves as a basis for classifying marketing research into problem identification research and problem solving research
Problem identification research is undertaken to help identify problems which are perhaps not apparent on the surface and yet exist or are likely to company image market characteristics sales analysis short-range forecasting long range forecasting and business trends research Research of this type provides information about the marketing environment and helps diagnose a problem For example The findings of problem solving research are used in making decisions which will solve specific marketing problems
The Stanford Research Institute on the other hand conducts an annual survey of consumers that is used to classify persons into homogeneous groups for segmentation purposes The National Purchase Diary panel (NPD) maintains the largest diary panel in the United States
Standardized services are research studies conducted for different client firms but in a standard way For example procedures for measuring
advertising effectiveness have been standardized so that the results can be compared across studies and evaluative norms can be established The Starch Readership Survey is the most widely used service for evaluating print advertisements another well-known service is the Gallup and Robinson Magazine Impact Studies These services are also sold on a syndicated basis
Customized services offer a wide variety of marketing research services customized to suit a clients specific needs Each marketing research project is treated uniquely
Limited-service suppliers specialize in one or a few phases of the marketing research project Services offered by such suppliers are classified as field services coding and data entry data analysis analytical services and branded products Field services collect data through mail personal or telephone interviewing and firms that specialize in interviewing are called field service organizations These organizations may range from small proprietary organizations which operate locally to large multinational organizations with WATS line interviewing facilities Some organizations maintain extensive interviewing facilities across the country for interviewing shoppers in malls
Coding and data entry services include editing completed questionnaires developing a coding scheme and transcribing the data on to diskettes or magnetic tapes for input into the computer NRC Data Systems provides such services
Analytical services include designing and pretesting questionnaires determining the best means of collecting data designing sampling plans and other aspects of the research design Some complex
marketing research projects require knowledge of sophisticated procedures including specialized experimental designs and analytical techniques such as conjoint analysis and multidimensional scaling This kind of expertise can be obtained from firms and consultants specializing in analytical services
Data analysis services are offered by firms also known as tab houses that specialize in computer analysis of quantitative data such as those obtained in large surveys Initially most data analysis firms supplied only tabulations (frequency counts) and cross tabulations (frequency counts that describe two or more variables simultaneously) With the proliferation of software many firms now have the capability to analyze their own data but data analysis firms are still in demand
Branded marketing research products and services are specialized data collection and analysis procedures developed to address specific types of marketing research problems These procedures are patented given brand names and marketed like any other branded product
Types of marketing research
Marketing research techniques come in many forms including
Ad Tracking ndash periodic or continuous in-market research to monitor a brandrsquos performance using measures such as brand awareness brand preference and product usage (Young 2005)
Advertising Research ndash used to predict copy testing or track the efficacy of advertisements for any medium measured by the adrsquos ability to get attention (measured with Attention Tracking) communicate the message build the brandrsquos image and motivate the consumer to purchase the product or service (Young 2005)
Brand equity research - how favorably do consumers view the brand
Brand association research - what do consumers associate with the brand
Brand attribute research - what are the key traits that describe the brand promise
Brand name testing - what do consumers feel about the names of the products
Commercial eye tracking research - examine advertisements package designs websites etc by analyzing visual behavior of the consumer
Concept testing - to test the acceptance of a concept by target consumers
Cool hunting - to make observations and predictions in changes of new or existing cultural trends in areas such as fashion music films television youth culture and lifestyle
Buyer decision processes research - to determine what motivates people to buy and what decision-making process they use
Copy testing ndash predicts in-market performance of an ad before it airs by analyzing audience levels of attention brand linkage motivation entertainment and communication as well as breaking down the adrsquos flow of attention and flow of emotion (Young p 213)
Customer satisfaction research - quantitative or qualitative studies that yields an understanding of a customers of satisfaction with a transaction
Demand estimation - to determine the approximate level of demand for the product
Distribution channel audits - to assess distributorsrsquo and retailersrsquo attitudes toward a product brand or company
Internet strategic intelligence - searching for customer opinions in the Internet chats forums web pages blogs where people express freely about their experiences with products becoming strong opinion formers
Marketing effectiveness and analytics - Building models and measuring results to determine the effectiveness of individual marketing activities
Mystery Consumer or Mystery shopping - An employee or representative of the market research firm anonymously contacts a salesperson and indicates he or she is shopping for a product The shopper then records the entire experience This method is often used for quality control or for researching competitors products
Positioning research - how does the target market see the brand relative to competitors - what does the brand stand for
Price elasticity testing - to determine how sensitive customers are to price changes
Sales forecasting - to determine the expected level of sales given the level of demand With respect to other factors like Advertising expenditure sales promotion etc
Segmentation research - to determine the demographic psychographic and behavioural characteristics of potential buyers
Online panel - a group of individual who accepted to respond to marketing research online
Store audit - to measure the sales of a product or product line at a statistically selected store sample in order to determine market share or to determine whether a retail store provides adequate service
Test marketing - a small-scale product launch used to determine the likely acceptance of the product when it is introduced into a wider market
Viral Marketing Research - refers to marketing research designed to estimate the probability that specific communications will be transmitted throughout an individuals Social Network Estimates of Social Networking Potential (SNP) are combined with estimates of selling effectiveness to estimate ROI on specific combinations of messages and media
All of these forms of marketing research can be classified as either problem-identification research or as problem-solving research
There are two main sources of data - primary and secondary Primary research is conducted from scratch It is original and collected to solve the problem in hand Secondary research already exists since it has been collected for other purposes It is conducted on data published previously and usually by someone else Secondary research costs far less than primary research but seldom comes in a form that exactly meets the needs of the researcher
A similar distinction exists between exploratory research and conclusive research Exploratory research provides insights into and comprehension of an issue or situation It should draw definitive conclusions only with extreme caution Conclusive research draws conclusions the results of the study can be generalized to the whole population
Exploratory research is conducted to explore a problem to get some basic idea about the solution at the preliminary stages of research It may serve as the input to conclusive research Exploratory research information is collected by focus group interviews reviewing literature or books discussing with experts etc This is unstructured and qualitative in nature If a secondary source of data is unable to serve the purpose a convenience sample of small size can be collected Conclusive research is conducted to draw some conclusion about the problem It is essentially structured and quantitative research and the
output of this research is the input to MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS (MIS)
Marketing research methods
Methodologically marketing research uses the following types of research designs
Based on questioning
Qualitative marketing research - generally used for exploratory purposes - small number of respondents - not generalizable to the whole population - statistical significance and confidence not calculated - examples include focus groups in-depth interviews and projective techniques
Quantitative marketing research - generally used to draw conclusions - tests a specific hypothesis - uses random sampling techniques so as to infer from the sample to the population - involves a large number of respondents - examples include surveys and questionnaires Techniques include choice modelling maximum difference preference scaling and covariance analysis
Based on observations
Ethnographic studies - by nature qualitative the researcher observes social phenomena in their natural setting - observations can
occur cross-sectionally (observations made at one time) or longitudinally (observations occur over several time-periods) ndash
examples include product-use analysis and computer cookie traces See also Ethnography and Observational techniques
Experimental techniques - by nature quantitative the researcher creates a quasi-artificial environment to try to control spurious factors
then manipulates at least one of the variables - examples include purchase laboratories and test markets
Questionnaires 1 What are the objectives of the marketing strategy Are they clearly stated Are they consistent with the objectives of the firm Is the entire marketing mix structured to meet these objectives
2 What marketing concepts are at issue in the current strategy Is the marketing strategy well planned and laid out Is the strategy consistent with sound marketing principles If the strategy takes exception to marketing principles is there a good reason for it
3 To what target market is the strategy directed Is it well defined Is the market large enough to be profitably served Does the market have long-run potential
4 What competitive advantage does the marketing strategy offer If none what can be done to gain a competitive advantage in the marketplace
5 What products are being sold What is the width depth and consistency of the firms product lines Does the firm need new products to fill out its product line Should any product be deleted What is the profitability of the various products
6 What promotion mix is being used Is promotion consistent with the products and product images What could be done to improve the promotion mix
7 What channels of distribution are being used Do they deliver the product at the right time and right place to meet consumer needs Are the channels typical of those used in the industry Could channels be made more efficient
8 What pricing strategies are being used How do prices compare with similar products of other firms How are prices determined
9 Are marketing research and information systematically integrated into the marketing strategy Is the overall marketing strategy internally consistent
4 GROWTH DEVELOPMENT AND PRESENT STATUS OF THE ORGANIZATION
5 PRODUCT AND SERVICE PROFILE OF THE COMPANY
6 PROFILE OF ORGNIZATION
Organizational structure
cEO
7 DISCUSSION ON TRAINING
Marketing strategy is a process that can allow an organization to concentrate its limited resources on the greatest opportunities to increase sales and achieve a sustainable competitive advantage
Developing a marketing strategy
Marketing strategies serve as the fundamental underpinning of marketing plans designed to fill market needs and reach marketing objectives Plans and objectives are generally tested for measurable results Commonly marketing strategies are developed as multi-year plans with a tactical plan detailing specific actions to be accomplished in the current year Time horizons covered by the marketing plan vary by company by industry and by nation however time horizons are becoming shorter as the speed of change in the environment increases Marketing strategies are dynamic and interactive They are partially planned and partially unplanned See strategy dynamics
Marketing strategy involves careful scanning of the internal and external environments which are summarized in a SWOT analysis Internal environmental factors include the marketing mix plus performance analysis and strategic constraints External environmental factors include customer analysis competitor analysis target market analysis as well as evaluation of any elements of the technological economic cultural or politicallegal environment likely toimpact success A key component of marketing strategy is often to
keep marketing in line with a companys overarching mission statement
Types of strategies
Marketing strategies may differ depending on the unique situation of the individual business However there are a number of ways of categorizing some generic strategies A brief description of the most common categorizing schemes is presented below
Strategies based on market dominance - In this scheme firms are classified based on their market share or dominance of an industry Typically there are four types of market dominance strategies
Leader
Challenger
Follower
Nicher
Porter generic strategies - strategy on the dimensions of strategic scope and strategic strength Strategic scope refers to the market penetration while strategic strength refers to the firmrsquos sustainable competitive advantage The generic strategy framework (porter 1984) comprises two alternatives each with two alternative scopes These are Differentiation and low-cost leadership each with a dimension of Focus-broad or narrow
Product differentiation (broad)
Cost leadership (broad)
Market segmentation (narrow)
Innovation strategies - This deals with the firms rate of the new product development and business model innovation It asks whether the company is on the cutting edge of technology and business innovation There are three types
Pioneers
Close followers
Late followers
Growth strategies - In this scheme we ask the question ldquoHow should the firm growrdquo There are a number of different ways of answering that question but the most common gives four answers
Horizontal integration
Vertical integration
Diversification
Intensification
A more detailed scheme uses the categories[10]
Prospector
Analyzer
Defender
Reactor
Marketing warfare strategies - This scheme draws parallels between marketing strategies and military strategies
Many architects make the mistake of thinking that marketing has
only a peripheral relationship to what their firm does In fact marketing works best when it is totally integrated into the operations of your firm when itrsquos a part of everything you do You canrsquot create a plan for how to improve your marketing and increase your business without first considering your long-term goalsmdashnot just in terms of fee revenue or winning work but in terms of who you want to be and where you want to go both as a firm and as a professional There are a number of ways strategic planning
can help your firm
_ Build a shared vision for the firmrsquos future _ Articulate your vision so that it can be communicated to others
_ Get approval and support for the vision from senior leadership and ultimately your entire staff
_ Create a framework for all future decision making _ Figure out (and agree on) how much yoursquore going to spend on
marketing and other initiatives to make it happen
The discussion of strategic planning and marketing planning are divided into the following five areas
Strategic Planning
Getting to the Starting Line
Strategic planning is the process of developing a vision of who you are as a firm and what your longterm goals are Itrsquos about more than just marketing it can influence everything human resources finance information technology operations hiring promotions strategy design process client relationships the design of your office and absolutely anything else that affects your firm and its performance Firms typically engage in strategic planning at defining moments in their practice when the firmrsquos leadership changes or when the practice undergoes some kind of profound transformation The strategic planning process enables the firmrsquos leadership to build a shared vision for the firmrsquos future articulate the vision so that it can be communicated and create a framework for all future decision making When yoursquore ready to
engage in strategic planning itrsquos important to open your mind as much as possible Get ready to think big
Because strategic planning is a process not a document or a report it isnrsquot effective for a small group of leaders to issue a fat document as the strategic plan for the firm It will probably go unread It will certainly not achieve approval and support from the people who need to understand it and act on it Strategic planning is best conducted as an open process one that involves all your firmrsquos key leaders To begin the process set up a strategic planning meeting either as a retreat outside the office or as an extended in-house meeting (You may want to bring in a marketing consultant to help you with this) Figure out who should be there to give input to the vision for your firmrsquos future Keep the group as small as possible but donrsquot leave anyone out Ask everyone to commit half a day for the meeting (two hours just isnrsquot enough) and to come relaxed and prepared to focus on the firmrsquos strategic direction Give everyone an agenda in advance and ask each person to bring historical data based on his or her area of expertise or interest (financial data hiring or retention info winloss reports client feedback etc) Gather any existing documents that attempt to define the firm or its vision such as mission statements a firm description marketing materials articles that have been written about the firm and so on Plan to spend about half the meeting talking about where you are now (your firm your markets your competitors etc) and the other half talking about where yoursquod like to go (your mission your vision the action plan)
MARKETS FOR INDUSTRIAL GOODS
The market is the place where supply meets demand Suppliers and customers meet discuss and evaluate the conditions for exchange of goods and services and exchanges take place The conditions under which these exchanges occur especially that of price are influenced by the characteristics and structure of the market for example the number and market power of suppliers and customers Traditional economic analysis of markets presupposes that they are characterized by certain basic features firstly there is an assumption of free movement in the market and thus a customer will always buy where he obtains the best terms of exchange at that moment similarly the assumption is that suppliers will move to and from the market freely Thus the market is portrayed as atomistic Each unit in the market is free and independent to do as it wishes Also as a result of this free movement the market is characterized by change and stability is an exception Underlying these two assumptions is the further assumption that there is little or no cost of transaction In other words it is assumed that there are no costs in obtaining accurate information or in negotiations etc One effect of this assumption is that production costs
are considered central and that sellers can be simply represented by a production function
The traditional economic theory of the market has of course been subject to challenge and modification However it has influenced the models and principles used in marketing management The basic model that most of the literature in marketing is built on is the marketing mix model The key problems in marketing according to that model are
(a) to allocate resources to different competitive means or mix elements
(b) to design each mean as well as possible within the firms resource limitations
The market is often described in terms of response curves each defined in relation to a certain marketing decision variable or to the whole mix of a company The assumption is of course that the market consists of many individual customers that are affected by the marketers variables in accordance with a certain statistical distribution The same kind of influence can also be identified in the purchasing management
literature The focus here is largely on the management of a single purchase This does not give full consideration to the factors which have contributed to the way this purchase takes place or to the effects of this purchase on the subsequent dealings with the supplying company
Marketing Management
As we mentioned in the first section of this chapter the models and principles for industrial marketing management that are given by the literature are normally related to the marketing mix model The problems identified in these are the allocation of resources and the designing of competitive means However marketers in for example a highly concentrated industry may find different problems The issues associated with the handling of ten very large customers are of totally different character from those of handling 1000 small customers Thus marketers in firms in concentrated markets have a lack of accurate models for analyzing their marketing problems They have also a lack of relevant data expressed in a systematic way about the behaviour of other firms in the same situation
MARKETING ORGANIZATION
Overall Organization
Belters sales operations are split into three areas as follows
(i) Sales Manger mdash UK responsible for 60mdash70 per cent of total sales Four area offices handling all accounts except two major ones which are managed from the Companys main office
(ii) Sales Manager mdash Middle East Africa Eastern Europe accounting for approximately 20 per cent of total sales One manager plus two sales engineers The Company is currently building up an agencymdashdistributor network for this territory
(iii) Sales Manager mdash Western Europe responsible for the remaining 20 per cent of total sales The sales manager is located in Brussels with additional sales offices in Germany France and Italy The Brussels sales office is owned by Belters parent group All major commercial
transactions are carried out by Belters Head Office although the Brussels Company does have some price discretion This European sales company takes 85 per cent of its products for sale in Europe from Belter The remaining 15 per cent of products are sourced from the North-American parent company Apart from the European operation all agents and distributors overseas are handled from the UK
Evolution of Marketing Organization
Belter has often faced problems in the distribution of its products in France for example the Company had a combined agent and distributor operating until 1963 Belter provided applications engineering but had no commercial involvement in sales The company found that it had no influence on pricing in the market and this led to a rather artificial pricing structure and to a decreased market share This problem was not solved by the appointment of a second distributor Mergers amongst French suppliers have led to more competition in the market The second distributor did little to stimulate the first one or to improve the Companys overall penetration
In 1966 Belter separated out a number of products and major customers which were not to be handled via distributors These customers and products were to be controlled by the UK sales operation Also from 1970 the Brussels office ceased to have overall responsibility for sales to France and a Paris office was established The
overall market situation faced in France (and in other European countries) is as follows
There are many actual and potential users for some products which are not known by the Company Heavy competition exists especially on price for large customers who are often buying what they view as a commodity product Belters emerging strategy has been to handle these large customers through its own sales offices The Paris office actively seek sales of large volume products as well as acting as a `post office for products specially developed for individual customers which are then handled from the Companys main office Small customers and small volume products are handled by the two French distributors The development process in Italy has been similar to that in France Sales in Scandinavia do not justify a local sales office sales here are handled through a distributor from the Brussels office A small number of major accounts are however handled directly from the UK
BUYERmdashSELLER RELATIONSHIPS
A Customer Relationship in the United Kingdom
The three aspects of the relationship which are studied are competition technical development and personal contacts
This customer is Belters largest and is responsible for 20 per cent of its total business The Company operates in the aerospace industry at the limit of current technology The relationship involves considerable development liaison on wholly new products
Competition
Competition for this customer comes primarily from American suppliers The competition is on price and reflects the spare capacity in the American industry Competition from UK companies is also on price and comes from companies having a wider production spread than Belter
Development
This customer has always relied on Belter alone for development work in this product area However they have looked to other sources of supply when development has taken place The development process for a new product can be started either by a government development contract or by an order from the customer Belter acknowledged that it
has to stand the costs of this development in the latter case The customer has intimate knowledge of all of Belters procedures Methods of manufacture are agreed in detail and even the particular production machinery to be used is specified The closeness of the relationship between the two companies is indicated by the fact that the customer has approved Belters quality procedure and accepts their testing
Contact Pattern
Interpersonal contacts between Belter and its UK customer are summarized as
follows
(1) Formal Contacts
Every six months Technical policy liaison meeting jointly chaired by Belters Technical Director and the customers Chief Materials Manager Every sixmdashnine months Commercial meeting Belters Managing and Marketing Directors and Sales Manager and the customers Purchasing Director and Senior Purchasing Staff
Monthly UK Sales Manager visits customers purchasing staff to discuss delivery and order positions
(2) Other Contacts
These can be studied according to the formally assigned responsibility Personnel who have full-time responsibility One sales office man has daily contact with the customer Additionally one applications engineer is engaged on work for this customer Finally one man determines market trends and is in contact with the customers marketing personnel and customers clients Personnel with `half-time responsibility Four applications engineers also spend some of their time on the customers problems and are in personal contact with customer staff
PURPOSE OF A MARKETING PLAN
The purpose of a Marketing Plan is to-
1048766Define the Market
1048766Refine the Production Plan to market requirements
1048766Develop a marketing strategy
1048766Minimize risk
Each FFT group should have a Marketing Plan covering each commodity based on their own study of the local market
Defining the Market and Commodities-
1048766Market demand and prices -An assessment based on published market information discussions with local extension staff farmers dealers and buyers of the commodity of the likely demand and prices on offer during the year and during any period of seasonal shortfall
1048766Market Requirement- Varieties size grading packaging maturity demanded by the buyers in the particular market
1048766Yield Price Assumptions- How much commodity will be available How much premium grade Second grade Losses If the commodity crop is aimed to be produced for a particular period eg for a low supply period while the price assumptions (expectation) may be higher some reassessment of yield and cost of production assumptions in the gross margin analysis or partial budgets is usually necessary 1048766Marketing Returns and Costs Calculate expected income and costs in marketing
The Most Important Elements of Marketing There are four important elements in the marketing process
1048766Prioritising the customer Marketing begins with the customer not the product Knowing what the customer needs or wants is essential
1048766Process of selection The farmer needs to know who to sell the product to This will determine how and where the produce is marketed
1048766Promotion The farmer is selling something that other people want to buy Naturally it is helpful to let them know that the product is available and of good quality
The Marketing Training Manual 23 Marketing Module 3 Markets and Marketing
1048766Trust Good marketing occurs when the customers trust the farmer The customer should feel they are not being cheated and they are getting value for their money
In thinking about these elements farmers need to ask themselves about the six Ps
bull P p eople Who are the customers What do they want or need Who is actually going to market the product
bull P p lan How is the product going to reach the selected customers What are the steps
bull product What product is going to be marketed Is the family producing what the customer wants What services (for example a cooked product) if any are requested by the customer
bull place Where is the product going to be marketed
bull price What price will the product be offered on the market for
bull promotion How are people going to be informed that the product is available
Supply Demand and Price
In a free market prices for inputs and products are determined by supply and demand
Supply Is what producers are willing to market at a certain price
Demand Is how much consumers are prepared to buy at the market price
In theory as the price of a product goes up the quantity supplied rises and the quantity demanded falls Likewise when the price goes down the quantity supplied falls and the quantity demanded rises
For agricultural produce demand is affected by a number of factors the most
The Marketing Training Manual 24 Marketing Module 3 Markets and Marketing
Industrial or business to business (B2B) marketing
An organization seeks to build a new warehouse After documenting requirements it obtains three proposals from suitable construction firms After a long process of evaluation and negotiation it places an order with the organization that it believes offers the best value for money
An organization needs legal services and obtains submissions from two law firms Analysis of the proposals and subsequent discussions determines that there is no price advantage to placing all of the work with one firm and the organization decides to split the work between the two firms based on an evaluation of each firms capabilities
A sales representative makes an appointment with an organization that employs 22 people He demonstrates a photocopierfaxprinter to the office administrator After discussing a proposal the business owner signs a contract to obtain the machine on a fully-maintained rental and consumables basis with an upgrade after 2 years
Main features of the B2B selling process are
Marketing is one-to-one in nature It is relatively easy for the seller to identify a prospective customers and build a face-to-face relationship Highly professional and trained people in buying processes are involved In many cases two or three decision makers must approve a purchase plan Often the buying or selling process is complex and includes many stages (for example request for proposal request for tender selection process awarding of tender contract negotiations and signing of final contract) Selling activities involve long processes of prospecting qualifying wooing making representations preparing tenders developing strategies and contract negotiations
Blurring between B2B and B2C
Industrial marketing can cross the border into consumer marketing For example an electronic component seller may distribute its products through industrial marketing channels (see channel (marketing)) but also support consumer sales Many products are equally desired by business and consumersmdashsuch as audio products furniture paint hardware etc Nonetheless manufactures and service providers frequently maintain separate industrial and consumer marketing operations to reflect the different needs of the two channels
Competitive tendering
Industrial marketing often involves competitive tendering (see tender tendering) This is a process where a purchasing organization undertakes to procure goods and services from suitable suppliers Due to the high value of some purchases (for example buying a new computer system manufacturing
machinery or outsourcing a maintenance contract) and the complexity of such purchases the purchasing organization will seek to obtain a number of bids from competing suppliers and choose the best offering An entire profession (strategic procurement) that includes tertiary training and qualifications has been built around the process of making important purchases The key requirement in any competitive tender is to ensure that
The business case for the purchase has been completed and approved
The purchasing organizations objectives for the purchase are clearly defined
The procurement process is agreed upon and it conforms with fiscal guidelines and organisational policies The selection criteria have been established
A budget has been estimated and the financial resources are available
A buying team (or committee) has been assembled
A specification has been written
A preliminary scan of the market place has determined that enough potential suppliers are available to make the process viable (this can sometimes be achieved using an expression of interest process)
It has been clearly established that a competitive tendering process is the best method for meeting the objectives of this purchasing project If (for example) it was known that there was only one organisation capable of supplying best to get on with talking to them and negotiating a contract
Because of the significant value of many purchases issues of probity arise Organisations seek to ensure that awarding a contract is based on best fit to the agreed criteria and not bribery corruption or incompetence
Bidding process
Suppliers who are seeking to win a competitive tender go through a bidding process At its most primitive this would consist of evaluating the specification (issued by the purchasing organization) designing a suitable proposal and working out a price This is a primitive approach because
There is an old saying in industrial marketing if the first time you have heard about a tender is when you are invited to submit then you have already lost it
While flippant the previous point illustrates a basic requirement for being successful in competitive tendering it is important to develop a strong relationship with a prospective customer organization well before they have started the formal part of their procurement process
Non-tender purchasing
Not all industrial sales involve competitive tendering Tender processes are time consuming and expensive particularly when executed with the aim of ensuring probity Government agencies are particularly likely to utilise elaborate competitive tendering processes due to the expectation that they should be seen at all times to be responsibly and accountably spending public monies Private companies are able to avoid the complexity of a fully transparent tender process but are still able to run the procurement process with some rigourBeneficial
Developing a sales strategysolution sellingtechnical selling
The art of technical selling (solution selling) follows a three stage process
Stage 1 Sell the appointment Never sell over the telephone The aim of the first contact with a prospective purchaser is to sell the appointment The reason is simple industrial sales are complex any attempt to sell over the phone will trivialise your product or service and run the risk of not fully understanding the customers need
Stage 2 Understand their needs The best method of selling is to minimise the information about your goods or services until you have fully understood your customers requirements
Stage 3 Develop and propose a solution The solution is (of course) developed from your (or the firm that you represents) product or service offerings
Marketing supports solution selling through methods like account-based marketingmdashunderstanding a specific target organizations requirements as the foundation of a marketing program As research shows[1] sales success is heavily weighted towards suppliers who understand the customer In UK research 77 per cent of senior decision-makers believe new suppliers marketing From cannon fodder to preferred tenderer
The term cannon fodder derives from the World Wars and refers to the massing of undertrained and recently recruited troops sent to the fronts to face the enemy Such troops invariably had a poor survival rate but provided the tactical advantage of distracting the enemy while
professional soldiers mounted more effective operations In adopting the term to Industrial Marketing it means those bids being submitted that have no chance of winning but are involved to make up the numbers (you cant have only one bid in a competitive tender process that wouldnt satisfy the requirements of probity) (for example in government tenders or for private enterprise the requirement to truly test the market and to keep them honest) The reader might be wondering why anybody would go to all of the work of submitting a tender when they had no chance of winning for the same reason that troops were sent in to battle to die they thought they had a real chance
The key features of a successful industrial sales organisation
In industrial marketing the personal selling is still very effective because many products must be customized to suit the requirements of the individual customer Indicators such as the sales tunnel give information on the expected sales in the near future the hit rate indicates whether the sales organization is busy with promising sales leads or it is spending too much effort on projects that are eventually lost to the competition or that are abandoned by the prospect
RESEARCH PROBLEM
1 Identify your target market
Which businesses need cleaning services Which ones can afford it and will pay for it Why
In your case I would think that small businesses may not be your ideal client But then again define small business Are you referring to sales volume or number of employees
I can tell you right now as a marketing consultant that has worked with a wide variety of businesses including small companies
Small businesses are very price sensitive and prefer to do more themselves rather than pay someone else (They hold this belief even if it would free up more time to be more productive Go figure)
So before you randomly begin picking a target market have a rational reason why Continue to read below and youll begin to see what I am talking about
2 Determine their wants and needs
It may be obvious to you but ask yourself Why would someone want a clean office
These businesses never have walk-in traffic They do not have customers visit them So naturally there is far less of a concern for a clean office Sure it would be nice to have but since no revenue will be lost if their office is not spectacular looking they are not motivated to do anything about it
However seek out the businesses that do deal with customers directly especially professional services where they have very high end clients visit them Now they NEED a very presentable office or they risk losing out on a lot of revenue
3 Determine the level and type of demand
If you have ever read any of my previous work you will know that I am a very strong advocate of knowing whether the type of demand is Primary Demand or Selective Demand It is one of the most overlooked aspects of marketing being ignored today
Primary Demand If a business does not already use your TYPE of service and is not currently considering doing so you will need to create primary demand Simply put you will have to convince them first to even want your type of service (or product) before you even get them to buy it from you
So for your cleaning business example if you are approaching businesses that currently do not use a cleaning service you will have to explain the time saving and productivity enhancing benefits of using one Then explain why YOU are the one they need
Selective Demand These businesses already use a service (or product) or are in the market for it and are actively looking In these cases you do not need to spend much effort convincing them why they need it
In this case you must state your argument why your cleaning service should be the one they choose
This is what you will encounter when you call on or contact businesses already using a cleaning service They will either be satisfied or unsatisfied with their current service provider Your emphasis will have to be on conquest sales -- meaning stealing customers from your competition
Now in your line of business and in many others slashing prices always seems to be the first technique used to steal customers This may work well for selling products But if you are marketing services let me tell you thisthink twice before doing that
Yes I am fully aware of the fact that there will be businesses that will be open to talking to you if you offer them a better deal In some cases they may feel they are legitimately getting ripped off or paying way
too much right now And they just might be right In those cases if you can give them a fair price that is a better deal for them AND still gives you healthy profit margins then go for it
However if you are slashing prices just to gain clients arent you really just hurting yourself in the long run First of all you can easily get into the game of How low will they go Secondly it de-values your perception of quality if you are cheap Thirdly whos to say after all this effort you wont lose the business in a month or two when someone else quotes them an even lower price
What will you do next price so low that you lose money with every client I didnt think so
Heres what you could do though
4 Develop a Hypothesis and a Solution to Match
After you know your target market have defined their needs and analyzed the competitive picture (currently using or not currently using a service like mine) go ahead and develop a clearly thought out hypothesis
For example start with business NOT currently using a cleaning service but that deal with customers or clients regularly at their location
Develop a strong case for WHY they would be wise to invest in your
cleaning services Show them on a break-even analysis that your fee will be well compensated in either customer retention or converting a higher level of store traffic or business appointments into paying customersclients
Then state your case why it is more cost effective and saves them valuable time to outsource this to you rather than doing it themselves or paying an employee overtime to do it You can also emphasize that you are the expert at this not someones secretary so it is expected that you will do a far better job at it
For businesses that ARE already using a cleaning service or are currently shopping for one state why you are unique and better
Determine the really compelling reasons why these businesses want a cleaning service to begin with
Maybe it is a retail store that wants to create a better first impression for their customers This will ultimately lead to a better customer experience and ultimately more in-store purchases
A good example may be that unlike most competitors you also clean windows Well as a marketing consultant to retail businesses I can tell you that many passerbys will first look in a store window before deciding to walk in or not
Now for successful marketing all retail businesses would perform better if they had more in-store traffic So therefore if your cleaning service also cleans windows you could rightfully justify that your services are more valuable to their retail business You actually HELP
them get more customers and sell more products
Maybe it is a professional service business that needs to impress prospective clients to choose their services over a similar competitor
Your cleaning service may dust chairs and polish wooden conference tables Many other cleaning services may not do this or do a poor job in doing so
Now as marketing consultants to service businesses I can also tell you that if a consultant attorney accountant or any other business professional needs to meet with prospective clients in their office they will appreciate a better appearance So if your cleaning services can provide this better than anyone else (or at least if you tell them about this first) you will get the business or at least be highly considered for it
Whatever the case may be establish what makes you different and have you are best suited to meet their needs
Do you see where I am going with this Your initial marketing questions asked how you can get more business by passing out flyers or sending faxes to small offices Truthfully that is simply not going to work You are not looking at the overall big picture of why anyone would either want to hire a cleaning service or to hire your particular cleaning service
5 You must make AN OFFER
Here are some examples
Marketing messagesales offer to a business that does NOT currently use a cleaning service
If you have never considered using a cleaning service before allow us to show you how XYZ Cleaning Inc can make your storeoffice more presentable to customers and how this newly improved appearance will affect your cash registerbank statement
If you are weary of trying new things dont worry Use us FREE for one month and if you are not completely satisfied with the results if you are not completely confident that it makes a difference to your customers if you are not completely aware of how it raises the morale of your employees then you do not have to using us again
But if YOU DO see a great improvement well make you a great deal on our services simply because we want your long term business Marketing messagesales offer to businesses that DO currently use a cleaning service
I understand that you currently use ABC Cleaners LLC Now you may or may not be completely happy right now but I want to make you a no-risk offer you cant refuse
The truth is that you likely get consumed in your day to day activities in running your business overseeing operations managing employees and handling customers Therefore there may be little imperfections your cleaning service is making that goes unnoticed by you But dont assume for one minute that your customers or potential customers wont notice And remember first impressions DO count
So heres our offer Have us come in the morning after your regular cleaning service cleans your office We will do a thorough inspection with you present and look for anything they may have done a less-than-satisfactory job on Then well show you why you probably over looked it for so long but why your customers will take notice and how they will think differently about you because of it
Now if everything is already 100 completely clean and presentable well thank you for your time and then be on our way But if together we find lots of little things that are carelessly being done we will cleanfix it for you for FREE
Thats right use our services as a compliment to what you are already paying for Compare the quality of work we do to what you are already paying for If you can see the difference in what we do for you compared to what you are already paying for then consider us as your new cleaning service
6 Develop your marketing message
Once you understand the true needs your potential clients have and the unique and competitive solutions you can offer only then should you develop your marketing copy -- your sales pitch
The two examples above incorporate great marketing copy with a strong benefits related offer You can then deliver this through direct mail telemarketing or a combination of both
I would only recommend distributing flyers if you are confident you can place there where they will get read by people who make the decision to hire a cleaning service So if there is an Open Bulletin board in an office building then go for it However they are rare and you probably need permission anyway
Id avoid the fax marketing altogether Its quite annoying ties up there fax line and unless people have already heard of you they are more likely to toss your message in the garbage
Try sending direct mail to the decision makers of these target companies and describe the benefits they will experience from using your services
7 Follow up
Even after identifying the businesses that are most likely to need your services after you have identified a solution and even after you contacted them with a compelling offer you still have to follow up
Chances are they loved the sound of it when they got it They had every intention of following up with you But then just got busy So your follow up call can make all the difference in the world and get your foot in the door in a very big way Then its up to you to DELIVER on your promise
8 ANALYSIS
Market Analysis
The goal of a market analysis is to determine the attractiveness of a market and to understand its evolving opportunities and threats as they relate to the strengths and weaknesses of the firm
David A Aaker outlined the following dimensions of a market analysis
Market size (current and future)
Market growth rate
Market profitability
Industry cost structure
Distribution channels
Market trends
Key success factors
Market Size
The size of the market can be evaluated based on present sales and on potential sales if the use of the product were expanded The following are some information sources for determining market size
government data
trade associations financial data from major players customer surveys
Market Growth Rate
A simple means of forecasting the market growth rate is to extrapolate historical data into the future While this method may provide a first-order estimate it does not predict important turning points A better method is to study growth drivers such as demographic information and sales growth in complementary products Such drivers serve as leading indicators that are more accurate than simply extrapolating historical data
Important inflection points in the market growth rate sometimes can be predicted by constructing a product diffusion curve The shape of the curve can be estimated by studying the characteristics of the adoption rate of a similar product in the past
Ultimately the maturity and decline stages of the product life cycle will be reached Some leading indicators of the decline phase include price pressure caused by competition a decrease in brand loyalty the emergence of substitute products market saturation and the lack of growth drivers
Market Profitability
While different firms in a market will have different levels of profitability the average profit potential for a market can be used as a guideline for knowing how difficult it is to make money in the market Michael Porter devised a useful framework for evaluating the attractiveness of an industry or market This framework known as Porters five forces identifies five factors that influence the market profitability
Buyer power
Supplier power
Barriers to entry
Threat of substitute products
Rivalry among firms in the industry
Industry Cost Structure
The cost structure is important for identifying key factors for success To this end Porters value chain model is useful for determining where value is added and for isolating the costs
The cost structure also is helpful for formulating strategies to develop a competitive advantage For example in some environments the experience curve effect can be used to develop a cost advantage over competitors
Distribution Channels
The following aspects of the distribution system are useful in a market analysis
Existing distribution channels - can be described by how direct they are to the customer
Trends and emerging channels - new channels can offer the opportunity to develop a competitive advantage
Channel power structure - for example in the case of a product having little brand equity retailers have negotiating power over manufacturers and can capture more margin
Market Trends
Changes in the market are important because they often are the source of new opportunities and threats The relevant trends are industry-dependent but some examples include changes in price sensitivity demand for variety and level of emphasis on service and support Regional trends also may be relevant
Key Success Factors
The key success factors are those elements that are necessary in order for the firm to achieve its marketing objectives A few examples of such factors include
Access to essential unique resources
Ability to achieve economies of scale
Access to distribution channels
Technological progress
It is important to consider that key success factors may change over time especially as the product progresses through its life cycle
9 CONCLUSIONS
Organizations engage in marketing research for two reasons
(1) (1) to identify (2) and (2) solve marketing problems
(3)
This distinction serves as a basis for classifying marketing research into problem identification research and problem solving research
Problem identification research is undertaken to help identify problems which are perhaps not apparent on the surface and yet exist or are likely to company image market characteristics sales analysis short-range forecasting long range forecasting and business trends research Research of this type provides information about the marketing environment and helps diagnose a problem For example The findings of problem solving research are used in making decisions which will solve specific marketing problems
The Stanford Research Institute on the other hand conducts an annual survey of consumers that is used to classify persons into homogeneous groups for segmentation purposes The National Purchase Diary panel (NPD) maintains the largest diary panel in the United States
Standardized services are research studies conducted for different client firms but in a standard way For example procedures for measuring
advertising effectiveness have been standardized so that the results can be compared across studies and evaluative norms can be established The Starch Readership Survey is the most widely used service for evaluating print advertisements another well-known service is the Gallup and Robinson Magazine Impact Studies These services are also sold on a syndicated basis
Customized services offer a wide variety of marketing research services customized to suit a clients specific needs Each marketing research project is treated uniquely
Limited-service suppliers specialize in one or a few phases of the marketing research project Services offered by such suppliers are classified as field services coding and data entry data analysis analytical services and branded products Field services collect data through mail personal or telephone interviewing and firms that specialize in interviewing are called field service organizations These organizations may range from small proprietary organizations which operate locally to large multinational organizations with WATS line interviewing facilities Some organizations maintain extensive interviewing facilities across the country for interviewing shoppers in malls
Coding and data entry services include editing completed questionnaires developing a coding scheme and transcribing the data on to diskettes or magnetic tapes for input into the computer NRC Data Systems provides such services
Analytical services include designing and pretesting questionnaires determining the best means of collecting data designing sampling plans and other aspects of the research design Some complex
marketing research projects require knowledge of sophisticated procedures including specialized experimental designs and analytical techniques such as conjoint analysis and multidimensional scaling This kind of expertise can be obtained from firms and consultants specializing in analytical services
Data analysis services are offered by firms also known as tab houses that specialize in computer analysis of quantitative data such as those obtained in large surveys Initially most data analysis firms supplied only tabulations (frequency counts) and cross tabulations (frequency counts that describe two or more variables simultaneously) With the proliferation of software many firms now have the capability to analyze their own data but data analysis firms are still in demand
Branded marketing research products and services are specialized data collection and analysis procedures developed to address specific types of marketing research problems These procedures are patented given brand names and marketed like any other branded product
Types of marketing research
Marketing research techniques come in many forms including
Ad Tracking ndash periodic or continuous in-market research to monitor a brandrsquos performance using measures such as brand awareness brand preference and product usage (Young 2005)
Advertising Research ndash used to predict copy testing or track the efficacy of advertisements for any medium measured by the adrsquos ability to get attention (measured with Attention Tracking) communicate the message build the brandrsquos image and motivate the consumer to purchase the product or service (Young 2005)
Brand equity research - how favorably do consumers view the brand
Brand association research - what do consumers associate with the brand
Brand attribute research - what are the key traits that describe the brand promise
Brand name testing - what do consumers feel about the names of the products
Commercial eye tracking research - examine advertisements package designs websites etc by analyzing visual behavior of the consumer
Concept testing - to test the acceptance of a concept by target consumers
Cool hunting - to make observations and predictions in changes of new or existing cultural trends in areas such as fashion music films television youth culture and lifestyle
Buyer decision processes research - to determine what motivates people to buy and what decision-making process they use
Copy testing ndash predicts in-market performance of an ad before it airs by analyzing audience levels of attention brand linkage motivation entertainment and communication as well as breaking down the adrsquos flow of attention and flow of emotion (Young p 213)
Customer satisfaction research - quantitative or qualitative studies that yields an understanding of a customers of satisfaction with a transaction
Demand estimation - to determine the approximate level of demand for the product
Distribution channel audits - to assess distributorsrsquo and retailersrsquo attitudes toward a product brand or company
Internet strategic intelligence - searching for customer opinions in the Internet chats forums web pages blogs where people express freely about their experiences with products becoming strong opinion formers
Marketing effectiveness and analytics - Building models and measuring results to determine the effectiveness of individual marketing activities
Mystery Consumer or Mystery shopping - An employee or representative of the market research firm anonymously contacts a salesperson and indicates he or she is shopping for a product The shopper then records the entire experience This method is often used for quality control or for researching competitors products
Positioning research - how does the target market see the brand relative to competitors - what does the brand stand for
Price elasticity testing - to determine how sensitive customers are to price changes
Sales forecasting - to determine the expected level of sales given the level of demand With respect to other factors like Advertising expenditure sales promotion etc
Segmentation research - to determine the demographic psychographic and behavioural characteristics of potential buyers
Online panel - a group of individual who accepted to respond to marketing research online
Store audit - to measure the sales of a product or product line at a statistically selected store sample in order to determine market share or to determine whether a retail store provides adequate service
Test marketing - a small-scale product launch used to determine the likely acceptance of the product when it is introduced into a wider market
Viral Marketing Research - refers to marketing research designed to estimate the probability that specific communications will be transmitted throughout an individuals Social Network Estimates of Social Networking Potential (SNP) are combined with estimates of selling effectiveness to estimate ROI on specific combinations of messages and media
All of these forms of marketing research can be classified as either problem-identification research or as problem-solving research
There are two main sources of data - primary and secondary Primary research is conducted from scratch It is original and collected to solve the problem in hand Secondary research already exists since it has been collected for other purposes It is conducted on data published previously and usually by someone else Secondary research costs far less than primary research but seldom comes in a form that exactly meets the needs of the researcher
A similar distinction exists between exploratory research and conclusive research Exploratory research provides insights into and comprehension of an issue or situation It should draw definitive conclusions only with extreme caution Conclusive research draws conclusions the results of the study can be generalized to the whole population
Exploratory research is conducted to explore a problem to get some basic idea about the solution at the preliminary stages of research It may serve as the input to conclusive research Exploratory research information is collected by focus group interviews reviewing literature or books discussing with experts etc This is unstructured and qualitative in nature If a secondary source of data is unable to serve the purpose a convenience sample of small size can be collected Conclusive research is conducted to draw some conclusion about the problem It is essentially structured and quantitative research and the
output of this research is the input to MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS (MIS)
Marketing research methods
Methodologically marketing research uses the following types of research designs
Based on questioning
Qualitative marketing research - generally used for exploratory purposes - small number of respondents - not generalizable to the whole population - statistical significance and confidence not calculated - examples include focus groups in-depth interviews and projective techniques
Quantitative marketing research - generally used to draw conclusions - tests a specific hypothesis - uses random sampling techniques so as to infer from the sample to the population - involves a large number of respondents - examples include surveys and questionnaires Techniques include choice modelling maximum difference preference scaling and covariance analysis
Based on observations
Ethnographic studies - by nature qualitative the researcher observes social phenomena in their natural setting - observations can
occur cross-sectionally (observations made at one time) or longitudinally (observations occur over several time-periods) ndash
examples include product-use analysis and computer cookie traces See also Ethnography and Observational techniques
Experimental techniques - by nature quantitative the researcher creates a quasi-artificial environment to try to control spurious factors
then manipulates at least one of the variables - examples include purchase laboratories and test markets
Questionnaires 1 What are the objectives of the marketing strategy Are they clearly stated Are they consistent with the objectives of the firm Is the entire marketing mix structured to meet these objectives
2 What marketing concepts are at issue in the current strategy Is the marketing strategy well planned and laid out Is the strategy consistent with sound marketing principles If the strategy takes exception to marketing principles is there a good reason for it
3 To what target market is the strategy directed Is it well defined Is the market large enough to be profitably served Does the market have long-run potential
4 What competitive advantage does the marketing strategy offer If none what can be done to gain a competitive advantage in the marketplace
5 What products are being sold What is the width depth and consistency of the firms product lines Does the firm need new products to fill out its product line Should any product be deleted What is the profitability of the various products
6 What promotion mix is being used Is promotion consistent with the products and product images What could be done to improve the promotion mix
7 What channels of distribution are being used Do they deliver the product at the right time and right place to meet consumer needs Are the channels typical of those used in the industry Could channels be made more efficient
8 What pricing strategies are being used How do prices compare with similar products of other firms How are prices determined
9 Are marketing research and information systematically integrated into the marketing strategy Is the overall marketing strategy internally consistent
5 PRODUCT AND SERVICE PROFILE OF THE COMPANY
6 PROFILE OF ORGNIZATION
Organizational structure
cEO
7 DISCUSSION ON TRAINING
Marketing strategy is a process that can allow an organization to concentrate its limited resources on the greatest opportunities to increase sales and achieve a sustainable competitive advantage
Developing a marketing strategy
Marketing strategies serve as the fundamental underpinning of marketing plans designed to fill market needs and reach marketing objectives Plans and objectives are generally tested for measurable results Commonly marketing strategies are developed as multi-year plans with a tactical plan detailing specific actions to be accomplished in the current year Time horizons covered by the marketing plan vary by company by industry and by nation however time horizons are becoming shorter as the speed of change in the environment increases Marketing strategies are dynamic and interactive They are partially planned and partially unplanned See strategy dynamics
Marketing strategy involves careful scanning of the internal and external environments which are summarized in a SWOT analysis Internal environmental factors include the marketing mix plus performance analysis and strategic constraints External environmental factors include customer analysis competitor analysis target market analysis as well as evaluation of any elements of the technological economic cultural or politicallegal environment likely toimpact success A key component of marketing strategy is often to
keep marketing in line with a companys overarching mission statement
Types of strategies
Marketing strategies may differ depending on the unique situation of the individual business However there are a number of ways of categorizing some generic strategies A brief description of the most common categorizing schemes is presented below
Strategies based on market dominance - In this scheme firms are classified based on their market share or dominance of an industry Typically there are four types of market dominance strategies
Leader
Challenger
Follower
Nicher
Porter generic strategies - strategy on the dimensions of strategic scope and strategic strength Strategic scope refers to the market penetration while strategic strength refers to the firmrsquos sustainable competitive advantage The generic strategy framework (porter 1984) comprises two alternatives each with two alternative scopes These are Differentiation and low-cost leadership each with a dimension of Focus-broad or narrow
Product differentiation (broad)
Cost leadership (broad)
Market segmentation (narrow)
Innovation strategies - This deals with the firms rate of the new product development and business model innovation It asks whether the company is on the cutting edge of technology and business innovation There are three types
Pioneers
Close followers
Late followers
Growth strategies - In this scheme we ask the question ldquoHow should the firm growrdquo There are a number of different ways of answering that question but the most common gives four answers
Horizontal integration
Vertical integration
Diversification
Intensification
A more detailed scheme uses the categories[10]
Prospector
Analyzer
Defender
Reactor
Marketing warfare strategies - This scheme draws parallels between marketing strategies and military strategies
Many architects make the mistake of thinking that marketing has
only a peripheral relationship to what their firm does In fact marketing works best when it is totally integrated into the operations of your firm when itrsquos a part of everything you do You canrsquot create a plan for how to improve your marketing and increase your business without first considering your long-term goalsmdashnot just in terms of fee revenue or winning work but in terms of who you want to be and where you want to go both as a firm and as a professional There are a number of ways strategic planning
can help your firm
_ Build a shared vision for the firmrsquos future _ Articulate your vision so that it can be communicated to others
_ Get approval and support for the vision from senior leadership and ultimately your entire staff
_ Create a framework for all future decision making _ Figure out (and agree on) how much yoursquore going to spend on
marketing and other initiatives to make it happen
The discussion of strategic planning and marketing planning are divided into the following five areas
Strategic Planning
Getting to the Starting Line
Strategic planning is the process of developing a vision of who you are as a firm and what your longterm goals are Itrsquos about more than just marketing it can influence everything human resources finance information technology operations hiring promotions strategy design process client relationships the design of your office and absolutely anything else that affects your firm and its performance Firms typically engage in strategic planning at defining moments in their practice when the firmrsquos leadership changes or when the practice undergoes some kind of profound transformation The strategic planning process enables the firmrsquos leadership to build a shared vision for the firmrsquos future articulate the vision so that it can be communicated and create a framework for all future decision making When yoursquore ready to
engage in strategic planning itrsquos important to open your mind as much as possible Get ready to think big
Because strategic planning is a process not a document or a report it isnrsquot effective for a small group of leaders to issue a fat document as the strategic plan for the firm It will probably go unread It will certainly not achieve approval and support from the people who need to understand it and act on it Strategic planning is best conducted as an open process one that involves all your firmrsquos key leaders To begin the process set up a strategic planning meeting either as a retreat outside the office or as an extended in-house meeting (You may want to bring in a marketing consultant to help you with this) Figure out who should be there to give input to the vision for your firmrsquos future Keep the group as small as possible but donrsquot leave anyone out Ask everyone to commit half a day for the meeting (two hours just isnrsquot enough) and to come relaxed and prepared to focus on the firmrsquos strategic direction Give everyone an agenda in advance and ask each person to bring historical data based on his or her area of expertise or interest (financial data hiring or retention info winloss reports client feedback etc) Gather any existing documents that attempt to define the firm or its vision such as mission statements a firm description marketing materials articles that have been written about the firm and so on Plan to spend about half the meeting talking about where you are now (your firm your markets your competitors etc) and the other half talking about where yoursquod like to go (your mission your vision the action plan)
MARKETS FOR INDUSTRIAL GOODS
The market is the place where supply meets demand Suppliers and customers meet discuss and evaluate the conditions for exchange of goods and services and exchanges take place The conditions under which these exchanges occur especially that of price are influenced by the characteristics and structure of the market for example the number and market power of suppliers and customers Traditional economic analysis of markets presupposes that they are characterized by certain basic features firstly there is an assumption of free movement in the market and thus a customer will always buy where he obtains the best terms of exchange at that moment similarly the assumption is that suppliers will move to and from the market freely Thus the market is portrayed as atomistic Each unit in the market is free and independent to do as it wishes Also as a result of this free movement the market is characterized by change and stability is an exception Underlying these two assumptions is the further assumption that there is little or no cost of transaction In other words it is assumed that there are no costs in obtaining accurate information or in negotiations etc One effect of this assumption is that production costs
are considered central and that sellers can be simply represented by a production function
The traditional economic theory of the market has of course been subject to challenge and modification However it has influenced the models and principles used in marketing management The basic model that most of the literature in marketing is built on is the marketing mix model The key problems in marketing according to that model are
(a) to allocate resources to different competitive means or mix elements
(b) to design each mean as well as possible within the firms resource limitations
The market is often described in terms of response curves each defined in relation to a certain marketing decision variable or to the whole mix of a company The assumption is of course that the market consists of many individual customers that are affected by the marketers variables in accordance with a certain statistical distribution The same kind of influence can also be identified in the purchasing management
literature The focus here is largely on the management of a single purchase This does not give full consideration to the factors which have contributed to the way this purchase takes place or to the effects of this purchase on the subsequent dealings with the supplying company
Marketing Management
As we mentioned in the first section of this chapter the models and principles for industrial marketing management that are given by the literature are normally related to the marketing mix model The problems identified in these are the allocation of resources and the designing of competitive means However marketers in for example a highly concentrated industry may find different problems The issues associated with the handling of ten very large customers are of totally different character from those of handling 1000 small customers Thus marketers in firms in concentrated markets have a lack of accurate models for analyzing their marketing problems They have also a lack of relevant data expressed in a systematic way about the behaviour of other firms in the same situation
MARKETING ORGANIZATION
Overall Organization
Belters sales operations are split into three areas as follows
(i) Sales Manger mdash UK responsible for 60mdash70 per cent of total sales Four area offices handling all accounts except two major ones which are managed from the Companys main office
(ii) Sales Manager mdash Middle East Africa Eastern Europe accounting for approximately 20 per cent of total sales One manager plus two sales engineers The Company is currently building up an agencymdashdistributor network for this territory
(iii) Sales Manager mdash Western Europe responsible for the remaining 20 per cent of total sales The sales manager is located in Brussels with additional sales offices in Germany France and Italy The Brussels sales office is owned by Belters parent group All major commercial
transactions are carried out by Belters Head Office although the Brussels Company does have some price discretion This European sales company takes 85 per cent of its products for sale in Europe from Belter The remaining 15 per cent of products are sourced from the North-American parent company Apart from the European operation all agents and distributors overseas are handled from the UK
Evolution of Marketing Organization
Belter has often faced problems in the distribution of its products in France for example the Company had a combined agent and distributor operating until 1963 Belter provided applications engineering but had no commercial involvement in sales The company found that it had no influence on pricing in the market and this led to a rather artificial pricing structure and to a decreased market share This problem was not solved by the appointment of a second distributor Mergers amongst French suppliers have led to more competition in the market The second distributor did little to stimulate the first one or to improve the Companys overall penetration
In 1966 Belter separated out a number of products and major customers which were not to be handled via distributors These customers and products were to be controlled by the UK sales operation Also from 1970 the Brussels office ceased to have overall responsibility for sales to France and a Paris office was established The
overall market situation faced in France (and in other European countries) is as follows
There are many actual and potential users for some products which are not known by the Company Heavy competition exists especially on price for large customers who are often buying what they view as a commodity product Belters emerging strategy has been to handle these large customers through its own sales offices The Paris office actively seek sales of large volume products as well as acting as a `post office for products specially developed for individual customers which are then handled from the Companys main office Small customers and small volume products are handled by the two French distributors The development process in Italy has been similar to that in France Sales in Scandinavia do not justify a local sales office sales here are handled through a distributor from the Brussels office A small number of major accounts are however handled directly from the UK
BUYERmdashSELLER RELATIONSHIPS
A Customer Relationship in the United Kingdom
The three aspects of the relationship which are studied are competition technical development and personal contacts
This customer is Belters largest and is responsible for 20 per cent of its total business The Company operates in the aerospace industry at the limit of current technology The relationship involves considerable development liaison on wholly new products
Competition
Competition for this customer comes primarily from American suppliers The competition is on price and reflects the spare capacity in the American industry Competition from UK companies is also on price and comes from companies having a wider production spread than Belter
Development
This customer has always relied on Belter alone for development work in this product area However they have looked to other sources of supply when development has taken place The development process for a new product can be started either by a government development contract or by an order from the customer Belter acknowledged that it
has to stand the costs of this development in the latter case The customer has intimate knowledge of all of Belters procedures Methods of manufacture are agreed in detail and even the particular production machinery to be used is specified The closeness of the relationship between the two companies is indicated by the fact that the customer has approved Belters quality procedure and accepts their testing
Contact Pattern
Interpersonal contacts between Belter and its UK customer are summarized as
follows
(1) Formal Contacts
Every six months Technical policy liaison meeting jointly chaired by Belters Technical Director and the customers Chief Materials Manager Every sixmdashnine months Commercial meeting Belters Managing and Marketing Directors and Sales Manager and the customers Purchasing Director and Senior Purchasing Staff
Monthly UK Sales Manager visits customers purchasing staff to discuss delivery and order positions
(2) Other Contacts
These can be studied according to the formally assigned responsibility Personnel who have full-time responsibility One sales office man has daily contact with the customer Additionally one applications engineer is engaged on work for this customer Finally one man determines market trends and is in contact with the customers marketing personnel and customers clients Personnel with `half-time responsibility Four applications engineers also spend some of their time on the customers problems and are in personal contact with customer staff
PURPOSE OF A MARKETING PLAN
The purpose of a Marketing Plan is to-
1048766Define the Market
1048766Refine the Production Plan to market requirements
1048766Develop a marketing strategy
1048766Minimize risk
Each FFT group should have a Marketing Plan covering each commodity based on their own study of the local market
Defining the Market and Commodities-
1048766Market demand and prices -An assessment based on published market information discussions with local extension staff farmers dealers and buyers of the commodity of the likely demand and prices on offer during the year and during any period of seasonal shortfall
1048766Market Requirement- Varieties size grading packaging maturity demanded by the buyers in the particular market
1048766Yield Price Assumptions- How much commodity will be available How much premium grade Second grade Losses If the commodity crop is aimed to be produced for a particular period eg for a low supply period while the price assumptions (expectation) may be higher some reassessment of yield and cost of production assumptions in the gross margin analysis or partial budgets is usually necessary 1048766Marketing Returns and Costs Calculate expected income and costs in marketing
The Most Important Elements of Marketing There are four important elements in the marketing process
1048766Prioritising the customer Marketing begins with the customer not the product Knowing what the customer needs or wants is essential
1048766Process of selection The farmer needs to know who to sell the product to This will determine how and where the produce is marketed
1048766Promotion The farmer is selling something that other people want to buy Naturally it is helpful to let them know that the product is available and of good quality
The Marketing Training Manual 23 Marketing Module 3 Markets and Marketing
1048766Trust Good marketing occurs when the customers trust the farmer The customer should feel they are not being cheated and they are getting value for their money
In thinking about these elements farmers need to ask themselves about the six Ps
bull P p eople Who are the customers What do they want or need Who is actually going to market the product
bull P p lan How is the product going to reach the selected customers What are the steps
bull product What product is going to be marketed Is the family producing what the customer wants What services (for example a cooked product) if any are requested by the customer
bull place Where is the product going to be marketed
bull price What price will the product be offered on the market for
bull promotion How are people going to be informed that the product is available
Supply Demand and Price
In a free market prices for inputs and products are determined by supply and demand
Supply Is what producers are willing to market at a certain price
Demand Is how much consumers are prepared to buy at the market price
In theory as the price of a product goes up the quantity supplied rises and the quantity demanded falls Likewise when the price goes down the quantity supplied falls and the quantity demanded rises
For agricultural produce demand is affected by a number of factors the most
The Marketing Training Manual 24 Marketing Module 3 Markets and Marketing
Industrial or business to business (B2B) marketing
An organization seeks to build a new warehouse After documenting requirements it obtains three proposals from suitable construction firms After a long process of evaluation and negotiation it places an order with the organization that it believes offers the best value for money
An organization needs legal services and obtains submissions from two law firms Analysis of the proposals and subsequent discussions determines that there is no price advantage to placing all of the work with one firm and the organization decides to split the work between the two firms based on an evaluation of each firms capabilities
A sales representative makes an appointment with an organization that employs 22 people He demonstrates a photocopierfaxprinter to the office administrator After discussing a proposal the business owner signs a contract to obtain the machine on a fully-maintained rental and consumables basis with an upgrade after 2 years
Main features of the B2B selling process are
Marketing is one-to-one in nature It is relatively easy for the seller to identify a prospective customers and build a face-to-face relationship Highly professional and trained people in buying processes are involved In many cases two or three decision makers must approve a purchase plan Often the buying or selling process is complex and includes many stages (for example request for proposal request for tender selection process awarding of tender contract negotiations and signing of final contract) Selling activities involve long processes of prospecting qualifying wooing making representations preparing tenders developing strategies and contract negotiations
Blurring between B2B and B2C
Industrial marketing can cross the border into consumer marketing For example an electronic component seller may distribute its products through industrial marketing channels (see channel (marketing)) but also support consumer sales Many products are equally desired by business and consumersmdashsuch as audio products furniture paint hardware etc Nonetheless manufactures and service providers frequently maintain separate industrial and consumer marketing operations to reflect the different needs of the two channels
Competitive tendering
Industrial marketing often involves competitive tendering (see tender tendering) This is a process where a purchasing organization undertakes to procure goods and services from suitable suppliers Due to the high value of some purchases (for example buying a new computer system manufacturing
machinery or outsourcing a maintenance contract) and the complexity of such purchases the purchasing organization will seek to obtain a number of bids from competing suppliers and choose the best offering An entire profession (strategic procurement) that includes tertiary training and qualifications has been built around the process of making important purchases The key requirement in any competitive tender is to ensure that
The business case for the purchase has been completed and approved
The purchasing organizations objectives for the purchase are clearly defined
The procurement process is agreed upon and it conforms with fiscal guidelines and organisational policies The selection criteria have been established
A budget has been estimated and the financial resources are available
A buying team (or committee) has been assembled
A specification has been written
A preliminary scan of the market place has determined that enough potential suppliers are available to make the process viable (this can sometimes be achieved using an expression of interest process)
It has been clearly established that a competitive tendering process is the best method for meeting the objectives of this purchasing project If (for example) it was known that there was only one organisation capable of supplying best to get on with talking to them and negotiating a contract
Because of the significant value of many purchases issues of probity arise Organisations seek to ensure that awarding a contract is based on best fit to the agreed criteria and not bribery corruption or incompetence
Bidding process
Suppliers who are seeking to win a competitive tender go through a bidding process At its most primitive this would consist of evaluating the specification (issued by the purchasing organization) designing a suitable proposal and working out a price This is a primitive approach because
There is an old saying in industrial marketing if the first time you have heard about a tender is when you are invited to submit then you have already lost it
While flippant the previous point illustrates a basic requirement for being successful in competitive tendering it is important to develop a strong relationship with a prospective customer organization well before they have started the formal part of their procurement process
Non-tender purchasing
Not all industrial sales involve competitive tendering Tender processes are time consuming and expensive particularly when executed with the aim of ensuring probity Government agencies are particularly likely to utilise elaborate competitive tendering processes due to the expectation that they should be seen at all times to be responsibly and accountably spending public monies Private companies are able to avoid the complexity of a fully transparent tender process but are still able to run the procurement process with some rigourBeneficial
Developing a sales strategysolution sellingtechnical selling
The art of technical selling (solution selling) follows a three stage process
Stage 1 Sell the appointment Never sell over the telephone The aim of the first contact with a prospective purchaser is to sell the appointment The reason is simple industrial sales are complex any attempt to sell over the phone will trivialise your product or service and run the risk of not fully understanding the customers need
Stage 2 Understand their needs The best method of selling is to minimise the information about your goods or services until you have fully understood your customers requirements
Stage 3 Develop and propose a solution The solution is (of course) developed from your (or the firm that you represents) product or service offerings
Marketing supports solution selling through methods like account-based marketingmdashunderstanding a specific target organizations requirements as the foundation of a marketing program As research shows[1] sales success is heavily weighted towards suppliers who understand the customer In UK research 77 per cent of senior decision-makers believe new suppliers marketing From cannon fodder to preferred tenderer
The term cannon fodder derives from the World Wars and refers to the massing of undertrained and recently recruited troops sent to the fronts to face the enemy Such troops invariably had a poor survival rate but provided the tactical advantage of distracting the enemy while
professional soldiers mounted more effective operations In adopting the term to Industrial Marketing it means those bids being submitted that have no chance of winning but are involved to make up the numbers (you cant have only one bid in a competitive tender process that wouldnt satisfy the requirements of probity) (for example in government tenders or for private enterprise the requirement to truly test the market and to keep them honest) The reader might be wondering why anybody would go to all of the work of submitting a tender when they had no chance of winning for the same reason that troops were sent in to battle to die they thought they had a real chance
The key features of a successful industrial sales organisation
In industrial marketing the personal selling is still very effective because many products must be customized to suit the requirements of the individual customer Indicators such as the sales tunnel give information on the expected sales in the near future the hit rate indicates whether the sales organization is busy with promising sales leads or it is spending too much effort on projects that are eventually lost to the competition or that are abandoned by the prospect
RESEARCH PROBLEM
1 Identify your target market
Which businesses need cleaning services Which ones can afford it and will pay for it Why
In your case I would think that small businesses may not be your ideal client But then again define small business Are you referring to sales volume or number of employees
I can tell you right now as a marketing consultant that has worked with a wide variety of businesses including small companies
Small businesses are very price sensitive and prefer to do more themselves rather than pay someone else (They hold this belief even if it would free up more time to be more productive Go figure)
So before you randomly begin picking a target market have a rational reason why Continue to read below and youll begin to see what I am talking about
2 Determine their wants and needs
It may be obvious to you but ask yourself Why would someone want a clean office
These businesses never have walk-in traffic They do not have customers visit them So naturally there is far less of a concern for a clean office Sure it would be nice to have but since no revenue will be lost if their office is not spectacular looking they are not motivated to do anything about it
However seek out the businesses that do deal with customers directly especially professional services where they have very high end clients visit them Now they NEED a very presentable office or they risk losing out on a lot of revenue
3 Determine the level and type of demand
If you have ever read any of my previous work you will know that I am a very strong advocate of knowing whether the type of demand is Primary Demand or Selective Demand It is one of the most overlooked aspects of marketing being ignored today
Primary Demand If a business does not already use your TYPE of service and is not currently considering doing so you will need to create primary demand Simply put you will have to convince them first to even want your type of service (or product) before you even get them to buy it from you
So for your cleaning business example if you are approaching businesses that currently do not use a cleaning service you will have to explain the time saving and productivity enhancing benefits of using one Then explain why YOU are the one they need
Selective Demand These businesses already use a service (or product) or are in the market for it and are actively looking In these cases you do not need to spend much effort convincing them why they need it
In this case you must state your argument why your cleaning service should be the one they choose
This is what you will encounter when you call on or contact businesses already using a cleaning service They will either be satisfied or unsatisfied with their current service provider Your emphasis will have to be on conquest sales -- meaning stealing customers from your competition
Now in your line of business and in many others slashing prices always seems to be the first technique used to steal customers This may work well for selling products But if you are marketing services let me tell you thisthink twice before doing that
Yes I am fully aware of the fact that there will be businesses that will be open to talking to you if you offer them a better deal In some cases they may feel they are legitimately getting ripped off or paying way
too much right now And they just might be right In those cases if you can give them a fair price that is a better deal for them AND still gives you healthy profit margins then go for it
However if you are slashing prices just to gain clients arent you really just hurting yourself in the long run First of all you can easily get into the game of How low will they go Secondly it de-values your perception of quality if you are cheap Thirdly whos to say after all this effort you wont lose the business in a month or two when someone else quotes them an even lower price
What will you do next price so low that you lose money with every client I didnt think so
Heres what you could do though
4 Develop a Hypothesis and a Solution to Match
After you know your target market have defined their needs and analyzed the competitive picture (currently using or not currently using a service like mine) go ahead and develop a clearly thought out hypothesis
For example start with business NOT currently using a cleaning service but that deal with customers or clients regularly at their location
Develop a strong case for WHY they would be wise to invest in your
cleaning services Show them on a break-even analysis that your fee will be well compensated in either customer retention or converting a higher level of store traffic or business appointments into paying customersclients
Then state your case why it is more cost effective and saves them valuable time to outsource this to you rather than doing it themselves or paying an employee overtime to do it You can also emphasize that you are the expert at this not someones secretary so it is expected that you will do a far better job at it
For businesses that ARE already using a cleaning service or are currently shopping for one state why you are unique and better
Determine the really compelling reasons why these businesses want a cleaning service to begin with
Maybe it is a retail store that wants to create a better first impression for their customers This will ultimately lead to a better customer experience and ultimately more in-store purchases
A good example may be that unlike most competitors you also clean windows Well as a marketing consultant to retail businesses I can tell you that many passerbys will first look in a store window before deciding to walk in or not
Now for successful marketing all retail businesses would perform better if they had more in-store traffic So therefore if your cleaning service also cleans windows you could rightfully justify that your services are more valuable to their retail business You actually HELP
them get more customers and sell more products
Maybe it is a professional service business that needs to impress prospective clients to choose their services over a similar competitor
Your cleaning service may dust chairs and polish wooden conference tables Many other cleaning services may not do this or do a poor job in doing so
Now as marketing consultants to service businesses I can also tell you that if a consultant attorney accountant or any other business professional needs to meet with prospective clients in their office they will appreciate a better appearance So if your cleaning services can provide this better than anyone else (or at least if you tell them about this first) you will get the business or at least be highly considered for it
Whatever the case may be establish what makes you different and have you are best suited to meet their needs
Do you see where I am going with this Your initial marketing questions asked how you can get more business by passing out flyers or sending faxes to small offices Truthfully that is simply not going to work You are not looking at the overall big picture of why anyone would either want to hire a cleaning service or to hire your particular cleaning service
5 You must make AN OFFER
Here are some examples
Marketing messagesales offer to a business that does NOT currently use a cleaning service
If you have never considered using a cleaning service before allow us to show you how XYZ Cleaning Inc can make your storeoffice more presentable to customers and how this newly improved appearance will affect your cash registerbank statement
If you are weary of trying new things dont worry Use us FREE for one month and if you are not completely satisfied with the results if you are not completely confident that it makes a difference to your customers if you are not completely aware of how it raises the morale of your employees then you do not have to using us again
But if YOU DO see a great improvement well make you a great deal on our services simply because we want your long term business Marketing messagesales offer to businesses that DO currently use a cleaning service
I understand that you currently use ABC Cleaners LLC Now you may or may not be completely happy right now but I want to make you a no-risk offer you cant refuse
The truth is that you likely get consumed in your day to day activities in running your business overseeing operations managing employees and handling customers Therefore there may be little imperfections your cleaning service is making that goes unnoticed by you But dont assume for one minute that your customers or potential customers wont notice And remember first impressions DO count
So heres our offer Have us come in the morning after your regular cleaning service cleans your office We will do a thorough inspection with you present and look for anything they may have done a less-than-satisfactory job on Then well show you why you probably over looked it for so long but why your customers will take notice and how they will think differently about you because of it
Now if everything is already 100 completely clean and presentable well thank you for your time and then be on our way But if together we find lots of little things that are carelessly being done we will cleanfix it for you for FREE
Thats right use our services as a compliment to what you are already paying for Compare the quality of work we do to what you are already paying for If you can see the difference in what we do for you compared to what you are already paying for then consider us as your new cleaning service
6 Develop your marketing message
Once you understand the true needs your potential clients have and the unique and competitive solutions you can offer only then should you develop your marketing copy -- your sales pitch
The two examples above incorporate great marketing copy with a strong benefits related offer You can then deliver this through direct mail telemarketing or a combination of both
I would only recommend distributing flyers if you are confident you can place there where they will get read by people who make the decision to hire a cleaning service So if there is an Open Bulletin board in an office building then go for it However they are rare and you probably need permission anyway
Id avoid the fax marketing altogether Its quite annoying ties up there fax line and unless people have already heard of you they are more likely to toss your message in the garbage
Try sending direct mail to the decision makers of these target companies and describe the benefits they will experience from using your services
7 Follow up
Even after identifying the businesses that are most likely to need your services after you have identified a solution and even after you contacted them with a compelling offer you still have to follow up
Chances are they loved the sound of it when they got it They had every intention of following up with you But then just got busy So your follow up call can make all the difference in the world and get your foot in the door in a very big way Then its up to you to DELIVER on your promise
8 ANALYSIS
Market Analysis
The goal of a market analysis is to determine the attractiveness of a market and to understand its evolving opportunities and threats as they relate to the strengths and weaknesses of the firm
David A Aaker outlined the following dimensions of a market analysis
Market size (current and future)
Market growth rate
Market profitability
Industry cost structure
Distribution channels
Market trends
Key success factors
Market Size
The size of the market can be evaluated based on present sales and on potential sales if the use of the product were expanded The following are some information sources for determining market size
government data
trade associations financial data from major players customer surveys
Market Growth Rate
A simple means of forecasting the market growth rate is to extrapolate historical data into the future While this method may provide a first-order estimate it does not predict important turning points A better method is to study growth drivers such as demographic information and sales growth in complementary products Such drivers serve as leading indicators that are more accurate than simply extrapolating historical data
Important inflection points in the market growth rate sometimes can be predicted by constructing a product diffusion curve The shape of the curve can be estimated by studying the characteristics of the adoption rate of a similar product in the past
Ultimately the maturity and decline stages of the product life cycle will be reached Some leading indicators of the decline phase include price pressure caused by competition a decrease in brand loyalty the emergence of substitute products market saturation and the lack of growth drivers
Market Profitability
While different firms in a market will have different levels of profitability the average profit potential for a market can be used as a guideline for knowing how difficult it is to make money in the market Michael Porter devised a useful framework for evaluating the attractiveness of an industry or market This framework known as Porters five forces identifies five factors that influence the market profitability
Buyer power
Supplier power
Barriers to entry
Threat of substitute products
Rivalry among firms in the industry
Industry Cost Structure
The cost structure is important for identifying key factors for success To this end Porters value chain model is useful for determining where value is added and for isolating the costs
The cost structure also is helpful for formulating strategies to develop a competitive advantage For example in some environments the experience curve effect can be used to develop a cost advantage over competitors
Distribution Channels
The following aspects of the distribution system are useful in a market analysis
Existing distribution channels - can be described by how direct they are to the customer
Trends and emerging channels - new channels can offer the opportunity to develop a competitive advantage
Channel power structure - for example in the case of a product having little brand equity retailers have negotiating power over manufacturers and can capture more margin
Market Trends
Changes in the market are important because they often are the source of new opportunities and threats The relevant trends are industry-dependent but some examples include changes in price sensitivity demand for variety and level of emphasis on service and support Regional trends also may be relevant
Key Success Factors
The key success factors are those elements that are necessary in order for the firm to achieve its marketing objectives A few examples of such factors include
Access to essential unique resources
Ability to achieve economies of scale
Access to distribution channels
Technological progress
It is important to consider that key success factors may change over time especially as the product progresses through its life cycle
9 CONCLUSIONS
Organizations engage in marketing research for two reasons
(1) (1) to identify (2) and (2) solve marketing problems
(3)
This distinction serves as a basis for classifying marketing research into problem identification research and problem solving research
Problem identification research is undertaken to help identify problems which are perhaps not apparent on the surface and yet exist or are likely to company image market characteristics sales analysis short-range forecasting long range forecasting and business trends research Research of this type provides information about the marketing environment and helps diagnose a problem For example The findings of problem solving research are used in making decisions which will solve specific marketing problems
The Stanford Research Institute on the other hand conducts an annual survey of consumers that is used to classify persons into homogeneous groups for segmentation purposes The National Purchase Diary panel (NPD) maintains the largest diary panel in the United States
Standardized services are research studies conducted for different client firms but in a standard way For example procedures for measuring
advertising effectiveness have been standardized so that the results can be compared across studies and evaluative norms can be established The Starch Readership Survey is the most widely used service for evaluating print advertisements another well-known service is the Gallup and Robinson Magazine Impact Studies These services are also sold on a syndicated basis
Customized services offer a wide variety of marketing research services customized to suit a clients specific needs Each marketing research project is treated uniquely
Limited-service suppliers specialize in one or a few phases of the marketing research project Services offered by such suppliers are classified as field services coding and data entry data analysis analytical services and branded products Field services collect data through mail personal or telephone interviewing and firms that specialize in interviewing are called field service organizations These organizations may range from small proprietary organizations which operate locally to large multinational organizations with WATS line interviewing facilities Some organizations maintain extensive interviewing facilities across the country for interviewing shoppers in malls
Coding and data entry services include editing completed questionnaires developing a coding scheme and transcribing the data on to diskettes or magnetic tapes for input into the computer NRC Data Systems provides such services
Analytical services include designing and pretesting questionnaires determining the best means of collecting data designing sampling plans and other aspects of the research design Some complex
marketing research projects require knowledge of sophisticated procedures including specialized experimental designs and analytical techniques such as conjoint analysis and multidimensional scaling This kind of expertise can be obtained from firms and consultants specializing in analytical services
Data analysis services are offered by firms also known as tab houses that specialize in computer analysis of quantitative data such as those obtained in large surveys Initially most data analysis firms supplied only tabulations (frequency counts) and cross tabulations (frequency counts that describe two or more variables simultaneously) With the proliferation of software many firms now have the capability to analyze their own data but data analysis firms are still in demand
Branded marketing research products and services are specialized data collection and analysis procedures developed to address specific types of marketing research problems These procedures are patented given brand names and marketed like any other branded product
Types of marketing research
Marketing research techniques come in many forms including
Ad Tracking ndash periodic or continuous in-market research to monitor a brandrsquos performance using measures such as brand awareness brand preference and product usage (Young 2005)
Advertising Research ndash used to predict copy testing or track the efficacy of advertisements for any medium measured by the adrsquos ability to get attention (measured with Attention Tracking) communicate the message build the brandrsquos image and motivate the consumer to purchase the product or service (Young 2005)
Brand equity research - how favorably do consumers view the brand
Brand association research - what do consumers associate with the brand
Brand attribute research - what are the key traits that describe the brand promise
Brand name testing - what do consumers feel about the names of the products
Commercial eye tracking research - examine advertisements package designs websites etc by analyzing visual behavior of the consumer
Concept testing - to test the acceptance of a concept by target consumers
Cool hunting - to make observations and predictions in changes of new or existing cultural trends in areas such as fashion music films television youth culture and lifestyle
Buyer decision processes research - to determine what motivates people to buy and what decision-making process they use
Copy testing ndash predicts in-market performance of an ad before it airs by analyzing audience levels of attention brand linkage motivation entertainment and communication as well as breaking down the adrsquos flow of attention and flow of emotion (Young p 213)
Customer satisfaction research - quantitative or qualitative studies that yields an understanding of a customers of satisfaction with a transaction
Demand estimation - to determine the approximate level of demand for the product
Distribution channel audits - to assess distributorsrsquo and retailersrsquo attitudes toward a product brand or company
Internet strategic intelligence - searching for customer opinions in the Internet chats forums web pages blogs where people express freely about their experiences with products becoming strong opinion formers
Marketing effectiveness and analytics - Building models and measuring results to determine the effectiveness of individual marketing activities
Mystery Consumer or Mystery shopping - An employee or representative of the market research firm anonymously contacts a salesperson and indicates he or she is shopping for a product The shopper then records the entire experience This method is often used for quality control or for researching competitors products
Positioning research - how does the target market see the brand relative to competitors - what does the brand stand for
Price elasticity testing - to determine how sensitive customers are to price changes
Sales forecasting - to determine the expected level of sales given the level of demand With respect to other factors like Advertising expenditure sales promotion etc
Segmentation research - to determine the demographic psychographic and behavioural characteristics of potential buyers
Online panel - a group of individual who accepted to respond to marketing research online
Store audit - to measure the sales of a product or product line at a statistically selected store sample in order to determine market share or to determine whether a retail store provides adequate service
Test marketing - a small-scale product launch used to determine the likely acceptance of the product when it is introduced into a wider market
Viral Marketing Research - refers to marketing research designed to estimate the probability that specific communications will be transmitted throughout an individuals Social Network Estimates of Social Networking Potential (SNP) are combined with estimates of selling effectiveness to estimate ROI on specific combinations of messages and media
All of these forms of marketing research can be classified as either problem-identification research or as problem-solving research
There are two main sources of data - primary and secondary Primary research is conducted from scratch It is original and collected to solve the problem in hand Secondary research already exists since it has been collected for other purposes It is conducted on data published previously and usually by someone else Secondary research costs far less than primary research but seldom comes in a form that exactly meets the needs of the researcher
A similar distinction exists between exploratory research and conclusive research Exploratory research provides insights into and comprehension of an issue or situation It should draw definitive conclusions only with extreme caution Conclusive research draws conclusions the results of the study can be generalized to the whole population
Exploratory research is conducted to explore a problem to get some basic idea about the solution at the preliminary stages of research It may serve as the input to conclusive research Exploratory research information is collected by focus group interviews reviewing literature or books discussing with experts etc This is unstructured and qualitative in nature If a secondary source of data is unable to serve the purpose a convenience sample of small size can be collected Conclusive research is conducted to draw some conclusion about the problem It is essentially structured and quantitative research and the
output of this research is the input to MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS (MIS)
Marketing research methods
Methodologically marketing research uses the following types of research designs
Based on questioning
Qualitative marketing research - generally used for exploratory purposes - small number of respondents - not generalizable to the whole population - statistical significance and confidence not calculated - examples include focus groups in-depth interviews and projective techniques
Quantitative marketing research - generally used to draw conclusions - tests a specific hypothesis - uses random sampling techniques so as to infer from the sample to the population - involves a large number of respondents - examples include surveys and questionnaires Techniques include choice modelling maximum difference preference scaling and covariance analysis
Based on observations
Ethnographic studies - by nature qualitative the researcher observes social phenomena in their natural setting - observations can
occur cross-sectionally (observations made at one time) or longitudinally (observations occur over several time-periods) ndash
examples include product-use analysis and computer cookie traces See also Ethnography and Observational techniques
Experimental techniques - by nature quantitative the researcher creates a quasi-artificial environment to try to control spurious factors
then manipulates at least one of the variables - examples include purchase laboratories and test markets
Questionnaires 1 What are the objectives of the marketing strategy Are they clearly stated Are they consistent with the objectives of the firm Is the entire marketing mix structured to meet these objectives
2 What marketing concepts are at issue in the current strategy Is the marketing strategy well planned and laid out Is the strategy consistent with sound marketing principles If the strategy takes exception to marketing principles is there a good reason for it
3 To what target market is the strategy directed Is it well defined Is the market large enough to be profitably served Does the market have long-run potential
4 What competitive advantage does the marketing strategy offer If none what can be done to gain a competitive advantage in the marketplace
5 What products are being sold What is the width depth and consistency of the firms product lines Does the firm need new products to fill out its product line Should any product be deleted What is the profitability of the various products
6 What promotion mix is being used Is promotion consistent with the products and product images What could be done to improve the promotion mix
7 What channels of distribution are being used Do they deliver the product at the right time and right place to meet consumer needs Are the channels typical of those used in the industry Could channels be made more efficient
8 What pricing strategies are being used How do prices compare with similar products of other firms How are prices determined
9 Are marketing research and information systematically integrated into the marketing strategy Is the overall marketing strategy internally consistent
6 PROFILE OF ORGNIZATION
Organizational structure
cEO
7 DISCUSSION ON TRAINING
Marketing strategy is a process that can allow an organization to concentrate its limited resources on the greatest opportunities to increase sales and achieve a sustainable competitive advantage
Developing a marketing strategy
Marketing strategies serve as the fundamental underpinning of marketing plans designed to fill market needs and reach marketing objectives Plans and objectives are generally tested for measurable results Commonly marketing strategies are developed as multi-year plans with a tactical plan detailing specific actions to be accomplished in the current year Time horizons covered by the marketing plan vary by company by industry and by nation however time horizons are becoming shorter as the speed of change in the environment increases Marketing strategies are dynamic and interactive They are partially planned and partially unplanned See strategy dynamics
Marketing strategy involves careful scanning of the internal and external environments which are summarized in a SWOT analysis Internal environmental factors include the marketing mix plus performance analysis and strategic constraints External environmental factors include customer analysis competitor analysis target market analysis as well as evaluation of any elements of the technological economic cultural or politicallegal environment likely toimpact success A key component of marketing strategy is often to
keep marketing in line with a companys overarching mission statement
Types of strategies
Marketing strategies may differ depending on the unique situation of the individual business However there are a number of ways of categorizing some generic strategies A brief description of the most common categorizing schemes is presented below
Strategies based on market dominance - In this scheme firms are classified based on their market share or dominance of an industry Typically there are four types of market dominance strategies
Leader
Challenger
Follower
Nicher
Porter generic strategies - strategy on the dimensions of strategic scope and strategic strength Strategic scope refers to the market penetration while strategic strength refers to the firmrsquos sustainable competitive advantage The generic strategy framework (porter 1984) comprises two alternatives each with two alternative scopes These are Differentiation and low-cost leadership each with a dimension of Focus-broad or narrow
Product differentiation (broad)
Cost leadership (broad)
Market segmentation (narrow)
Innovation strategies - This deals with the firms rate of the new product development and business model innovation It asks whether the company is on the cutting edge of technology and business innovation There are three types
Pioneers
Close followers
Late followers
Growth strategies - In this scheme we ask the question ldquoHow should the firm growrdquo There are a number of different ways of answering that question but the most common gives four answers
Horizontal integration
Vertical integration
Diversification
Intensification
A more detailed scheme uses the categories[10]
Prospector
Analyzer
Defender
Reactor
Marketing warfare strategies - This scheme draws parallels between marketing strategies and military strategies
Many architects make the mistake of thinking that marketing has
only a peripheral relationship to what their firm does In fact marketing works best when it is totally integrated into the operations of your firm when itrsquos a part of everything you do You canrsquot create a plan for how to improve your marketing and increase your business without first considering your long-term goalsmdashnot just in terms of fee revenue or winning work but in terms of who you want to be and where you want to go both as a firm and as a professional There are a number of ways strategic planning
can help your firm
_ Build a shared vision for the firmrsquos future _ Articulate your vision so that it can be communicated to others
_ Get approval and support for the vision from senior leadership and ultimately your entire staff
_ Create a framework for all future decision making _ Figure out (and agree on) how much yoursquore going to spend on
marketing and other initiatives to make it happen
The discussion of strategic planning and marketing planning are divided into the following five areas
Strategic Planning
Getting to the Starting Line
Strategic planning is the process of developing a vision of who you are as a firm and what your longterm goals are Itrsquos about more than just marketing it can influence everything human resources finance information technology operations hiring promotions strategy design process client relationships the design of your office and absolutely anything else that affects your firm and its performance Firms typically engage in strategic planning at defining moments in their practice when the firmrsquos leadership changes or when the practice undergoes some kind of profound transformation The strategic planning process enables the firmrsquos leadership to build a shared vision for the firmrsquos future articulate the vision so that it can be communicated and create a framework for all future decision making When yoursquore ready to
engage in strategic planning itrsquos important to open your mind as much as possible Get ready to think big
Because strategic planning is a process not a document or a report it isnrsquot effective for a small group of leaders to issue a fat document as the strategic plan for the firm It will probably go unread It will certainly not achieve approval and support from the people who need to understand it and act on it Strategic planning is best conducted as an open process one that involves all your firmrsquos key leaders To begin the process set up a strategic planning meeting either as a retreat outside the office or as an extended in-house meeting (You may want to bring in a marketing consultant to help you with this) Figure out who should be there to give input to the vision for your firmrsquos future Keep the group as small as possible but donrsquot leave anyone out Ask everyone to commit half a day for the meeting (two hours just isnrsquot enough) and to come relaxed and prepared to focus on the firmrsquos strategic direction Give everyone an agenda in advance and ask each person to bring historical data based on his or her area of expertise or interest (financial data hiring or retention info winloss reports client feedback etc) Gather any existing documents that attempt to define the firm or its vision such as mission statements a firm description marketing materials articles that have been written about the firm and so on Plan to spend about half the meeting talking about where you are now (your firm your markets your competitors etc) and the other half talking about where yoursquod like to go (your mission your vision the action plan)
MARKETS FOR INDUSTRIAL GOODS
The market is the place where supply meets demand Suppliers and customers meet discuss and evaluate the conditions for exchange of goods and services and exchanges take place The conditions under which these exchanges occur especially that of price are influenced by the characteristics and structure of the market for example the number and market power of suppliers and customers Traditional economic analysis of markets presupposes that they are characterized by certain basic features firstly there is an assumption of free movement in the market and thus a customer will always buy where he obtains the best terms of exchange at that moment similarly the assumption is that suppliers will move to and from the market freely Thus the market is portrayed as atomistic Each unit in the market is free and independent to do as it wishes Also as a result of this free movement the market is characterized by change and stability is an exception Underlying these two assumptions is the further assumption that there is little or no cost of transaction In other words it is assumed that there are no costs in obtaining accurate information or in negotiations etc One effect of this assumption is that production costs
are considered central and that sellers can be simply represented by a production function
The traditional economic theory of the market has of course been subject to challenge and modification However it has influenced the models and principles used in marketing management The basic model that most of the literature in marketing is built on is the marketing mix model The key problems in marketing according to that model are
(a) to allocate resources to different competitive means or mix elements
(b) to design each mean as well as possible within the firms resource limitations
The market is often described in terms of response curves each defined in relation to a certain marketing decision variable or to the whole mix of a company The assumption is of course that the market consists of many individual customers that are affected by the marketers variables in accordance with a certain statistical distribution The same kind of influence can also be identified in the purchasing management
literature The focus here is largely on the management of a single purchase This does not give full consideration to the factors which have contributed to the way this purchase takes place or to the effects of this purchase on the subsequent dealings with the supplying company
Marketing Management
As we mentioned in the first section of this chapter the models and principles for industrial marketing management that are given by the literature are normally related to the marketing mix model The problems identified in these are the allocation of resources and the designing of competitive means However marketers in for example a highly concentrated industry may find different problems The issues associated with the handling of ten very large customers are of totally different character from those of handling 1000 small customers Thus marketers in firms in concentrated markets have a lack of accurate models for analyzing their marketing problems They have also a lack of relevant data expressed in a systematic way about the behaviour of other firms in the same situation
MARKETING ORGANIZATION
Overall Organization
Belters sales operations are split into three areas as follows
(i) Sales Manger mdash UK responsible for 60mdash70 per cent of total sales Four area offices handling all accounts except two major ones which are managed from the Companys main office
(ii) Sales Manager mdash Middle East Africa Eastern Europe accounting for approximately 20 per cent of total sales One manager plus two sales engineers The Company is currently building up an agencymdashdistributor network for this territory
(iii) Sales Manager mdash Western Europe responsible for the remaining 20 per cent of total sales The sales manager is located in Brussels with additional sales offices in Germany France and Italy The Brussels sales office is owned by Belters parent group All major commercial
transactions are carried out by Belters Head Office although the Brussels Company does have some price discretion This European sales company takes 85 per cent of its products for sale in Europe from Belter The remaining 15 per cent of products are sourced from the North-American parent company Apart from the European operation all agents and distributors overseas are handled from the UK
Evolution of Marketing Organization
Belter has often faced problems in the distribution of its products in France for example the Company had a combined agent and distributor operating until 1963 Belter provided applications engineering but had no commercial involvement in sales The company found that it had no influence on pricing in the market and this led to a rather artificial pricing structure and to a decreased market share This problem was not solved by the appointment of a second distributor Mergers amongst French suppliers have led to more competition in the market The second distributor did little to stimulate the first one or to improve the Companys overall penetration
In 1966 Belter separated out a number of products and major customers which were not to be handled via distributors These customers and products were to be controlled by the UK sales operation Also from 1970 the Brussels office ceased to have overall responsibility for sales to France and a Paris office was established The
overall market situation faced in France (and in other European countries) is as follows
There are many actual and potential users for some products which are not known by the Company Heavy competition exists especially on price for large customers who are often buying what they view as a commodity product Belters emerging strategy has been to handle these large customers through its own sales offices The Paris office actively seek sales of large volume products as well as acting as a `post office for products specially developed for individual customers which are then handled from the Companys main office Small customers and small volume products are handled by the two French distributors The development process in Italy has been similar to that in France Sales in Scandinavia do not justify a local sales office sales here are handled through a distributor from the Brussels office A small number of major accounts are however handled directly from the UK
BUYERmdashSELLER RELATIONSHIPS
A Customer Relationship in the United Kingdom
The three aspects of the relationship which are studied are competition technical development and personal contacts
This customer is Belters largest and is responsible for 20 per cent of its total business The Company operates in the aerospace industry at the limit of current technology The relationship involves considerable development liaison on wholly new products
Competition
Competition for this customer comes primarily from American suppliers The competition is on price and reflects the spare capacity in the American industry Competition from UK companies is also on price and comes from companies having a wider production spread than Belter
Development
This customer has always relied on Belter alone for development work in this product area However they have looked to other sources of supply when development has taken place The development process for a new product can be started either by a government development contract or by an order from the customer Belter acknowledged that it
has to stand the costs of this development in the latter case The customer has intimate knowledge of all of Belters procedures Methods of manufacture are agreed in detail and even the particular production machinery to be used is specified The closeness of the relationship between the two companies is indicated by the fact that the customer has approved Belters quality procedure and accepts their testing
Contact Pattern
Interpersonal contacts between Belter and its UK customer are summarized as
follows
(1) Formal Contacts
Every six months Technical policy liaison meeting jointly chaired by Belters Technical Director and the customers Chief Materials Manager Every sixmdashnine months Commercial meeting Belters Managing and Marketing Directors and Sales Manager and the customers Purchasing Director and Senior Purchasing Staff
Monthly UK Sales Manager visits customers purchasing staff to discuss delivery and order positions
(2) Other Contacts
These can be studied according to the formally assigned responsibility Personnel who have full-time responsibility One sales office man has daily contact with the customer Additionally one applications engineer is engaged on work for this customer Finally one man determines market trends and is in contact with the customers marketing personnel and customers clients Personnel with `half-time responsibility Four applications engineers also spend some of their time on the customers problems and are in personal contact with customer staff
PURPOSE OF A MARKETING PLAN
The purpose of a Marketing Plan is to-
1048766Define the Market
1048766Refine the Production Plan to market requirements
1048766Develop a marketing strategy
1048766Minimize risk
Each FFT group should have a Marketing Plan covering each commodity based on their own study of the local market
Defining the Market and Commodities-
1048766Market demand and prices -An assessment based on published market information discussions with local extension staff farmers dealers and buyers of the commodity of the likely demand and prices on offer during the year and during any period of seasonal shortfall
1048766Market Requirement- Varieties size grading packaging maturity demanded by the buyers in the particular market
1048766Yield Price Assumptions- How much commodity will be available How much premium grade Second grade Losses If the commodity crop is aimed to be produced for a particular period eg for a low supply period while the price assumptions (expectation) may be higher some reassessment of yield and cost of production assumptions in the gross margin analysis or partial budgets is usually necessary 1048766Marketing Returns and Costs Calculate expected income and costs in marketing
The Most Important Elements of Marketing There are four important elements in the marketing process
1048766Prioritising the customer Marketing begins with the customer not the product Knowing what the customer needs or wants is essential
1048766Process of selection The farmer needs to know who to sell the product to This will determine how and where the produce is marketed
1048766Promotion The farmer is selling something that other people want to buy Naturally it is helpful to let them know that the product is available and of good quality
The Marketing Training Manual 23 Marketing Module 3 Markets and Marketing
1048766Trust Good marketing occurs when the customers trust the farmer The customer should feel they are not being cheated and they are getting value for their money
In thinking about these elements farmers need to ask themselves about the six Ps
bull P p eople Who are the customers What do they want or need Who is actually going to market the product
bull P p lan How is the product going to reach the selected customers What are the steps
bull product What product is going to be marketed Is the family producing what the customer wants What services (for example a cooked product) if any are requested by the customer
bull place Where is the product going to be marketed
bull price What price will the product be offered on the market for
bull promotion How are people going to be informed that the product is available
Supply Demand and Price
In a free market prices for inputs and products are determined by supply and demand
Supply Is what producers are willing to market at a certain price
Demand Is how much consumers are prepared to buy at the market price
In theory as the price of a product goes up the quantity supplied rises and the quantity demanded falls Likewise when the price goes down the quantity supplied falls and the quantity demanded rises
For agricultural produce demand is affected by a number of factors the most
The Marketing Training Manual 24 Marketing Module 3 Markets and Marketing
Industrial or business to business (B2B) marketing
An organization seeks to build a new warehouse After documenting requirements it obtains three proposals from suitable construction firms After a long process of evaluation and negotiation it places an order with the organization that it believes offers the best value for money
An organization needs legal services and obtains submissions from two law firms Analysis of the proposals and subsequent discussions determines that there is no price advantage to placing all of the work with one firm and the organization decides to split the work between the two firms based on an evaluation of each firms capabilities
A sales representative makes an appointment with an organization that employs 22 people He demonstrates a photocopierfaxprinter to the office administrator After discussing a proposal the business owner signs a contract to obtain the machine on a fully-maintained rental and consumables basis with an upgrade after 2 years
Main features of the B2B selling process are
Marketing is one-to-one in nature It is relatively easy for the seller to identify a prospective customers and build a face-to-face relationship Highly professional and trained people in buying processes are involved In many cases two or three decision makers must approve a purchase plan Often the buying or selling process is complex and includes many stages (for example request for proposal request for tender selection process awarding of tender contract negotiations and signing of final contract) Selling activities involve long processes of prospecting qualifying wooing making representations preparing tenders developing strategies and contract negotiations
Blurring between B2B and B2C
Industrial marketing can cross the border into consumer marketing For example an electronic component seller may distribute its products through industrial marketing channels (see channel (marketing)) but also support consumer sales Many products are equally desired by business and consumersmdashsuch as audio products furniture paint hardware etc Nonetheless manufactures and service providers frequently maintain separate industrial and consumer marketing operations to reflect the different needs of the two channels
Competitive tendering
Industrial marketing often involves competitive tendering (see tender tendering) This is a process where a purchasing organization undertakes to procure goods and services from suitable suppliers Due to the high value of some purchases (for example buying a new computer system manufacturing
machinery or outsourcing a maintenance contract) and the complexity of such purchases the purchasing organization will seek to obtain a number of bids from competing suppliers and choose the best offering An entire profession (strategic procurement) that includes tertiary training and qualifications has been built around the process of making important purchases The key requirement in any competitive tender is to ensure that
The business case for the purchase has been completed and approved
The purchasing organizations objectives for the purchase are clearly defined
The procurement process is agreed upon and it conforms with fiscal guidelines and organisational policies The selection criteria have been established
A budget has been estimated and the financial resources are available
A buying team (or committee) has been assembled
A specification has been written
A preliminary scan of the market place has determined that enough potential suppliers are available to make the process viable (this can sometimes be achieved using an expression of interest process)
It has been clearly established that a competitive tendering process is the best method for meeting the objectives of this purchasing project If (for example) it was known that there was only one organisation capable of supplying best to get on with talking to them and negotiating a contract
Because of the significant value of many purchases issues of probity arise Organisations seek to ensure that awarding a contract is based on best fit to the agreed criteria and not bribery corruption or incompetence
Bidding process
Suppliers who are seeking to win a competitive tender go through a bidding process At its most primitive this would consist of evaluating the specification (issued by the purchasing organization) designing a suitable proposal and working out a price This is a primitive approach because
There is an old saying in industrial marketing if the first time you have heard about a tender is when you are invited to submit then you have already lost it
While flippant the previous point illustrates a basic requirement for being successful in competitive tendering it is important to develop a strong relationship with a prospective customer organization well before they have started the formal part of their procurement process
Non-tender purchasing
Not all industrial sales involve competitive tendering Tender processes are time consuming and expensive particularly when executed with the aim of ensuring probity Government agencies are particularly likely to utilise elaborate competitive tendering processes due to the expectation that they should be seen at all times to be responsibly and accountably spending public monies Private companies are able to avoid the complexity of a fully transparent tender process but are still able to run the procurement process with some rigourBeneficial
Developing a sales strategysolution sellingtechnical selling
The art of technical selling (solution selling) follows a three stage process
Stage 1 Sell the appointment Never sell over the telephone The aim of the first contact with a prospective purchaser is to sell the appointment The reason is simple industrial sales are complex any attempt to sell over the phone will trivialise your product or service and run the risk of not fully understanding the customers need
Stage 2 Understand their needs The best method of selling is to minimise the information about your goods or services until you have fully understood your customers requirements
Stage 3 Develop and propose a solution The solution is (of course) developed from your (or the firm that you represents) product or service offerings
Marketing supports solution selling through methods like account-based marketingmdashunderstanding a specific target organizations requirements as the foundation of a marketing program As research shows[1] sales success is heavily weighted towards suppliers who understand the customer In UK research 77 per cent of senior decision-makers believe new suppliers marketing From cannon fodder to preferred tenderer
The term cannon fodder derives from the World Wars and refers to the massing of undertrained and recently recruited troops sent to the fronts to face the enemy Such troops invariably had a poor survival rate but provided the tactical advantage of distracting the enemy while
professional soldiers mounted more effective operations In adopting the term to Industrial Marketing it means those bids being submitted that have no chance of winning but are involved to make up the numbers (you cant have only one bid in a competitive tender process that wouldnt satisfy the requirements of probity) (for example in government tenders or for private enterprise the requirement to truly test the market and to keep them honest) The reader might be wondering why anybody would go to all of the work of submitting a tender when they had no chance of winning for the same reason that troops were sent in to battle to die they thought they had a real chance
The key features of a successful industrial sales organisation
In industrial marketing the personal selling is still very effective because many products must be customized to suit the requirements of the individual customer Indicators such as the sales tunnel give information on the expected sales in the near future the hit rate indicates whether the sales organization is busy with promising sales leads or it is spending too much effort on projects that are eventually lost to the competition or that are abandoned by the prospect
RESEARCH PROBLEM
1 Identify your target market
Which businesses need cleaning services Which ones can afford it and will pay for it Why
In your case I would think that small businesses may not be your ideal client But then again define small business Are you referring to sales volume or number of employees
I can tell you right now as a marketing consultant that has worked with a wide variety of businesses including small companies
Small businesses are very price sensitive and prefer to do more themselves rather than pay someone else (They hold this belief even if it would free up more time to be more productive Go figure)
So before you randomly begin picking a target market have a rational reason why Continue to read below and youll begin to see what I am talking about
2 Determine their wants and needs
It may be obvious to you but ask yourself Why would someone want a clean office
These businesses never have walk-in traffic They do not have customers visit them So naturally there is far less of a concern for a clean office Sure it would be nice to have but since no revenue will be lost if their office is not spectacular looking they are not motivated to do anything about it
However seek out the businesses that do deal with customers directly especially professional services where they have very high end clients visit them Now they NEED a very presentable office or they risk losing out on a lot of revenue
3 Determine the level and type of demand
If you have ever read any of my previous work you will know that I am a very strong advocate of knowing whether the type of demand is Primary Demand or Selective Demand It is one of the most overlooked aspects of marketing being ignored today
Primary Demand If a business does not already use your TYPE of service and is not currently considering doing so you will need to create primary demand Simply put you will have to convince them first to even want your type of service (or product) before you even get them to buy it from you
So for your cleaning business example if you are approaching businesses that currently do not use a cleaning service you will have to explain the time saving and productivity enhancing benefits of using one Then explain why YOU are the one they need
Selective Demand These businesses already use a service (or product) or are in the market for it and are actively looking In these cases you do not need to spend much effort convincing them why they need it
In this case you must state your argument why your cleaning service should be the one they choose
This is what you will encounter when you call on or contact businesses already using a cleaning service They will either be satisfied or unsatisfied with their current service provider Your emphasis will have to be on conquest sales -- meaning stealing customers from your competition
Now in your line of business and in many others slashing prices always seems to be the first technique used to steal customers This may work well for selling products But if you are marketing services let me tell you thisthink twice before doing that
Yes I am fully aware of the fact that there will be businesses that will be open to talking to you if you offer them a better deal In some cases they may feel they are legitimately getting ripped off or paying way
too much right now And they just might be right In those cases if you can give them a fair price that is a better deal for them AND still gives you healthy profit margins then go for it
However if you are slashing prices just to gain clients arent you really just hurting yourself in the long run First of all you can easily get into the game of How low will they go Secondly it de-values your perception of quality if you are cheap Thirdly whos to say after all this effort you wont lose the business in a month or two when someone else quotes them an even lower price
What will you do next price so low that you lose money with every client I didnt think so
Heres what you could do though
4 Develop a Hypothesis and a Solution to Match
After you know your target market have defined their needs and analyzed the competitive picture (currently using or not currently using a service like mine) go ahead and develop a clearly thought out hypothesis
For example start with business NOT currently using a cleaning service but that deal with customers or clients regularly at their location
Develop a strong case for WHY they would be wise to invest in your
cleaning services Show them on a break-even analysis that your fee will be well compensated in either customer retention or converting a higher level of store traffic or business appointments into paying customersclients
Then state your case why it is more cost effective and saves them valuable time to outsource this to you rather than doing it themselves or paying an employee overtime to do it You can also emphasize that you are the expert at this not someones secretary so it is expected that you will do a far better job at it
For businesses that ARE already using a cleaning service or are currently shopping for one state why you are unique and better
Determine the really compelling reasons why these businesses want a cleaning service to begin with
Maybe it is a retail store that wants to create a better first impression for their customers This will ultimately lead to a better customer experience and ultimately more in-store purchases
A good example may be that unlike most competitors you also clean windows Well as a marketing consultant to retail businesses I can tell you that many passerbys will first look in a store window before deciding to walk in or not
Now for successful marketing all retail businesses would perform better if they had more in-store traffic So therefore if your cleaning service also cleans windows you could rightfully justify that your services are more valuable to their retail business You actually HELP
them get more customers and sell more products
Maybe it is a professional service business that needs to impress prospective clients to choose their services over a similar competitor
Your cleaning service may dust chairs and polish wooden conference tables Many other cleaning services may not do this or do a poor job in doing so
Now as marketing consultants to service businesses I can also tell you that if a consultant attorney accountant or any other business professional needs to meet with prospective clients in their office they will appreciate a better appearance So if your cleaning services can provide this better than anyone else (or at least if you tell them about this first) you will get the business or at least be highly considered for it
Whatever the case may be establish what makes you different and have you are best suited to meet their needs
Do you see where I am going with this Your initial marketing questions asked how you can get more business by passing out flyers or sending faxes to small offices Truthfully that is simply not going to work You are not looking at the overall big picture of why anyone would either want to hire a cleaning service or to hire your particular cleaning service
5 You must make AN OFFER
Here are some examples
Marketing messagesales offer to a business that does NOT currently use a cleaning service
If you have never considered using a cleaning service before allow us to show you how XYZ Cleaning Inc can make your storeoffice more presentable to customers and how this newly improved appearance will affect your cash registerbank statement
If you are weary of trying new things dont worry Use us FREE for one month and if you are not completely satisfied with the results if you are not completely confident that it makes a difference to your customers if you are not completely aware of how it raises the morale of your employees then you do not have to using us again
But if YOU DO see a great improvement well make you a great deal on our services simply because we want your long term business Marketing messagesales offer to businesses that DO currently use a cleaning service
I understand that you currently use ABC Cleaners LLC Now you may or may not be completely happy right now but I want to make you a no-risk offer you cant refuse
The truth is that you likely get consumed in your day to day activities in running your business overseeing operations managing employees and handling customers Therefore there may be little imperfections your cleaning service is making that goes unnoticed by you But dont assume for one minute that your customers or potential customers wont notice And remember first impressions DO count
So heres our offer Have us come in the morning after your regular cleaning service cleans your office We will do a thorough inspection with you present and look for anything they may have done a less-than-satisfactory job on Then well show you why you probably over looked it for so long but why your customers will take notice and how they will think differently about you because of it
Now if everything is already 100 completely clean and presentable well thank you for your time and then be on our way But if together we find lots of little things that are carelessly being done we will cleanfix it for you for FREE
Thats right use our services as a compliment to what you are already paying for Compare the quality of work we do to what you are already paying for If you can see the difference in what we do for you compared to what you are already paying for then consider us as your new cleaning service
6 Develop your marketing message
Once you understand the true needs your potential clients have and the unique and competitive solutions you can offer only then should you develop your marketing copy -- your sales pitch
The two examples above incorporate great marketing copy with a strong benefits related offer You can then deliver this through direct mail telemarketing or a combination of both
I would only recommend distributing flyers if you are confident you can place there where they will get read by people who make the decision to hire a cleaning service So if there is an Open Bulletin board in an office building then go for it However they are rare and you probably need permission anyway
Id avoid the fax marketing altogether Its quite annoying ties up there fax line and unless people have already heard of you they are more likely to toss your message in the garbage
Try sending direct mail to the decision makers of these target companies and describe the benefits they will experience from using your services
7 Follow up
Even after identifying the businesses that are most likely to need your services after you have identified a solution and even after you contacted them with a compelling offer you still have to follow up
Chances are they loved the sound of it when they got it They had every intention of following up with you But then just got busy So your follow up call can make all the difference in the world and get your foot in the door in a very big way Then its up to you to DELIVER on your promise
8 ANALYSIS
Market Analysis
The goal of a market analysis is to determine the attractiveness of a market and to understand its evolving opportunities and threats as they relate to the strengths and weaknesses of the firm
David A Aaker outlined the following dimensions of a market analysis
Market size (current and future)
Market growth rate
Market profitability
Industry cost structure
Distribution channels
Market trends
Key success factors
Market Size
The size of the market can be evaluated based on present sales and on potential sales if the use of the product were expanded The following are some information sources for determining market size
government data
trade associations financial data from major players customer surveys
Market Growth Rate
A simple means of forecasting the market growth rate is to extrapolate historical data into the future While this method may provide a first-order estimate it does not predict important turning points A better method is to study growth drivers such as demographic information and sales growth in complementary products Such drivers serve as leading indicators that are more accurate than simply extrapolating historical data
Important inflection points in the market growth rate sometimes can be predicted by constructing a product diffusion curve The shape of the curve can be estimated by studying the characteristics of the adoption rate of a similar product in the past
Ultimately the maturity and decline stages of the product life cycle will be reached Some leading indicators of the decline phase include price pressure caused by competition a decrease in brand loyalty the emergence of substitute products market saturation and the lack of growth drivers
Market Profitability
While different firms in a market will have different levels of profitability the average profit potential for a market can be used as a guideline for knowing how difficult it is to make money in the market Michael Porter devised a useful framework for evaluating the attractiveness of an industry or market This framework known as Porters five forces identifies five factors that influence the market profitability
Buyer power
Supplier power
Barriers to entry
Threat of substitute products
Rivalry among firms in the industry
Industry Cost Structure
The cost structure is important for identifying key factors for success To this end Porters value chain model is useful for determining where value is added and for isolating the costs
The cost structure also is helpful for formulating strategies to develop a competitive advantage For example in some environments the experience curve effect can be used to develop a cost advantage over competitors
Distribution Channels
The following aspects of the distribution system are useful in a market analysis
Existing distribution channels - can be described by how direct they are to the customer
Trends and emerging channels - new channels can offer the opportunity to develop a competitive advantage
Channel power structure - for example in the case of a product having little brand equity retailers have negotiating power over manufacturers and can capture more margin
Market Trends
Changes in the market are important because they often are the source of new opportunities and threats The relevant trends are industry-dependent but some examples include changes in price sensitivity demand for variety and level of emphasis on service and support Regional trends also may be relevant
Key Success Factors
The key success factors are those elements that are necessary in order for the firm to achieve its marketing objectives A few examples of such factors include
Access to essential unique resources
Ability to achieve economies of scale
Access to distribution channels
Technological progress
It is important to consider that key success factors may change over time especially as the product progresses through its life cycle
9 CONCLUSIONS
Organizations engage in marketing research for two reasons
(1) (1) to identify (2) and (2) solve marketing problems
(3)
This distinction serves as a basis for classifying marketing research into problem identification research and problem solving research
Problem identification research is undertaken to help identify problems which are perhaps not apparent on the surface and yet exist or are likely to company image market characteristics sales analysis short-range forecasting long range forecasting and business trends research Research of this type provides information about the marketing environment and helps diagnose a problem For example The findings of problem solving research are used in making decisions which will solve specific marketing problems
The Stanford Research Institute on the other hand conducts an annual survey of consumers that is used to classify persons into homogeneous groups for segmentation purposes The National Purchase Diary panel (NPD) maintains the largest diary panel in the United States
Standardized services are research studies conducted for different client firms but in a standard way For example procedures for measuring
advertising effectiveness have been standardized so that the results can be compared across studies and evaluative norms can be established The Starch Readership Survey is the most widely used service for evaluating print advertisements another well-known service is the Gallup and Robinson Magazine Impact Studies These services are also sold on a syndicated basis
Customized services offer a wide variety of marketing research services customized to suit a clients specific needs Each marketing research project is treated uniquely
Limited-service suppliers specialize in one or a few phases of the marketing research project Services offered by such suppliers are classified as field services coding and data entry data analysis analytical services and branded products Field services collect data through mail personal or telephone interviewing and firms that specialize in interviewing are called field service organizations These organizations may range from small proprietary organizations which operate locally to large multinational organizations with WATS line interviewing facilities Some organizations maintain extensive interviewing facilities across the country for interviewing shoppers in malls
Coding and data entry services include editing completed questionnaires developing a coding scheme and transcribing the data on to diskettes or magnetic tapes for input into the computer NRC Data Systems provides such services
Analytical services include designing and pretesting questionnaires determining the best means of collecting data designing sampling plans and other aspects of the research design Some complex
marketing research projects require knowledge of sophisticated procedures including specialized experimental designs and analytical techniques such as conjoint analysis and multidimensional scaling This kind of expertise can be obtained from firms and consultants specializing in analytical services
Data analysis services are offered by firms also known as tab houses that specialize in computer analysis of quantitative data such as those obtained in large surveys Initially most data analysis firms supplied only tabulations (frequency counts) and cross tabulations (frequency counts that describe two or more variables simultaneously) With the proliferation of software many firms now have the capability to analyze their own data but data analysis firms are still in demand
Branded marketing research products and services are specialized data collection and analysis procedures developed to address specific types of marketing research problems These procedures are patented given brand names and marketed like any other branded product
Types of marketing research
Marketing research techniques come in many forms including
Ad Tracking ndash periodic or continuous in-market research to monitor a brandrsquos performance using measures such as brand awareness brand preference and product usage (Young 2005)
Advertising Research ndash used to predict copy testing or track the efficacy of advertisements for any medium measured by the adrsquos ability to get attention (measured with Attention Tracking) communicate the message build the brandrsquos image and motivate the consumer to purchase the product or service (Young 2005)
Brand equity research - how favorably do consumers view the brand
Brand association research - what do consumers associate with the brand
Brand attribute research - what are the key traits that describe the brand promise
Brand name testing - what do consumers feel about the names of the products
Commercial eye tracking research - examine advertisements package designs websites etc by analyzing visual behavior of the consumer
Concept testing - to test the acceptance of a concept by target consumers
Cool hunting - to make observations and predictions in changes of new or existing cultural trends in areas such as fashion music films television youth culture and lifestyle
Buyer decision processes research - to determine what motivates people to buy and what decision-making process they use
Copy testing ndash predicts in-market performance of an ad before it airs by analyzing audience levels of attention brand linkage motivation entertainment and communication as well as breaking down the adrsquos flow of attention and flow of emotion (Young p 213)
Customer satisfaction research - quantitative or qualitative studies that yields an understanding of a customers of satisfaction with a transaction
Demand estimation - to determine the approximate level of demand for the product
Distribution channel audits - to assess distributorsrsquo and retailersrsquo attitudes toward a product brand or company
Internet strategic intelligence - searching for customer opinions in the Internet chats forums web pages blogs where people express freely about their experiences with products becoming strong opinion formers
Marketing effectiveness and analytics - Building models and measuring results to determine the effectiveness of individual marketing activities
Mystery Consumer or Mystery shopping - An employee or representative of the market research firm anonymously contacts a salesperson and indicates he or she is shopping for a product The shopper then records the entire experience This method is often used for quality control or for researching competitors products
Positioning research - how does the target market see the brand relative to competitors - what does the brand stand for
Price elasticity testing - to determine how sensitive customers are to price changes
Sales forecasting - to determine the expected level of sales given the level of demand With respect to other factors like Advertising expenditure sales promotion etc
Segmentation research - to determine the demographic psychographic and behavioural characteristics of potential buyers
Online panel - a group of individual who accepted to respond to marketing research online
Store audit - to measure the sales of a product or product line at a statistically selected store sample in order to determine market share or to determine whether a retail store provides adequate service
Test marketing - a small-scale product launch used to determine the likely acceptance of the product when it is introduced into a wider market
Viral Marketing Research - refers to marketing research designed to estimate the probability that specific communications will be transmitted throughout an individuals Social Network Estimates of Social Networking Potential (SNP) are combined with estimates of selling effectiveness to estimate ROI on specific combinations of messages and media
All of these forms of marketing research can be classified as either problem-identification research or as problem-solving research
There are two main sources of data - primary and secondary Primary research is conducted from scratch It is original and collected to solve the problem in hand Secondary research already exists since it has been collected for other purposes It is conducted on data published previously and usually by someone else Secondary research costs far less than primary research but seldom comes in a form that exactly meets the needs of the researcher
A similar distinction exists between exploratory research and conclusive research Exploratory research provides insights into and comprehension of an issue or situation It should draw definitive conclusions only with extreme caution Conclusive research draws conclusions the results of the study can be generalized to the whole population
Exploratory research is conducted to explore a problem to get some basic idea about the solution at the preliminary stages of research It may serve as the input to conclusive research Exploratory research information is collected by focus group interviews reviewing literature or books discussing with experts etc This is unstructured and qualitative in nature If a secondary source of data is unable to serve the purpose a convenience sample of small size can be collected Conclusive research is conducted to draw some conclusion about the problem It is essentially structured and quantitative research and the
output of this research is the input to MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS (MIS)
Marketing research methods
Methodologically marketing research uses the following types of research designs
Based on questioning
Qualitative marketing research - generally used for exploratory purposes - small number of respondents - not generalizable to the whole population - statistical significance and confidence not calculated - examples include focus groups in-depth interviews and projective techniques
Quantitative marketing research - generally used to draw conclusions - tests a specific hypothesis - uses random sampling techniques so as to infer from the sample to the population - involves a large number of respondents - examples include surveys and questionnaires Techniques include choice modelling maximum difference preference scaling and covariance analysis
Based on observations
Ethnographic studies - by nature qualitative the researcher observes social phenomena in their natural setting - observations can
occur cross-sectionally (observations made at one time) or longitudinally (observations occur over several time-periods) ndash
examples include product-use analysis and computer cookie traces See also Ethnography and Observational techniques
Experimental techniques - by nature quantitative the researcher creates a quasi-artificial environment to try to control spurious factors
then manipulates at least one of the variables - examples include purchase laboratories and test markets
Questionnaires 1 What are the objectives of the marketing strategy Are they clearly stated Are they consistent with the objectives of the firm Is the entire marketing mix structured to meet these objectives
2 What marketing concepts are at issue in the current strategy Is the marketing strategy well planned and laid out Is the strategy consistent with sound marketing principles If the strategy takes exception to marketing principles is there a good reason for it
3 To what target market is the strategy directed Is it well defined Is the market large enough to be profitably served Does the market have long-run potential
4 What competitive advantage does the marketing strategy offer If none what can be done to gain a competitive advantage in the marketplace
5 What products are being sold What is the width depth and consistency of the firms product lines Does the firm need new products to fill out its product line Should any product be deleted What is the profitability of the various products
6 What promotion mix is being used Is promotion consistent with the products and product images What could be done to improve the promotion mix
7 What channels of distribution are being used Do they deliver the product at the right time and right place to meet consumer needs Are the channels typical of those used in the industry Could channels be made more efficient
8 What pricing strategies are being used How do prices compare with similar products of other firms How are prices determined
9 Are marketing research and information systematically integrated into the marketing strategy Is the overall marketing strategy internally consistent
7 DISCUSSION ON TRAINING
Marketing strategy is a process that can allow an organization to concentrate its limited resources on the greatest opportunities to increase sales and achieve a sustainable competitive advantage
Developing a marketing strategy
Marketing strategies serve as the fundamental underpinning of marketing plans designed to fill market needs and reach marketing objectives Plans and objectives are generally tested for measurable results Commonly marketing strategies are developed as multi-year plans with a tactical plan detailing specific actions to be accomplished in the current year Time horizons covered by the marketing plan vary by company by industry and by nation however time horizons are becoming shorter as the speed of change in the environment increases Marketing strategies are dynamic and interactive They are partially planned and partially unplanned See strategy dynamics
Marketing strategy involves careful scanning of the internal and external environments which are summarized in a SWOT analysis Internal environmental factors include the marketing mix plus performance analysis and strategic constraints External environmental factors include customer analysis competitor analysis target market analysis as well as evaluation of any elements of the technological economic cultural or politicallegal environment likely toimpact success A key component of marketing strategy is often to
keep marketing in line with a companys overarching mission statement
Types of strategies
Marketing strategies may differ depending on the unique situation of the individual business However there are a number of ways of categorizing some generic strategies A brief description of the most common categorizing schemes is presented below
Strategies based on market dominance - In this scheme firms are classified based on their market share or dominance of an industry Typically there are four types of market dominance strategies
Leader
Challenger
Follower
Nicher
Porter generic strategies - strategy on the dimensions of strategic scope and strategic strength Strategic scope refers to the market penetration while strategic strength refers to the firmrsquos sustainable competitive advantage The generic strategy framework (porter 1984) comprises two alternatives each with two alternative scopes These are Differentiation and low-cost leadership each with a dimension of Focus-broad or narrow
Product differentiation (broad)
Cost leadership (broad)
Market segmentation (narrow)
Innovation strategies - This deals with the firms rate of the new product development and business model innovation It asks whether the company is on the cutting edge of technology and business innovation There are three types
Pioneers
Close followers
Late followers
Growth strategies - In this scheme we ask the question ldquoHow should the firm growrdquo There are a number of different ways of answering that question but the most common gives four answers
Horizontal integration
Vertical integration
Diversification
Intensification
A more detailed scheme uses the categories[10]
Prospector
Analyzer
Defender
Reactor
Marketing warfare strategies - This scheme draws parallels between marketing strategies and military strategies
Many architects make the mistake of thinking that marketing has
only a peripheral relationship to what their firm does In fact marketing works best when it is totally integrated into the operations of your firm when itrsquos a part of everything you do You canrsquot create a plan for how to improve your marketing and increase your business without first considering your long-term goalsmdashnot just in terms of fee revenue or winning work but in terms of who you want to be and where you want to go both as a firm and as a professional There are a number of ways strategic planning
can help your firm
_ Build a shared vision for the firmrsquos future _ Articulate your vision so that it can be communicated to others
_ Get approval and support for the vision from senior leadership and ultimately your entire staff
_ Create a framework for all future decision making _ Figure out (and agree on) how much yoursquore going to spend on
marketing and other initiatives to make it happen
The discussion of strategic planning and marketing planning are divided into the following five areas
Strategic Planning
Getting to the Starting Line
Strategic planning is the process of developing a vision of who you are as a firm and what your longterm goals are Itrsquos about more than just marketing it can influence everything human resources finance information technology operations hiring promotions strategy design process client relationships the design of your office and absolutely anything else that affects your firm and its performance Firms typically engage in strategic planning at defining moments in their practice when the firmrsquos leadership changes or when the practice undergoes some kind of profound transformation The strategic planning process enables the firmrsquos leadership to build a shared vision for the firmrsquos future articulate the vision so that it can be communicated and create a framework for all future decision making When yoursquore ready to
engage in strategic planning itrsquos important to open your mind as much as possible Get ready to think big
Because strategic planning is a process not a document or a report it isnrsquot effective for a small group of leaders to issue a fat document as the strategic plan for the firm It will probably go unread It will certainly not achieve approval and support from the people who need to understand it and act on it Strategic planning is best conducted as an open process one that involves all your firmrsquos key leaders To begin the process set up a strategic planning meeting either as a retreat outside the office or as an extended in-house meeting (You may want to bring in a marketing consultant to help you with this) Figure out who should be there to give input to the vision for your firmrsquos future Keep the group as small as possible but donrsquot leave anyone out Ask everyone to commit half a day for the meeting (two hours just isnrsquot enough) and to come relaxed and prepared to focus on the firmrsquos strategic direction Give everyone an agenda in advance and ask each person to bring historical data based on his or her area of expertise or interest (financial data hiring or retention info winloss reports client feedback etc) Gather any existing documents that attempt to define the firm or its vision such as mission statements a firm description marketing materials articles that have been written about the firm and so on Plan to spend about half the meeting talking about where you are now (your firm your markets your competitors etc) and the other half talking about where yoursquod like to go (your mission your vision the action plan)
MARKETS FOR INDUSTRIAL GOODS
The market is the place where supply meets demand Suppliers and customers meet discuss and evaluate the conditions for exchange of goods and services and exchanges take place The conditions under which these exchanges occur especially that of price are influenced by the characteristics and structure of the market for example the number and market power of suppliers and customers Traditional economic analysis of markets presupposes that they are characterized by certain basic features firstly there is an assumption of free movement in the market and thus a customer will always buy where he obtains the best terms of exchange at that moment similarly the assumption is that suppliers will move to and from the market freely Thus the market is portrayed as atomistic Each unit in the market is free and independent to do as it wishes Also as a result of this free movement the market is characterized by change and stability is an exception Underlying these two assumptions is the further assumption that there is little or no cost of transaction In other words it is assumed that there are no costs in obtaining accurate information or in negotiations etc One effect of this assumption is that production costs
are considered central and that sellers can be simply represented by a production function
The traditional economic theory of the market has of course been subject to challenge and modification However it has influenced the models and principles used in marketing management The basic model that most of the literature in marketing is built on is the marketing mix model The key problems in marketing according to that model are
(a) to allocate resources to different competitive means or mix elements
(b) to design each mean as well as possible within the firms resource limitations
The market is often described in terms of response curves each defined in relation to a certain marketing decision variable or to the whole mix of a company The assumption is of course that the market consists of many individual customers that are affected by the marketers variables in accordance with a certain statistical distribution The same kind of influence can also be identified in the purchasing management
literature The focus here is largely on the management of a single purchase This does not give full consideration to the factors which have contributed to the way this purchase takes place or to the effects of this purchase on the subsequent dealings with the supplying company
Marketing Management
As we mentioned in the first section of this chapter the models and principles for industrial marketing management that are given by the literature are normally related to the marketing mix model The problems identified in these are the allocation of resources and the designing of competitive means However marketers in for example a highly concentrated industry may find different problems The issues associated with the handling of ten very large customers are of totally different character from those of handling 1000 small customers Thus marketers in firms in concentrated markets have a lack of accurate models for analyzing their marketing problems They have also a lack of relevant data expressed in a systematic way about the behaviour of other firms in the same situation
MARKETING ORGANIZATION
Overall Organization
Belters sales operations are split into three areas as follows
(i) Sales Manger mdash UK responsible for 60mdash70 per cent of total sales Four area offices handling all accounts except two major ones which are managed from the Companys main office
(ii) Sales Manager mdash Middle East Africa Eastern Europe accounting for approximately 20 per cent of total sales One manager plus two sales engineers The Company is currently building up an agencymdashdistributor network for this territory
(iii) Sales Manager mdash Western Europe responsible for the remaining 20 per cent of total sales The sales manager is located in Brussels with additional sales offices in Germany France and Italy The Brussels sales office is owned by Belters parent group All major commercial
transactions are carried out by Belters Head Office although the Brussels Company does have some price discretion This European sales company takes 85 per cent of its products for sale in Europe from Belter The remaining 15 per cent of products are sourced from the North-American parent company Apart from the European operation all agents and distributors overseas are handled from the UK
Evolution of Marketing Organization
Belter has often faced problems in the distribution of its products in France for example the Company had a combined agent and distributor operating until 1963 Belter provided applications engineering but had no commercial involvement in sales The company found that it had no influence on pricing in the market and this led to a rather artificial pricing structure and to a decreased market share This problem was not solved by the appointment of a second distributor Mergers amongst French suppliers have led to more competition in the market The second distributor did little to stimulate the first one or to improve the Companys overall penetration
In 1966 Belter separated out a number of products and major customers which were not to be handled via distributors These customers and products were to be controlled by the UK sales operation Also from 1970 the Brussels office ceased to have overall responsibility for sales to France and a Paris office was established The
overall market situation faced in France (and in other European countries) is as follows
There are many actual and potential users for some products which are not known by the Company Heavy competition exists especially on price for large customers who are often buying what they view as a commodity product Belters emerging strategy has been to handle these large customers through its own sales offices The Paris office actively seek sales of large volume products as well as acting as a `post office for products specially developed for individual customers which are then handled from the Companys main office Small customers and small volume products are handled by the two French distributors The development process in Italy has been similar to that in France Sales in Scandinavia do not justify a local sales office sales here are handled through a distributor from the Brussels office A small number of major accounts are however handled directly from the UK
BUYERmdashSELLER RELATIONSHIPS
A Customer Relationship in the United Kingdom
The three aspects of the relationship which are studied are competition technical development and personal contacts
This customer is Belters largest and is responsible for 20 per cent of its total business The Company operates in the aerospace industry at the limit of current technology The relationship involves considerable development liaison on wholly new products
Competition
Competition for this customer comes primarily from American suppliers The competition is on price and reflects the spare capacity in the American industry Competition from UK companies is also on price and comes from companies having a wider production spread than Belter
Development
This customer has always relied on Belter alone for development work in this product area However they have looked to other sources of supply when development has taken place The development process for a new product can be started either by a government development contract or by an order from the customer Belter acknowledged that it
has to stand the costs of this development in the latter case The customer has intimate knowledge of all of Belters procedures Methods of manufacture are agreed in detail and even the particular production machinery to be used is specified The closeness of the relationship between the two companies is indicated by the fact that the customer has approved Belters quality procedure and accepts their testing
Contact Pattern
Interpersonal contacts between Belter and its UK customer are summarized as
follows
(1) Formal Contacts
Every six months Technical policy liaison meeting jointly chaired by Belters Technical Director and the customers Chief Materials Manager Every sixmdashnine months Commercial meeting Belters Managing and Marketing Directors and Sales Manager and the customers Purchasing Director and Senior Purchasing Staff
Monthly UK Sales Manager visits customers purchasing staff to discuss delivery and order positions
(2) Other Contacts
These can be studied according to the formally assigned responsibility Personnel who have full-time responsibility One sales office man has daily contact with the customer Additionally one applications engineer is engaged on work for this customer Finally one man determines market trends and is in contact with the customers marketing personnel and customers clients Personnel with `half-time responsibility Four applications engineers also spend some of their time on the customers problems and are in personal contact with customer staff
PURPOSE OF A MARKETING PLAN
The purpose of a Marketing Plan is to-
1048766Define the Market
1048766Refine the Production Plan to market requirements
1048766Develop a marketing strategy
1048766Minimize risk
Each FFT group should have a Marketing Plan covering each commodity based on their own study of the local market
Defining the Market and Commodities-
1048766Market demand and prices -An assessment based on published market information discussions with local extension staff farmers dealers and buyers of the commodity of the likely demand and prices on offer during the year and during any period of seasonal shortfall
1048766Market Requirement- Varieties size grading packaging maturity demanded by the buyers in the particular market
1048766Yield Price Assumptions- How much commodity will be available How much premium grade Second grade Losses If the commodity crop is aimed to be produced for a particular period eg for a low supply period while the price assumptions (expectation) may be higher some reassessment of yield and cost of production assumptions in the gross margin analysis or partial budgets is usually necessary 1048766Marketing Returns and Costs Calculate expected income and costs in marketing
The Most Important Elements of Marketing There are four important elements in the marketing process
1048766Prioritising the customer Marketing begins with the customer not the product Knowing what the customer needs or wants is essential
1048766Process of selection The farmer needs to know who to sell the product to This will determine how and where the produce is marketed
1048766Promotion The farmer is selling something that other people want to buy Naturally it is helpful to let them know that the product is available and of good quality
The Marketing Training Manual 23 Marketing Module 3 Markets and Marketing
1048766Trust Good marketing occurs when the customers trust the farmer The customer should feel they are not being cheated and they are getting value for their money
In thinking about these elements farmers need to ask themselves about the six Ps
bull P p eople Who are the customers What do they want or need Who is actually going to market the product
bull P p lan How is the product going to reach the selected customers What are the steps
bull product What product is going to be marketed Is the family producing what the customer wants What services (for example a cooked product) if any are requested by the customer
bull place Where is the product going to be marketed
bull price What price will the product be offered on the market for
bull promotion How are people going to be informed that the product is available
Supply Demand and Price
In a free market prices for inputs and products are determined by supply and demand
Supply Is what producers are willing to market at a certain price
Demand Is how much consumers are prepared to buy at the market price
In theory as the price of a product goes up the quantity supplied rises and the quantity demanded falls Likewise when the price goes down the quantity supplied falls and the quantity demanded rises
For agricultural produce demand is affected by a number of factors the most
The Marketing Training Manual 24 Marketing Module 3 Markets and Marketing
Industrial or business to business (B2B) marketing
An organization seeks to build a new warehouse After documenting requirements it obtains three proposals from suitable construction firms After a long process of evaluation and negotiation it places an order with the organization that it believes offers the best value for money
An organization needs legal services and obtains submissions from two law firms Analysis of the proposals and subsequent discussions determines that there is no price advantage to placing all of the work with one firm and the organization decides to split the work between the two firms based on an evaluation of each firms capabilities
A sales representative makes an appointment with an organization that employs 22 people He demonstrates a photocopierfaxprinter to the office administrator After discussing a proposal the business owner signs a contract to obtain the machine on a fully-maintained rental and consumables basis with an upgrade after 2 years
Main features of the B2B selling process are
Marketing is one-to-one in nature It is relatively easy for the seller to identify a prospective customers and build a face-to-face relationship Highly professional and trained people in buying processes are involved In many cases two or three decision makers must approve a purchase plan Often the buying or selling process is complex and includes many stages (for example request for proposal request for tender selection process awarding of tender contract negotiations and signing of final contract) Selling activities involve long processes of prospecting qualifying wooing making representations preparing tenders developing strategies and contract negotiations
Blurring between B2B and B2C
Industrial marketing can cross the border into consumer marketing For example an electronic component seller may distribute its products through industrial marketing channels (see channel (marketing)) but also support consumer sales Many products are equally desired by business and consumersmdashsuch as audio products furniture paint hardware etc Nonetheless manufactures and service providers frequently maintain separate industrial and consumer marketing operations to reflect the different needs of the two channels
Competitive tendering
Industrial marketing often involves competitive tendering (see tender tendering) This is a process where a purchasing organization undertakes to procure goods and services from suitable suppliers Due to the high value of some purchases (for example buying a new computer system manufacturing
machinery or outsourcing a maintenance contract) and the complexity of such purchases the purchasing organization will seek to obtain a number of bids from competing suppliers and choose the best offering An entire profession (strategic procurement) that includes tertiary training and qualifications has been built around the process of making important purchases The key requirement in any competitive tender is to ensure that
The business case for the purchase has been completed and approved
The purchasing organizations objectives for the purchase are clearly defined
The procurement process is agreed upon and it conforms with fiscal guidelines and organisational policies The selection criteria have been established
A budget has been estimated and the financial resources are available
A buying team (or committee) has been assembled
A specification has been written
A preliminary scan of the market place has determined that enough potential suppliers are available to make the process viable (this can sometimes be achieved using an expression of interest process)
It has been clearly established that a competitive tendering process is the best method for meeting the objectives of this purchasing project If (for example) it was known that there was only one organisation capable of supplying best to get on with talking to them and negotiating a contract
Because of the significant value of many purchases issues of probity arise Organisations seek to ensure that awarding a contract is based on best fit to the agreed criteria and not bribery corruption or incompetence
Bidding process
Suppliers who are seeking to win a competitive tender go through a bidding process At its most primitive this would consist of evaluating the specification (issued by the purchasing organization) designing a suitable proposal and working out a price This is a primitive approach because
There is an old saying in industrial marketing if the first time you have heard about a tender is when you are invited to submit then you have already lost it
While flippant the previous point illustrates a basic requirement for being successful in competitive tendering it is important to develop a strong relationship with a prospective customer organization well before they have started the formal part of their procurement process
Non-tender purchasing
Not all industrial sales involve competitive tendering Tender processes are time consuming and expensive particularly when executed with the aim of ensuring probity Government agencies are particularly likely to utilise elaborate competitive tendering processes due to the expectation that they should be seen at all times to be responsibly and accountably spending public monies Private companies are able to avoid the complexity of a fully transparent tender process but are still able to run the procurement process with some rigourBeneficial
Developing a sales strategysolution sellingtechnical selling
The art of technical selling (solution selling) follows a three stage process
Stage 1 Sell the appointment Never sell over the telephone The aim of the first contact with a prospective purchaser is to sell the appointment The reason is simple industrial sales are complex any attempt to sell over the phone will trivialise your product or service and run the risk of not fully understanding the customers need
Stage 2 Understand their needs The best method of selling is to minimise the information about your goods or services until you have fully understood your customers requirements
Stage 3 Develop and propose a solution The solution is (of course) developed from your (or the firm that you represents) product or service offerings
Marketing supports solution selling through methods like account-based marketingmdashunderstanding a specific target organizations requirements as the foundation of a marketing program As research shows[1] sales success is heavily weighted towards suppliers who understand the customer In UK research 77 per cent of senior decision-makers believe new suppliers marketing From cannon fodder to preferred tenderer
The term cannon fodder derives from the World Wars and refers to the massing of undertrained and recently recruited troops sent to the fronts to face the enemy Such troops invariably had a poor survival rate but provided the tactical advantage of distracting the enemy while
professional soldiers mounted more effective operations In adopting the term to Industrial Marketing it means those bids being submitted that have no chance of winning but are involved to make up the numbers (you cant have only one bid in a competitive tender process that wouldnt satisfy the requirements of probity) (for example in government tenders or for private enterprise the requirement to truly test the market and to keep them honest) The reader might be wondering why anybody would go to all of the work of submitting a tender when they had no chance of winning for the same reason that troops were sent in to battle to die they thought they had a real chance
The key features of a successful industrial sales organisation
In industrial marketing the personal selling is still very effective because many products must be customized to suit the requirements of the individual customer Indicators such as the sales tunnel give information on the expected sales in the near future the hit rate indicates whether the sales organization is busy with promising sales leads or it is spending too much effort on projects that are eventually lost to the competition or that are abandoned by the prospect
RESEARCH PROBLEM
1 Identify your target market
Which businesses need cleaning services Which ones can afford it and will pay for it Why
In your case I would think that small businesses may not be your ideal client But then again define small business Are you referring to sales volume or number of employees
I can tell you right now as a marketing consultant that has worked with a wide variety of businesses including small companies
Small businesses are very price sensitive and prefer to do more themselves rather than pay someone else (They hold this belief even if it would free up more time to be more productive Go figure)
So before you randomly begin picking a target market have a rational reason why Continue to read below and youll begin to see what I am talking about
2 Determine their wants and needs
It may be obvious to you but ask yourself Why would someone want a clean office
These businesses never have walk-in traffic They do not have customers visit them So naturally there is far less of a concern for a clean office Sure it would be nice to have but since no revenue will be lost if their office is not spectacular looking they are not motivated to do anything about it
However seek out the businesses that do deal with customers directly especially professional services where they have very high end clients visit them Now they NEED a very presentable office or they risk losing out on a lot of revenue
3 Determine the level and type of demand
If you have ever read any of my previous work you will know that I am a very strong advocate of knowing whether the type of demand is Primary Demand or Selective Demand It is one of the most overlooked aspects of marketing being ignored today
Primary Demand If a business does not already use your TYPE of service and is not currently considering doing so you will need to create primary demand Simply put you will have to convince them first to even want your type of service (or product) before you even get them to buy it from you
So for your cleaning business example if you are approaching businesses that currently do not use a cleaning service you will have to explain the time saving and productivity enhancing benefits of using one Then explain why YOU are the one they need
Selective Demand These businesses already use a service (or product) or are in the market for it and are actively looking In these cases you do not need to spend much effort convincing them why they need it
In this case you must state your argument why your cleaning service should be the one they choose
This is what you will encounter when you call on or contact businesses already using a cleaning service They will either be satisfied or unsatisfied with their current service provider Your emphasis will have to be on conquest sales -- meaning stealing customers from your competition
Now in your line of business and in many others slashing prices always seems to be the first technique used to steal customers This may work well for selling products But if you are marketing services let me tell you thisthink twice before doing that
Yes I am fully aware of the fact that there will be businesses that will be open to talking to you if you offer them a better deal In some cases they may feel they are legitimately getting ripped off or paying way
too much right now And they just might be right In those cases if you can give them a fair price that is a better deal for them AND still gives you healthy profit margins then go for it
However if you are slashing prices just to gain clients arent you really just hurting yourself in the long run First of all you can easily get into the game of How low will they go Secondly it de-values your perception of quality if you are cheap Thirdly whos to say after all this effort you wont lose the business in a month or two when someone else quotes them an even lower price
What will you do next price so low that you lose money with every client I didnt think so
Heres what you could do though
4 Develop a Hypothesis and a Solution to Match
After you know your target market have defined their needs and analyzed the competitive picture (currently using or not currently using a service like mine) go ahead and develop a clearly thought out hypothesis
For example start with business NOT currently using a cleaning service but that deal with customers or clients regularly at their location
Develop a strong case for WHY they would be wise to invest in your
cleaning services Show them on a break-even analysis that your fee will be well compensated in either customer retention or converting a higher level of store traffic or business appointments into paying customersclients
Then state your case why it is more cost effective and saves them valuable time to outsource this to you rather than doing it themselves or paying an employee overtime to do it You can also emphasize that you are the expert at this not someones secretary so it is expected that you will do a far better job at it
For businesses that ARE already using a cleaning service or are currently shopping for one state why you are unique and better
Determine the really compelling reasons why these businesses want a cleaning service to begin with
Maybe it is a retail store that wants to create a better first impression for their customers This will ultimately lead to a better customer experience and ultimately more in-store purchases
A good example may be that unlike most competitors you also clean windows Well as a marketing consultant to retail businesses I can tell you that many passerbys will first look in a store window before deciding to walk in or not
Now for successful marketing all retail businesses would perform better if they had more in-store traffic So therefore if your cleaning service also cleans windows you could rightfully justify that your services are more valuable to their retail business You actually HELP
them get more customers and sell more products
Maybe it is a professional service business that needs to impress prospective clients to choose their services over a similar competitor
Your cleaning service may dust chairs and polish wooden conference tables Many other cleaning services may not do this or do a poor job in doing so
Now as marketing consultants to service businesses I can also tell you that if a consultant attorney accountant or any other business professional needs to meet with prospective clients in their office they will appreciate a better appearance So if your cleaning services can provide this better than anyone else (or at least if you tell them about this first) you will get the business or at least be highly considered for it
Whatever the case may be establish what makes you different and have you are best suited to meet their needs
Do you see where I am going with this Your initial marketing questions asked how you can get more business by passing out flyers or sending faxes to small offices Truthfully that is simply not going to work You are not looking at the overall big picture of why anyone would either want to hire a cleaning service or to hire your particular cleaning service
5 You must make AN OFFER
Here are some examples
Marketing messagesales offer to a business that does NOT currently use a cleaning service
If you have never considered using a cleaning service before allow us to show you how XYZ Cleaning Inc can make your storeoffice more presentable to customers and how this newly improved appearance will affect your cash registerbank statement
If you are weary of trying new things dont worry Use us FREE for one month and if you are not completely satisfied with the results if you are not completely confident that it makes a difference to your customers if you are not completely aware of how it raises the morale of your employees then you do not have to using us again
But if YOU DO see a great improvement well make you a great deal on our services simply because we want your long term business Marketing messagesales offer to businesses that DO currently use a cleaning service
I understand that you currently use ABC Cleaners LLC Now you may or may not be completely happy right now but I want to make you a no-risk offer you cant refuse
The truth is that you likely get consumed in your day to day activities in running your business overseeing operations managing employees and handling customers Therefore there may be little imperfections your cleaning service is making that goes unnoticed by you But dont assume for one minute that your customers or potential customers wont notice And remember first impressions DO count
So heres our offer Have us come in the morning after your regular cleaning service cleans your office We will do a thorough inspection with you present and look for anything they may have done a less-than-satisfactory job on Then well show you why you probably over looked it for so long but why your customers will take notice and how they will think differently about you because of it
Now if everything is already 100 completely clean and presentable well thank you for your time and then be on our way But if together we find lots of little things that are carelessly being done we will cleanfix it for you for FREE
Thats right use our services as a compliment to what you are already paying for Compare the quality of work we do to what you are already paying for If you can see the difference in what we do for you compared to what you are already paying for then consider us as your new cleaning service
6 Develop your marketing message
Once you understand the true needs your potential clients have and the unique and competitive solutions you can offer only then should you develop your marketing copy -- your sales pitch
The two examples above incorporate great marketing copy with a strong benefits related offer You can then deliver this through direct mail telemarketing or a combination of both
I would only recommend distributing flyers if you are confident you can place there where they will get read by people who make the decision to hire a cleaning service So if there is an Open Bulletin board in an office building then go for it However they are rare and you probably need permission anyway
Id avoid the fax marketing altogether Its quite annoying ties up there fax line and unless people have already heard of you they are more likely to toss your message in the garbage
Try sending direct mail to the decision makers of these target companies and describe the benefits they will experience from using your services
7 Follow up
Even after identifying the businesses that are most likely to need your services after you have identified a solution and even after you contacted them with a compelling offer you still have to follow up
Chances are they loved the sound of it when they got it They had every intention of following up with you But then just got busy So your follow up call can make all the difference in the world and get your foot in the door in a very big way Then its up to you to DELIVER on your promise
8 ANALYSIS
Market Analysis
The goal of a market analysis is to determine the attractiveness of a market and to understand its evolving opportunities and threats as they relate to the strengths and weaknesses of the firm
David A Aaker outlined the following dimensions of a market analysis
Market size (current and future)
Market growth rate
Market profitability
Industry cost structure
Distribution channels
Market trends
Key success factors
Market Size
The size of the market can be evaluated based on present sales and on potential sales if the use of the product were expanded The following are some information sources for determining market size
government data
trade associations financial data from major players customer surveys
Market Growth Rate
A simple means of forecasting the market growth rate is to extrapolate historical data into the future While this method may provide a first-order estimate it does not predict important turning points A better method is to study growth drivers such as demographic information and sales growth in complementary products Such drivers serve as leading indicators that are more accurate than simply extrapolating historical data
Important inflection points in the market growth rate sometimes can be predicted by constructing a product diffusion curve The shape of the curve can be estimated by studying the characteristics of the adoption rate of a similar product in the past
Ultimately the maturity and decline stages of the product life cycle will be reached Some leading indicators of the decline phase include price pressure caused by competition a decrease in brand loyalty the emergence of substitute products market saturation and the lack of growth drivers
Market Profitability
While different firms in a market will have different levels of profitability the average profit potential for a market can be used as a guideline for knowing how difficult it is to make money in the market Michael Porter devised a useful framework for evaluating the attractiveness of an industry or market This framework known as Porters five forces identifies five factors that influence the market profitability
Buyer power
Supplier power
Barriers to entry
Threat of substitute products
Rivalry among firms in the industry
Industry Cost Structure
The cost structure is important for identifying key factors for success To this end Porters value chain model is useful for determining where value is added and for isolating the costs
The cost structure also is helpful for formulating strategies to develop a competitive advantage For example in some environments the experience curve effect can be used to develop a cost advantage over competitors
Distribution Channels
The following aspects of the distribution system are useful in a market analysis
Existing distribution channels - can be described by how direct they are to the customer
Trends and emerging channels - new channels can offer the opportunity to develop a competitive advantage
Channel power structure - for example in the case of a product having little brand equity retailers have negotiating power over manufacturers and can capture more margin
Market Trends
Changes in the market are important because they often are the source of new opportunities and threats The relevant trends are industry-dependent but some examples include changes in price sensitivity demand for variety and level of emphasis on service and support Regional trends also may be relevant
Key Success Factors
The key success factors are those elements that are necessary in order for the firm to achieve its marketing objectives A few examples of such factors include
Access to essential unique resources
Ability to achieve economies of scale
Access to distribution channels
Technological progress
It is important to consider that key success factors may change over time especially as the product progresses through its life cycle
9 CONCLUSIONS
Organizations engage in marketing research for two reasons
(1) (1) to identify (2) and (2) solve marketing problems
(3)
This distinction serves as a basis for classifying marketing research into problem identification research and problem solving research
Problem identification research is undertaken to help identify problems which are perhaps not apparent on the surface and yet exist or are likely to company image market characteristics sales analysis short-range forecasting long range forecasting and business trends research Research of this type provides information about the marketing environment and helps diagnose a problem For example The findings of problem solving research are used in making decisions which will solve specific marketing problems
The Stanford Research Institute on the other hand conducts an annual survey of consumers that is used to classify persons into homogeneous groups for segmentation purposes The National Purchase Diary panel (NPD) maintains the largest diary panel in the United States
Standardized services are research studies conducted for different client firms but in a standard way For example procedures for measuring
advertising effectiveness have been standardized so that the results can be compared across studies and evaluative norms can be established The Starch Readership Survey is the most widely used service for evaluating print advertisements another well-known service is the Gallup and Robinson Magazine Impact Studies These services are also sold on a syndicated basis
Customized services offer a wide variety of marketing research services customized to suit a clients specific needs Each marketing research project is treated uniquely
Limited-service suppliers specialize in one or a few phases of the marketing research project Services offered by such suppliers are classified as field services coding and data entry data analysis analytical services and branded products Field services collect data through mail personal or telephone interviewing and firms that specialize in interviewing are called field service organizations These organizations may range from small proprietary organizations which operate locally to large multinational organizations with WATS line interviewing facilities Some organizations maintain extensive interviewing facilities across the country for interviewing shoppers in malls
Coding and data entry services include editing completed questionnaires developing a coding scheme and transcribing the data on to diskettes or magnetic tapes for input into the computer NRC Data Systems provides such services
Analytical services include designing and pretesting questionnaires determining the best means of collecting data designing sampling plans and other aspects of the research design Some complex
marketing research projects require knowledge of sophisticated procedures including specialized experimental designs and analytical techniques such as conjoint analysis and multidimensional scaling This kind of expertise can be obtained from firms and consultants specializing in analytical services
Data analysis services are offered by firms also known as tab houses that specialize in computer analysis of quantitative data such as those obtained in large surveys Initially most data analysis firms supplied only tabulations (frequency counts) and cross tabulations (frequency counts that describe two or more variables simultaneously) With the proliferation of software many firms now have the capability to analyze their own data but data analysis firms are still in demand
Branded marketing research products and services are specialized data collection and analysis procedures developed to address specific types of marketing research problems These procedures are patented given brand names and marketed like any other branded product
Types of marketing research
Marketing research techniques come in many forms including
Ad Tracking ndash periodic or continuous in-market research to monitor a brandrsquos performance using measures such as brand awareness brand preference and product usage (Young 2005)
Advertising Research ndash used to predict copy testing or track the efficacy of advertisements for any medium measured by the adrsquos ability to get attention (measured with Attention Tracking) communicate the message build the brandrsquos image and motivate the consumer to purchase the product or service (Young 2005)
Brand equity research - how favorably do consumers view the brand
Brand association research - what do consumers associate with the brand
Brand attribute research - what are the key traits that describe the brand promise
Brand name testing - what do consumers feel about the names of the products
Commercial eye tracking research - examine advertisements package designs websites etc by analyzing visual behavior of the consumer
Concept testing - to test the acceptance of a concept by target consumers
Cool hunting - to make observations and predictions in changes of new or existing cultural trends in areas such as fashion music films television youth culture and lifestyle
Buyer decision processes research - to determine what motivates people to buy and what decision-making process they use
Copy testing ndash predicts in-market performance of an ad before it airs by analyzing audience levels of attention brand linkage motivation entertainment and communication as well as breaking down the adrsquos flow of attention and flow of emotion (Young p 213)
Customer satisfaction research - quantitative or qualitative studies that yields an understanding of a customers of satisfaction with a transaction
Demand estimation - to determine the approximate level of demand for the product
Distribution channel audits - to assess distributorsrsquo and retailersrsquo attitudes toward a product brand or company
Internet strategic intelligence - searching for customer opinions in the Internet chats forums web pages blogs where people express freely about their experiences with products becoming strong opinion formers
Marketing effectiveness and analytics - Building models and measuring results to determine the effectiveness of individual marketing activities
Mystery Consumer or Mystery shopping - An employee or representative of the market research firm anonymously contacts a salesperson and indicates he or she is shopping for a product The shopper then records the entire experience This method is often used for quality control or for researching competitors products
Positioning research - how does the target market see the brand relative to competitors - what does the brand stand for
Price elasticity testing - to determine how sensitive customers are to price changes
Sales forecasting - to determine the expected level of sales given the level of demand With respect to other factors like Advertising expenditure sales promotion etc
Segmentation research - to determine the demographic psychographic and behavioural characteristics of potential buyers
Online panel - a group of individual who accepted to respond to marketing research online
Store audit - to measure the sales of a product or product line at a statistically selected store sample in order to determine market share or to determine whether a retail store provides adequate service
Test marketing - a small-scale product launch used to determine the likely acceptance of the product when it is introduced into a wider market
Viral Marketing Research - refers to marketing research designed to estimate the probability that specific communications will be transmitted throughout an individuals Social Network Estimates of Social Networking Potential (SNP) are combined with estimates of selling effectiveness to estimate ROI on specific combinations of messages and media
All of these forms of marketing research can be classified as either problem-identification research or as problem-solving research
There are two main sources of data - primary and secondary Primary research is conducted from scratch It is original and collected to solve the problem in hand Secondary research already exists since it has been collected for other purposes It is conducted on data published previously and usually by someone else Secondary research costs far less than primary research but seldom comes in a form that exactly meets the needs of the researcher
A similar distinction exists between exploratory research and conclusive research Exploratory research provides insights into and comprehension of an issue or situation It should draw definitive conclusions only with extreme caution Conclusive research draws conclusions the results of the study can be generalized to the whole population
Exploratory research is conducted to explore a problem to get some basic idea about the solution at the preliminary stages of research It may serve as the input to conclusive research Exploratory research information is collected by focus group interviews reviewing literature or books discussing with experts etc This is unstructured and qualitative in nature If a secondary source of data is unable to serve the purpose a convenience sample of small size can be collected Conclusive research is conducted to draw some conclusion about the problem It is essentially structured and quantitative research and the
output of this research is the input to MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS (MIS)
Marketing research methods
Methodologically marketing research uses the following types of research designs
Based on questioning
Qualitative marketing research - generally used for exploratory purposes - small number of respondents - not generalizable to the whole population - statistical significance and confidence not calculated - examples include focus groups in-depth interviews and projective techniques
Quantitative marketing research - generally used to draw conclusions - tests a specific hypothesis - uses random sampling techniques so as to infer from the sample to the population - involves a large number of respondents - examples include surveys and questionnaires Techniques include choice modelling maximum difference preference scaling and covariance analysis
Based on observations
Ethnographic studies - by nature qualitative the researcher observes social phenomena in their natural setting - observations can
occur cross-sectionally (observations made at one time) or longitudinally (observations occur over several time-periods) ndash
examples include product-use analysis and computer cookie traces See also Ethnography and Observational techniques
Experimental techniques - by nature quantitative the researcher creates a quasi-artificial environment to try to control spurious factors
then manipulates at least one of the variables - examples include purchase laboratories and test markets
Questionnaires 1 What are the objectives of the marketing strategy Are they clearly stated Are they consistent with the objectives of the firm Is the entire marketing mix structured to meet these objectives
2 What marketing concepts are at issue in the current strategy Is the marketing strategy well planned and laid out Is the strategy consistent with sound marketing principles If the strategy takes exception to marketing principles is there a good reason for it
3 To what target market is the strategy directed Is it well defined Is the market large enough to be profitably served Does the market have long-run potential
4 What competitive advantage does the marketing strategy offer If none what can be done to gain a competitive advantage in the marketplace
5 What products are being sold What is the width depth and consistency of the firms product lines Does the firm need new products to fill out its product line Should any product be deleted What is the profitability of the various products
6 What promotion mix is being used Is promotion consistent with the products and product images What could be done to improve the promotion mix
7 What channels of distribution are being used Do they deliver the product at the right time and right place to meet consumer needs Are the channels typical of those used in the industry Could channels be made more efficient
8 What pricing strategies are being used How do prices compare with similar products of other firms How are prices determined
9 Are marketing research and information systematically integrated into the marketing strategy Is the overall marketing strategy internally consistent
keep marketing in line with a companys overarching mission statement
Types of strategies
Marketing strategies may differ depending on the unique situation of the individual business However there are a number of ways of categorizing some generic strategies A brief description of the most common categorizing schemes is presented below
Strategies based on market dominance - In this scheme firms are classified based on their market share or dominance of an industry Typically there are four types of market dominance strategies
Leader
Challenger
Follower
Nicher
Porter generic strategies - strategy on the dimensions of strategic scope and strategic strength Strategic scope refers to the market penetration while strategic strength refers to the firmrsquos sustainable competitive advantage The generic strategy framework (porter 1984) comprises two alternatives each with two alternative scopes These are Differentiation and low-cost leadership each with a dimension of Focus-broad or narrow
Product differentiation (broad)
Cost leadership (broad)
Market segmentation (narrow)
Innovation strategies - This deals with the firms rate of the new product development and business model innovation It asks whether the company is on the cutting edge of technology and business innovation There are three types
Pioneers
Close followers
Late followers
Growth strategies - In this scheme we ask the question ldquoHow should the firm growrdquo There are a number of different ways of answering that question but the most common gives four answers
Horizontal integration
Vertical integration
Diversification
Intensification
A more detailed scheme uses the categories[10]
Prospector
Analyzer
Defender
Reactor
Marketing warfare strategies - This scheme draws parallels between marketing strategies and military strategies
Many architects make the mistake of thinking that marketing has
only a peripheral relationship to what their firm does In fact marketing works best when it is totally integrated into the operations of your firm when itrsquos a part of everything you do You canrsquot create a plan for how to improve your marketing and increase your business without first considering your long-term goalsmdashnot just in terms of fee revenue or winning work but in terms of who you want to be and where you want to go both as a firm and as a professional There are a number of ways strategic planning
can help your firm
_ Build a shared vision for the firmrsquos future _ Articulate your vision so that it can be communicated to others
_ Get approval and support for the vision from senior leadership and ultimately your entire staff
_ Create a framework for all future decision making _ Figure out (and agree on) how much yoursquore going to spend on
marketing and other initiatives to make it happen
The discussion of strategic planning and marketing planning are divided into the following five areas
Strategic Planning
Getting to the Starting Line
Strategic planning is the process of developing a vision of who you are as a firm and what your longterm goals are Itrsquos about more than just marketing it can influence everything human resources finance information technology operations hiring promotions strategy design process client relationships the design of your office and absolutely anything else that affects your firm and its performance Firms typically engage in strategic planning at defining moments in their practice when the firmrsquos leadership changes or when the practice undergoes some kind of profound transformation The strategic planning process enables the firmrsquos leadership to build a shared vision for the firmrsquos future articulate the vision so that it can be communicated and create a framework for all future decision making When yoursquore ready to
engage in strategic planning itrsquos important to open your mind as much as possible Get ready to think big
Because strategic planning is a process not a document or a report it isnrsquot effective for a small group of leaders to issue a fat document as the strategic plan for the firm It will probably go unread It will certainly not achieve approval and support from the people who need to understand it and act on it Strategic planning is best conducted as an open process one that involves all your firmrsquos key leaders To begin the process set up a strategic planning meeting either as a retreat outside the office or as an extended in-house meeting (You may want to bring in a marketing consultant to help you with this) Figure out who should be there to give input to the vision for your firmrsquos future Keep the group as small as possible but donrsquot leave anyone out Ask everyone to commit half a day for the meeting (two hours just isnrsquot enough) and to come relaxed and prepared to focus on the firmrsquos strategic direction Give everyone an agenda in advance and ask each person to bring historical data based on his or her area of expertise or interest (financial data hiring or retention info winloss reports client feedback etc) Gather any existing documents that attempt to define the firm or its vision such as mission statements a firm description marketing materials articles that have been written about the firm and so on Plan to spend about half the meeting talking about where you are now (your firm your markets your competitors etc) and the other half talking about where yoursquod like to go (your mission your vision the action plan)
MARKETS FOR INDUSTRIAL GOODS
The market is the place where supply meets demand Suppliers and customers meet discuss and evaluate the conditions for exchange of goods and services and exchanges take place The conditions under which these exchanges occur especially that of price are influenced by the characteristics and structure of the market for example the number and market power of suppliers and customers Traditional economic analysis of markets presupposes that they are characterized by certain basic features firstly there is an assumption of free movement in the market and thus a customer will always buy where he obtains the best terms of exchange at that moment similarly the assumption is that suppliers will move to and from the market freely Thus the market is portrayed as atomistic Each unit in the market is free and independent to do as it wishes Also as a result of this free movement the market is characterized by change and stability is an exception Underlying these two assumptions is the further assumption that there is little or no cost of transaction In other words it is assumed that there are no costs in obtaining accurate information or in negotiations etc One effect of this assumption is that production costs
are considered central and that sellers can be simply represented by a production function
The traditional economic theory of the market has of course been subject to challenge and modification However it has influenced the models and principles used in marketing management The basic model that most of the literature in marketing is built on is the marketing mix model The key problems in marketing according to that model are
(a) to allocate resources to different competitive means or mix elements
(b) to design each mean as well as possible within the firms resource limitations
The market is often described in terms of response curves each defined in relation to a certain marketing decision variable or to the whole mix of a company The assumption is of course that the market consists of many individual customers that are affected by the marketers variables in accordance with a certain statistical distribution The same kind of influence can also be identified in the purchasing management
literature The focus here is largely on the management of a single purchase This does not give full consideration to the factors which have contributed to the way this purchase takes place or to the effects of this purchase on the subsequent dealings with the supplying company
Marketing Management
As we mentioned in the first section of this chapter the models and principles for industrial marketing management that are given by the literature are normally related to the marketing mix model The problems identified in these are the allocation of resources and the designing of competitive means However marketers in for example a highly concentrated industry may find different problems The issues associated with the handling of ten very large customers are of totally different character from those of handling 1000 small customers Thus marketers in firms in concentrated markets have a lack of accurate models for analyzing their marketing problems They have also a lack of relevant data expressed in a systematic way about the behaviour of other firms in the same situation
MARKETING ORGANIZATION
Overall Organization
Belters sales operations are split into three areas as follows
(i) Sales Manger mdash UK responsible for 60mdash70 per cent of total sales Four area offices handling all accounts except two major ones which are managed from the Companys main office
(ii) Sales Manager mdash Middle East Africa Eastern Europe accounting for approximately 20 per cent of total sales One manager plus two sales engineers The Company is currently building up an agencymdashdistributor network for this territory
(iii) Sales Manager mdash Western Europe responsible for the remaining 20 per cent of total sales The sales manager is located in Brussels with additional sales offices in Germany France and Italy The Brussels sales office is owned by Belters parent group All major commercial
transactions are carried out by Belters Head Office although the Brussels Company does have some price discretion This European sales company takes 85 per cent of its products for sale in Europe from Belter The remaining 15 per cent of products are sourced from the North-American parent company Apart from the European operation all agents and distributors overseas are handled from the UK
Evolution of Marketing Organization
Belter has often faced problems in the distribution of its products in France for example the Company had a combined agent and distributor operating until 1963 Belter provided applications engineering but had no commercial involvement in sales The company found that it had no influence on pricing in the market and this led to a rather artificial pricing structure and to a decreased market share This problem was not solved by the appointment of a second distributor Mergers amongst French suppliers have led to more competition in the market The second distributor did little to stimulate the first one or to improve the Companys overall penetration
In 1966 Belter separated out a number of products and major customers which were not to be handled via distributors These customers and products were to be controlled by the UK sales operation Also from 1970 the Brussels office ceased to have overall responsibility for sales to France and a Paris office was established The
overall market situation faced in France (and in other European countries) is as follows
There are many actual and potential users for some products which are not known by the Company Heavy competition exists especially on price for large customers who are often buying what they view as a commodity product Belters emerging strategy has been to handle these large customers through its own sales offices The Paris office actively seek sales of large volume products as well as acting as a `post office for products specially developed for individual customers which are then handled from the Companys main office Small customers and small volume products are handled by the two French distributors The development process in Italy has been similar to that in France Sales in Scandinavia do not justify a local sales office sales here are handled through a distributor from the Brussels office A small number of major accounts are however handled directly from the UK
BUYERmdashSELLER RELATIONSHIPS
A Customer Relationship in the United Kingdom
The three aspects of the relationship which are studied are competition technical development and personal contacts
This customer is Belters largest and is responsible for 20 per cent of its total business The Company operates in the aerospace industry at the limit of current technology The relationship involves considerable development liaison on wholly new products
Competition
Competition for this customer comes primarily from American suppliers The competition is on price and reflects the spare capacity in the American industry Competition from UK companies is also on price and comes from companies having a wider production spread than Belter
Development
This customer has always relied on Belter alone for development work in this product area However they have looked to other sources of supply when development has taken place The development process for a new product can be started either by a government development contract or by an order from the customer Belter acknowledged that it
has to stand the costs of this development in the latter case The customer has intimate knowledge of all of Belters procedures Methods of manufacture are agreed in detail and even the particular production machinery to be used is specified The closeness of the relationship between the two companies is indicated by the fact that the customer has approved Belters quality procedure and accepts their testing
Contact Pattern
Interpersonal contacts between Belter and its UK customer are summarized as
follows
(1) Formal Contacts
Every six months Technical policy liaison meeting jointly chaired by Belters Technical Director and the customers Chief Materials Manager Every sixmdashnine months Commercial meeting Belters Managing and Marketing Directors and Sales Manager and the customers Purchasing Director and Senior Purchasing Staff
Monthly UK Sales Manager visits customers purchasing staff to discuss delivery and order positions
(2) Other Contacts
These can be studied according to the formally assigned responsibility Personnel who have full-time responsibility One sales office man has daily contact with the customer Additionally one applications engineer is engaged on work for this customer Finally one man determines market trends and is in contact with the customers marketing personnel and customers clients Personnel with `half-time responsibility Four applications engineers also spend some of their time on the customers problems and are in personal contact with customer staff
PURPOSE OF A MARKETING PLAN
The purpose of a Marketing Plan is to-
1048766Define the Market
1048766Refine the Production Plan to market requirements
1048766Develop a marketing strategy
1048766Minimize risk
Each FFT group should have a Marketing Plan covering each commodity based on their own study of the local market
Defining the Market and Commodities-
1048766Market demand and prices -An assessment based on published market information discussions with local extension staff farmers dealers and buyers of the commodity of the likely demand and prices on offer during the year and during any period of seasonal shortfall
1048766Market Requirement- Varieties size grading packaging maturity demanded by the buyers in the particular market
1048766Yield Price Assumptions- How much commodity will be available How much premium grade Second grade Losses If the commodity crop is aimed to be produced for a particular period eg for a low supply period while the price assumptions (expectation) may be higher some reassessment of yield and cost of production assumptions in the gross margin analysis or partial budgets is usually necessary 1048766Marketing Returns and Costs Calculate expected income and costs in marketing
The Most Important Elements of Marketing There are four important elements in the marketing process
1048766Prioritising the customer Marketing begins with the customer not the product Knowing what the customer needs or wants is essential
1048766Process of selection The farmer needs to know who to sell the product to This will determine how and where the produce is marketed
1048766Promotion The farmer is selling something that other people want to buy Naturally it is helpful to let them know that the product is available and of good quality
The Marketing Training Manual 23 Marketing Module 3 Markets and Marketing
1048766Trust Good marketing occurs when the customers trust the farmer The customer should feel they are not being cheated and they are getting value for their money
In thinking about these elements farmers need to ask themselves about the six Ps
bull P p eople Who are the customers What do they want or need Who is actually going to market the product
bull P p lan How is the product going to reach the selected customers What are the steps
bull product What product is going to be marketed Is the family producing what the customer wants What services (for example a cooked product) if any are requested by the customer
bull place Where is the product going to be marketed
bull price What price will the product be offered on the market for
bull promotion How are people going to be informed that the product is available
Supply Demand and Price
In a free market prices for inputs and products are determined by supply and demand
Supply Is what producers are willing to market at a certain price
Demand Is how much consumers are prepared to buy at the market price
In theory as the price of a product goes up the quantity supplied rises and the quantity demanded falls Likewise when the price goes down the quantity supplied falls and the quantity demanded rises
For agricultural produce demand is affected by a number of factors the most
The Marketing Training Manual 24 Marketing Module 3 Markets and Marketing
Industrial or business to business (B2B) marketing
An organization seeks to build a new warehouse After documenting requirements it obtains three proposals from suitable construction firms After a long process of evaluation and negotiation it places an order with the organization that it believes offers the best value for money
An organization needs legal services and obtains submissions from two law firms Analysis of the proposals and subsequent discussions determines that there is no price advantage to placing all of the work with one firm and the organization decides to split the work between the two firms based on an evaluation of each firms capabilities
A sales representative makes an appointment with an organization that employs 22 people He demonstrates a photocopierfaxprinter to the office administrator After discussing a proposal the business owner signs a contract to obtain the machine on a fully-maintained rental and consumables basis with an upgrade after 2 years
Main features of the B2B selling process are
Marketing is one-to-one in nature It is relatively easy for the seller to identify a prospective customers and build a face-to-face relationship Highly professional and trained people in buying processes are involved In many cases two or three decision makers must approve a purchase plan Often the buying or selling process is complex and includes many stages (for example request for proposal request for tender selection process awarding of tender contract negotiations and signing of final contract) Selling activities involve long processes of prospecting qualifying wooing making representations preparing tenders developing strategies and contract negotiations
Blurring between B2B and B2C
Industrial marketing can cross the border into consumer marketing For example an electronic component seller may distribute its products through industrial marketing channels (see channel (marketing)) but also support consumer sales Many products are equally desired by business and consumersmdashsuch as audio products furniture paint hardware etc Nonetheless manufactures and service providers frequently maintain separate industrial and consumer marketing operations to reflect the different needs of the two channels
Competitive tendering
Industrial marketing often involves competitive tendering (see tender tendering) This is a process where a purchasing organization undertakes to procure goods and services from suitable suppliers Due to the high value of some purchases (for example buying a new computer system manufacturing
machinery or outsourcing a maintenance contract) and the complexity of such purchases the purchasing organization will seek to obtain a number of bids from competing suppliers and choose the best offering An entire profession (strategic procurement) that includes tertiary training and qualifications has been built around the process of making important purchases The key requirement in any competitive tender is to ensure that
The business case for the purchase has been completed and approved
The purchasing organizations objectives for the purchase are clearly defined
The procurement process is agreed upon and it conforms with fiscal guidelines and organisational policies The selection criteria have been established
A budget has been estimated and the financial resources are available
A buying team (or committee) has been assembled
A specification has been written
A preliminary scan of the market place has determined that enough potential suppliers are available to make the process viable (this can sometimes be achieved using an expression of interest process)
It has been clearly established that a competitive tendering process is the best method for meeting the objectives of this purchasing project If (for example) it was known that there was only one organisation capable of supplying best to get on with talking to them and negotiating a contract
Because of the significant value of many purchases issues of probity arise Organisations seek to ensure that awarding a contract is based on best fit to the agreed criteria and not bribery corruption or incompetence
Bidding process
Suppliers who are seeking to win a competitive tender go through a bidding process At its most primitive this would consist of evaluating the specification (issued by the purchasing organization) designing a suitable proposal and working out a price This is a primitive approach because
There is an old saying in industrial marketing if the first time you have heard about a tender is when you are invited to submit then you have already lost it
While flippant the previous point illustrates a basic requirement for being successful in competitive tendering it is important to develop a strong relationship with a prospective customer organization well before they have started the formal part of their procurement process
Non-tender purchasing
Not all industrial sales involve competitive tendering Tender processes are time consuming and expensive particularly when executed with the aim of ensuring probity Government agencies are particularly likely to utilise elaborate competitive tendering processes due to the expectation that they should be seen at all times to be responsibly and accountably spending public monies Private companies are able to avoid the complexity of a fully transparent tender process but are still able to run the procurement process with some rigourBeneficial
Developing a sales strategysolution sellingtechnical selling
The art of technical selling (solution selling) follows a three stage process
Stage 1 Sell the appointment Never sell over the telephone The aim of the first contact with a prospective purchaser is to sell the appointment The reason is simple industrial sales are complex any attempt to sell over the phone will trivialise your product or service and run the risk of not fully understanding the customers need
Stage 2 Understand their needs The best method of selling is to minimise the information about your goods or services until you have fully understood your customers requirements
Stage 3 Develop and propose a solution The solution is (of course) developed from your (or the firm that you represents) product or service offerings
Marketing supports solution selling through methods like account-based marketingmdashunderstanding a specific target organizations requirements as the foundation of a marketing program As research shows[1] sales success is heavily weighted towards suppliers who understand the customer In UK research 77 per cent of senior decision-makers believe new suppliers marketing From cannon fodder to preferred tenderer
The term cannon fodder derives from the World Wars and refers to the massing of undertrained and recently recruited troops sent to the fronts to face the enemy Such troops invariably had a poor survival rate but provided the tactical advantage of distracting the enemy while
professional soldiers mounted more effective operations In adopting the term to Industrial Marketing it means those bids being submitted that have no chance of winning but are involved to make up the numbers (you cant have only one bid in a competitive tender process that wouldnt satisfy the requirements of probity) (for example in government tenders or for private enterprise the requirement to truly test the market and to keep them honest) The reader might be wondering why anybody would go to all of the work of submitting a tender when they had no chance of winning for the same reason that troops were sent in to battle to die they thought they had a real chance
The key features of a successful industrial sales organisation
In industrial marketing the personal selling is still very effective because many products must be customized to suit the requirements of the individual customer Indicators such as the sales tunnel give information on the expected sales in the near future the hit rate indicates whether the sales organization is busy with promising sales leads or it is spending too much effort on projects that are eventually lost to the competition or that are abandoned by the prospect
RESEARCH PROBLEM
1 Identify your target market
Which businesses need cleaning services Which ones can afford it and will pay for it Why
In your case I would think that small businesses may not be your ideal client But then again define small business Are you referring to sales volume or number of employees
I can tell you right now as a marketing consultant that has worked with a wide variety of businesses including small companies
Small businesses are very price sensitive and prefer to do more themselves rather than pay someone else (They hold this belief even if it would free up more time to be more productive Go figure)
So before you randomly begin picking a target market have a rational reason why Continue to read below and youll begin to see what I am talking about
2 Determine their wants and needs
It may be obvious to you but ask yourself Why would someone want a clean office
These businesses never have walk-in traffic They do not have customers visit them So naturally there is far less of a concern for a clean office Sure it would be nice to have but since no revenue will be lost if their office is not spectacular looking they are not motivated to do anything about it
However seek out the businesses that do deal with customers directly especially professional services where they have very high end clients visit them Now they NEED a very presentable office or they risk losing out on a lot of revenue
3 Determine the level and type of demand
If you have ever read any of my previous work you will know that I am a very strong advocate of knowing whether the type of demand is Primary Demand or Selective Demand It is one of the most overlooked aspects of marketing being ignored today
Primary Demand If a business does not already use your TYPE of service and is not currently considering doing so you will need to create primary demand Simply put you will have to convince them first to even want your type of service (or product) before you even get them to buy it from you
So for your cleaning business example if you are approaching businesses that currently do not use a cleaning service you will have to explain the time saving and productivity enhancing benefits of using one Then explain why YOU are the one they need
Selective Demand These businesses already use a service (or product) or are in the market for it and are actively looking In these cases you do not need to spend much effort convincing them why they need it
In this case you must state your argument why your cleaning service should be the one they choose
This is what you will encounter when you call on or contact businesses already using a cleaning service They will either be satisfied or unsatisfied with their current service provider Your emphasis will have to be on conquest sales -- meaning stealing customers from your competition
Now in your line of business and in many others slashing prices always seems to be the first technique used to steal customers This may work well for selling products But if you are marketing services let me tell you thisthink twice before doing that
Yes I am fully aware of the fact that there will be businesses that will be open to talking to you if you offer them a better deal In some cases they may feel they are legitimately getting ripped off or paying way
too much right now And they just might be right In those cases if you can give them a fair price that is a better deal for them AND still gives you healthy profit margins then go for it
However if you are slashing prices just to gain clients arent you really just hurting yourself in the long run First of all you can easily get into the game of How low will they go Secondly it de-values your perception of quality if you are cheap Thirdly whos to say after all this effort you wont lose the business in a month or two when someone else quotes them an even lower price
What will you do next price so low that you lose money with every client I didnt think so
Heres what you could do though
4 Develop a Hypothesis and a Solution to Match
After you know your target market have defined their needs and analyzed the competitive picture (currently using or not currently using a service like mine) go ahead and develop a clearly thought out hypothesis
For example start with business NOT currently using a cleaning service but that deal with customers or clients regularly at their location
Develop a strong case for WHY they would be wise to invest in your
cleaning services Show them on a break-even analysis that your fee will be well compensated in either customer retention or converting a higher level of store traffic or business appointments into paying customersclients
Then state your case why it is more cost effective and saves them valuable time to outsource this to you rather than doing it themselves or paying an employee overtime to do it You can also emphasize that you are the expert at this not someones secretary so it is expected that you will do a far better job at it
For businesses that ARE already using a cleaning service or are currently shopping for one state why you are unique and better
Determine the really compelling reasons why these businesses want a cleaning service to begin with
Maybe it is a retail store that wants to create a better first impression for their customers This will ultimately lead to a better customer experience and ultimately more in-store purchases
A good example may be that unlike most competitors you also clean windows Well as a marketing consultant to retail businesses I can tell you that many passerbys will first look in a store window before deciding to walk in or not
Now for successful marketing all retail businesses would perform better if they had more in-store traffic So therefore if your cleaning service also cleans windows you could rightfully justify that your services are more valuable to their retail business You actually HELP
them get more customers and sell more products
Maybe it is a professional service business that needs to impress prospective clients to choose their services over a similar competitor
Your cleaning service may dust chairs and polish wooden conference tables Many other cleaning services may not do this or do a poor job in doing so
Now as marketing consultants to service businesses I can also tell you that if a consultant attorney accountant or any other business professional needs to meet with prospective clients in their office they will appreciate a better appearance So if your cleaning services can provide this better than anyone else (or at least if you tell them about this first) you will get the business or at least be highly considered for it
Whatever the case may be establish what makes you different and have you are best suited to meet their needs
Do you see where I am going with this Your initial marketing questions asked how you can get more business by passing out flyers or sending faxes to small offices Truthfully that is simply not going to work You are not looking at the overall big picture of why anyone would either want to hire a cleaning service or to hire your particular cleaning service
5 You must make AN OFFER
Here are some examples
Marketing messagesales offer to a business that does NOT currently use a cleaning service
If you have never considered using a cleaning service before allow us to show you how XYZ Cleaning Inc can make your storeoffice more presentable to customers and how this newly improved appearance will affect your cash registerbank statement
If you are weary of trying new things dont worry Use us FREE for one month and if you are not completely satisfied with the results if you are not completely confident that it makes a difference to your customers if you are not completely aware of how it raises the morale of your employees then you do not have to using us again
But if YOU DO see a great improvement well make you a great deal on our services simply because we want your long term business Marketing messagesales offer to businesses that DO currently use a cleaning service
I understand that you currently use ABC Cleaners LLC Now you may or may not be completely happy right now but I want to make you a no-risk offer you cant refuse
The truth is that you likely get consumed in your day to day activities in running your business overseeing operations managing employees and handling customers Therefore there may be little imperfections your cleaning service is making that goes unnoticed by you But dont assume for one minute that your customers or potential customers wont notice And remember first impressions DO count
So heres our offer Have us come in the morning after your regular cleaning service cleans your office We will do a thorough inspection with you present and look for anything they may have done a less-than-satisfactory job on Then well show you why you probably over looked it for so long but why your customers will take notice and how they will think differently about you because of it
Now if everything is already 100 completely clean and presentable well thank you for your time and then be on our way But if together we find lots of little things that are carelessly being done we will cleanfix it for you for FREE
Thats right use our services as a compliment to what you are already paying for Compare the quality of work we do to what you are already paying for If you can see the difference in what we do for you compared to what you are already paying for then consider us as your new cleaning service
6 Develop your marketing message
Once you understand the true needs your potential clients have and the unique and competitive solutions you can offer only then should you develop your marketing copy -- your sales pitch
The two examples above incorporate great marketing copy with a strong benefits related offer You can then deliver this through direct mail telemarketing or a combination of both
I would only recommend distributing flyers if you are confident you can place there where they will get read by people who make the decision to hire a cleaning service So if there is an Open Bulletin board in an office building then go for it However they are rare and you probably need permission anyway
Id avoid the fax marketing altogether Its quite annoying ties up there fax line and unless people have already heard of you they are more likely to toss your message in the garbage
Try sending direct mail to the decision makers of these target companies and describe the benefits they will experience from using your services
7 Follow up
Even after identifying the businesses that are most likely to need your services after you have identified a solution and even after you contacted them with a compelling offer you still have to follow up
Chances are they loved the sound of it when they got it They had every intention of following up with you But then just got busy So your follow up call can make all the difference in the world and get your foot in the door in a very big way Then its up to you to DELIVER on your promise
8 ANALYSIS
Market Analysis
The goal of a market analysis is to determine the attractiveness of a market and to understand its evolving opportunities and threats as they relate to the strengths and weaknesses of the firm
David A Aaker outlined the following dimensions of a market analysis
Market size (current and future)
Market growth rate
Market profitability
Industry cost structure
Distribution channels
Market trends
Key success factors
Market Size
The size of the market can be evaluated based on present sales and on potential sales if the use of the product were expanded The following are some information sources for determining market size
government data
trade associations financial data from major players customer surveys
Market Growth Rate
A simple means of forecasting the market growth rate is to extrapolate historical data into the future While this method may provide a first-order estimate it does not predict important turning points A better method is to study growth drivers such as demographic information and sales growth in complementary products Such drivers serve as leading indicators that are more accurate than simply extrapolating historical data
Important inflection points in the market growth rate sometimes can be predicted by constructing a product diffusion curve The shape of the curve can be estimated by studying the characteristics of the adoption rate of a similar product in the past
Ultimately the maturity and decline stages of the product life cycle will be reached Some leading indicators of the decline phase include price pressure caused by competition a decrease in brand loyalty the emergence of substitute products market saturation and the lack of growth drivers
Market Profitability
While different firms in a market will have different levels of profitability the average profit potential for a market can be used as a guideline for knowing how difficult it is to make money in the market Michael Porter devised a useful framework for evaluating the attractiveness of an industry or market This framework known as Porters five forces identifies five factors that influence the market profitability
Buyer power
Supplier power
Barriers to entry
Threat of substitute products
Rivalry among firms in the industry
Industry Cost Structure
The cost structure is important for identifying key factors for success To this end Porters value chain model is useful for determining where value is added and for isolating the costs
The cost structure also is helpful for formulating strategies to develop a competitive advantage For example in some environments the experience curve effect can be used to develop a cost advantage over competitors
Distribution Channels
The following aspects of the distribution system are useful in a market analysis
Existing distribution channels - can be described by how direct they are to the customer
Trends and emerging channels - new channels can offer the opportunity to develop a competitive advantage
Channel power structure - for example in the case of a product having little brand equity retailers have negotiating power over manufacturers and can capture more margin
Market Trends
Changes in the market are important because they often are the source of new opportunities and threats The relevant trends are industry-dependent but some examples include changes in price sensitivity demand for variety and level of emphasis on service and support Regional trends also may be relevant
Key Success Factors
The key success factors are those elements that are necessary in order for the firm to achieve its marketing objectives A few examples of such factors include
Access to essential unique resources
Ability to achieve economies of scale
Access to distribution channels
Technological progress
It is important to consider that key success factors may change over time especially as the product progresses through its life cycle
9 CONCLUSIONS
Organizations engage in marketing research for two reasons
(1) (1) to identify (2) and (2) solve marketing problems
(3)
This distinction serves as a basis for classifying marketing research into problem identification research and problem solving research
Problem identification research is undertaken to help identify problems which are perhaps not apparent on the surface and yet exist or are likely to company image market characteristics sales analysis short-range forecasting long range forecasting and business trends research Research of this type provides information about the marketing environment and helps diagnose a problem For example The findings of problem solving research are used in making decisions which will solve specific marketing problems
The Stanford Research Institute on the other hand conducts an annual survey of consumers that is used to classify persons into homogeneous groups for segmentation purposes The National Purchase Diary panel (NPD) maintains the largest diary panel in the United States
Standardized services are research studies conducted for different client firms but in a standard way For example procedures for measuring
advertising effectiveness have been standardized so that the results can be compared across studies and evaluative norms can be established The Starch Readership Survey is the most widely used service for evaluating print advertisements another well-known service is the Gallup and Robinson Magazine Impact Studies These services are also sold on a syndicated basis
Customized services offer a wide variety of marketing research services customized to suit a clients specific needs Each marketing research project is treated uniquely
Limited-service suppliers specialize in one or a few phases of the marketing research project Services offered by such suppliers are classified as field services coding and data entry data analysis analytical services and branded products Field services collect data through mail personal or telephone interviewing and firms that specialize in interviewing are called field service organizations These organizations may range from small proprietary organizations which operate locally to large multinational organizations with WATS line interviewing facilities Some organizations maintain extensive interviewing facilities across the country for interviewing shoppers in malls
Coding and data entry services include editing completed questionnaires developing a coding scheme and transcribing the data on to diskettes or magnetic tapes for input into the computer NRC Data Systems provides such services
Analytical services include designing and pretesting questionnaires determining the best means of collecting data designing sampling plans and other aspects of the research design Some complex
marketing research projects require knowledge of sophisticated procedures including specialized experimental designs and analytical techniques such as conjoint analysis and multidimensional scaling This kind of expertise can be obtained from firms and consultants specializing in analytical services
Data analysis services are offered by firms also known as tab houses that specialize in computer analysis of quantitative data such as those obtained in large surveys Initially most data analysis firms supplied only tabulations (frequency counts) and cross tabulations (frequency counts that describe two or more variables simultaneously) With the proliferation of software many firms now have the capability to analyze their own data but data analysis firms are still in demand
Branded marketing research products and services are specialized data collection and analysis procedures developed to address specific types of marketing research problems These procedures are patented given brand names and marketed like any other branded product
Types of marketing research
Marketing research techniques come in many forms including
Ad Tracking ndash periodic or continuous in-market research to monitor a brandrsquos performance using measures such as brand awareness brand preference and product usage (Young 2005)
Advertising Research ndash used to predict copy testing or track the efficacy of advertisements for any medium measured by the adrsquos ability to get attention (measured with Attention Tracking) communicate the message build the brandrsquos image and motivate the consumer to purchase the product or service (Young 2005)
Brand equity research - how favorably do consumers view the brand
Brand association research - what do consumers associate with the brand
Brand attribute research - what are the key traits that describe the brand promise
Brand name testing - what do consumers feel about the names of the products
Commercial eye tracking research - examine advertisements package designs websites etc by analyzing visual behavior of the consumer
Concept testing - to test the acceptance of a concept by target consumers
Cool hunting - to make observations and predictions in changes of new or existing cultural trends in areas such as fashion music films television youth culture and lifestyle
Buyer decision processes research - to determine what motivates people to buy and what decision-making process they use
Copy testing ndash predicts in-market performance of an ad before it airs by analyzing audience levels of attention brand linkage motivation entertainment and communication as well as breaking down the adrsquos flow of attention and flow of emotion (Young p 213)
Customer satisfaction research - quantitative or qualitative studies that yields an understanding of a customers of satisfaction with a transaction
Demand estimation - to determine the approximate level of demand for the product
Distribution channel audits - to assess distributorsrsquo and retailersrsquo attitudes toward a product brand or company
Internet strategic intelligence - searching for customer opinions in the Internet chats forums web pages blogs where people express freely about their experiences with products becoming strong opinion formers
Marketing effectiveness and analytics - Building models and measuring results to determine the effectiveness of individual marketing activities
Mystery Consumer or Mystery shopping - An employee or representative of the market research firm anonymously contacts a salesperson and indicates he or she is shopping for a product The shopper then records the entire experience This method is often used for quality control or for researching competitors products
Positioning research - how does the target market see the brand relative to competitors - what does the brand stand for
Price elasticity testing - to determine how sensitive customers are to price changes
Sales forecasting - to determine the expected level of sales given the level of demand With respect to other factors like Advertising expenditure sales promotion etc
Segmentation research - to determine the demographic psychographic and behavioural characteristics of potential buyers
Online panel - a group of individual who accepted to respond to marketing research online
Store audit - to measure the sales of a product or product line at a statistically selected store sample in order to determine market share or to determine whether a retail store provides adequate service
Test marketing - a small-scale product launch used to determine the likely acceptance of the product when it is introduced into a wider market
Viral Marketing Research - refers to marketing research designed to estimate the probability that specific communications will be transmitted throughout an individuals Social Network Estimates of Social Networking Potential (SNP) are combined with estimates of selling effectiveness to estimate ROI on specific combinations of messages and media
All of these forms of marketing research can be classified as either problem-identification research or as problem-solving research
There are two main sources of data - primary and secondary Primary research is conducted from scratch It is original and collected to solve the problem in hand Secondary research already exists since it has been collected for other purposes It is conducted on data published previously and usually by someone else Secondary research costs far less than primary research but seldom comes in a form that exactly meets the needs of the researcher
A similar distinction exists between exploratory research and conclusive research Exploratory research provides insights into and comprehension of an issue or situation It should draw definitive conclusions only with extreme caution Conclusive research draws conclusions the results of the study can be generalized to the whole population
Exploratory research is conducted to explore a problem to get some basic idea about the solution at the preliminary stages of research It may serve as the input to conclusive research Exploratory research information is collected by focus group interviews reviewing literature or books discussing with experts etc This is unstructured and qualitative in nature If a secondary source of data is unable to serve the purpose a convenience sample of small size can be collected Conclusive research is conducted to draw some conclusion about the problem It is essentially structured and quantitative research and the
output of this research is the input to MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS (MIS)
Marketing research methods
Methodologically marketing research uses the following types of research designs
Based on questioning
Qualitative marketing research - generally used for exploratory purposes - small number of respondents - not generalizable to the whole population - statistical significance and confidence not calculated - examples include focus groups in-depth interviews and projective techniques
Quantitative marketing research - generally used to draw conclusions - tests a specific hypothesis - uses random sampling techniques so as to infer from the sample to the population - involves a large number of respondents - examples include surveys and questionnaires Techniques include choice modelling maximum difference preference scaling and covariance analysis
Based on observations
Ethnographic studies - by nature qualitative the researcher observes social phenomena in their natural setting - observations can
occur cross-sectionally (observations made at one time) or longitudinally (observations occur over several time-periods) ndash
examples include product-use analysis and computer cookie traces See also Ethnography and Observational techniques
Experimental techniques - by nature quantitative the researcher creates a quasi-artificial environment to try to control spurious factors
then manipulates at least one of the variables - examples include purchase laboratories and test markets
Questionnaires 1 What are the objectives of the marketing strategy Are they clearly stated Are they consistent with the objectives of the firm Is the entire marketing mix structured to meet these objectives
2 What marketing concepts are at issue in the current strategy Is the marketing strategy well planned and laid out Is the strategy consistent with sound marketing principles If the strategy takes exception to marketing principles is there a good reason for it
3 To what target market is the strategy directed Is it well defined Is the market large enough to be profitably served Does the market have long-run potential
4 What competitive advantage does the marketing strategy offer If none what can be done to gain a competitive advantage in the marketplace
5 What products are being sold What is the width depth and consistency of the firms product lines Does the firm need new products to fill out its product line Should any product be deleted What is the profitability of the various products
6 What promotion mix is being used Is promotion consistent with the products and product images What could be done to improve the promotion mix
7 What channels of distribution are being used Do they deliver the product at the right time and right place to meet consumer needs Are the channels typical of those used in the industry Could channels be made more efficient
8 What pricing strategies are being used How do prices compare with similar products of other firms How are prices determined
9 Are marketing research and information systematically integrated into the marketing strategy Is the overall marketing strategy internally consistent
Cost leadership (broad)
Market segmentation (narrow)
Innovation strategies - This deals with the firms rate of the new product development and business model innovation It asks whether the company is on the cutting edge of technology and business innovation There are three types
Pioneers
Close followers
Late followers
Growth strategies - In this scheme we ask the question ldquoHow should the firm growrdquo There are a number of different ways of answering that question but the most common gives four answers
Horizontal integration
Vertical integration
Diversification
Intensification
A more detailed scheme uses the categories[10]
Prospector
Analyzer
Defender
Reactor
Marketing warfare strategies - This scheme draws parallels between marketing strategies and military strategies
Many architects make the mistake of thinking that marketing has
only a peripheral relationship to what their firm does In fact marketing works best when it is totally integrated into the operations of your firm when itrsquos a part of everything you do You canrsquot create a plan for how to improve your marketing and increase your business without first considering your long-term goalsmdashnot just in terms of fee revenue or winning work but in terms of who you want to be and where you want to go both as a firm and as a professional There are a number of ways strategic planning
can help your firm
_ Build a shared vision for the firmrsquos future _ Articulate your vision so that it can be communicated to others
_ Get approval and support for the vision from senior leadership and ultimately your entire staff
_ Create a framework for all future decision making _ Figure out (and agree on) how much yoursquore going to spend on
marketing and other initiatives to make it happen
The discussion of strategic planning and marketing planning are divided into the following five areas
Strategic Planning
Getting to the Starting Line
Strategic planning is the process of developing a vision of who you are as a firm and what your longterm goals are Itrsquos about more than just marketing it can influence everything human resources finance information technology operations hiring promotions strategy design process client relationships the design of your office and absolutely anything else that affects your firm and its performance Firms typically engage in strategic planning at defining moments in their practice when the firmrsquos leadership changes or when the practice undergoes some kind of profound transformation The strategic planning process enables the firmrsquos leadership to build a shared vision for the firmrsquos future articulate the vision so that it can be communicated and create a framework for all future decision making When yoursquore ready to
engage in strategic planning itrsquos important to open your mind as much as possible Get ready to think big
Because strategic planning is a process not a document or a report it isnrsquot effective for a small group of leaders to issue a fat document as the strategic plan for the firm It will probably go unread It will certainly not achieve approval and support from the people who need to understand it and act on it Strategic planning is best conducted as an open process one that involves all your firmrsquos key leaders To begin the process set up a strategic planning meeting either as a retreat outside the office or as an extended in-house meeting (You may want to bring in a marketing consultant to help you with this) Figure out who should be there to give input to the vision for your firmrsquos future Keep the group as small as possible but donrsquot leave anyone out Ask everyone to commit half a day for the meeting (two hours just isnrsquot enough) and to come relaxed and prepared to focus on the firmrsquos strategic direction Give everyone an agenda in advance and ask each person to bring historical data based on his or her area of expertise or interest (financial data hiring or retention info winloss reports client feedback etc) Gather any existing documents that attempt to define the firm or its vision such as mission statements a firm description marketing materials articles that have been written about the firm and so on Plan to spend about half the meeting talking about where you are now (your firm your markets your competitors etc) and the other half talking about where yoursquod like to go (your mission your vision the action plan)
MARKETS FOR INDUSTRIAL GOODS
The market is the place where supply meets demand Suppliers and customers meet discuss and evaluate the conditions for exchange of goods and services and exchanges take place The conditions under which these exchanges occur especially that of price are influenced by the characteristics and structure of the market for example the number and market power of suppliers and customers Traditional economic analysis of markets presupposes that they are characterized by certain basic features firstly there is an assumption of free movement in the market and thus a customer will always buy where he obtains the best terms of exchange at that moment similarly the assumption is that suppliers will move to and from the market freely Thus the market is portrayed as atomistic Each unit in the market is free and independent to do as it wishes Also as a result of this free movement the market is characterized by change and stability is an exception Underlying these two assumptions is the further assumption that there is little or no cost of transaction In other words it is assumed that there are no costs in obtaining accurate information or in negotiations etc One effect of this assumption is that production costs
are considered central and that sellers can be simply represented by a production function
The traditional economic theory of the market has of course been subject to challenge and modification However it has influenced the models and principles used in marketing management The basic model that most of the literature in marketing is built on is the marketing mix model The key problems in marketing according to that model are
(a) to allocate resources to different competitive means or mix elements
(b) to design each mean as well as possible within the firms resource limitations
The market is often described in terms of response curves each defined in relation to a certain marketing decision variable or to the whole mix of a company The assumption is of course that the market consists of many individual customers that are affected by the marketers variables in accordance with a certain statistical distribution The same kind of influence can also be identified in the purchasing management
literature The focus here is largely on the management of a single purchase This does not give full consideration to the factors which have contributed to the way this purchase takes place or to the effects of this purchase on the subsequent dealings with the supplying company
Marketing Management
As we mentioned in the first section of this chapter the models and principles for industrial marketing management that are given by the literature are normally related to the marketing mix model The problems identified in these are the allocation of resources and the designing of competitive means However marketers in for example a highly concentrated industry may find different problems The issues associated with the handling of ten very large customers are of totally different character from those of handling 1000 small customers Thus marketers in firms in concentrated markets have a lack of accurate models for analyzing their marketing problems They have also a lack of relevant data expressed in a systematic way about the behaviour of other firms in the same situation
MARKETING ORGANIZATION
Overall Organization
Belters sales operations are split into three areas as follows
(i) Sales Manger mdash UK responsible for 60mdash70 per cent of total sales Four area offices handling all accounts except two major ones which are managed from the Companys main office
(ii) Sales Manager mdash Middle East Africa Eastern Europe accounting for approximately 20 per cent of total sales One manager plus two sales engineers The Company is currently building up an agencymdashdistributor network for this territory
(iii) Sales Manager mdash Western Europe responsible for the remaining 20 per cent of total sales The sales manager is located in Brussels with additional sales offices in Germany France and Italy The Brussels sales office is owned by Belters parent group All major commercial
transactions are carried out by Belters Head Office although the Brussels Company does have some price discretion This European sales company takes 85 per cent of its products for sale in Europe from Belter The remaining 15 per cent of products are sourced from the North-American parent company Apart from the European operation all agents and distributors overseas are handled from the UK
Evolution of Marketing Organization
Belter has often faced problems in the distribution of its products in France for example the Company had a combined agent and distributor operating until 1963 Belter provided applications engineering but had no commercial involvement in sales The company found that it had no influence on pricing in the market and this led to a rather artificial pricing structure and to a decreased market share This problem was not solved by the appointment of a second distributor Mergers amongst French suppliers have led to more competition in the market The second distributor did little to stimulate the first one or to improve the Companys overall penetration
In 1966 Belter separated out a number of products and major customers which were not to be handled via distributors These customers and products were to be controlled by the UK sales operation Also from 1970 the Brussels office ceased to have overall responsibility for sales to France and a Paris office was established The
overall market situation faced in France (and in other European countries) is as follows
There are many actual and potential users for some products which are not known by the Company Heavy competition exists especially on price for large customers who are often buying what they view as a commodity product Belters emerging strategy has been to handle these large customers through its own sales offices The Paris office actively seek sales of large volume products as well as acting as a `post office for products specially developed for individual customers which are then handled from the Companys main office Small customers and small volume products are handled by the two French distributors The development process in Italy has been similar to that in France Sales in Scandinavia do not justify a local sales office sales here are handled through a distributor from the Brussels office A small number of major accounts are however handled directly from the UK
BUYERmdashSELLER RELATIONSHIPS
A Customer Relationship in the United Kingdom
The three aspects of the relationship which are studied are competition technical development and personal contacts
This customer is Belters largest and is responsible for 20 per cent of its total business The Company operates in the aerospace industry at the limit of current technology The relationship involves considerable development liaison on wholly new products
Competition
Competition for this customer comes primarily from American suppliers The competition is on price and reflects the spare capacity in the American industry Competition from UK companies is also on price and comes from companies having a wider production spread than Belter
Development
This customer has always relied on Belter alone for development work in this product area However they have looked to other sources of supply when development has taken place The development process for a new product can be started either by a government development contract or by an order from the customer Belter acknowledged that it
has to stand the costs of this development in the latter case The customer has intimate knowledge of all of Belters procedures Methods of manufacture are agreed in detail and even the particular production machinery to be used is specified The closeness of the relationship between the two companies is indicated by the fact that the customer has approved Belters quality procedure and accepts their testing
Contact Pattern
Interpersonal contacts between Belter and its UK customer are summarized as
follows
(1) Formal Contacts
Every six months Technical policy liaison meeting jointly chaired by Belters Technical Director and the customers Chief Materials Manager Every sixmdashnine months Commercial meeting Belters Managing and Marketing Directors and Sales Manager and the customers Purchasing Director and Senior Purchasing Staff
Monthly UK Sales Manager visits customers purchasing staff to discuss delivery and order positions
(2) Other Contacts
These can be studied according to the formally assigned responsibility Personnel who have full-time responsibility One sales office man has daily contact with the customer Additionally one applications engineer is engaged on work for this customer Finally one man determines market trends and is in contact with the customers marketing personnel and customers clients Personnel with `half-time responsibility Four applications engineers also spend some of their time on the customers problems and are in personal contact with customer staff
PURPOSE OF A MARKETING PLAN
The purpose of a Marketing Plan is to-
1048766Define the Market
1048766Refine the Production Plan to market requirements
1048766Develop a marketing strategy
1048766Minimize risk
Each FFT group should have a Marketing Plan covering each commodity based on their own study of the local market
Defining the Market and Commodities-
1048766Market demand and prices -An assessment based on published market information discussions with local extension staff farmers dealers and buyers of the commodity of the likely demand and prices on offer during the year and during any period of seasonal shortfall
1048766Market Requirement- Varieties size grading packaging maturity demanded by the buyers in the particular market
1048766Yield Price Assumptions- How much commodity will be available How much premium grade Second grade Losses If the commodity crop is aimed to be produced for a particular period eg for a low supply period while the price assumptions (expectation) may be higher some reassessment of yield and cost of production assumptions in the gross margin analysis or partial budgets is usually necessary 1048766Marketing Returns and Costs Calculate expected income and costs in marketing
The Most Important Elements of Marketing There are four important elements in the marketing process
1048766Prioritising the customer Marketing begins with the customer not the product Knowing what the customer needs or wants is essential
1048766Process of selection The farmer needs to know who to sell the product to This will determine how and where the produce is marketed
1048766Promotion The farmer is selling something that other people want to buy Naturally it is helpful to let them know that the product is available and of good quality
The Marketing Training Manual 23 Marketing Module 3 Markets and Marketing
1048766Trust Good marketing occurs when the customers trust the farmer The customer should feel they are not being cheated and they are getting value for their money
In thinking about these elements farmers need to ask themselves about the six Ps
bull P p eople Who are the customers What do they want or need Who is actually going to market the product
bull P p lan How is the product going to reach the selected customers What are the steps
bull product What product is going to be marketed Is the family producing what the customer wants What services (for example a cooked product) if any are requested by the customer
bull place Where is the product going to be marketed
bull price What price will the product be offered on the market for
bull promotion How are people going to be informed that the product is available
Supply Demand and Price
In a free market prices for inputs and products are determined by supply and demand
Supply Is what producers are willing to market at a certain price
Demand Is how much consumers are prepared to buy at the market price
In theory as the price of a product goes up the quantity supplied rises and the quantity demanded falls Likewise when the price goes down the quantity supplied falls and the quantity demanded rises
For agricultural produce demand is affected by a number of factors the most
The Marketing Training Manual 24 Marketing Module 3 Markets and Marketing
Industrial or business to business (B2B) marketing
An organization seeks to build a new warehouse After documenting requirements it obtains three proposals from suitable construction firms After a long process of evaluation and negotiation it places an order with the organization that it believes offers the best value for money
An organization needs legal services and obtains submissions from two law firms Analysis of the proposals and subsequent discussions determines that there is no price advantage to placing all of the work with one firm and the organization decides to split the work between the two firms based on an evaluation of each firms capabilities
A sales representative makes an appointment with an organization that employs 22 people He demonstrates a photocopierfaxprinter to the office administrator After discussing a proposal the business owner signs a contract to obtain the machine on a fully-maintained rental and consumables basis with an upgrade after 2 years
Main features of the B2B selling process are
Marketing is one-to-one in nature It is relatively easy for the seller to identify a prospective customers and build a face-to-face relationship Highly professional and trained people in buying processes are involved In many cases two or three decision makers must approve a purchase plan Often the buying or selling process is complex and includes many stages (for example request for proposal request for tender selection process awarding of tender contract negotiations and signing of final contract) Selling activities involve long processes of prospecting qualifying wooing making representations preparing tenders developing strategies and contract negotiations
Blurring between B2B and B2C
Industrial marketing can cross the border into consumer marketing For example an electronic component seller may distribute its products through industrial marketing channels (see channel (marketing)) but also support consumer sales Many products are equally desired by business and consumersmdashsuch as audio products furniture paint hardware etc Nonetheless manufactures and service providers frequently maintain separate industrial and consumer marketing operations to reflect the different needs of the two channels
Competitive tendering
Industrial marketing often involves competitive tendering (see tender tendering) This is a process where a purchasing organization undertakes to procure goods and services from suitable suppliers Due to the high value of some purchases (for example buying a new computer system manufacturing
machinery or outsourcing a maintenance contract) and the complexity of such purchases the purchasing organization will seek to obtain a number of bids from competing suppliers and choose the best offering An entire profession (strategic procurement) that includes tertiary training and qualifications has been built around the process of making important purchases The key requirement in any competitive tender is to ensure that
The business case for the purchase has been completed and approved
The purchasing organizations objectives for the purchase are clearly defined
The procurement process is agreed upon and it conforms with fiscal guidelines and organisational policies The selection criteria have been established
A budget has been estimated and the financial resources are available
A buying team (or committee) has been assembled
A specification has been written
A preliminary scan of the market place has determined that enough potential suppliers are available to make the process viable (this can sometimes be achieved using an expression of interest process)
It has been clearly established that a competitive tendering process is the best method for meeting the objectives of this purchasing project If (for example) it was known that there was only one organisation capable of supplying best to get on with talking to them and negotiating a contract
Because of the significant value of many purchases issues of probity arise Organisations seek to ensure that awarding a contract is based on best fit to the agreed criteria and not bribery corruption or incompetence
Bidding process
Suppliers who are seeking to win a competitive tender go through a bidding process At its most primitive this would consist of evaluating the specification (issued by the purchasing organization) designing a suitable proposal and working out a price This is a primitive approach because
There is an old saying in industrial marketing if the first time you have heard about a tender is when you are invited to submit then you have already lost it
While flippant the previous point illustrates a basic requirement for being successful in competitive tendering it is important to develop a strong relationship with a prospective customer organization well before they have started the formal part of their procurement process
Non-tender purchasing
Not all industrial sales involve competitive tendering Tender processes are time consuming and expensive particularly when executed with the aim of ensuring probity Government agencies are particularly likely to utilise elaborate competitive tendering processes due to the expectation that they should be seen at all times to be responsibly and accountably spending public monies Private companies are able to avoid the complexity of a fully transparent tender process but are still able to run the procurement process with some rigourBeneficial
Developing a sales strategysolution sellingtechnical selling
The art of technical selling (solution selling) follows a three stage process
Stage 1 Sell the appointment Never sell over the telephone The aim of the first contact with a prospective purchaser is to sell the appointment The reason is simple industrial sales are complex any attempt to sell over the phone will trivialise your product or service and run the risk of not fully understanding the customers need
Stage 2 Understand their needs The best method of selling is to minimise the information about your goods or services until you have fully understood your customers requirements
Stage 3 Develop and propose a solution The solution is (of course) developed from your (or the firm that you represents) product or service offerings
Marketing supports solution selling through methods like account-based marketingmdashunderstanding a specific target organizations requirements as the foundation of a marketing program As research shows[1] sales success is heavily weighted towards suppliers who understand the customer In UK research 77 per cent of senior decision-makers believe new suppliers marketing From cannon fodder to preferred tenderer
The term cannon fodder derives from the World Wars and refers to the massing of undertrained and recently recruited troops sent to the fronts to face the enemy Such troops invariably had a poor survival rate but provided the tactical advantage of distracting the enemy while
professional soldiers mounted more effective operations In adopting the term to Industrial Marketing it means those bids being submitted that have no chance of winning but are involved to make up the numbers (you cant have only one bid in a competitive tender process that wouldnt satisfy the requirements of probity) (for example in government tenders or for private enterprise the requirement to truly test the market and to keep them honest) The reader might be wondering why anybody would go to all of the work of submitting a tender when they had no chance of winning for the same reason that troops were sent in to battle to die they thought they had a real chance
The key features of a successful industrial sales organisation
In industrial marketing the personal selling is still very effective because many products must be customized to suit the requirements of the individual customer Indicators such as the sales tunnel give information on the expected sales in the near future the hit rate indicates whether the sales organization is busy with promising sales leads or it is spending too much effort on projects that are eventually lost to the competition or that are abandoned by the prospect
RESEARCH PROBLEM
1 Identify your target market
Which businesses need cleaning services Which ones can afford it and will pay for it Why
In your case I would think that small businesses may not be your ideal client But then again define small business Are you referring to sales volume or number of employees
I can tell you right now as a marketing consultant that has worked with a wide variety of businesses including small companies
Small businesses are very price sensitive and prefer to do more themselves rather than pay someone else (They hold this belief even if it would free up more time to be more productive Go figure)
So before you randomly begin picking a target market have a rational reason why Continue to read below and youll begin to see what I am talking about
2 Determine their wants and needs
It may be obvious to you but ask yourself Why would someone want a clean office
These businesses never have walk-in traffic They do not have customers visit them So naturally there is far less of a concern for a clean office Sure it would be nice to have but since no revenue will be lost if their office is not spectacular looking they are not motivated to do anything about it
However seek out the businesses that do deal with customers directly especially professional services where they have very high end clients visit them Now they NEED a very presentable office or they risk losing out on a lot of revenue
3 Determine the level and type of demand
If you have ever read any of my previous work you will know that I am a very strong advocate of knowing whether the type of demand is Primary Demand or Selective Demand It is one of the most overlooked aspects of marketing being ignored today
Primary Demand If a business does not already use your TYPE of service and is not currently considering doing so you will need to create primary demand Simply put you will have to convince them first to even want your type of service (or product) before you even get them to buy it from you
So for your cleaning business example if you are approaching businesses that currently do not use a cleaning service you will have to explain the time saving and productivity enhancing benefits of using one Then explain why YOU are the one they need
Selective Demand These businesses already use a service (or product) or are in the market for it and are actively looking In these cases you do not need to spend much effort convincing them why they need it
In this case you must state your argument why your cleaning service should be the one they choose
This is what you will encounter when you call on or contact businesses already using a cleaning service They will either be satisfied or unsatisfied with their current service provider Your emphasis will have to be on conquest sales -- meaning stealing customers from your competition
Now in your line of business and in many others slashing prices always seems to be the first technique used to steal customers This may work well for selling products But if you are marketing services let me tell you thisthink twice before doing that
Yes I am fully aware of the fact that there will be businesses that will be open to talking to you if you offer them a better deal In some cases they may feel they are legitimately getting ripped off or paying way
too much right now And they just might be right In those cases if you can give them a fair price that is a better deal for them AND still gives you healthy profit margins then go for it
However if you are slashing prices just to gain clients arent you really just hurting yourself in the long run First of all you can easily get into the game of How low will they go Secondly it de-values your perception of quality if you are cheap Thirdly whos to say after all this effort you wont lose the business in a month or two when someone else quotes them an even lower price
What will you do next price so low that you lose money with every client I didnt think so
Heres what you could do though
4 Develop a Hypothesis and a Solution to Match
After you know your target market have defined their needs and analyzed the competitive picture (currently using or not currently using a service like mine) go ahead and develop a clearly thought out hypothesis
For example start with business NOT currently using a cleaning service but that deal with customers or clients regularly at their location
Develop a strong case for WHY they would be wise to invest in your
cleaning services Show them on a break-even analysis that your fee will be well compensated in either customer retention or converting a higher level of store traffic or business appointments into paying customersclients
Then state your case why it is more cost effective and saves them valuable time to outsource this to you rather than doing it themselves or paying an employee overtime to do it You can also emphasize that you are the expert at this not someones secretary so it is expected that you will do a far better job at it
For businesses that ARE already using a cleaning service or are currently shopping for one state why you are unique and better
Determine the really compelling reasons why these businesses want a cleaning service to begin with
Maybe it is a retail store that wants to create a better first impression for their customers This will ultimately lead to a better customer experience and ultimately more in-store purchases
A good example may be that unlike most competitors you also clean windows Well as a marketing consultant to retail businesses I can tell you that many passerbys will first look in a store window before deciding to walk in or not
Now for successful marketing all retail businesses would perform better if they had more in-store traffic So therefore if your cleaning service also cleans windows you could rightfully justify that your services are more valuable to their retail business You actually HELP
them get more customers and sell more products
Maybe it is a professional service business that needs to impress prospective clients to choose their services over a similar competitor
Your cleaning service may dust chairs and polish wooden conference tables Many other cleaning services may not do this or do a poor job in doing so
Now as marketing consultants to service businesses I can also tell you that if a consultant attorney accountant or any other business professional needs to meet with prospective clients in their office they will appreciate a better appearance So if your cleaning services can provide this better than anyone else (or at least if you tell them about this first) you will get the business or at least be highly considered for it
Whatever the case may be establish what makes you different and have you are best suited to meet their needs
Do you see where I am going with this Your initial marketing questions asked how you can get more business by passing out flyers or sending faxes to small offices Truthfully that is simply not going to work You are not looking at the overall big picture of why anyone would either want to hire a cleaning service or to hire your particular cleaning service
5 You must make AN OFFER
Here are some examples
Marketing messagesales offer to a business that does NOT currently use a cleaning service
If you have never considered using a cleaning service before allow us to show you how XYZ Cleaning Inc can make your storeoffice more presentable to customers and how this newly improved appearance will affect your cash registerbank statement
If you are weary of trying new things dont worry Use us FREE for one month and if you are not completely satisfied with the results if you are not completely confident that it makes a difference to your customers if you are not completely aware of how it raises the morale of your employees then you do not have to using us again
But if YOU DO see a great improvement well make you a great deal on our services simply because we want your long term business Marketing messagesales offer to businesses that DO currently use a cleaning service
I understand that you currently use ABC Cleaners LLC Now you may or may not be completely happy right now but I want to make you a no-risk offer you cant refuse
The truth is that you likely get consumed in your day to day activities in running your business overseeing operations managing employees and handling customers Therefore there may be little imperfections your cleaning service is making that goes unnoticed by you But dont assume for one minute that your customers or potential customers wont notice And remember first impressions DO count
So heres our offer Have us come in the morning after your regular cleaning service cleans your office We will do a thorough inspection with you present and look for anything they may have done a less-than-satisfactory job on Then well show you why you probably over looked it for so long but why your customers will take notice and how they will think differently about you because of it
Now if everything is already 100 completely clean and presentable well thank you for your time and then be on our way But if together we find lots of little things that are carelessly being done we will cleanfix it for you for FREE
Thats right use our services as a compliment to what you are already paying for Compare the quality of work we do to what you are already paying for If you can see the difference in what we do for you compared to what you are already paying for then consider us as your new cleaning service
6 Develop your marketing message
Once you understand the true needs your potential clients have and the unique and competitive solutions you can offer only then should you develop your marketing copy -- your sales pitch
The two examples above incorporate great marketing copy with a strong benefits related offer You can then deliver this through direct mail telemarketing or a combination of both
I would only recommend distributing flyers if you are confident you can place there where they will get read by people who make the decision to hire a cleaning service So if there is an Open Bulletin board in an office building then go for it However they are rare and you probably need permission anyway
Id avoid the fax marketing altogether Its quite annoying ties up there fax line and unless people have already heard of you they are more likely to toss your message in the garbage
Try sending direct mail to the decision makers of these target companies and describe the benefits they will experience from using your services
7 Follow up
Even after identifying the businesses that are most likely to need your services after you have identified a solution and even after you contacted them with a compelling offer you still have to follow up
Chances are they loved the sound of it when they got it They had every intention of following up with you But then just got busy So your follow up call can make all the difference in the world and get your foot in the door in a very big way Then its up to you to DELIVER on your promise
8 ANALYSIS
Market Analysis
The goal of a market analysis is to determine the attractiveness of a market and to understand its evolving opportunities and threats as they relate to the strengths and weaknesses of the firm
David A Aaker outlined the following dimensions of a market analysis
Market size (current and future)
Market growth rate
Market profitability
Industry cost structure
Distribution channels
Market trends
Key success factors
Market Size
The size of the market can be evaluated based on present sales and on potential sales if the use of the product were expanded The following are some information sources for determining market size
government data
trade associations financial data from major players customer surveys
Market Growth Rate
A simple means of forecasting the market growth rate is to extrapolate historical data into the future While this method may provide a first-order estimate it does not predict important turning points A better method is to study growth drivers such as demographic information and sales growth in complementary products Such drivers serve as leading indicators that are more accurate than simply extrapolating historical data
Important inflection points in the market growth rate sometimes can be predicted by constructing a product diffusion curve The shape of the curve can be estimated by studying the characteristics of the adoption rate of a similar product in the past
Ultimately the maturity and decline stages of the product life cycle will be reached Some leading indicators of the decline phase include price pressure caused by competition a decrease in brand loyalty the emergence of substitute products market saturation and the lack of growth drivers
Market Profitability
While different firms in a market will have different levels of profitability the average profit potential for a market can be used as a guideline for knowing how difficult it is to make money in the market Michael Porter devised a useful framework for evaluating the attractiveness of an industry or market This framework known as Porters five forces identifies five factors that influence the market profitability
Buyer power
Supplier power
Barriers to entry
Threat of substitute products
Rivalry among firms in the industry
Industry Cost Structure
The cost structure is important for identifying key factors for success To this end Porters value chain model is useful for determining where value is added and for isolating the costs
The cost structure also is helpful for formulating strategies to develop a competitive advantage For example in some environments the experience curve effect can be used to develop a cost advantage over competitors
Distribution Channels
The following aspects of the distribution system are useful in a market analysis
Existing distribution channels - can be described by how direct they are to the customer
Trends and emerging channels - new channels can offer the opportunity to develop a competitive advantage
Channel power structure - for example in the case of a product having little brand equity retailers have negotiating power over manufacturers and can capture more margin
Market Trends
Changes in the market are important because they often are the source of new opportunities and threats The relevant trends are industry-dependent but some examples include changes in price sensitivity demand for variety and level of emphasis on service and support Regional trends also may be relevant
Key Success Factors
The key success factors are those elements that are necessary in order for the firm to achieve its marketing objectives A few examples of such factors include
Access to essential unique resources
Ability to achieve economies of scale
Access to distribution channels
Technological progress
It is important to consider that key success factors may change over time especially as the product progresses through its life cycle
9 CONCLUSIONS
Organizations engage in marketing research for two reasons
(1) (1) to identify (2) and (2) solve marketing problems
(3)
This distinction serves as a basis for classifying marketing research into problem identification research and problem solving research
Problem identification research is undertaken to help identify problems which are perhaps not apparent on the surface and yet exist or are likely to company image market characteristics sales analysis short-range forecasting long range forecasting and business trends research Research of this type provides information about the marketing environment and helps diagnose a problem For example The findings of problem solving research are used in making decisions which will solve specific marketing problems
The Stanford Research Institute on the other hand conducts an annual survey of consumers that is used to classify persons into homogeneous groups for segmentation purposes The National Purchase Diary panel (NPD) maintains the largest diary panel in the United States
Standardized services are research studies conducted for different client firms but in a standard way For example procedures for measuring
advertising effectiveness have been standardized so that the results can be compared across studies and evaluative norms can be established The Starch Readership Survey is the most widely used service for evaluating print advertisements another well-known service is the Gallup and Robinson Magazine Impact Studies These services are also sold on a syndicated basis
Customized services offer a wide variety of marketing research services customized to suit a clients specific needs Each marketing research project is treated uniquely
Limited-service suppliers specialize in one or a few phases of the marketing research project Services offered by such suppliers are classified as field services coding and data entry data analysis analytical services and branded products Field services collect data through mail personal or telephone interviewing and firms that specialize in interviewing are called field service organizations These organizations may range from small proprietary organizations which operate locally to large multinational organizations with WATS line interviewing facilities Some organizations maintain extensive interviewing facilities across the country for interviewing shoppers in malls
Coding and data entry services include editing completed questionnaires developing a coding scheme and transcribing the data on to diskettes or magnetic tapes for input into the computer NRC Data Systems provides such services
Analytical services include designing and pretesting questionnaires determining the best means of collecting data designing sampling plans and other aspects of the research design Some complex
marketing research projects require knowledge of sophisticated procedures including specialized experimental designs and analytical techniques such as conjoint analysis and multidimensional scaling This kind of expertise can be obtained from firms and consultants specializing in analytical services
Data analysis services are offered by firms also known as tab houses that specialize in computer analysis of quantitative data such as those obtained in large surveys Initially most data analysis firms supplied only tabulations (frequency counts) and cross tabulations (frequency counts that describe two or more variables simultaneously) With the proliferation of software many firms now have the capability to analyze their own data but data analysis firms are still in demand
Branded marketing research products and services are specialized data collection and analysis procedures developed to address specific types of marketing research problems These procedures are patented given brand names and marketed like any other branded product
Types of marketing research
Marketing research techniques come in many forms including
Ad Tracking ndash periodic or continuous in-market research to monitor a brandrsquos performance using measures such as brand awareness brand preference and product usage (Young 2005)
Advertising Research ndash used to predict copy testing or track the efficacy of advertisements for any medium measured by the adrsquos ability to get attention (measured with Attention Tracking) communicate the message build the brandrsquos image and motivate the consumer to purchase the product or service (Young 2005)
Brand equity research - how favorably do consumers view the brand
Brand association research - what do consumers associate with the brand
Brand attribute research - what are the key traits that describe the brand promise
Brand name testing - what do consumers feel about the names of the products
Commercial eye tracking research - examine advertisements package designs websites etc by analyzing visual behavior of the consumer
Concept testing - to test the acceptance of a concept by target consumers
Cool hunting - to make observations and predictions in changes of new or existing cultural trends in areas such as fashion music films television youth culture and lifestyle
Buyer decision processes research - to determine what motivates people to buy and what decision-making process they use
Copy testing ndash predicts in-market performance of an ad before it airs by analyzing audience levels of attention brand linkage motivation entertainment and communication as well as breaking down the adrsquos flow of attention and flow of emotion (Young p 213)
Customer satisfaction research - quantitative or qualitative studies that yields an understanding of a customers of satisfaction with a transaction
Demand estimation - to determine the approximate level of demand for the product
Distribution channel audits - to assess distributorsrsquo and retailersrsquo attitudes toward a product brand or company
Internet strategic intelligence - searching for customer opinions in the Internet chats forums web pages blogs where people express freely about their experiences with products becoming strong opinion formers
Marketing effectiveness and analytics - Building models and measuring results to determine the effectiveness of individual marketing activities
Mystery Consumer or Mystery shopping - An employee or representative of the market research firm anonymously contacts a salesperson and indicates he or she is shopping for a product The shopper then records the entire experience This method is often used for quality control or for researching competitors products
Positioning research - how does the target market see the brand relative to competitors - what does the brand stand for
Price elasticity testing - to determine how sensitive customers are to price changes
Sales forecasting - to determine the expected level of sales given the level of demand With respect to other factors like Advertising expenditure sales promotion etc
Segmentation research - to determine the demographic psychographic and behavioural characteristics of potential buyers
Online panel - a group of individual who accepted to respond to marketing research online
Store audit - to measure the sales of a product or product line at a statistically selected store sample in order to determine market share or to determine whether a retail store provides adequate service
Test marketing - a small-scale product launch used to determine the likely acceptance of the product when it is introduced into a wider market
Viral Marketing Research - refers to marketing research designed to estimate the probability that specific communications will be transmitted throughout an individuals Social Network Estimates of Social Networking Potential (SNP) are combined with estimates of selling effectiveness to estimate ROI on specific combinations of messages and media
All of these forms of marketing research can be classified as either problem-identification research or as problem-solving research
There are two main sources of data - primary and secondary Primary research is conducted from scratch It is original and collected to solve the problem in hand Secondary research already exists since it has been collected for other purposes It is conducted on data published previously and usually by someone else Secondary research costs far less than primary research but seldom comes in a form that exactly meets the needs of the researcher
A similar distinction exists between exploratory research and conclusive research Exploratory research provides insights into and comprehension of an issue or situation It should draw definitive conclusions only with extreme caution Conclusive research draws conclusions the results of the study can be generalized to the whole population
Exploratory research is conducted to explore a problem to get some basic idea about the solution at the preliminary stages of research It may serve as the input to conclusive research Exploratory research information is collected by focus group interviews reviewing literature or books discussing with experts etc This is unstructured and qualitative in nature If a secondary source of data is unable to serve the purpose a convenience sample of small size can be collected Conclusive research is conducted to draw some conclusion about the problem It is essentially structured and quantitative research and the
output of this research is the input to MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS (MIS)
Marketing research methods
Methodologically marketing research uses the following types of research designs
Based on questioning
Qualitative marketing research - generally used for exploratory purposes - small number of respondents - not generalizable to the whole population - statistical significance and confidence not calculated - examples include focus groups in-depth interviews and projective techniques
Quantitative marketing research - generally used to draw conclusions - tests a specific hypothesis - uses random sampling techniques so as to infer from the sample to the population - involves a large number of respondents - examples include surveys and questionnaires Techniques include choice modelling maximum difference preference scaling and covariance analysis
Based on observations
Ethnographic studies - by nature qualitative the researcher observes social phenomena in their natural setting - observations can
occur cross-sectionally (observations made at one time) or longitudinally (observations occur over several time-periods) ndash
examples include product-use analysis and computer cookie traces See also Ethnography and Observational techniques
Experimental techniques - by nature quantitative the researcher creates a quasi-artificial environment to try to control spurious factors
then manipulates at least one of the variables - examples include purchase laboratories and test markets
Questionnaires 1 What are the objectives of the marketing strategy Are they clearly stated Are they consistent with the objectives of the firm Is the entire marketing mix structured to meet these objectives
2 What marketing concepts are at issue in the current strategy Is the marketing strategy well planned and laid out Is the strategy consistent with sound marketing principles If the strategy takes exception to marketing principles is there a good reason for it
3 To what target market is the strategy directed Is it well defined Is the market large enough to be profitably served Does the market have long-run potential
4 What competitive advantage does the marketing strategy offer If none what can be done to gain a competitive advantage in the marketplace
5 What products are being sold What is the width depth and consistency of the firms product lines Does the firm need new products to fill out its product line Should any product be deleted What is the profitability of the various products
6 What promotion mix is being used Is promotion consistent with the products and product images What could be done to improve the promotion mix
7 What channels of distribution are being used Do they deliver the product at the right time and right place to meet consumer needs Are the channels typical of those used in the industry Could channels be made more efficient
8 What pricing strategies are being used How do prices compare with similar products of other firms How are prices determined
9 Are marketing research and information systematically integrated into the marketing strategy Is the overall marketing strategy internally consistent
A more detailed scheme uses the categories[10]
Prospector
Analyzer
Defender
Reactor
Marketing warfare strategies - This scheme draws parallels between marketing strategies and military strategies
Many architects make the mistake of thinking that marketing has
only a peripheral relationship to what their firm does In fact marketing works best when it is totally integrated into the operations of your firm when itrsquos a part of everything you do You canrsquot create a plan for how to improve your marketing and increase your business without first considering your long-term goalsmdashnot just in terms of fee revenue or winning work but in terms of who you want to be and where you want to go both as a firm and as a professional There are a number of ways strategic planning
can help your firm
_ Build a shared vision for the firmrsquos future _ Articulate your vision so that it can be communicated to others
_ Get approval and support for the vision from senior leadership and ultimately your entire staff
_ Create a framework for all future decision making _ Figure out (and agree on) how much yoursquore going to spend on
marketing and other initiatives to make it happen
The discussion of strategic planning and marketing planning are divided into the following five areas
Strategic Planning
Getting to the Starting Line
Strategic planning is the process of developing a vision of who you are as a firm and what your longterm goals are Itrsquos about more than just marketing it can influence everything human resources finance information technology operations hiring promotions strategy design process client relationships the design of your office and absolutely anything else that affects your firm and its performance Firms typically engage in strategic planning at defining moments in their practice when the firmrsquos leadership changes or when the practice undergoes some kind of profound transformation The strategic planning process enables the firmrsquos leadership to build a shared vision for the firmrsquos future articulate the vision so that it can be communicated and create a framework for all future decision making When yoursquore ready to
engage in strategic planning itrsquos important to open your mind as much as possible Get ready to think big
Because strategic planning is a process not a document or a report it isnrsquot effective for a small group of leaders to issue a fat document as the strategic plan for the firm It will probably go unread It will certainly not achieve approval and support from the people who need to understand it and act on it Strategic planning is best conducted as an open process one that involves all your firmrsquos key leaders To begin the process set up a strategic planning meeting either as a retreat outside the office or as an extended in-house meeting (You may want to bring in a marketing consultant to help you with this) Figure out who should be there to give input to the vision for your firmrsquos future Keep the group as small as possible but donrsquot leave anyone out Ask everyone to commit half a day for the meeting (two hours just isnrsquot enough) and to come relaxed and prepared to focus on the firmrsquos strategic direction Give everyone an agenda in advance and ask each person to bring historical data based on his or her area of expertise or interest (financial data hiring or retention info winloss reports client feedback etc) Gather any existing documents that attempt to define the firm or its vision such as mission statements a firm description marketing materials articles that have been written about the firm and so on Plan to spend about half the meeting talking about where you are now (your firm your markets your competitors etc) and the other half talking about where yoursquod like to go (your mission your vision the action plan)
MARKETS FOR INDUSTRIAL GOODS
The market is the place where supply meets demand Suppliers and customers meet discuss and evaluate the conditions for exchange of goods and services and exchanges take place The conditions under which these exchanges occur especially that of price are influenced by the characteristics and structure of the market for example the number and market power of suppliers and customers Traditional economic analysis of markets presupposes that they are characterized by certain basic features firstly there is an assumption of free movement in the market and thus a customer will always buy where he obtains the best terms of exchange at that moment similarly the assumption is that suppliers will move to and from the market freely Thus the market is portrayed as atomistic Each unit in the market is free and independent to do as it wishes Also as a result of this free movement the market is characterized by change and stability is an exception Underlying these two assumptions is the further assumption that there is little or no cost of transaction In other words it is assumed that there are no costs in obtaining accurate information or in negotiations etc One effect of this assumption is that production costs
are considered central and that sellers can be simply represented by a production function
The traditional economic theory of the market has of course been subject to challenge and modification However it has influenced the models and principles used in marketing management The basic model that most of the literature in marketing is built on is the marketing mix model The key problems in marketing according to that model are
(a) to allocate resources to different competitive means or mix elements
(b) to design each mean as well as possible within the firms resource limitations
The market is often described in terms of response curves each defined in relation to a certain marketing decision variable or to the whole mix of a company The assumption is of course that the market consists of many individual customers that are affected by the marketers variables in accordance with a certain statistical distribution The same kind of influence can also be identified in the purchasing management
literature The focus here is largely on the management of a single purchase This does not give full consideration to the factors which have contributed to the way this purchase takes place or to the effects of this purchase on the subsequent dealings with the supplying company
Marketing Management
As we mentioned in the first section of this chapter the models and principles for industrial marketing management that are given by the literature are normally related to the marketing mix model The problems identified in these are the allocation of resources and the designing of competitive means However marketers in for example a highly concentrated industry may find different problems The issues associated with the handling of ten very large customers are of totally different character from those of handling 1000 small customers Thus marketers in firms in concentrated markets have a lack of accurate models for analyzing their marketing problems They have also a lack of relevant data expressed in a systematic way about the behaviour of other firms in the same situation
MARKETING ORGANIZATION
Overall Organization
Belters sales operations are split into three areas as follows
(i) Sales Manger mdash UK responsible for 60mdash70 per cent of total sales Four area offices handling all accounts except two major ones which are managed from the Companys main office
(ii) Sales Manager mdash Middle East Africa Eastern Europe accounting for approximately 20 per cent of total sales One manager plus two sales engineers The Company is currently building up an agencymdashdistributor network for this territory
(iii) Sales Manager mdash Western Europe responsible for the remaining 20 per cent of total sales The sales manager is located in Brussels with additional sales offices in Germany France and Italy The Brussels sales office is owned by Belters parent group All major commercial
transactions are carried out by Belters Head Office although the Brussels Company does have some price discretion This European sales company takes 85 per cent of its products for sale in Europe from Belter The remaining 15 per cent of products are sourced from the North-American parent company Apart from the European operation all agents and distributors overseas are handled from the UK
Evolution of Marketing Organization
Belter has often faced problems in the distribution of its products in France for example the Company had a combined agent and distributor operating until 1963 Belter provided applications engineering but had no commercial involvement in sales The company found that it had no influence on pricing in the market and this led to a rather artificial pricing structure and to a decreased market share This problem was not solved by the appointment of a second distributor Mergers amongst French suppliers have led to more competition in the market The second distributor did little to stimulate the first one or to improve the Companys overall penetration
In 1966 Belter separated out a number of products and major customers which were not to be handled via distributors These customers and products were to be controlled by the UK sales operation Also from 1970 the Brussels office ceased to have overall responsibility for sales to France and a Paris office was established The
overall market situation faced in France (and in other European countries) is as follows
There are many actual and potential users for some products which are not known by the Company Heavy competition exists especially on price for large customers who are often buying what they view as a commodity product Belters emerging strategy has been to handle these large customers through its own sales offices The Paris office actively seek sales of large volume products as well as acting as a `post office for products specially developed for individual customers which are then handled from the Companys main office Small customers and small volume products are handled by the two French distributors The development process in Italy has been similar to that in France Sales in Scandinavia do not justify a local sales office sales here are handled through a distributor from the Brussels office A small number of major accounts are however handled directly from the UK
BUYERmdashSELLER RELATIONSHIPS
A Customer Relationship in the United Kingdom
The three aspects of the relationship which are studied are competition technical development and personal contacts
This customer is Belters largest and is responsible for 20 per cent of its total business The Company operates in the aerospace industry at the limit of current technology The relationship involves considerable development liaison on wholly new products
Competition
Competition for this customer comes primarily from American suppliers The competition is on price and reflects the spare capacity in the American industry Competition from UK companies is also on price and comes from companies having a wider production spread than Belter
Development
This customer has always relied on Belter alone for development work in this product area However they have looked to other sources of supply when development has taken place The development process for a new product can be started either by a government development contract or by an order from the customer Belter acknowledged that it
has to stand the costs of this development in the latter case The customer has intimate knowledge of all of Belters procedures Methods of manufacture are agreed in detail and even the particular production machinery to be used is specified The closeness of the relationship between the two companies is indicated by the fact that the customer has approved Belters quality procedure and accepts their testing
Contact Pattern
Interpersonal contacts between Belter and its UK customer are summarized as
follows
(1) Formal Contacts
Every six months Technical policy liaison meeting jointly chaired by Belters Technical Director and the customers Chief Materials Manager Every sixmdashnine months Commercial meeting Belters Managing and Marketing Directors and Sales Manager and the customers Purchasing Director and Senior Purchasing Staff
Monthly UK Sales Manager visits customers purchasing staff to discuss delivery and order positions
(2) Other Contacts
These can be studied according to the formally assigned responsibility Personnel who have full-time responsibility One sales office man has daily contact with the customer Additionally one applications engineer is engaged on work for this customer Finally one man determines market trends and is in contact with the customers marketing personnel and customers clients Personnel with `half-time responsibility Four applications engineers also spend some of their time on the customers problems and are in personal contact with customer staff
PURPOSE OF A MARKETING PLAN
The purpose of a Marketing Plan is to-
1048766Define the Market
1048766Refine the Production Plan to market requirements
1048766Develop a marketing strategy
1048766Minimize risk
Each FFT group should have a Marketing Plan covering each commodity based on their own study of the local market
Defining the Market and Commodities-
1048766Market demand and prices -An assessment based on published market information discussions with local extension staff farmers dealers and buyers of the commodity of the likely demand and prices on offer during the year and during any period of seasonal shortfall
1048766Market Requirement- Varieties size grading packaging maturity demanded by the buyers in the particular market
1048766Yield Price Assumptions- How much commodity will be available How much premium grade Second grade Losses If the commodity crop is aimed to be produced for a particular period eg for a low supply period while the price assumptions (expectation) may be higher some reassessment of yield and cost of production assumptions in the gross margin analysis or partial budgets is usually necessary 1048766Marketing Returns and Costs Calculate expected income and costs in marketing
The Most Important Elements of Marketing There are four important elements in the marketing process
1048766Prioritising the customer Marketing begins with the customer not the product Knowing what the customer needs or wants is essential
1048766Process of selection The farmer needs to know who to sell the product to This will determine how and where the produce is marketed
1048766Promotion The farmer is selling something that other people want to buy Naturally it is helpful to let them know that the product is available and of good quality
The Marketing Training Manual 23 Marketing Module 3 Markets and Marketing
1048766Trust Good marketing occurs when the customers trust the farmer The customer should feel they are not being cheated and they are getting value for their money
In thinking about these elements farmers need to ask themselves about the six Ps
bull P p eople Who are the customers What do they want or need Who is actually going to market the product
bull P p lan How is the product going to reach the selected customers What are the steps
bull product What product is going to be marketed Is the family producing what the customer wants What services (for example a cooked product) if any are requested by the customer
bull place Where is the product going to be marketed
bull price What price will the product be offered on the market for
bull promotion How are people going to be informed that the product is available
Supply Demand and Price
In a free market prices for inputs and products are determined by supply and demand
Supply Is what producers are willing to market at a certain price
Demand Is how much consumers are prepared to buy at the market price
In theory as the price of a product goes up the quantity supplied rises and the quantity demanded falls Likewise when the price goes down the quantity supplied falls and the quantity demanded rises
For agricultural produce demand is affected by a number of factors the most
The Marketing Training Manual 24 Marketing Module 3 Markets and Marketing
Industrial or business to business (B2B) marketing
An organization seeks to build a new warehouse After documenting requirements it obtains three proposals from suitable construction firms After a long process of evaluation and negotiation it places an order with the organization that it believes offers the best value for money
An organization needs legal services and obtains submissions from two law firms Analysis of the proposals and subsequent discussions determines that there is no price advantage to placing all of the work with one firm and the organization decides to split the work between the two firms based on an evaluation of each firms capabilities
A sales representative makes an appointment with an organization that employs 22 people He demonstrates a photocopierfaxprinter to the office administrator After discussing a proposal the business owner signs a contract to obtain the machine on a fully-maintained rental and consumables basis with an upgrade after 2 years
Main features of the B2B selling process are
Marketing is one-to-one in nature It is relatively easy for the seller to identify a prospective customers and build a face-to-face relationship Highly professional and trained people in buying processes are involved In many cases two or three decision makers must approve a purchase plan Often the buying or selling process is complex and includes many stages (for example request for proposal request for tender selection process awarding of tender contract negotiations and signing of final contract) Selling activities involve long processes of prospecting qualifying wooing making representations preparing tenders developing strategies and contract negotiations
Blurring between B2B and B2C
Industrial marketing can cross the border into consumer marketing For example an electronic component seller may distribute its products through industrial marketing channels (see channel (marketing)) but also support consumer sales Many products are equally desired by business and consumersmdashsuch as audio products furniture paint hardware etc Nonetheless manufactures and service providers frequently maintain separate industrial and consumer marketing operations to reflect the different needs of the two channels
Competitive tendering
Industrial marketing often involves competitive tendering (see tender tendering) This is a process where a purchasing organization undertakes to procure goods and services from suitable suppliers Due to the high value of some purchases (for example buying a new computer system manufacturing
machinery or outsourcing a maintenance contract) and the complexity of such purchases the purchasing organization will seek to obtain a number of bids from competing suppliers and choose the best offering An entire profession (strategic procurement) that includes tertiary training and qualifications has been built around the process of making important purchases The key requirement in any competitive tender is to ensure that
The business case for the purchase has been completed and approved
The purchasing organizations objectives for the purchase are clearly defined
The procurement process is agreed upon and it conforms with fiscal guidelines and organisational policies The selection criteria have been established
A budget has been estimated and the financial resources are available
A buying team (or committee) has been assembled
A specification has been written
A preliminary scan of the market place has determined that enough potential suppliers are available to make the process viable (this can sometimes be achieved using an expression of interest process)
It has been clearly established that a competitive tendering process is the best method for meeting the objectives of this purchasing project If (for example) it was known that there was only one organisation capable of supplying best to get on with talking to them and negotiating a contract
Because of the significant value of many purchases issues of probity arise Organisations seek to ensure that awarding a contract is based on best fit to the agreed criteria and not bribery corruption or incompetence
Bidding process
Suppliers who are seeking to win a competitive tender go through a bidding process At its most primitive this would consist of evaluating the specification (issued by the purchasing organization) designing a suitable proposal and working out a price This is a primitive approach because
There is an old saying in industrial marketing if the first time you have heard about a tender is when you are invited to submit then you have already lost it
While flippant the previous point illustrates a basic requirement for being successful in competitive tendering it is important to develop a strong relationship with a prospective customer organization well before they have started the formal part of their procurement process
Non-tender purchasing
Not all industrial sales involve competitive tendering Tender processes are time consuming and expensive particularly when executed with the aim of ensuring probity Government agencies are particularly likely to utilise elaborate competitive tendering processes due to the expectation that they should be seen at all times to be responsibly and accountably spending public monies Private companies are able to avoid the complexity of a fully transparent tender process but are still able to run the procurement process with some rigourBeneficial
Developing a sales strategysolution sellingtechnical selling
The art of technical selling (solution selling) follows a three stage process
Stage 1 Sell the appointment Never sell over the telephone The aim of the first contact with a prospective purchaser is to sell the appointment The reason is simple industrial sales are complex any attempt to sell over the phone will trivialise your product or service and run the risk of not fully understanding the customers need
Stage 2 Understand their needs The best method of selling is to minimise the information about your goods or services until you have fully understood your customers requirements
Stage 3 Develop and propose a solution The solution is (of course) developed from your (or the firm that you represents) product or service offerings
Marketing supports solution selling through methods like account-based marketingmdashunderstanding a specific target organizations requirements as the foundation of a marketing program As research shows[1] sales success is heavily weighted towards suppliers who understand the customer In UK research 77 per cent of senior decision-makers believe new suppliers marketing From cannon fodder to preferred tenderer
The term cannon fodder derives from the World Wars and refers to the massing of undertrained and recently recruited troops sent to the fronts to face the enemy Such troops invariably had a poor survival rate but provided the tactical advantage of distracting the enemy while
professional soldiers mounted more effective operations In adopting the term to Industrial Marketing it means those bids being submitted that have no chance of winning but are involved to make up the numbers (you cant have only one bid in a competitive tender process that wouldnt satisfy the requirements of probity) (for example in government tenders or for private enterprise the requirement to truly test the market and to keep them honest) The reader might be wondering why anybody would go to all of the work of submitting a tender when they had no chance of winning for the same reason that troops were sent in to battle to die they thought they had a real chance
The key features of a successful industrial sales organisation
In industrial marketing the personal selling is still very effective because many products must be customized to suit the requirements of the individual customer Indicators such as the sales tunnel give information on the expected sales in the near future the hit rate indicates whether the sales organization is busy with promising sales leads or it is spending too much effort on projects that are eventually lost to the competition or that are abandoned by the prospect
RESEARCH PROBLEM
1 Identify your target market
Which businesses need cleaning services Which ones can afford it and will pay for it Why
In your case I would think that small businesses may not be your ideal client But then again define small business Are you referring to sales volume or number of employees
I can tell you right now as a marketing consultant that has worked with a wide variety of businesses including small companies
Small businesses are very price sensitive and prefer to do more themselves rather than pay someone else (They hold this belief even if it would free up more time to be more productive Go figure)
So before you randomly begin picking a target market have a rational reason why Continue to read below and youll begin to see what I am talking about
2 Determine their wants and needs
It may be obvious to you but ask yourself Why would someone want a clean office
These businesses never have walk-in traffic They do not have customers visit them So naturally there is far less of a concern for a clean office Sure it would be nice to have but since no revenue will be lost if their office is not spectacular looking they are not motivated to do anything about it
However seek out the businesses that do deal with customers directly especially professional services where they have very high end clients visit them Now they NEED a very presentable office or they risk losing out on a lot of revenue
3 Determine the level and type of demand
If you have ever read any of my previous work you will know that I am a very strong advocate of knowing whether the type of demand is Primary Demand or Selective Demand It is one of the most overlooked aspects of marketing being ignored today
Primary Demand If a business does not already use your TYPE of service and is not currently considering doing so you will need to create primary demand Simply put you will have to convince them first to even want your type of service (or product) before you even get them to buy it from you
So for your cleaning business example if you are approaching businesses that currently do not use a cleaning service you will have to explain the time saving and productivity enhancing benefits of using one Then explain why YOU are the one they need
Selective Demand These businesses already use a service (or product) or are in the market for it and are actively looking In these cases you do not need to spend much effort convincing them why they need it
In this case you must state your argument why your cleaning service should be the one they choose
This is what you will encounter when you call on or contact businesses already using a cleaning service They will either be satisfied or unsatisfied with their current service provider Your emphasis will have to be on conquest sales -- meaning stealing customers from your competition
Now in your line of business and in many others slashing prices always seems to be the first technique used to steal customers This may work well for selling products But if you are marketing services let me tell you thisthink twice before doing that
Yes I am fully aware of the fact that there will be businesses that will be open to talking to you if you offer them a better deal In some cases they may feel they are legitimately getting ripped off or paying way
too much right now And they just might be right In those cases if you can give them a fair price that is a better deal for them AND still gives you healthy profit margins then go for it
However if you are slashing prices just to gain clients arent you really just hurting yourself in the long run First of all you can easily get into the game of How low will they go Secondly it de-values your perception of quality if you are cheap Thirdly whos to say after all this effort you wont lose the business in a month or two when someone else quotes them an even lower price
What will you do next price so low that you lose money with every client I didnt think so
Heres what you could do though
4 Develop a Hypothesis and a Solution to Match
After you know your target market have defined their needs and analyzed the competitive picture (currently using or not currently using a service like mine) go ahead and develop a clearly thought out hypothesis
For example start with business NOT currently using a cleaning service but that deal with customers or clients regularly at their location
Develop a strong case for WHY they would be wise to invest in your
cleaning services Show them on a break-even analysis that your fee will be well compensated in either customer retention or converting a higher level of store traffic or business appointments into paying customersclients
Then state your case why it is more cost effective and saves them valuable time to outsource this to you rather than doing it themselves or paying an employee overtime to do it You can also emphasize that you are the expert at this not someones secretary so it is expected that you will do a far better job at it
For businesses that ARE already using a cleaning service or are currently shopping for one state why you are unique and better
Determine the really compelling reasons why these businesses want a cleaning service to begin with
Maybe it is a retail store that wants to create a better first impression for their customers This will ultimately lead to a better customer experience and ultimately more in-store purchases
A good example may be that unlike most competitors you also clean windows Well as a marketing consultant to retail businesses I can tell you that many passerbys will first look in a store window before deciding to walk in or not
Now for successful marketing all retail businesses would perform better if they had more in-store traffic So therefore if your cleaning service also cleans windows you could rightfully justify that your services are more valuable to their retail business You actually HELP
them get more customers and sell more products
Maybe it is a professional service business that needs to impress prospective clients to choose their services over a similar competitor
Your cleaning service may dust chairs and polish wooden conference tables Many other cleaning services may not do this or do a poor job in doing so
Now as marketing consultants to service businesses I can also tell you that if a consultant attorney accountant or any other business professional needs to meet with prospective clients in their office they will appreciate a better appearance So if your cleaning services can provide this better than anyone else (or at least if you tell them about this first) you will get the business or at least be highly considered for it
Whatever the case may be establish what makes you different and have you are best suited to meet their needs
Do you see where I am going with this Your initial marketing questions asked how you can get more business by passing out flyers or sending faxes to small offices Truthfully that is simply not going to work You are not looking at the overall big picture of why anyone would either want to hire a cleaning service or to hire your particular cleaning service
5 You must make AN OFFER
Here are some examples
Marketing messagesales offer to a business that does NOT currently use a cleaning service
If you have never considered using a cleaning service before allow us to show you how XYZ Cleaning Inc can make your storeoffice more presentable to customers and how this newly improved appearance will affect your cash registerbank statement
If you are weary of trying new things dont worry Use us FREE for one month and if you are not completely satisfied with the results if you are not completely confident that it makes a difference to your customers if you are not completely aware of how it raises the morale of your employees then you do not have to using us again
But if YOU DO see a great improvement well make you a great deal on our services simply because we want your long term business Marketing messagesales offer to businesses that DO currently use a cleaning service
I understand that you currently use ABC Cleaners LLC Now you may or may not be completely happy right now but I want to make you a no-risk offer you cant refuse
The truth is that you likely get consumed in your day to day activities in running your business overseeing operations managing employees and handling customers Therefore there may be little imperfections your cleaning service is making that goes unnoticed by you But dont assume for one minute that your customers or potential customers wont notice And remember first impressions DO count
So heres our offer Have us come in the morning after your regular cleaning service cleans your office We will do a thorough inspection with you present and look for anything they may have done a less-than-satisfactory job on Then well show you why you probably over looked it for so long but why your customers will take notice and how they will think differently about you because of it
Now if everything is already 100 completely clean and presentable well thank you for your time and then be on our way But if together we find lots of little things that are carelessly being done we will cleanfix it for you for FREE
Thats right use our services as a compliment to what you are already paying for Compare the quality of work we do to what you are already paying for If you can see the difference in what we do for you compared to what you are already paying for then consider us as your new cleaning service
6 Develop your marketing message
Once you understand the true needs your potential clients have and the unique and competitive solutions you can offer only then should you develop your marketing copy -- your sales pitch
The two examples above incorporate great marketing copy with a strong benefits related offer You can then deliver this through direct mail telemarketing or a combination of both
I would only recommend distributing flyers if you are confident you can place there where they will get read by people who make the decision to hire a cleaning service So if there is an Open Bulletin board in an office building then go for it However they are rare and you probably need permission anyway
Id avoid the fax marketing altogether Its quite annoying ties up there fax line and unless people have already heard of you they are more likely to toss your message in the garbage
Try sending direct mail to the decision makers of these target companies and describe the benefits they will experience from using your services
7 Follow up
Even after identifying the businesses that are most likely to need your services after you have identified a solution and even after you contacted them with a compelling offer you still have to follow up
Chances are they loved the sound of it when they got it They had every intention of following up with you But then just got busy So your follow up call can make all the difference in the world and get your foot in the door in a very big way Then its up to you to DELIVER on your promise
8 ANALYSIS
Market Analysis
The goal of a market analysis is to determine the attractiveness of a market and to understand its evolving opportunities and threats as they relate to the strengths and weaknesses of the firm
David A Aaker outlined the following dimensions of a market analysis
Market size (current and future)
Market growth rate
Market profitability
Industry cost structure
Distribution channels
Market trends
Key success factors
Market Size
The size of the market can be evaluated based on present sales and on potential sales if the use of the product were expanded The following are some information sources for determining market size
government data
trade associations financial data from major players customer surveys
Market Growth Rate
A simple means of forecasting the market growth rate is to extrapolate historical data into the future While this method may provide a first-order estimate it does not predict important turning points A better method is to study growth drivers such as demographic information and sales growth in complementary products Such drivers serve as leading indicators that are more accurate than simply extrapolating historical data
Important inflection points in the market growth rate sometimes can be predicted by constructing a product diffusion curve The shape of the curve can be estimated by studying the characteristics of the adoption rate of a similar product in the past
Ultimately the maturity and decline stages of the product life cycle will be reached Some leading indicators of the decline phase include price pressure caused by competition a decrease in brand loyalty the emergence of substitute products market saturation and the lack of growth drivers
Market Profitability
While different firms in a market will have different levels of profitability the average profit potential for a market can be used as a guideline for knowing how difficult it is to make money in the market Michael Porter devised a useful framework for evaluating the attractiveness of an industry or market This framework known as Porters five forces identifies five factors that influence the market profitability
Buyer power
Supplier power
Barriers to entry
Threat of substitute products
Rivalry among firms in the industry
Industry Cost Structure
The cost structure is important for identifying key factors for success To this end Porters value chain model is useful for determining where value is added and for isolating the costs
The cost structure also is helpful for formulating strategies to develop a competitive advantage For example in some environments the experience curve effect can be used to develop a cost advantage over competitors
Distribution Channels
The following aspects of the distribution system are useful in a market analysis
Existing distribution channels - can be described by how direct they are to the customer
Trends and emerging channels - new channels can offer the opportunity to develop a competitive advantage
Channel power structure - for example in the case of a product having little brand equity retailers have negotiating power over manufacturers and can capture more margin
Market Trends
Changes in the market are important because they often are the source of new opportunities and threats The relevant trends are industry-dependent but some examples include changes in price sensitivity demand for variety and level of emphasis on service and support Regional trends also may be relevant
Key Success Factors
The key success factors are those elements that are necessary in order for the firm to achieve its marketing objectives A few examples of such factors include
Access to essential unique resources
Ability to achieve economies of scale
Access to distribution channels
Technological progress
It is important to consider that key success factors may change over time especially as the product progresses through its life cycle
9 CONCLUSIONS
Organizations engage in marketing research for two reasons
(1) (1) to identify (2) and (2) solve marketing problems
(3)
This distinction serves as a basis for classifying marketing research into problem identification research and problem solving research
Problem identification research is undertaken to help identify problems which are perhaps not apparent on the surface and yet exist or are likely to company image market characteristics sales analysis short-range forecasting long range forecasting and business trends research Research of this type provides information about the marketing environment and helps diagnose a problem For example The findings of problem solving research are used in making decisions which will solve specific marketing problems
The Stanford Research Institute on the other hand conducts an annual survey of consumers that is used to classify persons into homogeneous groups for segmentation purposes The National Purchase Diary panel (NPD) maintains the largest diary panel in the United States
Standardized services are research studies conducted for different client firms but in a standard way For example procedures for measuring
advertising effectiveness have been standardized so that the results can be compared across studies and evaluative norms can be established The Starch Readership Survey is the most widely used service for evaluating print advertisements another well-known service is the Gallup and Robinson Magazine Impact Studies These services are also sold on a syndicated basis
Customized services offer a wide variety of marketing research services customized to suit a clients specific needs Each marketing research project is treated uniquely
Limited-service suppliers specialize in one or a few phases of the marketing research project Services offered by such suppliers are classified as field services coding and data entry data analysis analytical services and branded products Field services collect data through mail personal or telephone interviewing and firms that specialize in interviewing are called field service organizations These organizations may range from small proprietary organizations which operate locally to large multinational organizations with WATS line interviewing facilities Some organizations maintain extensive interviewing facilities across the country for interviewing shoppers in malls
Coding and data entry services include editing completed questionnaires developing a coding scheme and transcribing the data on to diskettes or magnetic tapes for input into the computer NRC Data Systems provides such services
Analytical services include designing and pretesting questionnaires determining the best means of collecting data designing sampling plans and other aspects of the research design Some complex
marketing research projects require knowledge of sophisticated procedures including specialized experimental designs and analytical techniques such as conjoint analysis and multidimensional scaling This kind of expertise can be obtained from firms and consultants specializing in analytical services
Data analysis services are offered by firms also known as tab houses that specialize in computer analysis of quantitative data such as those obtained in large surveys Initially most data analysis firms supplied only tabulations (frequency counts) and cross tabulations (frequency counts that describe two or more variables simultaneously) With the proliferation of software many firms now have the capability to analyze their own data but data analysis firms are still in demand
Branded marketing research products and services are specialized data collection and analysis procedures developed to address specific types of marketing research problems These procedures are patented given brand names and marketed like any other branded product
Types of marketing research
Marketing research techniques come in many forms including
Ad Tracking ndash periodic or continuous in-market research to monitor a brandrsquos performance using measures such as brand awareness brand preference and product usage (Young 2005)
Advertising Research ndash used to predict copy testing or track the efficacy of advertisements for any medium measured by the adrsquos ability to get attention (measured with Attention Tracking) communicate the message build the brandrsquos image and motivate the consumer to purchase the product or service (Young 2005)
Brand equity research - how favorably do consumers view the brand
Brand association research - what do consumers associate with the brand
Brand attribute research - what are the key traits that describe the brand promise
Brand name testing - what do consumers feel about the names of the products
Commercial eye tracking research - examine advertisements package designs websites etc by analyzing visual behavior of the consumer
Concept testing - to test the acceptance of a concept by target consumers
Cool hunting - to make observations and predictions in changes of new or existing cultural trends in areas such as fashion music films television youth culture and lifestyle
Buyer decision processes research - to determine what motivates people to buy and what decision-making process they use
Copy testing ndash predicts in-market performance of an ad before it airs by analyzing audience levels of attention brand linkage motivation entertainment and communication as well as breaking down the adrsquos flow of attention and flow of emotion (Young p 213)
Customer satisfaction research - quantitative or qualitative studies that yields an understanding of a customers of satisfaction with a transaction
Demand estimation - to determine the approximate level of demand for the product
Distribution channel audits - to assess distributorsrsquo and retailersrsquo attitudes toward a product brand or company
Internet strategic intelligence - searching for customer opinions in the Internet chats forums web pages blogs where people express freely about their experiences with products becoming strong opinion formers
Marketing effectiveness and analytics - Building models and measuring results to determine the effectiveness of individual marketing activities
Mystery Consumer or Mystery shopping - An employee or representative of the market research firm anonymously contacts a salesperson and indicates he or she is shopping for a product The shopper then records the entire experience This method is often used for quality control or for researching competitors products
Positioning research - how does the target market see the brand relative to competitors - what does the brand stand for
Price elasticity testing - to determine how sensitive customers are to price changes
Sales forecasting - to determine the expected level of sales given the level of demand With respect to other factors like Advertising expenditure sales promotion etc
Segmentation research - to determine the demographic psychographic and behavioural characteristics of potential buyers
Online panel - a group of individual who accepted to respond to marketing research online
Store audit - to measure the sales of a product or product line at a statistically selected store sample in order to determine market share or to determine whether a retail store provides adequate service
Test marketing - a small-scale product launch used to determine the likely acceptance of the product when it is introduced into a wider market
Viral Marketing Research - refers to marketing research designed to estimate the probability that specific communications will be transmitted throughout an individuals Social Network Estimates of Social Networking Potential (SNP) are combined with estimates of selling effectiveness to estimate ROI on specific combinations of messages and media
All of these forms of marketing research can be classified as either problem-identification research or as problem-solving research
There are two main sources of data - primary and secondary Primary research is conducted from scratch It is original and collected to solve the problem in hand Secondary research already exists since it has been collected for other purposes It is conducted on data published previously and usually by someone else Secondary research costs far less than primary research but seldom comes in a form that exactly meets the needs of the researcher
A similar distinction exists between exploratory research and conclusive research Exploratory research provides insights into and comprehension of an issue or situation It should draw definitive conclusions only with extreme caution Conclusive research draws conclusions the results of the study can be generalized to the whole population
Exploratory research is conducted to explore a problem to get some basic idea about the solution at the preliminary stages of research It may serve as the input to conclusive research Exploratory research information is collected by focus group interviews reviewing literature or books discussing with experts etc This is unstructured and qualitative in nature If a secondary source of data is unable to serve the purpose a convenience sample of small size can be collected Conclusive research is conducted to draw some conclusion about the problem It is essentially structured and quantitative research and the
output of this research is the input to MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS (MIS)
Marketing research methods
Methodologically marketing research uses the following types of research designs
Based on questioning
Qualitative marketing research - generally used for exploratory purposes - small number of respondents - not generalizable to the whole population - statistical significance and confidence not calculated - examples include focus groups in-depth interviews and projective techniques
Quantitative marketing research - generally used to draw conclusions - tests a specific hypothesis - uses random sampling techniques so as to infer from the sample to the population - involves a large number of respondents - examples include surveys and questionnaires Techniques include choice modelling maximum difference preference scaling and covariance analysis
Based on observations
Ethnographic studies - by nature qualitative the researcher observes social phenomena in their natural setting - observations can
occur cross-sectionally (observations made at one time) or longitudinally (observations occur over several time-periods) ndash
examples include product-use analysis and computer cookie traces See also Ethnography and Observational techniques
Experimental techniques - by nature quantitative the researcher creates a quasi-artificial environment to try to control spurious factors
then manipulates at least one of the variables - examples include purchase laboratories and test markets
Questionnaires 1 What are the objectives of the marketing strategy Are they clearly stated Are they consistent with the objectives of the firm Is the entire marketing mix structured to meet these objectives
2 What marketing concepts are at issue in the current strategy Is the marketing strategy well planned and laid out Is the strategy consistent with sound marketing principles If the strategy takes exception to marketing principles is there a good reason for it
3 To what target market is the strategy directed Is it well defined Is the market large enough to be profitably served Does the market have long-run potential
4 What competitive advantage does the marketing strategy offer If none what can be done to gain a competitive advantage in the marketplace
5 What products are being sold What is the width depth and consistency of the firms product lines Does the firm need new products to fill out its product line Should any product be deleted What is the profitability of the various products
6 What promotion mix is being used Is promotion consistent with the products and product images What could be done to improve the promotion mix
7 What channels of distribution are being used Do they deliver the product at the right time and right place to meet consumer needs Are the channels typical of those used in the industry Could channels be made more efficient
8 What pricing strategies are being used How do prices compare with similar products of other firms How are prices determined
9 Are marketing research and information systematically integrated into the marketing strategy Is the overall marketing strategy internally consistent
_ Get approval and support for the vision from senior leadership and ultimately your entire staff
_ Create a framework for all future decision making _ Figure out (and agree on) how much yoursquore going to spend on
marketing and other initiatives to make it happen
The discussion of strategic planning and marketing planning are divided into the following five areas
Strategic Planning
Getting to the Starting Line
Strategic planning is the process of developing a vision of who you are as a firm and what your longterm goals are Itrsquos about more than just marketing it can influence everything human resources finance information technology operations hiring promotions strategy design process client relationships the design of your office and absolutely anything else that affects your firm and its performance Firms typically engage in strategic planning at defining moments in their practice when the firmrsquos leadership changes or when the practice undergoes some kind of profound transformation The strategic planning process enables the firmrsquos leadership to build a shared vision for the firmrsquos future articulate the vision so that it can be communicated and create a framework for all future decision making When yoursquore ready to
engage in strategic planning itrsquos important to open your mind as much as possible Get ready to think big
Because strategic planning is a process not a document or a report it isnrsquot effective for a small group of leaders to issue a fat document as the strategic plan for the firm It will probably go unread It will certainly not achieve approval and support from the people who need to understand it and act on it Strategic planning is best conducted as an open process one that involves all your firmrsquos key leaders To begin the process set up a strategic planning meeting either as a retreat outside the office or as an extended in-house meeting (You may want to bring in a marketing consultant to help you with this) Figure out who should be there to give input to the vision for your firmrsquos future Keep the group as small as possible but donrsquot leave anyone out Ask everyone to commit half a day for the meeting (two hours just isnrsquot enough) and to come relaxed and prepared to focus on the firmrsquos strategic direction Give everyone an agenda in advance and ask each person to bring historical data based on his or her area of expertise or interest (financial data hiring or retention info winloss reports client feedback etc) Gather any existing documents that attempt to define the firm or its vision such as mission statements a firm description marketing materials articles that have been written about the firm and so on Plan to spend about half the meeting talking about where you are now (your firm your markets your competitors etc) and the other half talking about where yoursquod like to go (your mission your vision the action plan)
MARKETS FOR INDUSTRIAL GOODS
The market is the place where supply meets demand Suppliers and customers meet discuss and evaluate the conditions for exchange of goods and services and exchanges take place The conditions under which these exchanges occur especially that of price are influenced by the characteristics and structure of the market for example the number and market power of suppliers and customers Traditional economic analysis of markets presupposes that they are characterized by certain basic features firstly there is an assumption of free movement in the market and thus a customer will always buy where he obtains the best terms of exchange at that moment similarly the assumption is that suppliers will move to and from the market freely Thus the market is portrayed as atomistic Each unit in the market is free and independent to do as it wishes Also as a result of this free movement the market is characterized by change and stability is an exception Underlying these two assumptions is the further assumption that there is little or no cost of transaction In other words it is assumed that there are no costs in obtaining accurate information or in negotiations etc One effect of this assumption is that production costs
are considered central and that sellers can be simply represented by a production function
The traditional economic theory of the market has of course been subject to challenge and modification However it has influenced the models and principles used in marketing management The basic model that most of the literature in marketing is built on is the marketing mix model The key problems in marketing according to that model are
(a) to allocate resources to different competitive means or mix elements
(b) to design each mean as well as possible within the firms resource limitations
The market is often described in terms of response curves each defined in relation to a certain marketing decision variable or to the whole mix of a company The assumption is of course that the market consists of many individual customers that are affected by the marketers variables in accordance with a certain statistical distribution The same kind of influence can also be identified in the purchasing management
literature The focus here is largely on the management of a single purchase This does not give full consideration to the factors which have contributed to the way this purchase takes place or to the effects of this purchase on the subsequent dealings with the supplying company
Marketing Management
As we mentioned in the first section of this chapter the models and principles for industrial marketing management that are given by the literature are normally related to the marketing mix model The problems identified in these are the allocation of resources and the designing of competitive means However marketers in for example a highly concentrated industry may find different problems The issues associated with the handling of ten very large customers are of totally different character from those of handling 1000 small customers Thus marketers in firms in concentrated markets have a lack of accurate models for analyzing their marketing problems They have also a lack of relevant data expressed in a systematic way about the behaviour of other firms in the same situation
MARKETING ORGANIZATION
Overall Organization
Belters sales operations are split into three areas as follows
(i) Sales Manger mdash UK responsible for 60mdash70 per cent of total sales Four area offices handling all accounts except two major ones which are managed from the Companys main office
(ii) Sales Manager mdash Middle East Africa Eastern Europe accounting for approximately 20 per cent of total sales One manager plus two sales engineers The Company is currently building up an agencymdashdistributor network for this territory
(iii) Sales Manager mdash Western Europe responsible for the remaining 20 per cent of total sales The sales manager is located in Brussels with additional sales offices in Germany France and Italy The Brussels sales office is owned by Belters parent group All major commercial
transactions are carried out by Belters Head Office although the Brussels Company does have some price discretion This European sales company takes 85 per cent of its products for sale in Europe from Belter The remaining 15 per cent of products are sourced from the North-American parent company Apart from the European operation all agents and distributors overseas are handled from the UK
Evolution of Marketing Organization
Belter has often faced problems in the distribution of its products in France for example the Company had a combined agent and distributor operating until 1963 Belter provided applications engineering but had no commercial involvement in sales The company found that it had no influence on pricing in the market and this led to a rather artificial pricing structure and to a decreased market share This problem was not solved by the appointment of a second distributor Mergers amongst French suppliers have led to more competition in the market The second distributor did little to stimulate the first one or to improve the Companys overall penetration
In 1966 Belter separated out a number of products and major customers which were not to be handled via distributors These customers and products were to be controlled by the UK sales operation Also from 1970 the Brussels office ceased to have overall responsibility for sales to France and a Paris office was established The
overall market situation faced in France (and in other European countries) is as follows
There are many actual and potential users for some products which are not known by the Company Heavy competition exists especially on price for large customers who are often buying what they view as a commodity product Belters emerging strategy has been to handle these large customers through its own sales offices The Paris office actively seek sales of large volume products as well as acting as a `post office for products specially developed for individual customers which are then handled from the Companys main office Small customers and small volume products are handled by the two French distributors The development process in Italy has been similar to that in France Sales in Scandinavia do not justify a local sales office sales here are handled through a distributor from the Brussels office A small number of major accounts are however handled directly from the UK
BUYERmdashSELLER RELATIONSHIPS
A Customer Relationship in the United Kingdom
The three aspects of the relationship which are studied are competition technical development and personal contacts
This customer is Belters largest and is responsible for 20 per cent of its total business The Company operates in the aerospace industry at the limit of current technology The relationship involves considerable development liaison on wholly new products
Competition
Competition for this customer comes primarily from American suppliers The competition is on price and reflects the spare capacity in the American industry Competition from UK companies is also on price and comes from companies having a wider production spread than Belter
Development
This customer has always relied on Belter alone for development work in this product area However they have looked to other sources of supply when development has taken place The development process for a new product can be started either by a government development contract or by an order from the customer Belter acknowledged that it
has to stand the costs of this development in the latter case The customer has intimate knowledge of all of Belters procedures Methods of manufacture are agreed in detail and even the particular production machinery to be used is specified The closeness of the relationship between the two companies is indicated by the fact that the customer has approved Belters quality procedure and accepts their testing
Contact Pattern
Interpersonal contacts between Belter and its UK customer are summarized as
follows
(1) Formal Contacts
Every six months Technical policy liaison meeting jointly chaired by Belters Technical Director and the customers Chief Materials Manager Every sixmdashnine months Commercial meeting Belters Managing and Marketing Directors and Sales Manager and the customers Purchasing Director and Senior Purchasing Staff
Monthly UK Sales Manager visits customers purchasing staff to discuss delivery and order positions
(2) Other Contacts
These can be studied according to the formally assigned responsibility Personnel who have full-time responsibility One sales office man has daily contact with the customer Additionally one applications engineer is engaged on work for this customer Finally one man determines market trends and is in contact with the customers marketing personnel and customers clients Personnel with `half-time responsibility Four applications engineers also spend some of their time on the customers problems and are in personal contact with customer staff
PURPOSE OF A MARKETING PLAN
The purpose of a Marketing Plan is to-
1048766Define the Market
1048766Refine the Production Plan to market requirements
1048766Develop a marketing strategy
1048766Minimize risk
Each FFT group should have a Marketing Plan covering each commodity based on their own study of the local market
Defining the Market and Commodities-
1048766Market demand and prices -An assessment based on published market information discussions with local extension staff farmers dealers and buyers of the commodity of the likely demand and prices on offer during the year and during any period of seasonal shortfall
1048766Market Requirement- Varieties size grading packaging maturity demanded by the buyers in the particular market
1048766Yield Price Assumptions- How much commodity will be available How much premium grade Second grade Losses If the commodity crop is aimed to be produced for a particular period eg for a low supply period while the price assumptions (expectation) may be higher some reassessment of yield and cost of production assumptions in the gross margin analysis or partial budgets is usually necessary 1048766Marketing Returns and Costs Calculate expected income and costs in marketing
The Most Important Elements of Marketing There are four important elements in the marketing process
1048766Prioritising the customer Marketing begins with the customer not the product Knowing what the customer needs or wants is essential
1048766Process of selection The farmer needs to know who to sell the product to This will determine how and where the produce is marketed
1048766Promotion The farmer is selling something that other people want to buy Naturally it is helpful to let them know that the product is available and of good quality
The Marketing Training Manual 23 Marketing Module 3 Markets and Marketing
1048766Trust Good marketing occurs when the customers trust the farmer The customer should feel they are not being cheated and they are getting value for their money
In thinking about these elements farmers need to ask themselves about the six Ps
bull P p eople Who are the customers What do they want or need Who is actually going to market the product
bull P p lan How is the product going to reach the selected customers What are the steps
bull product What product is going to be marketed Is the family producing what the customer wants What services (for example a cooked product) if any are requested by the customer
bull place Where is the product going to be marketed
bull price What price will the product be offered on the market for
bull promotion How are people going to be informed that the product is available
Supply Demand and Price
In a free market prices for inputs and products are determined by supply and demand
Supply Is what producers are willing to market at a certain price
Demand Is how much consumers are prepared to buy at the market price
In theory as the price of a product goes up the quantity supplied rises and the quantity demanded falls Likewise when the price goes down the quantity supplied falls and the quantity demanded rises
For agricultural produce demand is affected by a number of factors the most
The Marketing Training Manual 24 Marketing Module 3 Markets and Marketing
Industrial or business to business (B2B) marketing
An organization seeks to build a new warehouse After documenting requirements it obtains three proposals from suitable construction firms After a long process of evaluation and negotiation it places an order with the organization that it believes offers the best value for money
An organization needs legal services and obtains submissions from two law firms Analysis of the proposals and subsequent discussions determines that there is no price advantage to placing all of the work with one firm and the organization decides to split the work between the two firms based on an evaluation of each firms capabilities
A sales representative makes an appointment with an organization that employs 22 people He demonstrates a photocopierfaxprinter to the office administrator After discussing a proposal the business owner signs a contract to obtain the machine on a fully-maintained rental and consumables basis with an upgrade after 2 years
Main features of the B2B selling process are
Marketing is one-to-one in nature It is relatively easy for the seller to identify a prospective customers and build a face-to-face relationship Highly professional and trained people in buying processes are involved In many cases two or three decision makers must approve a purchase plan Often the buying or selling process is complex and includes many stages (for example request for proposal request for tender selection process awarding of tender contract negotiations and signing of final contract) Selling activities involve long processes of prospecting qualifying wooing making representations preparing tenders developing strategies and contract negotiations
Blurring between B2B and B2C
Industrial marketing can cross the border into consumer marketing For example an electronic component seller may distribute its products through industrial marketing channels (see channel (marketing)) but also support consumer sales Many products are equally desired by business and consumersmdashsuch as audio products furniture paint hardware etc Nonetheless manufactures and service providers frequently maintain separate industrial and consumer marketing operations to reflect the different needs of the two channels
Competitive tendering
Industrial marketing often involves competitive tendering (see tender tendering) This is a process where a purchasing organization undertakes to procure goods and services from suitable suppliers Due to the high value of some purchases (for example buying a new computer system manufacturing
machinery or outsourcing a maintenance contract) and the complexity of such purchases the purchasing organization will seek to obtain a number of bids from competing suppliers and choose the best offering An entire profession (strategic procurement) that includes tertiary training and qualifications has been built around the process of making important purchases The key requirement in any competitive tender is to ensure that
The business case for the purchase has been completed and approved
The purchasing organizations objectives for the purchase are clearly defined
The procurement process is agreed upon and it conforms with fiscal guidelines and organisational policies The selection criteria have been established
A budget has been estimated and the financial resources are available
A buying team (or committee) has been assembled
A specification has been written
A preliminary scan of the market place has determined that enough potential suppliers are available to make the process viable (this can sometimes be achieved using an expression of interest process)
It has been clearly established that a competitive tendering process is the best method for meeting the objectives of this purchasing project If (for example) it was known that there was only one organisation capable of supplying best to get on with talking to them and negotiating a contract
Because of the significant value of many purchases issues of probity arise Organisations seek to ensure that awarding a contract is based on best fit to the agreed criteria and not bribery corruption or incompetence
Bidding process
Suppliers who are seeking to win a competitive tender go through a bidding process At its most primitive this would consist of evaluating the specification (issued by the purchasing organization) designing a suitable proposal and working out a price This is a primitive approach because
There is an old saying in industrial marketing if the first time you have heard about a tender is when you are invited to submit then you have already lost it
While flippant the previous point illustrates a basic requirement for being successful in competitive tendering it is important to develop a strong relationship with a prospective customer organization well before they have started the formal part of their procurement process
Non-tender purchasing
Not all industrial sales involve competitive tendering Tender processes are time consuming and expensive particularly when executed with the aim of ensuring probity Government agencies are particularly likely to utilise elaborate competitive tendering processes due to the expectation that they should be seen at all times to be responsibly and accountably spending public monies Private companies are able to avoid the complexity of a fully transparent tender process but are still able to run the procurement process with some rigourBeneficial
Developing a sales strategysolution sellingtechnical selling
The art of technical selling (solution selling) follows a three stage process
Stage 1 Sell the appointment Never sell over the telephone The aim of the first contact with a prospective purchaser is to sell the appointment The reason is simple industrial sales are complex any attempt to sell over the phone will trivialise your product or service and run the risk of not fully understanding the customers need
Stage 2 Understand their needs The best method of selling is to minimise the information about your goods or services until you have fully understood your customers requirements
Stage 3 Develop and propose a solution The solution is (of course) developed from your (or the firm that you represents) product or service offerings
Marketing supports solution selling through methods like account-based marketingmdashunderstanding a specific target organizations requirements as the foundation of a marketing program As research shows[1] sales success is heavily weighted towards suppliers who understand the customer In UK research 77 per cent of senior decision-makers believe new suppliers marketing From cannon fodder to preferred tenderer
The term cannon fodder derives from the World Wars and refers to the massing of undertrained and recently recruited troops sent to the fronts to face the enemy Such troops invariably had a poor survival rate but provided the tactical advantage of distracting the enemy while
professional soldiers mounted more effective operations In adopting the term to Industrial Marketing it means those bids being submitted that have no chance of winning but are involved to make up the numbers (you cant have only one bid in a competitive tender process that wouldnt satisfy the requirements of probity) (for example in government tenders or for private enterprise the requirement to truly test the market and to keep them honest) The reader might be wondering why anybody would go to all of the work of submitting a tender when they had no chance of winning for the same reason that troops were sent in to battle to die they thought they had a real chance
The key features of a successful industrial sales organisation
In industrial marketing the personal selling is still very effective because many products must be customized to suit the requirements of the individual customer Indicators such as the sales tunnel give information on the expected sales in the near future the hit rate indicates whether the sales organization is busy with promising sales leads or it is spending too much effort on projects that are eventually lost to the competition or that are abandoned by the prospect
RESEARCH PROBLEM
1 Identify your target market
Which businesses need cleaning services Which ones can afford it and will pay for it Why
In your case I would think that small businesses may not be your ideal client But then again define small business Are you referring to sales volume or number of employees
I can tell you right now as a marketing consultant that has worked with a wide variety of businesses including small companies
Small businesses are very price sensitive and prefer to do more themselves rather than pay someone else (They hold this belief even if it would free up more time to be more productive Go figure)
So before you randomly begin picking a target market have a rational reason why Continue to read below and youll begin to see what I am talking about
2 Determine their wants and needs
It may be obvious to you but ask yourself Why would someone want a clean office
These businesses never have walk-in traffic They do not have customers visit them So naturally there is far less of a concern for a clean office Sure it would be nice to have but since no revenue will be lost if their office is not spectacular looking they are not motivated to do anything about it
However seek out the businesses that do deal with customers directly especially professional services where they have very high end clients visit them Now they NEED a very presentable office or they risk losing out on a lot of revenue
3 Determine the level and type of demand
If you have ever read any of my previous work you will know that I am a very strong advocate of knowing whether the type of demand is Primary Demand or Selective Demand It is one of the most overlooked aspects of marketing being ignored today
Primary Demand If a business does not already use your TYPE of service and is not currently considering doing so you will need to create primary demand Simply put you will have to convince them first to even want your type of service (or product) before you even get them to buy it from you
So for your cleaning business example if you are approaching businesses that currently do not use a cleaning service you will have to explain the time saving and productivity enhancing benefits of using one Then explain why YOU are the one they need
Selective Demand These businesses already use a service (or product) or are in the market for it and are actively looking In these cases you do not need to spend much effort convincing them why they need it
In this case you must state your argument why your cleaning service should be the one they choose
This is what you will encounter when you call on or contact businesses already using a cleaning service They will either be satisfied or unsatisfied with their current service provider Your emphasis will have to be on conquest sales -- meaning stealing customers from your competition
Now in your line of business and in many others slashing prices always seems to be the first technique used to steal customers This may work well for selling products But if you are marketing services let me tell you thisthink twice before doing that
Yes I am fully aware of the fact that there will be businesses that will be open to talking to you if you offer them a better deal In some cases they may feel they are legitimately getting ripped off or paying way
too much right now And they just might be right In those cases if you can give them a fair price that is a better deal for them AND still gives you healthy profit margins then go for it
However if you are slashing prices just to gain clients arent you really just hurting yourself in the long run First of all you can easily get into the game of How low will they go Secondly it de-values your perception of quality if you are cheap Thirdly whos to say after all this effort you wont lose the business in a month or two when someone else quotes them an even lower price
What will you do next price so low that you lose money with every client I didnt think so
Heres what you could do though
4 Develop a Hypothesis and a Solution to Match
After you know your target market have defined their needs and analyzed the competitive picture (currently using or not currently using a service like mine) go ahead and develop a clearly thought out hypothesis
For example start with business NOT currently using a cleaning service but that deal with customers or clients regularly at their location
Develop a strong case for WHY they would be wise to invest in your
cleaning services Show them on a break-even analysis that your fee will be well compensated in either customer retention or converting a higher level of store traffic or business appointments into paying customersclients
Then state your case why it is more cost effective and saves them valuable time to outsource this to you rather than doing it themselves or paying an employee overtime to do it You can also emphasize that you are the expert at this not someones secretary so it is expected that you will do a far better job at it
For businesses that ARE already using a cleaning service or are currently shopping for one state why you are unique and better
Determine the really compelling reasons why these businesses want a cleaning service to begin with
Maybe it is a retail store that wants to create a better first impression for their customers This will ultimately lead to a better customer experience and ultimately more in-store purchases
A good example may be that unlike most competitors you also clean windows Well as a marketing consultant to retail businesses I can tell you that many passerbys will first look in a store window before deciding to walk in or not
Now for successful marketing all retail businesses would perform better if they had more in-store traffic So therefore if your cleaning service also cleans windows you could rightfully justify that your services are more valuable to their retail business You actually HELP
them get more customers and sell more products
Maybe it is a professional service business that needs to impress prospective clients to choose their services over a similar competitor
Your cleaning service may dust chairs and polish wooden conference tables Many other cleaning services may not do this or do a poor job in doing so
Now as marketing consultants to service businesses I can also tell you that if a consultant attorney accountant or any other business professional needs to meet with prospective clients in their office they will appreciate a better appearance So if your cleaning services can provide this better than anyone else (or at least if you tell them about this first) you will get the business or at least be highly considered for it
Whatever the case may be establish what makes you different and have you are best suited to meet their needs
Do you see where I am going with this Your initial marketing questions asked how you can get more business by passing out flyers or sending faxes to small offices Truthfully that is simply not going to work You are not looking at the overall big picture of why anyone would either want to hire a cleaning service or to hire your particular cleaning service
5 You must make AN OFFER
Here are some examples
Marketing messagesales offer to a business that does NOT currently use a cleaning service
If you have never considered using a cleaning service before allow us to show you how XYZ Cleaning Inc can make your storeoffice more presentable to customers and how this newly improved appearance will affect your cash registerbank statement
If you are weary of trying new things dont worry Use us FREE for one month and if you are not completely satisfied with the results if you are not completely confident that it makes a difference to your customers if you are not completely aware of how it raises the morale of your employees then you do not have to using us again
But if YOU DO see a great improvement well make you a great deal on our services simply because we want your long term business Marketing messagesales offer to businesses that DO currently use a cleaning service
I understand that you currently use ABC Cleaners LLC Now you may or may not be completely happy right now but I want to make you a no-risk offer you cant refuse
The truth is that you likely get consumed in your day to day activities in running your business overseeing operations managing employees and handling customers Therefore there may be little imperfections your cleaning service is making that goes unnoticed by you But dont assume for one minute that your customers or potential customers wont notice And remember first impressions DO count
So heres our offer Have us come in the morning after your regular cleaning service cleans your office We will do a thorough inspection with you present and look for anything they may have done a less-than-satisfactory job on Then well show you why you probably over looked it for so long but why your customers will take notice and how they will think differently about you because of it
Now if everything is already 100 completely clean and presentable well thank you for your time and then be on our way But if together we find lots of little things that are carelessly being done we will cleanfix it for you for FREE
Thats right use our services as a compliment to what you are already paying for Compare the quality of work we do to what you are already paying for If you can see the difference in what we do for you compared to what you are already paying for then consider us as your new cleaning service
6 Develop your marketing message
Once you understand the true needs your potential clients have and the unique and competitive solutions you can offer only then should you develop your marketing copy -- your sales pitch
The two examples above incorporate great marketing copy with a strong benefits related offer You can then deliver this through direct mail telemarketing or a combination of both
I would only recommend distributing flyers if you are confident you can place there where they will get read by people who make the decision to hire a cleaning service So if there is an Open Bulletin board in an office building then go for it However they are rare and you probably need permission anyway
Id avoid the fax marketing altogether Its quite annoying ties up there fax line and unless people have already heard of you they are more likely to toss your message in the garbage
Try sending direct mail to the decision makers of these target companies and describe the benefits they will experience from using your services
7 Follow up
Even after identifying the businesses that are most likely to need your services after you have identified a solution and even after you contacted them with a compelling offer you still have to follow up
Chances are they loved the sound of it when they got it They had every intention of following up with you But then just got busy So your follow up call can make all the difference in the world and get your foot in the door in a very big way Then its up to you to DELIVER on your promise
8 ANALYSIS
Market Analysis
The goal of a market analysis is to determine the attractiveness of a market and to understand its evolving opportunities and threats as they relate to the strengths and weaknesses of the firm
David A Aaker outlined the following dimensions of a market analysis
Market size (current and future)
Market growth rate
Market profitability
Industry cost structure
Distribution channels
Market trends
Key success factors
Market Size
The size of the market can be evaluated based on present sales and on potential sales if the use of the product were expanded The following are some information sources for determining market size
government data
trade associations financial data from major players customer surveys
Market Growth Rate
A simple means of forecasting the market growth rate is to extrapolate historical data into the future While this method may provide a first-order estimate it does not predict important turning points A better method is to study growth drivers such as demographic information and sales growth in complementary products Such drivers serve as leading indicators that are more accurate than simply extrapolating historical data
Important inflection points in the market growth rate sometimes can be predicted by constructing a product diffusion curve The shape of the curve can be estimated by studying the characteristics of the adoption rate of a similar product in the past
Ultimately the maturity and decline stages of the product life cycle will be reached Some leading indicators of the decline phase include price pressure caused by competition a decrease in brand loyalty the emergence of substitute products market saturation and the lack of growth drivers
Market Profitability
While different firms in a market will have different levels of profitability the average profit potential for a market can be used as a guideline for knowing how difficult it is to make money in the market Michael Porter devised a useful framework for evaluating the attractiveness of an industry or market This framework known as Porters five forces identifies five factors that influence the market profitability
Buyer power
Supplier power
Barriers to entry
Threat of substitute products
Rivalry among firms in the industry
Industry Cost Structure
The cost structure is important for identifying key factors for success To this end Porters value chain model is useful for determining where value is added and for isolating the costs
The cost structure also is helpful for formulating strategies to develop a competitive advantage For example in some environments the experience curve effect can be used to develop a cost advantage over competitors
Distribution Channels
The following aspects of the distribution system are useful in a market analysis
Existing distribution channels - can be described by how direct they are to the customer
Trends and emerging channels - new channels can offer the opportunity to develop a competitive advantage
Channel power structure - for example in the case of a product having little brand equity retailers have negotiating power over manufacturers and can capture more margin
Market Trends
Changes in the market are important because they often are the source of new opportunities and threats The relevant trends are industry-dependent but some examples include changes in price sensitivity demand for variety and level of emphasis on service and support Regional trends also may be relevant
Key Success Factors
The key success factors are those elements that are necessary in order for the firm to achieve its marketing objectives A few examples of such factors include
Access to essential unique resources
Ability to achieve economies of scale
Access to distribution channels
Technological progress
It is important to consider that key success factors may change over time especially as the product progresses through its life cycle
9 CONCLUSIONS
Organizations engage in marketing research for two reasons
(1) (1) to identify (2) and (2) solve marketing problems
(3)
This distinction serves as a basis for classifying marketing research into problem identification research and problem solving research
Problem identification research is undertaken to help identify problems which are perhaps not apparent on the surface and yet exist or are likely to company image market characteristics sales analysis short-range forecasting long range forecasting and business trends research Research of this type provides information about the marketing environment and helps diagnose a problem For example The findings of problem solving research are used in making decisions which will solve specific marketing problems
The Stanford Research Institute on the other hand conducts an annual survey of consumers that is used to classify persons into homogeneous groups for segmentation purposes The National Purchase Diary panel (NPD) maintains the largest diary panel in the United States
Standardized services are research studies conducted for different client firms but in a standard way For example procedures for measuring
advertising effectiveness have been standardized so that the results can be compared across studies and evaluative norms can be established The Starch Readership Survey is the most widely used service for evaluating print advertisements another well-known service is the Gallup and Robinson Magazine Impact Studies These services are also sold on a syndicated basis
Customized services offer a wide variety of marketing research services customized to suit a clients specific needs Each marketing research project is treated uniquely
Limited-service suppliers specialize in one or a few phases of the marketing research project Services offered by such suppliers are classified as field services coding and data entry data analysis analytical services and branded products Field services collect data through mail personal or telephone interviewing and firms that specialize in interviewing are called field service organizations These organizations may range from small proprietary organizations which operate locally to large multinational organizations with WATS line interviewing facilities Some organizations maintain extensive interviewing facilities across the country for interviewing shoppers in malls
Coding and data entry services include editing completed questionnaires developing a coding scheme and transcribing the data on to diskettes or magnetic tapes for input into the computer NRC Data Systems provides such services
Analytical services include designing and pretesting questionnaires determining the best means of collecting data designing sampling plans and other aspects of the research design Some complex
marketing research projects require knowledge of sophisticated procedures including specialized experimental designs and analytical techniques such as conjoint analysis and multidimensional scaling This kind of expertise can be obtained from firms and consultants specializing in analytical services
Data analysis services are offered by firms also known as tab houses that specialize in computer analysis of quantitative data such as those obtained in large surveys Initially most data analysis firms supplied only tabulations (frequency counts) and cross tabulations (frequency counts that describe two or more variables simultaneously) With the proliferation of software many firms now have the capability to analyze their own data but data analysis firms are still in demand
Branded marketing research products and services are specialized data collection and analysis procedures developed to address specific types of marketing research problems These procedures are patented given brand names and marketed like any other branded product
Types of marketing research
Marketing research techniques come in many forms including
Ad Tracking ndash periodic or continuous in-market research to monitor a brandrsquos performance using measures such as brand awareness brand preference and product usage (Young 2005)
Advertising Research ndash used to predict copy testing or track the efficacy of advertisements for any medium measured by the adrsquos ability to get attention (measured with Attention Tracking) communicate the message build the brandrsquos image and motivate the consumer to purchase the product or service (Young 2005)
Brand equity research - how favorably do consumers view the brand
Brand association research - what do consumers associate with the brand
Brand attribute research - what are the key traits that describe the brand promise
Brand name testing - what do consumers feel about the names of the products
Commercial eye tracking research - examine advertisements package designs websites etc by analyzing visual behavior of the consumer
Concept testing - to test the acceptance of a concept by target consumers
Cool hunting - to make observations and predictions in changes of new or existing cultural trends in areas such as fashion music films television youth culture and lifestyle
Buyer decision processes research - to determine what motivates people to buy and what decision-making process they use
Copy testing ndash predicts in-market performance of an ad before it airs by analyzing audience levels of attention brand linkage motivation entertainment and communication as well as breaking down the adrsquos flow of attention and flow of emotion (Young p 213)
Customer satisfaction research - quantitative or qualitative studies that yields an understanding of a customers of satisfaction with a transaction
Demand estimation - to determine the approximate level of demand for the product
Distribution channel audits - to assess distributorsrsquo and retailersrsquo attitudes toward a product brand or company
Internet strategic intelligence - searching for customer opinions in the Internet chats forums web pages blogs where people express freely about their experiences with products becoming strong opinion formers
Marketing effectiveness and analytics - Building models and measuring results to determine the effectiveness of individual marketing activities
Mystery Consumer or Mystery shopping - An employee or representative of the market research firm anonymously contacts a salesperson and indicates he or she is shopping for a product The shopper then records the entire experience This method is often used for quality control or for researching competitors products
Positioning research - how does the target market see the brand relative to competitors - what does the brand stand for
Price elasticity testing - to determine how sensitive customers are to price changes
Sales forecasting - to determine the expected level of sales given the level of demand With respect to other factors like Advertising expenditure sales promotion etc
Segmentation research - to determine the demographic psychographic and behavioural characteristics of potential buyers
Online panel - a group of individual who accepted to respond to marketing research online
Store audit - to measure the sales of a product or product line at a statistically selected store sample in order to determine market share or to determine whether a retail store provides adequate service
Test marketing - a small-scale product launch used to determine the likely acceptance of the product when it is introduced into a wider market
Viral Marketing Research - refers to marketing research designed to estimate the probability that specific communications will be transmitted throughout an individuals Social Network Estimates of Social Networking Potential (SNP) are combined with estimates of selling effectiveness to estimate ROI on specific combinations of messages and media
All of these forms of marketing research can be classified as either problem-identification research or as problem-solving research
There are two main sources of data - primary and secondary Primary research is conducted from scratch It is original and collected to solve the problem in hand Secondary research already exists since it has been collected for other purposes It is conducted on data published previously and usually by someone else Secondary research costs far less than primary research but seldom comes in a form that exactly meets the needs of the researcher
A similar distinction exists between exploratory research and conclusive research Exploratory research provides insights into and comprehension of an issue or situation It should draw definitive conclusions only with extreme caution Conclusive research draws conclusions the results of the study can be generalized to the whole population
Exploratory research is conducted to explore a problem to get some basic idea about the solution at the preliminary stages of research It may serve as the input to conclusive research Exploratory research information is collected by focus group interviews reviewing literature or books discussing with experts etc This is unstructured and qualitative in nature If a secondary source of data is unable to serve the purpose a convenience sample of small size can be collected Conclusive research is conducted to draw some conclusion about the problem It is essentially structured and quantitative research and the
output of this research is the input to MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS (MIS)
Marketing research methods
Methodologically marketing research uses the following types of research designs
Based on questioning
Qualitative marketing research - generally used for exploratory purposes - small number of respondents - not generalizable to the whole population - statistical significance and confidence not calculated - examples include focus groups in-depth interviews and projective techniques
Quantitative marketing research - generally used to draw conclusions - tests a specific hypothesis - uses random sampling techniques so as to infer from the sample to the population - involves a large number of respondents - examples include surveys and questionnaires Techniques include choice modelling maximum difference preference scaling and covariance analysis
Based on observations
Ethnographic studies - by nature qualitative the researcher observes social phenomena in their natural setting - observations can
occur cross-sectionally (observations made at one time) or longitudinally (observations occur over several time-periods) ndash
examples include product-use analysis and computer cookie traces See also Ethnography and Observational techniques
Experimental techniques - by nature quantitative the researcher creates a quasi-artificial environment to try to control spurious factors
then manipulates at least one of the variables - examples include purchase laboratories and test markets
Questionnaires 1 What are the objectives of the marketing strategy Are they clearly stated Are they consistent with the objectives of the firm Is the entire marketing mix structured to meet these objectives
2 What marketing concepts are at issue in the current strategy Is the marketing strategy well planned and laid out Is the strategy consistent with sound marketing principles If the strategy takes exception to marketing principles is there a good reason for it
3 To what target market is the strategy directed Is it well defined Is the market large enough to be profitably served Does the market have long-run potential
4 What competitive advantage does the marketing strategy offer If none what can be done to gain a competitive advantage in the marketplace
5 What products are being sold What is the width depth and consistency of the firms product lines Does the firm need new products to fill out its product line Should any product be deleted What is the profitability of the various products
6 What promotion mix is being used Is promotion consistent with the products and product images What could be done to improve the promotion mix
7 What channels of distribution are being used Do they deliver the product at the right time and right place to meet consumer needs Are the channels typical of those used in the industry Could channels be made more efficient
8 What pricing strategies are being used How do prices compare with similar products of other firms How are prices determined
9 Are marketing research and information systematically integrated into the marketing strategy Is the overall marketing strategy internally consistent
engage in strategic planning itrsquos important to open your mind as much as possible Get ready to think big
Because strategic planning is a process not a document or a report it isnrsquot effective for a small group of leaders to issue a fat document as the strategic plan for the firm It will probably go unread It will certainly not achieve approval and support from the people who need to understand it and act on it Strategic planning is best conducted as an open process one that involves all your firmrsquos key leaders To begin the process set up a strategic planning meeting either as a retreat outside the office or as an extended in-house meeting (You may want to bring in a marketing consultant to help you with this) Figure out who should be there to give input to the vision for your firmrsquos future Keep the group as small as possible but donrsquot leave anyone out Ask everyone to commit half a day for the meeting (two hours just isnrsquot enough) and to come relaxed and prepared to focus on the firmrsquos strategic direction Give everyone an agenda in advance and ask each person to bring historical data based on his or her area of expertise or interest (financial data hiring or retention info winloss reports client feedback etc) Gather any existing documents that attempt to define the firm or its vision such as mission statements a firm description marketing materials articles that have been written about the firm and so on Plan to spend about half the meeting talking about where you are now (your firm your markets your competitors etc) and the other half talking about where yoursquod like to go (your mission your vision the action plan)
MARKETS FOR INDUSTRIAL GOODS
The market is the place where supply meets demand Suppliers and customers meet discuss and evaluate the conditions for exchange of goods and services and exchanges take place The conditions under which these exchanges occur especially that of price are influenced by the characteristics and structure of the market for example the number and market power of suppliers and customers Traditional economic analysis of markets presupposes that they are characterized by certain basic features firstly there is an assumption of free movement in the market and thus a customer will always buy where he obtains the best terms of exchange at that moment similarly the assumption is that suppliers will move to and from the market freely Thus the market is portrayed as atomistic Each unit in the market is free and independent to do as it wishes Also as a result of this free movement the market is characterized by change and stability is an exception Underlying these two assumptions is the further assumption that there is little or no cost of transaction In other words it is assumed that there are no costs in obtaining accurate information or in negotiations etc One effect of this assumption is that production costs
are considered central and that sellers can be simply represented by a production function
The traditional economic theory of the market has of course been subject to challenge and modification However it has influenced the models and principles used in marketing management The basic model that most of the literature in marketing is built on is the marketing mix model The key problems in marketing according to that model are
(a) to allocate resources to different competitive means or mix elements
(b) to design each mean as well as possible within the firms resource limitations
The market is often described in terms of response curves each defined in relation to a certain marketing decision variable or to the whole mix of a company The assumption is of course that the market consists of many individual customers that are affected by the marketers variables in accordance with a certain statistical distribution The same kind of influence can also be identified in the purchasing management
literature The focus here is largely on the management of a single purchase This does not give full consideration to the factors which have contributed to the way this purchase takes place or to the effects of this purchase on the subsequent dealings with the supplying company
Marketing Management
As we mentioned in the first section of this chapter the models and principles for industrial marketing management that are given by the literature are normally related to the marketing mix model The problems identified in these are the allocation of resources and the designing of competitive means However marketers in for example a highly concentrated industry may find different problems The issues associated with the handling of ten very large customers are of totally different character from those of handling 1000 small customers Thus marketers in firms in concentrated markets have a lack of accurate models for analyzing their marketing problems They have also a lack of relevant data expressed in a systematic way about the behaviour of other firms in the same situation
MARKETING ORGANIZATION
Overall Organization
Belters sales operations are split into three areas as follows
(i) Sales Manger mdash UK responsible for 60mdash70 per cent of total sales Four area offices handling all accounts except two major ones which are managed from the Companys main office
(ii) Sales Manager mdash Middle East Africa Eastern Europe accounting for approximately 20 per cent of total sales One manager plus two sales engineers The Company is currently building up an agencymdashdistributor network for this territory
(iii) Sales Manager mdash Western Europe responsible for the remaining 20 per cent of total sales The sales manager is located in Brussels with additional sales offices in Germany France and Italy The Brussels sales office is owned by Belters parent group All major commercial
transactions are carried out by Belters Head Office although the Brussels Company does have some price discretion This European sales company takes 85 per cent of its products for sale in Europe from Belter The remaining 15 per cent of products are sourced from the North-American parent company Apart from the European operation all agents and distributors overseas are handled from the UK
Evolution of Marketing Organization
Belter has often faced problems in the distribution of its products in France for example the Company had a combined agent and distributor operating until 1963 Belter provided applications engineering but had no commercial involvement in sales The company found that it had no influence on pricing in the market and this led to a rather artificial pricing structure and to a decreased market share This problem was not solved by the appointment of a second distributor Mergers amongst French suppliers have led to more competition in the market The second distributor did little to stimulate the first one or to improve the Companys overall penetration
In 1966 Belter separated out a number of products and major customers which were not to be handled via distributors These customers and products were to be controlled by the UK sales operation Also from 1970 the Brussels office ceased to have overall responsibility for sales to France and a Paris office was established The
overall market situation faced in France (and in other European countries) is as follows
There are many actual and potential users for some products which are not known by the Company Heavy competition exists especially on price for large customers who are often buying what they view as a commodity product Belters emerging strategy has been to handle these large customers through its own sales offices The Paris office actively seek sales of large volume products as well as acting as a `post office for products specially developed for individual customers which are then handled from the Companys main office Small customers and small volume products are handled by the two French distributors The development process in Italy has been similar to that in France Sales in Scandinavia do not justify a local sales office sales here are handled through a distributor from the Brussels office A small number of major accounts are however handled directly from the UK
BUYERmdashSELLER RELATIONSHIPS
A Customer Relationship in the United Kingdom
The three aspects of the relationship which are studied are competition technical development and personal contacts
This customer is Belters largest and is responsible for 20 per cent of its total business The Company operates in the aerospace industry at the limit of current technology The relationship involves considerable development liaison on wholly new products
Competition
Competition for this customer comes primarily from American suppliers The competition is on price and reflects the spare capacity in the American industry Competition from UK companies is also on price and comes from companies having a wider production spread than Belter
Development
This customer has always relied on Belter alone for development work in this product area However they have looked to other sources of supply when development has taken place The development process for a new product can be started either by a government development contract or by an order from the customer Belter acknowledged that it
has to stand the costs of this development in the latter case The customer has intimate knowledge of all of Belters procedures Methods of manufacture are agreed in detail and even the particular production machinery to be used is specified The closeness of the relationship between the two companies is indicated by the fact that the customer has approved Belters quality procedure and accepts their testing
Contact Pattern
Interpersonal contacts between Belter and its UK customer are summarized as
follows
(1) Formal Contacts
Every six months Technical policy liaison meeting jointly chaired by Belters Technical Director and the customers Chief Materials Manager Every sixmdashnine months Commercial meeting Belters Managing and Marketing Directors and Sales Manager and the customers Purchasing Director and Senior Purchasing Staff
Monthly UK Sales Manager visits customers purchasing staff to discuss delivery and order positions
(2) Other Contacts
These can be studied according to the formally assigned responsibility Personnel who have full-time responsibility One sales office man has daily contact with the customer Additionally one applications engineer is engaged on work for this customer Finally one man determines market trends and is in contact with the customers marketing personnel and customers clients Personnel with `half-time responsibility Four applications engineers also spend some of their time on the customers problems and are in personal contact with customer staff
PURPOSE OF A MARKETING PLAN
The purpose of a Marketing Plan is to-
1048766Define the Market
1048766Refine the Production Plan to market requirements
1048766Develop a marketing strategy
1048766Minimize risk
Each FFT group should have a Marketing Plan covering each commodity based on their own study of the local market
Defining the Market and Commodities-
1048766Market demand and prices -An assessment based on published market information discussions with local extension staff farmers dealers and buyers of the commodity of the likely demand and prices on offer during the year and during any period of seasonal shortfall
1048766Market Requirement- Varieties size grading packaging maturity demanded by the buyers in the particular market
1048766Yield Price Assumptions- How much commodity will be available How much premium grade Second grade Losses If the commodity crop is aimed to be produced for a particular period eg for a low supply period while the price assumptions (expectation) may be higher some reassessment of yield and cost of production assumptions in the gross margin analysis or partial budgets is usually necessary 1048766Marketing Returns and Costs Calculate expected income and costs in marketing
The Most Important Elements of Marketing There are four important elements in the marketing process
1048766Prioritising the customer Marketing begins with the customer not the product Knowing what the customer needs or wants is essential
1048766Process of selection The farmer needs to know who to sell the product to This will determine how and where the produce is marketed
1048766Promotion The farmer is selling something that other people want to buy Naturally it is helpful to let them know that the product is available and of good quality
The Marketing Training Manual 23 Marketing Module 3 Markets and Marketing
1048766Trust Good marketing occurs when the customers trust the farmer The customer should feel they are not being cheated and they are getting value for their money
In thinking about these elements farmers need to ask themselves about the six Ps
bull P p eople Who are the customers What do they want or need Who is actually going to market the product
bull P p lan How is the product going to reach the selected customers What are the steps
bull product What product is going to be marketed Is the family producing what the customer wants What services (for example a cooked product) if any are requested by the customer
bull place Where is the product going to be marketed
bull price What price will the product be offered on the market for
bull promotion How are people going to be informed that the product is available
Supply Demand and Price
In a free market prices for inputs and products are determined by supply and demand
Supply Is what producers are willing to market at a certain price
Demand Is how much consumers are prepared to buy at the market price
In theory as the price of a product goes up the quantity supplied rises and the quantity demanded falls Likewise when the price goes down the quantity supplied falls and the quantity demanded rises
For agricultural produce demand is affected by a number of factors the most
The Marketing Training Manual 24 Marketing Module 3 Markets and Marketing
Industrial or business to business (B2B) marketing
An organization seeks to build a new warehouse After documenting requirements it obtains three proposals from suitable construction firms After a long process of evaluation and negotiation it places an order with the organization that it believes offers the best value for money
An organization needs legal services and obtains submissions from two law firms Analysis of the proposals and subsequent discussions determines that there is no price advantage to placing all of the work with one firm and the organization decides to split the work between the two firms based on an evaluation of each firms capabilities
A sales representative makes an appointment with an organization that employs 22 people He demonstrates a photocopierfaxprinter to the office administrator After discussing a proposal the business owner signs a contract to obtain the machine on a fully-maintained rental and consumables basis with an upgrade after 2 years
Main features of the B2B selling process are
Marketing is one-to-one in nature It is relatively easy for the seller to identify a prospective customers and build a face-to-face relationship Highly professional and trained people in buying processes are involved In many cases two or three decision makers must approve a purchase plan Often the buying or selling process is complex and includes many stages (for example request for proposal request for tender selection process awarding of tender contract negotiations and signing of final contract) Selling activities involve long processes of prospecting qualifying wooing making representations preparing tenders developing strategies and contract negotiations
Blurring between B2B and B2C
Industrial marketing can cross the border into consumer marketing For example an electronic component seller may distribute its products through industrial marketing channels (see channel (marketing)) but also support consumer sales Many products are equally desired by business and consumersmdashsuch as audio products furniture paint hardware etc Nonetheless manufactures and service providers frequently maintain separate industrial and consumer marketing operations to reflect the different needs of the two channels
Competitive tendering
Industrial marketing often involves competitive tendering (see tender tendering) This is a process where a purchasing organization undertakes to procure goods and services from suitable suppliers Due to the high value of some purchases (for example buying a new computer system manufacturing
machinery or outsourcing a maintenance contract) and the complexity of such purchases the purchasing organization will seek to obtain a number of bids from competing suppliers and choose the best offering An entire profession (strategic procurement) that includes tertiary training and qualifications has been built around the process of making important purchases The key requirement in any competitive tender is to ensure that
The business case for the purchase has been completed and approved
The purchasing organizations objectives for the purchase are clearly defined
The procurement process is agreed upon and it conforms with fiscal guidelines and organisational policies The selection criteria have been established
A budget has been estimated and the financial resources are available
A buying team (or committee) has been assembled
A specification has been written
A preliminary scan of the market place has determined that enough potential suppliers are available to make the process viable (this can sometimes be achieved using an expression of interest process)
It has been clearly established that a competitive tendering process is the best method for meeting the objectives of this purchasing project If (for example) it was known that there was only one organisation capable of supplying best to get on with talking to them and negotiating a contract
Because of the significant value of many purchases issues of probity arise Organisations seek to ensure that awarding a contract is based on best fit to the agreed criteria and not bribery corruption or incompetence
Bidding process
Suppliers who are seeking to win a competitive tender go through a bidding process At its most primitive this would consist of evaluating the specification (issued by the purchasing organization) designing a suitable proposal and working out a price This is a primitive approach because
There is an old saying in industrial marketing if the first time you have heard about a tender is when you are invited to submit then you have already lost it
While flippant the previous point illustrates a basic requirement for being successful in competitive tendering it is important to develop a strong relationship with a prospective customer organization well before they have started the formal part of their procurement process
Non-tender purchasing
Not all industrial sales involve competitive tendering Tender processes are time consuming and expensive particularly when executed with the aim of ensuring probity Government agencies are particularly likely to utilise elaborate competitive tendering processes due to the expectation that they should be seen at all times to be responsibly and accountably spending public monies Private companies are able to avoid the complexity of a fully transparent tender process but are still able to run the procurement process with some rigourBeneficial
Developing a sales strategysolution sellingtechnical selling
The art of technical selling (solution selling) follows a three stage process
Stage 1 Sell the appointment Never sell over the telephone The aim of the first contact with a prospective purchaser is to sell the appointment The reason is simple industrial sales are complex any attempt to sell over the phone will trivialise your product or service and run the risk of not fully understanding the customers need
Stage 2 Understand their needs The best method of selling is to minimise the information about your goods or services until you have fully understood your customers requirements
Stage 3 Develop and propose a solution The solution is (of course) developed from your (or the firm that you represents) product or service offerings
Marketing supports solution selling through methods like account-based marketingmdashunderstanding a specific target organizations requirements as the foundation of a marketing program As research shows[1] sales success is heavily weighted towards suppliers who understand the customer In UK research 77 per cent of senior decision-makers believe new suppliers marketing From cannon fodder to preferred tenderer
The term cannon fodder derives from the World Wars and refers to the massing of undertrained and recently recruited troops sent to the fronts to face the enemy Such troops invariably had a poor survival rate but provided the tactical advantage of distracting the enemy while
professional soldiers mounted more effective operations In adopting the term to Industrial Marketing it means those bids being submitted that have no chance of winning but are involved to make up the numbers (you cant have only one bid in a competitive tender process that wouldnt satisfy the requirements of probity) (for example in government tenders or for private enterprise the requirement to truly test the market and to keep them honest) The reader might be wondering why anybody would go to all of the work of submitting a tender when they had no chance of winning for the same reason that troops were sent in to battle to die they thought they had a real chance
The key features of a successful industrial sales organisation
In industrial marketing the personal selling is still very effective because many products must be customized to suit the requirements of the individual customer Indicators such as the sales tunnel give information on the expected sales in the near future the hit rate indicates whether the sales organization is busy with promising sales leads or it is spending too much effort on projects that are eventually lost to the competition or that are abandoned by the prospect
RESEARCH PROBLEM
1 Identify your target market
Which businesses need cleaning services Which ones can afford it and will pay for it Why
In your case I would think that small businesses may not be your ideal client But then again define small business Are you referring to sales volume or number of employees
I can tell you right now as a marketing consultant that has worked with a wide variety of businesses including small companies
Small businesses are very price sensitive and prefer to do more themselves rather than pay someone else (They hold this belief even if it would free up more time to be more productive Go figure)
So before you randomly begin picking a target market have a rational reason why Continue to read below and youll begin to see what I am talking about
2 Determine their wants and needs
It may be obvious to you but ask yourself Why would someone want a clean office
These businesses never have walk-in traffic They do not have customers visit them So naturally there is far less of a concern for a clean office Sure it would be nice to have but since no revenue will be lost if their office is not spectacular looking they are not motivated to do anything about it
However seek out the businesses that do deal with customers directly especially professional services where they have very high end clients visit them Now they NEED a very presentable office or they risk losing out on a lot of revenue
3 Determine the level and type of demand
If you have ever read any of my previous work you will know that I am a very strong advocate of knowing whether the type of demand is Primary Demand or Selective Demand It is one of the most overlooked aspects of marketing being ignored today
Primary Demand If a business does not already use your TYPE of service and is not currently considering doing so you will need to create primary demand Simply put you will have to convince them first to even want your type of service (or product) before you even get them to buy it from you
So for your cleaning business example if you are approaching businesses that currently do not use a cleaning service you will have to explain the time saving and productivity enhancing benefits of using one Then explain why YOU are the one they need
Selective Demand These businesses already use a service (or product) or are in the market for it and are actively looking In these cases you do not need to spend much effort convincing them why they need it
In this case you must state your argument why your cleaning service should be the one they choose
This is what you will encounter when you call on or contact businesses already using a cleaning service They will either be satisfied or unsatisfied with their current service provider Your emphasis will have to be on conquest sales -- meaning stealing customers from your competition
Now in your line of business and in many others slashing prices always seems to be the first technique used to steal customers This may work well for selling products But if you are marketing services let me tell you thisthink twice before doing that
Yes I am fully aware of the fact that there will be businesses that will be open to talking to you if you offer them a better deal In some cases they may feel they are legitimately getting ripped off or paying way
too much right now And they just might be right In those cases if you can give them a fair price that is a better deal for them AND still gives you healthy profit margins then go for it
However if you are slashing prices just to gain clients arent you really just hurting yourself in the long run First of all you can easily get into the game of How low will they go Secondly it de-values your perception of quality if you are cheap Thirdly whos to say after all this effort you wont lose the business in a month or two when someone else quotes them an even lower price
What will you do next price so low that you lose money with every client I didnt think so
Heres what you could do though
4 Develop a Hypothesis and a Solution to Match
After you know your target market have defined their needs and analyzed the competitive picture (currently using or not currently using a service like mine) go ahead and develop a clearly thought out hypothesis
For example start with business NOT currently using a cleaning service but that deal with customers or clients regularly at their location
Develop a strong case for WHY they would be wise to invest in your
cleaning services Show them on a break-even analysis that your fee will be well compensated in either customer retention or converting a higher level of store traffic or business appointments into paying customersclients
Then state your case why it is more cost effective and saves them valuable time to outsource this to you rather than doing it themselves or paying an employee overtime to do it You can also emphasize that you are the expert at this not someones secretary so it is expected that you will do a far better job at it
For businesses that ARE already using a cleaning service or are currently shopping for one state why you are unique and better
Determine the really compelling reasons why these businesses want a cleaning service to begin with
Maybe it is a retail store that wants to create a better first impression for their customers This will ultimately lead to a better customer experience and ultimately more in-store purchases
A good example may be that unlike most competitors you also clean windows Well as a marketing consultant to retail businesses I can tell you that many passerbys will first look in a store window before deciding to walk in or not
Now for successful marketing all retail businesses would perform better if they had more in-store traffic So therefore if your cleaning service also cleans windows you could rightfully justify that your services are more valuable to their retail business You actually HELP
them get more customers and sell more products
Maybe it is a professional service business that needs to impress prospective clients to choose their services over a similar competitor
Your cleaning service may dust chairs and polish wooden conference tables Many other cleaning services may not do this or do a poor job in doing so
Now as marketing consultants to service businesses I can also tell you that if a consultant attorney accountant or any other business professional needs to meet with prospective clients in their office they will appreciate a better appearance So if your cleaning services can provide this better than anyone else (or at least if you tell them about this first) you will get the business or at least be highly considered for it
Whatever the case may be establish what makes you different and have you are best suited to meet their needs
Do you see where I am going with this Your initial marketing questions asked how you can get more business by passing out flyers or sending faxes to small offices Truthfully that is simply not going to work You are not looking at the overall big picture of why anyone would either want to hire a cleaning service or to hire your particular cleaning service
5 You must make AN OFFER
Here are some examples
Marketing messagesales offer to a business that does NOT currently use a cleaning service
If you have never considered using a cleaning service before allow us to show you how XYZ Cleaning Inc can make your storeoffice more presentable to customers and how this newly improved appearance will affect your cash registerbank statement
If you are weary of trying new things dont worry Use us FREE for one month and if you are not completely satisfied with the results if you are not completely confident that it makes a difference to your customers if you are not completely aware of how it raises the morale of your employees then you do not have to using us again
But if YOU DO see a great improvement well make you a great deal on our services simply because we want your long term business Marketing messagesales offer to businesses that DO currently use a cleaning service
I understand that you currently use ABC Cleaners LLC Now you may or may not be completely happy right now but I want to make you a no-risk offer you cant refuse
The truth is that you likely get consumed in your day to day activities in running your business overseeing operations managing employees and handling customers Therefore there may be little imperfections your cleaning service is making that goes unnoticed by you But dont assume for one minute that your customers or potential customers wont notice And remember first impressions DO count
So heres our offer Have us come in the morning after your regular cleaning service cleans your office We will do a thorough inspection with you present and look for anything they may have done a less-than-satisfactory job on Then well show you why you probably over looked it for so long but why your customers will take notice and how they will think differently about you because of it
Now if everything is already 100 completely clean and presentable well thank you for your time and then be on our way But if together we find lots of little things that are carelessly being done we will cleanfix it for you for FREE
Thats right use our services as a compliment to what you are already paying for Compare the quality of work we do to what you are already paying for If you can see the difference in what we do for you compared to what you are already paying for then consider us as your new cleaning service
6 Develop your marketing message
Once you understand the true needs your potential clients have and the unique and competitive solutions you can offer only then should you develop your marketing copy -- your sales pitch
The two examples above incorporate great marketing copy with a strong benefits related offer You can then deliver this through direct mail telemarketing or a combination of both
I would only recommend distributing flyers if you are confident you can place there where they will get read by people who make the decision to hire a cleaning service So if there is an Open Bulletin board in an office building then go for it However they are rare and you probably need permission anyway
Id avoid the fax marketing altogether Its quite annoying ties up there fax line and unless people have already heard of you they are more likely to toss your message in the garbage
Try sending direct mail to the decision makers of these target companies and describe the benefits they will experience from using your services
7 Follow up
Even after identifying the businesses that are most likely to need your services after you have identified a solution and even after you contacted them with a compelling offer you still have to follow up
Chances are they loved the sound of it when they got it They had every intention of following up with you But then just got busy So your follow up call can make all the difference in the world and get your foot in the door in a very big way Then its up to you to DELIVER on your promise
8 ANALYSIS
Market Analysis
The goal of a market analysis is to determine the attractiveness of a market and to understand its evolving opportunities and threats as they relate to the strengths and weaknesses of the firm
David A Aaker outlined the following dimensions of a market analysis
Market size (current and future)
Market growth rate
Market profitability
Industry cost structure
Distribution channels
Market trends
Key success factors
Market Size
The size of the market can be evaluated based on present sales and on potential sales if the use of the product were expanded The following are some information sources for determining market size
government data
trade associations financial data from major players customer surveys
Market Growth Rate
A simple means of forecasting the market growth rate is to extrapolate historical data into the future While this method may provide a first-order estimate it does not predict important turning points A better method is to study growth drivers such as demographic information and sales growth in complementary products Such drivers serve as leading indicators that are more accurate than simply extrapolating historical data
Important inflection points in the market growth rate sometimes can be predicted by constructing a product diffusion curve The shape of the curve can be estimated by studying the characteristics of the adoption rate of a similar product in the past
Ultimately the maturity and decline stages of the product life cycle will be reached Some leading indicators of the decline phase include price pressure caused by competition a decrease in brand loyalty the emergence of substitute products market saturation and the lack of growth drivers
Market Profitability
While different firms in a market will have different levels of profitability the average profit potential for a market can be used as a guideline for knowing how difficult it is to make money in the market Michael Porter devised a useful framework for evaluating the attractiveness of an industry or market This framework known as Porters five forces identifies five factors that influence the market profitability
Buyer power
Supplier power
Barriers to entry
Threat of substitute products
Rivalry among firms in the industry
Industry Cost Structure
The cost structure is important for identifying key factors for success To this end Porters value chain model is useful for determining where value is added and for isolating the costs
The cost structure also is helpful for formulating strategies to develop a competitive advantage For example in some environments the experience curve effect can be used to develop a cost advantage over competitors
Distribution Channels
The following aspects of the distribution system are useful in a market analysis
Existing distribution channels - can be described by how direct they are to the customer
Trends and emerging channels - new channels can offer the opportunity to develop a competitive advantage
Channel power structure - for example in the case of a product having little brand equity retailers have negotiating power over manufacturers and can capture more margin
Market Trends
Changes in the market are important because they often are the source of new opportunities and threats The relevant trends are industry-dependent but some examples include changes in price sensitivity demand for variety and level of emphasis on service and support Regional trends also may be relevant
Key Success Factors
The key success factors are those elements that are necessary in order for the firm to achieve its marketing objectives A few examples of such factors include
Access to essential unique resources
Ability to achieve economies of scale
Access to distribution channels
Technological progress
It is important to consider that key success factors may change over time especially as the product progresses through its life cycle
9 CONCLUSIONS
Organizations engage in marketing research for two reasons
(1) (1) to identify (2) and (2) solve marketing problems
(3)
This distinction serves as a basis for classifying marketing research into problem identification research and problem solving research
Problem identification research is undertaken to help identify problems which are perhaps not apparent on the surface and yet exist or are likely to company image market characteristics sales analysis short-range forecasting long range forecasting and business trends research Research of this type provides information about the marketing environment and helps diagnose a problem For example The findings of problem solving research are used in making decisions which will solve specific marketing problems
The Stanford Research Institute on the other hand conducts an annual survey of consumers that is used to classify persons into homogeneous groups for segmentation purposes The National Purchase Diary panel (NPD) maintains the largest diary panel in the United States
Standardized services are research studies conducted for different client firms but in a standard way For example procedures for measuring
advertising effectiveness have been standardized so that the results can be compared across studies and evaluative norms can be established The Starch Readership Survey is the most widely used service for evaluating print advertisements another well-known service is the Gallup and Robinson Magazine Impact Studies These services are also sold on a syndicated basis
Customized services offer a wide variety of marketing research services customized to suit a clients specific needs Each marketing research project is treated uniquely
Limited-service suppliers specialize in one or a few phases of the marketing research project Services offered by such suppliers are classified as field services coding and data entry data analysis analytical services and branded products Field services collect data through mail personal or telephone interviewing and firms that specialize in interviewing are called field service organizations These organizations may range from small proprietary organizations which operate locally to large multinational organizations with WATS line interviewing facilities Some organizations maintain extensive interviewing facilities across the country for interviewing shoppers in malls
Coding and data entry services include editing completed questionnaires developing a coding scheme and transcribing the data on to diskettes or magnetic tapes for input into the computer NRC Data Systems provides such services
Analytical services include designing and pretesting questionnaires determining the best means of collecting data designing sampling plans and other aspects of the research design Some complex
marketing research projects require knowledge of sophisticated procedures including specialized experimental designs and analytical techniques such as conjoint analysis and multidimensional scaling This kind of expertise can be obtained from firms and consultants specializing in analytical services
Data analysis services are offered by firms also known as tab houses that specialize in computer analysis of quantitative data such as those obtained in large surveys Initially most data analysis firms supplied only tabulations (frequency counts) and cross tabulations (frequency counts that describe two or more variables simultaneously) With the proliferation of software many firms now have the capability to analyze their own data but data analysis firms are still in demand
Branded marketing research products and services are specialized data collection and analysis procedures developed to address specific types of marketing research problems These procedures are patented given brand names and marketed like any other branded product
Types of marketing research
Marketing research techniques come in many forms including
Ad Tracking ndash periodic or continuous in-market research to monitor a brandrsquos performance using measures such as brand awareness brand preference and product usage (Young 2005)
Advertising Research ndash used to predict copy testing or track the efficacy of advertisements for any medium measured by the adrsquos ability to get attention (measured with Attention Tracking) communicate the message build the brandrsquos image and motivate the consumer to purchase the product or service (Young 2005)
Brand equity research - how favorably do consumers view the brand
Brand association research - what do consumers associate with the brand
Brand attribute research - what are the key traits that describe the brand promise
Brand name testing - what do consumers feel about the names of the products
Commercial eye tracking research - examine advertisements package designs websites etc by analyzing visual behavior of the consumer
Concept testing - to test the acceptance of a concept by target consumers
Cool hunting - to make observations and predictions in changes of new or existing cultural trends in areas such as fashion music films television youth culture and lifestyle
Buyer decision processes research - to determine what motivates people to buy and what decision-making process they use
Copy testing ndash predicts in-market performance of an ad before it airs by analyzing audience levels of attention brand linkage motivation entertainment and communication as well as breaking down the adrsquos flow of attention and flow of emotion (Young p 213)
Customer satisfaction research - quantitative or qualitative studies that yields an understanding of a customers of satisfaction with a transaction
Demand estimation - to determine the approximate level of demand for the product
Distribution channel audits - to assess distributorsrsquo and retailersrsquo attitudes toward a product brand or company
Internet strategic intelligence - searching for customer opinions in the Internet chats forums web pages blogs where people express freely about their experiences with products becoming strong opinion formers
Marketing effectiveness and analytics - Building models and measuring results to determine the effectiveness of individual marketing activities
Mystery Consumer or Mystery shopping - An employee or representative of the market research firm anonymously contacts a salesperson and indicates he or she is shopping for a product The shopper then records the entire experience This method is often used for quality control or for researching competitors products
Positioning research - how does the target market see the brand relative to competitors - what does the brand stand for
Price elasticity testing - to determine how sensitive customers are to price changes
Sales forecasting - to determine the expected level of sales given the level of demand With respect to other factors like Advertising expenditure sales promotion etc
Segmentation research - to determine the demographic psychographic and behavioural characteristics of potential buyers
Online panel - a group of individual who accepted to respond to marketing research online
Store audit - to measure the sales of a product or product line at a statistically selected store sample in order to determine market share or to determine whether a retail store provides adequate service
Test marketing - a small-scale product launch used to determine the likely acceptance of the product when it is introduced into a wider market
Viral Marketing Research - refers to marketing research designed to estimate the probability that specific communications will be transmitted throughout an individuals Social Network Estimates of Social Networking Potential (SNP) are combined with estimates of selling effectiveness to estimate ROI on specific combinations of messages and media
All of these forms of marketing research can be classified as either problem-identification research or as problem-solving research
There are two main sources of data - primary and secondary Primary research is conducted from scratch It is original and collected to solve the problem in hand Secondary research already exists since it has been collected for other purposes It is conducted on data published previously and usually by someone else Secondary research costs far less than primary research but seldom comes in a form that exactly meets the needs of the researcher
A similar distinction exists between exploratory research and conclusive research Exploratory research provides insights into and comprehension of an issue or situation It should draw definitive conclusions only with extreme caution Conclusive research draws conclusions the results of the study can be generalized to the whole population
Exploratory research is conducted to explore a problem to get some basic idea about the solution at the preliminary stages of research It may serve as the input to conclusive research Exploratory research information is collected by focus group interviews reviewing literature or books discussing with experts etc This is unstructured and qualitative in nature If a secondary source of data is unable to serve the purpose a convenience sample of small size can be collected Conclusive research is conducted to draw some conclusion about the problem It is essentially structured and quantitative research and the
output of this research is the input to MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS (MIS)
Marketing research methods
Methodologically marketing research uses the following types of research designs
Based on questioning
Qualitative marketing research - generally used for exploratory purposes - small number of respondents - not generalizable to the whole population - statistical significance and confidence not calculated - examples include focus groups in-depth interviews and projective techniques
Quantitative marketing research - generally used to draw conclusions - tests a specific hypothesis - uses random sampling techniques so as to infer from the sample to the population - involves a large number of respondents - examples include surveys and questionnaires Techniques include choice modelling maximum difference preference scaling and covariance analysis
Based on observations
Ethnographic studies - by nature qualitative the researcher observes social phenomena in their natural setting - observations can
occur cross-sectionally (observations made at one time) or longitudinally (observations occur over several time-periods) ndash
examples include product-use analysis and computer cookie traces See also Ethnography and Observational techniques
Experimental techniques - by nature quantitative the researcher creates a quasi-artificial environment to try to control spurious factors
then manipulates at least one of the variables - examples include purchase laboratories and test markets
Questionnaires 1 What are the objectives of the marketing strategy Are they clearly stated Are they consistent with the objectives of the firm Is the entire marketing mix structured to meet these objectives
2 What marketing concepts are at issue in the current strategy Is the marketing strategy well planned and laid out Is the strategy consistent with sound marketing principles If the strategy takes exception to marketing principles is there a good reason for it
3 To what target market is the strategy directed Is it well defined Is the market large enough to be profitably served Does the market have long-run potential
4 What competitive advantage does the marketing strategy offer If none what can be done to gain a competitive advantage in the marketplace
5 What products are being sold What is the width depth and consistency of the firms product lines Does the firm need new products to fill out its product line Should any product be deleted What is the profitability of the various products
6 What promotion mix is being used Is promotion consistent with the products and product images What could be done to improve the promotion mix
7 What channels of distribution are being used Do they deliver the product at the right time and right place to meet consumer needs Are the channels typical of those used in the industry Could channels be made more efficient
8 What pricing strategies are being used How do prices compare with similar products of other firms How are prices determined
9 Are marketing research and information systematically integrated into the marketing strategy Is the overall marketing strategy internally consistent
MARKETS FOR INDUSTRIAL GOODS
The market is the place where supply meets demand Suppliers and customers meet discuss and evaluate the conditions for exchange of goods and services and exchanges take place The conditions under which these exchanges occur especially that of price are influenced by the characteristics and structure of the market for example the number and market power of suppliers and customers Traditional economic analysis of markets presupposes that they are characterized by certain basic features firstly there is an assumption of free movement in the market and thus a customer will always buy where he obtains the best terms of exchange at that moment similarly the assumption is that suppliers will move to and from the market freely Thus the market is portrayed as atomistic Each unit in the market is free and independent to do as it wishes Also as a result of this free movement the market is characterized by change and stability is an exception Underlying these two assumptions is the further assumption that there is little or no cost of transaction In other words it is assumed that there are no costs in obtaining accurate information or in negotiations etc One effect of this assumption is that production costs
are considered central and that sellers can be simply represented by a production function
The traditional economic theory of the market has of course been subject to challenge and modification However it has influenced the models and principles used in marketing management The basic model that most of the literature in marketing is built on is the marketing mix model The key problems in marketing according to that model are
(a) to allocate resources to different competitive means or mix elements
(b) to design each mean as well as possible within the firms resource limitations
The market is often described in terms of response curves each defined in relation to a certain marketing decision variable or to the whole mix of a company The assumption is of course that the market consists of many individual customers that are affected by the marketers variables in accordance with a certain statistical distribution The same kind of influence can also be identified in the purchasing management
literature The focus here is largely on the management of a single purchase This does not give full consideration to the factors which have contributed to the way this purchase takes place or to the effects of this purchase on the subsequent dealings with the supplying company
Marketing Management
As we mentioned in the first section of this chapter the models and principles for industrial marketing management that are given by the literature are normally related to the marketing mix model The problems identified in these are the allocation of resources and the designing of competitive means However marketers in for example a highly concentrated industry may find different problems The issues associated with the handling of ten very large customers are of totally different character from those of handling 1000 small customers Thus marketers in firms in concentrated markets have a lack of accurate models for analyzing their marketing problems They have also a lack of relevant data expressed in a systematic way about the behaviour of other firms in the same situation
MARKETING ORGANIZATION
Overall Organization
Belters sales operations are split into three areas as follows
(i) Sales Manger mdash UK responsible for 60mdash70 per cent of total sales Four area offices handling all accounts except two major ones which are managed from the Companys main office
(ii) Sales Manager mdash Middle East Africa Eastern Europe accounting for approximately 20 per cent of total sales One manager plus two sales engineers The Company is currently building up an agencymdashdistributor network for this territory
(iii) Sales Manager mdash Western Europe responsible for the remaining 20 per cent of total sales The sales manager is located in Brussels with additional sales offices in Germany France and Italy The Brussels sales office is owned by Belters parent group All major commercial
transactions are carried out by Belters Head Office although the Brussels Company does have some price discretion This European sales company takes 85 per cent of its products for sale in Europe from Belter The remaining 15 per cent of products are sourced from the North-American parent company Apart from the European operation all agents and distributors overseas are handled from the UK
Evolution of Marketing Organization
Belter has often faced problems in the distribution of its products in France for example the Company had a combined agent and distributor operating until 1963 Belter provided applications engineering but had no commercial involvement in sales The company found that it had no influence on pricing in the market and this led to a rather artificial pricing structure and to a decreased market share This problem was not solved by the appointment of a second distributor Mergers amongst French suppliers have led to more competition in the market The second distributor did little to stimulate the first one or to improve the Companys overall penetration
In 1966 Belter separated out a number of products and major customers which were not to be handled via distributors These customers and products were to be controlled by the UK sales operation Also from 1970 the Brussels office ceased to have overall responsibility for sales to France and a Paris office was established The
overall market situation faced in France (and in other European countries) is as follows
There are many actual and potential users for some products which are not known by the Company Heavy competition exists especially on price for large customers who are often buying what they view as a commodity product Belters emerging strategy has been to handle these large customers through its own sales offices The Paris office actively seek sales of large volume products as well as acting as a `post office for products specially developed for individual customers which are then handled from the Companys main office Small customers and small volume products are handled by the two French distributors The development process in Italy has been similar to that in France Sales in Scandinavia do not justify a local sales office sales here are handled through a distributor from the Brussels office A small number of major accounts are however handled directly from the UK
BUYERmdashSELLER RELATIONSHIPS
A Customer Relationship in the United Kingdom
The three aspects of the relationship which are studied are competition technical development and personal contacts
This customer is Belters largest and is responsible for 20 per cent of its total business The Company operates in the aerospace industry at the limit of current technology The relationship involves considerable development liaison on wholly new products
Competition
Competition for this customer comes primarily from American suppliers The competition is on price and reflects the spare capacity in the American industry Competition from UK companies is also on price and comes from companies having a wider production spread than Belter
Development
This customer has always relied on Belter alone for development work in this product area However they have looked to other sources of supply when development has taken place The development process for a new product can be started either by a government development contract or by an order from the customer Belter acknowledged that it
has to stand the costs of this development in the latter case The customer has intimate knowledge of all of Belters procedures Methods of manufacture are agreed in detail and even the particular production machinery to be used is specified The closeness of the relationship between the two companies is indicated by the fact that the customer has approved Belters quality procedure and accepts their testing
Contact Pattern
Interpersonal contacts between Belter and its UK customer are summarized as
follows
(1) Formal Contacts
Every six months Technical policy liaison meeting jointly chaired by Belters Technical Director and the customers Chief Materials Manager Every sixmdashnine months Commercial meeting Belters Managing and Marketing Directors and Sales Manager and the customers Purchasing Director and Senior Purchasing Staff
Monthly UK Sales Manager visits customers purchasing staff to discuss delivery and order positions
(2) Other Contacts
These can be studied according to the formally assigned responsibility Personnel who have full-time responsibility One sales office man has daily contact with the customer Additionally one applications engineer is engaged on work for this customer Finally one man determines market trends and is in contact with the customers marketing personnel and customers clients Personnel with `half-time responsibility Four applications engineers also spend some of their time on the customers problems and are in personal contact with customer staff
PURPOSE OF A MARKETING PLAN
The purpose of a Marketing Plan is to-
1048766Define the Market
1048766Refine the Production Plan to market requirements
1048766Develop a marketing strategy
1048766Minimize risk
Each FFT group should have a Marketing Plan covering each commodity based on their own study of the local market
Defining the Market and Commodities-
1048766Market demand and prices -An assessment based on published market information discussions with local extension staff farmers dealers and buyers of the commodity of the likely demand and prices on offer during the year and during any period of seasonal shortfall
1048766Market Requirement- Varieties size grading packaging maturity demanded by the buyers in the particular market
1048766Yield Price Assumptions- How much commodity will be available How much premium grade Second grade Losses If the commodity crop is aimed to be produced for a particular period eg for a low supply period while the price assumptions (expectation) may be higher some reassessment of yield and cost of production assumptions in the gross margin analysis or partial budgets is usually necessary 1048766Marketing Returns and Costs Calculate expected income and costs in marketing
The Most Important Elements of Marketing There are four important elements in the marketing process
1048766Prioritising the customer Marketing begins with the customer not the product Knowing what the customer needs or wants is essential
1048766Process of selection The farmer needs to know who to sell the product to This will determine how and where the produce is marketed
1048766Promotion The farmer is selling something that other people want to buy Naturally it is helpful to let them know that the product is available and of good quality
The Marketing Training Manual 23 Marketing Module 3 Markets and Marketing
1048766Trust Good marketing occurs when the customers trust the farmer The customer should feel they are not being cheated and they are getting value for their money
In thinking about these elements farmers need to ask themselves about the six Ps
bull P p eople Who are the customers What do they want or need Who is actually going to market the product
bull P p lan How is the product going to reach the selected customers What are the steps
bull product What product is going to be marketed Is the family producing what the customer wants What services (for example a cooked product) if any are requested by the customer
bull place Where is the product going to be marketed
bull price What price will the product be offered on the market for
bull promotion How are people going to be informed that the product is available
Supply Demand and Price
In a free market prices for inputs and products are determined by supply and demand
Supply Is what producers are willing to market at a certain price
Demand Is how much consumers are prepared to buy at the market price
In theory as the price of a product goes up the quantity supplied rises and the quantity demanded falls Likewise when the price goes down the quantity supplied falls and the quantity demanded rises
For agricultural produce demand is affected by a number of factors the most
The Marketing Training Manual 24 Marketing Module 3 Markets and Marketing
Industrial or business to business (B2B) marketing
An organization seeks to build a new warehouse After documenting requirements it obtains three proposals from suitable construction firms After a long process of evaluation and negotiation it places an order with the organization that it believes offers the best value for money
An organization needs legal services and obtains submissions from two law firms Analysis of the proposals and subsequent discussions determines that there is no price advantage to placing all of the work with one firm and the organization decides to split the work between the two firms based on an evaluation of each firms capabilities
A sales representative makes an appointment with an organization that employs 22 people He demonstrates a photocopierfaxprinter to the office administrator After discussing a proposal the business owner signs a contract to obtain the machine on a fully-maintained rental and consumables basis with an upgrade after 2 years
Main features of the B2B selling process are
Marketing is one-to-one in nature It is relatively easy for the seller to identify a prospective customers and build a face-to-face relationship Highly professional and trained people in buying processes are involved In many cases two or three decision makers must approve a purchase plan Often the buying or selling process is complex and includes many stages (for example request for proposal request for tender selection process awarding of tender contract negotiations and signing of final contract) Selling activities involve long processes of prospecting qualifying wooing making representations preparing tenders developing strategies and contract negotiations
Blurring between B2B and B2C
Industrial marketing can cross the border into consumer marketing For example an electronic component seller may distribute its products through industrial marketing channels (see channel (marketing)) but also support consumer sales Many products are equally desired by business and consumersmdashsuch as audio products furniture paint hardware etc Nonetheless manufactures and service providers frequently maintain separate industrial and consumer marketing operations to reflect the different needs of the two channels
Competitive tendering
Industrial marketing often involves competitive tendering (see tender tendering) This is a process where a purchasing organization undertakes to procure goods and services from suitable suppliers Due to the high value of some purchases (for example buying a new computer system manufacturing
machinery or outsourcing a maintenance contract) and the complexity of such purchases the purchasing organization will seek to obtain a number of bids from competing suppliers and choose the best offering An entire profession (strategic procurement) that includes tertiary training and qualifications has been built around the process of making important purchases The key requirement in any competitive tender is to ensure that
The business case for the purchase has been completed and approved
The purchasing organizations objectives for the purchase are clearly defined
The procurement process is agreed upon and it conforms with fiscal guidelines and organisational policies The selection criteria have been established
A budget has been estimated and the financial resources are available
A buying team (or committee) has been assembled
A specification has been written
A preliminary scan of the market place has determined that enough potential suppliers are available to make the process viable (this can sometimes be achieved using an expression of interest process)
It has been clearly established that a competitive tendering process is the best method for meeting the objectives of this purchasing project If (for example) it was known that there was only one organisation capable of supplying best to get on with talking to them and negotiating a contract
Because of the significant value of many purchases issues of probity arise Organisations seek to ensure that awarding a contract is based on best fit to the agreed criteria and not bribery corruption or incompetence
Bidding process
Suppliers who are seeking to win a competitive tender go through a bidding process At its most primitive this would consist of evaluating the specification (issued by the purchasing organization) designing a suitable proposal and working out a price This is a primitive approach because
There is an old saying in industrial marketing if the first time you have heard about a tender is when you are invited to submit then you have already lost it
While flippant the previous point illustrates a basic requirement for being successful in competitive tendering it is important to develop a strong relationship with a prospective customer organization well before they have started the formal part of their procurement process
Non-tender purchasing
Not all industrial sales involve competitive tendering Tender processes are time consuming and expensive particularly when executed with the aim of ensuring probity Government agencies are particularly likely to utilise elaborate competitive tendering processes due to the expectation that they should be seen at all times to be responsibly and accountably spending public monies Private companies are able to avoid the complexity of a fully transparent tender process but are still able to run the procurement process with some rigourBeneficial
Developing a sales strategysolution sellingtechnical selling
The art of technical selling (solution selling) follows a three stage process
Stage 1 Sell the appointment Never sell over the telephone The aim of the first contact with a prospective purchaser is to sell the appointment The reason is simple industrial sales are complex any attempt to sell over the phone will trivialise your product or service and run the risk of not fully understanding the customers need
Stage 2 Understand their needs The best method of selling is to minimise the information about your goods or services until you have fully understood your customers requirements
Stage 3 Develop and propose a solution The solution is (of course) developed from your (or the firm that you represents) product or service offerings
Marketing supports solution selling through methods like account-based marketingmdashunderstanding a specific target organizations requirements as the foundation of a marketing program As research shows[1] sales success is heavily weighted towards suppliers who understand the customer In UK research 77 per cent of senior decision-makers believe new suppliers marketing From cannon fodder to preferred tenderer
The term cannon fodder derives from the World Wars and refers to the massing of undertrained and recently recruited troops sent to the fronts to face the enemy Such troops invariably had a poor survival rate but provided the tactical advantage of distracting the enemy while
professional soldiers mounted more effective operations In adopting the term to Industrial Marketing it means those bids being submitted that have no chance of winning but are involved to make up the numbers (you cant have only one bid in a competitive tender process that wouldnt satisfy the requirements of probity) (for example in government tenders or for private enterprise the requirement to truly test the market and to keep them honest) The reader might be wondering why anybody would go to all of the work of submitting a tender when they had no chance of winning for the same reason that troops were sent in to battle to die they thought they had a real chance
The key features of a successful industrial sales organisation
In industrial marketing the personal selling is still very effective because many products must be customized to suit the requirements of the individual customer Indicators such as the sales tunnel give information on the expected sales in the near future the hit rate indicates whether the sales organization is busy with promising sales leads or it is spending too much effort on projects that are eventually lost to the competition or that are abandoned by the prospect
RESEARCH PROBLEM
1 Identify your target market
Which businesses need cleaning services Which ones can afford it and will pay for it Why
In your case I would think that small businesses may not be your ideal client But then again define small business Are you referring to sales volume or number of employees
I can tell you right now as a marketing consultant that has worked with a wide variety of businesses including small companies
Small businesses are very price sensitive and prefer to do more themselves rather than pay someone else (They hold this belief even if it would free up more time to be more productive Go figure)
So before you randomly begin picking a target market have a rational reason why Continue to read below and youll begin to see what I am talking about
2 Determine their wants and needs
It may be obvious to you but ask yourself Why would someone want a clean office
These businesses never have walk-in traffic They do not have customers visit them So naturally there is far less of a concern for a clean office Sure it would be nice to have but since no revenue will be lost if their office is not spectacular looking they are not motivated to do anything about it
However seek out the businesses that do deal with customers directly especially professional services where they have very high end clients visit them Now they NEED a very presentable office or they risk losing out on a lot of revenue
3 Determine the level and type of demand
If you have ever read any of my previous work you will know that I am a very strong advocate of knowing whether the type of demand is Primary Demand or Selective Demand It is one of the most overlooked aspects of marketing being ignored today
Primary Demand If a business does not already use your TYPE of service and is not currently considering doing so you will need to create primary demand Simply put you will have to convince them first to even want your type of service (or product) before you even get them to buy it from you
So for your cleaning business example if you are approaching businesses that currently do not use a cleaning service you will have to explain the time saving and productivity enhancing benefits of using one Then explain why YOU are the one they need
Selective Demand These businesses already use a service (or product) or are in the market for it and are actively looking In these cases you do not need to spend much effort convincing them why they need it
In this case you must state your argument why your cleaning service should be the one they choose
This is what you will encounter when you call on or contact businesses already using a cleaning service They will either be satisfied or unsatisfied with their current service provider Your emphasis will have to be on conquest sales -- meaning stealing customers from your competition
Now in your line of business and in many others slashing prices always seems to be the first technique used to steal customers This may work well for selling products But if you are marketing services let me tell you thisthink twice before doing that
Yes I am fully aware of the fact that there will be businesses that will be open to talking to you if you offer them a better deal In some cases they may feel they are legitimately getting ripped off or paying way
too much right now And they just might be right In those cases if you can give them a fair price that is a better deal for them AND still gives you healthy profit margins then go for it
However if you are slashing prices just to gain clients arent you really just hurting yourself in the long run First of all you can easily get into the game of How low will they go Secondly it de-values your perception of quality if you are cheap Thirdly whos to say after all this effort you wont lose the business in a month or two when someone else quotes them an even lower price
What will you do next price so low that you lose money with every client I didnt think so
Heres what you could do though
4 Develop a Hypothesis and a Solution to Match
After you know your target market have defined their needs and analyzed the competitive picture (currently using or not currently using a service like mine) go ahead and develop a clearly thought out hypothesis
For example start with business NOT currently using a cleaning service but that deal with customers or clients regularly at their location
Develop a strong case for WHY they would be wise to invest in your
cleaning services Show them on a break-even analysis that your fee will be well compensated in either customer retention or converting a higher level of store traffic or business appointments into paying customersclients
Then state your case why it is more cost effective and saves them valuable time to outsource this to you rather than doing it themselves or paying an employee overtime to do it You can also emphasize that you are the expert at this not someones secretary so it is expected that you will do a far better job at it
For businesses that ARE already using a cleaning service or are currently shopping for one state why you are unique and better
Determine the really compelling reasons why these businesses want a cleaning service to begin with
Maybe it is a retail store that wants to create a better first impression for their customers This will ultimately lead to a better customer experience and ultimately more in-store purchases
A good example may be that unlike most competitors you also clean windows Well as a marketing consultant to retail businesses I can tell you that many passerbys will first look in a store window before deciding to walk in or not
Now for successful marketing all retail businesses would perform better if they had more in-store traffic So therefore if your cleaning service also cleans windows you could rightfully justify that your services are more valuable to their retail business You actually HELP
them get more customers and sell more products
Maybe it is a professional service business that needs to impress prospective clients to choose their services over a similar competitor
Your cleaning service may dust chairs and polish wooden conference tables Many other cleaning services may not do this or do a poor job in doing so
Now as marketing consultants to service businesses I can also tell you that if a consultant attorney accountant or any other business professional needs to meet with prospective clients in their office they will appreciate a better appearance So if your cleaning services can provide this better than anyone else (or at least if you tell them about this first) you will get the business or at least be highly considered for it
Whatever the case may be establish what makes you different and have you are best suited to meet their needs
Do you see where I am going with this Your initial marketing questions asked how you can get more business by passing out flyers or sending faxes to small offices Truthfully that is simply not going to work You are not looking at the overall big picture of why anyone would either want to hire a cleaning service or to hire your particular cleaning service
5 You must make AN OFFER
Here are some examples
Marketing messagesales offer to a business that does NOT currently use a cleaning service
If you have never considered using a cleaning service before allow us to show you how XYZ Cleaning Inc can make your storeoffice more presentable to customers and how this newly improved appearance will affect your cash registerbank statement
If you are weary of trying new things dont worry Use us FREE for one month and if you are not completely satisfied with the results if you are not completely confident that it makes a difference to your customers if you are not completely aware of how it raises the morale of your employees then you do not have to using us again
But if YOU DO see a great improvement well make you a great deal on our services simply because we want your long term business Marketing messagesales offer to businesses that DO currently use a cleaning service
I understand that you currently use ABC Cleaners LLC Now you may or may not be completely happy right now but I want to make you a no-risk offer you cant refuse
The truth is that you likely get consumed in your day to day activities in running your business overseeing operations managing employees and handling customers Therefore there may be little imperfections your cleaning service is making that goes unnoticed by you But dont assume for one minute that your customers or potential customers wont notice And remember first impressions DO count
So heres our offer Have us come in the morning after your regular cleaning service cleans your office We will do a thorough inspection with you present and look for anything they may have done a less-than-satisfactory job on Then well show you why you probably over looked it for so long but why your customers will take notice and how they will think differently about you because of it
Now if everything is already 100 completely clean and presentable well thank you for your time and then be on our way But if together we find lots of little things that are carelessly being done we will cleanfix it for you for FREE
Thats right use our services as a compliment to what you are already paying for Compare the quality of work we do to what you are already paying for If you can see the difference in what we do for you compared to what you are already paying for then consider us as your new cleaning service
6 Develop your marketing message
Once you understand the true needs your potential clients have and the unique and competitive solutions you can offer only then should you develop your marketing copy -- your sales pitch
The two examples above incorporate great marketing copy with a strong benefits related offer You can then deliver this through direct mail telemarketing or a combination of both
I would only recommend distributing flyers if you are confident you can place there where they will get read by people who make the decision to hire a cleaning service So if there is an Open Bulletin board in an office building then go for it However they are rare and you probably need permission anyway
Id avoid the fax marketing altogether Its quite annoying ties up there fax line and unless people have already heard of you they are more likely to toss your message in the garbage
Try sending direct mail to the decision makers of these target companies and describe the benefits they will experience from using your services
7 Follow up
Even after identifying the businesses that are most likely to need your services after you have identified a solution and even after you contacted them with a compelling offer you still have to follow up
Chances are they loved the sound of it when they got it They had every intention of following up with you But then just got busy So your follow up call can make all the difference in the world and get your foot in the door in a very big way Then its up to you to DELIVER on your promise
8 ANALYSIS
Market Analysis
The goal of a market analysis is to determine the attractiveness of a market and to understand its evolving opportunities and threats as they relate to the strengths and weaknesses of the firm
David A Aaker outlined the following dimensions of a market analysis
Market size (current and future)
Market growth rate
Market profitability
Industry cost structure
Distribution channels
Market trends
Key success factors
Market Size
The size of the market can be evaluated based on present sales and on potential sales if the use of the product were expanded The following are some information sources for determining market size
government data
trade associations financial data from major players customer surveys
Market Growth Rate
A simple means of forecasting the market growth rate is to extrapolate historical data into the future While this method may provide a first-order estimate it does not predict important turning points A better method is to study growth drivers such as demographic information and sales growth in complementary products Such drivers serve as leading indicators that are more accurate than simply extrapolating historical data
Important inflection points in the market growth rate sometimes can be predicted by constructing a product diffusion curve The shape of the curve can be estimated by studying the characteristics of the adoption rate of a similar product in the past
Ultimately the maturity and decline stages of the product life cycle will be reached Some leading indicators of the decline phase include price pressure caused by competition a decrease in brand loyalty the emergence of substitute products market saturation and the lack of growth drivers
Market Profitability
While different firms in a market will have different levels of profitability the average profit potential for a market can be used as a guideline for knowing how difficult it is to make money in the market Michael Porter devised a useful framework for evaluating the attractiveness of an industry or market This framework known as Porters five forces identifies five factors that influence the market profitability
Buyer power
Supplier power
Barriers to entry
Threat of substitute products
Rivalry among firms in the industry
Industry Cost Structure
The cost structure is important for identifying key factors for success To this end Porters value chain model is useful for determining where value is added and for isolating the costs
The cost structure also is helpful for formulating strategies to develop a competitive advantage For example in some environments the experience curve effect can be used to develop a cost advantage over competitors
Distribution Channels
The following aspects of the distribution system are useful in a market analysis
Existing distribution channels - can be described by how direct they are to the customer
Trends and emerging channels - new channels can offer the opportunity to develop a competitive advantage
Channel power structure - for example in the case of a product having little brand equity retailers have negotiating power over manufacturers and can capture more margin
Market Trends
Changes in the market are important because they often are the source of new opportunities and threats The relevant trends are industry-dependent but some examples include changes in price sensitivity demand for variety and level of emphasis on service and support Regional trends also may be relevant
Key Success Factors
The key success factors are those elements that are necessary in order for the firm to achieve its marketing objectives A few examples of such factors include
Access to essential unique resources
Ability to achieve economies of scale
Access to distribution channels
Technological progress
It is important to consider that key success factors may change over time especially as the product progresses through its life cycle
9 CONCLUSIONS
Organizations engage in marketing research for two reasons
(1) (1) to identify (2) and (2) solve marketing problems
(3)
This distinction serves as a basis for classifying marketing research into problem identification research and problem solving research
Problem identification research is undertaken to help identify problems which are perhaps not apparent on the surface and yet exist or are likely to company image market characteristics sales analysis short-range forecasting long range forecasting and business trends research Research of this type provides information about the marketing environment and helps diagnose a problem For example The findings of problem solving research are used in making decisions which will solve specific marketing problems
The Stanford Research Institute on the other hand conducts an annual survey of consumers that is used to classify persons into homogeneous groups for segmentation purposes The National Purchase Diary panel (NPD) maintains the largest diary panel in the United States
Standardized services are research studies conducted for different client firms but in a standard way For example procedures for measuring
advertising effectiveness have been standardized so that the results can be compared across studies and evaluative norms can be established The Starch Readership Survey is the most widely used service for evaluating print advertisements another well-known service is the Gallup and Robinson Magazine Impact Studies These services are also sold on a syndicated basis
Customized services offer a wide variety of marketing research services customized to suit a clients specific needs Each marketing research project is treated uniquely
Limited-service suppliers specialize in one or a few phases of the marketing research project Services offered by such suppliers are classified as field services coding and data entry data analysis analytical services and branded products Field services collect data through mail personal or telephone interviewing and firms that specialize in interviewing are called field service organizations These organizations may range from small proprietary organizations which operate locally to large multinational organizations with WATS line interviewing facilities Some organizations maintain extensive interviewing facilities across the country for interviewing shoppers in malls
Coding and data entry services include editing completed questionnaires developing a coding scheme and transcribing the data on to diskettes or magnetic tapes for input into the computer NRC Data Systems provides such services
Analytical services include designing and pretesting questionnaires determining the best means of collecting data designing sampling plans and other aspects of the research design Some complex
marketing research projects require knowledge of sophisticated procedures including specialized experimental designs and analytical techniques such as conjoint analysis and multidimensional scaling This kind of expertise can be obtained from firms and consultants specializing in analytical services
Data analysis services are offered by firms also known as tab houses that specialize in computer analysis of quantitative data such as those obtained in large surveys Initially most data analysis firms supplied only tabulations (frequency counts) and cross tabulations (frequency counts that describe two or more variables simultaneously) With the proliferation of software many firms now have the capability to analyze their own data but data analysis firms are still in demand
Branded marketing research products and services are specialized data collection and analysis procedures developed to address specific types of marketing research problems These procedures are patented given brand names and marketed like any other branded product
Types of marketing research
Marketing research techniques come in many forms including
Ad Tracking ndash periodic or continuous in-market research to monitor a brandrsquos performance using measures such as brand awareness brand preference and product usage (Young 2005)
Advertising Research ndash used to predict copy testing or track the efficacy of advertisements for any medium measured by the adrsquos ability to get attention (measured with Attention Tracking) communicate the message build the brandrsquos image and motivate the consumer to purchase the product or service (Young 2005)
Brand equity research - how favorably do consumers view the brand
Brand association research - what do consumers associate with the brand
Brand attribute research - what are the key traits that describe the brand promise
Brand name testing - what do consumers feel about the names of the products
Commercial eye tracking research - examine advertisements package designs websites etc by analyzing visual behavior of the consumer
Concept testing - to test the acceptance of a concept by target consumers
Cool hunting - to make observations and predictions in changes of new or existing cultural trends in areas such as fashion music films television youth culture and lifestyle
Buyer decision processes research - to determine what motivates people to buy and what decision-making process they use
Copy testing ndash predicts in-market performance of an ad before it airs by analyzing audience levels of attention brand linkage motivation entertainment and communication as well as breaking down the adrsquos flow of attention and flow of emotion (Young p 213)
Customer satisfaction research - quantitative or qualitative studies that yields an understanding of a customers of satisfaction with a transaction
Demand estimation - to determine the approximate level of demand for the product
Distribution channel audits - to assess distributorsrsquo and retailersrsquo attitudes toward a product brand or company
Internet strategic intelligence - searching for customer opinions in the Internet chats forums web pages blogs where people express freely about their experiences with products becoming strong opinion formers
Marketing effectiveness and analytics - Building models and measuring results to determine the effectiveness of individual marketing activities
Mystery Consumer or Mystery shopping - An employee or representative of the market research firm anonymously contacts a salesperson and indicates he or she is shopping for a product The shopper then records the entire experience This method is often used for quality control or for researching competitors products
Positioning research - how does the target market see the brand relative to competitors - what does the brand stand for
Price elasticity testing - to determine how sensitive customers are to price changes
Sales forecasting - to determine the expected level of sales given the level of demand With respect to other factors like Advertising expenditure sales promotion etc
Segmentation research - to determine the demographic psychographic and behavioural characteristics of potential buyers
Online panel - a group of individual who accepted to respond to marketing research online
Store audit - to measure the sales of a product or product line at a statistically selected store sample in order to determine market share or to determine whether a retail store provides adequate service
Test marketing - a small-scale product launch used to determine the likely acceptance of the product when it is introduced into a wider market
Viral Marketing Research - refers to marketing research designed to estimate the probability that specific communications will be transmitted throughout an individuals Social Network Estimates of Social Networking Potential (SNP) are combined with estimates of selling effectiveness to estimate ROI on specific combinations of messages and media
All of these forms of marketing research can be classified as either problem-identification research or as problem-solving research
There are two main sources of data - primary and secondary Primary research is conducted from scratch It is original and collected to solve the problem in hand Secondary research already exists since it has been collected for other purposes It is conducted on data published previously and usually by someone else Secondary research costs far less than primary research but seldom comes in a form that exactly meets the needs of the researcher
A similar distinction exists between exploratory research and conclusive research Exploratory research provides insights into and comprehension of an issue or situation It should draw definitive conclusions only with extreme caution Conclusive research draws conclusions the results of the study can be generalized to the whole population
Exploratory research is conducted to explore a problem to get some basic idea about the solution at the preliminary stages of research It may serve as the input to conclusive research Exploratory research information is collected by focus group interviews reviewing literature or books discussing with experts etc This is unstructured and qualitative in nature If a secondary source of data is unable to serve the purpose a convenience sample of small size can be collected Conclusive research is conducted to draw some conclusion about the problem It is essentially structured and quantitative research and the
output of this research is the input to MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS (MIS)
Marketing research methods
Methodologically marketing research uses the following types of research designs
Based on questioning
Qualitative marketing research - generally used for exploratory purposes - small number of respondents - not generalizable to the whole population - statistical significance and confidence not calculated - examples include focus groups in-depth interviews and projective techniques
Quantitative marketing research - generally used to draw conclusions - tests a specific hypothesis - uses random sampling techniques so as to infer from the sample to the population - involves a large number of respondents - examples include surveys and questionnaires Techniques include choice modelling maximum difference preference scaling and covariance analysis
Based on observations
Ethnographic studies - by nature qualitative the researcher observes social phenomena in their natural setting - observations can
occur cross-sectionally (observations made at one time) or longitudinally (observations occur over several time-periods) ndash
examples include product-use analysis and computer cookie traces See also Ethnography and Observational techniques
Experimental techniques - by nature quantitative the researcher creates a quasi-artificial environment to try to control spurious factors
then manipulates at least one of the variables - examples include purchase laboratories and test markets
Questionnaires 1 What are the objectives of the marketing strategy Are they clearly stated Are they consistent with the objectives of the firm Is the entire marketing mix structured to meet these objectives
2 What marketing concepts are at issue in the current strategy Is the marketing strategy well planned and laid out Is the strategy consistent with sound marketing principles If the strategy takes exception to marketing principles is there a good reason for it
3 To what target market is the strategy directed Is it well defined Is the market large enough to be profitably served Does the market have long-run potential
4 What competitive advantage does the marketing strategy offer If none what can be done to gain a competitive advantage in the marketplace
5 What products are being sold What is the width depth and consistency of the firms product lines Does the firm need new products to fill out its product line Should any product be deleted What is the profitability of the various products
6 What promotion mix is being used Is promotion consistent with the products and product images What could be done to improve the promotion mix
7 What channels of distribution are being used Do they deliver the product at the right time and right place to meet consumer needs Are the channels typical of those used in the industry Could channels be made more efficient
8 What pricing strategies are being used How do prices compare with similar products of other firms How are prices determined
9 Are marketing research and information systematically integrated into the marketing strategy Is the overall marketing strategy internally consistent
are considered central and that sellers can be simply represented by a production function
The traditional economic theory of the market has of course been subject to challenge and modification However it has influenced the models and principles used in marketing management The basic model that most of the literature in marketing is built on is the marketing mix model The key problems in marketing according to that model are
(a) to allocate resources to different competitive means or mix elements
(b) to design each mean as well as possible within the firms resource limitations
The market is often described in terms of response curves each defined in relation to a certain marketing decision variable or to the whole mix of a company The assumption is of course that the market consists of many individual customers that are affected by the marketers variables in accordance with a certain statistical distribution The same kind of influence can also be identified in the purchasing management
literature The focus here is largely on the management of a single purchase This does not give full consideration to the factors which have contributed to the way this purchase takes place or to the effects of this purchase on the subsequent dealings with the supplying company
Marketing Management
As we mentioned in the first section of this chapter the models and principles for industrial marketing management that are given by the literature are normally related to the marketing mix model The problems identified in these are the allocation of resources and the designing of competitive means However marketers in for example a highly concentrated industry may find different problems The issues associated with the handling of ten very large customers are of totally different character from those of handling 1000 small customers Thus marketers in firms in concentrated markets have a lack of accurate models for analyzing their marketing problems They have also a lack of relevant data expressed in a systematic way about the behaviour of other firms in the same situation
MARKETING ORGANIZATION
Overall Organization
Belters sales operations are split into three areas as follows
(i) Sales Manger mdash UK responsible for 60mdash70 per cent of total sales Four area offices handling all accounts except two major ones which are managed from the Companys main office
(ii) Sales Manager mdash Middle East Africa Eastern Europe accounting for approximately 20 per cent of total sales One manager plus two sales engineers The Company is currently building up an agencymdashdistributor network for this territory
(iii) Sales Manager mdash Western Europe responsible for the remaining 20 per cent of total sales The sales manager is located in Brussels with additional sales offices in Germany France and Italy The Brussels sales office is owned by Belters parent group All major commercial
transactions are carried out by Belters Head Office although the Brussels Company does have some price discretion This European sales company takes 85 per cent of its products for sale in Europe from Belter The remaining 15 per cent of products are sourced from the North-American parent company Apart from the European operation all agents and distributors overseas are handled from the UK
Evolution of Marketing Organization
Belter has often faced problems in the distribution of its products in France for example the Company had a combined agent and distributor operating until 1963 Belter provided applications engineering but had no commercial involvement in sales The company found that it had no influence on pricing in the market and this led to a rather artificial pricing structure and to a decreased market share This problem was not solved by the appointment of a second distributor Mergers amongst French suppliers have led to more competition in the market The second distributor did little to stimulate the first one or to improve the Companys overall penetration
In 1966 Belter separated out a number of products and major customers which were not to be handled via distributors These customers and products were to be controlled by the UK sales operation Also from 1970 the Brussels office ceased to have overall responsibility for sales to France and a Paris office was established The
overall market situation faced in France (and in other European countries) is as follows
There are many actual and potential users for some products which are not known by the Company Heavy competition exists especially on price for large customers who are often buying what they view as a commodity product Belters emerging strategy has been to handle these large customers through its own sales offices The Paris office actively seek sales of large volume products as well as acting as a `post office for products specially developed for individual customers which are then handled from the Companys main office Small customers and small volume products are handled by the two French distributors The development process in Italy has been similar to that in France Sales in Scandinavia do not justify a local sales office sales here are handled through a distributor from the Brussels office A small number of major accounts are however handled directly from the UK
BUYERmdashSELLER RELATIONSHIPS
A Customer Relationship in the United Kingdom
The three aspects of the relationship which are studied are competition technical development and personal contacts
This customer is Belters largest and is responsible for 20 per cent of its total business The Company operates in the aerospace industry at the limit of current technology The relationship involves considerable development liaison on wholly new products
Competition
Competition for this customer comes primarily from American suppliers The competition is on price and reflects the spare capacity in the American industry Competition from UK companies is also on price and comes from companies having a wider production spread than Belter
Development
This customer has always relied on Belter alone for development work in this product area However they have looked to other sources of supply when development has taken place The development process for a new product can be started either by a government development contract or by an order from the customer Belter acknowledged that it
has to stand the costs of this development in the latter case The customer has intimate knowledge of all of Belters procedures Methods of manufacture are agreed in detail and even the particular production machinery to be used is specified The closeness of the relationship between the two companies is indicated by the fact that the customer has approved Belters quality procedure and accepts their testing
Contact Pattern
Interpersonal contacts between Belter and its UK customer are summarized as
follows
(1) Formal Contacts
Every six months Technical policy liaison meeting jointly chaired by Belters Technical Director and the customers Chief Materials Manager Every sixmdashnine months Commercial meeting Belters Managing and Marketing Directors and Sales Manager and the customers Purchasing Director and Senior Purchasing Staff
Monthly UK Sales Manager visits customers purchasing staff to discuss delivery and order positions
(2) Other Contacts
These can be studied according to the formally assigned responsibility Personnel who have full-time responsibility One sales office man has daily contact with the customer Additionally one applications engineer is engaged on work for this customer Finally one man determines market trends and is in contact with the customers marketing personnel and customers clients Personnel with `half-time responsibility Four applications engineers also spend some of their time on the customers problems and are in personal contact with customer staff
PURPOSE OF A MARKETING PLAN
The purpose of a Marketing Plan is to-
1048766Define the Market
1048766Refine the Production Plan to market requirements
1048766Develop a marketing strategy
1048766Minimize risk
Each FFT group should have a Marketing Plan covering each commodity based on their own study of the local market
Defining the Market and Commodities-
1048766Market demand and prices -An assessment based on published market information discussions with local extension staff farmers dealers and buyers of the commodity of the likely demand and prices on offer during the year and during any period of seasonal shortfall
1048766Market Requirement- Varieties size grading packaging maturity demanded by the buyers in the particular market
1048766Yield Price Assumptions- How much commodity will be available How much premium grade Second grade Losses If the commodity crop is aimed to be produced for a particular period eg for a low supply period while the price assumptions (expectation) may be higher some reassessment of yield and cost of production assumptions in the gross margin analysis or partial budgets is usually necessary 1048766Marketing Returns and Costs Calculate expected income and costs in marketing
The Most Important Elements of Marketing There are four important elements in the marketing process
1048766Prioritising the customer Marketing begins with the customer not the product Knowing what the customer needs or wants is essential
1048766Process of selection The farmer needs to know who to sell the product to This will determine how and where the produce is marketed
1048766Promotion The farmer is selling something that other people want to buy Naturally it is helpful to let them know that the product is available and of good quality
The Marketing Training Manual 23 Marketing Module 3 Markets and Marketing
1048766Trust Good marketing occurs when the customers trust the farmer The customer should feel they are not being cheated and they are getting value for their money
In thinking about these elements farmers need to ask themselves about the six Ps
bull P p eople Who are the customers What do they want or need Who is actually going to market the product
bull P p lan How is the product going to reach the selected customers What are the steps
bull product What product is going to be marketed Is the family producing what the customer wants What services (for example a cooked product) if any are requested by the customer
bull place Where is the product going to be marketed
bull price What price will the product be offered on the market for
bull promotion How are people going to be informed that the product is available
Supply Demand and Price
In a free market prices for inputs and products are determined by supply and demand
Supply Is what producers are willing to market at a certain price
Demand Is how much consumers are prepared to buy at the market price
In theory as the price of a product goes up the quantity supplied rises and the quantity demanded falls Likewise when the price goes down the quantity supplied falls and the quantity demanded rises
For agricultural produce demand is affected by a number of factors the most
The Marketing Training Manual 24 Marketing Module 3 Markets and Marketing
Industrial or business to business (B2B) marketing
An organization seeks to build a new warehouse After documenting requirements it obtains three proposals from suitable construction firms After a long process of evaluation and negotiation it places an order with the organization that it believes offers the best value for money
An organization needs legal services and obtains submissions from two law firms Analysis of the proposals and subsequent discussions determines that there is no price advantage to placing all of the work with one firm and the organization decides to split the work between the two firms based on an evaluation of each firms capabilities
A sales representative makes an appointment with an organization that employs 22 people He demonstrates a photocopierfaxprinter to the office administrator After discussing a proposal the business owner signs a contract to obtain the machine on a fully-maintained rental and consumables basis with an upgrade after 2 years
Main features of the B2B selling process are
Marketing is one-to-one in nature It is relatively easy for the seller to identify a prospective customers and build a face-to-face relationship Highly professional and trained people in buying processes are involved In many cases two or three decision makers must approve a purchase plan Often the buying or selling process is complex and includes many stages (for example request for proposal request for tender selection process awarding of tender contract negotiations and signing of final contract) Selling activities involve long processes of prospecting qualifying wooing making representations preparing tenders developing strategies and contract negotiations
Blurring between B2B and B2C
Industrial marketing can cross the border into consumer marketing For example an electronic component seller may distribute its products through industrial marketing channels (see channel (marketing)) but also support consumer sales Many products are equally desired by business and consumersmdashsuch as audio products furniture paint hardware etc Nonetheless manufactures and service providers frequently maintain separate industrial and consumer marketing operations to reflect the different needs of the two channels
Competitive tendering
Industrial marketing often involves competitive tendering (see tender tendering) This is a process where a purchasing organization undertakes to procure goods and services from suitable suppliers Due to the high value of some purchases (for example buying a new computer system manufacturing
machinery or outsourcing a maintenance contract) and the complexity of such purchases the purchasing organization will seek to obtain a number of bids from competing suppliers and choose the best offering An entire profession (strategic procurement) that includes tertiary training and qualifications has been built around the process of making important purchases The key requirement in any competitive tender is to ensure that
The business case for the purchase has been completed and approved
The purchasing organizations objectives for the purchase are clearly defined
The procurement process is agreed upon and it conforms with fiscal guidelines and organisational policies The selection criteria have been established
A budget has been estimated and the financial resources are available
A buying team (or committee) has been assembled
A specification has been written
A preliminary scan of the market place has determined that enough potential suppliers are available to make the process viable (this can sometimes be achieved using an expression of interest process)
It has been clearly established that a competitive tendering process is the best method for meeting the objectives of this purchasing project If (for example) it was known that there was only one organisation capable of supplying best to get on with talking to them and negotiating a contract
Because of the significant value of many purchases issues of probity arise Organisations seek to ensure that awarding a contract is based on best fit to the agreed criteria and not bribery corruption or incompetence
Bidding process
Suppliers who are seeking to win a competitive tender go through a bidding process At its most primitive this would consist of evaluating the specification (issued by the purchasing organization) designing a suitable proposal and working out a price This is a primitive approach because
There is an old saying in industrial marketing if the first time you have heard about a tender is when you are invited to submit then you have already lost it
While flippant the previous point illustrates a basic requirement for being successful in competitive tendering it is important to develop a strong relationship with a prospective customer organization well before they have started the formal part of their procurement process
Non-tender purchasing
Not all industrial sales involve competitive tendering Tender processes are time consuming and expensive particularly when executed with the aim of ensuring probity Government agencies are particularly likely to utilise elaborate competitive tendering processes due to the expectation that they should be seen at all times to be responsibly and accountably spending public monies Private companies are able to avoid the complexity of a fully transparent tender process but are still able to run the procurement process with some rigourBeneficial
Developing a sales strategysolution sellingtechnical selling
The art of technical selling (solution selling) follows a three stage process
Stage 1 Sell the appointment Never sell over the telephone The aim of the first contact with a prospective purchaser is to sell the appointment The reason is simple industrial sales are complex any attempt to sell over the phone will trivialise your product or service and run the risk of not fully understanding the customers need
Stage 2 Understand their needs The best method of selling is to minimise the information about your goods or services until you have fully understood your customers requirements
Stage 3 Develop and propose a solution The solution is (of course) developed from your (or the firm that you represents) product or service offerings
Marketing supports solution selling through methods like account-based marketingmdashunderstanding a specific target organizations requirements as the foundation of a marketing program As research shows[1] sales success is heavily weighted towards suppliers who understand the customer In UK research 77 per cent of senior decision-makers believe new suppliers marketing From cannon fodder to preferred tenderer
The term cannon fodder derives from the World Wars and refers to the massing of undertrained and recently recruited troops sent to the fronts to face the enemy Such troops invariably had a poor survival rate but provided the tactical advantage of distracting the enemy while
professional soldiers mounted more effective operations In adopting the term to Industrial Marketing it means those bids being submitted that have no chance of winning but are involved to make up the numbers (you cant have only one bid in a competitive tender process that wouldnt satisfy the requirements of probity) (for example in government tenders or for private enterprise the requirement to truly test the market and to keep them honest) The reader might be wondering why anybody would go to all of the work of submitting a tender when they had no chance of winning for the same reason that troops were sent in to battle to die they thought they had a real chance
The key features of a successful industrial sales organisation
In industrial marketing the personal selling is still very effective because many products must be customized to suit the requirements of the individual customer Indicators such as the sales tunnel give information on the expected sales in the near future the hit rate indicates whether the sales organization is busy with promising sales leads or it is spending too much effort on projects that are eventually lost to the competition or that are abandoned by the prospect
RESEARCH PROBLEM
1 Identify your target market
Which businesses need cleaning services Which ones can afford it and will pay for it Why
In your case I would think that small businesses may not be your ideal client But then again define small business Are you referring to sales volume or number of employees
I can tell you right now as a marketing consultant that has worked with a wide variety of businesses including small companies
Small businesses are very price sensitive and prefer to do more themselves rather than pay someone else (They hold this belief even if it would free up more time to be more productive Go figure)
So before you randomly begin picking a target market have a rational reason why Continue to read below and youll begin to see what I am talking about
2 Determine their wants and needs
It may be obvious to you but ask yourself Why would someone want a clean office
These businesses never have walk-in traffic They do not have customers visit them So naturally there is far less of a concern for a clean office Sure it would be nice to have but since no revenue will be lost if their office is not spectacular looking they are not motivated to do anything about it
However seek out the businesses that do deal with customers directly especially professional services where they have very high end clients visit them Now they NEED a very presentable office or they risk losing out on a lot of revenue
3 Determine the level and type of demand
If you have ever read any of my previous work you will know that I am a very strong advocate of knowing whether the type of demand is Primary Demand or Selective Demand It is one of the most overlooked aspects of marketing being ignored today
Primary Demand If a business does not already use your TYPE of service and is not currently considering doing so you will need to create primary demand Simply put you will have to convince them first to even want your type of service (or product) before you even get them to buy it from you
So for your cleaning business example if you are approaching businesses that currently do not use a cleaning service you will have to explain the time saving and productivity enhancing benefits of using one Then explain why YOU are the one they need
Selective Demand These businesses already use a service (or product) or are in the market for it and are actively looking In these cases you do not need to spend much effort convincing them why they need it
In this case you must state your argument why your cleaning service should be the one they choose
This is what you will encounter when you call on or contact businesses already using a cleaning service They will either be satisfied or unsatisfied with their current service provider Your emphasis will have to be on conquest sales -- meaning stealing customers from your competition
Now in your line of business and in many others slashing prices always seems to be the first technique used to steal customers This may work well for selling products But if you are marketing services let me tell you thisthink twice before doing that
Yes I am fully aware of the fact that there will be businesses that will be open to talking to you if you offer them a better deal In some cases they may feel they are legitimately getting ripped off or paying way
too much right now And they just might be right In those cases if you can give them a fair price that is a better deal for them AND still gives you healthy profit margins then go for it
However if you are slashing prices just to gain clients arent you really just hurting yourself in the long run First of all you can easily get into the game of How low will they go Secondly it de-values your perception of quality if you are cheap Thirdly whos to say after all this effort you wont lose the business in a month or two when someone else quotes them an even lower price
What will you do next price so low that you lose money with every client I didnt think so
Heres what you could do though
4 Develop a Hypothesis and a Solution to Match
After you know your target market have defined their needs and analyzed the competitive picture (currently using or not currently using a service like mine) go ahead and develop a clearly thought out hypothesis
For example start with business NOT currently using a cleaning service but that deal with customers or clients regularly at their location
Develop a strong case for WHY they would be wise to invest in your
cleaning services Show them on a break-even analysis that your fee will be well compensated in either customer retention or converting a higher level of store traffic or business appointments into paying customersclients
Then state your case why it is more cost effective and saves them valuable time to outsource this to you rather than doing it themselves or paying an employee overtime to do it You can also emphasize that you are the expert at this not someones secretary so it is expected that you will do a far better job at it
For businesses that ARE already using a cleaning service or are currently shopping for one state why you are unique and better
Determine the really compelling reasons why these businesses want a cleaning service to begin with
Maybe it is a retail store that wants to create a better first impression for their customers This will ultimately lead to a better customer experience and ultimately more in-store purchases
A good example may be that unlike most competitors you also clean windows Well as a marketing consultant to retail businesses I can tell you that many passerbys will first look in a store window before deciding to walk in or not
Now for successful marketing all retail businesses would perform better if they had more in-store traffic So therefore if your cleaning service also cleans windows you could rightfully justify that your services are more valuable to their retail business You actually HELP
them get more customers and sell more products
Maybe it is a professional service business that needs to impress prospective clients to choose their services over a similar competitor
Your cleaning service may dust chairs and polish wooden conference tables Many other cleaning services may not do this or do a poor job in doing so
Now as marketing consultants to service businesses I can also tell you that if a consultant attorney accountant or any other business professional needs to meet with prospective clients in their office they will appreciate a better appearance So if your cleaning services can provide this better than anyone else (or at least if you tell them about this first) you will get the business or at least be highly considered for it
Whatever the case may be establish what makes you different and have you are best suited to meet their needs
Do you see where I am going with this Your initial marketing questions asked how you can get more business by passing out flyers or sending faxes to small offices Truthfully that is simply not going to work You are not looking at the overall big picture of why anyone would either want to hire a cleaning service or to hire your particular cleaning service
5 You must make AN OFFER
Here are some examples
Marketing messagesales offer to a business that does NOT currently use a cleaning service
If you have never considered using a cleaning service before allow us to show you how XYZ Cleaning Inc can make your storeoffice more presentable to customers and how this newly improved appearance will affect your cash registerbank statement
If you are weary of trying new things dont worry Use us FREE for one month and if you are not completely satisfied with the results if you are not completely confident that it makes a difference to your customers if you are not completely aware of how it raises the morale of your employees then you do not have to using us again
But if YOU DO see a great improvement well make you a great deal on our services simply because we want your long term business Marketing messagesales offer to businesses that DO currently use a cleaning service
I understand that you currently use ABC Cleaners LLC Now you may or may not be completely happy right now but I want to make you a no-risk offer you cant refuse
The truth is that you likely get consumed in your day to day activities in running your business overseeing operations managing employees and handling customers Therefore there may be little imperfections your cleaning service is making that goes unnoticed by you But dont assume for one minute that your customers or potential customers wont notice And remember first impressions DO count
So heres our offer Have us come in the morning after your regular cleaning service cleans your office We will do a thorough inspection with you present and look for anything they may have done a less-than-satisfactory job on Then well show you why you probably over looked it for so long but why your customers will take notice and how they will think differently about you because of it
Now if everything is already 100 completely clean and presentable well thank you for your time and then be on our way But if together we find lots of little things that are carelessly being done we will cleanfix it for you for FREE
Thats right use our services as a compliment to what you are already paying for Compare the quality of work we do to what you are already paying for If you can see the difference in what we do for you compared to what you are already paying for then consider us as your new cleaning service
6 Develop your marketing message
Once you understand the true needs your potential clients have and the unique and competitive solutions you can offer only then should you develop your marketing copy -- your sales pitch
The two examples above incorporate great marketing copy with a strong benefits related offer You can then deliver this through direct mail telemarketing or a combination of both
I would only recommend distributing flyers if you are confident you can place there where they will get read by people who make the decision to hire a cleaning service So if there is an Open Bulletin board in an office building then go for it However they are rare and you probably need permission anyway
Id avoid the fax marketing altogether Its quite annoying ties up there fax line and unless people have already heard of you they are more likely to toss your message in the garbage
Try sending direct mail to the decision makers of these target companies and describe the benefits they will experience from using your services
7 Follow up
Even after identifying the businesses that are most likely to need your services after you have identified a solution and even after you contacted them with a compelling offer you still have to follow up
Chances are they loved the sound of it when they got it They had every intention of following up with you But then just got busy So your follow up call can make all the difference in the world and get your foot in the door in a very big way Then its up to you to DELIVER on your promise
8 ANALYSIS
Market Analysis
The goal of a market analysis is to determine the attractiveness of a market and to understand its evolving opportunities and threats as they relate to the strengths and weaknesses of the firm
David A Aaker outlined the following dimensions of a market analysis
Market size (current and future)
Market growth rate
Market profitability
Industry cost structure
Distribution channels
Market trends
Key success factors
Market Size
The size of the market can be evaluated based on present sales and on potential sales if the use of the product were expanded The following are some information sources for determining market size
government data
trade associations financial data from major players customer surveys
Market Growth Rate
A simple means of forecasting the market growth rate is to extrapolate historical data into the future While this method may provide a first-order estimate it does not predict important turning points A better method is to study growth drivers such as demographic information and sales growth in complementary products Such drivers serve as leading indicators that are more accurate than simply extrapolating historical data
Important inflection points in the market growth rate sometimes can be predicted by constructing a product diffusion curve The shape of the curve can be estimated by studying the characteristics of the adoption rate of a similar product in the past
Ultimately the maturity and decline stages of the product life cycle will be reached Some leading indicators of the decline phase include price pressure caused by competition a decrease in brand loyalty the emergence of substitute products market saturation and the lack of growth drivers
Market Profitability
While different firms in a market will have different levels of profitability the average profit potential for a market can be used as a guideline for knowing how difficult it is to make money in the market Michael Porter devised a useful framework for evaluating the attractiveness of an industry or market This framework known as Porters five forces identifies five factors that influence the market profitability
Buyer power
Supplier power
Barriers to entry
Threat of substitute products
Rivalry among firms in the industry
Industry Cost Structure
The cost structure is important for identifying key factors for success To this end Porters value chain model is useful for determining where value is added and for isolating the costs
The cost structure also is helpful for formulating strategies to develop a competitive advantage For example in some environments the experience curve effect can be used to develop a cost advantage over competitors
Distribution Channels
The following aspects of the distribution system are useful in a market analysis
Existing distribution channels - can be described by how direct they are to the customer
Trends and emerging channels - new channels can offer the opportunity to develop a competitive advantage
Channel power structure - for example in the case of a product having little brand equity retailers have negotiating power over manufacturers and can capture more margin
Market Trends
Changes in the market are important because they often are the source of new opportunities and threats The relevant trends are industry-dependent but some examples include changes in price sensitivity demand for variety and level of emphasis on service and support Regional trends also may be relevant
Key Success Factors
The key success factors are those elements that are necessary in order for the firm to achieve its marketing objectives A few examples of such factors include
Access to essential unique resources
Ability to achieve economies of scale
Access to distribution channels
Technological progress
It is important to consider that key success factors may change over time especially as the product progresses through its life cycle
9 CONCLUSIONS
Organizations engage in marketing research for two reasons
(1) (1) to identify (2) and (2) solve marketing problems
(3)
This distinction serves as a basis for classifying marketing research into problem identification research and problem solving research
Problem identification research is undertaken to help identify problems which are perhaps not apparent on the surface and yet exist or are likely to company image market characteristics sales analysis short-range forecasting long range forecasting and business trends research Research of this type provides information about the marketing environment and helps diagnose a problem For example The findings of problem solving research are used in making decisions which will solve specific marketing problems
The Stanford Research Institute on the other hand conducts an annual survey of consumers that is used to classify persons into homogeneous groups for segmentation purposes The National Purchase Diary panel (NPD) maintains the largest diary panel in the United States
Standardized services are research studies conducted for different client firms but in a standard way For example procedures for measuring
advertising effectiveness have been standardized so that the results can be compared across studies and evaluative norms can be established The Starch Readership Survey is the most widely used service for evaluating print advertisements another well-known service is the Gallup and Robinson Magazine Impact Studies These services are also sold on a syndicated basis
Customized services offer a wide variety of marketing research services customized to suit a clients specific needs Each marketing research project is treated uniquely
Limited-service suppliers specialize in one or a few phases of the marketing research project Services offered by such suppliers are classified as field services coding and data entry data analysis analytical services and branded products Field services collect data through mail personal or telephone interviewing and firms that specialize in interviewing are called field service organizations These organizations may range from small proprietary organizations which operate locally to large multinational organizations with WATS line interviewing facilities Some organizations maintain extensive interviewing facilities across the country for interviewing shoppers in malls
Coding and data entry services include editing completed questionnaires developing a coding scheme and transcribing the data on to diskettes or magnetic tapes for input into the computer NRC Data Systems provides such services
Analytical services include designing and pretesting questionnaires determining the best means of collecting data designing sampling plans and other aspects of the research design Some complex
marketing research projects require knowledge of sophisticated procedures including specialized experimental designs and analytical techniques such as conjoint analysis and multidimensional scaling This kind of expertise can be obtained from firms and consultants specializing in analytical services
Data analysis services are offered by firms also known as tab houses that specialize in computer analysis of quantitative data such as those obtained in large surveys Initially most data analysis firms supplied only tabulations (frequency counts) and cross tabulations (frequency counts that describe two or more variables simultaneously) With the proliferation of software many firms now have the capability to analyze their own data but data analysis firms are still in demand
Branded marketing research products and services are specialized data collection and analysis procedures developed to address specific types of marketing research problems These procedures are patented given brand names and marketed like any other branded product
Types of marketing research
Marketing research techniques come in many forms including
Ad Tracking ndash periodic or continuous in-market research to monitor a brandrsquos performance using measures such as brand awareness brand preference and product usage (Young 2005)
Advertising Research ndash used to predict copy testing or track the efficacy of advertisements for any medium measured by the adrsquos ability to get attention (measured with Attention Tracking) communicate the message build the brandrsquos image and motivate the consumer to purchase the product or service (Young 2005)
Brand equity research - how favorably do consumers view the brand
Brand association research - what do consumers associate with the brand
Brand attribute research - what are the key traits that describe the brand promise
Brand name testing - what do consumers feel about the names of the products
Commercial eye tracking research - examine advertisements package designs websites etc by analyzing visual behavior of the consumer
Concept testing - to test the acceptance of a concept by target consumers
Cool hunting - to make observations and predictions in changes of new or existing cultural trends in areas such as fashion music films television youth culture and lifestyle
Buyer decision processes research - to determine what motivates people to buy and what decision-making process they use
Copy testing ndash predicts in-market performance of an ad before it airs by analyzing audience levels of attention brand linkage motivation entertainment and communication as well as breaking down the adrsquos flow of attention and flow of emotion (Young p 213)
Customer satisfaction research - quantitative or qualitative studies that yields an understanding of a customers of satisfaction with a transaction
Demand estimation - to determine the approximate level of demand for the product
Distribution channel audits - to assess distributorsrsquo and retailersrsquo attitudes toward a product brand or company
Internet strategic intelligence - searching for customer opinions in the Internet chats forums web pages blogs where people express freely about their experiences with products becoming strong opinion formers
Marketing effectiveness and analytics - Building models and measuring results to determine the effectiveness of individual marketing activities
Mystery Consumer or Mystery shopping - An employee or representative of the market research firm anonymously contacts a salesperson and indicates he or she is shopping for a product The shopper then records the entire experience This method is often used for quality control or for researching competitors products
Positioning research - how does the target market see the brand relative to competitors - what does the brand stand for
Price elasticity testing - to determine how sensitive customers are to price changes
Sales forecasting - to determine the expected level of sales given the level of demand With respect to other factors like Advertising expenditure sales promotion etc
Segmentation research - to determine the demographic psychographic and behavioural characteristics of potential buyers
Online panel - a group of individual who accepted to respond to marketing research online
Store audit - to measure the sales of a product or product line at a statistically selected store sample in order to determine market share or to determine whether a retail store provides adequate service
Test marketing - a small-scale product launch used to determine the likely acceptance of the product when it is introduced into a wider market
Viral Marketing Research - refers to marketing research designed to estimate the probability that specific communications will be transmitted throughout an individuals Social Network Estimates of Social Networking Potential (SNP) are combined with estimates of selling effectiveness to estimate ROI on specific combinations of messages and media
All of these forms of marketing research can be classified as either problem-identification research or as problem-solving research
There are two main sources of data - primary and secondary Primary research is conducted from scratch It is original and collected to solve the problem in hand Secondary research already exists since it has been collected for other purposes It is conducted on data published previously and usually by someone else Secondary research costs far less than primary research but seldom comes in a form that exactly meets the needs of the researcher
A similar distinction exists between exploratory research and conclusive research Exploratory research provides insights into and comprehension of an issue or situation It should draw definitive conclusions only with extreme caution Conclusive research draws conclusions the results of the study can be generalized to the whole population
Exploratory research is conducted to explore a problem to get some basic idea about the solution at the preliminary stages of research It may serve as the input to conclusive research Exploratory research information is collected by focus group interviews reviewing literature or books discussing with experts etc This is unstructured and qualitative in nature If a secondary source of data is unable to serve the purpose a convenience sample of small size can be collected Conclusive research is conducted to draw some conclusion about the problem It is essentially structured and quantitative research and the
output of this research is the input to MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS (MIS)
Marketing research methods
Methodologically marketing research uses the following types of research designs
Based on questioning
Qualitative marketing research - generally used for exploratory purposes - small number of respondents - not generalizable to the whole population - statistical significance and confidence not calculated - examples include focus groups in-depth interviews and projective techniques
Quantitative marketing research - generally used to draw conclusions - tests a specific hypothesis - uses random sampling techniques so as to infer from the sample to the population - involves a large number of respondents - examples include surveys and questionnaires Techniques include choice modelling maximum difference preference scaling and covariance analysis
Based on observations
Ethnographic studies - by nature qualitative the researcher observes social phenomena in their natural setting - observations can
occur cross-sectionally (observations made at one time) or longitudinally (observations occur over several time-periods) ndash
examples include product-use analysis and computer cookie traces See also Ethnography and Observational techniques
Experimental techniques - by nature quantitative the researcher creates a quasi-artificial environment to try to control spurious factors
then manipulates at least one of the variables - examples include purchase laboratories and test markets
Questionnaires 1 What are the objectives of the marketing strategy Are they clearly stated Are they consistent with the objectives of the firm Is the entire marketing mix structured to meet these objectives
2 What marketing concepts are at issue in the current strategy Is the marketing strategy well planned and laid out Is the strategy consistent with sound marketing principles If the strategy takes exception to marketing principles is there a good reason for it
3 To what target market is the strategy directed Is it well defined Is the market large enough to be profitably served Does the market have long-run potential
4 What competitive advantage does the marketing strategy offer If none what can be done to gain a competitive advantage in the marketplace
5 What products are being sold What is the width depth and consistency of the firms product lines Does the firm need new products to fill out its product line Should any product be deleted What is the profitability of the various products
6 What promotion mix is being used Is promotion consistent with the products and product images What could be done to improve the promotion mix
7 What channels of distribution are being used Do they deliver the product at the right time and right place to meet consumer needs Are the channels typical of those used in the industry Could channels be made more efficient
8 What pricing strategies are being used How do prices compare with similar products of other firms How are prices determined
9 Are marketing research and information systematically integrated into the marketing strategy Is the overall marketing strategy internally consistent
literature The focus here is largely on the management of a single purchase This does not give full consideration to the factors which have contributed to the way this purchase takes place or to the effects of this purchase on the subsequent dealings with the supplying company
Marketing Management
As we mentioned in the first section of this chapter the models and principles for industrial marketing management that are given by the literature are normally related to the marketing mix model The problems identified in these are the allocation of resources and the designing of competitive means However marketers in for example a highly concentrated industry may find different problems The issues associated with the handling of ten very large customers are of totally different character from those of handling 1000 small customers Thus marketers in firms in concentrated markets have a lack of accurate models for analyzing their marketing problems They have also a lack of relevant data expressed in a systematic way about the behaviour of other firms in the same situation
MARKETING ORGANIZATION
Overall Organization
Belters sales operations are split into three areas as follows
(i) Sales Manger mdash UK responsible for 60mdash70 per cent of total sales Four area offices handling all accounts except two major ones which are managed from the Companys main office
(ii) Sales Manager mdash Middle East Africa Eastern Europe accounting for approximately 20 per cent of total sales One manager plus two sales engineers The Company is currently building up an agencymdashdistributor network for this territory
(iii) Sales Manager mdash Western Europe responsible for the remaining 20 per cent of total sales The sales manager is located in Brussels with additional sales offices in Germany France and Italy The Brussels sales office is owned by Belters parent group All major commercial
transactions are carried out by Belters Head Office although the Brussels Company does have some price discretion This European sales company takes 85 per cent of its products for sale in Europe from Belter The remaining 15 per cent of products are sourced from the North-American parent company Apart from the European operation all agents and distributors overseas are handled from the UK
Evolution of Marketing Organization
Belter has often faced problems in the distribution of its products in France for example the Company had a combined agent and distributor operating until 1963 Belter provided applications engineering but had no commercial involvement in sales The company found that it had no influence on pricing in the market and this led to a rather artificial pricing structure and to a decreased market share This problem was not solved by the appointment of a second distributor Mergers amongst French suppliers have led to more competition in the market The second distributor did little to stimulate the first one or to improve the Companys overall penetration
In 1966 Belter separated out a number of products and major customers which were not to be handled via distributors These customers and products were to be controlled by the UK sales operation Also from 1970 the Brussels office ceased to have overall responsibility for sales to France and a Paris office was established The
overall market situation faced in France (and in other European countries) is as follows
There are many actual and potential users for some products which are not known by the Company Heavy competition exists especially on price for large customers who are often buying what they view as a commodity product Belters emerging strategy has been to handle these large customers through its own sales offices The Paris office actively seek sales of large volume products as well as acting as a `post office for products specially developed for individual customers which are then handled from the Companys main office Small customers and small volume products are handled by the two French distributors The development process in Italy has been similar to that in France Sales in Scandinavia do not justify a local sales office sales here are handled through a distributor from the Brussels office A small number of major accounts are however handled directly from the UK
BUYERmdashSELLER RELATIONSHIPS
A Customer Relationship in the United Kingdom
The three aspects of the relationship which are studied are competition technical development and personal contacts
This customer is Belters largest and is responsible for 20 per cent of its total business The Company operates in the aerospace industry at the limit of current technology The relationship involves considerable development liaison on wholly new products
Competition
Competition for this customer comes primarily from American suppliers The competition is on price and reflects the spare capacity in the American industry Competition from UK companies is also on price and comes from companies having a wider production spread than Belter
Development
This customer has always relied on Belter alone for development work in this product area However they have looked to other sources of supply when development has taken place The development process for a new product can be started either by a government development contract or by an order from the customer Belter acknowledged that it
has to stand the costs of this development in the latter case The customer has intimate knowledge of all of Belters procedures Methods of manufacture are agreed in detail and even the particular production machinery to be used is specified The closeness of the relationship between the two companies is indicated by the fact that the customer has approved Belters quality procedure and accepts their testing
Contact Pattern
Interpersonal contacts between Belter and its UK customer are summarized as
follows
(1) Formal Contacts
Every six months Technical policy liaison meeting jointly chaired by Belters Technical Director and the customers Chief Materials Manager Every sixmdashnine months Commercial meeting Belters Managing and Marketing Directors and Sales Manager and the customers Purchasing Director and Senior Purchasing Staff
Monthly UK Sales Manager visits customers purchasing staff to discuss delivery and order positions
(2) Other Contacts
These can be studied according to the formally assigned responsibility Personnel who have full-time responsibility One sales office man has daily contact with the customer Additionally one applications engineer is engaged on work for this customer Finally one man determines market trends and is in contact with the customers marketing personnel and customers clients Personnel with `half-time responsibility Four applications engineers also spend some of their time on the customers problems and are in personal contact with customer staff
PURPOSE OF A MARKETING PLAN
The purpose of a Marketing Plan is to-
1048766Define the Market
1048766Refine the Production Plan to market requirements
1048766Develop a marketing strategy
1048766Minimize risk
Each FFT group should have a Marketing Plan covering each commodity based on their own study of the local market
Defining the Market and Commodities-
1048766Market demand and prices -An assessment based on published market information discussions with local extension staff farmers dealers and buyers of the commodity of the likely demand and prices on offer during the year and during any period of seasonal shortfall
1048766Market Requirement- Varieties size grading packaging maturity demanded by the buyers in the particular market
1048766Yield Price Assumptions- How much commodity will be available How much premium grade Second grade Losses If the commodity crop is aimed to be produced for a particular period eg for a low supply period while the price assumptions (expectation) may be higher some reassessment of yield and cost of production assumptions in the gross margin analysis or partial budgets is usually necessary 1048766Marketing Returns and Costs Calculate expected income and costs in marketing
The Most Important Elements of Marketing There are four important elements in the marketing process
1048766Prioritising the customer Marketing begins with the customer not the product Knowing what the customer needs or wants is essential
1048766Process of selection The farmer needs to know who to sell the product to This will determine how and where the produce is marketed
1048766Promotion The farmer is selling something that other people want to buy Naturally it is helpful to let them know that the product is available and of good quality
The Marketing Training Manual 23 Marketing Module 3 Markets and Marketing
1048766Trust Good marketing occurs when the customers trust the farmer The customer should feel they are not being cheated and they are getting value for their money
In thinking about these elements farmers need to ask themselves about the six Ps
bull P p eople Who are the customers What do they want or need Who is actually going to market the product
bull P p lan How is the product going to reach the selected customers What are the steps
bull product What product is going to be marketed Is the family producing what the customer wants What services (for example a cooked product) if any are requested by the customer
bull place Where is the product going to be marketed
bull price What price will the product be offered on the market for
bull promotion How are people going to be informed that the product is available
Supply Demand and Price
In a free market prices for inputs and products are determined by supply and demand
Supply Is what producers are willing to market at a certain price
Demand Is how much consumers are prepared to buy at the market price
In theory as the price of a product goes up the quantity supplied rises and the quantity demanded falls Likewise when the price goes down the quantity supplied falls and the quantity demanded rises
For agricultural produce demand is affected by a number of factors the most
The Marketing Training Manual 24 Marketing Module 3 Markets and Marketing
Industrial or business to business (B2B) marketing
An organization seeks to build a new warehouse After documenting requirements it obtains three proposals from suitable construction firms After a long process of evaluation and negotiation it places an order with the organization that it believes offers the best value for money
An organization needs legal services and obtains submissions from two law firms Analysis of the proposals and subsequent discussions determines that there is no price advantage to placing all of the work with one firm and the organization decides to split the work between the two firms based on an evaluation of each firms capabilities
A sales representative makes an appointment with an organization that employs 22 people He demonstrates a photocopierfaxprinter to the office administrator After discussing a proposal the business owner signs a contract to obtain the machine on a fully-maintained rental and consumables basis with an upgrade after 2 years
Main features of the B2B selling process are
Marketing is one-to-one in nature It is relatively easy for the seller to identify a prospective customers and build a face-to-face relationship Highly professional and trained people in buying processes are involved In many cases two or three decision makers must approve a purchase plan Often the buying or selling process is complex and includes many stages (for example request for proposal request for tender selection process awarding of tender contract negotiations and signing of final contract) Selling activities involve long processes of prospecting qualifying wooing making representations preparing tenders developing strategies and contract negotiations
Blurring between B2B and B2C
Industrial marketing can cross the border into consumer marketing For example an electronic component seller may distribute its products through industrial marketing channels (see channel (marketing)) but also support consumer sales Many products are equally desired by business and consumersmdashsuch as audio products furniture paint hardware etc Nonetheless manufactures and service providers frequently maintain separate industrial and consumer marketing operations to reflect the different needs of the two channels
Competitive tendering
Industrial marketing often involves competitive tendering (see tender tendering) This is a process where a purchasing organization undertakes to procure goods and services from suitable suppliers Due to the high value of some purchases (for example buying a new computer system manufacturing
machinery or outsourcing a maintenance contract) and the complexity of such purchases the purchasing organization will seek to obtain a number of bids from competing suppliers and choose the best offering An entire profession (strategic procurement) that includes tertiary training and qualifications has been built around the process of making important purchases The key requirement in any competitive tender is to ensure that
The business case for the purchase has been completed and approved
The purchasing organizations objectives for the purchase are clearly defined
The procurement process is agreed upon and it conforms with fiscal guidelines and organisational policies The selection criteria have been established
A budget has been estimated and the financial resources are available
A buying team (or committee) has been assembled
A specification has been written
A preliminary scan of the market place has determined that enough potential suppliers are available to make the process viable (this can sometimes be achieved using an expression of interest process)
It has been clearly established that a competitive tendering process is the best method for meeting the objectives of this purchasing project If (for example) it was known that there was only one organisation capable of supplying best to get on with talking to them and negotiating a contract
Because of the significant value of many purchases issues of probity arise Organisations seek to ensure that awarding a contract is based on best fit to the agreed criteria and not bribery corruption or incompetence
Bidding process
Suppliers who are seeking to win a competitive tender go through a bidding process At its most primitive this would consist of evaluating the specification (issued by the purchasing organization) designing a suitable proposal and working out a price This is a primitive approach because
There is an old saying in industrial marketing if the first time you have heard about a tender is when you are invited to submit then you have already lost it
While flippant the previous point illustrates a basic requirement for being successful in competitive tendering it is important to develop a strong relationship with a prospective customer organization well before they have started the formal part of their procurement process
Non-tender purchasing
Not all industrial sales involve competitive tendering Tender processes are time consuming and expensive particularly when executed with the aim of ensuring probity Government agencies are particularly likely to utilise elaborate competitive tendering processes due to the expectation that they should be seen at all times to be responsibly and accountably spending public monies Private companies are able to avoid the complexity of a fully transparent tender process but are still able to run the procurement process with some rigourBeneficial
Developing a sales strategysolution sellingtechnical selling
The art of technical selling (solution selling) follows a three stage process
Stage 1 Sell the appointment Never sell over the telephone The aim of the first contact with a prospective purchaser is to sell the appointment The reason is simple industrial sales are complex any attempt to sell over the phone will trivialise your product or service and run the risk of not fully understanding the customers need
Stage 2 Understand their needs The best method of selling is to minimise the information about your goods or services until you have fully understood your customers requirements
Stage 3 Develop and propose a solution The solution is (of course) developed from your (or the firm that you represents) product or service offerings
Marketing supports solution selling through methods like account-based marketingmdashunderstanding a specific target organizations requirements as the foundation of a marketing program As research shows[1] sales success is heavily weighted towards suppliers who understand the customer In UK research 77 per cent of senior decision-makers believe new suppliers marketing From cannon fodder to preferred tenderer
The term cannon fodder derives from the World Wars and refers to the massing of undertrained and recently recruited troops sent to the fronts to face the enemy Such troops invariably had a poor survival rate but provided the tactical advantage of distracting the enemy while
professional soldiers mounted more effective operations In adopting the term to Industrial Marketing it means those bids being submitted that have no chance of winning but are involved to make up the numbers (you cant have only one bid in a competitive tender process that wouldnt satisfy the requirements of probity) (for example in government tenders or for private enterprise the requirement to truly test the market and to keep them honest) The reader might be wondering why anybody would go to all of the work of submitting a tender when they had no chance of winning for the same reason that troops were sent in to battle to die they thought they had a real chance
The key features of a successful industrial sales organisation
In industrial marketing the personal selling is still very effective because many products must be customized to suit the requirements of the individual customer Indicators such as the sales tunnel give information on the expected sales in the near future the hit rate indicates whether the sales organization is busy with promising sales leads or it is spending too much effort on projects that are eventually lost to the competition or that are abandoned by the prospect
RESEARCH PROBLEM
1 Identify your target market
Which businesses need cleaning services Which ones can afford it and will pay for it Why
In your case I would think that small businesses may not be your ideal client But then again define small business Are you referring to sales volume or number of employees
I can tell you right now as a marketing consultant that has worked with a wide variety of businesses including small companies
Small businesses are very price sensitive and prefer to do more themselves rather than pay someone else (They hold this belief even if it would free up more time to be more productive Go figure)
So before you randomly begin picking a target market have a rational reason why Continue to read below and youll begin to see what I am talking about
2 Determine their wants and needs
It may be obvious to you but ask yourself Why would someone want a clean office
These businesses never have walk-in traffic They do not have customers visit them So naturally there is far less of a concern for a clean office Sure it would be nice to have but since no revenue will be lost if their office is not spectacular looking they are not motivated to do anything about it
However seek out the businesses that do deal with customers directly especially professional services where they have very high end clients visit them Now they NEED a very presentable office or they risk losing out on a lot of revenue
3 Determine the level and type of demand
If you have ever read any of my previous work you will know that I am a very strong advocate of knowing whether the type of demand is Primary Demand or Selective Demand It is one of the most overlooked aspects of marketing being ignored today
Primary Demand If a business does not already use your TYPE of service and is not currently considering doing so you will need to create primary demand Simply put you will have to convince them first to even want your type of service (or product) before you even get them to buy it from you
So for your cleaning business example if you are approaching businesses that currently do not use a cleaning service you will have to explain the time saving and productivity enhancing benefits of using one Then explain why YOU are the one they need
Selective Demand These businesses already use a service (or product) or are in the market for it and are actively looking In these cases you do not need to spend much effort convincing them why they need it
In this case you must state your argument why your cleaning service should be the one they choose
This is what you will encounter when you call on or contact businesses already using a cleaning service They will either be satisfied or unsatisfied with their current service provider Your emphasis will have to be on conquest sales -- meaning stealing customers from your competition
Now in your line of business and in many others slashing prices always seems to be the first technique used to steal customers This may work well for selling products But if you are marketing services let me tell you thisthink twice before doing that
Yes I am fully aware of the fact that there will be businesses that will be open to talking to you if you offer them a better deal In some cases they may feel they are legitimately getting ripped off or paying way
too much right now And they just might be right In those cases if you can give them a fair price that is a better deal for them AND still gives you healthy profit margins then go for it
However if you are slashing prices just to gain clients arent you really just hurting yourself in the long run First of all you can easily get into the game of How low will they go Secondly it de-values your perception of quality if you are cheap Thirdly whos to say after all this effort you wont lose the business in a month or two when someone else quotes them an even lower price
What will you do next price so low that you lose money with every client I didnt think so
Heres what you could do though
4 Develop a Hypothesis and a Solution to Match
After you know your target market have defined their needs and analyzed the competitive picture (currently using or not currently using a service like mine) go ahead and develop a clearly thought out hypothesis
For example start with business NOT currently using a cleaning service but that deal with customers or clients regularly at their location
Develop a strong case for WHY they would be wise to invest in your
cleaning services Show them on a break-even analysis that your fee will be well compensated in either customer retention or converting a higher level of store traffic or business appointments into paying customersclients
Then state your case why it is more cost effective and saves them valuable time to outsource this to you rather than doing it themselves or paying an employee overtime to do it You can also emphasize that you are the expert at this not someones secretary so it is expected that you will do a far better job at it
For businesses that ARE already using a cleaning service or are currently shopping for one state why you are unique and better
Determine the really compelling reasons why these businesses want a cleaning service to begin with
Maybe it is a retail store that wants to create a better first impression for their customers This will ultimately lead to a better customer experience and ultimately more in-store purchases
A good example may be that unlike most competitors you also clean windows Well as a marketing consultant to retail businesses I can tell you that many passerbys will first look in a store window before deciding to walk in or not
Now for successful marketing all retail businesses would perform better if they had more in-store traffic So therefore if your cleaning service also cleans windows you could rightfully justify that your services are more valuable to their retail business You actually HELP
them get more customers and sell more products
Maybe it is a professional service business that needs to impress prospective clients to choose their services over a similar competitor
Your cleaning service may dust chairs and polish wooden conference tables Many other cleaning services may not do this or do a poor job in doing so
Now as marketing consultants to service businesses I can also tell you that if a consultant attorney accountant or any other business professional needs to meet with prospective clients in their office they will appreciate a better appearance So if your cleaning services can provide this better than anyone else (or at least if you tell them about this first) you will get the business or at least be highly considered for it
Whatever the case may be establish what makes you different and have you are best suited to meet their needs
Do you see where I am going with this Your initial marketing questions asked how you can get more business by passing out flyers or sending faxes to small offices Truthfully that is simply not going to work You are not looking at the overall big picture of why anyone would either want to hire a cleaning service or to hire your particular cleaning service
5 You must make AN OFFER
Here are some examples
Marketing messagesales offer to a business that does NOT currently use a cleaning service
If you have never considered using a cleaning service before allow us to show you how XYZ Cleaning Inc can make your storeoffice more presentable to customers and how this newly improved appearance will affect your cash registerbank statement
If you are weary of trying new things dont worry Use us FREE for one month and if you are not completely satisfied with the results if you are not completely confident that it makes a difference to your customers if you are not completely aware of how it raises the morale of your employees then you do not have to using us again
But if YOU DO see a great improvement well make you a great deal on our services simply because we want your long term business Marketing messagesales offer to businesses that DO currently use a cleaning service
I understand that you currently use ABC Cleaners LLC Now you may or may not be completely happy right now but I want to make you a no-risk offer you cant refuse
The truth is that you likely get consumed in your day to day activities in running your business overseeing operations managing employees and handling customers Therefore there may be little imperfections your cleaning service is making that goes unnoticed by you But dont assume for one minute that your customers or potential customers wont notice And remember first impressions DO count
So heres our offer Have us come in the morning after your regular cleaning service cleans your office We will do a thorough inspection with you present and look for anything they may have done a less-than-satisfactory job on Then well show you why you probably over looked it for so long but why your customers will take notice and how they will think differently about you because of it
Now if everything is already 100 completely clean and presentable well thank you for your time and then be on our way But if together we find lots of little things that are carelessly being done we will cleanfix it for you for FREE
Thats right use our services as a compliment to what you are already paying for Compare the quality of work we do to what you are already paying for If you can see the difference in what we do for you compared to what you are already paying for then consider us as your new cleaning service
6 Develop your marketing message
Once you understand the true needs your potential clients have and the unique and competitive solutions you can offer only then should you develop your marketing copy -- your sales pitch
The two examples above incorporate great marketing copy with a strong benefits related offer You can then deliver this through direct mail telemarketing or a combination of both
I would only recommend distributing flyers if you are confident you can place there where they will get read by people who make the decision to hire a cleaning service So if there is an Open Bulletin board in an office building then go for it However they are rare and you probably need permission anyway
Id avoid the fax marketing altogether Its quite annoying ties up there fax line and unless people have already heard of you they are more likely to toss your message in the garbage
Try sending direct mail to the decision makers of these target companies and describe the benefits they will experience from using your services
7 Follow up
Even after identifying the businesses that are most likely to need your services after you have identified a solution and even after you contacted them with a compelling offer you still have to follow up
Chances are they loved the sound of it when they got it They had every intention of following up with you But then just got busy So your follow up call can make all the difference in the world and get your foot in the door in a very big way Then its up to you to DELIVER on your promise
8 ANALYSIS
Market Analysis
The goal of a market analysis is to determine the attractiveness of a market and to understand its evolving opportunities and threats as they relate to the strengths and weaknesses of the firm
David A Aaker outlined the following dimensions of a market analysis
Market size (current and future)
Market growth rate
Market profitability
Industry cost structure
Distribution channels
Market trends
Key success factors
Market Size
The size of the market can be evaluated based on present sales and on potential sales if the use of the product were expanded The following are some information sources for determining market size
government data
trade associations financial data from major players customer surveys
Market Growth Rate
A simple means of forecasting the market growth rate is to extrapolate historical data into the future While this method may provide a first-order estimate it does not predict important turning points A better method is to study growth drivers such as demographic information and sales growth in complementary products Such drivers serve as leading indicators that are more accurate than simply extrapolating historical data
Important inflection points in the market growth rate sometimes can be predicted by constructing a product diffusion curve The shape of the curve can be estimated by studying the characteristics of the adoption rate of a similar product in the past
Ultimately the maturity and decline stages of the product life cycle will be reached Some leading indicators of the decline phase include price pressure caused by competition a decrease in brand loyalty the emergence of substitute products market saturation and the lack of growth drivers
Market Profitability
While different firms in a market will have different levels of profitability the average profit potential for a market can be used as a guideline for knowing how difficult it is to make money in the market Michael Porter devised a useful framework for evaluating the attractiveness of an industry or market This framework known as Porters five forces identifies five factors that influence the market profitability
Buyer power
Supplier power
Barriers to entry
Threat of substitute products
Rivalry among firms in the industry
Industry Cost Structure
The cost structure is important for identifying key factors for success To this end Porters value chain model is useful for determining where value is added and for isolating the costs
The cost structure also is helpful for formulating strategies to develop a competitive advantage For example in some environments the experience curve effect can be used to develop a cost advantage over competitors
Distribution Channels
The following aspects of the distribution system are useful in a market analysis
Existing distribution channels - can be described by how direct they are to the customer
Trends and emerging channels - new channels can offer the opportunity to develop a competitive advantage
Channel power structure - for example in the case of a product having little brand equity retailers have negotiating power over manufacturers and can capture more margin
Market Trends
Changes in the market are important because they often are the source of new opportunities and threats The relevant trends are industry-dependent but some examples include changes in price sensitivity demand for variety and level of emphasis on service and support Regional trends also may be relevant
Key Success Factors
The key success factors are those elements that are necessary in order for the firm to achieve its marketing objectives A few examples of such factors include
Access to essential unique resources
Ability to achieve economies of scale
Access to distribution channels
Technological progress
It is important to consider that key success factors may change over time especially as the product progresses through its life cycle
9 CONCLUSIONS
Organizations engage in marketing research for two reasons
(1) (1) to identify (2) and (2) solve marketing problems
(3)
This distinction serves as a basis for classifying marketing research into problem identification research and problem solving research
Problem identification research is undertaken to help identify problems which are perhaps not apparent on the surface and yet exist or are likely to company image market characteristics sales analysis short-range forecasting long range forecasting and business trends research Research of this type provides information about the marketing environment and helps diagnose a problem For example The findings of problem solving research are used in making decisions which will solve specific marketing problems
The Stanford Research Institute on the other hand conducts an annual survey of consumers that is used to classify persons into homogeneous groups for segmentation purposes The National Purchase Diary panel (NPD) maintains the largest diary panel in the United States
Standardized services are research studies conducted for different client firms but in a standard way For example procedures for measuring
advertising effectiveness have been standardized so that the results can be compared across studies and evaluative norms can be established The Starch Readership Survey is the most widely used service for evaluating print advertisements another well-known service is the Gallup and Robinson Magazine Impact Studies These services are also sold on a syndicated basis
Customized services offer a wide variety of marketing research services customized to suit a clients specific needs Each marketing research project is treated uniquely
Limited-service suppliers specialize in one or a few phases of the marketing research project Services offered by such suppliers are classified as field services coding and data entry data analysis analytical services and branded products Field services collect data through mail personal or telephone interviewing and firms that specialize in interviewing are called field service organizations These organizations may range from small proprietary organizations which operate locally to large multinational organizations with WATS line interviewing facilities Some organizations maintain extensive interviewing facilities across the country for interviewing shoppers in malls
Coding and data entry services include editing completed questionnaires developing a coding scheme and transcribing the data on to diskettes or magnetic tapes for input into the computer NRC Data Systems provides such services
Analytical services include designing and pretesting questionnaires determining the best means of collecting data designing sampling plans and other aspects of the research design Some complex
marketing research projects require knowledge of sophisticated procedures including specialized experimental designs and analytical techniques such as conjoint analysis and multidimensional scaling This kind of expertise can be obtained from firms and consultants specializing in analytical services
Data analysis services are offered by firms also known as tab houses that specialize in computer analysis of quantitative data such as those obtained in large surveys Initially most data analysis firms supplied only tabulations (frequency counts) and cross tabulations (frequency counts that describe two or more variables simultaneously) With the proliferation of software many firms now have the capability to analyze their own data but data analysis firms are still in demand
Branded marketing research products and services are specialized data collection and analysis procedures developed to address specific types of marketing research problems These procedures are patented given brand names and marketed like any other branded product
Types of marketing research
Marketing research techniques come in many forms including
Ad Tracking ndash periodic or continuous in-market research to monitor a brandrsquos performance using measures such as brand awareness brand preference and product usage (Young 2005)
Advertising Research ndash used to predict copy testing or track the efficacy of advertisements for any medium measured by the adrsquos ability to get attention (measured with Attention Tracking) communicate the message build the brandrsquos image and motivate the consumer to purchase the product or service (Young 2005)
Brand equity research - how favorably do consumers view the brand
Brand association research - what do consumers associate with the brand
Brand attribute research - what are the key traits that describe the brand promise
Brand name testing - what do consumers feel about the names of the products
Commercial eye tracking research - examine advertisements package designs websites etc by analyzing visual behavior of the consumer
Concept testing - to test the acceptance of a concept by target consumers
Cool hunting - to make observations and predictions in changes of new or existing cultural trends in areas such as fashion music films television youth culture and lifestyle
Buyer decision processes research - to determine what motivates people to buy and what decision-making process they use
Copy testing ndash predicts in-market performance of an ad before it airs by analyzing audience levels of attention brand linkage motivation entertainment and communication as well as breaking down the adrsquos flow of attention and flow of emotion (Young p 213)
Customer satisfaction research - quantitative or qualitative studies that yields an understanding of a customers of satisfaction with a transaction
Demand estimation - to determine the approximate level of demand for the product
Distribution channel audits - to assess distributorsrsquo and retailersrsquo attitudes toward a product brand or company
Internet strategic intelligence - searching for customer opinions in the Internet chats forums web pages blogs where people express freely about their experiences with products becoming strong opinion formers
Marketing effectiveness and analytics - Building models and measuring results to determine the effectiveness of individual marketing activities
Mystery Consumer or Mystery shopping - An employee or representative of the market research firm anonymously contacts a salesperson and indicates he or she is shopping for a product The shopper then records the entire experience This method is often used for quality control or for researching competitors products
Positioning research - how does the target market see the brand relative to competitors - what does the brand stand for
Price elasticity testing - to determine how sensitive customers are to price changes
Sales forecasting - to determine the expected level of sales given the level of demand With respect to other factors like Advertising expenditure sales promotion etc
Segmentation research - to determine the demographic psychographic and behavioural characteristics of potential buyers
Online panel - a group of individual who accepted to respond to marketing research online
Store audit - to measure the sales of a product or product line at a statistically selected store sample in order to determine market share or to determine whether a retail store provides adequate service
Test marketing - a small-scale product launch used to determine the likely acceptance of the product when it is introduced into a wider market
Viral Marketing Research - refers to marketing research designed to estimate the probability that specific communications will be transmitted throughout an individuals Social Network Estimates of Social Networking Potential (SNP) are combined with estimates of selling effectiveness to estimate ROI on specific combinations of messages and media
All of these forms of marketing research can be classified as either problem-identification research or as problem-solving research
There are two main sources of data - primary and secondary Primary research is conducted from scratch It is original and collected to solve the problem in hand Secondary research already exists since it has been collected for other purposes It is conducted on data published previously and usually by someone else Secondary research costs far less than primary research but seldom comes in a form that exactly meets the needs of the researcher
A similar distinction exists between exploratory research and conclusive research Exploratory research provides insights into and comprehension of an issue or situation It should draw definitive conclusions only with extreme caution Conclusive research draws conclusions the results of the study can be generalized to the whole population
Exploratory research is conducted to explore a problem to get some basic idea about the solution at the preliminary stages of research It may serve as the input to conclusive research Exploratory research information is collected by focus group interviews reviewing literature or books discussing with experts etc This is unstructured and qualitative in nature If a secondary source of data is unable to serve the purpose a convenience sample of small size can be collected Conclusive research is conducted to draw some conclusion about the problem It is essentially structured and quantitative research and the
output of this research is the input to MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS (MIS)
Marketing research methods
Methodologically marketing research uses the following types of research designs
Based on questioning
Qualitative marketing research - generally used for exploratory purposes - small number of respondents - not generalizable to the whole population - statistical significance and confidence not calculated - examples include focus groups in-depth interviews and projective techniques
Quantitative marketing research - generally used to draw conclusions - tests a specific hypothesis - uses random sampling techniques so as to infer from the sample to the population - involves a large number of respondents - examples include surveys and questionnaires Techniques include choice modelling maximum difference preference scaling and covariance analysis
Based on observations
Ethnographic studies - by nature qualitative the researcher observes social phenomena in their natural setting - observations can
occur cross-sectionally (observations made at one time) or longitudinally (observations occur over several time-periods) ndash
examples include product-use analysis and computer cookie traces See also Ethnography and Observational techniques
Experimental techniques - by nature quantitative the researcher creates a quasi-artificial environment to try to control spurious factors
then manipulates at least one of the variables - examples include purchase laboratories and test markets
Questionnaires 1 What are the objectives of the marketing strategy Are they clearly stated Are they consistent with the objectives of the firm Is the entire marketing mix structured to meet these objectives
2 What marketing concepts are at issue in the current strategy Is the marketing strategy well planned and laid out Is the strategy consistent with sound marketing principles If the strategy takes exception to marketing principles is there a good reason for it
3 To what target market is the strategy directed Is it well defined Is the market large enough to be profitably served Does the market have long-run potential
4 What competitive advantage does the marketing strategy offer If none what can be done to gain a competitive advantage in the marketplace
5 What products are being sold What is the width depth and consistency of the firms product lines Does the firm need new products to fill out its product line Should any product be deleted What is the profitability of the various products
6 What promotion mix is being used Is promotion consistent with the products and product images What could be done to improve the promotion mix
7 What channels of distribution are being used Do they deliver the product at the right time and right place to meet consumer needs Are the channels typical of those used in the industry Could channels be made more efficient
8 What pricing strategies are being used How do prices compare with similar products of other firms How are prices determined
9 Are marketing research and information systematically integrated into the marketing strategy Is the overall marketing strategy internally consistent
MARKETING ORGANIZATION
Overall Organization
Belters sales operations are split into three areas as follows
(i) Sales Manger mdash UK responsible for 60mdash70 per cent of total sales Four area offices handling all accounts except two major ones which are managed from the Companys main office
(ii) Sales Manager mdash Middle East Africa Eastern Europe accounting for approximately 20 per cent of total sales One manager plus two sales engineers The Company is currently building up an agencymdashdistributor network for this territory
(iii) Sales Manager mdash Western Europe responsible for the remaining 20 per cent of total sales The sales manager is located in Brussels with additional sales offices in Germany France and Italy The Brussels sales office is owned by Belters parent group All major commercial
transactions are carried out by Belters Head Office although the Brussels Company does have some price discretion This European sales company takes 85 per cent of its products for sale in Europe from Belter The remaining 15 per cent of products are sourced from the North-American parent company Apart from the European operation all agents and distributors overseas are handled from the UK
Evolution of Marketing Organization
Belter has often faced problems in the distribution of its products in France for example the Company had a combined agent and distributor operating until 1963 Belter provided applications engineering but had no commercial involvement in sales The company found that it had no influence on pricing in the market and this led to a rather artificial pricing structure and to a decreased market share This problem was not solved by the appointment of a second distributor Mergers amongst French suppliers have led to more competition in the market The second distributor did little to stimulate the first one or to improve the Companys overall penetration
In 1966 Belter separated out a number of products and major customers which were not to be handled via distributors These customers and products were to be controlled by the UK sales operation Also from 1970 the Brussels office ceased to have overall responsibility for sales to France and a Paris office was established The
overall market situation faced in France (and in other European countries) is as follows
There are many actual and potential users for some products which are not known by the Company Heavy competition exists especially on price for large customers who are often buying what they view as a commodity product Belters emerging strategy has been to handle these large customers through its own sales offices The Paris office actively seek sales of large volume products as well as acting as a `post office for products specially developed for individual customers which are then handled from the Companys main office Small customers and small volume products are handled by the two French distributors The development process in Italy has been similar to that in France Sales in Scandinavia do not justify a local sales office sales here are handled through a distributor from the Brussels office A small number of major accounts are however handled directly from the UK
BUYERmdashSELLER RELATIONSHIPS
A Customer Relationship in the United Kingdom
The three aspects of the relationship which are studied are competition technical development and personal contacts
This customer is Belters largest and is responsible for 20 per cent of its total business The Company operates in the aerospace industry at the limit of current technology The relationship involves considerable development liaison on wholly new products
Competition
Competition for this customer comes primarily from American suppliers The competition is on price and reflects the spare capacity in the American industry Competition from UK companies is also on price and comes from companies having a wider production spread than Belter
Development
This customer has always relied on Belter alone for development work in this product area However they have looked to other sources of supply when development has taken place The development process for a new product can be started either by a government development contract or by an order from the customer Belter acknowledged that it
has to stand the costs of this development in the latter case The customer has intimate knowledge of all of Belters procedures Methods of manufacture are agreed in detail and even the particular production machinery to be used is specified The closeness of the relationship between the two companies is indicated by the fact that the customer has approved Belters quality procedure and accepts their testing
Contact Pattern
Interpersonal contacts between Belter and its UK customer are summarized as
follows
(1) Formal Contacts
Every six months Technical policy liaison meeting jointly chaired by Belters Technical Director and the customers Chief Materials Manager Every sixmdashnine months Commercial meeting Belters Managing and Marketing Directors and Sales Manager and the customers Purchasing Director and Senior Purchasing Staff
Monthly UK Sales Manager visits customers purchasing staff to discuss delivery and order positions
(2) Other Contacts
These can be studied according to the formally assigned responsibility Personnel who have full-time responsibility One sales office man has daily contact with the customer Additionally one applications engineer is engaged on work for this customer Finally one man determines market trends and is in contact with the customers marketing personnel and customers clients Personnel with `half-time responsibility Four applications engineers also spend some of their time on the customers problems and are in personal contact with customer staff
PURPOSE OF A MARKETING PLAN
The purpose of a Marketing Plan is to-
1048766Define the Market
1048766Refine the Production Plan to market requirements
1048766Develop a marketing strategy
1048766Minimize risk
Each FFT group should have a Marketing Plan covering each commodity based on their own study of the local market
Defining the Market and Commodities-
1048766Market demand and prices -An assessment based on published market information discussions with local extension staff farmers dealers and buyers of the commodity of the likely demand and prices on offer during the year and during any period of seasonal shortfall
1048766Market Requirement- Varieties size grading packaging maturity demanded by the buyers in the particular market
1048766Yield Price Assumptions- How much commodity will be available How much premium grade Second grade Losses If the commodity crop is aimed to be produced for a particular period eg for a low supply period while the price assumptions (expectation) may be higher some reassessment of yield and cost of production assumptions in the gross margin analysis or partial budgets is usually necessary 1048766Marketing Returns and Costs Calculate expected income and costs in marketing
The Most Important Elements of Marketing There are four important elements in the marketing process
1048766Prioritising the customer Marketing begins with the customer not the product Knowing what the customer needs or wants is essential
1048766Process of selection The farmer needs to know who to sell the product to This will determine how and where the produce is marketed
1048766Promotion The farmer is selling something that other people want to buy Naturally it is helpful to let them know that the product is available and of good quality
The Marketing Training Manual 23 Marketing Module 3 Markets and Marketing
1048766Trust Good marketing occurs when the customers trust the farmer The customer should feel they are not being cheated and they are getting value for their money
In thinking about these elements farmers need to ask themselves about the six Ps
bull P p eople Who are the customers What do they want or need Who is actually going to market the product
bull P p lan How is the product going to reach the selected customers What are the steps
bull product What product is going to be marketed Is the family producing what the customer wants What services (for example a cooked product) if any are requested by the customer
bull place Where is the product going to be marketed
bull price What price will the product be offered on the market for
bull promotion How are people going to be informed that the product is available
Supply Demand and Price
In a free market prices for inputs and products are determined by supply and demand
Supply Is what producers are willing to market at a certain price
Demand Is how much consumers are prepared to buy at the market price
In theory as the price of a product goes up the quantity supplied rises and the quantity demanded falls Likewise when the price goes down the quantity supplied falls and the quantity demanded rises
For agricultural produce demand is affected by a number of factors the most
The Marketing Training Manual 24 Marketing Module 3 Markets and Marketing
Industrial or business to business (B2B) marketing
An organization seeks to build a new warehouse After documenting requirements it obtains three proposals from suitable construction firms After a long process of evaluation and negotiation it places an order with the organization that it believes offers the best value for money
An organization needs legal services and obtains submissions from two law firms Analysis of the proposals and subsequent discussions determines that there is no price advantage to placing all of the work with one firm and the organization decides to split the work between the two firms based on an evaluation of each firms capabilities
A sales representative makes an appointment with an organization that employs 22 people He demonstrates a photocopierfaxprinter to the office administrator After discussing a proposal the business owner signs a contract to obtain the machine on a fully-maintained rental and consumables basis with an upgrade after 2 years
Main features of the B2B selling process are
Marketing is one-to-one in nature It is relatively easy for the seller to identify a prospective customers and build a face-to-face relationship Highly professional and trained people in buying processes are involved In many cases two or three decision makers must approve a purchase plan Often the buying or selling process is complex and includes many stages (for example request for proposal request for tender selection process awarding of tender contract negotiations and signing of final contract) Selling activities involve long processes of prospecting qualifying wooing making representations preparing tenders developing strategies and contract negotiations
Blurring between B2B and B2C
Industrial marketing can cross the border into consumer marketing For example an electronic component seller may distribute its products through industrial marketing channels (see channel (marketing)) but also support consumer sales Many products are equally desired by business and consumersmdashsuch as audio products furniture paint hardware etc Nonetheless manufactures and service providers frequently maintain separate industrial and consumer marketing operations to reflect the different needs of the two channels
Competitive tendering
Industrial marketing often involves competitive tendering (see tender tendering) This is a process where a purchasing organization undertakes to procure goods and services from suitable suppliers Due to the high value of some purchases (for example buying a new computer system manufacturing
machinery or outsourcing a maintenance contract) and the complexity of such purchases the purchasing organization will seek to obtain a number of bids from competing suppliers and choose the best offering An entire profession (strategic procurement) that includes tertiary training and qualifications has been built around the process of making important purchases The key requirement in any competitive tender is to ensure that
The business case for the purchase has been completed and approved
The purchasing organizations objectives for the purchase are clearly defined
The procurement process is agreed upon and it conforms with fiscal guidelines and organisational policies The selection criteria have been established
A budget has been estimated and the financial resources are available
A buying team (or committee) has been assembled
A specification has been written
A preliminary scan of the market place has determined that enough potential suppliers are available to make the process viable (this can sometimes be achieved using an expression of interest process)
It has been clearly established that a competitive tendering process is the best method for meeting the objectives of this purchasing project If (for example) it was known that there was only one organisation capable of supplying best to get on with talking to them and negotiating a contract
Because of the significant value of many purchases issues of probity arise Organisations seek to ensure that awarding a contract is based on best fit to the agreed criteria and not bribery corruption or incompetence
Bidding process
Suppliers who are seeking to win a competitive tender go through a bidding process At its most primitive this would consist of evaluating the specification (issued by the purchasing organization) designing a suitable proposal and working out a price This is a primitive approach because
There is an old saying in industrial marketing if the first time you have heard about a tender is when you are invited to submit then you have already lost it
While flippant the previous point illustrates a basic requirement for being successful in competitive tendering it is important to develop a strong relationship with a prospective customer organization well before they have started the formal part of their procurement process
Non-tender purchasing
Not all industrial sales involve competitive tendering Tender processes are time consuming and expensive particularly when executed with the aim of ensuring probity Government agencies are particularly likely to utilise elaborate competitive tendering processes due to the expectation that they should be seen at all times to be responsibly and accountably spending public monies Private companies are able to avoid the complexity of a fully transparent tender process but are still able to run the procurement process with some rigourBeneficial
Developing a sales strategysolution sellingtechnical selling
The art of technical selling (solution selling) follows a three stage process
Stage 1 Sell the appointment Never sell over the telephone The aim of the first contact with a prospective purchaser is to sell the appointment The reason is simple industrial sales are complex any attempt to sell over the phone will trivialise your product or service and run the risk of not fully understanding the customers need
Stage 2 Understand their needs The best method of selling is to minimise the information about your goods or services until you have fully understood your customers requirements
Stage 3 Develop and propose a solution The solution is (of course) developed from your (or the firm that you represents) product or service offerings
Marketing supports solution selling through methods like account-based marketingmdashunderstanding a specific target organizations requirements as the foundation of a marketing program As research shows[1] sales success is heavily weighted towards suppliers who understand the customer In UK research 77 per cent of senior decision-makers believe new suppliers marketing From cannon fodder to preferred tenderer
The term cannon fodder derives from the World Wars and refers to the massing of undertrained and recently recruited troops sent to the fronts to face the enemy Such troops invariably had a poor survival rate but provided the tactical advantage of distracting the enemy while
professional soldiers mounted more effective operations In adopting the term to Industrial Marketing it means those bids being submitted that have no chance of winning but are involved to make up the numbers (you cant have only one bid in a competitive tender process that wouldnt satisfy the requirements of probity) (for example in government tenders or for private enterprise the requirement to truly test the market and to keep them honest) The reader might be wondering why anybody would go to all of the work of submitting a tender when they had no chance of winning for the same reason that troops were sent in to battle to die they thought they had a real chance
The key features of a successful industrial sales organisation
In industrial marketing the personal selling is still very effective because many products must be customized to suit the requirements of the individual customer Indicators such as the sales tunnel give information on the expected sales in the near future the hit rate indicates whether the sales organization is busy with promising sales leads or it is spending too much effort on projects that are eventually lost to the competition or that are abandoned by the prospect
RESEARCH PROBLEM
1 Identify your target market
Which businesses need cleaning services Which ones can afford it and will pay for it Why
In your case I would think that small businesses may not be your ideal client But then again define small business Are you referring to sales volume or number of employees
I can tell you right now as a marketing consultant that has worked with a wide variety of businesses including small companies
Small businesses are very price sensitive and prefer to do more themselves rather than pay someone else (They hold this belief even if it would free up more time to be more productive Go figure)
So before you randomly begin picking a target market have a rational reason why Continue to read below and youll begin to see what I am talking about
2 Determine their wants and needs
It may be obvious to you but ask yourself Why would someone want a clean office
These businesses never have walk-in traffic They do not have customers visit them So naturally there is far less of a concern for a clean office Sure it would be nice to have but since no revenue will be lost if their office is not spectacular looking they are not motivated to do anything about it
However seek out the businesses that do deal with customers directly especially professional services where they have very high end clients visit them Now they NEED a very presentable office or they risk losing out on a lot of revenue
3 Determine the level and type of demand
If you have ever read any of my previous work you will know that I am a very strong advocate of knowing whether the type of demand is Primary Demand or Selective Demand It is one of the most overlooked aspects of marketing being ignored today
Primary Demand If a business does not already use your TYPE of service and is not currently considering doing so you will need to create primary demand Simply put you will have to convince them first to even want your type of service (or product) before you even get them to buy it from you
So for your cleaning business example if you are approaching businesses that currently do not use a cleaning service you will have to explain the time saving and productivity enhancing benefits of using one Then explain why YOU are the one they need
Selective Demand These businesses already use a service (or product) or are in the market for it and are actively looking In these cases you do not need to spend much effort convincing them why they need it
In this case you must state your argument why your cleaning service should be the one they choose
This is what you will encounter when you call on or contact businesses already using a cleaning service They will either be satisfied or unsatisfied with their current service provider Your emphasis will have to be on conquest sales -- meaning stealing customers from your competition
Now in your line of business and in many others slashing prices always seems to be the first technique used to steal customers This may work well for selling products But if you are marketing services let me tell you thisthink twice before doing that
Yes I am fully aware of the fact that there will be businesses that will be open to talking to you if you offer them a better deal In some cases they may feel they are legitimately getting ripped off or paying way
too much right now And they just might be right In those cases if you can give them a fair price that is a better deal for them AND still gives you healthy profit margins then go for it
However if you are slashing prices just to gain clients arent you really just hurting yourself in the long run First of all you can easily get into the game of How low will they go Secondly it de-values your perception of quality if you are cheap Thirdly whos to say after all this effort you wont lose the business in a month or two when someone else quotes them an even lower price
What will you do next price so low that you lose money with every client I didnt think so
Heres what you could do though
4 Develop a Hypothesis and a Solution to Match
After you know your target market have defined their needs and analyzed the competitive picture (currently using or not currently using a service like mine) go ahead and develop a clearly thought out hypothesis
For example start with business NOT currently using a cleaning service but that deal with customers or clients regularly at their location
Develop a strong case for WHY they would be wise to invest in your
cleaning services Show them on a break-even analysis that your fee will be well compensated in either customer retention or converting a higher level of store traffic or business appointments into paying customersclients
Then state your case why it is more cost effective and saves them valuable time to outsource this to you rather than doing it themselves or paying an employee overtime to do it You can also emphasize that you are the expert at this not someones secretary so it is expected that you will do a far better job at it
For businesses that ARE already using a cleaning service or are currently shopping for one state why you are unique and better
Determine the really compelling reasons why these businesses want a cleaning service to begin with
Maybe it is a retail store that wants to create a better first impression for their customers This will ultimately lead to a better customer experience and ultimately more in-store purchases
A good example may be that unlike most competitors you also clean windows Well as a marketing consultant to retail businesses I can tell you that many passerbys will first look in a store window before deciding to walk in or not
Now for successful marketing all retail businesses would perform better if they had more in-store traffic So therefore if your cleaning service also cleans windows you could rightfully justify that your services are more valuable to their retail business You actually HELP
them get more customers and sell more products
Maybe it is a professional service business that needs to impress prospective clients to choose their services over a similar competitor
Your cleaning service may dust chairs and polish wooden conference tables Many other cleaning services may not do this or do a poor job in doing so
Now as marketing consultants to service businesses I can also tell you that if a consultant attorney accountant or any other business professional needs to meet with prospective clients in their office they will appreciate a better appearance So if your cleaning services can provide this better than anyone else (or at least if you tell them about this first) you will get the business or at least be highly considered for it
Whatever the case may be establish what makes you different and have you are best suited to meet their needs
Do you see where I am going with this Your initial marketing questions asked how you can get more business by passing out flyers or sending faxes to small offices Truthfully that is simply not going to work You are not looking at the overall big picture of why anyone would either want to hire a cleaning service or to hire your particular cleaning service
5 You must make AN OFFER
Here are some examples
Marketing messagesales offer to a business that does NOT currently use a cleaning service
If you have never considered using a cleaning service before allow us to show you how XYZ Cleaning Inc can make your storeoffice more presentable to customers and how this newly improved appearance will affect your cash registerbank statement
If you are weary of trying new things dont worry Use us FREE for one month and if you are not completely satisfied with the results if you are not completely confident that it makes a difference to your customers if you are not completely aware of how it raises the morale of your employees then you do not have to using us again
But if YOU DO see a great improvement well make you a great deal on our services simply because we want your long term business Marketing messagesales offer to businesses that DO currently use a cleaning service
I understand that you currently use ABC Cleaners LLC Now you may or may not be completely happy right now but I want to make you a no-risk offer you cant refuse
The truth is that you likely get consumed in your day to day activities in running your business overseeing operations managing employees and handling customers Therefore there may be little imperfections your cleaning service is making that goes unnoticed by you But dont assume for one minute that your customers or potential customers wont notice And remember first impressions DO count
So heres our offer Have us come in the morning after your regular cleaning service cleans your office We will do a thorough inspection with you present and look for anything they may have done a less-than-satisfactory job on Then well show you why you probably over looked it for so long but why your customers will take notice and how they will think differently about you because of it
Now if everything is already 100 completely clean and presentable well thank you for your time and then be on our way But if together we find lots of little things that are carelessly being done we will cleanfix it for you for FREE
Thats right use our services as a compliment to what you are already paying for Compare the quality of work we do to what you are already paying for If you can see the difference in what we do for you compared to what you are already paying for then consider us as your new cleaning service
6 Develop your marketing message
Once you understand the true needs your potential clients have and the unique and competitive solutions you can offer only then should you develop your marketing copy -- your sales pitch
The two examples above incorporate great marketing copy with a strong benefits related offer You can then deliver this through direct mail telemarketing or a combination of both
I would only recommend distributing flyers if you are confident you can place there where they will get read by people who make the decision to hire a cleaning service So if there is an Open Bulletin board in an office building then go for it However they are rare and you probably need permission anyway
Id avoid the fax marketing altogether Its quite annoying ties up there fax line and unless people have already heard of you they are more likely to toss your message in the garbage
Try sending direct mail to the decision makers of these target companies and describe the benefits they will experience from using your services
7 Follow up
Even after identifying the businesses that are most likely to need your services after you have identified a solution and even after you contacted them with a compelling offer you still have to follow up
Chances are they loved the sound of it when they got it They had every intention of following up with you But then just got busy So your follow up call can make all the difference in the world and get your foot in the door in a very big way Then its up to you to DELIVER on your promise
8 ANALYSIS
Market Analysis
The goal of a market analysis is to determine the attractiveness of a market and to understand its evolving opportunities and threats as they relate to the strengths and weaknesses of the firm
David A Aaker outlined the following dimensions of a market analysis
Market size (current and future)
Market growth rate
Market profitability
Industry cost structure
Distribution channels
Market trends
Key success factors
Market Size
The size of the market can be evaluated based on present sales and on potential sales if the use of the product were expanded The following are some information sources for determining market size
government data
trade associations financial data from major players customer surveys
Market Growth Rate
A simple means of forecasting the market growth rate is to extrapolate historical data into the future While this method may provide a first-order estimate it does not predict important turning points A better method is to study growth drivers such as demographic information and sales growth in complementary products Such drivers serve as leading indicators that are more accurate than simply extrapolating historical data
Important inflection points in the market growth rate sometimes can be predicted by constructing a product diffusion curve The shape of the curve can be estimated by studying the characteristics of the adoption rate of a similar product in the past
Ultimately the maturity and decline stages of the product life cycle will be reached Some leading indicators of the decline phase include price pressure caused by competition a decrease in brand loyalty the emergence of substitute products market saturation and the lack of growth drivers
Market Profitability
While different firms in a market will have different levels of profitability the average profit potential for a market can be used as a guideline for knowing how difficult it is to make money in the market Michael Porter devised a useful framework for evaluating the attractiveness of an industry or market This framework known as Porters five forces identifies five factors that influence the market profitability
Buyer power
Supplier power
Barriers to entry
Threat of substitute products
Rivalry among firms in the industry
Industry Cost Structure
The cost structure is important for identifying key factors for success To this end Porters value chain model is useful for determining where value is added and for isolating the costs
The cost structure also is helpful for formulating strategies to develop a competitive advantage For example in some environments the experience curve effect can be used to develop a cost advantage over competitors
Distribution Channels
The following aspects of the distribution system are useful in a market analysis
Existing distribution channels - can be described by how direct they are to the customer
Trends and emerging channels - new channels can offer the opportunity to develop a competitive advantage
Channel power structure - for example in the case of a product having little brand equity retailers have negotiating power over manufacturers and can capture more margin
Market Trends
Changes in the market are important because they often are the source of new opportunities and threats The relevant trends are industry-dependent but some examples include changes in price sensitivity demand for variety and level of emphasis on service and support Regional trends also may be relevant
Key Success Factors
The key success factors are those elements that are necessary in order for the firm to achieve its marketing objectives A few examples of such factors include
Access to essential unique resources
Ability to achieve economies of scale
Access to distribution channels
Technological progress
It is important to consider that key success factors may change over time especially as the product progresses through its life cycle
9 CONCLUSIONS
Organizations engage in marketing research for two reasons
(1) (1) to identify (2) and (2) solve marketing problems
(3)
This distinction serves as a basis for classifying marketing research into problem identification research and problem solving research
Problem identification research is undertaken to help identify problems which are perhaps not apparent on the surface and yet exist or are likely to company image market characteristics sales analysis short-range forecasting long range forecasting and business trends research Research of this type provides information about the marketing environment and helps diagnose a problem For example The findings of problem solving research are used in making decisions which will solve specific marketing problems
The Stanford Research Institute on the other hand conducts an annual survey of consumers that is used to classify persons into homogeneous groups for segmentation purposes The National Purchase Diary panel (NPD) maintains the largest diary panel in the United States
Standardized services are research studies conducted for different client firms but in a standard way For example procedures for measuring
advertising effectiveness have been standardized so that the results can be compared across studies and evaluative norms can be established The Starch Readership Survey is the most widely used service for evaluating print advertisements another well-known service is the Gallup and Robinson Magazine Impact Studies These services are also sold on a syndicated basis
Customized services offer a wide variety of marketing research services customized to suit a clients specific needs Each marketing research project is treated uniquely
Limited-service suppliers specialize in one or a few phases of the marketing research project Services offered by such suppliers are classified as field services coding and data entry data analysis analytical services and branded products Field services collect data through mail personal or telephone interviewing and firms that specialize in interviewing are called field service organizations These organizations may range from small proprietary organizations which operate locally to large multinational organizations with WATS line interviewing facilities Some organizations maintain extensive interviewing facilities across the country for interviewing shoppers in malls
Coding and data entry services include editing completed questionnaires developing a coding scheme and transcribing the data on to diskettes or magnetic tapes for input into the computer NRC Data Systems provides such services
Analytical services include designing and pretesting questionnaires determining the best means of collecting data designing sampling plans and other aspects of the research design Some complex
marketing research projects require knowledge of sophisticated procedures including specialized experimental designs and analytical techniques such as conjoint analysis and multidimensional scaling This kind of expertise can be obtained from firms and consultants specializing in analytical services
Data analysis services are offered by firms also known as tab houses that specialize in computer analysis of quantitative data such as those obtained in large surveys Initially most data analysis firms supplied only tabulations (frequency counts) and cross tabulations (frequency counts that describe two or more variables simultaneously) With the proliferation of software many firms now have the capability to analyze their own data but data analysis firms are still in demand
Branded marketing research products and services are specialized data collection and analysis procedures developed to address specific types of marketing research problems These procedures are patented given brand names and marketed like any other branded product
Types of marketing research
Marketing research techniques come in many forms including
Ad Tracking ndash periodic or continuous in-market research to monitor a brandrsquos performance using measures such as brand awareness brand preference and product usage (Young 2005)
Advertising Research ndash used to predict copy testing or track the efficacy of advertisements for any medium measured by the adrsquos ability to get attention (measured with Attention Tracking) communicate the message build the brandrsquos image and motivate the consumer to purchase the product or service (Young 2005)
Brand equity research - how favorably do consumers view the brand
Brand association research - what do consumers associate with the brand
Brand attribute research - what are the key traits that describe the brand promise
Brand name testing - what do consumers feel about the names of the products
Commercial eye tracking research - examine advertisements package designs websites etc by analyzing visual behavior of the consumer
Concept testing - to test the acceptance of a concept by target consumers
Cool hunting - to make observations and predictions in changes of new or existing cultural trends in areas such as fashion music films television youth culture and lifestyle
Buyer decision processes research - to determine what motivates people to buy and what decision-making process they use
Copy testing ndash predicts in-market performance of an ad before it airs by analyzing audience levels of attention brand linkage motivation entertainment and communication as well as breaking down the adrsquos flow of attention and flow of emotion (Young p 213)
Customer satisfaction research - quantitative or qualitative studies that yields an understanding of a customers of satisfaction with a transaction
Demand estimation - to determine the approximate level of demand for the product
Distribution channel audits - to assess distributorsrsquo and retailersrsquo attitudes toward a product brand or company
Internet strategic intelligence - searching for customer opinions in the Internet chats forums web pages blogs where people express freely about their experiences with products becoming strong opinion formers
Marketing effectiveness and analytics - Building models and measuring results to determine the effectiveness of individual marketing activities
Mystery Consumer or Mystery shopping - An employee or representative of the market research firm anonymously contacts a salesperson and indicates he or she is shopping for a product The shopper then records the entire experience This method is often used for quality control or for researching competitors products
Positioning research - how does the target market see the brand relative to competitors - what does the brand stand for
Price elasticity testing - to determine how sensitive customers are to price changes
Sales forecasting - to determine the expected level of sales given the level of demand With respect to other factors like Advertising expenditure sales promotion etc
Segmentation research - to determine the demographic psychographic and behavioural characteristics of potential buyers
Online panel - a group of individual who accepted to respond to marketing research online
Store audit - to measure the sales of a product or product line at a statistically selected store sample in order to determine market share or to determine whether a retail store provides adequate service
Test marketing - a small-scale product launch used to determine the likely acceptance of the product when it is introduced into a wider market
Viral Marketing Research - refers to marketing research designed to estimate the probability that specific communications will be transmitted throughout an individuals Social Network Estimates of Social Networking Potential (SNP) are combined with estimates of selling effectiveness to estimate ROI on specific combinations of messages and media
All of these forms of marketing research can be classified as either problem-identification research or as problem-solving research
There are two main sources of data - primary and secondary Primary research is conducted from scratch It is original and collected to solve the problem in hand Secondary research already exists since it has been collected for other purposes It is conducted on data published previously and usually by someone else Secondary research costs far less than primary research but seldom comes in a form that exactly meets the needs of the researcher
A similar distinction exists between exploratory research and conclusive research Exploratory research provides insights into and comprehension of an issue or situation It should draw definitive conclusions only with extreme caution Conclusive research draws conclusions the results of the study can be generalized to the whole population
Exploratory research is conducted to explore a problem to get some basic idea about the solution at the preliminary stages of research It may serve as the input to conclusive research Exploratory research information is collected by focus group interviews reviewing literature or books discussing with experts etc This is unstructured and qualitative in nature If a secondary source of data is unable to serve the purpose a convenience sample of small size can be collected Conclusive research is conducted to draw some conclusion about the problem It is essentially structured and quantitative research and the
output of this research is the input to MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS (MIS)
Marketing research methods
Methodologically marketing research uses the following types of research designs
Based on questioning
Qualitative marketing research - generally used for exploratory purposes - small number of respondents - not generalizable to the whole population - statistical significance and confidence not calculated - examples include focus groups in-depth interviews and projective techniques
Quantitative marketing research - generally used to draw conclusions - tests a specific hypothesis - uses random sampling techniques so as to infer from the sample to the population - involves a large number of respondents - examples include surveys and questionnaires Techniques include choice modelling maximum difference preference scaling and covariance analysis
Based on observations
Ethnographic studies - by nature qualitative the researcher observes social phenomena in their natural setting - observations can
occur cross-sectionally (observations made at one time) or longitudinally (observations occur over several time-periods) ndash
examples include product-use analysis and computer cookie traces See also Ethnography and Observational techniques
Experimental techniques - by nature quantitative the researcher creates a quasi-artificial environment to try to control spurious factors
then manipulates at least one of the variables - examples include purchase laboratories and test markets
Questionnaires 1 What are the objectives of the marketing strategy Are they clearly stated Are they consistent with the objectives of the firm Is the entire marketing mix structured to meet these objectives
2 What marketing concepts are at issue in the current strategy Is the marketing strategy well planned and laid out Is the strategy consistent with sound marketing principles If the strategy takes exception to marketing principles is there a good reason for it
3 To what target market is the strategy directed Is it well defined Is the market large enough to be profitably served Does the market have long-run potential
4 What competitive advantage does the marketing strategy offer If none what can be done to gain a competitive advantage in the marketplace
5 What products are being sold What is the width depth and consistency of the firms product lines Does the firm need new products to fill out its product line Should any product be deleted What is the profitability of the various products
6 What promotion mix is being used Is promotion consistent with the products and product images What could be done to improve the promotion mix
7 What channels of distribution are being used Do they deliver the product at the right time and right place to meet consumer needs Are the channels typical of those used in the industry Could channels be made more efficient
8 What pricing strategies are being used How do prices compare with similar products of other firms How are prices determined
9 Are marketing research and information systematically integrated into the marketing strategy Is the overall marketing strategy internally consistent
transactions are carried out by Belters Head Office although the Brussels Company does have some price discretion This European sales company takes 85 per cent of its products for sale in Europe from Belter The remaining 15 per cent of products are sourced from the North-American parent company Apart from the European operation all agents and distributors overseas are handled from the UK
Evolution of Marketing Organization
Belter has often faced problems in the distribution of its products in France for example the Company had a combined agent and distributor operating until 1963 Belter provided applications engineering but had no commercial involvement in sales The company found that it had no influence on pricing in the market and this led to a rather artificial pricing structure and to a decreased market share This problem was not solved by the appointment of a second distributor Mergers amongst French suppliers have led to more competition in the market The second distributor did little to stimulate the first one or to improve the Companys overall penetration
In 1966 Belter separated out a number of products and major customers which were not to be handled via distributors These customers and products were to be controlled by the UK sales operation Also from 1970 the Brussels office ceased to have overall responsibility for sales to France and a Paris office was established The
overall market situation faced in France (and in other European countries) is as follows
There are many actual and potential users for some products which are not known by the Company Heavy competition exists especially on price for large customers who are often buying what they view as a commodity product Belters emerging strategy has been to handle these large customers through its own sales offices The Paris office actively seek sales of large volume products as well as acting as a `post office for products specially developed for individual customers which are then handled from the Companys main office Small customers and small volume products are handled by the two French distributors The development process in Italy has been similar to that in France Sales in Scandinavia do not justify a local sales office sales here are handled through a distributor from the Brussels office A small number of major accounts are however handled directly from the UK
BUYERmdashSELLER RELATIONSHIPS
A Customer Relationship in the United Kingdom
The three aspects of the relationship which are studied are competition technical development and personal contacts
This customer is Belters largest and is responsible for 20 per cent of its total business The Company operates in the aerospace industry at the limit of current technology The relationship involves considerable development liaison on wholly new products
Competition
Competition for this customer comes primarily from American suppliers The competition is on price and reflects the spare capacity in the American industry Competition from UK companies is also on price and comes from companies having a wider production spread than Belter
Development
This customer has always relied on Belter alone for development work in this product area However they have looked to other sources of supply when development has taken place The development process for a new product can be started either by a government development contract or by an order from the customer Belter acknowledged that it
has to stand the costs of this development in the latter case The customer has intimate knowledge of all of Belters procedures Methods of manufacture are agreed in detail and even the particular production machinery to be used is specified The closeness of the relationship between the two companies is indicated by the fact that the customer has approved Belters quality procedure and accepts their testing
Contact Pattern
Interpersonal contacts between Belter and its UK customer are summarized as
follows
(1) Formal Contacts
Every six months Technical policy liaison meeting jointly chaired by Belters Technical Director and the customers Chief Materials Manager Every sixmdashnine months Commercial meeting Belters Managing and Marketing Directors and Sales Manager and the customers Purchasing Director and Senior Purchasing Staff
Monthly UK Sales Manager visits customers purchasing staff to discuss delivery and order positions
(2) Other Contacts
These can be studied according to the formally assigned responsibility Personnel who have full-time responsibility One sales office man has daily contact with the customer Additionally one applications engineer is engaged on work for this customer Finally one man determines market trends and is in contact with the customers marketing personnel and customers clients Personnel with `half-time responsibility Four applications engineers also spend some of their time on the customers problems and are in personal contact with customer staff
PURPOSE OF A MARKETING PLAN
The purpose of a Marketing Plan is to-
1048766Define the Market
1048766Refine the Production Plan to market requirements
1048766Develop a marketing strategy
1048766Minimize risk
Each FFT group should have a Marketing Plan covering each commodity based on their own study of the local market
Defining the Market and Commodities-
1048766Market demand and prices -An assessment based on published market information discussions with local extension staff farmers dealers and buyers of the commodity of the likely demand and prices on offer during the year and during any period of seasonal shortfall
1048766Market Requirement- Varieties size grading packaging maturity demanded by the buyers in the particular market
1048766Yield Price Assumptions- How much commodity will be available How much premium grade Second grade Losses If the commodity crop is aimed to be produced for a particular period eg for a low supply period while the price assumptions (expectation) may be higher some reassessment of yield and cost of production assumptions in the gross margin analysis or partial budgets is usually necessary 1048766Marketing Returns and Costs Calculate expected income and costs in marketing
The Most Important Elements of Marketing There are four important elements in the marketing process
1048766Prioritising the customer Marketing begins with the customer not the product Knowing what the customer needs or wants is essential
1048766Process of selection The farmer needs to know who to sell the product to This will determine how and where the produce is marketed
1048766Promotion The farmer is selling something that other people want to buy Naturally it is helpful to let them know that the product is available and of good quality
The Marketing Training Manual 23 Marketing Module 3 Markets and Marketing
1048766Trust Good marketing occurs when the customers trust the farmer The customer should feel they are not being cheated and they are getting value for their money
In thinking about these elements farmers need to ask themselves about the six Ps
bull P p eople Who are the customers What do they want or need Who is actually going to market the product
bull P p lan How is the product going to reach the selected customers What are the steps
bull product What product is going to be marketed Is the family producing what the customer wants What services (for example a cooked product) if any are requested by the customer
bull place Where is the product going to be marketed
bull price What price will the product be offered on the market for
bull promotion How are people going to be informed that the product is available
Supply Demand and Price
In a free market prices for inputs and products are determined by supply and demand
Supply Is what producers are willing to market at a certain price
Demand Is how much consumers are prepared to buy at the market price
In theory as the price of a product goes up the quantity supplied rises and the quantity demanded falls Likewise when the price goes down the quantity supplied falls and the quantity demanded rises
For agricultural produce demand is affected by a number of factors the most
The Marketing Training Manual 24 Marketing Module 3 Markets and Marketing
Industrial or business to business (B2B) marketing
An organization seeks to build a new warehouse After documenting requirements it obtains three proposals from suitable construction firms After a long process of evaluation and negotiation it places an order with the organization that it believes offers the best value for money
An organization needs legal services and obtains submissions from two law firms Analysis of the proposals and subsequent discussions determines that there is no price advantage to placing all of the work with one firm and the organization decides to split the work between the two firms based on an evaluation of each firms capabilities
A sales representative makes an appointment with an organization that employs 22 people He demonstrates a photocopierfaxprinter to the office administrator After discussing a proposal the business owner signs a contract to obtain the machine on a fully-maintained rental and consumables basis with an upgrade after 2 years
Main features of the B2B selling process are
Marketing is one-to-one in nature It is relatively easy for the seller to identify a prospective customers and build a face-to-face relationship Highly professional and trained people in buying processes are involved In many cases two or three decision makers must approve a purchase plan Often the buying or selling process is complex and includes many stages (for example request for proposal request for tender selection process awarding of tender contract negotiations and signing of final contract) Selling activities involve long processes of prospecting qualifying wooing making representations preparing tenders developing strategies and contract negotiations
Blurring between B2B and B2C
Industrial marketing can cross the border into consumer marketing For example an electronic component seller may distribute its products through industrial marketing channels (see channel (marketing)) but also support consumer sales Many products are equally desired by business and consumersmdashsuch as audio products furniture paint hardware etc Nonetheless manufactures and service providers frequently maintain separate industrial and consumer marketing operations to reflect the different needs of the two channels
Competitive tendering
Industrial marketing often involves competitive tendering (see tender tendering) This is a process where a purchasing organization undertakes to procure goods and services from suitable suppliers Due to the high value of some purchases (for example buying a new computer system manufacturing
machinery or outsourcing a maintenance contract) and the complexity of such purchases the purchasing organization will seek to obtain a number of bids from competing suppliers and choose the best offering An entire profession (strategic procurement) that includes tertiary training and qualifications has been built around the process of making important purchases The key requirement in any competitive tender is to ensure that
The business case for the purchase has been completed and approved
The purchasing organizations objectives for the purchase are clearly defined
The procurement process is agreed upon and it conforms with fiscal guidelines and organisational policies The selection criteria have been established
A budget has been estimated and the financial resources are available
A buying team (or committee) has been assembled
A specification has been written
A preliminary scan of the market place has determined that enough potential suppliers are available to make the process viable (this can sometimes be achieved using an expression of interest process)
It has been clearly established that a competitive tendering process is the best method for meeting the objectives of this purchasing project If (for example) it was known that there was only one organisation capable of supplying best to get on with talking to them and negotiating a contract
Because of the significant value of many purchases issues of probity arise Organisations seek to ensure that awarding a contract is based on best fit to the agreed criteria and not bribery corruption or incompetence
Bidding process
Suppliers who are seeking to win a competitive tender go through a bidding process At its most primitive this would consist of evaluating the specification (issued by the purchasing organization) designing a suitable proposal and working out a price This is a primitive approach because
There is an old saying in industrial marketing if the first time you have heard about a tender is when you are invited to submit then you have already lost it
While flippant the previous point illustrates a basic requirement for being successful in competitive tendering it is important to develop a strong relationship with a prospective customer organization well before they have started the formal part of their procurement process
Non-tender purchasing
Not all industrial sales involve competitive tendering Tender processes are time consuming and expensive particularly when executed with the aim of ensuring probity Government agencies are particularly likely to utilise elaborate competitive tendering processes due to the expectation that they should be seen at all times to be responsibly and accountably spending public monies Private companies are able to avoid the complexity of a fully transparent tender process but are still able to run the procurement process with some rigourBeneficial
Developing a sales strategysolution sellingtechnical selling
The art of technical selling (solution selling) follows a three stage process
Stage 1 Sell the appointment Never sell over the telephone The aim of the first contact with a prospective purchaser is to sell the appointment The reason is simple industrial sales are complex any attempt to sell over the phone will trivialise your product or service and run the risk of not fully understanding the customers need
Stage 2 Understand their needs The best method of selling is to minimise the information about your goods or services until you have fully understood your customers requirements
Stage 3 Develop and propose a solution The solution is (of course) developed from your (or the firm that you represents) product or service offerings
Marketing supports solution selling through methods like account-based marketingmdashunderstanding a specific target organizations requirements as the foundation of a marketing program As research shows[1] sales success is heavily weighted towards suppliers who understand the customer In UK research 77 per cent of senior decision-makers believe new suppliers marketing From cannon fodder to preferred tenderer
The term cannon fodder derives from the World Wars and refers to the massing of undertrained and recently recruited troops sent to the fronts to face the enemy Such troops invariably had a poor survival rate but provided the tactical advantage of distracting the enemy while
professional soldiers mounted more effective operations In adopting the term to Industrial Marketing it means those bids being submitted that have no chance of winning but are involved to make up the numbers (you cant have only one bid in a competitive tender process that wouldnt satisfy the requirements of probity) (for example in government tenders or for private enterprise the requirement to truly test the market and to keep them honest) The reader might be wondering why anybody would go to all of the work of submitting a tender when they had no chance of winning for the same reason that troops were sent in to battle to die they thought they had a real chance
The key features of a successful industrial sales organisation
In industrial marketing the personal selling is still very effective because many products must be customized to suit the requirements of the individual customer Indicators such as the sales tunnel give information on the expected sales in the near future the hit rate indicates whether the sales organization is busy with promising sales leads or it is spending too much effort on projects that are eventually lost to the competition or that are abandoned by the prospect
RESEARCH PROBLEM
1 Identify your target market
Which businesses need cleaning services Which ones can afford it and will pay for it Why
In your case I would think that small businesses may not be your ideal client But then again define small business Are you referring to sales volume or number of employees
I can tell you right now as a marketing consultant that has worked with a wide variety of businesses including small companies
Small businesses are very price sensitive and prefer to do more themselves rather than pay someone else (They hold this belief even if it would free up more time to be more productive Go figure)
So before you randomly begin picking a target market have a rational reason why Continue to read below and youll begin to see what I am talking about
2 Determine their wants and needs
It may be obvious to you but ask yourself Why would someone want a clean office
These businesses never have walk-in traffic They do not have customers visit them So naturally there is far less of a concern for a clean office Sure it would be nice to have but since no revenue will be lost if their office is not spectacular looking they are not motivated to do anything about it
However seek out the businesses that do deal with customers directly especially professional services where they have very high end clients visit them Now they NEED a very presentable office or they risk losing out on a lot of revenue
3 Determine the level and type of demand
If you have ever read any of my previous work you will know that I am a very strong advocate of knowing whether the type of demand is Primary Demand or Selective Demand It is one of the most overlooked aspects of marketing being ignored today
Primary Demand If a business does not already use your TYPE of service and is not currently considering doing so you will need to create primary demand Simply put you will have to convince them first to even want your type of service (or product) before you even get them to buy it from you
So for your cleaning business example if you are approaching businesses that currently do not use a cleaning service you will have to explain the time saving and productivity enhancing benefits of using one Then explain why YOU are the one they need
Selective Demand These businesses already use a service (or product) or are in the market for it and are actively looking In these cases you do not need to spend much effort convincing them why they need it
In this case you must state your argument why your cleaning service should be the one they choose
This is what you will encounter when you call on or contact businesses already using a cleaning service They will either be satisfied or unsatisfied with their current service provider Your emphasis will have to be on conquest sales -- meaning stealing customers from your competition
Now in your line of business and in many others slashing prices always seems to be the first technique used to steal customers This may work well for selling products But if you are marketing services let me tell you thisthink twice before doing that
Yes I am fully aware of the fact that there will be businesses that will be open to talking to you if you offer them a better deal In some cases they may feel they are legitimately getting ripped off or paying way
too much right now And they just might be right In those cases if you can give them a fair price that is a better deal for them AND still gives you healthy profit margins then go for it
However if you are slashing prices just to gain clients arent you really just hurting yourself in the long run First of all you can easily get into the game of How low will they go Secondly it de-values your perception of quality if you are cheap Thirdly whos to say after all this effort you wont lose the business in a month or two when someone else quotes them an even lower price
What will you do next price so low that you lose money with every client I didnt think so
Heres what you could do though
4 Develop a Hypothesis and a Solution to Match
After you know your target market have defined their needs and analyzed the competitive picture (currently using or not currently using a service like mine) go ahead and develop a clearly thought out hypothesis
For example start with business NOT currently using a cleaning service but that deal with customers or clients regularly at their location
Develop a strong case for WHY they would be wise to invest in your
cleaning services Show them on a break-even analysis that your fee will be well compensated in either customer retention or converting a higher level of store traffic or business appointments into paying customersclients
Then state your case why it is more cost effective and saves them valuable time to outsource this to you rather than doing it themselves or paying an employee overtime to do it You can also emphasize that you are the expert at this not someones secretary so it is expected that you will do a far better job at it
For businesses that ARE already using a cleaning service or are currently shopping for one state why you are unique and better
Determine the really compelling reasons why these businesses want a cleaning service to begin with
Maybe it is a retail store that wants to create a better first impression for their customers This will ultimately lead to a better customer experience and ultimately more in-store purchases
A good example may be that unlike most competitors you also clean windows Well as a marketing consultant to retail businesses I can tell you that many passerbys will first look in a store window before deciding to walk in or not
Now for successful marketing all retail businesses would perform better if they had more in-store traffic So therefore if your cleaning service also cleans windows you could rightfully justify that your services are more valuable to their retail business You actually HELP
them get more customers and sell more products
Maybe it is a professional service business that needs to impress prospective clients to choose their services over a similar competitor
Your cleaning service may dust chairs and polish wooden conference tables Many other cleaning services may not do this or do a poor job in doing so
Now as marketing consultants to service businesses I can also tell you that if a consultant attorney accountant or any other business professional needs to meet with prospective clients in their office they will appreciate a better appearance So if your cleaning services can provide this better than anyone else (or at least if you tell them about this first) you will get the business or at least be highly considered for it
Whatever the case may be establish what makes you different and have you are best suited to meet their needs
Do you see where I am going with this Your initial marketing questions asked how you can get more business by passing out flyers or sending faxes to small offices Truthfully that is simply not going to work You are not looking at the overall big picture of why anyone would either want to hire a cleaning service or to hire your particular cleaning service
5 You must make AN OFFER
Here are some examples
Marketing messagesales offer to a business that does NOT currently use a cleaning service
If you have never considered using a cleaning service before allow us to show you how XYZ Cleaning Inc can make your storeoffice more presentable to customers and how this newly improved appearance will affect your cash registerbank statement
If you are weary of trying new things dont worry Use us FREE for one month and if you are not completely satisfied with the results if you are not completely confident that it makes a difference to your customers if you are not completely aware of how it raises the morale of your employees then you do not have to using us again
But if YOU DO see a great improvement well make you a great deal on our services simply because we want your long term business Marketing messagesales offer to businesses that DO currently use a cleaning service
I understand that you currently use ABC Cleaners LLC Now you may or may not be completely happy right now but I want to make you a no-risk offer you cant refuse
The truth is that you likely get consumed in your day to day activities in running your business overseeing operations managing employees and handling customers Therefore there may be little imperfections your cleaning service is making that goes unnoticed by you But dont assume for one minute that your customers or potential customers wont notice And remember first impressions DO count
So heres our offer Have us come in the morning after your regular cleaning service cleans your office We will do a thorough inspection with you present and look for anything they may have done a less-than-satisfactory job on Then well show you why you probably over looked it for so long but why your customers will take notice and how they will think differently about you because of it
Now if everything is already 100 completely clean and presentable well thank you for your time and then be on our way But if together we find lots of little things that are carelessly being done we will cleanfix it for you for FREE
Thats right use our services as a compliment to what you are already paying for Compare the quality of work we do to what you are already paying for If you can see the difference in what we do for you compared to what you are already paying for then consider us as your new cleaning service
6 Develop your marketing message
Once you understand the true needs your potential clients have and the unique and competitive solutions you can offer only then should you develop your marketing copy -- your sales pitch
The two examples above incorporate great marketing copy with a strong benefits related offer You can then deliver this through direct mail telemarketing or a combination of both
I would only recommend distributing flyers if you are confident you can place there where they will get read by people who make the decision to hire a cleaning service So if there is an Open Bulletin board in an office building then go for it However they are rare and you probably need permission anyway
Id avoid the fax marketing altogether Its quite annoying ties up there fax line and unless people have already heard of you they are more likely to toss your message in the garbage
Try sending direct mail to the decision makers of these target companies and describe the benefits they will experience from using your services
7 Follow up
Even after identifying the businesses that are most likely to need your services after you have identified a solution and even after you contacted them with a compelling offer you still have to follow up
Chances are they loved the sound of it when they got it They had every intention of following up with you But then just got busy So your follow up call can make all the difference in the world and get your foot in the door in a very big way Then its up to you to DELIVER on your promise
8 ANALYSIS
Market Analysis
The goal of a market analysis is to determine the attractiveness of a market and to understand its evolving opportunities and threats as they relate to the strengths and weaknesses of the firm
David A Aaker outlined the following dimensions of a market analysis
Market size (current and future)
Market growth rate
Market profitability
Industry cost structure
Distribution channels
Market trends
Key success factors
Market Size
The size of the market can be evaluated based on present sales and on potential sales if the use of the product were expanded The following are some information sources for determining market size
government data
trade associations financial data from major players customer surveys
Market Growth Rate
A simple means of forecasting the market growth rate is to extrapolate historical data into the future While this method may provide a first-order estimate it does not predict important turning points A better method is to study growth drivers such as demographic information and sales growth in complementary products Such drivers serve as leading indicators that are more accurate than simply extrapolating historical data
Important inflection points in the market growth rate sometimes can be predicted by constructing a product diffusion curve The shape of the curve can be estimated by studying the characteristics of the adoption rate of a similar product in the past
Ultimately the maturity and decline stages of the product life cycle will be reached Some leading indicators of the decline phase include price pressure caused by competition a decrease in brand loyalty the emergence of substitute products market saturation and the lack of growth drivers
Market Profitability
While different firms in a market will have different levels of profitability the average profit potential for a market can be used as a guideline for knowing how difficult it is to make money in the market Michael Porter devised a useful framework for evaluating the attractiveness of an industry or market This framework known as Porters five forces identifies five factors that influence the market profitability
Buyer power
Supplier power
Barriers to entry
Threat of substitute products
Rivalry among firms in the industry
Industry Cost Structure
The cost structure is important for identifying key factors for success To this end Porters value chain model is useful for determining where value is added and for isolating the costs
The cost structure also is helpful for formulating strategies to develop a competitive advantage For example in some environments the experience curve effect can be used to develop a cost advantage over competitors
Distribution Channels
The following aspects of the distribution system are useful in a market analysis
Existing distribution channels - can be described by how direct they are to the customer
Trends and emerging channels - new channels can offer the opportunity to develop a competitive advantage
Channel power structure - for example in the case of a product having little brand equity retailers have negotiating power over manufacturers and can capture more margin
Market Trends
Changes in the market are important because they often are the source of new opportunities and threats The relevant trends are industry-dependent but some examples include changes in price sensitivity demand for variety and level of emphasis on service and support Regional trends also may be relevant
Key Success Factors
The key success factors are those elements that are necessary in order for the firm to achieve its marketing objectives A few examples of such factors include
Access to essential unique resources
Ability to achieve economies of scale
Access to distribution channels
Technological progress
It is important to consider that key success factors may change over time especially as the product progresses through its life cycle
9 CONCLUSIONS
Organizations engage in marketing research for two reasons
(1) (1) to identify (2) and (2) solve marketing problems
(3)
This distinction serves as a basis for classifying marketing research into problem identification research and problem solving research
Problem identification research is undertaken to help identify problems which are perhaps not apparent on the surface and yet exist or are likely to company image market characteristics sales analysis short-range forecasting long range forecasting and business trends research Research of this type provides information about the marketing environment and helps diagnose a problem For example The findings of problem solving research are used in making decisions which will solve specific marketing problems
The Stanford Research Institute on the other hand conducts an annual survey of consumers that is used to classify persons into homogeneous groups for segmentation purposes The National Purchase Diary panel (NPD) maintains the largest diary panel in the United States
Standardized services are research studies conducted for different client firms but in a standard way For example procedures for measuring
advertising effectiveness have been standardized so that the results can be compared across studies and evaluative norms can be established The Starch Readership Survey is the most widely used service for evaluating print advertisements another well-known service is the Gallup and Robinson Magazine Impact Studies These services are also sold on a syndicated basis
Customized services offer a wide variety of marketing research services customized to suit a clients specific needs Each marketing research project is treated uniquely
Limited-service suppliers specialize in one or a few phases of the marketing research project Services offered by such suppliers are classified as field services coding and data entry data analysis analytical services and branded products Field services collect data through mail personal or telephone interviewing and firms that specialize in interviewing are called field service organizations These organizations may range from small proprietary organizations which operate locally to large multinational organizations with WATS line interviewing facilities Some organizations maintain extensive interviewing facilities across the country for interviewing shoppers in malls
Coding and data entry services include editing completed questionnaires developing a coding scheme and transcribing the data on to diskettes or magnetic tapes for input into the computer NRC Data Systems provides such services
Analytical services include designing and pretesting questionnaires determining the best means of collecting data designing sampling plans and other aspects of the research design Some complex
marketing research projects require knowledge of sophisticated procedures including specialized experimental designs and analytical techniques such as conjoint analysis and multidimensional scaling This kind of expertise can be obtained from firms and consultants specializing in analytical services
Data analysis services are offered by firms also known as tab houses that specialize in computer analysis of quantitative data such as those obtained in large surveys Initially most data analysis firms supplied only tabulations (frequency counts) and cross tabulations (frequency counts that describe two or more variables simultaneously) With the proliferation of software many firms now have the capability to analyze their own data but data analysis firms are still in demand
Branded marketing research products and services are specialized data collection and analysis procedures developed to address specific types of marketing research problems These procedures are patented given brand names and marketed like any other branded product
Types of marketing research
Marketing research techniques come in many forms including
Ad Tracking ndash periodic or continuous in-market research to monitor a brandrsquos performance using measures such as brand awareness brand preference and product usage (Young 2005)
Advertising Research ndash used to predict copy testing or track the efficacy of advertisements for any medium measured by the adrsquos ability to get attention (measured with Attention Tracking) communicate the message build the brandrsquos image and motivate the consumer to purchase the product or service (Young 2005)
Brand equity research - how favorably do consumers view the brand
Brand association research - what do consumers associate with the brand
Brand attribute research - what are the key traits that describe the brand promise
Brand name testing - what do consumers feel about the names of the products
Commercial eye tracking research - examine advertisements package designs websites etc by analyzing visual behavior of the consumer
Concept testing - to test the acceptance of a concept by target consumers
Cool hunting - to make observations and predictions in changes of new or existing cultural trends in areas such as fashion music films television youth culture and lifestyle
Buyer decision processes research - to determine what motivates people to buy and what decision-making process they use
Copy testing ndash predicts in-market performance of an ad before it airs by analyzing audience levels of attention brand linkage motivation entertainment and communication as well as breaking down the adrsquos flow of attention and flow of emotion (Young p 213)
Customer satisfaction research - quantitative or qualitative studies that yields an understanding of a customers of satisfaction with a transaction
Demand estimation - to determine the approximate level of demand for the product
Distribution channel audits - to assess distributorsrsquo and retailersrsquo attitudes toward a product brand or company
Internet strategic intelligence - searching for customer opinions in the Internet chats forums web pages blogs where people express freely about their experiences with products becoming strong opinion formers
Marketing effectiveness and analytics - Building models and measuring results to determine the effectiveness of individual marketing activities
Mystery Consumer or Mystery shopping - An employee or representative of the market research firm anonymously contacts a salesperson and indicates he or she is shopping for a product The shopper then records the entire experience This method is often used for quality control or for researching competitors products
Positioning research - how does the target market see the brand relative to competitors - what does the brand stand for
Price elasticity testing - to determine how sensitive customers are to price changes
Sales forecasting - to determine the expected level of sales given the level of demand With respect to other factors like Advertising expenditure sales promotion etc
Segmentation research - to determine the demographic psychographic and behavioural characteristics of potential buyers
Online panel - a group of individual who accepted to respond to marketing research online
Store audit - to measure the sales of a product or product line at a statistically selected store sample in order to determine market share or to determine whether a retail store provides adequate service
Test marketing - a small-scale product launch used to determine the likely acceptance of the product when it is introduced into a wider market
Viral Marketing Research - refers to marketing research designed to estimate the probability that specific communications will be transmitted throughout an individuals Social Network Estimates of Social Networking Potential (SNP) are combined with estimates of selling effectiveness to estimate ROI on specific combinations of messages and media
All of these forms of marketing research can be classified as either problem-identification research or as problem-solving research
There are two main sources of data - primary and secondary Primary research is conducted from scratch It is original and collected to solve the problem in hand Secondary research already exists since it has been collected for other purposes It is conducted on data published previously and usually by someone else Secondary research costs far less than primary research but seldom comes in a form that exactly meets the needs of the researcher
A similar distinction exists between exploratory research and conclusive research Exploratory research provides insights into and comprehension of an issue or situation It should draw definitive conclusions only with extreme caution Conclusive research draws conclusions the results of the study can be generalized to the whole population
Exploratory research is conducted to explore a problem to get some basic idea about the solution at the preliminary stages of research It may serve as the input to conclusive research Exploratory research information is collected by focus group interviews reviewing literature or books discussing with experts etc This is unstructured and qualitative in nature If a secondary source of data is unable to serve the purpose a convenience sample of small size can be collected Conclusive research is conducted to draw some conclusion about the problem It is essentially structured and quantitative research and the
output of this research is the input to MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS (MIS)
Marketing research methods
Methodologically marketing research uses the following types of research designs
Based on questioning
Qualitative marketing research - generally used for exploratory purposes - small number of respondents - not generalizable to the whole population - statistical significance and confidence not calculated - examples include focus groups in-depth interviews and projective techniques
Quantitative marketing research - generally used to draw conclusions - tests a specific hypothesis - uses random sampling techniques so as to infer from the sample to the population - involves a large number of respondents - examples include surveys and questionnaires Techniques include choice modelling maximum difference preference scaling and covariance analysis
Based on observations
Ethnographic studies - by nature qualitative the researcher observes social phenomena in their natural setting - observations can
occur cross-sectionally (observations made at one time) or longitudinally (observations occur over several time-periods) ndash
examples include product-use analysis and computer cookie traces See also Ethnography and Observational techniques
Experimental techniques - by nature quantitative the researcher creates a quasi-artificial environment to try to control spurious factors
then manipulates at least one of the variables - examples include purchase laboratories and test markets
Questionnaires 1 What are the objectives of the marketing strategy Are they clearly stated Are they consistent with the objectives of the firm Is the entire marketing mix structured to meet these objectives
2 What marketing concepts are at issue in the current strategy Is the marketing strategy well planned and laid out Is the strategy consistent with sound marketing principles If the strategy takes exception to marketing principles is there a good reason for it
3 To what target market is the strategy directed Is it well defined Is the market large enough to be profitably served Does the market have long-run potential
4 What competitive advantage does the marketing strategy offer If none what can be done to gain a competitive advantage in the marketplace
5 What products are being sold What is the width depth and consistency of the firms product lines Does the firm need new products to fill out its product line Should any product be deleted What is the profitability of the various products
6 What promotion mix is being used Is promotion consistent with the products and product images What could be done to improve the promotion mix
7 What channels of distribution are being used Do they deliver the product at the right time and right place to meet consumer needs Are the channels typical of those used in the industry Could channels be made more efficient
8 What pricing strategies are being used How do prices compare with similar products of other firms How are prices determined
9 Are marketing research and information systematically integrated into the marketing strategy Is the overall marketing strategy internally consistent
overall market situation faced in France (and in other European countries) is as follows
There are many actual and potential users for some products which are not known by the Company Heavy competition exists especially on price for large customers who are often buying what they view as a commodity product Belters emerging strategy has been to handle these large customers through its own sales offices The Paris office actively seek sales of large volume products as well as acting as a `post office for products specially developed for individual customers which are then handled from the Companys main office Small customers and small volume products are handled by the two French distributors The development process in Italy has been similar to that in France Sales in Scandinavia do not justify a local sales office sales here are handled through a distributor from the Brussels office A small number of major accounts are however handled directly from the UK
BUYERmdashSELLER RELATIONSHIPS
A Customer Relationship in the United Kingdom
The three aspects of the relationship which are studied are competition technical development and personal contacts
This customer is Belters largest and is responsible for 20 per cent of its total business The Company operates in the aerospace industry at the limit of current technology The relationship involves considerable development liaison on wholly new products
Competition
Competition for this customer comes primarily from American suppliers The competition is on price and reflects the spare capacity in the American industry Competition from UK companies is also on price and comes from companies having a wider production spread than Belter
Development
This customer has always relied on Belter alone for development work in this product area However they have looked to other sources of supply when development has taken place The development process for a new product can be started either by a government development contract or by an order from the customer Belter acknowledged that it
has to stand the costs of this development in the latter case The customer has intimate knowledge of all of Belters procedures Methods of manufacture are agreed in detail and even the particular production machinery to be used is specified The closeness of the relationship between the two companies is indicated by the fact that the customer has approved Belters quality procedure and accepts their testing
Contact Pattern
Interpersonal contacts between Belter and its UK customer are summarized as
follows
(1) Formal Contacts
Every six months Technical policy liaison meeting jointly chaired by Belters Technical Director and the customers Chief Materials Manager Every sixmdashnine months Commercial meeting Belters Managing and Marketing Directors and Sales Manager and the customers Purchasing Director and Senior Purchasing Staff
Monthly UK Sales Manager visits customers purchasing staff to discuss delivery and order positions
(2) Other Contacts
These can be studied according to the formally assigned responsibility Personnel who have full-time responsibility One sales office man has daily contact with the customer Additionally one applications engineer is engaged on work for this customer Finally one man determines market trends and is in contact with the customers marketing personnel and customers clients Personnel with `half-time responsibility Four applications engineers also spend some of their time on the customers problems and are in personal contact with customer staff
PURPOSE OF A MARKETING PLAN
The purpose of a Marketing Plan is to-
1048766Define the Market
1048766Refine the Production Plan to market requirements
1048766Develop a marketing strategy
1048766Minimize risk
Each FFT group should have a Marketing Plan covering each commodity based on their own study of the local market
Defining the Market and Commodities-
1048766Market demand and prices -An assessment based on published market information discussions with local extension staff farmers dealers and buyers of the commodity of the likely demand and prices on offer during the year and during any period of seasonal shortfall
1048766Market Requirement- Varieties size grading packaging maturity demanded by the buyers in the particular market
1048766Yield Price Assumptions- How much commodity will be available How much premium grade Second grade Losses If the commodity crop is aimed to be produced for a particular period eg for a low supply period while the price assumptions (expectation) may be higher some reassessment of yield and cost of production assumptions in the gross margin analysis or partial budgets is usually necessary 1048766Marketing Returns and Costs Calculate expected income and costs in marketing
The Most Important Elements of Marketing There are four important elements in the marketing process
1048766Prioritising the customer Marketing begins with the customer not the product Knowing what the customer needs or wants is essential
1048766Process of selection The farmer needs to know who to sell the product to This will determine how and where the produce is marketed
1048766Promotion The farmer is selling something that other people want to buy Naturally it is helpful to let them know that the product is available and of good quality
The Marketing Training Manual 23 Marketing Module 3 Markets and Marketing
1048766Trust Good marketing occurs when the customers trust the farmer The customer should feel they are not being cheated and they are getting value for their money
In thinking about these elements farmers need to ask themselves about the six Ps
bull P p eople Who are the customers What do they want or need Who is actually going to market the product
bull P p lan How is the product going to reach the selected customers What are the steps
bull product What product is going to be marketed Is the family producing what the customer wants What services (for example a cooked product) if any are requested by the customer
bull place Where is the product going to be marketed
bull price What price will the product be offered on the market for
bull promotion How are people going to be informed that the product is available
Supply Demand and Price
In a free market prices for inputs and products are determined by supply and demand
Supply Is what producers are willing to market at a certain price
Demand Is how much consumers are prepared to buy at the market price
In theory as the price of a product goes up the quantity supplied rises and the quantity demanded falls Likewise when the price goes down the quantity supplied falls and the quantity demanded rises
For agricultural produce demand is affected by a number of factors the most
The Marketing Training Manual 24 Marketing Module 3 Markets and Marketing
Industrial or business to business (B2B) marketing
An organization seeks to build a new warehouse After documenting requirements it obtains three proposals from suitable construction firms After a long process of evaluation and negotiation it places an order with the organization that it believes offers the best value for money
An organization needs legal services and obtains submissions from two law firms Analysis of the proposals and subsequent discussions determines that there is no price advantage to placing all of the work with one firm and the organization decides to split the work between the two firms based on an evaluation of each firms capabilities
A sales representative makes an appointment with an organization that employs 22 people He demonstrates a photocopierfaxprinter to the office administrator After discussing a proposal the business owner signs a contract to obtain the machine on a fully-maintained rental and consumables basis with an upgrade after 2 years
Main features of the B2B selling process are
Marketing is one-to-one in nature It is relatively easy for the seller to identify a prospective customers and build a face-to-face relationship Highly professional and trained people in buying processes are involved In many cases two or three decision makers must approve a purchase plan Often the buying or selling process is complex and includes many stages (for example request for proposal request for tender selection process awarding of tender contract negotiations and signing of final contract) Selling activities involve long processes of prospecting qualifying wooing making representations preparing tenders developing strategies and contract negotiations
Blurring between B2B and B2C
Industrial marketing can cross the border into consumer marketing For example an electronic component seller may distribute its products through industrial marketing channels (see channel (marketing)) but also support consumer sales Many products are equally desired by business and consumersmdashsuch as audio products furniture paint hardware etc Nonetheless manufactures and service providers frequently maintain separate industrial and consumer marketing operations to reflect the different needs of the two channels
Competitive tendering
Industrial marketing often involves competitive tendering (see tender tendering) This is a process where a purchasing organization undertakes to procure goods and services from suitable suppliers Due to the high value of some purchases (for example buying a new computer system manufacturing
machinery or outsourcing a maintenance contract) and the complexity of such purchases the purchasing organization will seek to obtain a number of bids from competing suppliers and choose the best offering An entire profession (strategic procurement) that includes tertiary training and qualifications has been built around the process of making important purchases The key requirement in any competitive tender is to ensure that
The business case for the purchase has been completed and approved
The purchasing organizations objectives for the purchase are clearly defined
The procurement process is agreed upon and it conforms with fiscal guidelines and organisational policies The selection criteria have been established
A budget has been estimated and the financial resources are available
A buying team (or committee) has been assembled
A specification has been written
A preliminary scan of the market place has determined that enough potential suppliers are available to make the process viable (this can sometimes be achieved using an expression of interest process)
It has been clearly established that a competitive tendering process is the best method for meeting the objectives of this purchasing project If (for example) it was known that there was only one organisation capable of supplying best to get on with talking to them and negotiating a contract
Because of the significant value of many purchases issues of probity arise Organisations seek to ensure that awarding a contract is based on best fit to the agreed criteria and not bribery corruption or incompetence
Bidding process
Suppliers who are seeking to win a competitive tender go through a bidding process At its most primitive this would consist of evaluating the specification (issued by the purchasing organization) designing a suitable proposal and working out a price This is a primitive approach because
There is an old saying in industrial marketing if the first time you have heard about a tender is when you are invited to submit then you have already lost it
While flippant the previous point illustrates a basic requirement for being successful in competitive tendering it is important to develop a strong relationship with a prospective customer organization well before they have started the formal part of their procurement process
Non-tender purchasing
Not all industrial sales involve competitive tendering Tender processes are time consuming and expensive particularly when executed with the aim of ensuring probity Government agencies are particularly likely to utilise elaborate competitive tendering processes due to the expectation that they should be seen at all times to be responsibly and accountably spending public monies Private companies are able to avoid the complexity of a fully transparent tender process but are still able to run the procurement process with some rigourBeneficial
Developing a sales strategysolution sellingtechnical selling
The art of technical selling (solution selling) follows a three stage process
Stage 1 Sell the appointment Never sell over the telephone The aim of the first contact with a prospective purchaser is to sell the appointment The reason is simple industrial sales are complex any attempt to sell over the phone will trivialise your product or service and run the risk of not fully understanding the customers need
Stage 2 Understand their needs The best method of selling is to minimise the information about your goods or services until you have fully understood your customers requirements
Stage 3 Develop and propose a solution The solution is (of course) developed from your (or the firm that you represents) product or service offerings
Marketing supports solution selling through methods like account-based marketingmdashunderstanding a specific target organizations requirements as the foundation of a marketing program As research shows[1] sales success is heavily weighted towards suppliers who understand the customer In UK research 77 per cent of senior decision-makers believe new suppliers marketing From cannon fodder to preferred tenderer
The term cannon fodder derives from the World Wars and refers to the massing of undertrained and recently recruited troops sent to the fronts to face the enemy Such troops invariably had a poor survival rate but provided the tactical advantage of distracting the enemy while
professional soldiers mounted more effective operations In adopting the term to Industrial Marketing it means those bids being submitted that have no chance of winning but are involved to make up the numbers (you cant have only one bid in a competitive tender process that wouldnt satisfy the requirements of probity) (for example in government tenders or for private enterprise the requirement to truly test the market and to keep them honest) The reader might be wondering why anybody would go to all of the work of submitting a tender when they had no chance of winning for the same reason that troops were sent in to battle to die they thought they had a real chance
The key features of a successful industrial sales organisation
In industrial marketing the personal selling is still very effective because many products must be customized to suit the requirements of the individual customer Indicators such as the sales tunnel give information on the expected sales in the near future the hit rate indicates whether the sales organization is busy with promising sales leads or it is spending too much effort on projects that are eventually lost to the competition or that are abandoned by the prospect
RESEARCH PROBLEM
1 Identify your target market
Which businesses need cleaning services Which ones can afford it and will pay for it Why
In your case I would think that small businesses may not be your ideal client But then again define small business Are you referring to sales volume or number of employees
I can tell you right now as a marketing consultant that has worked with a wide variety of businesses including small companies
Small businesses are very price sensitive and prefer to do more themselves rather than pay someone else (They hold this belief even if it would free up more time to be more productive Go figure)
So before you randomly begin picking a target market have a rational reason why Continue to read below and youll begin to see what I am talking about
2 Determine their wants and needs
It may be obvious to you but ask yourself Why would someone want a clean office
These businesses never have walk-in traffic They do not have customers visit them So naturally there is far less of a concern for a clean office Sure it would be nice to have but since no revenue will be lost if their office is not spectacular looking they are not motivated to do anything about it
However seek out the businesses that do deal with customers directly especially professional services where they have very high end clients visit them Now they NEED a very presentable office or they risk losing out on a lot of revenue
3 Determine the level and type of demand
If you have ever read any of my previous work you will know that I am a very strong advocate of knowing whether the type of demand is Primary Demand or Selective Demand It is one of the most overlooked aspects of marketing being ignored today
Primary Demand If a business does not already use your TYPE of service and is not currently considering doing so you will need to create primary demand Simply put you will have to convince them first to even want your type of service (or product) before you even get them to buy it from you
So for your cleaning business example if you are approaching businesses that currently do not use a cleaning service you will have to explain the time saving and productivity enhancing benefits of using one Then explain why YOU are the one they need
Selective Demand These businesses already use a service (or product) or are in the market for it and are actively looking In these cases you do not need to spend much effort convincing them why they need it
In this case you must state your argument why your cleaning service should be the one they choose
This is what you will encounter when you call on or contact businesses already using a cleaning service They will either be satisfied or unsatisfied with their current service provider Your emphasis will have to be on conquest sales -- meaning stealing customers from your competition
Now in your line of business and in many others slashing prices always seems to be the first technique used to steal customers This may work well for selling products But if you are marketing services let me tell you thisthink twice before doing that
Yes I am fully aware of the fact that there will be businesses that will be open to talking to you if you offer them a better deal In some cases they may feel they are legitimately getting ripped off or paying way
too much right now And they just might be right In those cases if you can give them a fair price that is a better deal for them AND still gives you healthy profit margins then go for it
However if you are slashing prices just to gain clients arent you really just hurting yourself in the long run First of all you can easily get into the game of How low will they go Secondly it de-values your perception of quality if you are cheap Thirdly whos to say after all this effort you wont lose the business in a month or two when someone else quotes them an even lower price
What will you do next price so low that you lose money with every client I didnt think so
Heres what you could do though
4 Develop a Hypothesis and a Solution to Match
After you know your target market have defined their needs and analyzed the competitive picture (currently using or not currently using a service like mine) go ahead and develop a clearly thought out hypothesis
For example start with business NOT currently using a cleaning service but that deal with customers or clients regularly at their location
Develop a strong case for WHY they would be wise to invest in your
cleaning services Show them on a break-even analysis that your fee will be well compensated in either customer retention or converting a higher level of store traffic or business appointments into paying customersclients
Then state your case why it is more cost effective and saves them valuable time to outsource this to you rather than doing it themselves or paying an employee overtime to do it You can also emphasize that you are the expert at this not someones secretary so it is expected that you will do a far better job at it
For businesses that ARE already using a cleaning service or are currently shopping for one state why you are unique and better
Determine the really compelling reasons why these businesses want a cleaning service to begin with
Maybe it is a retail store that wants to create a better first impression for their customers This will ultimately lead to a better customer experience and ultimately more in-store purchases
A good example may be that unlike most competitors you also clean windows Well as a marketing consultant to retail businesses I can tell you that many passerbys will first look in a store window before deciding to walk in or not
Now for successful marketing all retail businesses would perform better if they had more in-store traffic So therefore if your cleaning service also cleans windows you could rightfully justify that your services are more valuable to their retail business You actually HELP
them get more customers and sell more products
Maybe it is a professional service business that needs to impress prospective clients to choose their services over a similar competitor
Your cleaning service may dust chairs and polish wooden conference tables Many other cleaning services may not do this or do a poor job in doing so
Now as marketing consultants to service businesses I can also tell you that if a consultant attorney accountant or any other business professional needs to meet with prospective clients in their office they will appreciate a better appearance So if your cleaning services can provide this better than anyone else (or at least if you tell them about this first) you will get the business or at least be highly considered for it
Whatever the case may be establish what makes you different and have you are best suited to meet their needs
Do you see where I am going with this Your initial marketing questions asked how you can get more business by passing out flyers or sending faxes to small offices Truthfully that is simply not going to work You are not looking at the overall big picture of why anyone would either want to hire a cleaning service or to hire your particular cleaning service
5 You must make AN OFFER
Here are some examples
Marketing messagesales offer to a business that does NOT currently use a cleaning service
If you have never considered using a cleaning service before allow us to show you how XYZ Cleaning Inc can make your storeoffice more presentable to customers and how this newly improved appearance will affect your cash registerbank statement
If you are weary of trying new things dont worry Use us FREE for one month and if you are not completely satisfied with the results if you are not completely confident that it makes a difference to your customers if you are not completely aware of how it raises the morale of your employees then you do not have to using us again
But if YOU DO see a great improvement well make you a great deal on our services simply because we want your long term business Marketing messagesales offer to businesses that DO currently use a cleaning service
I understand that you currently use ABC Cleaners LLC Now you may or may not be completely happy right now but I want to make you a no-risk offer you cant refuse
The truth is that you likely get consumed in your day to day activities in running your business overseeing operations managing employees and handling customers Therefore there may be little imperfections your cleaning service is making that goes unnoticed by you But dont assume for one minute that your customers or potential customers wont notice And remember first impressions DO count
So heres our offer Have us come in the morning after your regular cleaning service cleans your office We will do a thorough inspection with you present and look for anything they may have done a less-than-satisfactory job on Then well show you why you probably over looked it for so long but why your customers will take notice and how they will think differently about you because of it
Now if everything is already 100 completely clean and presentable well thank you for your time and then be on our way But if together we find lots of little things that are carelessly being done we will cleanfix it for you for FREE
Thats right use our services as a compliment to what you are already paying for Compare the quality of work we do to what you are already paying for If you can see the difference in what we do for you compared to what you are already paying for then consider us as your new cleaning service
6 Develop your marketing message
Once you understand the true needs your potential clients have and the unique and competitive solutions you can offer only then should you develop your marketing copy -- your sales pitch
The two examples above incorporate great marketing copy with a strong benefits related offer You can then deliver this through direct mail telemarketing or a combination of both
I would only recommend distributing flyers if you are confident you can place there where they will get read by people who make the decision to hire a cleaning service So if there is an Open Bulletin board in an office building then go for it However they are rare and you probably need permission anyway
Id avoid the fax marketing altogether Its quite annoying ties up there fax line and unless people have already heard of you they are more likely to toss your message in the garbage
Try sending direct mail to the decision makers of these target companies and describe the benefits they will experience from using your services
7 Follow up
Even after identifying the businesses that are most likely to need your services after you have identified a solution and even after you contacted them with a compelling offer you still have to follow up
Chances are they loved the sound of it when they got it They had every intention of following up with you But then just got busy So your follow up call can make all the difference in the world and get your foot in the door in a very big way Then its up to you to DELIVER on your promise
8 ANALYSIS
Market Analysis
The goal of a market analysis is to determine the attractiveness of a market and to understand its evolving opportunities and threats as they relate to the strengths and weaknesses of the firm
David A Aaker outlined the following dimensions of a market analysis
Market size (current and future)
Market growth rate
Market profitability
Industry cost structure
Distribution channels
Market trends
Key success factors
Market Size
The size of the market can be evaluated based on present sales and on potential sales if the use of the product were expanded The following are some information sources for determining market size
government data
trade associations financial data from major players customer surveys
Market Growth Rate
A simple means of forecasting the market growth rate is to extrapolate historical data into the future While this method may provide a first-order estimate it does not predict important turning points A better method is to study growth drivers such as demographic information and sales growth in complementary products Such drivers serve as leading indicators that are more accurate than simply extrapolating historical data
Important inflection points in the market growth rate sometimes can be predicted by constructing a product diffusion curve The shape of the curve can be estimated by studying the characteristics of the adoption rate of a similar product in the past
Ultimately the maturity and decline stages of the product life cycle will be reached Some leading indicators of the decline phase include price pressure caused by competition a decrease in brand loyalty the emergence of substitute products market saturation and the lack of growth drivers
Market Profitability
While different firms in a market will have different levels of profitability the average profit potential for a market can be used as a guideline for knowing how difficult it is to make money in the market Michael Porter devised a useful framework for evaluating the attractiveness of an industry or market This framework known as Porters five forces identifies five factors that influence the market profitability
Buyer power
Supplier power
Barriers to entry
Threat of substitute products
Rivalry among firms in the industry
Industry Cost Structure
The cost structure is important for identifying key factors for success To this end Porters value chain model is useful for determining where value is added and for isolating the costs
The cost structure also is helpful for formulating strategies to develop a competitive advantage For example in some environments the experience curve effect can be used to develop a cost advantage over competitors
Distribution Channels
The following aspects of the distribution system are useful in a market analysis
Existing distribution channels - can be described by how direct they are to the customer
Trends and emerging channels - new channels can offer the opportunity to develop a competitive advantage
Channel power structure - for example in the case of a product having little brand equity retailers have negotiating power over manufacturers and can capture more margin
Market Trends
Changes in the market are important because they often are the source of new opportunities and threats The relevant trends are industry-dependent but some examples include changes in price sensitivity demand for variety and level of emphasis on service and support Regional trends also may be relevant
Key Success Factors
The key success factors are those elements that are necessary in order for the firm to achieve its marketing objectives A few examples of such factors include
Access to essential unique resources
Ability to achieve economies of scale
Access to distribution channels
Technological progress
It is important to consider that key success factors may change over time especially as the product progresses through its life cycle
9 CONCLUSIONS
Organizations engage in marketing research for two reasons
(1) (1) to identify (2) and (2) solve marketing problems
(3)
This distinction serves as a basis for classifying marketing research into problem identification research and problem solving research
Problem identification research is undertaken to help identify problems which are perhaps not apparent on the surface and yet exist or are likely to company image market characteristics sales analysis short-range forecasting long range forecasting and business trends research Research of this type provides information about the marketing environment and helps diagnose a problem For example The findings of problem solving research are used in making decisions which will solve specific marketing problems
The Stanford Research Institute on the other hand conducts an annual survey of consumers that is used to classify persons into homogeneous groups for segmentation purposes The National Purchase Diary panel (NPD) maintains the largest diary panel in the United States
Standardized services are research studies conducted for different client firms but in a standard way For example procedures for measuring
advertising effectiveness have been standardized so that the results can be compared across studies and evaluative norms can be established The Starch Readership Survey is the most widely used service for evaluating print advertisements another well-known service is the Gallup and Robinson Magazine Impact Studies These services are also sold on a syndicated basis
Customized services offer a wide variety of marketing research services customized to suit a clients specific needs Each marketing research project is treated uniquely
Limited-service suppliers specialize in one or a few phases of the marketing research project Services offered by such suppliers are classified as field services coding and data entry data analysis analytical services and branded products Field services collect data through mail personal or telephone interviewing and firms that specialize in interviewing are called field service organizations These organizations may range from small proprietary organizations which operate locally to large multinational organizations with WATS line interviewing facilities Some organizations maintain extensive interviewing facilities across the country for interviewing shoppers in malls
Coding and data entry services include editing completed questionnaires developing a coding scheme and transcribing the data on to diskettes or magnetic tapes for input into the computer NRC Data Systems provides such services
Analytical services include designing and pretesting questionnaires determining the best means of collecting data designing sampling plans and other aspects of the research design Some complex
marketing research projects require knowledge of sophisticated procedures including specialized experimental designs and analytical techniques such as conjoint analysis and multidimensional scaling This kind of expertise can be obtained from firms and consultants specializing in analytical services
Data analysis services are offered by firms also known as tab houses that specialize in computer analysis of quantitative data such as those obtained in large surveys Initially most data analysis firms supplied only tabulations (frequency counts) and cross tabulations (frequency counts that describe two or more variables simultaneously) With the proliferation of software many firms now have the capability to analyze their own data but data analysis firms are still in demand
Branded marketing research products and services are specialized data collection and analysis procedures developed to address specific types of marketing research problems These procedures are patented given brand names and marketed like any other branded product
Types of marketing research
Marketing research techniques come in many forms including
Ad Tracking ndash periodic or continuous in-market research to monitor a brandrsquos performance using measures such as brand awareness brand preference and product usage (Young 2005)
Advertising Research ndash used to predict copy testing or track the efficacy of advertisements for any medium measured by the adrsquos ability to get attention (measured with Attention Tracking) communicate the message build the brandrsquos image and motivate the consumer to purchase the product or service (Young 2005)
Brand equity research - how favorably do consumers view the brand
Brand association research - what do consumers associate with the brand
Brand attribute research - what are the key traits that describe the brand promise
Brand name testing - what do consumers feel about the names of the products
Commercial eye tracking research - examine advertisements package designs websites etc by analyzing visual behavior of the consumer
Concept testing - to test the acceptance of a concept by target consumers
Cool hunting - to make observations and predictions in changes of new or existing cultural trends in areas such as fashion music films television youth culture and lifestyle
Buyer decision processes research - to determine what motivates people to buy and what decision-making process they use
Copy testing ndash predicts in-market performance of an ad before it airs by analyzing audience levels of attention brand linkage motivation entertainment and communication as well as breaking down the adrsquos flow of attention and flow of emotion (Young p 213)
Customer satisfaction research - quantitative or qualitative studies that yields an understanding of a customers of satisfaction with a transaction
Demand estimation - to determine the approximate level of demand for the product
Distribution channel audits - to assess distributorsrsquo and retailersrsquo attitudes toward a product brand or company
Internet strategic intelligence - searching for customer opinions in the Internet chats forums web pages blogs where people express freely about their experiences with products becoming strong opinion formers
Marketing effectiveness and analytics - Building models and measuring results to determine the effectiveness of individual marketing activities
Mystery Consumer or Mystery shopping - An employee or representative of the market research firm anonymously contacts a salesperson and indicates he or she is shopping for a product The shopper then records the entire experience This method is often used for quality control or for researching competitors products
Positioning research - how does the target market see the brand relative to competitors - what does the brand stand for
Price elasticity testing - to determine how sensitive customers are to price changes
Sales forecasting - to determine the expected level of sales given the level of demand With respect to other factors like Advertising expenditure sales promotion etc
Segmentation research - to determine the demographic psychographic and behavioural characteristics of potential buyers
Online panel - a group of individual who accepted to respond to marketing research online
Store audit - to measure the sales of a product or product line at a statistically selected store sample in order to determine market share or to determine whether a retail store provides adequate service
Test marketing - a small-scale product launch used to determine the likely acceptance of the product when it is introduced into a wider market
Viral Marketing Research - refers to marketing research designed to estimate the probability that specific communications will be transmitted throughout an individuals Social Network Estimates of Social Networking Potential (SNP) are combined with estimates of selling effectiveness to estimate ROI on specific combinations of messages and media
All of these forms of marketing research can be classified as either problem-identification research or as problem-solving research
There are two main sources of data - primary and secondary Primary research is conducted from scratch It is original and collected to solve the problem in hand Secondary research already exists since it has been collected for other purposes It is conducted on data published previously and usually by someone else Secondary research costs far less than primary research but seldom comes in a form that exactly meets the needs of the researcher
A similar distinction exists between exploratory research and conclusive research Exploratory research provides insights into and comprehension of an issue or situation It should draw definitive conclusions only with extreme caution Conclusive research draws conclusions the results of the study can be generalized to the whole population
Exploratory research is conducted to explore a problem to get some basic idea about the solution at the preliminary stages of research It may serve as the input to conclusive research Exploratory research information is collected by focus group interviews reviewing literature or books discussing with experts etc This is unstructured and qualitative in nature If a secondary source of data is unable to serve the purpose a convenience sample of small size can be collected Conclusive research is conducted to draw some conclusion about the problem It is essentially structured and quantitative research and the
output of this research is the input to MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS (MIS)
Marketing research methods
Methodologically marketing research uses the following types of research designs
Based on questioning
Qualitative marketing research - generally used for exploratory purposes - small number of respondents - not generalizable to the whole population - statistical significance and confidence not calculated - examples include focus groups in-depth interviews and projective techniques
Quantitative marketing research - generally used to draw conclusions - tests a specific hypothesis - uses random sampling techniques so as to infer from the sample to the population - involves a large number of respondents - examples include surveys and questionnaires Techniques include choice modelling maximum difference preference scaling and covariance analysis
Based on observations
Ethnographic studies - by nature qualitative the researcher observes social phenomena in their natural setting - observations can
occur cross-sectionally (observations made at one time) or longitudinally (observations occur over several time-periods) ndash
examples include product-use analysis and computer cookie traces See also Ethnography and Observational techniques
Experimental techniques - by nature quantitative the researcher creates a quasi-artificial environment to try to control spurious factors
then manipulates at least one of the variables - examples include purchase laboratories and test markets
Questionnaires 1 What are the objectives of the marketing strategy Are they clearly stated Are they consistent with the objectives of the firm Is the entire marketing mix structured to meet these objectives
2 What marketing concepts are at issue in the current strategy Is the marketing strategy well planned and laid out Is the strategy consistent with sound marketing principles If the strategy takes exception to marketing principles is there a good reason for it
3 To what target market is the strategy directed Is it well defined Is the market large enough to be profitably served Does the market have long-run potential
4 What competitive advantage does the marketing strategy offer If none what can be done to gain a competitive advantage in the marketplace
5 What products are being sold What is the width depth and consistency of the firms product lines Does the firm need new products to fill out its product line Should any product be deleted What is the profitability of the various products
6 What promotion mix is being used Is promotion consistent with the products and product images What could be done to improve the promotion mix
7 What channels of distribution are being used Do they deliver the product at the right time and right place to meet consumer needs Are the channels typical of those used in the industry Could channels be made more efficient
8 What pricing strategies are being used How do prices compare with similar products of other firms How are prices determined
9 Are marketing research and information systematically integrated into the marketing strategy Is the overall marketing strategy internally consistent
BUYERmdashSELLER RELATIONSHIPS
A Customer Relationship in the United Kingdom
The three aspects of the relationship which are studied are competition technical development and personal contacts
This customer is Belters largest and is responsible for 20 per cent of its total business The Company operates in the aerospace industry at the limit of current technology The relationship involves considerable development liaison on wholly new products
Competition
Competition for this customer comes primarily from American suppliers The competition is on price and reflects the spare capacity in the American industry Competition from UK companies is also on price and comes from companies having a wider production spread than Belter
Development
This customer has always relied on Belter alone for development work in this product area However they have looked to other sources of supply when development has taken place The development process for a new product can be started either by a government development contract or by an order from the customer Belter acknowledged that it
has to stand the costs of this development in the latter case The customer has intimate knowledge of all of Belters procedures Methods of manufacture are agreed in detail and even the particular production machinery to be used is specified The closeness of the relationship between the two companies is indicated by the fact that the customer has approved Belters quality procedure and accepts their testing
Contact Pattern
Interpersonal contacts between Belter and its UK customer are summarized as
follows
(1) Formal Contacts
Every six months Technical policy liaison meeting jointly chaired by Belters Technical Director and the customers Chief Materials Manager Every sixmdashnine months Commercial meeting Belters Managing and Marketing Directors and Sales Manager and the customers Purchasing Director and Senior Purchasing Staff
Monthly UK Sales Manager visits customers purchasing staff to discuss delivery and order positions
(2) Other Contacts
These can be studied according to the formally assigned responsibility Personnel who have full-time responsibility One sales office man has daily contact with the customer Additionally one applications engineer is engaged on work for this customer Finally one man determines market trends and is in contact with the customers marketing personnel and customers clients Personnel with `half-time responsibility Four applications engineers also spend some of their time on the customers problems and are in personal contact with customer staff
PURPOSE OF A MARKETING PLAN
The purpose of a Marketing Plan is to-
1048766Define the Market
1048766Refine the Production Plan to market requirements
1048766Develop a marketing strategy
1048766Minimize risk
Each FFT group should have a Marketing Plan covering each commodity based on their own study of the local market
Defining the Market and Commodities-
1048766Market demand and prices -An assessment based on published market information discussions with local extension staff farmers dealers and buyers of the commodity of the likely demand and prices on offer during the year and during any period of seasonal shortfall
1048766Market Requirement- Varieties size grading packaging maturity demanded by the buyers in the particular market
1048766Yield Price Assumptions- How much commodity will be available How much premium grade Second grade Losses If the commodity crop is aimed to be produced for a particular period eg for a low supply period while the price assumptions (expectation) may be higher some reassessment of yield and cost of production assumptions in the gross margin analysis or partial budgets is usually necessary 1048766Marketing Returns and Costs Calculate expected income and costs in marketing
The Most Important Elements of Marketing There are four important elements in the marketing process
1048766Prioritising the customer Marketing begins with the customer not the product Knowing what the customer needs or wants is essential
1048766Process of selection The farmer needs to know who to sell the product to This will determine how and where the produce is marketed
1048766Promotion The farmer is selling something that other people want to buy Naturally it is helpful to let them know that the product is available and of good quality
The Marketing Training Manual 23 Marketing Module 3 Markets and Marketing
1048766Trust Good marketing occurs when the customers trust the farmer The customer should feel they are not being cheated and they are getting value for their money
In thinking about these elements farmers need to ask themselves about the six Ps
bull P p eople Who are the customers What do they want or need Who is actually going to market the product
bull P p lan How is the product going to reach the selected customers What are the steps
bull product What product is going to be marketed Is the family producing what the customer wants What services (for example a cooked product) if any are requested by the customer
bull place Where is the product going to be marketed
bull price What price will the product be offered on the market for
bull promotion How are people going to be informed that the product is available
Supply Demand and Price
In a free market prices for inputs and products are determined by supply and demand
Supply Is what producers are willing to market at a certain price
Demand Is how much consumers are prepared to buy at the market price
In theory as the price of a product goes up the quantity supplied rises and the quantity demanded falls Likewise when the price goes down the quantity supplied falls and the quantity demanded rises
For agricultural produce demand is affected by a number of factors the most
The Marketing Training Manual 24 Marketing Module 3 Markets and Marketing
Industrial or business to business (B2B) marketing
An organization seeks to build a new warehouse After documenting requirements it obtains three proposals from suitable construction firms After a long process of evaluation and negotiation it places an order with the organization that it believes offers the best value for money
An organization needs legal services and obtains submissions from two law firms Analysis of the proposals and subsequent discussions determines that there is no price advantage to placing all of the work with one firm and the organization decides to split the work between the two firms based on an evaluation of each firms capabilities
A sales representative makes an appointment with an organization that employs 22 people He demonstrates a photocopierfaxprinter to the office administrator After discussing a proposal the business owner signs a contract to obtain the machine on a fully-maintained rental and consumables basis with an upgrade after 2 years
Main features of the B2B selling process are
Marketing is one-to-one in nature It is relatively easy for the seller to identify a prospective customers and build a face-to-face relationship Highly professional and trained people in buying processes are involved In many cases two or three decision makers must approve a purchase plan Often the buying or selling process is complex and includes many stages (for example request for proposal request for tender selection process awarding of tender contract negotiations and signing of final contract) Selling activities involve long processes of prospecting qualifying wooing making representations preparing tenders developing strategies and contract negotiations
Blurring between B2B and B2C
Industrial marketing can cross the border into consumer marketing For example an electronic component seller may distribute its products through industrial marketing channels (see channel (marketing)) but also support consumer sales Many products are equally desired by business and consumersmdashsuch as audio products furniture paint hardware etc Nonetheless manufactures and service providers frequently maintain separate industrial and consumer marketing operations to reflect the different needs of the two channels
Competitive tendering
Industrial marketing often involves competitive tendering (see tender tendering) This is a process where a purchasing organization undertakes to procure goods and services from suitable suppliers Due to the high value of some purchases (for example buying a new computer system manufacturing
machinery or outsourcing a maintenance contract) and the complexity of such purchases the purchasing organization will seek to obtain a number of bids from competing suppliers and choose the best offering An entire profession (strategic procurement) that includes tertiary training and qualifications has been built around the process of making important purchases The key requirement in any competitive tender is to ensure that
The business case for the purchase has been completed and approved
The purchasing organizations objectives for the purchase are clearly defined
The procurement process is agreed upon and it conforms with fiscal guidelines and organisational policies The selection criteria have been established
A budget has been estimated and the financial resources are available
A buying team (or committee) has been assembled
A specification has been written
A preliminary scan of the market place has determined that enough potential suppliers are available to make the process viable (this can sometimes be achieved using an expression of interest process)
It has been clearly established that a competitive tendering process is the best method for meeting the objectives of this purchasing project If (for example) it was known that there was only one organisation capable of supplying best to get on with talking to them and negotiating a contract
Because of the significant value of many purchases issues of probity arise Organisations seek to ensure that awarding a contract is based on best fit to the agreed criteria and not bribery corruption or incompetence
Bidding process
Suppliers who are seeking to win a competitive tender go through a bidding process At its most primitive this would consist of evaluating the specification (issued by the purchasing organization) designing a suitable proposal and working out a price This is a primitive approach because
There is an old saying in industrial marketing if the first time you have heard about a tender is when you are invited to submit then you have already lost it
While flippant the previous point illustrates a basic requirement for being successful in competitive tendering it is important to develop a strong relationship with a prospective customer organization well before they have started the formal part of their procurement process
Non-tender purchasing
Not all industrial sales involve competitive tendering Tender processes are time consuming and expensive particularly when executed with the aim of ensuring probity Government agencies are particularly likely to utilise elaborate competitive tendering processes due to the expectation that they should be seen at all times to be responsibly and accountably spending public monies Private companies are able to avoid the complexity of a fully transparent tender process but are still able to run the procurement process with some rigourBeneficial
Developing a sales strategysolution sellingtechnical selling
The art of technical selling (solution selling) follows a three stage process
Stage 1 Sell the appointment Never sell over the telephone The aim of the first contact with a prospective purchaser is to sell the appointment The reason is simple industrial sales are complex any attempt to sell over the phone will trivialise your product or service and run the risk of not fully understanding the customers need
Stage 2 Understand their needs The best method of selling is to minimise the information about your goods or services until you have fully understood your customers requirements
Stage 3 Develop and propose a solution The solution is (of course) developed from your (or the firm that you represents) product or service offerings
Marketing supports solution selling through methods like account-based marketingmdashunderstanding a specific target organizations requirements as the foundation of a marketing program As research shows[1] sales success is heavily weighted towards suppliers who understand the customer In UK research 77 per cent of senior decision-makers believe new suppliers marketing From cannon fodder to preferred tenderer
The term cannon fodder derives from the World Wars and refers to the massing of undertrained and recently recruited troops sent to the fronts to face the enemy Such troops invariably had a poor survival rate but provided the tactical advantage of distracting the enemy while
professional soldiers mounted more effective operations In adopting the term to Industrial Marketing it means those bids being submitted that have no chance of winning but are involved to make up the numbers (you cant have only one bid in a competitive tender process that wouldnt satisfy the requirements of probity) (for example in government tenders or for private enterprise the requirement to truly test the market and to keep them honest) The reader might be wondering why anybody would go to all of the work of submitting a tender when they had no chance of winning for the same reason that troops were sent in to battle to die they thought they had a real chance
The key features of a successful industrial sales organisation
In industrial marketing the personal selling is still very effective because many products must be customized to suit the requirements of the individual customer Indicators such as the sales tunnel give information on the expected sales in the near future the hit rate indicates whether the sales organization is busy with promising sales leads or it is spending too much effort on projects that are eventually lost to the competition or that are abandoned by the prospect
RESEARCH PROBLEM
1 Identify your target market
Which businesses need cleaning services Which ones can afford it and will pay for it Why
In your case I would think that small businesses may not be your ideal client But then again define small business Are you referring to sales volume or number of employees
I can tell you right now as a marketing consultant that has worked with a wide variety of businesses including small companies
Small businesses are very price sensitive and prefer to do more themselves rather than pay someone else (They hold this belief even if it would free up more time to be more productive Go figure)
So before you randomly begin picking a target market have a rational reason why Continue to read below and youll begin to see what I am talking about
2 Determine their wants and needs
It may be obvious to you but ask yourself Why would someone want a clean office
These businesses never have walk-in traffic They do not have customers visit them So naturally there is far less of a concern for a clean office Sure it would be nice to have but since no revenue will be lost if their office is not spectacular looking they are not motivated to do anything about it
However seek out the businesses that do deal with customers directly especially professional services where they have very high end clients visit them Now they NEED a very presentable office or they risk losing out on a lot of revenue
3 Determine the level and type of demand
If you have ever read any of my previous work you will know that I am a very strong advocate of knowing whether the type of demand is Primary Demand or Selective Demand It is one of the most overlooked aspects of marketing being ignored today
Primary Demand If a business does not already use your TYPE of service and is not currently considering doing so you will need to create primary demand Simply put you will have to convince them first to even want your type of service (or product) before you even get them to buy it from you
So for your cleaning business example if you are approaching businesses that currently do not use a cleaning service you will have to explain the time saving and productivity enhancing benefits of using one Then explain why YOU are the one they need
Selective Demand These businesses already use a service (or product) or are in the market for it and are actively looking In these cases you do not need to spend much effort convincing them why they need it
In this case you must state your argument why your cleaning service should be the one they choose
This is what you will encounter when you call on or contact businesses already using a cleaning service They will either be satisfied or unsatisfied with their current service provider Your emphasis will have to be on conquest sales -- meaning stealing customers from your competition
Now in your line of business and in many others slashing prices always seems to be the first technique used to steal customers This may work well for selling products But if you are marketing services let me tell you thisthink twice before doing that
Yes I am fully aware of the fact that there will be businesses that will be open to talking to you if you offer them a better deal In some cases they may feel they are legitimately getting ripped off or paying way
too much right now And they just might be right In those cases if you can give them a fair price that is a better deal for them AND still gives you healthy profit margins then go for it
However if you are slashing prices just to gain clients arent you really just hurting yourself in the long run First of all you can easily get into the game of How low will they go Secondly it de-values your perception of quality if you are cheap Thirdly whos to say after all this effort you wont lose the business in a month or two when someone else quotes them an even lower price
What will you do next price so low that you lose money with every client I didnt think so
Heres what you could do though
4 Develop a Hypothesis and a Solution to Match
After you know your target market have defined their needs and analyzed the competitive picture (currently using or not currently using a service like mine) go ahead and develop a clearly thought out hypothesis
For example start with business NOT currently using a cleaning service but that deal with customers or clients regularly at their location
Develop a strong case for WHY they would be wise to invest in your
cleaning services Show them on a break-even analysis that your fee will be well compensated in either customer retention or converting a higher level of store traffic or business appointments into paying customersclients
Then state your case why it is more cost effective and saves them valuable time to outsource this to you rather than doing it themselves or paying an employee overtime to do it You can also emphasize that you are the expert at this not someones secretary so it is expected that you will do a far better job at it
For businesses that ARE already using a cleaning service or are currently shopping for one state why you are unique and better
Determine the really compelling reasons why these businesses want a cleaning service to begin with
Maybe it is a retail store that wants to create a better first impression for their customers This will ultimately lead to a better customer experience and ultimately more in-store purchases
A good example may be that unlike most competitors you also clean windows Well as a marketing consultant to retail businesses I can tell you that many passerbys will first look in a store window before deciding to walk in or not
Now for successful marketing all retail businesses would perform better if they had more in-store traffic So therefore if your cleaning service also cleans windows you could rightfully justify that your services are more valuable to their retail business You actually HELP
them get more customers and sell more products
Maybe it is a professional service business that needs to impress prospective clients to choose their services over a similar competitor
Your cleaning service may dust chairs and polish wooden conference tables Many other cleaning services may not do this or do a poor job in doing so
Now as marketing consultants to service businesses I can also tell you that if a consultant attorney accountant or any other business professional needs to meet with prospective clients in their office they will appreciate a better appearance So if your cleaning services can provide this better than anyone else (or at least if you tell them about this first) you will get the business or at least be highly considered for it
Whatever the case may be establish what makes you different and have you are best suited to meet their needs
Do you see where I am going with this Your initial marketing questions asked how you can get more business by passing out flyers or sending faxes to small offices Truthfully that is simply not going to work You are not looking at the overall big picture of why anyone would either want to hire a cleaning service or to hire your particular cleaning service
5 You must make AN OFFER
Here are some examples
Marketing messagesales offer to a business that does NOT currently use a cleaning service
If you have never considered using a cleaning service before allow us to show you how XYZ Cleaning Inc can make your storeoffice more presentable to customers and how this newly improved appearance will affect your cash registerbank statement
If you are weary of trying new things dont worry Use us FREE for one month and if you are not completely satisfied with the results if you are not completely confident that it makes a difference to your customers if you are not completely aware of how it raises the morale of your employees then you do not have to using us again
But if YOU DO see a great improvement well make you a great deal on our services simply because we want your long term business Marketing messagesales offer to businesses that DO currently use a cleaning service
I understand that you currently use ABC Cleaners LLC Now you may or may not be completely happy right now but I want to make you a no-risk offer you cant refuse
The truth is that you likely get consumed in your day to day activities in running your business overseeing operations managing employees and handling customers Therefore there may be little imperfections your cleaning service is making that goes unnoticed by you But dont assume for one minute that your customers or potential customers wont notice And remember first impressions DO count
So heres our offer Have us come in the morning after your regular cleaning service cleans your office We will do a thorough inspection with you present and look for anything they may have done a less-than-satisfactory job on Then well show you why you probably over looked it for so long but why your customers will take notice and how they will think differently about you because of it
Now if everything is already 100 completely clean and presentable well thank you for your time and then be on our way But if together we find lots of little things that are carelessly being done we will cleanfix it for you for FREE
Thats right use our services as a compliment to what you are already paying for Compare the quality of work we do to what you are already paying for If you can see the difference in what we do for you compared to what you are already paying for then consider us as your new cleaning service
6 Develop your marketing message
Once you understand the true needs your potential clients have and the unique and competitive solutions you can offer only then should you develop your marketing copy -- your sales pitch
The two examples above incorporate great marketing copy with a strong benefits related offer You can then deliver this through direct mail telemarketing or a combination of both
I would only recommend distributing flyers if you are confident you can place there where they will get read by people who make the decision to hire a cleaning service So if there is an Open Bulletin board in an office building then go for it However they are rare and you probably need permission anyway
Id avoid the fax marketing altogether Its quite annoying ties up there fax line and unless people have already heard of you they are more likely to toss your message in the garbage
Try sending direct mail to the decision makers of these target companies and describe the benefits they will experience from using your services
7 Follow up
Even after identifying the businesses that are most likely to need your services after you have identified a solution and even after you contacted them with a compelling offer you still have to follow up
Chances are they loved the sound of it when they got it They had every intention of following up with you But then just got busy So your follow up call can make all the difference in the world and get your foot in the door in a very big way Then its up to you to DELIVER on your promise
8 ANALYSIS
Market Analysis
The goal of a market analysis is to determine the attractiveness of a market and to understand its evolving opportunities and threats as they relate to the strengths and weaknesses of the firm
David A Aaker outlined the following dimensions of a market analysis
Market size (current and future)
Market growth rate
Market profitability
Industry cost structure
Distribution channels
Market trends
Key success factors
Market Size
The size of the market can be evaluated based on present sales and on potential sales if the use of the product were expanded The following are some information sources for determining market size
government data
trade associations financial data from major players customer surveys
Market Growth Rate
A simple means of forecasting the market growth rate is to extrapolate historical data into the future While this method may provide a first-order estimate it does not predict important turning points A better method is to study growth drivers such as demographic information and sales growth in complementary products Such drivers serve as leading indicators that are more accurate than simply extrapolating historical data
Important inflection points in the market growth rate sometimes can be predicted by constructing a product diffusion curve The shape of the curve can be estimated by studying the characteristics of the adoption rate of a similar product in the past
Ultimately the maturity and decline stages of the product life cycle will be reached Some leading indicators of the decline phase include price pressure caused by competition a decrease in brand loyalty the emergence of substitute products market saturation and the lack of growth drivers
Market Profitability
While different firms in a market will have different levels of profitability the average profit potential for a market can be used as a guideline for knowing how difficult it is to make money in the market Michael Porter devised a useful framework for evaluating the attractiveness of an industry or market This framework known as Porters five forces identifies five factors that influence the market profitability
Buyer power
Supplier power
Barriers to entry
Threat of substitute products
Rivalry among firms in the industry
Industry Cost Structure
The cost structure is important for identifying key factors for success To this end Porters value chain model is useful for determining where value is added and for isolating the costs
The cost structure also is helpful for formulating strategies to develop a competitive advantage For example in some environments the experience curve effect can be used to develop a cost advantage over competitors
Distribution Channels
The following aspects of the distribution system are useful in a market analysis
Existing distribution channels - can be described by how direct they are to the customer
Trends and emerging channels - new channels can offer the opportunity to develop a competitive advantage
Channel power structure - for example in the case of a product having little brand equity retailers have negotiating power over manufacturers and can capture more margin
Market Trends
Changes in the market are important because they often are the source of new opportunities and threats The relevant trends are industry-dependent but some examples include changes in price sensitivity demand for variety and level of emphasis on service and support Regional trends also may be relevant
Key Success Factors
The key success factors are those elements that are necessary in order for the firm to achieve its marketing objectives A few examples of such factors include
Access to essential unique resources
Ability to achieve economies of scale
Access to distribution channels
Technological progress
It is important to consider that key success factors may change over time especially as the product progresses through its life cycle
9 CONCLUSIONS
Organizations engage in marketing research for two reasons
(1) (1) to identify (2) and (2) solve marketing problems
(3)
This distinction serves as a basis for classifying marketing research into problem identification research and problem solving research
Problem identification research is undertaken to help identify problems which are perhaps not apparent on the surface and yet exist or are likely to company image market characteristics sales analysis short-range forecasting long range forecasting and business trends research Research of this type provides information about the marketing environment and helps diagnose a problem For example The findings of problem solving research are used in making decisions which will solve specific marketing problems
The Stanford Research Institute on the other hand conducts an annual survey of consumers that is used to classify persons into homogeneous groups for segmentation purposes The National Purchase Diary panel (NPD) maintains the largest diary panel in the United States
Standardized services are research studies conducted for different client firms but in a standard way For example procedures for measuring
advertising effectiveness have been standardized so that the results can be compared across studies and evaluative norms can be established The Starch Readership Survey is the most widely used service for evaluating print advertisements another well-known service is the Gallup and Robinson Magazine Impact Studies These services are also sold on a syndicated basis
Customized services offer a wide variety of marketing research services customized to suit a clients specific needs Each marketing research project is treated uniquely
Limited-service suppliers specialize in one or a few phases of the marketing research project Services offered by such suppliers are classified as field services coding and data entry data analysis analytical services and branded products Field services collect data through mail personal or telephone interviewing and firms that specialize in interviewing are called field service organizations These organizations may range from small proprietary organizations which operate locally to large multinational organizations with WATS line interviewing facilities Some organizations maintain extensive interviewing facilities across the country for interviewing shoppers in malls
Coding and data entry services include editing completed questionnaires developing a coding scheme and transcribing the data on to diskettes or magnetic tapes for input into the computer NRC Data Systems provides such services
Analytical services include designing and pretesting questionnaires determining the best means of collecting data designing sampling plans and other aspects of the research design Some complex
marketing research projects require knowledge of sophisticated procedures including specialized experimental designs and analytical techniques such as conjoint analysis and multidimensional scaling This kind of expertise can be obtained from firms and consultants specializing in analytical services
Data analysis services are offered by firms also known as tab houses that specialize in computer analysis of quantitative data such as those obtained in large surveys Initially most data analysis firms supplied only tabulations (frequency counts) and cross tabulations (frequency counts that describe two or more variables simultaneously) With the proliferation of software many firms now have the capability to analyze their own data but data analysis firms are still in demand
Branded marketing research products and services are specialized data collection and analysis procedures developed to address specific types of marketing research problems These procedures are patented given brand names and marketed like any other branded product
Types of marketing research
Marketing research techniques come in many forms including
Ad Tracking ndash periodic or continuous in-market research to monitor a brandrsquos performance using measures such as brand awareness brand preference and product usage (Young 2005)
Advertising Research ndash used to predict copy testing or track the efficacy of advertisements for any medium measured by the adrsquos ability to get attention (measured with Attention Tracking) communicate the message build the brandrsquos image and motivate the consumer to purchase the product or service (Young 2005)
Brand equity research - how favorably do consumers view the brand
Brand association research - what do consumers associate with the brand
Brand attribute research - what are the key traits that describe the brand promise
Brand name testing - what do consumers feel about the names of the products
Commercial eye tracking research - examine advertisements package designs websites etc by analyzing visual behavior of the consumer
Concept testing - to test the acceptance of a concept by target consumers
Cool hunting - to make observations and predictions in changes of new or existing cultural trends in areas such as fashion music films television youth culture and lifestyle
Buyer decision processes research - to determine what motivates people to buy and what decision-making process they use
Copy testing ndash predicts in-market performance of an ad before it airs by analyzing audience levels of attention brand linkage motivation entertainment and communication as well as breaking down the adrsquos flow of attention and flow of emotion (Young p 213)
Customer satisfaction research - quantitative or qualitative studies that yields an understanding of a customers of satisfaction with a transaction
Demand estimation - to determine the approximate level of demand for the product
Distribution channel audits - to assess distributorsrsquo and retailersrsquo attitudes toward a product brand or company
Internet strategic intelligence - searching for customer opinions in the Internet chats forums web pages blogs where people express freely about their experiences with products becoming strong opinion formers
Marketing effectiveness and analytics - Building models and measuring results to determine the effectiveness of individual marketing activities
Mystery Consumer or Mystery shopping - An employee or representative of the market research firm anonymously contacts a salesperson and indicates he or she is shopping for a product The shopper then records the entire experience This method is often used for quality control or for researching competitors products
Positioning research - how does the target market see the brand relative to competitors - what does the brand stand for
Price elasticity testing - to determine how sensitive customers are to price changes
Sales forecasting - to determine the expected level of sales given the level of demand With respect to other factors like Advertising expenditure sales promotion etc
Segmentation research - to determine the demographic psychographic and behavioural characteristics of potential buyers
Online panel - a group of individual who accepted to respond to marketing research online
Store audit - to measure the sales of a product or product line at a statistically selected store sample in order to determine market share or to determine whether a retail store provides adequate service
Test marketing - a small-scale product launch used to determine the likely acceptance of the product when it is introduced into a wider market
Viral Marketing Research - refers to marketing research designed to estimate the probability that specific communications will be transmitted throughout an individuals Social Network Estimates of Social Networking Potential (SNP) are combined with estimates of selling effectiveness to estimate ROI on specific combinations of messages and media
All of these forms of marketing research can be classified as either problem-identification research or as problem-solving research
There are two main sources of data - primary and secondary Primary research is conducted from scratch It is original and collected to solve the problem in hand Secondary research already exists since it has been collected for other purposes It is conducted on data published previously and usually by someone else Secondary research costs far less than primary research but seldom comes in a form that exactly meets the needs of the researcher
A similar distinction exists between exploratory research and conclusive research Exploratory research provides insights into and comprehension of an issue or situation It should draw definitive conclusions only with extreme caution Conclusive research draws conclusions the results of the study can be generalized to the whole population
Exploratory research is conducted to explore a problem to get some basic idea about the solution at the preliminary stages of research It may serve as the input to conclusive research Exploratory research information is collected by focus group interviews reviewing literature or books discussing with experts etc This is unstructured and qualitative in nature If a secondary source of data is unable to serve the purpose a convenience sample of small size can be collected Conclusive research is conducted to draw some conclusion about the problem It is essentially structured and quantitative research and the
output of this research is the input to MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS (MIS)
Marketing research methods
Methodologically marketing research uses the following types of research designs
Based on questioning
Qualitative marketing research - generally used for exploratory purposes - small number of respondents - not generalizable to the whole population - statistical significance and confidence not calculated - examples include focus groups in-depth interviews and projective techniques
Quantitative marketing research - generally used to draw conclusions - tests a specific hypothesis - uses random sampling techniques so as to infer from the sample to the population - involves a large number of respondents - examples include surveys and questionnaires Techniques include choice modelling maximum difference preference scaling and covariance analysis
Based on observations
Ethnographic studies - by nature qualitative the researcher observes social phenomena in their natural setting - observations can
occur cross-sectionally (observations made at one time) or longitudinally (observations occur over several time-periods) ndash
examples include product-use analysis and computer cookie traces See also Ethnography and Observational techniques
Experimental techniques - by nature quantitative the researcher creates a quasi-artificial environment to try to control spurious factors
then manipulates at least one of the variables - examples include purchase laboratories and test markets
Questionnaires 1 What are the objectives of the marketing strategy Are they clearly stated Are they consistent with the objectives of the firm Is the entire marketing mix structured to meet these objectives
2 What marketing concepts are at issue in the current strategy Is the marketing strategy well planned and laid out Is the strategy consistent with sound marketing principles If the strategy takes exception to marketing principles is there a good reason for it
3 To what target market is the strategy directed Is it well defined Is the market large enough to be profitably served Does the market have long-run potential
4 What competitive advantage does the marketing strategy offer If none what can be done to gain a competitive advantage in the marketplace
5 What products are being sold What is the width depth and consistency of the firms product lines Does the firm need new products to fill out its product line Should any product be deleted What is the profitability of the various products
6 What promotion mix is being used Is promotion consistent with the products and product images What could be done to improve the promotion mix
7 What channels of distribution are being used Do they deliver the product at the right time and right place to meet consumer needs Are the channels typical of those used in the industry Could channels be made more efficient
8 What pricing strategies are being used How do prices compare with similar products of other firms How are prices determined
9 Are marketing research and information systematically integrated into the marketing strategy Is the overall marketing strategy internally consistent
Competition
Competition for this customer comes primarily from American suppliers The competition is on price and reflects the spare capacity in the American industry Competition from UK companies is also on price and comes from companies having a wider production spread than Belter
Development
This customer has always relied on Belter alone for development work in this product area However they have looked to other sources of supply when development has taken place The development process for a new product can be started either by a government development contract or by an order from the customer Belter acknowledged that it
has to stand the costs of this development in the latter case The customer has intimate knowledge of all of Belters procedures Methods of manufacture are agreed in detail and even the particular production machinery to be used is specified The closeness of the relationship between the two companies is indicated by the fact that the customer has approved Belters quality procedure and accepts their testing
Contact Pattern
Interpersonal contacts between Belter and its UK customer are summarized as
follows
(1) Formal Contacts
Every six months Technical policy liaison meeting jointly chaired by Belters Technical Director and the customers Chief Materials Manager Every sixmdashnine months Commercial meeting Belters Managing and Marketing Directors and Sales Manager and the customers Purchasing Director and Senior Purchasing Staff
Monthly UK Sales Manager visits customers purchasing staff to discuss delivery and order positions
(2) Other Contacts
These can be studied according to the formally assigned responsibility Personnel who have full-time responsibility One sales office man has daily contact with the customer Additionally one applications engineer is engaged on work for this customer Finally one man determines market trends and is in contact with the customers marketing personnel and customers clients Personnel with `half-time responsibility Four applications engineers also spend some of their time on the customers problems and are in personal contact with customer staff
PURPOSE OF A MARKETING PLAN
The purpose of a Marketing Plan is to-
1048766Define the Market
1048766Refine the Production Plan to market requirements
1048766Develop a marketing strategy
1048766Minimize risk
Each FFT group should have a Marketing Plan covering each commodity based on their own study of the local market
Defining the Market and Commodities-
1048766Market demand and prices -An assessment based on published market information discussions with local extension staff farmers dealers and buyers of the commodity of the likely demand and prices on offer during the year and during any period of seasonal shortfall
1048766Market Requirement- Varieties size grading packaging maturity demanded by the buyers in the particular market
1048766Yield Price Assumptions- How much commodity will be available How much premium grade Second grade Losses If the commodity crop is aimed to be produced for a particular period eg for a low supply period while the price assumptions (expectation) may be higher some reassessment of yield and cost of production assumptions in the gross margin analysis or partial budgets is usually necessary 1048766Marketing Returns and Costs Calculate expected income and costs in marketing
The Most Important Elements of Marketing There are four important elements in the marketing process
1048766Prioritising the customer Marketing begins with the customer not the product Knowing what the customer needs or wants is essential
1048766Process of selection The farmer needs to know who to sell the product to This will determine how and where the produce is marketed
1048766Promotion The farmer is selling something that other people want to buy Naturally it is helpful to let them know that the product is available and of good quality
The Marketing Training Manual 23 Marketing Module 3 Markets and Marketing
1048766Trust Good marketing occurs when the customers trust the farmer The customer should feel they are not being cheated and they are getting value for their money
In thinking about these elements farmers need to ask themselves about the six Ps
bull P p eople Who are the customers What do they want or need Who is actually going to market the product
bull P p lan How is the product going to reach the selected customers What are the steps
bull product What product is going to be marketed Is the family producing what the customer wants What services (for example a cooked product) if any are requested by the customer
bull place Where is the product going to be marketed
bull price What price will the product be offered on the market for
bull promotion How are people going to be informed that the product is available
Supply Demand and Price
In a free market prices for inputs and products are determined by supply and demand
Supply Is what producers are willing to market at a certain price
Demand Is how much consumers are prepared to buy at the market price
In theory as the price of a product goes up the quantity supplied rises and the quantity demanded falls Likewise when the price goes down the quantity supplied falls and the quantity demanded rises
For agricultural produce demand is affected by a number of factors the most
The Marketing Training Manual 24 Marketing Module 3 Markets and Marketing
Industrial or business to business (B2B) marketing
An organization seeks to build a new warehouse After documenting requirements it obtains three proposals from suitable construction firms After a long process of evaluation and negotiation it places an order with the organization that it believes offers the best value for money
An organization needs legal services and obtains submissions from two law firms Analysis of the proposals and subsequent discussions determines that there is no price advantage to placing all of the work with one firm and the organization decides to split the work between the two firms based on an evaluation of each firms capabilities
A sales representative makes an appointment with an organization that employs 22 people He demonstrates a photocopierfaxprinter to the office administrator After discussing a proposal the business owner signs a contract to obtain the machine on a fully-maintained rental and consumables basis with an upgrade after 2 years
Main features of the B2B selling process are
Marketing is one-to-one in nature It is relatively easy for the seller to identify a prospective customers and build a face-to-face relationship Highly professional and trained people in buying processes are involved In many cases two or three decision makers must approve a purchase plan Often the buying or selling process is complex and includes many stages (for example request for proposal request for tender selection process awarding of tender contract negotiations and signing of final contract) Selling activities involve long processes of prospecting qualifying wooing making representations preparing tenders developing strategies and contract negotiations
Blurring between B2B and B2C
Industrial marketing can cross the border into consumer marketing For example an electronic component seller may distribute its products through industrial marketing channels (see channel (marketing)) but also support consumer sales Many products are equally desired by business and consumersmdashsuch as audio products furniture paint hardware etc Nonetheless manufactures and service providers frequently maintain separate industrial and consumer marketing operations to reflect the different needs of the two channels
Competitive tendering
Industrial marketing often involves competitive tendering (see tender tendering) This is a process where a purchasing organization undertakes to procure goods and services from suitable suppliers Due to the high value of some purchases (for example buying a new computer system manufacturing
machinery or outsourcing a maintenance contract) and the complexity of such purchases the purchasing organization will seek to obtain a number of bids from competing suppliers and choose the best offering An entire profession (strategic procurement) that includes tertiary training and qualifications has been built around the process of making important purchases The key requirement in any competitive tender is to ensure that
The business case for the purchase has been completed and approved
The purchasing organizations objectives for the purchase are clearly defined
The procurement process is agreed upon and it conforms with fiscal guidelines and organisational policies The selection criteria have been established
A budget has been estimated and the financial resources are available
A buying team (or committee) has been assembled
A specification has been written
A preliminary scan of the market place has determined that enough potential suppliers are available to make the process viable (this can sometimes be achieved using an expression of interest process)
It has been clearly established that a competitive tendering process is the best method for meeting the objectives of this purchasing project If (for example) it was known that there was only one organisation capable of supplying best to get on with talking to them and negotiating a contract
Because of the significant value of many purchases issues of probity arise Organisations seek to ensure that awarding a contract is based on best fit to the agreed criteria and not bribery corruption or incompetence
Bidding process
Suppliers who are seeking to win a competitive tender go through a bidding process At its most primitive this would consist of evaluating the specification (issued by the purchasing organization) designing a suitable proposal and working out a price This is a primitive approach because
There is an old saying in industrial marketing if the first time you have heard about a tender is when you are invited to submit then you have already lost it
While flippant the previous point illustrates a basic requirement for being successful in competitive tendering it is important to develop a strong relationship with a prospective customer organization well before they have started the formal part of their procurement process
Non-tender purchasing
Not all industrial sales involve competitive tendering Tender processes are time consuming and expensive particularly when executed with the aim of ensuring probity Government agencies are particularly likely to utilise elaborate competitive tendering processes due to the expectation that they should be seen at all times to be responsibly and accountably spending public monies Private companies are able to avoid the complexity of a fully transparent tender process but are still able to run the procurement process with some rigourBeneficial
Developing a sales strategysolution sellingtechnical selling
The art of technical selling (solution selling) follows a three stage process
Stage 1 Sell the appointment Never sell over the telephone The aim of the first contact with a prospective purchaser is to sell the appointment The reason is simple industrial sales are complex any attempt to sell over the phone will trivialise your product or service and run the risk of not fully understanding the customers need
Stage 2 Understand their needs The best method of selling is to minimise the information about your goods or services until you have fully understood your customers requirements
Stage 3 Develop and propose a solution The solution is (of course) developed from your (or the firm that you represents) product or service offerings
Marketing supports solution selling through methods like account-based marketingmdashunderstanding a specific target organizations requirements as the foundation of a marketing program As research shows[1] sales success is heavily weighted towards suppliers who understand the customer In UK research 77 per cent of senior decision-makers believe new suppliers marketing From cannon fodder to preferred tenderer
The term cannon fodder derives from the World Wars and refers to the massing of undertrained and recently recruited troops sent to the fronts to face the enemy Such troops invariably had a poor survival rate but provided the tactical advantage of distracting the enemy while
professional soldiers mounted more effective operations In adopting the term to Industrial Marketing it means those bids being submitted that have no chance of winning but are involved to make up the numbers (you cant have only one bid in a competitive tender process that wouldnt satisfy the requirements of probity) (for example in government tenders or for private enterprise the requirement to truly test the market and to keep them honest) The reader might be wondering why anybody would go to all of the work of submitting a tender when they had no chance of winning for the same reason that troops were sent in to battle to die they thought they had a real chance
The key features of a successful industrial sales organisation
In industrial marketing the personal selling is still very effective because many products must be customized to suit the requirements of the individual customer Indicators such as the sales tunnel give information on the expected sales in the near future the hit rate indicates whether the sales organization is busy with promising sales leads or it is spending too much effort on projects that are eventually lost to the competition or that are abandoned by the prospect
RESEARCH PROBLEM
1 Identify your target market
Which businesses need cleaning services Which ones can afford it and will pay for it Why
In your case I would think that small businesses may not be your ideal client But then again define small business Are you referring to sales volume or number of employees
I can tell you right now as a marketing consultant that has worked with a wide variety of businesses including small companies
Small businesses are very price sensitive and prefer to do more themselves rather than pay someone else (They hold this belief even if it would free up more time to be more productive Go figure)
So before you randomly begin picking a target market have a rational reason why Continue to read below and youll begin to see what I am talking about
2 Determine their wants and needs
It may be obvious to you but ask yourself Why would someone want a clean office
These businesses never have walk-in traffic They do not have customers visit them So naturally there is far less of a concern for a clean office Sure it would be nice to have but since no revenue will be lost if their office is not spectacular looking they are not motivated to do anything about it
However seek out the businesses that do deal with customers directly especially professional services where they have very high end clients visit them Now they NEED a very presentable office or they risk losing out on a lot of revenue
3 Determine the level and type of demand
If you have ever read any of my previous work you will know that I am a very strong advocate of knowing whether the type of demand is Primary Demand or Selective Demand It is one of the most overlooked aspects of marketing being ignored today
Primary Demand If a business does not already use your TYPE of service and is not currently considering doing so you will need to create primary demand Simply put you will have to convince them first to even want your type of service (or product) before you even get them to buy it from you
So for your cleaning business example if you are approaching businesses that currently do not use a cleaning service you will have to explain the time saving and productivity enhancing benefits of using one Then explain why YOU are the one they need
Selective Demand These businesses already use a service (or product) or are in the market for it and are actively looking In these cases you do not need to spend much effort convincing them why they need it
In this case you must state your argument why your cleaning service should be the one they choose
This is what you will encounter when you call on or contact businesses already using a cleaning service They will either be satisfied or unsatisfied with their current service provider Your emphasis will have to be on conquest sales -- meaning stealing customers from your competition
Now in your line of business and in many others slashing prices always seems to be the first technique used to steal customers This may work well for selling products But if you are marketing services let me tell you thisthink twice before doing that
Yes I am fully aware of the fact that there will be businesses that will be open to talking to you if you offer them a better deal In some cases they may feel they are legitimately getting ripped off or paying way
too much right now And they just might be right In those cases if you can give them a fair price that is a better deal for them AND still gives you healthy profit margins then go for it
However if you are slashing prices just to gain clients arent you really just hurting yourself in the long run First of all you can easily get into the game of How low will they go Secondly it de-values your perception of quality if you are cheap Thirdly whos to say after all this effort you wont lose the business in a month or two when someone else quotes them an even lower price
What will you do next price so low that you lose money with every client I didnt think so
Heres what you could do though
4 Develop a Hypothesis and a Solution to Match
After you know your target market have defined their needs and analyzed the competitive picture (currently using or not currently using a service like mine) go ahead and develop a clearly thought out hypothesis
For example start with business NOT currently using a cleaning service but that deal with customers or clients regularly at their location
Develop a strong case for WHY they would be wise to invest in your
cleaning services Show them on a break-even analysis that your fee will be well compensated in either customer retention or converting a higher level of store traffic or business appointments into paying customersclients
Then state your case why it is more cost effective and saves them valuable time to outsource this to you rather than doing it themselves or paying an employee overtime to do it You can also emphasize that you are the expert at this not someones secretary so it is expected that you will do a far better job at it
For businesses that ARE already using a cleaning service or are currently shopping for one state why you are unique and better
Determine the really compelling reasons why these businesses want a cleaning service to begin with
Maybe it is a retail store that wants to create a better first impression for their customers This will ultimately lead to a better customer experience and ultimately more in-store purchases
A good example may be that unlike most competitors you also clean windows Well as a marketing consultant to retail businesses I can tell you that many passerbys will first look in a store window before deciding to walk in or not
Now for successful marketing all retail businesses would perform better if they had more in-store traffic So therefore if your cleaning service also cleans windows you could rightfully justify that your services are more valuable to their retail business You actually HELP
them get more customers and sell more products
Maybe it is a professional service business that needs to impress prospective clients to choose their services over a similar competitor
Your cleaning service may dust chairs and polish wooden conference tables Many other cleaning services may not do this or do a poor job in doing so
Now as marketing consultants to service businesses I can also tell you that if a consultant attorney accountant or any other business professional needs to meet with prospective clients in their office they will appreciate a better appearance So if your cleaning services can provide this better than anyone else (or at least if you tell them about this first) you will get the business or at least be highly considered for it
Whatever the case may be establish what makes you different and have you are best suited to meet their needs
Do you see where I am going with this Your initial marketing questions asked how you can get more business by passing out flyers or sending faxes to small offices Truthfully that is simply not going to work You are not looking at the overall big picture of why anyone would either want to hire a cleaning service or to hire your particular cleaning service
5 You must make AN OFFER
Here are some examples
Marketing messagesales offer to a business that does NOT currently use a cleaning service
If you have never considered using a cleaning service before allow us to show you how XYZ Cleaning Inc can make your storeoffice more presentable to customers and how this newly improved appearance will affect your cash registerbank statement
If you are weary of trying new things dont worry Use us FREE for one month and if you are not completely satisfied with the results if you are not completely confident that it makes a difference to your customers if you are not completely aware of how it raises the morale of your employees then you do not have to using us again
But if YOU DO see a great improvement well make you a great deal on our services simply because we want your long term business Marketing messagesales offer to businesses that DO currently use a cleaning service
I understand that you currently use ABC Cleaners LLC Now you may or may not be completely happy right now but I want to make you a no-risk offer you cant refuse
The truth is that you likely get consumed in your day to day activities in running your business overseeing operations managing employees and handling customers Therefore there may be little imperfections your cleaning service is making that goes unnoticed by you But dont assume for one minute that your customers or potential customers wont notice And remember first impressions DO count
So heres our offer Have us come in the morning after your regular cleaning service cleans your office We will do a thorough inspection with you present and look for anything they may have done a less-than-satisfactory job on Then well show you why you probably over looked it for so long but why your customers will take notice and how they will think differently about you because of it
Now if everything is already 100 completely clean and presentable well thank you for your time and then be on our way But if together we find lots of little things that are carelessly being done we will cleanfix it for you for FREE
Thats right use our services as a compliment to what you are already paying for Compare the quality of work we do to what you are already paying for If you can see the difference in what we do for you compared to what you are already paying for then consider us as your new cleaning service
6 Develop your marketing message
Once you understand the true needs your potential clients have and the unique and competitive solutions you can offer only then should you develop your marketing copy -- your sales pitch
The two examples above incorporate great marketing copy with a strong benefits related offer You can then deliver this through direct mail telemarketing or a combination of both
I would only recommend distributing flyers if you are confident you can place there where they will get read by people who make the decision to hire a cleaning service So if there is an Open Bulletin board in an office building then go for it However they are rare and you probably need permission anyway
Id avoid the fax marketing altogether Its quite annoying ties up there fax line and unless people have already heard of you they are more likely to toss your message in the garbage
Try sending direct mail to the decision makers of these target companies and describe the benefits they will experience from using your services
7 Follow up
Even after identifying the businesses that are most likely to need your services after you have identified a solution and even after you contacted them with a compelling offer you still have to follow up
Chances are they loved the sound of it when they got it They had every intention of following up with you But then just got busy So your follow up call can make all the difference in the world and get your foot in the door in a very big way Then its up to you to DELIVER on your promise
8 ANALYSIS
Market Analysis
The goal of a market analysis is to determine the attractiveness of a market and to understand its evolving opportunities and threats as they relate to the strengths and weaknesses of the firm
David A Aaker outlined the following dimensions of a market analysis
Market size (current and future)
Market growth rate
Market profitability
Industry cost structure
Distribution channels
Market trends
Key success factors
Market Size
The size of the market can be evaluated based on present sales and on potential sales if the use of the product were expanded The following are some information sources for determining market size
government data
trade associations financial data from major players customer surveys
Market Growth Rate
A simple means of forecasting the market growth rate is to extrapolate historical data into the future While this method may provide a first-order estimate it does not predict important turning points A better method is to study growth drivers such as demographic information and sales growth in complementary products Such drivers serve as leading indicators that are more accurate than simply extrapolating historical data
Important inflection points in the market growth rate sometimes can be predicted by constructing a product diffusion curve The shape of the curve can be estimated by studying the characteristics of the adoption rate of a similar product in the past
Ultimately the maturity and decline stages of the product life cycle will be reached Some leading indicators of the decline phase include price pressure caused by competition a decrease in brand loyalty the emergence of substitute products market saturation and the lack of growth drivers
Market Profitability
While different firms in a market will have different levels of profitability the average profit potential for a market can be used as a guideline for knowing how difficult it is to make money in the market Michael Porter devised a useful framework for evaluating the attractiveness of an industry or market This framework known as Porters five forces identifies five factors that influence the market profitability
Buyer power
Supplier power
Barriers to entry
Threat of substitute products
Rivalry among firms in the industry
Industry Cost Structure
The cost structure is important for identifying key factors for success To this end Porters value chain model is useful for determining where value is added and for isolating the costs
The cost structure also is helpful for formulating strategies to develop a competitive advantage For example in some environments the experience curve effect can be used to develop a cost advantage over competitors
Distribution Channels
The following aspects of the distribution system are useful in a market analysis
Existing distribution channels - can be described by how direct they are to the customer
Trends and emerging channels - new channels can offer the opportunity to develop a competitive advantage
Channel power structure - for example in the case of a product having little brand equity retailers have negotiating power over manufacturers and can capture more margin
Market Trends
Changes in the market are important because they often are the source of new opportunities and threats The relevant trends are industry-dependent but some examples include changes in price sensitivity demand for variety and level of emphasis on service and support Regional trends also may be relevant
Key Success Factors
The key success factors are those elements that are necessary in order for the firm to achieve its marketing objectives A few examples of such factors include
Access to essential unique resources
Ability to achieve economies of scale
Access to distribution channels
Technological progress
It is important to consider that key success factors may change over time especially as the product progresses through its life cycle
9 CONCLUSIONS
Organizations engage in marketing research for two reasons
(1) (1) to identify (2) and (2) solve marketing problems
(3)
This distinction serves as a basis for classifying marketing research into problem identification research and problem solving research
Problem identification research is undertaken to help identify problems which are perhaps not apparent on the surface and yet exist or are likely to company image market characteristics sales analysis short-range forecasting long range forecasting and business trends research Research of this type provides information about the marketing environment and helps diagnose a problem For example The findings of problem solving research are used in making decisions which will solve specific marketing problems
The Stanford Research Institute on the other hand conducts an annual survey of consumers that is used to classify persons into homogeneous groups for segmentation purposes The National Purchase Diary panel (NPD) maintains the largest diary panel in the United States
Standardized services are research studies conducted for different client firms but in a standard way For example procedures for measuring
advertising effectiveness have been standardized so that the results can be compared across studies and evaluative norms can be established The Starch Readership Survey is the most widely used service for evaluating print advertisements another well-known service is the Gallup and Robinson Magazine Impact Studies These services are also sold on a syndicated basis
Customized services offer a wide variety of marketing research services customized to suit a clients specific needs Each marketing research project is treated uniquely
Limited-service suppliers specialize in one or a few phases of the marketing research project Services offered by such suppliers are classified as field services coding and data entry data analysis analytical services and branded products Field services collect data through mail personal or telephone interviewing and firms that specialize in interviewing are called field service organizations These organizations may range from small proprietary organizations which operate locally to large multinational organizations with WATS line interviewing facilities Some organizations maintain extensive interviewing facilities across the country for interviewing shoppers in malls
Coding and data entry services include editing completed questionnaires developing a coding scheme and transcribing the data on to diskettes or magnetic tapes for input into the computer NRC Data Systems provides such services
Analytical services include designing and pretesting questionnaires determining the best means of collecting data designing sampling plans and other aspects of the research design Some complex
marketing research projects require knowledge of sophisticated procedures including specialized experimental designs and analytical techniques such as conjoint analysis and multidimensional scaling This kind of expertise can be obtained from firms and consultants specializing in analytical services
Data analysis services are offered by firms also known as tab houses that specialize in computer analysis of quantitative data such as those obtained in large surveys Initially most data analysis firms supplied only tabulations (frequency counts) and cross tabulations (frequency counts that describe two or more variables simultaneously) With the proliferation of software many firms now have the capability to analyze their own data but data analysis firms are still in demand
Branded marketing research products and services are specialized data collection and analysis procedures developed to address specific types of marketing research problems These procedures are patented given brand names and marketed like any other branded product
Types of marketing research
Marketing research techniques come in many forms including
Ad Tracking ndash periodic or continuous in-market research to monitor a brandrsquos performance using measures such as brand awareness brand preference and product usage (Young 2005)
Advertising Research ndash used to predict copy testing or track the efficacy of advertisements for any medium measured by the adrsquos ability to get attention (measured with Attention Tracking) communicate the message build the brandrsquos image and motivate the consumer to purchase the product or service (Young 2005)
Brand equity research - how favorably do consumers view the brand
Brand association research - what do consumers associate with the brand
Brand attribute research - what are the key traits that describe the brand promise
Brand name testing - what do consumers feel about the names of the products
Commercial eye tracking research - examine advertisements package designs websites etc by analyzing visual behavior of the consumer
Concept testing - to test the acceptance of a concept by target consumers
Cool hunting - to make observations and predictions in changes of new or existing cultural trends in areas such as fashion music films television youth culture and lifestyle
Buyer decision processes research - to determine what motivates people to buy and what decision-making process they use
Copy testing ndash predicts in-market performance of an ad before it airs by analyzing audience levels of attention brand linkage motivation entertainment and communication as well as breaking down the adrsquos flow of attention and flow of emotion (Young p 213)
Customer satisfaction research - quantitative or qualitative studies that yields an understanding of a customers of satisfaction with a transaction
Demand estimation - to determine the approximate level of demand for the product
Distribution channel audits - to assess distributorsrsquo and retailersrsquo attitudes toward a product brand or company
Internet strategic intelligence - searching for customer opinions in the Internet chats forums web pages blogs where people express freely about their experiences with products becoming strong opinion formers
Marketing effectiveness and analytics - Building models and measuring results to determine the effectiveness of individual marketing activities
Mystery Consumer or Mystery shopping - An employee or representative of the market research firm anonymously contacts a salesperson and indicates he or she is shopping for a product The shopper then records the entire experience This method is often used for quality control or for researching competitors products
Positioning research - how does the target market see the brand relative to competitors - what does the brand stand for
Price elasticity testing - to determine how sensitive customers are to price changes
Sales forecasting - to determine the expected level of sales given the level of demand With respect to other factors like Advertising expenditure sales promotion etc
Segmentation research - to determine the demographic psychographic and behavioural characteristics of potential buyers
Online panel - a group of individual who accepted to respond to marketing research online
Store audit - to measure the sales of a product or product line at a statistically selected store sample in order to determine market share or to determine whether a retail store provides adequate service
Test marketing - a small-scale product launch used to determine the likely acceptance of the product when it is introduced into a wider market
Viral Marketing Research - refers to marketing research designed to estimate the probability that specific communications will be transmitted throughout an individuals Social Network Estimates of Social Networking Potential (SNP) are combined with estimates of selling effectiveness to estimate ROI on specific combinations of messages and media
All of these forms of marketing research can be classified as either problem-identification research or as problem-solving research
There are two main sources of data - primary and secondary Primary research is conducted from scratch It is original and collected to solve the problem in hand Secondary research already exists since it has been collected for other purposes It is conducted on data published previously and usually by someone else Secondary research costs far less than primary research but seldom comes in a form that exactly meets the needs of the researcher
A similar distinction exists between exploratory research and conclusive research Exploratory research provides insights into and comprehension of an issue or situation It should draw definitive conclusions only with extreme caution Conclusive research draws conclusions the results of the study can be generalized to the whole population
Exploratory research is conducted to explore a problem to get some basic idea about the solution at the preliminary stages of research It may serve as the input to conclusive research Exploratory research information is collected by focus group interviews reviewing literature or books discussing with experts etc This is unstructured and qualitative in nature If a secondary source of data is unable to serve the purpose a convenience sample of small size can be collected Conclusive research is conducted to draw some conclusion about the problem It is essentially structured and quantitative research and the
output of this research is the input to MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS (MIS)
Marketing research methods
Methodologically marketing research uses the following types of research designs
Based on questioning
Qualitative marketing research - generally used for exploratory purposes - small number of respondents - not generalizable to the whole population - statistical significance and confidence not calculated - examples include focus groups in-depth interviews and projective techniques
Quantitative marketing research - generally used to draw conclusions - tests a specific hypothesis - uses random sampling techniques so as to infer from the sample to the population - involves a large number of respondents - examples include surveys and questionnaires Techniques include choice modelling maximum difference preference scaling and covariance analysis
Based on observations
Ethnographic studies - by nature qualitative the researcher observes social phenomena in their natural setting - observations can
occur cross-sectionally (observations made at one time) or longitudinally (observations occur over several time-periods) ndash
examples include product-use analysis and computer cookie traces See also Ethnography and Observational techniques
Experimental techniques - by nature quantitative the researcher creates a quasi-artificial environment to try to control spurious factors
then manipulates at least one of the variables - examples include purchase laboratories and test markets
Questionnaires 1 What are the objectives of the marketing strategy Are they clearly stated Are they consistent with the objectives of the firm Is the entire marketing mix structured to meet these objectives
2 What marketing concepts are at issue in the current strategy Is the marketing strategy well planned and laid out Is the strategy consistent with sound marketing principles If the strategy takes exception to marketing principles is there a good reason for it
3 To what target market is the strategy directed Is it well defined Is the market large enough to be profitably served Does the market have long-run potential
4 What competitive advantage does the marketing strategy offer If none what can be done to gain a competitive advantage in the marketplace
5 What products are being sold What is the width depth and consistency of the firms product lines Does the firm need new products to fill out its product line Should any product be deleted What is the profitability of the various products
6 What promotion mix is being used Is promotion consistent with the products and product images What could be done to improve the promotion mix
7 What channels of distribution are being used Do they deliver the product at the right time and right place to meet consumer needs Are the channels typical of those used in the industry Could channels be made more efficient
8 What pricing strategies are being used How do prices compare with similar products of other firms How are prices determined
9 Are marketing research and information systematically integrated into the marketing strategy Is the overall marketing strategy internally consistent
has to stand the costs of this development in the latter case The customer has intimate knowledge of all of Belters procedures Methods of manufacture are agreed in detail and even the particular production machinery to be used is specified The closeness of the relationship between the two companies is indicated by the fact that the customer has approved Belters quality procedure and accepts their testing
Contact Pattern
Interpersonal contacts between Belter and its UK customer are summarized as
follows
(1) Formal Contacts
Every six months Technical policy liaison meeting jointly chaired by Belters Technical Director and the customers Chief Materials Manager Every sixmdashnine months Commercial meeting Belters Managing and Marketing Directors and Sales Manager and the customers Purchasing Director and Senior Purchasing Staff
Monthly UK Sales Manager visits customers purchasing staff to discuss delivery and order positions
(2) Other Contacts
These can be studied according to the formally assigned responsibility Personnel who have full-time responsibility One sales office man has daily contact with the customer Additionally one applications engineer is engaged on work for this customer Finally one man determines market trends and is in contact with the customers marketing personnel and customers clients Personnel with `half-time responsibility Four applications engineers also spend some of their time on the customers problems and are in personal contact with customer staff
PURPOSE OF A MARKETING PLAN
The purpose of a Marketing Plan is to-
1048766Define the Market
1048766Refine the Production Plan to market requirements
1048766Develop a marketing strategy
1048766Minimize risk
Each FFT group should have a Marketing Plan covering each commodity based on their own study of the local market
Defining the Market and Commodities-
1048766Market demand and prices -An assessment based on published market information discussions with local extension staff farmers dealers and buyers of the commodity of the likely demand and prices on offer during the year and during any period of seasonal shortfall
1048766Market Requirement- Varieties size grading packaging maturity demanded by the buyers in the particular market
1048766Yield Price Assumptions- How much commodity will be available How much premium grade Second grade Losses If the commodity crop is aimed to be produced for a particular period eg for a low supply period while the price assumptions (expectation) may be higher some reassessment of yield and cost of production assumptions in the gross margin analysis or partial budgets is usually necessary 1048766Marketing Returns and Costs Calculate expected income and costs in marketing
The Most Important Elements of Marketing There are four important elements in the marketing process
1048766Prioritising the customer Marketing begins with the customer not the product Knowing what the customer needs or wants is essential
1048766Process of selection The farmer needs to know who to sell the product to This will determine how and where the produce is marketed
1048766Promotion The farmer is selling something that other people want to buy Naturally it is helpful to let them know that the product is available and of good quality
The Marketing Training Manual 23 Marketing Module 3 Markets and Marketing
1048766Trust Good marketing occurs when the customers trust the farmer The customer should feel they are not being cheated and they are getting value for their money
In thinking about these elements farmers need to ask themselves about the six Ps
bull P p eople Who are the customers What do they want or need Who is actually going to market the product
bull P p lan How is the product going to reach the selected customers What are the steps
bull product What product is going to be marketed Is the family producing what the customer wants What services (for example a cooked product) if any are requested by the customer
bull place Where is the product going to be marketed
bull price What price will the product be offered on the market for
bull promotion How are people going to be informed that the product is available
Supply Demand and Price
In a free market prices for inputs and products are determined by supply and demand
Supply Is what producers are willing to market at a certain price
Demand Is how much consumers are prepared to buy at the market price
In theory as the price of a product goes up the quantity supplied rises and the quantity demanded falls Likewise when the price goes down the quantity supplied falls and the quantity demanded rises
For agricultural produce demand is affected by a number of factors the most
The Marketing Training Manual 24 Marketing Module 3 Markets and Marketing
Industrial or business to business (B2B) marketing
An organization seeks to build a new warehouse After documenting requirements it obtains three proposals from suitable construction firms After a long process of evaluation and negotiation it places an order with the organization that it believes offers the best value for money
An organization needs legal services and obtains submissions from two law firms Analysis of the proposals and subsequent discussions determines that there is no price advantage to placing all of the work with one firm and the organization decides to split the work between the two firms based on an evaluation of each firms capabilities
A sales representative makes an appointment with an organization that employs 22 people He demonstrates a photocopierfaxprinter to the office administrator After discussing a proposal the business owner signs a contract to obtain the machine on a fully-maintained rental and consumables basis with an upgrade after 2 years
Main features of the B2B selling process are
Marketing is one-to-one in nature It is relatively easy for the seller to identify a prospective customers and build a face-to-face relationship Highly professional and trained people in buying processes are involved In many cases two or three decision makers must approve a purchase plan Often the buying or selling process is complex and includes many stages (for example request for proposal request for tender selection process awarding of tender contract negotiations and signing of final contract) Selling activities involve long processes of prospecting qualifying wooing making representations preparing tenders developing strategies and contract negotiations
Blurring between B2B and B2C
Industrial marketing can cross the border into consumer marketing For example an electronic component seller may distribute its products through industrial marketing channels (see channel (marketing)) but also support consumer sales Many products are equally desired by business and consumersmdashsuch as audio products furniture paint hardware etc Nonetheless manufactures and service providers frequently maintain separate industrial and consumer marketing operations to reflect the different needs of the two channels
Competitive tendering
Industrial marketing often involves competitive tendering (see tender tendering) This is a process where a purchasing organization undertakes to procure goods and services from suitable suppliers Due to the high value of some purchases (for example buying a new computer system manufacturing
machinery or outsourcing a maintenance contract) and the complexity of such purchases the purchasing organization will seek to obtain a number of bids from competing suppliers and choose the best offering An entire profession (strategic procurement) that includes tertiary training and qualifications has been built around the process of making important purchases The key requirement in any competitive tender is to ensure that
The business case for the purchase has been completed and approved
The purchasing organizations objectives for the purchase are clearly defined
The procurement process is agreed upon and it conforms with fiscal guidelines and organisational policies The selection criteria have been established
A budget has been estimated and the financial resources are available
A buying team (or committee) has been assembled
A specification has been written
A preliminary scan of the market place has determined that enough potential suppliers are available to make the process viable (this can sometimes be achieved using an expression of interest process)
It has been clearly established that a competitive tendering process is the best method for meeting the objectives of this purchasing project If (for example) it was known that there was only one organisation capable of supplying best to get on with talking to them and negotiating a contract
Because of the significant value of many purchases issues of probity arise Organisations seek to ensure that awarding a contract is based on best fit to the agreed criteria and not bribery corruption or incompetence
Bidding process
Suppliers who are seeking to win a competitive tender go through a bidding process At its most primitive this would consist of evaluating the specification (issued by the purchasing organization) designing a suitable proposal and working out a price This is a primitive approach because
There is an old saying in industrial marketing if the first time you have heard about a tender is when you are invited to submit then you have already lost it
While flippant the previous point illustrates a basic requirement for being successful in competitive tendering it is important to develop a strong relationship with a prospective customer organization well before they have started the formal part of their procurement process
Non-tender purchasing
Not all industrial sales involve competitive tendering Tender processes are time consuming and expensive particularly when executed with the aim of ensuring probity Government agencies are particularly likely to utilise elaborate competitive tendering processes due to the expectation that they should be seen at all times to be responsibly and accountably spending public monies Private companies are able to avoid the complexity of a fully transparent tender process but are still able to run the procurement process with some rigourBeneficial
Developing a sales strategysolution sellingtechnical selling
The art of technical selling (solution selling) follows a three stage process
Stage 1 Sell the appointment Never sell over the telephone The aim of the first contact with a prospective purchaser is to sell the appointment The reason is simple industrial sales are complex any attempt to sell over the phone will trivialise your product or service and run the risk of not fully understanding the customers need
Stage 2 Understand their needs The best method of selling is to minimise the information about your goods or services until you have fully understood your customers requirements
Stage 3 Develop and propose a solution The solution is (of course) developed from your (or the firm that you represents) product or service offerings
Marketing supports solution selling through methods like account-based marketingmdashunderstanding a specific target organizations requirements as the foundation of a marketing program As research shows[1] sales success is heavily weighted towards suppliers who understand the customer In UK research 77 per cent of senior decision-makers believe new suppliers marketing From cannon fodder to preferred tenderer
The term cannon fodder derives from the World Wars and refers to the massing of undertrained and recently recruited troops sent to the fronts to face the enemy Such troops invariably had a poor survival rate but provided the tactical advantage of distracting the enemy while
professional soldiers mounted more effective operations In adopting the term to Industrial Marketing it means those bids being submitted that have no chance of winning but are involved to make up the numbers (you cant have only one bid in a competitive tender process that wouldnt satisfy the requirements of probity) (for example in government tenders or for private enterprise the requirement to truly test the market and to keep them honest) The reader might be wondering why anybody would go to all of the work of submitting a tender when they had no chance of winning for the same reason that troops were sent in to battle to die they thought they had a real chance
The key features of a successful industrial sales organisation
In industrial marketing the personal selling is still very effective because many products must be customized to suit the requirements of the individual customer Indicators such as the sales tunnel give information on the expected sales in the near future the hit rate indicates whether the sales organization is busy with promising sales leads or it is spending too much effort on projects that are eventually lost to the competition or that are abandoned by the prospect
RESEARCH PROBLEM
1 Identify your target market
Which businesses need cleaning services Which ones can afford it and will pay for it Why
In your case I would think that small businesses may not be your ideal client But then again define small business Are you referring to sales volume or number of employees
I can tell you right now as a marketing consultant that has worked with a wide variety of businesses including small companies
Small businesses are very price sensitive and prefer to do more themselves rather than pay someone else (They hold this belief even if it would free up more time to be more productive Go figure)
So before you randomly begin picking a target market have a rational reason why Continue to read below and youll begin to see what I am talking about
2 Determine their wants and needs
It may be obvious to you but ask yourself Why would someone want a clean office
These businesses never have walk-in traffic They do not have customers visit them So naturally there is far less of a concern for a clean office Sure it would be nice to have but since no revenue will be lost if their office is not spectacular looking they are not motivated to do anything about it
However seek out the businesses that do deal with customers directly especially professional services where they have very high end clients visit them Now they NEED a very presentable office or they risk losing out on a lot of revenue
3 Determine the level and type of demand
If you have ever read any of my previous work you will know that I am a very strong advocate of knowing whether the type of demand is Primary Demand or Selective Demand It is one of the most overlooked aspects of marketing being ignored today
Primary Demand If a business does not already use your TYPE of service and is not currently considering doing so you will need to create primary demand Simply put you will have to convince them first to even want your type of service (or product) before you even get them to buy it from you
So for your cleaning business example if you are approaching businesses that currently do not use a cleaning service you will have to explain the time saving and productivity enhancing benefits of using one Then explain why YOU are the one they need
Selective Demand These businesses already use a service (or product) or are in the market for it and are actively looking In these cases you do not need to spend much effort convincing them why they need it
In this case you must state your argument why your cleaning service should be the one they choose
This is what you will encounter when you call on or contact businesses already using a cleaning service They will either be satisfied or unsatisfied with their current service provider Your emphasis will have to be on conquest sales -- meaning stealing customers from your competition
Now in your line of business and in many others slashing prices always seems to be the first technique used to steal customers This may work well for selling products But if you are marketing services let me tell you thisthink twice before doing that
Yes I am fully aware of the fact that there will be businesses that will be open to talking to you if you offer them a better deal In some cases they may feel they are legitimately getting ripped off or paying way
too much right now And they just might be right In those cases if you can give them a fair price that is a better deal for them AND still gives you healthy profit margins then go for it
However if you are slashing prices just to gain clients arent you really just hurting yourself in the long run First of all you can easily get into the game of How low will they go Secondly it de-values your perception of quality if you are cheap Thirdly whos to say after all this effort you wont lose the business in a month or two when someone else quotes them an even lower price
What will you do next price so low that you lose money with every client I didnt think so
Heres what you could do though
4 Develop a Hypothesis and a Solution to Match
After you know your target market have defined their needs and analyzed the competitive picture (currently using or not currently using a service like mine) go ahead and develop a clearly thought out hypothesis
For example start with business NOT currently using a cleaning service but that deal with customers or clients regularly at their location
Develop a strong case for WHY they would be wise to invest in your
cleaning services Show them on a break-even analysis that your fee will be well compensated in either customer retention or converting a higher level of store traffic or business appointments into paying customersclients
Then state your case why it is more cost effective and saves them valuable time to outsource this to you rather than doing it themselves or paying an employee overtime to do it You can also emphasize that you are the expert at this not someones secretary so it is expected that you will do a far better job at it
For businesses that ARE already using a cleaning service or are currently shopping for one state why you are unique and better
Determine the really compelling reasons why these businesses want a cleaning service to begin with
Maybe it is a retail store that wants to create a better first impression for their customers This will ultimately lead to a better customer experience and ultimately more in-store purchases
A good example may be that unlike most competitors you also clean windows Well as a marketing consultant to retail businesses I can tell you that many passerbys will first look in a store window before deciding to walk in or not
Now for successful marketing all retail businesses would perform better if they had more in-store traffic So therefore if your cleaning service also cleans windows you could rightfully justify that your services are more valuable to their retail business You actually HELP
them get more customers and sell more products
Maybe it is a professional service business that needs to impress prospective clients to choose their services over a similar competitor
Your cleaning service may dust chairs and polish wooden conference tables Many other cleaning services may not do this or do a poor job in doing so
Now as marketing consultants to service businesses I can also tell you that if a consultant attorney accountant or any other business professional needs to meet with prospective clients in their office they will appreciate a better appearance So if your cleaning services can provide this better than anyone else (or at least if you tell them about this first) you will get the business or at least be highly considered for it
Whatever the case may be establish what makes you different and have you are best suited to meet their needs
Do you see where I am going with this Your initial marketing questions asked how you can get more business by passing out flyers or sending faxes to small offices Truthfully that is simply not going to work You are not looking at the overall big picture of why anyone would either want to hire a cleaning service or to hire your particular cleaning service
5 You must make AN OFFER
Here are some examples
Marketing messagesales offer to a business that does NOT currently use a cleaning service
If you have never considered using a cleaning service before allow us to show you how XYZ Cleaning Inc can make your storeoffice more presentable to customers and how this newly improved appearance will affect your cash registerbank statement
If you are weary of trying new things dont worry Use us FREE for one month and if you are not completely satisfied with the results if you are not completely confident that it makes a difference to your customers if you are not completely aware of how it raises the morale of your employees then you do not have to using us again
But if YOU DO see a great improvement well make you a great deal on our services simply because we want your long term business Marketing messagesales offer to businesses that DO currently use a cleaning service
I understand that you currently use ABC Cleaners LLC Now you may or may not be completely happy right now but I want to make you a no-risk offer you cant refuse
The truth is that you likely get consumed in your day to day activities in running your business overseeing operations managing employees and handling customers Therefore there may be little imperfections your cleaning service is making that goes unnoticed by you But dont assume for one minute that your customers or potential customers wont notice And remember first impressions DO count
So heres our offer Have us come in the morning after your regular cleaning service cleans your office We will do a thorough inspection with you present and look for anything they may have done a less-than-satisfactory job on Then well show you why you probably over looked it for so long but why your customers will take notice and how they will think differently about you because of it
Now if everything is already 100 completely clean and presentable well thank you for your time and then be on our way But if together we find lots of little things that are carelessly being done we will cleanfix it for you for FREE
Thats right use our services as a compliment to what you are already paying for Compare the quality of work we do to what you are already paying for If you can see the difference in what we do for you compared to what you are already paying for then consider us as your new cleaning service
6 Develop your marketing message
Once you understand the true needs your potential clients have and the unique and competitive solutions you can offer only then should you develop your marketing copy -- your sales pitch
The two examples above incorporate great marketing copy with a strong benefits related offer You can then deliver this through direct mail telemarketing or a combination of both
I would only recommend distributing flyers if you are confident you can place there where they will get read by people who make the decision to hire a cleaning service So if there is an Open Bulletin board in an office building then go for it However they are rare and you probably need permission anyway
Id avoid the fax marketing altogether Its quite annoying ties up there fax line and unless people have already heard of you they are more likely to toss your message in the garbage
Try sending direct mail to the decision makers of these target companies and describe the benefits they will experience from using your services
7 Follow up
Even after identifying the businesses that are most likely to need your services after you have identified a solution and even after you contacted them with a compelling offer you still have to follow up
Chances are they loved the sound of it when they got it They had every intention of following up with you But then just got busy So your follow up call can make all the difference in the world and get your foot in the door in a very big way Then its up to you to DELIVER on your promise
8 ANALYSIS
Market Analysis
The goal of a market analysis is to determine the attractiveness of a market and to understand its evolving opportunities and threats as they relate to the strengths and weaknesses of the firm
David A Aaker outlined the following dimensions of a market analysis
Market size (current and future)
Market growth rate
Market profitability
Industry cost structure
Distribution channels
Market trends
Key success factors
Market Size
The size of the market can be evaluated based on present sales and on potential sales if the use of the product were expanded The following are some information sources for determining market size
government data
trade associations financial data from major players customer surveys
Market Growth Rate
A simple means of forecasting the market growth rate is to extrapolate historical data into the future While this method may provide a first-order estimate it does not predict important turning points A better method is to study growth drivers such as demographic information and sales growth in complementary products Such drivers serve as leading indicators that are more accurate than simply extrapolating historical data
Important inflection points in the market growth rate sometimes can be predicted by constructing a product diffusion curve The shape of the curve can be estimated by studying the characteristics of the adoption rate of a similar product in the past
Ultimately the maturity and decline stages of the product life cycle will be reached Some leading indicators of the decline phase include price pressure caused by competition a decrease in brand loyalty the emergence of substitute products market saturation and the lack of growth drivers
Market Profitability
While different firms in a market will have different levels of profitability the average profit potential for a market can be used as a guideline for knowing how difficult it is to make money in the market Michael Porter devised a useful framework for evaluating the attractiveness of an industry or market This framework known as Porters five forces identifies five factors that influence the market profitability
Buyer power
Supplier power
Barriers to entry
Threat of substitute products
Rivalry among firms in the industry
Industry Cost Structure
The cost structure is important for identifying key factors for success To this end Porters value chain model is useful for determining where value is added and for isolating the costs
The cost structure also is helpful for formulating strategies to develop a competitive advantage For example in some environments the experience curve effect can be used to develop a cost advantage over competitors
Distribution Channels
The following aspects of the distribution system are useful in a market analysis
Existing distribution channels - can be described by how direct they are to the customer
Trends and emerging channels - new channels can offer the opportunity to develop a competitive advantage
Channel power structure - for example in the case of a product having little brand equity retailers have negotiating power over manufacturers and can capture more margin
Market Trends
Changes in the market are important because they often are the source of new opportunities and threats The relevant trends are industry-dependent but some examples include changes in price sensitivity demand for variety and level of emphasis on service and support Regional trends also may be relevant
Key Success Factors
The key success factors are those elements that are necessary in order for the firm to achieve its marketing objectives A few examples of such factors include
Access to essential unique resources
Ability to achieve economies of scale
Access to distribution channels
Technological progress
It is important to consider that key success factors may change over time especially as the product progresses through its life cycle
9 CONCLUSIONS
Organizations engage in marketing research for two reasons
(1) (1) to identify (2) and (2) solve marketing problems
(3)
This distinction serves as a basis for classifying marketing research into problem identification research and problem solving research
Problem identification research is undertaken to help identify problems which are perhaps not apparent on the surface and yet exist or are likely to company image market characteristics sales analysis short-range forecasting long range forecasting and business trends research Research of this type provides information about the marketing environment and helps diagnose a problem For example The findings of problem solving research are used in making decisions which will solve specific marketing problems
The Stanford Research Institute on the other hand conducts an annual survey of consumers that is used to classify persons into homogeneous groups for segmentation purposes The National Purchase Diary panel (NPD) maintains the largest diary panel in the United States
Standardized services are research studies conducted for different client firms but in a standard way For example procedures for measuring
advertising effectiveness have been standardized so that the results can be compared across studies and evaluative norms can be established The Starch Readership Survey is the most widely used service for evaluating print advertisements another well-known service is the Gallup and Robinson Magazine Impact Studies These services are also sold on a syndicated basis
Customized services offer a wide variety of marketing research services customized to suit a clients specific needs Each marketing research project is treated uniquely
Limited-service suppliers specialize in one or a few phases of the marketing research project Services offered by such suppliers are classified as field services coding and data entry data analysis analytical services and branded products Field services collect data through mail personal or telephone interviewing and firms that specialize in interviewing are called field service organizations These organizations may range from small proprietary organizations which operate locally to large multinational organizations with WATS line interviewing facilities Some organizations maintain extensive interviewing facilities across the country for interviewing shoppers in malls
Coding and data entry services include editing completed questionnaires developing a coding scheme and transcribing the data on to diskettes or magnetic tapes for input into the computer NRC Data Systems provides such services
Analytical services include designing and pretesting questionnaires determining the best means of collecting data designing sampling plans and other aspects of the research design Some complex
marketing research projects require knowledge of sophisticated procedures including specialized experimental designs and analytical techniques such as conjoint analysis and multidimensional scaling This kind of expertise can be obtained from firms and consultants specializing in analytical services
Data analysis services are offered by firms also known as tab houses that specialize in computer analysis of quantitative data such as those obtained in large surveys Initially most data analysis firms supplied only tabulations (frequency counts) and cross tabulations (frequency counts that describe two or more variables simultaneously) With the proliferation of software many firms now have the capability to analyze their own data but data analysis firms are still in demand
Branded marketing research products and services are specialized data collection and analysis procedures developed to address specific types of marketing research problems These procedures are patented given brand names and marketed like any other branded product
Types of marketing research
Marketing research techniques come in many forms including
Ad Tracking ndash periodic or continuous in-market research to monitor a brandrsquos performance using measures such as brand awareness brand preference and product usage (Young 2005)
Advertising Research ndash used to predict copy testing or track the efficacy of advertisements for any medium measured by the adrsquos ability to get attention (measured with Attention Tracking) communicate the message build the brandrsquos image and motivate the consumer to purchase the product or service (Young 2005)
Brand equity research - how favorably do consumers view the brand
Brand association research - what do consumers associate with the brand
Brand attribute research - what are the key traits that describe the brand promise
Brand name testing - what do consumers feel about the names of the products
Commercial eye tracking research - examine advertisements package designs websites etc by analyzing visual behavior of the consumer
Concept testing - to test the acceptance of a concept by target consumers
Cool hunting - to make observations and predictions in changes of new or existing cultural trends in areas such as fashion music films television youth culture and lifestyle
Buyer decision processes research - to determine what motivates people to buy and what decision-making process they use
Copy testing ndash predicts in-market performance of an ad before it airs by analyzing audience levels of attention brand linkage motivation entertainment and communication as well as breaking down the adrsquos flow of attention and flow of emotion (Young p 213)
Customer satisfaction research - quantitative or qualitative studies that yields an understanding of a customers of satisfaction with a transaction
Demand estimation - to determine the approximate level of demand for the product
Distribution channel audits - to assess distributorsrsquo and retailersrsquo attitudes toward a product brand or company
Internet strategic intelligence - searching for customer opinions in the Internet chats forums web pages blogs where people express freely about their experiences with products becoming strong opinion formers
Marketing effectiveness and analytics - Building models and measuring results to determine the effectiveness of individual marketing activities
Mystery Consumer or Mystery shopping - An employee or representative of the market research firm anonymously contacts a salesperson and indicates he or she is shopping for a product The shopper then records the entire experience This method is often used for quality control or for researching competitors products
Positioning research - how does the target market see the brand relative to competitors - what does the brand stand for
Price elasticity testing - to determine how sensitive customers are to price changes
Sales forecasting - to determine the expected level of sales given the level of demand With respect to other factors like Advertising expenditure sales promotion etc
Segmentation research - to determine the demographic psychographic and behavioural characteristics of potential buyers
Online panel - a group of individual who accepted to respond to marketing research online
Store audit - to measure the sales of a product or product line at a statistically selected store sample in order to determine market share or to determine whether a retail store provides adequate service
Test marketing - a small-scale product launch used to determine the likely acceptance of the product when it is introduced into a wider market
Viral Marketing Research - refers to marketing research designed to estimate the probability that specific communications will be transmitted throughout an individuals Social Network Estimates of Social Networking Potential (SNP) are combined with estimates of selling effectiveness to estimate ROI on specific combinations of messages and media
All of these forms of marketing research can be classified as either problem-identification research or as problem-solving research
There are two main sources of data - primary and secondary Primary research is conducted from scratch It is original and collected to solve the problem in hand Secondary research already exists since it has been collected for other purposes It is conducted on data published previously and usually by someone else Secondary research costs far less than primary research but seldom comes in a form that exactly meets the needs of the researcher
A similar distinction exists between exploratory research and conclusive research Exploratory research provides insights into and comprehension of an issue or situation It should draw definitive conclusions only with extreme caution Conclusive research draws conclusions the results of the study can be generalized to the whole population
Exploratory research is conducted to explore a problem to get some basic idea about the solution at the preliminary stages of research It may serve as the input to conclusive research Exploratory research information is collected by focus group interviews reviewing literature or books discussing with experts etc This is unstructured and qualitative in nature If a secondary source of data is unable to serve the purpose a convenience sample of small size can be collected Conclusive research is conducted to draw some conclusion about the problem It is essentially structured and quantitative research and the
output of this research is the input to MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS (MIS)
Marketing research methods
Methodologically marketing research uses the following types of research designs
Based on questioning
Qualitative marketing research - generally used for exploratory purposes - small number of respondents - not generalizable to the whole population - statistical significance and confidence not calculated - examples include focus groups in-depth interviews and projective techniques
Quantitative marketing research - generally used to draw conclusions - tests a specific hypothesis - uses random sampling techniques so as to infer from the sample to the population - involves a large number of respondents - examples include surveys and questionnaires Techniques include choice modelling maximum difference preference scaling and covariance analysis
Based on observations
Ethnographic studies - by nature qualitative the researcher observes social phenomena in their natural setting - observations can
occur cross-sectionally (observations made at one time) or longitudinally (observations occur over several time-periods) ndash
examples include product-use analysis and computer cookie traces See also Ethnography and Observational techniques
Experimental techniques - by nature quantitative the researcher creates a quasi-artificial environment to try to control spurious factors
then manipulates at least one of the variables - examples include purchase laboratories and test markets
Questionnaires 1 What are the objectives of the marketing strategy Are they clearly stated Are they consistent with the objectives of the firm Is the entire marketing mix structured to meet these objectives
2 What marketing concepts are at issue in the current strategy Is the marketing strategy well planned and laid out Is the strategy consistent with sound marketing principles If the strategy takes exception to marketing principles is there a good reason for it
3 To what target market is the strategy directed Is it well defined Is the market large enough to be profitably served Does the market have long-run potential
4 What competitive advantage does the marketing strategy offer If none what can be done to gain a competitive advantage in the marketplace
5 What products are being sold What is the width depth and consistency of the firms product lines Does the firm need new products to fill out its product line Should any product be deleted What is the profitability of the various products
6 What promotion mix is being used Is promotion consistent with the products and product images What could be done to improve the promotion mix
7 What channels of distribution are being used Do they deliver the product at the right time and right place to meet consumer needs Are the channels typical of those used in the industry Could channels be made more efficient
8 What pricing strategies are being used How do prices compare with similar products of other firms How are prices determined
9 Are marketing research and information systematically integrated into the marketing strategy Is the overall marketing strategy internally consistent
These can be studied according to the formally assigned responsibility Personnel who have full-time responsibility One sales office man has daily contact with the customer Additionally one applications engineer is engaged on work for this customer Finally one man determines market trends and is in contact with the customers marketing personnel and customers clients Personnel with `half-time responsibility Four applications engineers also spend some of their time on the customers problems and are in personal contact with customer staff
PURPOSE OF A MARKETING PLAN
The purpose of a Marketing Plan is to-
1048766Define the Market
1048766Refine the Production Plan to market requirements
1048766Develop a marketing strategy
1048766Minimize risk
Each FFT group should have a Marketing Plan covering each commodity based on their own study of the local market
Defining the Market and Commodities-
1048766Market demand and prices -An assessment based on published market information discussions with local extension staff farmers dealers and buyers of the commodity of the likely demand and prices on offer during the year and during any period of seasonal shortfall
1048766Market Requirement- Varieties size grading packaging maturity demanded by the buyers in the particular market
1048766Yield Price Assumptions- How much commodity will be available How much premium grade Second grade Losses If the commodity crop is aimed to be produced for a particular period eg for a low supply period while the price assumptions (expectation) may be higher some reassessment of yield and cost of production assumptions in the gross margin analysis or partial budgets is usually necessary 1048766Marketing Returns and Costs Calculate expected income and costs in marketing
The Most Important Elements of Marketing There are four important elements in the marketing process
1048766Prioritising the customer Marketing begins with the customer not the product Knowing what the customer needs or wants is essential
1048766Process of selection The farmer needs to know who to sell the product to This will determine how and where the produce is marketed
1048766Promotion The farmer is selling something that other people want to buy Naturally it is helpful to let them know that the product is available and of good quality
The Marketing Training Manual 23 Marketing Module 3 Markets and Marketing
1048766Trust Good marketing occurs when the customers trust the farmer The customer should feel they are not being cheated and they are getting value for their money
In thinking about these elements farmers need to ask themselves about the six Ps
bull P p eople Who are the customers What do they want or need Who is actually going to market the product
bull P p lan How is the product going to reach the selected customers What are the steps
bull product What product is going to be marketed Is the family producing what the customer wants What services (for example a cooked product) if any are requested by the customer
bull place Where is the product going to be marketed
bull price What price will the product be offered on the market for
bull promotion How are people going to be informed that the product is available
Supply Demand and Price
In a free market prices for inputs and products are determined by supply and demand
Supply Is what producers are willing to market at a certain price
Demand Is how much consumers are prepared to buy at the market price
In theory as the price of a product goes up the quantity supplied rises and the quantity demanded falls Likewise when the price goes down the quantity supplied falls and the quantity demanded rises
For agricultural produce demand is affected by a number of factors the most
The Marketing Training Manual 24 Marketing Module 3 Markets and Marketing
Industrial or business to business (B2B) marketing
An organization seeks to build a new warehouse After documenting requirements it obtains three proposals from suitable construction firms After a long process of evaluation and negotiation it places an order with the organization that it believes offers the best value for money
An organization needs legal services and obtains submissions from two law firms Analysis of the proposals and subsequent discussions determines that there is no price advantage to placing all of the work with one firm and the organization decides to split the work between the two firms based on an evaluation of each firms capabilities
A sales representative makes an appointment with an organization that employs 22 people He demonstrates a photocopierfaxprinter to the office administrator After discussing a proposal the business owner signs a contract to obtain the machine on a fully-maintained rental and consumables basis with an upgrade after 2 years
Main features of the B2B selling process are
Marketing is one-to-one in nature It is relatively easy for the seller to identify a prospective customers and build a face-to-face relationship Highly professional and trained people in buying processes are involved In many cases two or three decision makers must approve a purchase plan Often the buying or selling process is complex and includes many stages (for example request for proposal request for tender selection process awarding of tender contract negotiations and signing of final contract) Selling activities involve long processes of prospecting qualifying wooing making representations preparing tenders developing strategies and contract negotiations
Blurring between B2B and B2C
Industrial marketing can cross the border into consumer marketing For example an electronic component seller may distribute its products through industrial marketing channels (see channel (marketing)) but also support consumer sales Many products are equally desired by business and consumersmdashsuch as audio products furniture paint hardware etc Nonetheless manufactures and service providers frequently maintain separate industrial and consumer marketing operations to reflect the different needs of the two channels
Competitive tendering
Industrial marketing often involves competitive tendering (see tender tendering) This is a process where a purchasing organization undertakes to procure goods and services from suitable suppliers Due to the high value of some purchases (for example buying a new computer system manufacturing
machinery or outsourcing a maintenance contract) and the complexity of such purchases the purchasing organization will seek to obtain a number of bids from competing suppliers and choose the best offering An entire profession (strategic procurement) that includes tertiary training and qualifications has been built around the process of making important purchases The key requirement in any competitive tender is to ensure that
The business case for the purchase has been completed and approved
The purchasing organizations objectives for the purchase are clearly defined
The procurement process is agreed upon and it conforms with fiscal guidelines and organisational policies The selection criteria have been established
A budget has been estimated and the financial resources are available
A buying team (or committee) has been assembled
A specification has been written
A preliminary scan of the market place has determined that enough potential suppliers are available to make the process viable (this can sometimes be achieved using an expression of interest process)
It has been clearly established that a competitive tendering process is the best method for meeting the objectives of this purchasing project If (for example) it was known that there was only one organisation capable of supplying best to get on with talking to them and negotiating a contract
Because of the significant value of many purchases issues of probity arise Organisations seek to ensure that awarding a contract is based on best fit to the agreed criteria and not bribery corruption or incompetence
Bidding process
Suppliers who are seeking to win a competitive tender go through a bidding process At its most primitive this would consist of evaluating the specification (issued by the purchasing organization) designing a suitable proposal and working out a price This is a primitive approach because
There is an old saying in industrial marketing if the first time you have heard about a tender is when you are invited to submit then you have already lost it
While flippant the previous point illustrates a basic requirement for being successful in competitive tendering it is important to develop a strong relationship with a prospective customer organization well before they have started the formal part of their procurement process
Non-tender purchasing
Not all industrial sales involve competitive tendering Tender processes are time consuming and expensive particularly when executed with the aim of ensuring probity Government agencies are particularly likely to utilise elaborate competitive tendering processes due to the expectation that they should be seen at all times to be responsibly and accountably spending public monies Private companies are able to avoid the complexity of a fully transparent tender process but are still able to run the procurement process with some rigourBeneficial
Developing a sales strategysolution sellingtechnical selling
The art of technical selling (solution selling) follows a three stage process
Stage 1 Sell the appointment Never sell over the telephone The aim of the first contact with a prospective purchaser is to sell the appointment The reason is simple industrial sales are complex any attempt to sell over the phone will trivialise your product or service and run the risk of not fully understanding the customers need
Stage 2 Understand their needs The best method of selling is to minimise the information about your goods or services until you have fully understood your customers requirements
Stage 3 Develop and propose a solution The solution is (of course) developed from your (or the firm that you represents) product or service offerings
Marketing supports solution selling through methods like account-based marketingmdashunderstanding a specific target organizations requirements as the foundation of a marketing program As research shows[1] sales success is heavily weighted towards suppliers who understand the customer In UK research 77 per cent of senior decision-makers believe new suppliers marketing From cannon fodder to preferred tenderer
The term cannon fodder derives from the World Wars and refers to the massing of undertrained and recently recruited troops sent to the fronts to face the enemy Such troops invariably had a poor survival rate but provided the tactical advantage of distracting the enemy while
professional soldiers mounted more effective operations In adopting the term to Industrial Marketing it means those bids being submitted that have no chance of winning but are involved to make up the numbers (you cant have only one bid in a competitive tender process that wouldnt satisfy the requirements of probity) (for example in government tenders or for private enterprise the requirement to truly test the market and to keep them honest) The reader might be wondering why anybody would go to all of the work of submitting a tender when they had no chance of winning for the same reason that troops were sent in to battle to die they thought they had a real chance
The key features of a successful industrial sales organisation
In industrial marketing the personal selling is still very effective because many products must be customized to suit the requirements of the individual customer Indicators such as the sales tunnel give information on the expected sales in the near future the hit rate indicates whether the sales organization is busy with promising sales leads or it is spending too much effort on projects that are eventually lost to the competition or that are abandoned by the prospect
RESEARCH PROBLEM
1 Identify your target market
Which businesses need cleaning services Which ones can afford it and will pay for it Why
In your case I would think that small businesses may not be your ideal client But then again define small business Are you referring to sales volume or number of employees
I can tell you right now as a marketing consultant that has worked with a wide variety of businesses including small companies
Small businesses are very price sensitive and prefer to do more themselves rather than pay someone else (They hold this belief even if it would free up more time to be more productive Go figure)
So before you randomly begin picking a target market have a rational reason why Continue to read below and youll begin to see what I am talking about
2 Determine their wants and needs
It may be obvious to you but ask yourself Why would someone want a clean office
These businesses never have walk-in traffic They do not have customers visit them So naturally there is far less of a concern for a clean office Sure it would be nice to have but since no revenue will be lost if their office is not spectacular looking they are not motivated to do anything about it
However seek out the businesses that do deal with customers directly especially professional services where they have very high end clients visit them Now they NEED a very presentable office or they risk losing out on a lot of revenue
3 Determine the level and type of demand
If you have ever read any of my previous work you will know that I am a very strong advocate of knowing whether the type of demand is Primary Demand or Selective Demand It is one of the most overlooked aspects of marketing being ignored today
Primary Demand If a business does not already use your TYPE of service and is not currently considering doing so you will need to create primary demand Simply put you will have to convince them first to even want your type of service (or product) before you even get them to buy it from you
So for your cleaning business example if you are approaching businesses that currently do not use a cleaning service you will have to explain the time saving and productivity enhancing benefits of using one Then explain why YOU are the one they need
Selective Demand These businesses already use a service (or product) or are in the market for it and are actively looking In these cases you do not need to spend much effort convincing them why they need it
In this case you must state your argument why your cleaning service should be the one they choose
This is what you will encounter when you call on or contact businesses already using a cleaning service They will either be satisfied or unsatisfied with their current service provider Your emphasis will have to be on conquest sales -- meaning stealing customers from your competition
Now in your line of business and in many others slashing prices always seems to be the first technique used to steal customers This may work well for selling products But if you are marketing services let me tell you thisthink twice before doing that
Yes I am fully aware of the fact that there will be businesses that will be open to talking to you if you offer them a better deal In some cases they may feel they are legitimately getting ripped off or paying way
too much right now And they just might be right In those cases if you can give them a fair price that is a better deal for them AND still gives you healthy profit margins then go for it
However if you are slashing prices just to gain clients arent you really just hurting yourself in the long run First of all you can easily get into the game of How low will they go Secondly it de-values your perception of quality if you are cheap Thirdly whos to say after all this effort you wont lose the business in a month or two when someone else quotes them an even lower price
What will you do next price so low that you lose money with every client I didnt think so
Heres what you could do though
4 Develop a Hypothesis and a Solution to Match
After you know your target market have defined their needs and analyzed the competitive picture (currently using or not currently using a service like mine) go ahead and develop a clearly thought out hypothesis
For example start with business NOT currently using a cleaning service but that deal with customers or clients regularly at their location
Develop a strong case for WHY they would be wise to invest in your
cleaning services Show them on a break-even analysis that your fee will be well compensated in either customer retention or converting a higher level of store traffic or business appointments into paying customersclients
Then state your case why it is more cost effective and saves them valuable time to outsource this to you rather than doing it themselves or paying an employee overtime to do it You can also emphasize that you are the expert at this not someones secretary so it is expected that you will do a far better job at it
For businesses that ARE already using a cleaning service or are currently shopping for one state why you are unique and better
Determine the really compelling reasons why these businesses want a cleaning service to begin with
Maybe it is a retail store that wants to create a better first impression for their customers This will ultimately lead to a better customer experience and ultimately more in-store purchases
A good example may be that unlike most competitors you also clean windows Well as a marketing consultant to retail businesses I can tell you that many passerbys will first look in a store window before deciding to walk in or not
Now for successful marketing all retail businesses would perform better if they had more in-store traffic So therefore if your cleaning service also cleans windows you could rightfully justify that your services are more valuable to their retail business You actually HELP
them get more customers and sell more products
Maybe it is a professional service business that needs to impress prospective clients to choose their services over a similar competitor
Your cleaning service may dust chairs and polish wooden conference tables Many other cleaning services may not do this or do a poor job in doing so
Now as marketing consultants to service businesses I can also tell you that if a consultant attorney accountant or any other business professional needs to meet with prospective clients in their office they will appreciate a better appearance So if your cleaning services can provide this better than anyone else (or at least if you tell them about this first) you will get the business or at least be highly considered for it
Whatever the case may be establish what makes you different and have you are best suited to meet their needs
Do you see where I am going with this Your initial marketing questions asked how you can get more business by passing out flyers or sending faxes to small offices Truthfully that is simply not going to work You are not looking at the overall big picture of why anyone would either want to hire a cleaning service or to hire your particular cleaning service
5 You must make AN OFFER
Here are some examples
Marketing messagesales offer to a business that does NOT currently use a cleaning service
If you have never considered using a cleaning service before allow us to show you how XYZ Cleaning Inc can make your storeoffice more presentable to customers and how this newly improved appearance will affect your cash registerbank statement
If you are weary of trying new things dont worry Use us FREE for one month and if you are not completely satisfied with the results if you are not completely confident that it makes a difference to your customers if you are not completely aware of how it raises the morale of your employees then you do not have to using us again
But if YOU DO see a great improvement well make you a great deal on our services simply because we want your long term business Marketing messagesales offer to businesses that DO currently use a cleaning service
I understand that you currently use ABC Cleaners LLC Now you may or may not be completely happy right now but I want to make you a no-risk offer you cant refuse
The truth is that you likely get consumed in your day to day activities in running your business overseeing operations managing employees and handling customers Therefore there may be little imperfections your cleaning service is making that goes unnoticed by you But dont assume for one minute that your customers or potential customers wont notice And remember first impressions DO count
So heres our offer Have us come in the morning after your regular cleaning service cleans your office We will do a thorough inspection with you present and look for anything they may have done a less-than-satisfactory job on Then well show you why you probably over looked it for so long but why your customers will take notice and how they will think differently about you because of it
Now if everything is already 100 completely clean and presentable well thank you for your time and then be on our way But if together we find lots of little things that are carelessly being done we will cleanfix it for you for FREE
Thats right use our services as a compliment to what you are already paying for Compare the quality of work we do to what you are already paying for If you can see the difference in what we do for you compared to what you are already paying for then consider us as your new cleaning service
6 Develop your marketing message
Once you understand the true needs your potential clients have and the unique and competitive solutions you can offer only then should you develop your marketing copy -- your sales pitch
The two examples above incorporate great marketing copy with a strong benefits related offer You can then deliver this through direct mail telemarketing or a combination of both
I would only recommend distributing flyers if you are confident you can place there where they will get read by people who make the decision to hire a cleaning service So if there is an Open Bulletin board in an office building then go for it However they are rare and you probably need permission anyway
Id avoid the fax marketing altogether Its quite annoying ties up there fax line and unless people have already heard of you they are more likely to toss your message in the garbage
Try sending direct mail to the decision makers of these target companies and describe the benefits they will experience from using your services
7 Follow up
Even after identifying the businesses that are most likely to need your services after you have identified a solution and even after you contacted them with a compelling offer you still have to follow up
Chances are they loved the sound of it when they got it They had every intention of following up with you But then just got busy So your follow up call can make all the difference in the world and get your foot in the door in a very big way Then its up to you to DELIVER on your promise
8 ANALYSIS
Market Analysis
The goal of a market analysis is to determine the attractiveness of a market and to understand its evolving opportunities and threats as they relate to the strengths and weaknesses of the firm
David A Aaker outlined the following dimensions of a market analysis
Market size (current and future)
Market growth rate
Market profitability
Industry cost structure
Distribution channels
Market trends
Key success factors
Market Size
The size of the market can be evaluated based on present sales and on potential sales if the use of the product were expanded The following are some information sources for determining market size
government data
trade associations financial data from major players customer surveys
Market Growth Rate
A simple means of forecasting the market growth rate is to extrapolate historical data into the future While this method may provide a first-order estimate it does not predict important turning points A better method is to study growth drivers such as demographic information and sales growth in complementary products Such drivers serve as leading indicators that are more accurate than simply extrapolating historical data
Important inflection points in the market growth rate sometimes can be predicted by constructing a product diffusion curve The shape of the curve can be estimated by studying the characteristics of the adoption rate of a similar product in the past
Ultimately the maturity and decline stages of the product life cycle will be reached Some leading indicators of the decline phase include price pressure caused by competition a decrease in brand loyalty the emergence of substitute products market saturation and the lack of growth drivers
Market Profitability
While different firms in a market will have different levels of profitability the average profit potential for a market can be used as a guideline for knowing how difficult it is to make money in the market Michael Porter devised a useful framework for evaluating the attractiveness of an industry or market This framework known as Porters five forces identifies five factors that influence the market profitability
Buyer power
Supplier power
Barriers to entry
Threat of substitute products
Rivalry among firms in the industry
Industry Cost Structure
The cost structure is important for identifying key factors for success To this end Porters value chain model is useful for determining where value is added and for isolating the costs
The cost structure also is helpful for formulating strategies to develop a competitive advantage For example in some environments the experience curve effect can be used to develop a cost advantage over competitors
Distribution Channels
The following aspects of the distribution system are useful in a market analysis
Existing distribution channels - can be described by how direct they are to the customer
Trends and emerging channels - new channels can offer the opportunity to develop a competitive advantage
Channel power structure - for example in the case of a product having little brand equity retailers have negotiating power over manufacturers and can capture more margin
Market Trends
Changes in the market are important because they often are the source of new opportunities and threats The relevant trends are industry-dependent but some examples include changes in price sensitivity demand for variety and level of emphasis on service and support Regional trends also may be relevant
Key Success Factors
The key success factors are those elements that are necessary in order for the firm to achieve its marketing objectives A few examples of such factors include
Access to essential unique resources
Ability to achieve economies of scale
Access to distribution channels
Technological progress
It is important to consider that key success factors may change over time especially as the product progresses through its life cycle
9 CONCLUSIONS
Organizations engage in marketing research for two reasons
(1) (1) to identify (2) and (2) solve marketing problems
(3)
This distinction serves as a basis for classifying marketing research into problem identification research and problem solving research
Problem identification research is undertaken to help identify problems which are perhaps not apparent on the surface and yet exist or are likely to company image market characteristics sales analysis short-range forecasting long range forecasting and business trends research Research of this type provides information about the marketing environment and helps diagnose a problem For example The findings of problem solving research are used in making decisions which will solve specific marketing problems
The Stanford Research Institute on the other hand conducts an annual survey of consumers that is used to classify persons into homogeneous groups for segmentation purposes The National Purchase Diary panel (NPD) maintains the largest diary panel in the United States
Standardized services are research studies conducted for different client firms but in a standard way For example procedures for measuring
advertising effectiveness have been standardized so that the results can be compared across studies and evaluative norms can be established The Starch Readership Survey is the most widely used service for evaluating print advertisements another well-known service is the Gallup and Robinson Magazine Impact Studies These services are also sold on a syndicated basis
Customized services offer a wide variety of marketing research services customized to suit a clients specific needs Each marketing research project is treated uniquely
Limited-service suppliers specialize in one or a few phases of the marketing research project Services offered by such suppliers are classified as field services coding and data entry data analysis analytical services and branded products Field services collect data through mail personal or telephone interviewing and firms that specialize in interviewing are called field service organizations These organizations may range from small proprietary organizations which operate locally to large multinational organizations with WATS line interviewing facilities Some organizations maintain extensive interviewing facilities across the country for interviewing shoppers in malls
Coding and data entry services include editing completed questionnaires developing a coding scheme and transcribing the data on to diskettes or magnetic tapes for input into the computer NRC Data Systems provides such services
Analytical services include designing and pretesting questionnaires determining the best means of collecting data designing sampling plans and other aspects of the research design Some complex
marketing research projects require knowledge of sophisticated procedures including specialized experimental designs and analytical techniques such as conjoint analysis and multidimensional scaling This kind of expertise can be obtained from firms and consultants specializing in analytical services
Data analysis services are offered by firms also known as tab houses that specialize in computer analysis of quantitative data such as those obtained in large surveys Initially most data analysis firms supplied only tabulations (frequency counts) and cross tabulations (frequency counts that describe two or more variables simultaneously) With the proliferation of software many firms now have the capability to analyze their own data but data analysis firms are still in demand
Branded marketing research products and services are specialized data collection and analysis procedures developed to address specific types of marketing research problems These procedures are patented given brand names and marketed like any other branded product
Types of marketing research
Marketing research techniques come in many forms including
Ad Tracking ndash periodic or continuous in-market research to monitor a brandrsquos performance using measures such as brand awareness brand preference and product usage (Young 2005)
Advertising Research ndash used to predict copy testing or track the efficacy of advertisements for any medium measured by the adrsquos ability to get attention (measured with Attention Tracking) communicate the message build the brandrsquos image and motivate the consumer to purchase the product or service (Young 2005)
Brand equity research - how favorably do consumers view the brand
Brand association research - what do consumers associate with the brand
Brand attribute research - what are the key traits that describe the brand promise
Brand name testing - what do consumers feel about the names of the products
Commercial eye tracking research - examine advertisements package designs websites etc by analyzing visual behavior of the consumer
Concept testing - to test the acceptance of a concept by target consumers
Cool hunting - to make observations and predictions in changes of new or existing cultural trends in areas such as fashion music films television youth culture and lifestyle
Buyer decision processes research - to determine what motivates people to buy and what decision-making process they use
Copy testing ndash predicts in-market performance of an ad before it airs by analyzing audience levels of attention brand linkage motivation entertainment and communication as well as breaking down the adrsquos flow of attention and flow of emotion (Young p 213)
Customer satisfaction research - quantitative or qualitative studies that yields an understanding of a customers of satisfaction with a transaction
Demand estimation - to determine the approximate level of demand for the product
Distribution channel audits - to assess distributorsrsquo and retailersrsquo attitudes toward a product brand or company
Internet strategic intelligence - searching for customer opinions in the Internet chats forums web pages blogs where people express freely about their experiences with products becoming strong opinion formers
Marketing effectiveness and analytics - Building models and measuring results to determine the effectiveness of individual marketing activities
Mystery Consumer or Mystery shopping - An employee or representative of the market research firm anonymously contacts a salesperson and indicates he or she is shopping for a product The shopper then records the entire experience This method is often used for quality control or for researching competitors products
Positioning research - how does the target market see the brand relative to competitors - what does the brand stand for
Price elasticity testing - to determine how sensitive customers are to price changes
Sales forecasting - to determine the expected level of sales given the level of demand With respect to other factors like Advertising expenditure sales promotion etc
Segmentation research - to determine the demographic psychographic and behavioural characteristics of potential buyers
Online panel - a group of individual who accepted to respond to marketing research online
Store audit - to measure the sales of a product or product line at a statistically selected store sample in order to determine market share or to determine whether a retail store provides adequate service
Test marketing - a small-scale product launch used to determine the likely acceptance of the product when it is introduced into a wider market
Viral Marketing Research - refers to marketing research designed to estimate the probability that specific communications will be transmitted throughout an individuals Social Network Estimates of Social Networking Potential (SNP) are combined with estimates of selling effectiveness to estimate ROI on specific combinations of messages and media
All of these forms of marketing research can be classified as either problem-identification research or as problem-solving research
There are two main sources of data - primary and secondary Primary research is conducted from scratch It is original and collected to solve the problem in hand Secondary research already exists since it has been collected for other purposes It is conducted on data published previously and usually by someone else Secondary research costs far less than primary research but seldom comes in a form that exactly meets the needs of the researcher
A similar distinction exists between exploratory research and conclusive research Exploratory research provides insights into and comprehension of an issue or situation It should draw definitive conclusions only with extreme caution Conclusive research draws conclusions the results of the study can be generalized to the whole population
Exploratory research is conducted to explore a problem to get some basic idea about the solution at the preliminary stages of research It may serve as the input to conclusive research Exploratory research information is collected by focus group interviews reviewing literature or books discussing with experts etc This is unstructured and qualitative in nature If a secondary source of data is unable to serve the purpose a convenience sample of small size can be collected Conclusive research is conducted to draw some conclusion about the problem It is essentially structured and quantitative research and the
output of this research is the input to MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS (MIS)
Marketing research methods
Methodologically marketing research uses the following types of research designs
Based on questioning
Qualitative marketing research - generally used for exploratory purposes - small number of respondents - not generalizable to the whole population - statistical significance and confidence not calculated - examples include focus groups in-depth interviews and projective techniques
Quantitative marketing research - generally used to draw conclusions - tests a specific hypothesis - uses random sampling techniques so as to infer from the sample to the population - involves a large number of respondents - examples include surveys and questionnaires Techniques include choice modelling maximum difference preference scaling and covariance analysis
Based on observations
Ethnographic studies - by nature qualitative the researcher observes social phenomena in their natural setting - observations can
occur cross-sectionally (observations made at one time) or longitudinally (observations occur over several time-periods) ndash
examples include product-use analysis and computer cookie traces See also Ethnography and Observational techniques
Experimental techniques - by nature quantitative the researcher creates a quasi-artificial environment to try to control spurious factors
then manipulates at least one of the variables - examples include purchase laboratories and test markets
Questionnaires 1 What are the objectives of the marketing strategy Are they clearly stated Are they consistent with the objectives of the firm Is the entire marketing mix structured to meet these objectives
2 What marketing concepts are at issue in the current strategy Is the marketing strategy well planned and laid out Is the strategy consistent with sound marketing principles If the strategy takes exception to marketing principles is there a good reason for it
3 To what target market is the strategy directed Is it well defined Is the market large enough to be profitably served Does the market have long-run potential
4 What competitive advantage does the marketing strategy offer If none what can be done to gain a competitive advantage in the marketplace
5 What products are being sold What is the width depth and consistency of the firms product lines Does the firm need new products to fill out its product line Should any product be deleted What is the profitability of the various products
6 What promotion mix is being used Is promotion consistent with the products and product images What could be done to improve the promotion mix
7 What channels of distribution are being used Do they deliver the product at the right time and right place to meet consumer needs Are the channels typical of those used in the industry Could channels be made more efficient
8 What pricing strategies are being used How do prices compare with similar products of other firms How are prices determined
9 Are marketing research and information systematically integrated into the marketing strategy Is the overall marketing strategy internally consistent
1048766Yield Price Assumptions- How much commodity will be available How much premium grade Second grade Losses If the commodity crop is aimed to be produced for a particular period eg for a low supply period while the price assumptions (expectation) may be higher some reassessment of yield and cost of production assumptions in the gross margin analysis or partial budgets is usually necessary 1048766Marketing Returns and Costs Calculate expected income and costs in marketing
The Most Important Elements of Marketing There are four important elements in the marketing process
1048766Prioritising the customer Marketing begins with the customer not the product Knowing what the customer needs or wants is essential
1048766Process of selection The farmer needs to know who to sell the product to This will determine how and where the produce is marketed
1048766Promotion The farmer is selling something that other people want to buy Naturally it is helpful to let them know that the product is available and of good quality
The Marketing Training Manual 23 Marketing Module 3 Markets and Marketing
1048766Trust Good marketing occurs when the customers trust the farmer The customer should feel they are not being cheated and they are getting value for their money
In thinking about these elements farmers need to ask themselves about the six Ps
bull P p eople Who are the customers What do they want or need Who is actually going to market the product
bull P p lan How is the product going to reach the selected customers What are the steps
bull product What product is going to be marketed Is the family producing what the customer wants What services (for example a cooked product) if any are requested by the customer
bull place Where is the product going to be marketed
bull price What price will the product be offered on the market for
bull promotion How are people going to be informed that the product is available
Supply Demand and Price
In a free market prices for inputs and products are determined by supply and demand
Supply Is what producers are willing to market at a certain price
Demand Is how much consumers are prepared to buy at the market price
In theory as the price of a product goes up the quantity supplied rises and the quantity demanded falls Likewise when the price goes down the quantity supplied falls and the quantity demanded rises
For agricultural produce demand is affected by a number of factors the most
The Marketing Training Manual 24 Marketing Module 3 Markets and Marketing
Industrial or business to business (B2B) marketing
An organization seeks to build a new warehouse After documenting requirements it obtains three proposals from suitable construction firms After a long process of evaluation and negotiation it places an order with the organization that it believes offers the best value for money
An organization needs legal services and obtains submissions from two law firms Analysis of the proposals and subsequent discussions determines that there is no price advantage to placing all of the work with one firm and the organization decides to split the work between the two firms based on an evaluation of each firms capabilities
A sales representative makes an appointment with an organization that employs 22 people He demonstrates a photocopierfaxprinter to the office administrator After discussing a proposal the business owner signs a contract to obtain the machine on a fully-maintained rental and consumables basis with an upgrade after 2 years
Main features of the B2B selling process are
Marketing is one-to-one in nature It is relatively easy for the seller to identify a prospective customers and build a face-to-face relationship Highly professional and trained people in buying processes are involved In many cases two or three decision makers must approve a purchase plan Often the buying or selling process is complex and includes many stages (for example request for proposal request for tender selection process awarding of tender contract negotiations and signing of final contract) Selling activities involve long processes of prospecting qualifying wooing making representations preparing tenders developing strategies and contract negotiations
Blurring between B2B and B2C
Industrial marketing can cross the border into consumer marketing For example an electronic component seller may distribute its products through industrial marketing channels (see channel (marketing)) but also support consumer sales Many products are equally desired by business and consumersmdashsuch as audio products furniture paint hardware etc Nonetheless manufactures and service providers frequently maintain separate industrial and consumer marketing operations to reflect the different needs of the two channels
Competitive tendering
Industrial marketing often involves competitive tendering (see tender tendering) This is a process where a purchasing organization undertakes to procure goods and services from suitable suppliers Due to the high value of some purchases (for example buying a new computer system manufacturing
machinery or outsourcing a maintenance contract) and the complexity of such purchases the purchasing organization will seek to obtain a number of bids from competing suppliers and choose the best offering An entire profession (strategic procurement) that includes tertiary training and qualifications has been built around the process of making important purchases The key requirement in any competitive tender is to ensure that
The business case for the purchase has been completed and approved
The purchasing organizations objectives for the purchase are clearly defined
The procurement process is agreed upon and it conforms with fiscal guidelines and organisational policies The selection criteria have been established
A budget has been estimated and the financial resources are available
A buying team (or committee) has been assembled
A specification has been written
A preliminary scan of the market place has determined that enough potential suppliers are available to make the process viable (this can sometimes be achieved using an expression of interest process)
It has been clearly established that a competitive tendering process is the best method for meeting the objectives of this purchasing project If (for example) it was known that there was only one organisation capable of supplying best to get on with talking to them and negotiating a contract
Because of the significant value of many purchases issues of probity arise Organisations seek to ensure that awarding a contract is based on best fit to the agreed criteria and not bribery corruption or incompetence
Bidding process
Suppliers who are seeking to win a competitive tender go through a bidding process At its most primitive this would consist of evaluating the specification (issued by the purchasing organization) designing a suitable proposal and working out a price This is a primitive approach because
There is an old saying in industrial marketing if the first time you have heard about a tender is when you are invited to submit then you have already lost it
While flippant the previous point illustrates a basic requirement for being successful in competitive tendering it is important to develop a strong relationship with a prospective customer organization well before they have started the formal part of their procurement process
Non-tender purchasing
Not all industrial sales involve competitive tendering Tender processes are time consuming and expensive particularly when executed with the aim of ensuring probity Government agencies are particularly likely to utilise elaborate competitive tendering processes due to the expectation that they should be seen at all times to be responsibly and accountably spending public monies Private companies are able to avoid the complexity of a fully transparent tender process but are still able to run the procurement process with some rigourBeneficial
Developing a sales strategysolution sellingtechnical selling
The art of technical selling (solution selling) follows a three stage process
Stage 1 Sell the appointment Never sell over the telephone The aim of the first contact with a prospective purchaser is to sell the appointment The reason is simple industrial sales are complex any attempt to sell over the phone will trivialise your product or service and run the risk of not fully understanding the customers need
Stage 2 Understand their needs The best method of selling is to minimise the information about your goods or services until you have fully understood your customers requirements
Stage 3 Develop and propose a solution The solution is (of course) developed from your (or the firm that you represents) product or service offerings
Marketing supports solution selling through methods like account-based marketingmdashunderstanding a specific target organizations requirements as the foundation of a marketing program As research shows[1] sales success is heavily weighted towards suppliers who understand the customer In UK research 77 per cent of senior decision-makers believe new suppliers marketing From cannon fodder to preferred tenderer
The term cannon fodder derives from the World Wars and refers to the massing of undertrained and recently recruited troops sent to the fronts to face the enemy Such troops invariably had a poor survival rate but provided the tactical advantage of distracting the enemy while
professional soldiers mounted more effective operations In adopting the term to Industrial Marketing it means those bids being submitted that have no chance of winning but are involved to make up the numbers (you cant have only one bid in a competitive tender process that wouldnt satisfy the requirements of probity) (for example in government tenders or for private enterprise the requirement to truly test the market and to keep them honest) The reader might be wondering why anybody would go to all of the work of submitting a tender when they had no chance of winning for the same reason that troops were sent in to battle to die they thought they had a real chance
The key features of a successful industrial sales organisation
In industrial marketing the personal selling is still very effective because many products must be customized to suit the requirements of the individual customer Indicators such as the sales tunnel give information on the expected sales in the near future the hit rate indicates whether the sales organization is busy with promising sales leads or it is spending too much effort on projects that are eventually lost to the competition or that are abandoned by the prospect
RESEARCH PROBLEM
1 Identify your target market
Which businesses need cleaning services Which ones can afford it and will pay for it Why
In your case I would think that small businesses may not be your ideal client But then again define small business Are you referring to sales volume or number of employees
I can tell you right now as a marketing consultant that has worked with a wide variety of businesses including small companies
Small businesses are very price sensitive and prefer to do more themselves rather than pay someone else (They hold this belief even if it would free up more time to be more productive Go figure)
So before you randomly begin picking a target market have a rational reason why Continue to read below and youll begin to see what I am talking about
2 Determine their wants and needs
It may be obvious to you but ask yourself Why would someone want a clean office
These businesses never have walk-in traffic They do not have customers visit them So naturally there is far less of a concern for a clean office Sure it would be nice to have but since no revenue will be lost if their office is not spectacular looking they are not motivated to do anything about it
However seek out the businesses that do deal with customers directly especially professional services where they have very high end clients visit them Now they NEED a very presentable office or they risk losing out on a lot of revenue
3 Determine the level and type of demand
If you have ever read any of my previous work you will know that I am a very strong advocate of knowing whether the type of demand is Primary Demand or Selective Demand It is one of the most overlooked aspects of marketing being ignored today
Primary Demand If a business does not already use your TYPE of service and is not currently considering doing so you will need to create primary demand Simply put you will have to convince them first to even want your type of service (or product) before you even get them to buy it from you
So for your cleaning business example if you are approaching businesses that currently do not use a cleaning service you will have to explain the time saving and productivity enhancing benefits of using one Then explain why YOU are the one they need
Selective Demand These businesses already use a service (or product) or are in the market for it and are actively looking In these cases you do not need to spend much effort convincing them why they need it
In this case you must state your argument why your cleaning service should be the one they choose
This is what you will encounter when you call on or contact businesses already using a cleaning service They will either be satisfied or unsatisfied with their current service provider Your emphasis will have to be on conquest sales -- meaning stealing customers from your competition
Now in your line of business and in many others slashing prices always seems to be the first technique used to steal customers This may work well for selling products But if you are marketing services let me tell you thisthink twice before doing that
Yes I am fully aware of the fact that there will be businesses that will be open to talking to you if you offer them a better deal In some cases they may feel they are legitimately getting ripped off or paying way
too much right now And they just might be right In those cases if you can give them a fair price that is a better deal for them AND still gives you healthy profit margins then go for it
However if you are slashing prices just to gain clients arent you really just hurting yourself in the long run First of all you can easily get into the game of How low will they go Secondly it de-values your perception of quality if you are cheap Thirdly whos to say after all this effort you wont lose the business in a month or two when someone else quotes them an even lower price
What will you do next price so low that you lose money with every client I didnt think so
Heres what you could do though
4 Develop a Hypothesis and a Solution to Match
After you know your target market have defined their needs and analyzed the competitive picture (currently using or not currently using a service like mine) go ahead and develop a clearly thought out hypothesis
For example start with business NOT currently using a cleaning service but that deal with customers or clients regularly at their location
Develop a strong case for WHY they would be wise to invest in your
cleaning services Show them on a break-even analysis that your fee will be well compensated in either customer retention or converting a higher level of store traffic or business appointments into paying customersclients
Then state your case why it is more cost effective and saves them valuable time to outsource this to you rather than doing it themselves or paying an employee overtime to do it You can also emphasize that you are the expert at this not someones secretary so it is expected that you will do a far better job at it
For businesses that ARE already using a cleaning service or are currently shopping for one state why you are unique and better
Determine the really compelling reasons why these businesses want a cleaning service to begin with
Maybe it is a retail store that wants to create a better first impression for their customers This will ultimately lead to a better customer experience and ultimately more in-store purchases
A good example may be that unlike most competitors you also clean windows Well as a marketing consultant to retail businesses I can tell you that many passerbys will first look in a store window before deciding to walk in or not
Now for successful marketing all retail businesses would perform better if they had more in-store traffic So therefore if your cleaning service also cleans windows you could rightfully justify that your services are more valuable to their retail business You actually HELP
them get more customers and sell more products
Maybe it is a professional service business that needs to impress prospective clients to choose their services over a similar competitor
Your cleaning service may dust chairs and polish wooden conference tables Many other cleaning services may not do this or do a poor job in doing so
Now as marketing consultants to service businesses I can also tell you that if a consultant attorney accountant or any other business professional needs to meet with prospective clients in their office they will appreciate a better appearance So if your cleaning services can provide this better than anyone else (or at least if you tell them about this first) you will get the business or at least be highly considered for it
Whatever the case may be establish what makes you different and have you are best suited to meet their needs
Do you see where I am going with this Your initial marketing questions asked how you can get more business by passing out flyers or sending faxes to small offices Truthfully that is simply not going to work You are not looking at the overall big picture of why anyone would either want to hire a cleaning service or to hire your particular cleaning service
5 You must make AN OFFER
Here are some examples
Marketing messagesales offer to a business that does NOT currently use a cleaning service
If you have never considered using a cleaning service before allow us to show you how XYZ Cleaning Inc can make your storeoffice more presentable to customers and how this newly improved appearance will affect your cash registerbank statement
If you are weary of trying new things dont worry Use us FREE for one month and if you are not completely satisfied with the results if you are not completely confident that it makes a difference to your customers if you are not completely aware of how it raises the morale of your employees then you do not have to using us again
But if YOU DO see a great improvement well make you a great deal on our services simply because we want your long term business Marketing messagesales offer to businesses that DO currently use a cleaning service
I understand that you currently use ABC Cleaners LLC Now you may or may not be completely happy right now but I want to make you a no-risk offer you cant refuse
The truth is that you likely get consumed in your day to day activities in running your business overseeing operations managing employees and handling customers Therefore there may be little imperfections your cleaning service is making that goes unnoticed by you But dont assume for one minute that your customers or potential customers wont notice And remember first impressions DO count
So heres our offer Have us come in the morning after your regular cleaning service cleans your office We will do a thorough inspection with you present and look for anything they may have done a less-than-satisfactory job on Then well show you why you probably over looked it for so long but why your customers will take notice and how they will think differently about you because of it
Now if everything is already 100 completely clean and presentable well thank you for your time and then be on our way But if together we find lots of little things that are carelessly being done we will cleanfix it for you for FREE
Thats right use our services as a compliment to what you are already paying for Compare the quality of work we do to what you are already paying for If you can see the difference in what we do for you compared to what you are already paying for then consider us as your new cleaning service
6 Develop your marketing message
Once you understand the true needs your potential clients have and the unique and competitive solutions you can offer only then should you develop your marketing copy -- your sales pitch
The two examples above incorporate great marketing copy with a strong benefits related offer You can then deliver this through direct mail telemarketing or a combination of both
I would only recommend distributing flyers if you are confident you can place there where they will get read by people who make the decision to hire a cleaning service So if there is an Open Bulletin board in an office building then go for it However they are rare and you probably need permission anyway
Id avoid the fax marketing altogether Its quite annoying ties up there fax line and unless people have already heard of you they are more likely to toss your message in the garbage
Try sending direct mail to the decision makers of these target companies and describe the benefits they will experience from using your services
7 Follow up
Even after identifying the businesses that are most likely to need your services after you have identified a solution and even after you contacted them with a compelling offer you still have to follow up
Chances are they loved the sound of it when they got it They had every intention of following up with you But then just got busy So your follow up call can make all the difference in the world and get your foot in the door in a very big way Then its up to you to DELIVER on your promise
8 ANALYSIS
Market Analysis
The goal of a market analysis is to determine the attractiveness of a market and to understand its evolving opportunities and threats as they relate to the strengths and weaknesses of the firm
David A Aaker outlined the following dimensions of a market analysis
Market size (current and future)
Market growth rate
Market profitability
Industry cost structure
Distribution channels
Market trends
Key success factors
Market Size
The size of the market can be evaluated based on present sales and on potential sales if the use of the product were expanded The following are some information sources for determining market size
government data
trade associations financial data from major players customer surveys
Market Growth Rate
A simple means of forecasting the market growth rate is to extrapolate historical data into the future While this method may provide a first-order estimate it does not predict important turning points A better method is to study growth drivers such as demographic information and sales growth in complementary products Such drivers serve as leading indicators that are more accurate than simply extrapolating historical data
Important inflection points in the market growth rate sometimes can be predicted by constructing a product diffusion curve The shape of the curve can be estimated by studying the characteristics of the adoption rate of a similar product in the past
Ultimately the maturity and decline stages of the product life cycle will be reached Some leading indicators of the decline phase include price pressure caused by competition a decrease in brand loyalty the emergence of substitute products market saturation and the lack of growth drivers
Market Profitability
While different firms in a market will have different levels of profitability the average profit potential for a market can be used as a guideline for knowing how difficult it is to make money in the market Michael Porter devised a useful framework for evaluating the attractiveness of an industry or market This framework known as Porters five forces identifies five factors that influence the market profitability
Buyer power
Supplier power
Barriers to entry
Threat of substitute products
Rivalry among firms in the industry
Industry Cost Structure
The cost structure is important for identifying key factors for success To this end Porters value chain model is useful for determining where value is added and for isolating the costs
The cost structure also is helpful for formulating strategies to develop a competitive advantage For example in some environments the experience curve effect can be used to develop a cost advantage over competitors
Distribution Channels
The following aspects of the distribution system are useful in a market analysis
Existing distribution channels - can be described by how direct they are to the customer
Trends and emerging channels - new channels can offer the opportunity to develop a competitive advantage
Channel power structure - for example in the case of a product having little brand equity retailers have negotiating power over manufacturers and can capture more margin
Market Trends
Changes in the market are important because they often are the source of new opportunities and threats The relevant trends are industry-dependent but some examples include changes in price sensitivity demand for variety and level of emphasis on service and support Regional trends also may be relevant
Key Success Factors
The key success factors are those elements that are necessary in order for the firm to achieve its marketing objectives A few examples of such factors include
Access to essential unique resources
Ability to achieve economies of scale
Access to distribution channels
Technological progress
It is important to consider that key success factors may change over time especially as the product progresses through its life cycle
9 CONCLUSIONS
Organizations engage in marketing research for two reasons
(1) (1) to identify (2) and (2) solve marketing problems
(3)
This distinction serves as a basis for classifying marketing research into problem identification research and problem solving research
Problem identification research is undertaken to help identify problems which are perhaps not apparent on the surface and yet exist or are likely to company image market characteristics sales analysis short-range forecasting long range forecasting and business trends research Research of this type provides information about the marketing environment and helps diagnose a problem For example The findings of problem solving research are used in making decisions which will solve specific marketing problems
The Stanford Research Institute on the other hand conducts an annual survey of consumers that is used to classify persons into homogeneous groups for segmentation purposes The National Purchase Diary panel (NPD) maintains the largest diary panel in the United States
Standardized services are research studies conducted for different client firms but in a standard way For example procedures for measuring
advertising effectiveness have been standardized so that the results can be compared across studies and evaluative norms can be established The Starch Readership Survey is the most widely used service for evaluating print advertisements another well-known service is the Gallup and Robinson Magazine Impact Studies These services are also sold on a syndicated basis
Customized services offer a wide variety of marketing research services customized to suit a clients specific needs Each marketing research project is treated uniquely
Limited-service suppliers specialize in one or a few phases of the marketing research project Services offered by such suppliers are classified as field services coding and data entry data analysis analytical services and branded products Field services collect data through mail personal or telephone interviewing and firms that specialize in interviewing are called field service organizations These organizations may range from small proprietary organizations which operate locally to large multinational organizations with WATS line interviewing facilities Some organizations maintain extensive interviewing facilities across the country for interviewing shoppers in malls
Coding and data entry services include editing completed questionnaires developing a coding scheme and transcribing the data on to diskettes or magnetic tapes for input into the computer NRC Data Systems provides such services
Analytical services include designing and pretesting questionnaires determining the best means of collecting data designing sampling plans and other aspects of the research design Some complex
marketing research projects require knowledge of sophisticated procedures including specialized experimental designs and analytical techniques such as conjoint analysis and multidimensional scaling This kind of expertise can be obtained from firms and consultants specializing in analytical services
Data analysis services are offered by firms also known as tab houses that specialize in computer analysis of quantitative data such as those obtained in large surveys Initially most data analysis firms supplied only tabulations (frequency counts) and cross tabulations (frequency counts that describe two or more variables simultaneously) With the proliferation of software many firms now have the capability to analyze their own data but data analysis firms are still in demand
Branded marketing research products and services are specialized data collection and analysis procedures developed to address specific types of marketing research problems These procedures are patented given brand names and marketed like any other branded product
Types of marketing research
Marketing research techniques come in many forms including
Ad Tracking ndash periodic or continuous in-market research to monitor a brandrsquos performance using measures such as brand awareness brand preference and product usage (Young 2005)
Advertising Research ndash used to predict copy testing or track the efficacy of advertisements for any medium measured by the adrsquos ability to get attention (measured with Attention Tracking) communicate the message build the brandrsquos image and motivate the consumer to purchase the product or service (Young 2005)
Brand equity research - how favorably do consumers view the brand
Brand association research - what do consumers associate with the brand
Brand attribute research - what are the key traits that describe the brand promise
Brand name testing - what do consumers feel about the names of the products
Commercial eye tracking research - examine advertisements package designs websites etc by analyzing visual behavior of the consumer
Concept testing - to test the acceptance of a concept by target consumers
Cool hunting - to make observations and predictions in changes of new or existing cultural trends in areas such as fashion music films television youth culture and lifestyle
Buyer decision processes research - to determine what motivates people to buy and what decision-making process they use
Copy testing ndash predicts in-market performance of an ad before it airs by analyzing audience levels of attention brand linkage motivation entertainment and communication as well as breaking down the adrsquos flow of attention and flow of emotion (Young p 213)
Customer satisfaction research - quantitative or qualitative studies that yields an understanding of a customers of satisfaction with a transaction
Demand estimation - to determine the approximate level of demand for the product
Distribution channel audits - to assess distributorsrsquo and retailersrsquo attitudes toward a product brand or company
Internet strategic intelligence - searching for customer opinions in the Internet chats forums web pages blogs where people express freely about their experiences with products becoming strong opinion formers
Marketing effectiveness and analytics - Building models and measuring results to determine the effectiveness of individual marketing activities
Mystery Consumer or Mystery shopping - An employee or representative of the market research firm anonymously contacts a salesperson and indicates he or she is shopping for a product The shopper then records the entire experience This method is often used for quality control or for researching competitors products
Positioning research - how does the target market see the brand relative to competitors - what does the brand stand for
Price elasticity testing - to determine how sensitive customers are to price changes
Sales forecasting - to determine the expected level of sales given the level of demand With respect to other factors like Advertising expenditure sales promotion etc
Segmentation research - to determine the demographic psychographic and behavioural characteristics of potential buyers
Online panel - a group of individual who accepted to respond to marketing research online
Store audit - to measure the sales of a product or product line at a statistically selected store sample in order to determine market share or to determine whether a retail store provides adequate service
Test marketing - a small-scale product launch used to determine the likely acceptance of the product when it is introduced into a wider market
Viral Marketing Research - refers to marketing research designed to estimate the probability that specific communications will be transmitted throughout an individuals Social Network Estimates of Social Networking Potential (SNP) are combined with estimates of selling effectiveness to estimate ROI on specific combinations of messages and media
All of these forms of marketing research can be classified as either problem-identification research or as problem-solving research
There are two main sources of data - primary and secondary Primary research is conducted from scratch It is original and collected to solve the problem in hand Secondary research already exists since it has been collected for other purposes It is conducted on data published previously and usually by someone else Secondary research costs far less than primary research but seldom comes in a form that exactly meets the needs of the researcher
A similar distinction exists between exploratory research and conclusive research Exploratory research provides insights into and comprehension of an issue or situation It should draw definitive conclusions only with extreme caution Conclusive research draws conclusions the results of the study can be generalized to the whole population
Exploratory research is conducted to explore a problem to get some basic idea about the solution at the preliminary stages of research It may serve as the input to conclusive research Exploratory research information is collected by focus group interviews reviewing literature or books discussing with experts etc This is unstructured and qualitative in nature If a secondary source of data is unable to serve the purpose a convenience sample of small size can be collected Conclusive research is conducted to draw some conclusion about the problem It is essentially structured and quantitative research and the
output of this research is the input to MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS (MIS)
Marketing research methods
Methodologically marketing research uses the following types of research designs
Based on questioning
Qualitative marketing research - generally used for exploratory purposes - small number of respondents - not generalizable to the whole population - statistical significance and confidence not calculated - examples include focus groups in-depth interviews and projective techniques
Quantitative marketing research - generally used to draw conclusions - tests a specific hypothesis - uses random sampling techniques so as to infer from the sample to the population - involves a large number of respondents - examples include surveys and questionnaires Techniques include choice modelling maximum difference preference scaling and covariance analysis
Based on observations
Ethnographic studies - by nature qualitative the researcher observes social phenomena in their natural setting - observations can
occur cross-sectionally (observations made at one time) or longitudinally (observations occur over several time-periods) ndash
examples include product-use analysis and computer cookie traces See also Ethnography and Observational techniques
Experimental techniques - by nature quantitative the researcher creates a quasi-artificial environment to try to control spurious factors
then manipulates at least one of the variables - examples include purchase laboratories and test markets
Questionnaires 1 What are the objectives of the marketing strategy Are they clearly stated Are they consistent with the objectives of the firm Is the entire marketing mix structured to meet these objectives
2 What marketing concepts are at issue in the current strategy Is the marketing strategy well planned and laid out Is the strategy consistent with sound marketing principles If the strategy takes exception to marketing principles is there a good reason for it
3 To what target market is the strategy directed Is it well defined Is the market large enough to be profitably served Does the market have long-run potential
4 What competitive advantage does the marketing strategy offer If none what can be done to gain a competitive advantage in the marketplace
5 What products are being sold What is the width depth and consistency of the firms product lines Does the firm need new products to fill out its product line Should any product be deleted What is the profitability of the various products
6 What promotion mix is being used Is promotion consistent with the products and product images What could be done to improve the promotion mix
7 What channels of distribution are being used Do they deliver the product at the right time and right place to meet consumer needs Are the channels typical of those used in the industry Could channels be made more efficient
8 What pricing strategies are being used How do prices compare with similar products of other firms How are prices determined
9 Are marketing research and information systematically integrated into the marketing strategy Is the overall marketing strategy internally consistent
In thinking about these elements farmers need to ask themselves about the six Ps
bull P p eople Who are the customers What do they want or need Who is actually going to market the product
bull P p lan How is the product going to reach the selected customers What are the steps
bull product What product is going to be marketed Is the family producing what the customer wants What services (for example a cooked product) if any are requested by the customer
bull place Where is the product going to be marketed
bull price What price will the product be offered on the market for
bull promotion How are people going to be informed that the product is available
Supply Demand and Price
In a free market prices for inputs and products are determined by supply and demand
Supply Is what producers are willing to market at a certain price
Demand Is how much consumers are prepared to buy at the market price
In theory as the price of a product goes up the quantity supplied rises and the quantity demanded falls Likewise when the price goes down the quantity supplied falls and the quantity demanded rises
For agricultural produce demand is affected by a number of factors the most
The Marketing Training Manual 24 Marketing Module 3 Markets and Marketing
Industrial or business to business (B2B) marketing
An organization seeks to build a new warehouse After documenting requirements it obtains three proposals from suitable construction firms After a long process of evaluation and negotiation it places an order with the organization that it believes offers the best value for money
An organization needs legal services and obtains submissions from two law firms Analysis of the proposals and subsequent discussions determines that there is no price advantage to placing all of the work with one firm and the organization decides to split the work between the two firms based on an evaluation of each firms capabilities
A sales representative makes an appointment with an organization that employs 22 people He demonstrates a photocopierfaxprinter to the office administrator After discussing a proposal the business owner signs a contract to obtain the machine on a fully-maintained rental and consumables basis with an upgrade after 2 years
Main features of the B2B selling process are
Marketing is one-to-one in nature It is relatively easy for the seller to identify a prospective customers and build a face-to-face relationship Highly professional and trained people in buying processes are involved In many cases two or three decision makers must approve a purchase plan Often the buying or selling process is complex and includes many stages (for example request for proposal request for tender selection process awarding of tender contract negotiations and signing of final contract) Selling activities involve long processes of prospecting qualifying wooing making representations preparing tenders developing strategies and contract negotiations
Blurring between B2B and B2C
Industrial marketing can cross the border into consumer marketing For example an electronic component seller may distribute its products through industrial marketing channels (see channel (marketing)) but also support consumer sales Many products are equally desired by business and consumersmdashsuch as audio products furniture paint hardware etc Nonetheless manufactures and service providers frequently maintain separate industrial and consumer marketing operations to reflect the different needs of the two channels
Competitive tendering
Industrial marketing often involves competitive tendering (see tender tendering) This is a process where a purchasing organization undertakes to procure goods and services from suitable suppliers Due to the high value of some purchases (for example buying a new computer system manufacturing
machinery or outsourcing a maintenance contract) and the complexity of such purchases the purchasing organization will seek to obtain a number of bids from competing suppliers and choose the best offering An entire profession (strategic procurement) that includes tertiary training and qualifications has been built around the process of making important purchases The key requirement in any competitive tender is to ensure that
The business case for the purchase has been completed and approved
The purchasing organizations objectives for the purchase are clearly defined
The procurement process is agreed upon and it conforms with fiscal guidelines and organisational policies The selection criteria have been established
A budget has been estimated and the financial resources are available
A buying team (or committee) has been assembled
A specification has been written
A preliminary scan of the market place has determined that enough potential suppliers are available to make the process viable (this can sometimes be achieved using an expression of interest process)
It has been clearly established that a competitive tendering process is the best method for meeting the objectives of this purchasing project If (for example) it was known that there was only one organisation capable of supplying best to get on with talking to them and negotiating a contract
Because of the significant value of many purchases issues of probity arise Organisations seek to ensure that awarding a contract is based on best fit to the agreed criteria and not bribery corruption or incompetence
Bidding process
Suppliers who are seeking to win a competitive tender go through a bidding process At its most primitive this would consist of evaluating the specification (issued by the purchasing organization) designing a suitable proposal and working out a price This is a primitive approach because
There is an old saying in industrial marketing if the first time you have heard about a tender is when you are invited to submit then you have already lost it
While flippant the previous point illustrates a basic requirement for being successful in competitive tendering it is important to develop a strong relationship with a prospective customer organization well before they have started the formal part of their procurement process
Non-tender purchasing
Not all industrial sales involve competitive tendering Tender processes are time consuming and expensive particularly when executed with the aim of ensuring probity Government agencies are particularly likely to utilise elaborate competitive tendering processes due to the expectation that they should be seen at all times to be responsibly and accountably spending public monies Private companies are able to avoid the complexity of a fully transparent tender process but are still able to run the procurement process with some rigourBeneficial
Developing a sales strategysolution sellingtechnical selling
The art of technical selling (solution selling) follows a three stage process
Stage 1 Sell the appointment Never sell over the telephone The aim of the first contact with a prospective purchaser is to sell the appointment The reason is simple industrial sales are complex any attempt to sell over the phone will trivialise your product or service and run the risk of not fully understanding the customers need
Stage 2 Understand their needs The best method of selling is to minimise the information about your goods or services until you have fully understood your customers requirements
Stage 3 Develop and propose a solution The solution is (of course) developed from your (or the firm that you represents) product or service offerings
Marketing supports solution selling through methods like account-based marketingmdashunderstanding a specific target organizations requirements as the foundation of a marketing program As research shows[1] sales success is heavily weighted towards suppliers who understand the customer In UK research 77 per cent of senior decision-makers believe new suppliers marketing From cannon fodder to preferred tenderer
The term cannon fodder derives from the World Wars and refers to the massing of undertrained and recently recruited troops sent to the fronts to face the enemy Such troops invariably had a poor survival rate but provided the tactical advantage of distracting the enemy while
professional soldiers mounted more effective operations In adopting the term to Industrial Marketing it means those bids being submitted that have no chance of winning but are involved to make up the numbers (you cant have only one bid in a competitive tender process that wouldnt satisfy the requirements of probity) (for example in government tenders or for private enterprise the requirement to truly test the market and to keep them honest) The reader might be wondering why anybody would go to all of the work of submitting a tender when they had no chance of winning for the same reason that troops were sent in to battle to die they thought they had a real chance
The key features of a successful industrial sales organisation
In industrial marketing the personal selling is still very effective because many products must be customized to suit the requirements of the individual customer Indicators such as the sales tunnel give information on the expected sales in the near future the hit rate indicates whether the sales organization is busy with promising sales leads or it is spending too much effort on projects that are eventually lost to the competition or that are abandoned by the prospect
RESEARCH PROBLEM
1 Identify your target market
Which businesses need cleaning services Which ones can afford it and will pay for it Why
In your case I would think that small businesses may not be your ideal client But then again define small business Are you referring to sales volume or number of employees
I can tell you right now as a marketing consultant that has worked with a wide variety of businesses including small companies
Small businesses are very price sensitive and prefer to do more themselves rather than pay someone else (They hold this belief even if it would free up more time to be more productive Go figure)
So before you randomly begin picking a target market have a rational reason why Continue to read below and youll begin to see what I am talking about
2 Determine their wants and needs
It may be obvious to you but ask yourself Why would someone want a clean office
These businesses never have walk-in traffic They do not have customers visit them So naturally there is far less of a concern for a clean office Sure it would be nice to have but since no revenue will be lost if their office is not spectacular looking they are not motivated to do anything about it
However seek out the businesses that do deal with customers directly especially professional services where they have very high end clients visit them Now they NEED a very presentable office or they risk losing out on a lot of revenue
3 Determine the level and type of demand
If you have ever read any of my previous work you will know that I am a very strong advocate of knowing whether the type of demand is Primary Demand or Selective Demand It is one of the most overlooked aspects of marketing being ignored today
Primary Demand If a business does not already use your TYPE of service and is not currently considering doing so you will need to create primary demand Simply put you will have to convince them first to even want your type of service (or product) before you even get them to buy it from you
So for your cleaning business example if you are approaching businesses that currently do not use a cleaning service you will have to explain the time saving and productivity enhancing benefits of using one Then explain why YOU are the one they need
Selective Demand These businesses already use a service (or product) or are in the market for it and are actively looking In these cases you do not need to spend much effort convincing them why they need it
In this case you must state your argument why your cleaning service should be the one they choose
This is what you will encounter when you call on or contact businesses already using a cleaning service They will either be satisfied or unsatisfied with their current service provider Your emphasis will have to be on conquest sales -- meaning stealing customers from your competition
Now in your line of business and in many others slashing prices always seems to be the first technique used to steal customers This may work well for selling products But if you are marketing services let me tell you thisthink twice before doing that
Yes I am fully aware of the fact that there will be businesses that will be open to talking to you if you offer them a better deal In some cases they may feel they are legitimately getting ripped off or paying way
too much right now And they just might be right In those cases if you can give them a fair price that is a better deal for them AND still gives you healthy profit margins then go for it
However if you are slashing prices just to gain clients arent you really just hurting yourself in the long run First of all you can easily get into the game of How low will they go Secondly it de-values your perception of quality if you are cheap Thirdly whos to say after all this effort you wont lose the business in a month or two when someone else quotes them an even lower price
What will you do next price so low that you lose money with every client I didnt think so
Heres what you could do though
4 Develop a Hypothesis and a Solution to Match
After you know your target market have defined their needs and analyzed the competitive picture (currently using or not currently using a service like mine) go ahead and develop a clearly thought out hypothesis
For example start with business NOT currently using a cleaning service but that deal with customers or clients regularly at their location
Develop a strong case for WHY they would be wise to invest in your
cleaning services Show them on a break-even analysis that your fee will be well compensated in either customer retention or converting a higher level of store traffic or business appointments into paying customersclients
Then state your case why it is more cost effective and saves them valuable time to outsource this to you rather than doing it themselves or paying an employee overtime to do it You can also emphasize that you are the expert at this not someones secretary so it is expected that you will do a far better job at it
For businesses that ARE already using a cleaning service or are currently shopping for one state why you are unique and better
Determine the really compelling reasons why these businesses want a cleaning service to begin with
Maybe it is a retail store that wants to create a better first impression for their customers This will ultimately lead to a better customer experience and ultimately more in-store purchases
A good example may be that unlike most competitors you also clean windows Well as a marketing consultant to retail businesses I can tell you that many passerbys will first look in a store window before deciding to walk in or not
Now for successful marketing all retail businesses would perform better if they had more in-store traffic So therefore if your cleaning service also cleans windows you could rightfully justify that your services are more valuable to their retail business You actually HELP
them get more customers and sell more products
Maybe it is a professional service business that needs to impress prospective clients to choose their services over a similar competitor
Your cleaning service may dust chairs and polish wooden conference tables Many other cleaning services may not do this or do a poor job in doing so
Now as marketing consultants to service businesses I can also tell you that if a consultant attorney accountant or any other business professional needs to meet with prospective clients in their office they will appreciate a better appearance So if your cleaning services can provide this better than anyone else (or at least if you tell them about this first) you will get the business or at least be highly considered for it
Whatever the case may be establish what makes you different and have you are best suited to meet their needs
Do you see where I am going with this Your initial marketing questions asked how you can get more business by passing out flyers or sending faxes to small offices Truthfully that is simply not going to work You are not looking at the overall big picture of why anyone would either want to hire a cleaning service or to hire your particular cleaning service
5 You must make AN OFFER
Here are some examples
Marketing messagesales offer to a business that does NOT currently use a cleaning service
If you have never considered using a cleaning service before allow us to show you how XYZ Cleaning Inc can make your storeoffice more presentable to customers and how this newly improved appearance will affect your cash registerbank statement
If you are weary of trying new things dont worry Use us FREE for one month and if you are not completely satisfied with the results if you are not completely confident that it makes a difference to your customers if you are not completely aware of how it raises the morale of your employees then you do not have to using us again
But if YOU DO see a great improvement well make you a great deal on our services simply because we want your long term business Marketing messagesales offer to businesses that DO currently use a cleaning service
I understand that you currently use ABC Cleaners LLC Now you may or may not be completely happy right now but I want to make you a no-risk offer you cant refuse
The truth is that you likely get consumed in your day to day activities in running your business overseeing operations managing employees and handling customers Therefore there may be little imperfections your cleaning service is making that goes unnoticed by you But dont assume for one minute that your customers or potential customers wont notice And remember first impressions DO count
So heres our offer Have us come in the morning after your regular cleaning service cleans your office We will do a thorough inspection with you present and look for anything they may have done a less-than-satisfactory job on Then well show you why you probably over looked it for so long but why your customers will take notice and how they will think differently about you because of it
Now if everything is already 100 completely clean and presentable well thank you for your time and then be on our way But if together we find lots of little things that are carelessly being done we will cleanfix it for you for FREE
Thats right use our services as a compliment to what you are already paying for Compare the quality of work we do to what you are already paying for If you can see the difference in what we do for you compared to what you are already paying for then consider us as your new cleaning service
6 Develop your marketing message
Once you understand the true needs your potential clients have and the unique and competitive solutions you can offer only then should you develop your marketing copy -- your sales pitch
The two examples above incorporate great marketing copy with a strong benefits related offer You can then deliver this through direct mail telemarketing or a combination of both
I would only recommend distributing flyers if you are confident you can place there where they will get read by people who make the decision to hire a cleaning service So if there is an Open Bulletin board in an office building then go for it However they are rare and you probably need permission anyway
Id avoid the fax marketing altogether Its quite annoying ties up there fax line and unless people have already heard of you they are more likely to toss your message in the garbage
Try sending direct mail to the decision makers of these target companies and describe the benefits they will experience from using your services
7 Follow up
Even after identifying the businesses that are most likely to need your services after you have identified a solution and even after you contacted them with a compelling offer you still have to follow up
Chances are they loved the sound of it when they got it They had every intention of following up with you But then just got busy So your follow up call can make all the difference in the world and get your foot in the door in a very big way Then its up to you to DELIVER on your promise
8 ANALYSIS
Market Analysis
The goal of a market analysis is to determine the attractiveness of a market and to understand its evolving opportunities and threats as they relate to the strengths and weaknesses of the firm
David A Aaker outlined the following dimensions of a market analysis
Market size (current and future)
Market growth rate
Market profitability
Industry cost structure
Distribution channels
Market trends
Key success factors
Market Size
The size of the market can be evaluated based on present sales and on potential sales if the use of the product were expanded The following are some information sources for determining market size
government data
trade associations financial data from major players customer surveys
Market Growth Rate
A simple means of forecasting the market growth rate is to extrapolate historical data into the future While this method may provide a first-order estimate it does not predict important turning points A better method is to study growth drivers such as demographic information and sales growth in complementary products Such drivers serve as leading indicators that are more accurate than simply extrapolating historical data
Important inflection points in the market growth rate sometimes can be predicted by constructing a product diffusion curve The shape of the curve can be estimated by studying the characteristics of the adoption rate of a similar product in the past
Ultimately the maturity and decline stages of the product life cycle will be reached Some leading indicators of the decline phase include price pressure caused by competition a decrease in brand loyalty the emergence of substitute products market saturation and the lack of growth drivers
Market Profitability
While different firms in a market will have different levels of profitability the average profit potential for a market can be used as a guideline for knowing how difficult it is to make money in the market Michael Porter devised a useful framework for evaluating the attractiveness of an industry or market This framework known as Porters five forces identifies five factors that influence the market profitability
Buyer power
Supplier power
Barriers to entry
Threat of substitute products
Rivalry among firms in the industry
Industry Cost Structure
The cost structure is important for identifying key factors for success To this end Porters value chain model is useful for determining where value is added and for isolating the costs
The cost structure also is helpful for formulating strategies to develop a competitive advantage For example in some environments the experience curve effect can be used to develop a cost advantage over competitors
Distribution Channels
The following aspects of the distribution system are useful in a market analysis
Existing distribution channels - can be described by how direct they are to the customer
Trends and emerging channels - new channels can offer the opportunity to develop a competitive advantage
Channel power structure - for example in the case of a product having little brand equity retailers have negotiating power over manufacturers and can capture more margin
Market Trends
Changes in the market are important because they often are the source of new opportunities and threats The relevant trends are industry-dependent but some examples include changes in price sensitivity demand for variety and level of emphasis on service and support Regional trends also may be relevant
Key Success Factors
The key success factors are those elements that are necessary in order for the firm to achieve its marketing objectives A few examples of such factors include
Access to essential unique resources
Ability to achieve economies of scale
Access to distribution channels
Technological progress
It is important to consider that key success factors may change over time especially as the product progresses through its life cycle
9 CONCLUSIONS
Organizations engage in marketing research for two reasons
(1) (1) to identify (2) and (2) solve marketing problems
(3)
This distinction serves as a basis for classifying marketing research into problem identification research and problem solving research
Problem identification research is undertaken to help identify problems which are perhaps not apparent on the surface and yet exist or are likely to company image market characteristics sales analysis short-range forecasting long range forecasting and business trends research Research of this type provides information about the marketing environment and helps diagnose a problem For example The findings of problem solving research are used in making decisions which will solve specific marketing problems
The Stanford Research Institute on the other hand conducts an annual survey of consumers that is used to classify persons into homogeneous groups for segmentation purposes The National Purchase Diary panel (NPD) maintains the largest diary panel in the United States
Standardized services are research studies conducted for different client firms but in a standard way For example procedures for measuring
advertising effectiveness have been standardized so that the results can be compared across studies and evaluative norms can be established The Starch Readership Survey is the most widely used service for evaluating print advertisements another well-known service is the Gallup and Robinson Magazine Impact Studies These services are also sold on a syndicated basis
Customized services offer a wide variety of marketing research services customized to suit a clients specific needs Each marketing research project is treated uniquely
Limited-service suppliers specialize in one or a few phases of the marketing research project Services offered by such suppliers are classified as field services coding and data entry data analysis analytical services and branded products Field services collect data through mail personal or telephone interviewing and firms that specialize in interviewing are called field service organizations These organizations may range from small proprietary organizations which operate locally to large multinational organizations with WATS line interviewing facilities Some organizations maintain extensive interviewing facilities across the country for interviewing shoppers in malls
Coding and data entry services include editing completed questionnaires developing a coding scheme and transcribing the data on to diskettes or magnetic tapes for input into the computer NRC Data Systems provides such services
Analytical services include designing and pretesting questionnaires determining the best means of collecting data designing sampling plans and other aspects of the research design Some complex
marketing research projects require knowledge of sophisticated procedures including specialized experimental designs and analytical techniques such as conjoint analysis and multidimensional scaling This kind of expertise can be obtained from firms and consultants specializing in analytical services
Data analysis services are offered by firms also known as tab houses that specialize in computer analysis of quantitative data such as those obtained in large surveys Initially most data analysis firms supplied only tabulations (frequency counts) and cross tabulations (frequency counts that describe two or more variables simultaneously) With the proliferation of software many firms now have the capability to analyze their own data but data analysis firms are still in demand
Branded marketing research products and services are specialized data collection and analysis procedures developed to address specific types of marketing research problems These procedures are patented given brand names and marketed like any other branded product
Types of marketing research
Marketing research techniques come in many forms including
Ad Tracking ndash periodic or continuous in-market research to monitor a brandrsquos performance using measures such as brand awareness brand preference and product usage (Young 2005)
Advertising Research ndash used to predict copy testing or track the efficacy of advertisements for any medium measured by the adrsquos ability to get attention (measured with Attention Tracking) communicate the message build the brandrsquos image and motivate the consumer to purchase the product or service (Young 2005)
Brand equity research - how favorably do consumers view the brand
Brand association research - what do consumers associate with the brand
Brand attribute research - what are the key traits that describe the brand promise
Brand name testing - what do consumers feel about the names of the products
Commercial eye tracking research - examine advertisements package designs websites etc by analyzing visual behavior of the consumer
Concept testing - to test the acceptance of a concept by target consumers
Cool hunting - to make observations and predictions in changes of new or existing cultural trends in areas such as fashion music films television youth culture and lifestyle
Buyer decision processes research - to determine what motivates people to buy and what decision-making process they use
Copy testing ndash predicts in-market performance of an ad before it airs by analyzing audience levels of attention brand linkage motivation entertainment and communication as well as breaking down the adrsquos flow of attention and flow of emotion (Young p 213)
Customer satisfaction research - quantitative or qualitative studies that yields an understanding of a customers of satisfaction with a transaction
Demand estimation - to determine the approximate level of demand for the product
Distribution channel audits - to assess distributorsrsquo and retailersrsquo attitudes toward a product brand or company
Internet strategic intelligence - searching for customer opinions in the Internet chats forums web pages blogs where people express freely about their experiences with products becoming strong opinion formers
Marketing effectiveness and analytics - Building models and measuring results to determine the effectiveness of individual marketing activities
Mystery Consumer or Mystery shopping - An employee or representative of the market research firm anonymously contacts a salesperson and indicates he or she is shopping for a product The shopper then records the entire experience This method is often used for quality control or for researching competitors products
Positioning research - how does the target market see the brand relative to competitors - what does the brand stand for
Price elasticity testing - to determine how sensitive customers are to price changes
Sales forecasting - to determine the expected level of sales given the level of demand With respect to other factors like Advertising expenditure sales promotion etc
Segmentation research - to determine the demographic psychographic and behavioural characteristics of potential buyers
Online panel - a group of individual who accepted to respond to marketing research online
Store audit - to measure the sales of a product or product line at a statistically selected store sample in order to determine market share or to determine whether a retail store provides adequate service
Test marketing - a small-scale product launch used to determine the likely acceptance of the product when it is introduced into a wider market
Viral Marketing Research - refers to marketing research designed to estimate the probability that specific communications will be transmitted throughout an individuals Social Network Estimates of Social Networking Potential (SNP) are combined with estimates of selling effectiveness to estimate ROI on specific combinations of messages and media
All of these forms of marketing research can be classified as either problem-identification research or as problem-solving research
There are two main sources of data - primary and secondary Primary research is conducted from scratch It is original and collected to solve the problem in hand Secondary research already exists since it has been collected for other purposes It is conducted on data published previously and usually by someone else Secondary research costs far less than primary research but seldom comes in a form that exactly meets the needs of the researcher
A similar distinction exists between exploratory research and conclusive research Exploratory research provides insights into and comprehension of an issue or situation It should draw definitive conclusions only with extreme caution Conclusive research draws conclusions the results of the study can be generalized to the whole population
Exploratory research is conducted to explore a problem to get some basic idea about the solution at the preliminary stages of research It may serve as the input to conclusive research Exploratory research information is collected by focus group interviews reviewing literature or books discussing with experts etc This is unstructured and qualitative in nature If a secondary source of data is unable to serve the purpose a convenience sample of small size can be collected Conclusive research is conducted to draw some conclusion about the problem It is essentially structured and quantitative research and the
output of this research is the input to MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS (MIS)
Marketing research methods
Methodologically marketing research uses the following types of research designs
Based on questioning
Qualitative marketing research - generally used for exploratory purposes - small number of respondents - not generalizable to the whole population - statistical significance and confidence not calculated - examples include focus groups in-depth interviews and projective techniques
Quantitative marketing research - generally used to draw conclusions - tests a specific hypothesis - uses random sampling techniques so as to infer from the sample to the population - involves a large number of respondents - examples include surveys and questionnaires Techniques include choice modelling maximum difference preference scaling and covariance analysis
Based on observations
Ethnographic studies - by nature qualitative the researcher observes social phenomena in their natural setting - observations can
occur cross-sectionally (observations made at one time) or longitudinally (observations occur over several time-periods) ndash
examples include product-use analysis and computer cookie traces See also Ethnography and Observational techniques
Experimental techniques - by nature quantitative the researcher creates a quasi-artificial environment to try to control spurious factors
then manipulates at least one of the variables - examples include purchase laboratories and test markets
Questionnaires 1 What are the objectives of the marketing strategy Are they clearly stated Are they consistent with the objectives of the firm Is the entire marketing mix structured to meet these objectives
2 What marketing concepts are at issue in the current strategy Is the marketing strategy well planned and laid out Is the strategy consistent with sound marketing principles If the strategy takes exception to marketing principles is there a good reason for it
3 To what target market is the strategy directed Is it well defined Is the market large enough to be profitably served Does the market have long-run potential
4 What competitive advantage does the marketing strategy offer If none what can be done to gain a competitive advantage in the marketplace
5 What products are being sold What is the width depth and consistency of the firms product lines Does the firm need new products to fill out its product line Should any product be deleted What is the profitability of the various products
6 What promotion mix is being used Is promotion consistent with the products and product images What could be done to improve the promotion mix
7 What channels of distribution are being used Do they deliver the product at the right time and right place to meet consumer needs Are the channels typical of those used in the industry Could channels be made more efficient
8 What pricing strategies are being used How do prices compare with similar products of other firms How are prices determined
9 Are marketing research and information systematically integrated into the marketing strategy Is the overall marketing strategy internally consistent
Supply Demand and Price
In a free market prices for inputs and products are determined by supply and demand
Supply Is what producers are willing to market at a certain price
Demand Is how much consumers are prepared to buy at the market price
In theory as the price of a product goes up the quantity supplied rises and the quantity demanded falls Likewise when the price goes down the quantity supplied falls and the quantity demanded rises
For agricultural produce demand is affected by a number of factors the most
The Marketing Training Manual 24 Marketing Module 3 Markets and Marketing
Industrial or business to business (B2B) marketing
An organization seeks to build a new warehouse After documenting requirements it obtains three proposals from suitable construction firms After a long process of evaluation and negotiation it places an order with the organization that it believes offers the best value for money
An organization needs legal services and obtains submissions from two law firms Analysis of the proposals and subsequent discussions determines that there is no price advantage to placing all of the work with one firm and the organization decides to split the work between the two firms based on an evaluation of each firms capabilities
A sales representative makes an appointment with an organization that employs 22 people He demonstrates a photocopierfaxprinter to the office administrator After discussing a proposal the business owner signs a contract to obtain the machine on a fully-maintained rental and consumables basis with an upgrade after 2 years
Main features of the B2B selling process are
Marketing is one-to-one in nature It is relatively easy for the seller to identify a prospective customers and build a face-to-face relationship Highly professional and trained people in buying processes are involved In many cases two or three decision makers must approve a purchase plan Often the buying or selling process is complex and includes many stages (for example request for proposal request for tender selection process awarding of tender contract negotiations and signing of final contract) Selling activities involve long processes of prospecting qualifying wooing making representations preparing tenders developing strategies and contract negotiations
Blurring between B2B and B2C
Industrial marketing can cross the border into consumer marketing For example an electronic component seller may distribute its products through industrial marketing channels (see channel (marketing)) but also support consumer sales Many products are equally desired by business and consumersmdashsuch as audio products furniture paint hardware etc Nonetheless manufactures and service providers frequently maintain separate industrial and consumer marketing operations to reflect the different needs of the two channels
Competitive tendering
Industrial marketing often involves competitive tendering (see tender tendering) This is a process where a purchasing organization undertakes to procure goods and services from suitable suppliers Due to the high value of some purchases (for example buying a new computer system manufacturing
machinery or outsourcing a maintenance contract) and the complexity of such purchases the purchasing organization will seek to obtain a number of bids from competing suppliers and choose the best offering An entire profession (strategic procurement) that includes tertiary training and qualifications has been built around the process of making important purchases The key requirement in any competitive tender is to ensure that
The business case for the purchase has been completed and approved
The purchasing organizations objectives for the purchase are clearly defined
The procurement process is agreed upon and it conforms with fiscal guidelines and organisational policies The selection criteria have been established
A budget has been estimated and the financial resources are available
A buying team (or committee) has been assembled
A specification has been written
A preliminary scan of the market place has determined that enough potential suppliers are available to make the process viable (this can sometimes be achieved using an expression of interest process)
It has been clearly established that a competitive tendering process is the best method for meeting the objectives of this purchasing project If (for example) it was known that there was only one organisation capable of supplying best to get on with talking to them and negotiating a contract
Because of the significant value of many purchases issues of probity arise Organisations seek to ensure that awarding a contract is based on best fit to the agreed criteria and not bribery corruption or incompetence
Bidding process
Suppliers who are seeking to win a competitive tender go through a bidding process At its most primitive this would consist of evaluating the specification (issued by the purchasing organization) designing a suitable proposal and working out a price This is a primitive approach because
There is an old saying in industrial marketing if the first time you have heard about a tender is when you are invited to submit then you have already lost it
While flippant the previous point illustrates a basic requirement for being successful in competitive tendering it is important to develop a strong relationship with a prospective customer organization well before they have started the formal part of their procurement process
Non-tender purchasing
Not all industrial sales involve competitive tendering Tender processes are time consuming and expensive particularly when executed with the aim of ensuring probity Government agencies are particularly likely to utilise elaborate competitive tendering processes due to the expectation that they should be seen at all times to be responsibly and accountably spending public monies Private companies are able to avoid the complexity of a fully transparent tender process but are still able to run the procurement process with some rigourBeneficial
Developing a sales strategysolution sellingtechnical selling
The art of technical selling (solution selling) follows a three stage process
Stage 1 Sell the appointment Never sell over the telephone The aim of the first contact with a prospective purchaser is to sell the appointment The reason is simple industrial sales are complex any attempt to sell over the phone will trivialise your product or service and run the risk of not fully understanding the customers need
Stage 2 Understand their needs The best method of selling is to minimise the information about your goods or services until you have fully understood your customers requirements
Stage 3 Develop and propose a solution The solution is (of course) developed from your (or the firm that you represents) product or service offerings
Marketing supports solution selling through methods like account-based marketingmdashunderstanding a specific target organizations requirements as the foundation of a marketing program As research shows[1] sales success is heavily weighted towards suppliers who understand the customer In UK research 77 per cent of senior decision-makers believe new suppliers marketing From cannon fodder to preferred tenderer
The term cannon fodder derives from the World Wars and refers to the massing of undertrained and recently recruited troops sent to the fronts to face the enemy Such troops invariably had a poor survival rate but provided the tactical advantage of distracting the enemy while
professional soldiers mounted more effective operations In adopting the term to Industrial Marketing it means those bids being submitted that have no chance of winning but are involved to make up the numbers (you cant have only one bid in a competitive tender process that wouldnt satisfy the requirements of probity) (for example in government tenders or for private enterprise the requirement to truly test the market and to keep them honest) The reader might be wondering why anybody would go to all of the work of submitting a tender when they had no chance of winning for the same reason that troops were sent in to battle to die they thought they had a real chance
The key features of a successful industrial sales organisation
In industrial marketing the personal selling is still very effective because many products must be customized to suit the requirements of the individual customer Indicators such as the sales tunnel give information on the expected sales in the near future the hit rate indicates whether the sales organization is busy with promising sales leads or it is spending too much effort on projects that are eventually lost to the competition or that are abandoned by the prospect
RESEARCH PROBLEM
1 Identify your target market
Which businesses need cleaning services Which ones can afford it and will pay for it Why
In your case I would think that small businesses may not be your ideal client But then again define small business Are you referring to sales volume or number of employees
I can tell you right now as a marketing consultant that has worked with a wide variety of businesses including small companies
Small businesses are very price sensitive and prefer to do more themselves rather than pay someone else (They hold this belief even if it would free up more time to be more productive Go figure)
So before you randomly begin picking a target market have a rational reason why Continue to read below and youll begin to see what I am talking about
2 Determine their wants and needs
It may be obvious to you but ask yourself Why would someone want a clean office
These businesses never have walk-in traffic They do not have customers visit them So naturally there is far less of a concern for a clean office Sure it would be nice to have but since no revenue will be lost if their office is not spectacular looking they are not motivated to do anything about it
However seek out the businesses that do deal with customers directly especially professional services where they have very high end clients visit them Now they NEED a very presentable office or they risk losing out on a lot of revenue
3 Determine the level and type of demand
If you have ever read any of my previous work you will know that I am a very strong advocate of knowing whether the type of demand is Primary Demand or Selective Demand It is one of the most overlooked aspects of marketing being ignored today
Primary Demand If a business does not already use your TYPE of service and is not currently considering doing so you will need to create primary demand Simply put you will have to convince them first to even want your type of service (or product) before you even get them to buy it from you
So for your cleaning business example if you are approaching businesses that currently do not use a cleaning service you will have to explain the time saving and productivity enhancing benefits of using one Then explain why YOU are the one they need
Selective Demand These businesses already use a service (or product) or are in the market for it and are actively looking In these cases you do not need to spend much effort convincing them why they need it
In this case you must state your argument why your cleaning service should be the one they choose
This is what you will encounter when you call on or contact businesses already using a cleaning service They will either be satisfied or unsatisfied with their current service provider Your emphasis will have to be on conquest sales -- meaning stealing customers from your competition
Now in your line of business and in many others slashing prices always seems to be the first technique used to steal customers This may work well for selling products But if you are marketing services let me tell you thisthink twice before doing that
Yes I am fully aware of the fact that there will be businesses that will be open to talking to you if you offer them a better deal In some cases they may feel they are legitimately getting ripped off or paying way
too much right now And they just might be right In those cases if you can give them a fair price that is a better deal for them AND still gives you healthy profit margins then go for it
However if you are slashing prices just to gain clients arent you really just hurting yourself in the long run First of all you can easily get into the game of How low will they go Secondly it de-values your perception of quality if you are cheap Thirdly whos to say after all this effort you wont lose the business in a month or two when someone else quotes them an even lower price
What will you do next price so low that you lose money with every client I didnt think so
Heres what you could do though
4 Develop a Hypothesis and a Solution to Match
After you know your target market have defined their needs and analyzed the competitive picture (currently using or not currently using a service like mine) go ahead and develop a clearly thought out hypothesis
For example start with business NOT currently using a cleaning service but that deal with customers or clients regularly at their location
Develop a strong case for WHY they would be wise to invest in your
cleaning services Show them on a break-even analysis that your fee will be well compensated in either customer retention or converting a higher level of store traffic or business appointments into paying customersclients
Then state your case why it is more cost effective and saves them valuable time to outsource this to you rather than doing it themselves or paying an employee overtime to do it You can also emphasize that you are the expert at this not someones secretary so it is expected that you will do a far better job at it
For businesses that ARE already using a cleaning service or are currently shopping for one state why you are unique and better
Determine the really compelling reasons why these businesses want a cleaning service to begin with
Maybe it is a retail store that wants to create a better first impression for their customers This will ultimately lead to a better customer experience and ultimately more in-store purchases
A good example may be that unlike most competitors you also clean windows Well as a marketing consultant to retail businesses I can tell you that many passerbys will first look in a store window before deciding to walk in or not
Now for successful marketing all retail businesses would perform better if they had more in-store traffic So therefore if your cleaning service also cleans windows you could rightfully justify that your services are more valuable to their retail business You actually HELP
them get more customers and sell more products
Maybe it is a professional service business that needs to impress prospective clients to choose their services over a similar competitor
Your cleaning service may dust chairs and polish wooden conference tables Many other cleaning services may not do this or do a poor job in doing so
Now as marketing consultants to service businesses I can also tell you that if a consultant attorney accountant or any other business professional needs to meet with prospective clients in their office they will appreciate a better appearance So if your cleaning services can provide this better than anyone else (or at least if you tell them about this first) you will get the business or at least be highly considered for it
Whatever the case may be establish what makes you different and have you are best suited to meet their needs
Do you see where I am going with this Your initial marketing questions asked how you can get more business by passing out flyers or sending faxes to small offices Truthfully that is simply not going to work You are not looking at the overall big picture of why anyone would either want to hire a cleaning service or to hire your particular cleaning service
5 You must make AN OFFER
Here are some examples
Marketing messagesales offer to a business that does NOT currently use a cleaning service
If you have never considered using a cleaning service before allow us to show you how XYZ Cleaning Inc can make your storeoffice more presentable to customers and how this newly improved appearance will affect your cash registerbank statement
If you are weary of trying new things dont worry Use us FREE for one month and if you are not completely satisfied with the results if you are not completely confident that it makes a difference to your customers if you are not completely aware of how it raises the morale of your employees then you do not have to using us again
But if YOU DO see a great improvement well make you a great deal on our services simply because we want your long term business Marketing messagesales offer to businesses that DO currently use a cleaning service
I understand that you currently use ABC Cleaners LLC Now you may or may not be completely happy right now but I want to make you a no-risk offer you cant refuse
The truth is that you likely get consumed in your day to day activities in running your business overseeing operations managing employees and handling customers Therefore there may be little imperfections your cleaning service is making that goes unnoticed by you But dont assume for one minute that your customers or potential customers wont notice And remember first impressions DO count
So heres our offer Have us come in the morning after your regular cleaning service cleans your office We will do a thorough inspection with you present and look for anything they may have done a less-than-satisfactory job on Then well show you why you probably over looked it for so long but why your customers will take notice and how they will think differently about you because of it
Now if everything is already 100 completely clean and presentable well thank you for your time and then be on our way But if together we find lots of little things that are carelessly being done we will cleanfix it for you for FREE
Thats right use our services as a compliment to what you are already paying for Compare the quality of work we do to what you are already paying for If you can see the difference in what we do for you compared to what you are already paying for then consider us as your new cleaning service
6 Develop your marketing message
Once you understand the true needs your potential clients have and the unique and competitive solutions you can offer only then should you develop your marketing copy -- your sales pitch
The two examples above incorporate great marketing copy with a strong benefits related offer You can then deliver this through direct mail telemarketing or a combination of both
I would only recommend distributing flyers if you are confident you can place there where they will get read by people who make the decision to hire a cleaning service So if there is an Open Bulletin board in an office building then go for it However they are rare and you probably need permission anyway
Id avoid the fax marketing altogether Its quite annoying ties up there fax line and unless people have already heard of you they are more likely to toss your message in the garbage
Try sending direct mail to the decision makers of these target companies and describe the benefits they will experience from using your services
7 Follow up
Even after identifying the businesses that are most likely to need your services after you have identified a solution and even after you contacted them with a compelling offer you still have to follow up
Chances are they loved the sound of it when they got it They had every intention of following up with you But then just got busy So your follow up call can make all the difference in the world and get your foot in the door in a very big way Then its up to you to DELIVER on your promise
8 ANALYSIS
Market Analysis
The goal of a market analysis is to determine the attractiveness of a market and to understand its evolving opportunities and threats as they relate to the strengths and weaknesses of the firm
David A Aaker outlined the following dimensions of a market analysis
Market size (current and future)
Market growth rate
Market profitability
Industry cost structure
Distribution channels
Market trends
Key success factors
Market Size
The size of the market can be evaluated based on present sales and on potential sales if the use of the product were expanded The following are some information sources for determining market size
government data
trade associations financial data from major players customer surveys
Market Growth Rate
A simple means of forecasting the market growth rate is to extrapolate historical data into the future While this method may provide a first-order estimate it does not predict important turning points A better method is to study growth drivers such as demographic information and sales growth in complementary products Such drivers serve as leading indicators that are more accurate than simply extrapolating historical data
Important inflection points in the market growth rate sometimes can be predicted by constructing a product diffusion curve The shape of the curve can be estimated by studying the characteristics of the adoption rate of a similar product in the past
Ultimately the maturity and decline stages of the product life cycle will be reached Some leading indicators of the decline phase include price pressure caused by competition a decrease in brand loyalty the emergence of substitute products market saturation and the lack of growth drivers
Market Profitability
While different firms in a market will have different levels of profitability the average profit potential for a market can be used as a guideline for knowing how difficult it is to make money in the market Michael Porter devised a useful framework for evaluating the attractiveness of an industry or market This framework known as Porters five forces identifies five factors that influence the market profitability
Buyer power
Supplier power
Barriers to entry
Threat of substitute products
Rivalry among firms in the industry
Industry Cost Structure
The cost structure is important for identifying key factors for success To this end Porters value chain model is useful for determining where value is added and for isolating the costs
The cost structure also is helpful for formulating strategies to develop a competitive advantage For example in some environments the experience curve effect can be used to develop a cost advantage over competitors
Distribution Channels
The following aspects of the distribution system are useful in a market analysis
Existing distribution channels - can be described by how direct they are to the customer
Trends and emerging channels - new channels can offer the opportunity to develop a competitive advantage
Channel power structure - for example in the case of a product having little brand equity retailers have negotiating power over manufacturers and can capture more margin
Market Trends
Changes in the market are important because they often are the source of new opportunities and threats The relevant trends are industry-dependent but some examples include changes in price sensitivity demand for variety and level of emphasis on service and support Regional trends also may be relevant
Key Success Factors
The key success factors are those elements that are necessary in order for the firm to achieve its marketing objectives A few examples of such factors include
Access to essential unique resources
Ability to achieve economies of scale
Access to distribution channels
Technological progress
It is important to consider that key success factors may change over time especially as the product progresses through its life cycle
9 CONCLUSIONS
Organizations engage in marketing research for two reasons
(1) (1) to identify (2) and (2) solve marketing problems
(3)
This distinction serves as a basis for classifying marketing research into problem identification research and problem solving research
Problem identification research is undertaken to help identify problems which are perhaps not apparent on the surface and yet exist or are likely to company image market characteristics sales analysis short-range forecasting long range forecasting and business trends research Research of this type provides information about the marketing environment and helps diagnose a problem For example The findings of problem solving research are used in making decisions which will solve specific marketing problems
The Stanford Research Institute on the other hand conducts an annual survey of consumers that is used to classify persons into homogeneous groups for segmentation purposes The National Purchase Diary panel (NPD) maintains the largest diary panel in the United States
Standardized services are research studies conducted for different client firms but in a standard way For example procedures for measuring
advertising effectiveness have been standardized so that the results can be compared across studies and evaluative norms can be established The Starch Readership Survey is the most widely used service for evaluating print advertisements another well-known service is the Gallup and Robinson Magazine Impact Studies These services are also sold on a syndicated basis
Customized services offer a wide variety of marketing research services customized to suit a clients specific needs Each marketing research project is treated uniquely
Limited-service suppliers specialize in one or a few phases of the marketing research project Services offered by such suppliers are classified as field services coding and data entry data analysis analytical services and branded products Field services collect data through mail personal or telephone interviewing and firms that specialize in interviewing are called field service organizations These organizations may range from small proprietary organizations which operate locally to large multinational organizations with WATS line interviewing facilities Some organizations maintain extensive interviewing facilities across the country for interviewing shoppers in malls
Coding and data entry services include editing completed questionnaires developing a coding scheme and transcribing the data on to diskettes or magnetic tapes for input into the computer NRC Data Systems provides such services
Analytical services include designing and pretesting questionnaires determining the best means of collecting data designing sampling plans and other aspects of the research design Some complex
marketing research projects require knowledge of sophisticated procedures including specialized experimental designs and analytical techniques such as conjoint analysis and multidimensional scaling This kind of expertise can be obtained from firms and consultants specializing in analytical services
Data analysis services are offered by firms also known as tab houses that specialize in computer analysis of quantitative data such as those obtained in large surveys Initially most data analysis firms supplied only tabulations (frequency counts) and cross tabulations (frequency counts that describe two or more variables simultaneously) With the proliferation of software many firms now have the capability to analyze their own data but data analysis firms are still in demand
Branded marketing research products and services are specialized data collection and analysis procedures developed to address specific types of marketing research problems These procedures are patented given brand names and marketed like any other branded product
Types of marketing research
Marketing research techniques come in many forms including
Ad Tracking ndash periodic or continuous in-market research to monitor a brandrsquos performance using measures such as brand awareness brand preference and product usage (Young 2005)
Advertising Research ndash used to predict copy testing or track the efficacy of advertisements for any medium measured by the adrsquos ability to get attention (measured with Attention Tracking) communicate the message build the brandrsquos image and motivate the consumer to purchase the product or service (Young 2005)
Brand equity research - how favorably do consumers view the brand
Brand association research - what do consumers associate with the brand
Brand attribute research - what are the key traits that describe the brand promise
Brand name testing - what do consumers feel about the names of the products
Commercial eye tracking research - examine advertisements package designs websites etc by analyzing visual behavior of the consumer
Concept testing - to test the acceptance of a concept by target consumers
Cool hunting - to make observations and predictions in changes of new or existing cultural trends in areas such as fashion music films television youth culture and lifestyle
Buyer decision processes research - to determine what motivates people to buy and what decision-making process they use
Copy testing ndash predicts in-market performance of an ad before it airs by analyzing audience levels of attention brand linkage motivation entertainment and communication as well as breaking down the adrsquos flow of attention and flow of emotion (Young p 213)
Customer satisfaction research - quantitative or qualitative studies that yields an understanding of a customers of satisfaction with a transaction
Demand estimation - to determine the approximate level of demand for the product
Distribution channel audits - to assess distributorsrsquo and retailersrsquo attitudes toward a product brand or company
Internet strategic intelligence - searching for customer opinions in the Internet chats forums web pages blogs where people express freely about their experiences with products becoming strong opinion formers
Marketing effectiveness and analytics - Building models and measuring results to determine the effectiveness of individual marketing activities
Mystery Consumer or Mystery shopping - An employee or representative of the market research firm anonymously contacts a salesperson and indicates he or she is shopping for a product The shopper then records the entire experience This method is often used for quality control or for researching competitors products
Positioning research - how does the target market see the brand relative to competitors - what does the brand stand for
Price elasticity testing - to determine how sensitive customers are to price changes
Sales forecasting - to determine the expected level of sales given the level of demand With respect to other factors like Advertising expenditure sales promotion etc
Segmentation research - to determine the demographic psychographic and behavioural characteristics of potential buyers
Online panel - a group of individual who accepted to respond to marketing research online
Store audit - to measure the sales of a product or product line at a statistically selected store sample in order to determine market share or to determine whether a retail store provides adequate service
Test marketing - a small-scale product launch used to determine the likely acceptance of the product when it is introduced into a wider market
Viral Marketing Research - refers to marketing research designed to estimate the probability that specific communications will be transmitted throughout an individuals Social Network Estimates of Social Networking Potential (SNP) are combined with estimates of selling effectiveness to estimate ROI on specific combinations of messages and media
All of these forms of marketing research can be classified as either problem-identification research or as problem-solving research
There are two main sources of data - primary and secondary Primary research is conducted from scratch It is original and collected to solve the problem in hand Secondary research already exists since it has been collected for other purposes It is conducted on data published previously and usually by someone else Secondary research costs far less than primary research but seldom comes in a form that exactly meets the needs of the researcher
A similar distinction exists between exploratory research and conclusive research Exploratory research provides insights into and comprehension of an issue or situation It should draw definitive conclusions only with extreme caution Conclusive research draws conclusions the results of the study can be generalized to the whole population
Exploratory research is conducted to explore a problem to get some basic idea about the solution at the preliminary stages of research It may serve as the input to conclusive research Exploratory research information is collected by focus group interviews reviewing literature or books discussing with experts etc This is unstructured and qualitative in nature If a secondary source of data is unable to serve the purpose a convenience sample of small size can be collected Conclusive research is conducted to draw some conclusion about the problem It is essentially structured and quantitative research and the
output of this research is the input to MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS (MIS)
Marketing research methods
Methodologically marketing research uses the following types of research designs
Based on questioning
Qualitative marketing research - generally used for exploratory purposes - small number of respondents - not generalizable to the whole population - statistical significance and confidence not calculated - examples include focus groups in-depth interviews and projective techniques
Quantitative marketing research - generally used to draw conclusions - tests a specific hypothesis - uses random sampling techniques so as to infer from the sample to the population - involves a large number of respondents - examples include surveys and questionnaires Techniques include choice modelling maximum difference preference scaling and covariance analysis
Based on observations
Ethnographic studies - by nature qualitative the researcher observes social phenomena in their natural setting - observations can
occur cross-sectionally (observations made at one time) or longitudinally (observations occur over several time-periods) ndash
examples include product-use analysis and computer cookie traces See also Ethnography and Observational techniques
Experimental techniques - by nature quantitative the researcher creates a quasi-artificial environment to try to control spurious factors
then manipulates at least one of the variables - examples include purchase laboratories and test markets
Questionnaires 1 What are the objectives of the marketing strategy Are they clearly stated Are they consistent with the objectives of the firm Is the entire marketing mix structured to meet these objectives
2 What marketing concepts are at issue in the current strategy Is the marketing strategy well planned and laid out Is the strategy consistent with sound marketing principles If the strategy takes exception to marketing principles is there a good reason for it
3 To what target market is the strategy directed Is it well defined Is the market large enough to be profitably served Does the market have long-run potential
4 What competitive advantage does the marketing strategy offer If none what can be done to gain a competitive advantage in the marketplace
5 What products are being sold What is the width depth and consistency of the firms product lines Does the firm need new products to fill out its product line Should any product be deleted What is the profitability of the various products
6 What promotion mix is being used Is promotion consistent with the products and product images What could be done to improve the promotion mix
7 What channels of distribution are being used Do they deliver the product at the right time and right place to meet consumer needs Are the channels typical of those used in the industry Could channels be made more efficient
8 What pricing strategies are being used How do prices compare with similar products of other firms How are prices determined
9 Are marketing research and information systematically integrated into the marketing strategy Is the overall marketing strategy internally consistent
Industrial or business to business (B2B) marketing
An organization seeks to build a new warehouse After documenting requirements it obtains three proposals from suitable construction firms After a long process of evaluation and negotiation it places an order with the organization that it believes offers the best value for money
An organization needs legal services and obtains submissions from two law firms Analysis of the proposals and subsequent discussions determines that there is no price advantage to placing all of the work with one firm and the organization decides to split the work between the two firms based on an evaluation of each firms capabilities
A sales representative makes an appointment with an organization that employs 22 people He demonstrates a photocopierfaxprinter to the office administrator After discussing a proposal the business owner signs a contract to obtain the machine on a fully-maintained rental and consumables basis with an upgrade after 2 years
Main features of the B2B selling process are
Marketing is one-to-one in nature It is relatively easy for the seller to identify a prospective customers and build a face-to-face relationship Highly professional and trained people in buying processes are involved In many cases two or three decision makers must approve a purchase plan Often the buying or selling process is complex and includes many stages (for example request for proposal request for tender selection process awarding of tender contract negotiations and signing of final contract) Selling activities involve long processes of prospecting qualifying wooing making representations preparing tenders developing strategies and contract negotiations
Blurring between B2B and B2C
Industrial marketing can cross the border into consumer marketing For example an electronic component seller may distribute its products through industrial marketing channels (see channel (marketing)) but also support consumer sales Many products are equally desired by business and consumersmdashsuch as audio products furniture paint hardware etc Nonetheless manufactures and service providers frequently maintain separate industrial and consumer marketing operations to reflect the different needs of the two channels
Competitive tendering
Industrial marketing often involves competitive tendering (see tender tendering) This is a process where a purchasing organization undertakes to procure goods and services from suitable suppliers Due to the high value of some purchases (for example buying a new computer system manufacturing
machinery or outsourcing a maintenance contract) and the complexity of such purchases the purchasing organization will seek to obtain a number of bids from competing suppliers and choose the best offering An entire profession (strategic procurement) that includes tertiary training and qualifications has been built around the process of making important purchases The key requirement in any competitive tender is to ensure that
The business case for the purchase has been completed and approved
The purchasing organizations objectives for the purchase are clearly defined
The procurement process is agreed upon and it conforms with fiscal guidelines and organisational policies The selection criteria have been established
A budget has been estimated and the financial resources are available
A buying team (or committee) has been assembled
A specification has been written
A preliminary scan of the market place has determined that enough potential suppliers are available to make the process viable (this can sometimes be achieved using an expression of interest process)
It has been clearly established that a competitive tendering process is the best method for meeting the objectives of this purchasing project If (for example) it was known that there was only one organisation capable of supplying best to get on with talking to them and negotiating a contract
Because of the significant value of many purchases issues of probity arise Organisations seek to ensure that awarding a contract is based on best fit to the agreed criteria and not bribery corruption or incompetence
Bidding process
Suppliers who are seeking to win a competitive tender go through a bidding process At its most primitive this would consist of evaluating the specification (issued by the purchasing organization) designing a suitable proposal and working out a price This is a primitive approach because
There is an old saying in industrial marketing if the first time you have heard about a tender is when you are invited to submit then you have already lost it
While flippant the previous point illustrates a basic requirement for being successful in competitive tendering it is important to develop a strong relationship with a prospective customer organization well before they have started the formal part of their procurement process
Non-tender purchasing
Not all industrial sales involve competitive tendering Tender processes are time consuming and expensive particularly when executed with the aim of ensuring probity Government agencies are particularly likely to utilise elaborate competitive tendering processes due to the expectation that they should be seen at all times to be responsibly and accountably spending public monies Private companies are able to avoid the complexity of a fully transparent tender process but are still able to run the procurement process with some rigourBeneficial
Developing a sales strategysolution sellingtechnical selling
The art of technical selling (solution selling) follows a three stage process
Stage 1 Sell the appointment Never sell over the telephone The aim of the first contact with a prospective purchaser is to sell the appointment The reason is simple industrial sales are complex any attempt to sell over the phone will trivialise your product or service and run the risk of not fully understanding the customers need
Stage 2 Understand their needs The best method of selling is to minimise the information about your goods or services until you have fully understood your customers requirements
Stage 3 Develop and propose a solution The solution is (of course) developed from your (or the firm that you represents) product or service offerings
Marketing supports solution selling through methods like account-based marketingmdashunderstanding a specific target organizations requirements as the foundation of a marketing program As research shows[1] sales success is heavily weighted towards suppliers who understand the customer In UK research 77 per cent of senior decision-makers believe new suppliers marketing From cannon fodder to preferred tenderer
The term cannon fodder derives from the World Wars and refers to the massing of undertrained and recently recruited troops sent to the fronts to face the enemy Such troops invariably had a poor survival rate but provided the tactical advantage of distracting the enemy while
professional soldiers mounted more effective operations In adopting the term to Industrial Marketing it means those bids being submitted that have no chance of winning but are involved to make up the numbers (you cant have only one bid in a competitive tender process that wouldnt satisfy the requirements of probity) (for example in government tenders or for private enterprise the requirement to truly test the market and to keep them honest) The reader might be wondering why anybody would go to all of the work of submitting a tender when they had no chance of winning for the same reason that troops were sent in to battle to die they thought they had a real chance
The key features of a successful industrial sales organisation
In industrial marketing the personal selling is still very effective because many products must be customized to suit the requirements of the individual customer Indicators such as the sales tunnel give information on the expected sales in the near future the hit rate indicates whether the sales organization is busy with promising sales leads or it is spending too much effort on projects that are eventually lost to the competition or that are abandoned by the prospect
RESEARCH PROBLEM
1 Identify your target market
Which businesses need cleaning services Which ones can afford it and will pay for it Why
In your case I would think that small businesses may not be your ideal client But then again define small business Are you referring to sales volume or number of employees
I can tell you right now as a marketing consultant that has worked with a wide variety of businesses including small companies
Small businesses are very price sensitive and prefer to do more themselves rather than pay someone else (They hold this belief even if it would free up more time to be more productive Go figure)
So before you randomly begin picking a target market have a rational reason why Continue to read below and youll begin to see what I am talking about
2 Determine their wants and needs
It may be obvious to you but ask yourself Why would someone want a clean office
These businesses never have walk-in traffic They do not have customers visit them So naturally there is far less of a concern for a clean office Sure it would be nice to have but since no revenue will be lost if their office is not spectacular looking they are not motivated to do anything about it
However seek out the businesses that do deal with customers directly especially professional services where they have very high end clients visit them Now they NEED a very presentable office or they risk losing out on a lot of revenue
3 Determine the level and type of demand
If you have ever read any of my previous work you will know that I am a very strong advocate of knowing whether the type of demand is Primary Demand or Selective Demand It is one of the most overlooked aspects of marketing being ignored today
Primary Demand If a business does not already use your TYPE of service and is not currently considering doing so you will need to create primary demand Simply put you will have to convince them first to even want your type of service (or product) before you even get them to buy it from you
So for your cleaning business example if you are approaching businesses that currently do not use a cleaning service you will have to explain the time saving and productivity enhancing benefits of using one Then explain why YOU are the one they need
Selective Demand These businesses already use a service (or product) or are in the market for it and are actively looking In these cases you do not need to spend much effort convincing them why they need it
In this case you must state your argument why your cleaning service should be the one they choose
This is what you will encounter when you call on or contact businesses already using a cleaning service They will either be satisfied or unsatisfied with their current service provider Your emphasis will have to be on conquest sales -- meaning stealing customers from your competition
Now in your line of business and in many others slashing prices always seems to be the first technique used to steal customers This may work well for selling products But if you are marketing services let me tell you thisthink twice before doing that
Yes I am fully aware of the fact that there will be businesses that will be open to talking to you if you offer them a better deal In some cases they may feel they are legitimately getting ripped off or paying way
too much right now And they just might be right In those cases if you can give them a fair price that is a better deal for them AND still gives you healthy profit margins then go for it
However if you are slashing prices just to gain clients arent you really just hurting yourself in the long run First of all you can easily get into the game of How low will they go Secondly it de-values your perception of quality if you are cheap Thirdly whos to say after all this effort you wont lose the business in a month or two when someone else quotes them an even lower price
What will you do next price so low that you lose money with every client I didnt think so
Heres what you could do though
4 Develop a Hypothesis and a Solution to Match
After you know your target market have defined their needs and analyzed the competitive picture (currently using or not currently using a service like mine) go ahead and develop a clearly thought out hypothesis
For example start with business NOT currently using a cleaning service but that deal with customers or clients regularly at their location
Develop a strong case for WHY they would be wise to invest in your
cleaning services Show them on a break-even analysis that your fee will be well compensated in either customer retention or converting a higher level of store traffic or business appointments into paying customersclients
Then state your case why it is more cost effective and saves them valuable time to outsource this to you rather than doing it themselves or paying an employee overtime to do it You can also emphasize that you are the expert at this not someones secretary so it is expected that you will do a far better job at it
For businesses that ARE already using a cleaning service or are currently shopping for one state why you are unique and better
Determine the really compelling reasons why these businesses want a cleaning service to begin with
Maybe it is a retail store that wants to create a better first impression for their customers This will ultimately lead to a better customer experience and ultimately more in-store purchases
A good example may be that unlike most competitors you also clean windows Well as a marketing consultant to retail businesses I can tell you that many passerbys will first look in a store window before deciding to walk in or not
Now for successful marketing all retail businesses would perform better if they had more in-store traffic So therefore if your cleaning service also cleans windows you could rightfully justify that your services are more valuable to their retail business You actually HELP
them get more customers and sell more products
Maybe it is a professional service business that needs to impress prospective clients to choose their services over a similar competitor
Your cleaning service may dust chairs and polish wooden conference tables Many other cleaning services may not do this or do a poor job in doing so
Now as marketing consultants to service businesses I can also tell you that if a consultant attorney accountant or any other business professional needs to meet with prospective clients in their office they will appreciate a better appearance So if your cleaning services can provide this better than anyone else (or at least if you tell them about this first) you will get the business or at least be highly considered for it
Whatever the case may be establish what makes you different and have you are best suited to meet their needs
Do you see where I am going with this Your initial marketing questions asked how you can get more business by passing out flyers or sending faxes to small offices Truthfully that is simply not going to work You are not looking at the overall big picture of why anyone would either want to hire a cleaning service or to hire your particular cleaning service
5 You must make AN OFFER
Here are some examples
Marketing messagesales offer to a business that does NOT currently use a cleaning service
If you have never considered using a cleaning service before allow us to show you how XYZ Cleaning Inc can make your storeoffice more presentable to customers and how this newly improved appearance will affect your cash registerbank statement
If you are weary of trying new things dont worry Use us FREE for one month and if you are not completely satisfied with the results if you are not completely confident that it makes a difference to your customers if you are not completely aware of how it raises the morale of your employees then you do not have to using us again
But if YOU DO see a great improvement well make you a great deal on our services simply because we want your long term business Marketing messagesales offer to businesses that DO currently use a cleaning service
I understand that you currently use ABC Cleaners LLC Now you may or may not be completely happy right now but I want to make you a no-risk offer you cant refuse
The truth is that you likely get consumed in your day to day activities in running your business overseeing operations managing employees and handling customers Therefore there may be little imperfections your cleaning service is making that goes unnoticed by you But dont assume for one minute that your customers or potential customers wont notice And remember first impressions DO count
So heres our offer Have us come in the morning after your regular cleaning service cleans your office We will do a thorough inspection with you present and look for anything they may have done a less-than-satisfactory job on Then well show you why you probably over looked it for so long but why your customers will take notice and how they will think differently about you because of it
Now if everything is already 100 completely clean and presentable well thank you for your time and then be on our way But if together we find lots of little things that are carelessly being done we will cleanfix it for you for FREE
Thats right use our services as a compliment to what you are already paying for Compare the quality of work we do to what you are already paying for If you can see the difference in what we do for you compared to what you are already paying for then consider us as your new cleaning service
6 Develop your marketing message
Once you understand the true needs your potential clients have and the unique and competitive solutions you can offer only then should you develop your marketing copy -- your sales pitch
The two examples above incorporate great marketing copy with a strong benefits related offer You can then deliver this through direct mail telemarketing or a combination of both
I would only recommend distributing flyers if you are confident you can place there where they will get read by people who make the decision to hire a cleaning service So if there is an Open Bulletin board in an office building then go for it However they are rare and you probably need permission anyway
Id avoid the fax marketing altogether Its quite annoying ties up there fax line and unless people have already heard of you they are more likely to toss your message in the garbage
Try sending direct mail to the decision makers of these target companies and describe the benefits they will experience from using your services
7 Follow up
Even after identifying the businesses that are most likely to need your services after you have identified a solution and even after you contacted them with a compelling offer you still have to follow up
Chances are they loved the sound of it when they got it They had every intention of following up with you But then just got busy So your follow up call can make all the difference in the world and get your foot in the door in a very big way Then its up to you to DELIVER on your promise
8 ANALYSIS
Market Analysis
The goal of a market analysis is to determine the attractiveness of a market and to understand its evolving opportunities and threats as they relate to the strengths and weaknesses of the firm
David A Aaker outlined the following dimensions of a market analysis
Market size (current and future)
Market growth rate
Market profitability
Industry cost structure
Distribution channels
Market trends
Key success factors
Market Size
The size of the market can be evaluated based on present sales and on potential sales if the use of the product were expanded The following are some information sources for determining market size
government data
trade associations financial data from major players customer surveys
Market Growth Rate
A simple means of forecasting the market growth rate is to extrapolate historical data into the future While this method may provide a first-order estimate it does not predict important turning points A better method is to study growth drivers such as demographic information and sales growth in complementary products Such drivers serve as leading indicators that are more accurate than simply extrapolating historical data
Important inflection points in the market growth rate sometimes can be predicted by constructing a product diffusion curve The shape of the curve can be estimated by studying the characteristics of the adoption rate of a similar product in the past
Ultimately the maturity and decline stages of the product life cycle will be reached Some leading indicators of the decline phase include price pressure caused by competition a decrease in brand loyalty the emergence of substitute products market saturation and the lack of growth drivers
Market Profitability
While different firms in a market will have different levels of profitability the average profit potential for a market can be used as a guideline for knowing how difficult it is to make money in the market Michael Porter devised a useful framework for evaluating the attractiveness of an industry or market This framework known as Porters five forces identifies five factors that influence the market profitability
Buyer power
Supplier power
Barriers to entry
Threat of substitute products
Rivalry among firms in the industry
Industry Cost Structure
The cost structure is important for identifying key factors for success To this end Porters value chain model is useful for determining where value is added and for isolating the costs
The cost structure also is helpful for formulating strategies to develop a competitive advantage For example in some environments the experience curve effect can be used to develop a cost advantage over competitors
Distribution Channels
The following aspects of the distribution system are useful in a market analysis
Existing distribution channels - can be described by how direct they are to the customer
Trends and emerging channels - new channels can offer the opportunity to develop a competitive advantage
Channel power structure - for example in the case of a product having little brand equity retailers have negotiating power over manufacturers and can capture more margin
Market Trends
Changes in the market are important because they often are the source of new opportunities and threats The relevant trends are industry-dependent but some examples include changes in price sensitivity demand for variety and level of emphasis on service and support Regional trends also may be relevant
Key Success Factors
The key success factors are those elements that are necessary in order for the firm to achieve its marketing objectives A few examples of such factors include
Access to essential unique resources
Ability to achieve economies of scale
Access to distribution channels
Technological progress
It is important to consider that key success factors may change over time especially as the product progresses through its life cycle
9 CONCLUSIONS
Organizations engage in marketing research for two reasons
(1) (1) to identify (2) and (2) solve marketing problems
(3)
This distinction serves as a basis for classifying marketing research into problem identification research and problem solving research
Problem identification research is undertaken to help identify problems which are perhaps not apparent on the surface and yet exist or are likely to company image market characteristics sales analysis short-range forecasting long range forecasting and business trends research Research of this type provides information about the marketing environment and helps diagnose a problem For example The findings of problem solving research are used in making decisions which will solve specific marketing problems
The Stanford Research Institute on the other hand conducts an annual survey of consumers that is used to classify persons into homogeneous groups for segmentation purposes The National Purchase Diary panel (NPD) maintains the largest diary panel in the United States
Standardized services are research studies conducted for different client firms but in a standard way For example procedures for measuring
advertising effectiveness have been standardized so that the results can be compared across studies and evaluative norms can be established The Starch Readership Survey is the most widely used service for evaluating print advertisements another well-known service is the Gallup and Robinson Magazine Impact Studies These services are also sold on a syndicated basis
Customized services offer a wide variety of marketing research services customized to suit a clients specific needs Each marketing research project is treated uniquely
Limited-service suppliers specialize in one or a few phases of the marketing research project Services offered by such suppliers are classified as field services coding and data entry data analysis analytical services and branded products Field services collect data through mail personal or telephone interviewing and firms that specialize in interviewing are called field service organizations These organizations may range from small proprietary organizations which operate locally to large multinational organizations with WATS line interviewing facilities Some organizations maintain extensive interviewing facilities across the country for interviewing shoppers in malls
Coding and data entry services include editing completed questionnaires developing a coding scheme and transcribing the data on to diskettes or magnetic tapes for input into the computer NRC Data Systems provides such services
Analytical services include designing and pretesting questionnaires determining the best means of collecting data designing sampling plans and other aspects of the research design Some complex
marketing research projects require knowledge of sophisticated procedures including specialized experimental designs and analytical techniques such as conjoint analysis and multidimensional scaling This kind of expertise can be obtained from firms and consultants specializing in analytical services
Data analysis services are offered by firms also known as tab houses that specialize in computer analysis of quantitative data such as those obtained in large surveys Initially most data analysis firms supplied only tabulations (frequency counts) and cross tabulations (frequency counts that describe two or more variables simultaneously) With the proliferation of software many firms now have the capability to analyze their own data but data analysis firms are still in demand
Branded marketing research products and services are specialized data collection and analysis procedures developed to address specific types of marketing research problems These procedures are patented given brand names and marketed like any other branded product
Types of marketing research
Marketing research techniques come in many forms including
Ad Tracking ndash periodic or continuous in-market research to monitor a brandrsquos performance using measures such as brand awareness brand preference and product usage (Young 2005)
Advertising Research ndash used to predict copy testing or track the efficacy of advertisements for any medium measured by the adrsquos ability to get attention (measured with Attention Tracking) communicate the message build the brandrsquos image and motivate the consumer to purchase the product or service (Young 2005)
Brand equity research - how favorably do consumers view the brand
Brand association research - what do consumers associate with the brand
Brand attribute research - what are the key traits that describe the brand promise
Brand name testing - what do consumers feel about the names of the products
Commercial eye tracking research - examine advertisements package designs websites etc by analyzing visual behavior of the consumer
Concept testing - to test the acceptance of a concept by target consumers
Cool hunting - to make observations and predictions in changes of new or existing cultural trends in areas such as fashion music films television youth culture and lifestyle
Buyer decision processes research - to determine what motivates people to buy and what decision-making process they use
Copy testing ndash predicts in-market performance of an ad before it airs by analyzing audience levels of attention brand linkage motivation entertainment and communication as well as breaking down the adrsquos flow of attention and flow of emotion (Young p 213)
Customer satisfaction research - quantitative or qualitative studies that yields an understanding of a customers of satisfaction with a transaction
Demand estimation - to determine the approximate level of demand for the product
Distribution channel audits - to assess distributorsrsquo and retailersrsquo attitudes toward a product brand or company
Internet strategic intelligence - searching for customer opinions in the Internet chats forums web pages blogs where people express freely about their experiences with products becoming strong opinion formers
Marketing effectiveness and analytics - Building models and measuring results to determine the effectiveness of individual marketing activities
Mystery Consumer or Mystery shopping - An employee or representative of the market research firm anonymously contacts a salesperson and indicates he or she is shopping for a product The shopper then records the entire experience This method is often used for quality control or for researching competitors products
Positioning research - how does the target market see the brand relative to competitors - what does the brand stand for
Price elasticity testing - to determine how sensitive customers are to price changes
Sales forecasting - to determine the expected level of sales given the level of demand With respect to other factors like Advertising expenditure sales promotion etc
Segmentation research - to determine the demographic psychographic and behavioural characteristics of potential buyers
Online panel - a group of individual who accepted to respond to marketing research online
Store audit - to measure the sales of a product or product line at a statistically selected store sample in order to determine market share or to determine whether a retail store provides adequate service
Test marketing - a small-scale product launch used to determine the likely acceptance of the product when it is introduced into a wider market
Viral Marketing Research - refers to marketing research designed to estimate the probability that specific communications will be transmitted throughout an individuals Social Network Estimates of Social Networking Potential (SNP) are combined with estimates of selling effectiveness to estimate ROI on specific combinations of messages and media
All of these forms of marketing research can be classified as either problem-identification research or as problem-solving research
There are two main sources of data - primary and secondary Primary research is conducted from scratch It is original and collected to solve the problem in hand Secondary research already exists since it has been collected for other purposes It is conducted on data published previously and usually by someone else Secondary research costs far less than primary research but seldom comes in a form that exactly meets the needs of the researcher
A similar distinction exists between exploratory research and conclusive research Exploratory research provides insights into and comprehension of an issue or situation It should draw definitive conclusions only with extreme caution Conclusive research draws conclusions the results of the study can be generalized to the whole population
Exploratory research is conducted to explore a problem to get some basic idea about the solution at the preliminary stages of research It may serve as the input to conclusive research Exploratory research information is collected by focus group interviews reviewing literature or books discussing with experts etc This is unstructured and qualitative in nature If a secondary source of data is unable to serve the purpose a convenience sample of small size can be collected Conclusive research is conducted to draw some conclusion about the problem It is essentially structured and quantitative research and the
output of this research is the input to MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS (MIS)
Marketing research methods
Methodologically marketing research uses the following types of research designs
Based on questioning
Qualitative marketing research - generally used for exploratory purposes - small number of respondents - not generalizable to the whole population - statistical significance and confidence not calculated - examples include focus groups in-depth interviews and projective techniques
Quantitative marketing research - generally used to draw conclusions - tests a specific hypothesis - uses random sampling techniques so as to infer from the sample to the population - involves a large number of respondents - examples include surveys and questionnaires Techniques include choice modelling maximum difference preference scaling and covariance analysis
Based on observations
Ethnographic studies - by nature qualitative the researcher observes social phenomena in their natural setting - observations can
occur cross-sectionally (observations made at one time) or longitudinally (observations occur over several time-periods) ndash
examples include product-use analysis and computer cookie traces See also Ethnography and Observational techniques
Experimental techniques - by nature quantitative the researcher creates a quasi-artificial environment to try to control spurious factors
then manipulates at least one of the variables - examples include purchase laboratories and test markets
Questionnaires 1 What are the objectives of the marketing strategy Are they clearly stated Are they consistent with the objectives of the firm Is the entire marketing mix structured to meet these objectives
2 What marketing concepts are at issue in the current strategy Is the marketing strategy well planned and laid out Is the strategy consistent with sound marketing principles If the strategy takes exception to marketing principles is there a good reason for it
3 To what target market is the strategy directed Is it well defined Is the market large enough to be profitably served Does the market have long-run potential
4 What competitive advantage does the marketing strategy offer If none what can be done to gain a competitive advantage in the marketplace
5 What products are being sold What is the width depth and consistency of the firms product lines Does the firm need new products to fill out its product line Should any product be deleted What is the profitability of the various products
6 What promotion mix is being used Is promotion consistent with the products and product images What could be done to improve the promotion mix
7 What channels of distribution are being used Do they deliver the product at the right time and right place to meet consumer needs Are the channels typical of those used in the industry Could channels be made more efficient
8 What pricing strategies are being used How do prices compare with similar products of other firms How are prices determined
9 Are marketing research and information systematically integrated into the marketing strategy Is the overall marketing strategy internally consistent
Main features of the B2B selling process are
Marketing is one-to-one in nature It is relatively easy for the seller to identify a prospective customers and build a face-to-face relationship Highly professional and trained people in buying processes are involved In many cases two or three decision makers must approve a purchase plan Often the buying or selling process is complex and includes many stages (for example request for proposal request for tender selection process awarding of tender contract negotiations and signing of final contract) Selling activities involve long processes of prospecting qualifying wooing making representations preparing tenders developing strategies and contract negotiations
Blurring between B2B and B2C
Industrial marketing can cross the border into consumer marketing For example an electronic component seller may distribute its products through industrial marketing channels (see channel (marketing)) but also support consumer sales Many products are equally desired by business and consumersmdashsuch as audio products furniture paint hardware etc Nonetheless manufactures and service providers frequently maintain separate industrial and consumer marketing operations to reflect the different needs of the two channels
Competitive tendering
Industrial marketing often involves competitive tendering (see tender tendering) This is a process where a purchasing organization undertakes to procure goods and services from suitable suppliers Due to the high value of some purchases (for example buying a new computer system manufacturing
machinery or outsourcing a maintenance contract) and the complexity of such purchases the purchasing organization will seek to obtain a number of bids from competing suppliers and choose the best offering An entire profession (strategic procurement) that includes tertiary training and qualifications has been built around the process of making important purchases The key requirement in any competitive tender is to ensure that
The business case for the purchase has been completed and approved
The purchasing organizations objectives for the purchase are clearly defined
The procurement process is agreed upon and it conforms with fiscal guidelines and organisational policies The selection criteria have been established
A budget has been estimated and the financial resources are available
A buying team (or committee) has been assembled
A specification has been written
A preliminary scan of the market place has determined that enough potential suppliers are available to make the process viable (this can sometimes be achieved using an expression of interest process)
It has been clearly established that a competitive tendering process is the best method for meeting the objectives of this purchasing project If (for example) it was known that there was only one organisation capable of supplying best to get on with talking to them and negotiating a contract
Because of the significant value of many purchases issues of probity arise Organisations seek to ensure that awarding a contract is based on best fit to the agreed criteria and not bribery corruption or incompetence
Bidding process
Suppliers who are seeking to win a competitive tender go through a bidding process At its most primitive this would consist of evaluating the specification (issued by the purchasing organization) designing a suitable proposal and working out a price This is a primitive approach because
There is an old saying in industrial marketing if the first time you have heard about a tender is when you are invited to submit then you have already lost it
While flippant the previous point illustrates a basic requirement for being successful in competitive tendering it is important to develop a strong relationship with a prospective customer organization well before they have started the formal part of their procurement process
Non-tender purchasing
Not all industrial sales involve competitive tendering Tender processes are time consuming and expensive particularly when executed with the aim of ensuring probity Government agencies are particularly likely to utilise elaborate competitive tendering processes due to the expectation that they should be seen at all times to be responsibly and accountably spending public monies Private companies are able to avoid the complexity of a fully transparent tender process but are still able to run the procurement process with some rigourBeneficial
Developing a sales strategysolution sellingtechnical selling
The art of technical selling (solution selling) follows a three stage process
Stage 1 Sell the appointment Never sell over the telephone The aim of the first contact with a prospective purchaser is to sell the appointment The reason is simple industrial sales are complex any attempt to sell over the phone will trivialise your product or service and run the risk of not fully understanding the customers need
Stage 2 Understand their needs The best method of selling is to minimise the information about your goods or services until you have fully understood your customers requirements
Stage 3 Develop and propose a solution The solution is (of course) developed from your (or the firm that you represents) product or service offerings
Marketing supports solution selling through methods like account-based marketingmdashunderstanding a specific target organizations requirements as the foundation of a marketing program As research shows[1] sales success is heavily weighted towards suppliers who understand the customer In UK research 77 per cent of senior decision-makers believe new suppliers marketing From cannon fodder to preferred tenderer
The term cannon fodder derives from the World Wars and refers to the massing of undertrained and recently recruited troops sent to the fronts to face the enemy Such troops invariably had a poor survival rate but provided the tactical advantage of distracting the enemy while
professional soldiers mounted more effective operations In adopting the term to Industrial Marketing it means those bids being submitted that have no chance of winning but are involved to make up the numbers (you cant have only one bid in a competitive tender process that wouldnt satisfy the requirements of probity) (for example in government tenders or for private enterprise the requirement to truly test the market and to keep them honest) The reader might be wondering why anybody would go to all of the work of submitting a tender when they had no chance of winning for the same reason that troops were sent in to battle to die they thought they had a real chance
The key features of a successful industrial sales organisation
In industrial marketing the personal selling is still very effective because many products must be customized to suit the requirements of the individual customer Indicators such as the sales tunnel give information on the expected sales in the near future the hit rate indicates whether the sales organization is busy with promising sales leads or it is spending too much effort on projects that are eventually lost to the competition or that are abandoned by the prospect
RESEARCH PROBLEM
1 Identify your target market
Which businesses need cleaning services Which ones can afford it and will pay for it Why
In your case I would think that small businesses may not be your ideal client But then again define small business Are you referring to sales volume or number of employees
I can tell you right now as a marketing consultant that has worked with a wide variety of businesses including small companies
Small businesses are very price sensitive and prefer to do more themselves rather than pay someone else (They hold this belief even if it would free up more time to be more productive Go figure)
So before you randomly begin picking a target market have a rational reason why Continue to read below and youll begin to see what I am talking about
2 Determine their wants and needs
It may be obvious to you but ask yourself Why would someone want a clean office
These businesses never have walk-in traffic They do not have customers visit them So naturally there is far less of a concern for a clean office Sure it would be nice to have but since no revenue will be lost if their office is not spectacular looking they are not motivated to do anything about it
However seek out the businesses that do deal with customers directly especially professional services where they have very high end clients visit them Now they NEED a very presentable office or they risk losing out on a lot of revenue
3 Determine the level and type of demand
If you have ever read any of my previous work you will know that I am a very strong advocate of knowing whether the type of demand is Primary Demand or Selective Demand It is one of the most overlooked aspects of marketing being ignored today
Primary Demand If a business does not already use your TYPE of service and is not currently considering doing so you will need to create primary demand Simply put you will have to convince them first to even want your type of service (or product) before you even get them to buy it from you
So for your cleaning business example if you are approaching businesses that currently do not use a cleaning service you will have to explain the time saving and productivity enhancing benefits of using one Then explain why YOU are the one they need
Selective Demand These businesses already use a service (or product) or are in the market for it and are actively looking In these cases you do not need to spend much effort convincing them why they need it
In this case you must state your argument why your cleaning service should be the one they choose
This is what you will encounter when you call on or contact businesses already using a cleaning service They will either be satisfied or unsatisfied with their current service provider Your emphasis will have to be on conquest sales -- meaning stealing customers from your competition
Now in your line of business and in many others slashing prices always seems to be the first technique used to steal customers This may work well for selling products But if you are marketing services let me tell you thisthink twice before doing that
Yes I am fully aware of the fact that there will be businesses that will be open to talking to you if you offer them a better deal In some cases they may feel they are legitimately getting ripped off or paying way
too much right now And they just might be right In those cases if you can give them a fair price that is a better deal for them AND still gives you healthy profit margins then go for it
However if you are slashing prices just to gain clients arent you really just hurting yourself in the long run First of all you can easily get into the game of How low will they go Secondly it de-values your perception of quality if you are cheap Thirdly whos to say after all this effort you wont lose the business in a month or two when someone else quotes them an even lower price
What will you do next price so low that you lose money with every client I didnt think so
Heres what you could do though
4 Develop a Hypothesis and a Solution to Match
After you know your target market have defined their needs and analyzed the competitive picture (currently using or not currently using a service like mine) go ahead and develop a clearly thought out hypothesis
For example start with business NOT currently using a cleaning service but that deal with customers or clients regularly at their location
Develop a strong case for WHY they would be wise to invest in your
cleaning services Show them on a break-even analysis that your fee will be well compensated in either customer retention or converting a higher level of store traffic or business appointments into paying customersclients
Then state your case why it is more cost effective and saves them valuable time to outsource this to you rather than doing it themselves or paying an employee overtime to do it You can also emphasize that you are the expert at this not someones secretary so it is expected that you will do a far better job at it
For businesses that ARE already using a cleaning service or are currently shopping for one state why you are unique and better
Determine the really compelling reasons why these businesses want a cleaning service to begin with
Maybe it is a retail store that wants to create a better first impression for their customers This will ultimately lead to a better customer experience and ultimately more in-store purchases
A good example may be that unlike most competitors you also clean windows Well as a marketing consultant to retail businesses I can tell you that many passerbys will first look in a store window before deciding to walk in or not
Now for successful marketing all retail businesses would perform better if they had more in-store traffic So therefore if your cleaning service also cleans windows you could rightfully justify that your services are more valuable to their retail business You actually HELP
them get more customers and sell more products
Maybe it is a professional service business that needs to impress prospective clients to choose their services over a similar competitor
Your cleaning service may dust chairs and polish wooden conference tables Many other cleaning services may not do this or do a poor job in doing so
Now as marketing consultants to service businesses I can also tell you that if a consultant attorney accountant or any other business professional needs to meet with prospective clients in their office they will appreciate a better appearance So if your cleaning services can provide this better than anyone else (or at least if you tell them about this first) you will get the business or at least be highly considered for it
Whatever the case may be establish what makes you different and have you are best suited to meet their needs
Do you see where I am going with this Your initial marketing questions asked how you can get more business by passing out flyers or sending faxes to small offices Truthfully that is simply not going to work You are not looking at the overall big picture of why anyone would either want to hire a cleaning service or to hire your particular cleaning service
5 You must make AN OFFER
Here are some examples
Marketing messagesales offer to a business that does NOT currently use a cleaning service
If you have never considered using a cleaning service before allow us to show you how XYZ Cleaning Inc can make your storeoffice more presentable to customers and how this newly improved appearance will affect your cash registerbank statement
If you are weary of trying new things dont worry Use us FREE for one month and if you are not completely satisfied with the results if you are not completely confident that it makes a difference to your customers if you are not completely aware of how it raises the morale of your employees then you do not have to using us again
But if YOU DO see a great improvement well make you a great deal on our services simply because we want your long term business Marketing messagesales offer to businesses that DO currently use a cleaning service
I understand that you currently use ABC Cleaners LLC Now you may or may not be completely happy right now but I want to make you a no-risk offer you cant refuse
The truth is that you likely get consumed in your day to day activities in running your business overseeing operations managing employees and handling customers Therefore there may be little imperfections your cleaning service is making that goes unnoticed by you But dont assume for one minute that your customers or potential customers wont notice And remember first impressions DO count
So heres our offer Have us come in the morning after your regular cleaning service cleans your office We will do a thorough inspection with you present and look for anything they may have done a less-than-satisfactory job on Then well show you why you probably over looked it for so long but why your customers will take notice and how they will think differently about you because of it
Now if everything is already 100 completely clean and presentable well thank you for your time and then be on our way But if together we find lots of little things that are carelessly being done we will cleanfix it for you for FREE
Thats right use our services as a compliment to what you are already paying for Compare the quality of work we do to what you are already paying for If you can see the difference in what we do for you compared to what you are already paying for then consider us as your new cleaning service
6 Develop your marketing message
Once you understand the true needs your potential clients have and the unique and competitive solutions you can offer only then should you develop your marketing copy -- your sales pitch
The two examples above incorporate great marketing copy with a strong benefits related offer You can then deliver this through direct mail telemarketing or a combination of both
I would only recommend distributing flyers if you are confident you can place there where they will get read by people who make the decision to hire a cleaning service So if there is an Open Bulletin board in an office building then go for it However they are rare and you probably need permission anyway
Id avoid the fax marketing altogether Its quite annoying ties up there fax line and unless people have already heard of you they are more likely to toss your message in the garbage
Try sending direct mail to the decision makers of these target companies and describe the benefits they will experience from using your services
7 Follow up
Even after identifying the businesses that are most likely to need your services after you have identified a solution and even after you contacted them with a compelling offer you still have to follow up
Chances are they loved the sound of it when they got it They had every intention of following up with you But then just got busy So your follow up call can make all the difference in the world and get your foot in the door in a very big way Then its up to you to DELIVER on your promise
8 ANALYSIS
Market Analysis
The goal of a market analysis is to determine the attractiveness of a market and to understand its evolving opportunities and threats as they relate to the strengths and weaknesses of the firm
David A Aaker outlined the following dimensions of a market analysis
Market size (current and future)
Market growth rate
Market profitability
Industry cost structure
Distribution channels
Market trends
Key success factors
Market Size
The size of the market can be evaluated based on present sales and on potential sales if the use of the product were expanded The following are some information sources for determining market size
government data
trade associations financial data from major players customer surveys
Market Growth Rate
A simple means of forecasting the market growth rate is to extrapolate historical data into the future While this method may provide a first-order estimate it does not predict important turning points A better method is to study growth drivers such as demographic information and sales growth in complementary products Such drivers serve as leading indicators that are more accurate than simply extrapolating historical data
Important inflection points in the market growth rate sometimes can be predicted by constructing a product diffusion curve The shape of the curve can be estimated by studying the characteristics of the adoption rate of a similar product in the past
Ultimately the maturity and decline stages of the product life cycle will be reached Some leading indicators of the decline phase include price pressure caused by competition a decrease in brand loyalty the emergence of substitute products market saturation and the lack of growth drivers
Market Profitability
While different firms in a market will have different levels of profitability the average profit potential for a market can be used as a guideline for knowing how difficult it is to make money in the market Michael Porter devised a useful framework for evaluating the attractiveness of an industry or market This framework known as Porters five forces identifies five factors that influence the market profitability
Buyer power
Supplier power
Barriers to entry
Threat of substitute products
Rivalry among firms in the industry
Industry Cost Structure
The cost structure is important for identifying key factors for success To this end Porters value chain model is useful for determining where value is added and for isolating the costs
The cost structure also is helpful for formulating strategies to develop a competitive advantage For example in some environments the experience curve effect can be used to develop a cost advantage over competitors
Distribution Channels
The following aspects of the distribution system are useful in a market analysis
Existing distribution channels - can be described by how direct they are to the customer
Trends and emerging channels - new channels can offer the opportunity to develop a competitive advantage
Channel power structure - for example in the case of a product having little brand equity retailers have negotiating power over manufacturers and can capture more margin
Market Trends
Changes in the market are important because they often are the source of new opportunities and threats The relevant trends are industry-dependent but some examples include changes in price sensitivity demand for variety and level of emphasis on service and support Regional trends also may be relevant
Key Success Factors
The key success factors are those elements that are necessary in order for the firm to achieve its marketing objectives A few examples of such factors include
Access to essential unique resources
Ability to achieve economies of scale
Access to distribution channels
Technological progress
It is important to consider that key success factors may change over time especially as the product progresses through its life cycle
9 CONCLUSIONS
Organizations engage in marketing research for two reasons
(1) (1) to identify (2) and (2) solve marketing problems
(3)
This distinction serves as a basis for classifying marketing research into problem identification research and problem solving research
Problem identification research is undertaken to help identify problems which are perhaps not apparent on the surface and yet exist or are likely to company image market characteristics sales analysis short-range forecasting long range forecasting and business trends research Research of this type provides information about the marketing environment and helps diagnose a problem For example The findings of problem solving research are used in making decisions which will solve specific marketing problems
The Stanford Research Institute on the other hand conducts an annual survey of consumers that is used to classify persons into homogeneous groups for segmentation purposes The National Purchase Diary panel (NPD) maintains the largest diary panel in the United States
Standardized services are research studies conducted for different client firms but in a standard way For example procedures for measuring
advertising effectiveness have been standardized so that the results can be compared across studies and evaluative norms can be established The Starch Readership Survey is the most widely used service for evaluating print advertisements another well-known service is the Gallup and Robinson Magazine Impact Studies These services are also sold on a syndicated basis
Customized services offer a wide variety of marketing research services customized to suit a clients specific needs Each marketing research project is treated uniquely
Limited-service suppliers specialize in one or a few phases of the marketing research project Services offered by such suppliers are classified as field services coding and data entry data analysis analytical services and branded products Field services collect data through mail personal or telephone interviewing and firms that specialize in interviewing are called field service organizations These organizations may range from small proprietary organizations which operate locally to large multinational organizations with WATS line interviewing facilities Some organizations maintain extensive interviewing facilities across the country for interviewing shoppers in malls
Coding and data entry services include editing completed questionnaires developing a coding scheme and transcribing the data on to diskettes or magnetic tapes for input into the computer NRC Data Systems provides such services
Analytical services include designing and pretesting questionnaires determining the best means of collecting data designing sampling plans and other aspects of the research design Some complex
marketing research projects require knowledge of sophisticated procedures including specialized experimental designs and analytical techniques such as conjoint analysis and multidimensional scaling This kind of expertise can be obtained from firms and consultants specializing in analytical services
Data analysis services are offered by firms also known as tab houses that specialize in computer analysis of quantitative data such as those obtained in large surveys Initially most data analysis firms supplied only tabulations (frequency counts) and cross tabulations (frequency counts that describe two or more variables simultaneously) With the proliferation of software many firms now have the capability to analyze their own data but data analysis firms are still in demand
Branded marketing research products and services are specialized data collection and analysis procedures developed to address specific types of marketing research problems These procedures are patented given brand names and marketed like any other branded product
Types of marketing research
Marketing research techniques come in many forms including
Ad Tracking ndash periodic or continuous in-market research to monitor a brandrsquos performance using measures such as brand awareness brand preference and product usage (Young 2005)
Advertising Research ndash used to predict copy testing or track the efficacy of advertisements for any medium measured by the adrsquos ability to get attention (measured with Attention Tracking) communicate the message build the brandrsquos image and motivate the consumer to purchase the product or service (Young 2005)
Brand equity research - how favorably do consumers view the brand
Brand association research - what do consumers associate with the brand
Brand attribute research - what are the key traits that describe the brand promise
Brand name testing - what do consumers feel about the names of the products
Commercial eye tracking research - examine advertisements package designs websites etc by analyzing visual behavior of the consumer
Concept testing - to test the acceptance of a concept by target consumers
Cool hunting - to make observations and predictions in changes of new or existing cultural trends in areas such as fashion music films television youth culture and lifestyle
Buyer decision processes research - to determine what motivates people to buy and what decision-making process they use
Copy testing ndash predicts in-market performance of an ad before it airs by analyzing audience levels of attention brand linkage motivation entertainment and communication as well as breaking down the adrsquos flow of attention and flow of emotion (Young p 213)
Customer satisfaction research - quantitative or qualitative studies that yields an understanding of a customers of satisfaction with a transaction
Demand estimation - to determine the approximate level of demand for the product
Distribution channel audits - to assess distributorsrsquo and retailersrsquo attitudes toward a product brand or company
Internet strategic intelligence - searching for customer opinions in the Internet chats forums web pages blogs where people express freely about their experiences with products becoming strong opinion formers
Marketing effectiveness and analytics - Building models and measuring results to determine the effectiveness of individual marketing activities
Mystery Consumer or Mystery shopping - An employee or representative of the market research firm anonymously contacts a salesperson and indicates he or she is shopping for a product The shopper then records the entire experience This method is often used for quality control or for researching competitors products
Positioning research - how does the target market see the brand relative to competitors - what does the brand stand for
Price elasticity testing - to determine how sensitive customers are to price changes
Sales forecasting - to determine the expected level of sales given the level of demand With respect to other factors like Advertising expenditure sales promotion etc
Segmentation research - to determine the demographic psychographic and behavioural characteristics of potential buyers
Online panel - a group of individual who accepted to respond to marketing research online
Store audit - to measure the sales of a product or product line at a statistically selected store sample in order to determine market share or to determine whether a retail store provides adequate service
Test marketing - a small-scale product launch used to determine the likely acceptance of the product when it is introduced into a wider market
Viral Marketing Research - refers to marketing research designed to estimate the probability that specific communications will be transmitted throughout an individuals Social Network Estimates of Social Networking Potential (SNP) are combined with estimates of selling effectiveness to estimate ROI on specific combinations of messages and media
All of these forms of marketing research can be classified as either problem-identification research or as problem-solving research
There are two main sources of data - primary and secondary Primary research is conducted from scratch It is original and collected to solve the problem in hand Secondary research already exists since it has been collected for other purposes It is conducted on data published previously and usually by someone else Secondary research costs far less than primary research but seldom comes in a form that exactly meets the needs of the researcher
A similar distinction exists between exploratory research and conclusive research Exploratory research provides insights into and comprehension of an issue or situation It should draw definitive conclusions only with extreme caution Conclusive research draws conclusions the results of the study can be generalized to the whole population
Exploratory research is conducted to explore a problem to get some basic idea about the solution at the preliminary stages of research It may serve as the input to conclusive research Exploratory research information is collected by focus group interviews reviewing literature or books discussing with experts etc This is unstructured and qualitative in nature If a secondary source of data is unable to serve the purpose a convenience sample of small size can be collected Conclusive research is conducted to draw some conclusion about the problem It is essentially structured and quantitative research and the
output of this research is the input to MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS (MIS)
Marketing research methods
Methodologically marketing research uses the following types of research designs
Based on questioning
Qualitative marketing research - generally used for exploratory purposes - small number of respondents - not generalizable to the whole population - statistical significance and confidence not calculated - examples include focus groups in-depth interviews and projective techniques
Quantitative marketing research - generally used to draw conclusions - tests a specific hypothesis - uses random sampling techniques so as to infer from the sample to the population - involves a large number of respondents - examples include surveys and questionnaires Techniques include choice modelling maximum difference preference scaling and covariance analysis
Based on observations
Ethnographic studies - by nature qualitative the researcher observes social phenomena in their natural setting - observations can
occur cross-sectionally (observations made at one time) or longitudinally (observations occur over several time-periods) ndash
examples include product-use analysis and computer cookie traces See also Ethnography and Observational techniques
Experimental techniques - by nature quantitative the researcher creates a quasi-artificial environment to try to control spurious factors
then manipulates at least one of the variables - examples include purchase laboratories and test markets
Questionnaires 1 What are the objectives of the marketing strategy Are they clearly stated Are they consistent with the objectives of the firm Is the entire marketing mix structured to meet these objectives
2 What marketing concepts are at issue in the current strategy Is the marketing strategy well planned and laid out Is the strategy consistent with sound marketing principles If the strategy takes exception to marketing principles is there a good reason for it
3 To what target market is the strategy directed Is it well defined Is the market large enough to be profitably served Does the market have long-run potential
4 What competitive advantage does the marketing strategy offer If none what can be done to gain a competitive advantage in the marketplace
5 What products are being sold What is the width depth and consistency of the firms product lines Does the firm need new products to fill out its product line Should any product be deleted What is the profitability of the various products
6 What promotion mix is being used Is promotion consistent with the products and product images What could be done to improve the promotion mix
7 What channels of distribution are being used Do they deliver the product at the right time and right place to meet consumer needs Are the channels typical of those used in the industry Could channels be made more efficient
8 What pricing strategies are being used How do prices compare with similar products of other firms How are prices determined
9 Are marketing research and information systematically integrated into the marketing strategy Is the overall marketing strategy internally consistent
Blurring between B2B and B2C
Industrial marketing can cross the border into consumer marketing For example an electronic component seller may distribute its products through industrial marketing channels (see channel (marketing)) but also support consumer sales Many products are equally desired by business and consumersmdashsuch as audio products furniture paint hardware etc Nonetheless manufactures and service providers frequently maintain separate industrial and consumer marketing operations to reflect the different needs of the two channels
Competitive tendering
Industrial marketing often involves competitive tendering (see tender tendering) This is a process where a purchasing organization undertakes to procure goods and services from suitable suppliers Due to the high value of some purchases (for example buying a new computer system manufacturing
machinery or outsourcing a maintenance contract) and the complexity of such purchases the purchasing organization will seek to obtain a number of bids from competing suppliers and choose the best offering An entire profession (strategic procurement) that includes tertiary training and qualifications has been built around the process of making important purchases The key requirement in any competitive tender is to ensure that
The business case for the purchase has been completed and approved
The purchasing organizations objectives for the purchase are clearly defined
The procurement process is agreed upon and it conforms with fiscal guidelines and organisational policies The selection criteria have been established
A budget has been estimated and the financial resources are available
A buying team (or committee) has been assembled
A specification has been written
A preliminary scan of the market place has determined that enough potential suppliers are available to make the process viable (this can sometimes be achieved using an expression of interest process)
It has been clearly established that a competitive tendering process is the best method for meeting the objectives of this purchasing project If (for example) it was known that there was only one organisation capable of supplying best to get on with talking to them and negotiating a contract
Because of the significant value of many purchases issues of probity arise Organisations seek to ensure that awarding a contract is based on best fit to the agreed criteria and not bribery corruption or incompetence
Bidding process
Suppliers who are seeking to win a competitive tender go through a bidding process At its most primitive this would consist of evaluating the specification (issued by the purchasing organization) designing a suitable proposal and working out a price This is a primitive approach because
There is an old saying in industrial marketing if the first time you have heard about a tender is when you are invited to submit then you have already lost it
While flippant the previous point illustrates a basic requirement for being successful in competitive tendering it is important to develop a strong relationship with a prospective customer organization well before they have started the formal part of their procurement process
Non-tender purchasing
Not all industrial sales involve competitive tendering Tender processes are time consuming and expensive particularly when executed with the aim of ensuring probity Government agencies are particularly likely to utilise elaborate competitive tendering processes due to the expectation that they should be seen at all times to be responsibly and accountably spending public monies Private companies are able to avoid the complexity of a fully transparent tender process but are still able to run the procurement process with some rigourBeneficial
Developing a sales strategysolution sellingtechnical selling
The art of technical selling (solution selling) follows a three stage process
Stage 1 Sell the appointment Never sell over the telephone The aim of the first contact with a prospective purchaser is to sell the appointment The reason is simple industrial sales are complex any attempt to sell over the phone will trivialise your product or service and run the risk of not fully understanding the customers need
Stage 2 Understand their needs The best method of selling is to minimise the information about your goods or services until you have fully understood your customers requirements
Stage 3 Develop and propose a solution The solution is (of course) developed from your (or the firm that you represents) product or service offerings
Marketing supports solution selling through methods like account-based marketingmdashunderstanding a specific target organizations requirements as the foundation of a marketing program As research shows[1] sales success is heavily weighted towards suppliers who understand the customer In UK research 77 per cent of senior decision-makers believe new suppliers marketing From cannon fodder to preferred tenderer
The term cannon fodder derives from the World Wars and refers to the massing of undertrained and recently recruited troops sent to the fronts to face the enemy Such troops invariably had a poor survival rate but provided the tactical advantage of distracting the enemy while
professional soldiers mounted more effective operations In adopting the term to Industrial Marketing it means those bids being submitted that have no chance of winning but are involved to make up the numbers (you cant have only one bid in a competitive tender process that wouldnt satisfy the requirements of probity) (for example in government tenders or for private enterprise the requirement to truly test the market and to keep them honest) The reader might be wondering why anybody would go to all of the work of submitting a tender when they had no chance of winning for the same reason that troops were sent in to battle to die they thought they had a real chance
The key features of a successful industrial sales organisation
In industrial marketing the personal selling is still very effective because many products must be customized to suit the requirements of the individual customer Indicators such as the sales tunnel give information on the expected sales in the near future the hit rate indicates whether the sales organization is busy with promising sales leads or it is spending too much effort on projects that are eventually lost to the competition or that are abandoned by the prospect
RESEARCH PROBLEM
1 Identify your target market
Which businesses need cleaning services Which ones can afford it and will pay for it Why
In your case I would think that small businesses may not be your ideal client But then again define small business Are you referring to sales volume or number of employees
I can tell you right now as a marketing consultant that has worked with a wide variety of businesses including small companies
Small businesses are very price sensitive and prefer to do more themselves rather than pay someone else (They hold this belief even if it would free up more time to be more productive Go figure)
So before you randomly begin picking a target market have a rational reason why Continue to read below and youll begin to see what I am talking about
2 Determine their wants and needs
It may be obvious to you but ask yourself Why would someone want a clean office
These businesses never have walk-in traffic They do not have customers visit them So naturally there is far less of a concern for a clean office Sure it would be nice to have but since no revenue will be lost if their office is not spectacular looking they are not motivated to do anything about it
However seek out the businesses that do deal with customers directly especially professional services where they have very high end clients visit them Now they NEED a very presentable office or they risk losing out on a lot of revenue
3 Determine the level and type of demand
If you have ever read any of my previous work you will know that I am a very strong advocate of knowing whether the type of demand is Primary Demand or Selective Demand It is one of the most overlooked aspects of marketing being ignored today
Primary Demand If a business does not already use your TYPE of service and is not currently considering doing so you will need to create primary demand Simply put you will have to convince them first to even want your type of service (or product) before you even get them to buy it from you
So for your cleaning business example if you are approaching businesses that currently do not use a cleaning service you will have to explain the time saving and productivity enhancing benefits of using one Then explain why YOU are the one they need
Selective Demand These businesses already use a service (or product) or are in the market for it and are actively looking In these cases you do not need to spend much effort convincing them why they need it
In this case you must state your argument why your cleaning service should be the one they choose
This is what you will encounter when you call on or contact businesses already using a cleaning service They will either be satisfied or unsatisfied with their current service provider Your emphasis will have to be on conquest sales -- meaning stealing customers from your competition
Now in your line of business and in many others slashing prices always seems to be the first technique used to steal customers This may work well for selling products But if you are marketing services let me tell you thisthink twice before doing that
Yes I am fully aware of the fact that there will be businesses that will be open to talking to you if you offer them a better deal In some cases they may feel they are legitimately getting ripped off or paying way
too much right now And they just might be right In those cases if you can give them a fair price that is a better deal for them AND still gives you healthy profit margins then go for it
However if you are slashing prices just to gain clients arent you really just hurting yourself in the long run First of all you can easily get into the game of How low will they go Secondly it de-values your perception of quality if you are cheap Thirdly whos to say after all this effort you wont lose the business in a month or two when someone else quotes them an even lower price
What will you do next price so low that you lose money with every client I didnt think so
Heres what you could do though
4 Develop a Hypothesis and a Solution to Match
After you know your target market have defined their needs and analyzed the competitive picture (currently using or not currently using a service like mine) go ahead and develop a clearly thought out hypothesis
For example start with business NOT currently using a cleaning service but that deal with customers or clients regularly at their location
Develop a strong case for WHY they would be wise to invest in your
cleaning services Show them on a break-even analysis that your fee will be well compensated in either customer retention or converting a higher level of store traffic or business appointments into paying customersclients
Then state your case why it is more cost effective and saves them valuable time to outsource this to you rather than doing it themselves or paying an employee overtime to do it You can also emphasize that you are the expert at this not someones secretary so it is expected that you will do a far better job at it
For businesses that ARE already using a cleaning service or are currently shopping for one state why you are unique and better
Determine the really compelling reasons why these businesses want a cleaning service to begin with
Maybe it is a retail store that wants to create a better first impression for their customers This will ultimately lead to a better customer experience and ultimately more in-store purchases
A good example may be that unlike most competitors you also clean windows Well as a marketing consultant to retail businesses I can tell you that many passerbys will first look in a store window before deciding to walk in or not
Now for successful marketing all retail businesses would perform better if they had more in-store traffic So therefore if your cleaning service also cleans windows you could rightfully justify that your services are more valuable to their retail business You actually HELP
them get more customers and sell more products
Maybe it is a professional service business that needs to impress prospective clients to choose their services over a similar competitor
Your cleaning service may dust chairs and polish wooden conference tables Many other cleaning services may not do this or do a poor job in doing so
Now as marketing consultants to service businesses I can also tell you that if a consultant attorney accountant or any other business professional needs to meet with prospective clients in their office they will appreciate a better appearance So if your cleaning services can provide this better than anyone else (or at least if you tell them about this first) you will get the business or at least be highly considered for it
Whatever the case may be establish what makes you different and have you are best suited to meet their needs
Do you see where I am going with this Your initial marketing questions asked how you can get more business by passing out flyers or sending faxes to small offices Truthfully that is simply not going to work You are not looking at the overall big picture of why anyone would either want to hire a cleaning service or to hire your particular cleaning service
5 You must make AN OFFER
Here are some examples
Marketing messagesales offer to a business that does NOT currently use a cleaning service
If you have never considered using a cleaning service before allow us to show you how XYZ Cleaning Inc can make your storeoffice more presentable to customers and how this newly improved appearance will affect your cash registerbank statement
If you are weary of trying new things dont worry Use us FREE for one month and if you are not completely satisfied with the results if you are not completely confident that it makes a difference to your customers if you are not completely aware of how it raises the morale of your employees then you do not have to using us again
But if YOU DO see a great improvement well make you a great deal on our services simply because we want your long term business Marketing messagesales offer to businesses that DO currently use a cleaning service
I understand that you currently use ABC Cleaners LLC Now you may or may not be completely happy right now but I want to make you a no-risk offer you cant refuse
The truth is that you likely get consumed in your day to day activities in running your business overseeing operations managing employees and handling customers Therefore there may be little imperfections your cleaning service is making that goes unnoticed by you But dont assume for one minute that your customers or potential customers wont notice And remember first impressions DO count
So heres our offer Have us come in the morning after your regular cleaning service cleans your office We will do a thorough inspection with you present and look for anything they may have done a less-than-satisfactory job on Then well show you why you probably over looked it for so long but why your customers will take notice and how they will think differently about you because of it
Now if everything is already 100 completely clean and presentable well thank you for your time and then be on our way But if together we find lots of little things that are carelessly being done we will cleanfix it for you for FREE
Thats right use our services as a compliment to what you are already paying for Compare the quality of work we do to what you are already paying for If you can see the difference in what we do for you compared to what you are already paying for then consider us as your new cleaning service
6 Develop your marketing message
Once you understand the true needs your potential clients have and the unique and competitive solutions you can offer only then should you develop your marketing copy -- your sales pitch
The two examples above incorporate great marketing copy with a strong benefits related offer You can then deliver this through direct mail telemarketing or a combination of both
I would only recommend distributing flyers if you are confident you can place there where they will get read by people who make the decision to hire a cleaning service So if there is an Open Bulletin board in an office building then go for it However they are rare and you probably need permission anyway
Id avoid the fax marketing altogether Its quite annoying ties up there fax line and unless people have already heard of you they are more likely to toss your message in the garbage
Try sending direct mail to the decision makers of these target companies and describe the benefits they will experience from using your services
7 Follow up
Even after identifying the businesses that are most likely to need your services after you have identified a solution and even after you contacted them with a compelling offer you still have to follow up
Chances are they loved the sound of it when they got it They had every intention of following up with you But then just got busy So your follow up call can make all the difference in the world and get your foot in the door in a very big way Then its up to you to DELIVER on your promise
8 ANALYSIS
Market Analysis
The goal of a market analysis is to determine the attractiveness of a market and to understand its evolving opportunities and threats as they relate to the strengths and weaknesses of the firm
David A Aaker outlined the following dimensions of a market analysis
Market size (current and future)
Market growth rate
Market profitability
Industry cost structure
Distribution channels
Market trends
Key success factors
Market Size
The size of the market can be evaluated based on present sales and on potential sales if the use of the product were expanded The following are some information sources for determining market size
government data
trade associations financial data from major players customer surveys
Market Growth Rate
A simple means of forecasting the market growth rate is to extrapolate historical data into the future While this method may provide a first-order estimate it does not predict important turning points A better method is to study growth drivers such as demographic information and sales growth in complementary products Such drivers serve as leading indicators that are more accurate than simply extrapolating historical data
Important inflection points in the market growth rate sometimes can be predicted by constructing a product diffusion curve The shape of the curve can be estimated by studying the characteristics of the adoption rate of a similar product in the past
Ultimately the maturity and decline stages of the product life cycle will be reached Some leading indicators of the decline phase include price pressure caused by competition a decrease in brand loyalty the emergence of substitute products market saturation and the lack of growth drivers
Market Profitability
While different firms in a market will have different levels of profitability the average profit potential for a market can be used as a guideline for knowing how difficult it is to make money in the market Michael Porter devised a useful framework for evaluating the attractiveness of an industry or market This framework known as Porters five forces identifies five factors that influence the market profitability
Buyer power
Supplier power
Barriers to entry
Threat of substitute products
Rivalry among firms in the industry
Industry Cost Structure
The cost structure is important for identifying key factors for success To this end Porters value chain model is useful for determining where value is added and for isolating the costs
The cost structure also is helpful for formulating strategies to develop a competitive advantage For example in some environments the experience curve effect can be used to develop a cost advantage over competitors
Distribution Channels
The following aspects of the distribution system are useful in a market analysis
Existing distribution channels - can be described by how direct they are to the customer
Trends and emerging channels - new channels can offer the opportunity to develop a competitive advantage
Channel power structure - for example in the case of a product having little brand equity retailers have negotiating power over manufacturers and can capture more margin
Market Trends
Changes in the market are important because they often are the source of new opportunities and threats The relevant trends are industry-dependent but some examples include changes in price sensitivity demand for variety and level of emphasis on service and support Regional trends also may be relevant
Key Success Factors
The key success factors are those elements that are necessary in order for the firm to achieve its marketing objectives A few examples of such factors include
Access to essential unique resources
Ability to achieve economies of scale
Access to distribution channels
Technological progress
It is important to consider that key success factors may change over time especially as the product progresses through its life cycle
9 CONCLUSIONS
Organizations engage in marketing research for two reasons
(1) (1) to identify (2) and (2) solve marketing problems
(3)
This distinction serves as a basis for classifying marketing research into problem identification research and problem solving research
Problem identification research is undertaken to help identify problems which are perhaps not apparent on the surface and yet exist or are likely to company image market characteristics sales analysis short-range forecasting long range forecasting and business trends research Research of this type provides information about the marketing environment and helps diagnose a problem For example The findings of problem solving research are used in making decisions which will solve specific marketing problems
The Stanford Research Institute on the other hand conducts an annual survey of consumers that is used to classify persons into homogeneous groups for segmentation purposes The National Purchase Diary panel (NPD) maintains the largest diary panel in the United States
Standardized services are research studies conducted for different client firms but in a standard way For example procedures for measuring
advertising effectiveness have been standardized so that the results can be compared across studies and evaluative norms can be established The Starch Readership Survey is the most widely used service for evaluating print advertisements another well-known service is the Gallup and Robinson Magazine Impact Studies These services are also sold on a syndicated basis
Customized services offer a wide variety of marketing research services customized to suit a clients specific needs Each marketing research project is treated uniquely
Limited-service suppliers specialize in one or a few phases of the marketing research project Services offered by such suppliers are classified as field services coding and data entry data analysis analytical services and branded products Field services collect data through mail personal or telephone interviewing and firms that specialize in interviewing are called field service organizations These organizations may range from small proprietary organizations which operate locally to large multinational organizations with WATS line interviewing facilities Some organizations maintain extensive interviewing facilities across the country for interviewing shoppers in malls
Coding and data entry services include editing completed questionnaires developing a coding scheme and transcribing the data on to diskettes or magnetic tapes for input into the computer NRC Data Systems provides such services
Analytical services include designing and pretesting questionnaires determining the best means of collecting data designing sampling plans and other aspects of the research design Some complex
marketing research projects require knowledge of sophisticated procedures including specialized experimental designs and analytical techniques such as conjoint analysis and multidimensional scaling This kind of expertise can be obtained from firms and consultants specializing in analytical services
Data analysis services are offered by firms also known as tab houses that specialize in computer analysis of quantitative data such as those obtained in large surveys Initially most data analysis firms supplied only tabulations (frequency counts) and cross tabulations (frequency counts that describe two or more variables simultaneously) With the proliferation of software many firms now have the capability to analyze their own data but data analysis firms are still in demand
Branded marketing research products and services are specialized data collection and analysis procedures developed to address specific types of marketing research problems These procedures are patented given brand names and marketed like any other branded product
Types of marketing research
Marketing research techniques come in many forms including
Ad Tracking ndash periodic or continuous in-market research to monitor a brandrsquos performance using measures such as brand awareness brand preference and product usage (Young 2005)
Advertising Research ndash used to predict copy testing or track the efficacy of advertisements for any medium measured by the adrsquos ability to get attention (measured with Attention Tracking) communicate the message build the brandrsquos image and motivate the consumer to purchase the product or service (Young 2005)
Brand equity research - how favorably do consumers view the brand
Brand association research - what do consumers associate with the brand
Brand attribute research - what are the key traits that describe the brand promise
Brand name testing - what do consumers feel about the names of the products
Commercial eye tracking research - examine advertisements package designs websites etc by analyzing visual behavior of the consumer
Concept testing - to test the acceptance of a concept by target consumers
Cool hunting - to make observations and predictions in changes of new or existing cultural trends in areas such as fashion music films television youth culture and lifestyle
Buyer decision processes research - to determine what motivates people to buy and what decision-making process they use
Copy testing ndash predicts in-market performance of an ad before it airs by analyzing audience levels of attention brand linkage motivation entertainment and communication as well as breaking down the adrsquos flow of attention and flow of emotion (Young p 213)
Customer satisfaction research - quantitative or qualitative studies that yields an understanding of a customers of satisfaction with a transaction
Demand estimation - to determine the approximate level of demand for the product
Distribution channel audits - to assess distributorsrsquo and retailersrsquo attitudes toward a product brand or company
Internet strategic intelligence - searching for customer opinions in the Internet chats forums web pages blogs where people express freely about their experiences with products becoming strong opinion formers
Marketing effectiveness and analytics - Building models and measuring results to determine the effectiveness of individual marketing activities
Mystery Consumer or Mystery shopping - An employee or representative of the market research firm anonymously contacts a salesperson and indicates he or she is shopping for a product The shopper then records the entire experience This method is often used for quality control or for researching competitors products
Positioning research - how does the target market see the brand relative to competitors - what does the brand stand for
Price elasticity testing - to determine how sensitive customers are to price changes
Sales forecasting - to determine the expected level of sales given the level of demand With respect to other factors like Advertising expenditure sales promotion etc
Segmentation research - to determine the demographic psychographic and behavioural characteristics of potential buyers
Online panel - a group of individual who accepted to respond to marketing research online
Store audit - to measure the sales of a product or product line at a statistically selected store sample in order to determine market share or to determine whether a retail store provides adequate service
Test marketing - a small-scale product launch used to determine the likely acceptance of the product when it is introduced into a wider market
Viral Marketing Research - refers to marketing research designed to estimate the probability that specific communications will be transmitted throughout an individuals Social Network Estimates of Social Networking Potential (SNP) are combined with estimates of selling effectiveness to estimate ROI on specific combinations of messages and media
All of these forms of marketing research can be classified as either problem-identification research or as problem-solving research
There are two main sources of data - primary and secondary Primary research is conducted from scratch It is original and collected to solve the problem in hand Secondary research already exists since it has been collected for other purposes It is conducted on data published previously and usually by someone else Secondary research costs far less than primary research but seldom comes in a form that exactly meets the needs of the researcher
A similar distinction exists between exploratory research and conclusive research Exploratory research provides insights into and comprehension of an issue or situation It should draw definitive conclusions only with extreme caution Conclusive research draws conclusions the results of the study can be generalized to the whole population
Exploratory research is conducted to explore a problem to get some basic idea about the solution at the preliminary stages of research It may serve as the input to conclusive research Exploratory research information is collected by focus group interviews reviewing literature or books discussing with experts etc This is unstructured and qualitative in nature If a secondary source of data is unable to serve the purpose a convenience sample of small size can be collected Conclusive research is conducted to draw some conclusion about the problem It is essentially structured and quantitative research and the
output of this research is the input to MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS (MIS)
Marketing research methods
Methodologically marketing research uses the following types of research designs
Based on questioning
Qualitative marketing research - generally used for exploratory purposes - small number of respondents - not generalizable to the whole population - statistical significance and confidence not calculated - examples include focus groups in-depth interviews and projective techniques
Quantitative marketing research - generally used to draw conclusions - tests a specific hypothesis - uses random sampling techniques so as to infer from the sample to the population - involves a large number of respondents - examples include surveys and questionnaires Techniques include choice modelling maximum difference preference scaling and covariance analysis
Based on observations
Ethnographic studies - by nature qualitative the researcher observes social phenomena in their natural setting - observations can
occur cross-sectionally (observations made at one time) or longitudinally (observations occur over several time-periods) ndash
examples include product-use analysis and computer cookie traces See also Ethnography and Observational techniques
Experimental techniques - by nature quantitative the researcher creates a quasi-artificial environment to try to control spurious factors
then manipulates at least one of the variables - examples include purchase laboratories and test markets
Questionnaires 1 What are the objectives of the marketing strategy Are they clearly stated Are they consistent with the objectives of the firm Is the entire marketing mix structured to meet these objectives
2 What marketing concepts are at issue in the current strategy Is the marketing strategy well planned and laid out Is the strategy consistent with sound marketing principles If the strategy takes exception to marketing principles is there a good reason for it
3 To what target market is the strategy directed Is it well defined Is the market large enough to be profitably served Does the market have long-run potential
4 What competitive advantage does the marketing strategy offer If none what can be done to gain a competitive advantage in the marketplace
5 What products are being sold What is the width depth and consistency of the firms product lines Does the firm need new products to fill out its product line Should any product be deleted What is the profitability of the various products
6 What promotion mix is being used Is promotion consistent with the products and product images What could be done to improve the promotion mix
7 What channels of distribution are being used Do they deliver the product at the right time and right place to meet consumer needs Are the channels typical of those used in the industry Could channels be made more efficient
8 What pricing strategies are being used How do prices compare with similar products of other firms How are prices determined
9 Are marketing research and information systematically integrated into the marketing strategy Is the overall marketing strategy internally consistent
machinery or outsourcing a maintenance contract) and the complexity of such purchases the purchasing organization will seek to obtain a number of bids from competing suppliers and choose the best offering An entire profession (strategic procurement) that includes tertiary training and qualifications has been built around the process of making important purchases The key requirement in any competitive tender is to ensure that
The business case for the purchase has been completed and approved
The purchasing organizations objectives for the purchase are clearly defined
The procurement process is agreed upon and it conforms with fiscal guidelines and organisational policies The selection criteria have been established
A budget has been estimated and the financial resources are available
A buying team (or committee) has been assembled
A specification has been written
A preliminary scan of the market place has determined that enough potential suppliers are available to make the process viable (this can sometimes be achieved using an expression of interest process)
It has been clearly established that a competitive tendering process is the best method for meeting the objectives of this purchasing project If (for example) it was known that there was only one organisation capable of supplying best to get on with talking to them and negotiating a contract
Because of the significant value of many purchases issues of probity arise Organisations seek to ensure that awarding a contract is based on best fit to the agreed criteria and not bribery corruption or incompetence
Bidding process
Suppliers who are seeking to win a competitive tender go through a bidding process At its most primitive this would consist of evaluating the specification (issued by the purchasing organization) designing a suitable proposal and working out a price This is a primitive approach because
There is an old saying in industrial marketing if the first time you have heard about a tender is when you are invited to submit then you have already lost it
While flippant the previous point illustrates a basic requirement for being successful in competitive tendering it is important to develop a strong relationship with a prospective customer organization well before they have started the formal part of their procurement process
Non-tender purchasing
Not all industrial sales involve competitive tendering Tender processes are time consuming and expensive particularly when executed with the aim of ensuring probity Government agencies are particularly likely to utilise elaborate competitive tendering processes due to the expectation that they should be seen at all times to be responsibly and accountably spending public monies Private companies are able to avoid the complexity of a fully transparent tender process but are still able to run the procurement process with some rigourBeneficial
Developing a sales strategysolution sellingtechnical selling
The art of technical selling (solution selling) follows a three stage process
Stage 1 Sell the appointment Never sell over the telephone The aim of the first contact with a prospective purchaser is to sell the appointment The reason is simple industrial sales are complex any attempt to sell over the phone will trivialise your product or service and run the risk of not fully understanding the customers need
Stage 2 Understand their needs The best method of selling is to minimise the information about your goods or services until you have fully understood your customers requirements
Stage 3 Develop and propose a solution The solution is (of course) developed from your (or the firm that you represents) product or service offerings
Marketing supports solution selling through methods like account-based marketingmdashunderstanding a specific target organizations requirements as the foundation of a marketing program As research shows[1] sales success is heavily weighted towards suppliers who understand the customer In UK research 77 per cent of senior decision-makers believe new suppliers marketing From cannon fodder to preferred tenderer
The term cannon fodder derives from the World Wars and refers to the massing of undertrained and recently recruited troops sent to the fronts to face the enemy Such troops invariably had a poor survival rate but provided the tactical advantage of distracting the enemy while
professional soldiers mounted more effective operations In adopting the term to Industrial Marketing it means those bids being submitted that have no chance of winning but are involved to make up the numbers (you cant have only one bid in a competitive tender process that wouldnt satisfy the requirements of probity) (for example in government tenders or for private enterprise the requirement to truly test the market and to keep them honest) The reader might be wondering why anybody would go to all of the work of submitting a tender when they had no chance of winning for the same reason that troops were sent in to battle to die they thought they had a real chance
The key features of a successful industrial sales organisation
In industrial marketing the personal selling is still very effective because many products must be customized to suit the requirements of the individual customer Indicators such as the sales tunnel give information on the expected sales in the near future the hit rate indicates whether the sales organization is busy with promising sales leads or it is spending too much effort on projects that are eventually lost to the competition or that are abandoned by the prospect
RESEARCH PROBLEM
1 Identify your target market
Which businesses need cleaning services Which ones can afford it and will pay for it Why
In your case I would think that small businesses may not be your ideal client But then again define small business Are you referring to sales volume or number of employees
I can tell you right now as a marketing consultant that has worked with a wide variety of businesses including small companies
Small businesses are very price sensitive and prefer to do more themselves rather than pay someone else (They hold this belief even if it would free up more time to be more productive Go figure)
So before you randomly begin picking a target market have a rational reason why Continue to read below and youll begin to see what I am talking about
2 Determine their wants and needs
It may be obvious to you but ask yourself Why would someone want a clean office
These businesses never have walk-in traffic They do not have customers visit them So naturally there is far less of a concern for a clean office Sure it would be nice to have but since no revenue will be lost if their office is not spectacular looking they are not motivated to do anything about it
However seek out the businesses that do deal with customers directly especially professional services where they have very high end clients visit them Now they NEED a very presentable office or they risk losing out on a lot of revenue
3 Determine the level and type of demand
If you have ever read any of my previous work you will know that I am a very strong advocate of knowing whether the type of demand is Primary Demand or Selective Demand It is one of the most overlooked aspects of marketing being ignored today
Primary Demand If a business does not already use your TYPE of service and is not currently considering doing so you will need to create primary demand Simply put you will have to convince them first to even want your type of service (or product) before you even get them to buy it from you
So for your cleaning business example if you are approaching businesses that currently do not use a cleaning service you will have to explain the time saving and productivity enhancing benefits of using one Then explain why YOU are the one they need
Selective Demand These businesses already use a service (or product) or are in the market for it and are actively looking In these cases you do not need to spend much effort convincing them why they need it
In this case you must state your argument why your cleaning service should be the one they choose
This is what you will encounter when you call on or contact businesses already using a cleaning service They will either be satisfied or unsatisfied with their current service provider Your emphasis will have to be on conquest sales -- meaning stealing customers from your competition
Now in your line of business and in many others slashing prices always seems to be the first technique used to steal customers This may work well for selling products But if you are marketing services let me tell you thisthink twice before doing that
Yes I am fully aware of the fact that there will be businesses that will be open to talking to you if you offer them a better deal In some cases they may feel they are legitimately getting ripped off or paying way
too much right now And they just might be right In those cases if you can give them a fair price that is a better deal for them AND still gives you healthy profit margins then go for it
However if you are slashing prices just to gain clients arent you really just hurting yourself in the long run First of all you can easily get into the game of How low will they go Secondly it de-values your perception of quality if you are cheap Thirdly whos to say after all this effort you wont lose the business in a month or two when someone else quotes them an even lower price
What will you do next price so low that you lose money with every client I didnt think so
Heres what you could do though
4 Develop a Hypothesis and a Solution to Match
After you know your target market have defined their needs and analyzed the competitive picture (currently using or not currently using a service like mine) go ahead and develop a clearly thought out hypothesis
For example start with business NOT currently using a cleaning service but that deal with customers or clients regularly at their location
Develop a strong case for WHY they would be wise to invest in your
cleaning services Show them on a break-even analysis that your fee will be well compensated in either customer retention or converting a higher level of store traffic or business appointments into paying customersclients
Then state your case why it is more cost effective and saves them valuable time to outsource this to you rather than doing it themselves or paying an employee overtime to do it You can also emphasize that you are the expert at this not someones secretary so it is expected that you will do a far better job at it
For businesses that ARE already using a cleaning service or are currently shopping for one state why you are unique and better
Determine the really compelling reasons why these businesses want a cleaning service to begin with
Maybe it is a retail store that wants to create a better first impression for their customers This will ultimately lead to a better customer experience and ultimately more in-store purchases
A good example may be that unlike most competitors you also clean windows Well as a marketing consultant to retail businesses I can tell you that many passerbys will first look in a store window before deciding to walk in or not
Now for successful marketing all retail businesses would perform better if they had more in-store traffic So therefore if your cleaning service also cleans windows you could rightfully justify that your services are more valuable to their retail business You actually HELP
them get more customers and sell more products
Maybe it is a professional service business that needs to impress prospective clients to choose their services over a similar competitor
Your cleaning service may dust chairs and polish wooden conference tables Many other cleaning services may not do this or do a poor job in doing so
Now as marketing consultants to service businesses I can also tell you that if a consultant attorney accountant or any other business professional needs to meet with prospective clients in their office they will appreciate a better appearance So if your cleaning services can provide this better than anyone else (or at least if you tell them about this first) you will get the business or at least be highly considered for it
Whatever the case may be establish what makes you different and have you are best suited to meet their needs
Do you see where I am going with this Your initial marketing questions asked how you can get more business by passing out flyers or sending faxes to small offices Truthfully that is simply not going to work You are not looking at the overall big picture of why anyone would either want to hire a cleaning service or to hire your particular cleaning service
5 You must make AN OFFER
Here are some examples
Marketing messagesales offer to a business that does NOT currently use a cleaning service
If you have never considered using a cleaning service before allow us to show you how XYZ Cleaning Inc can make your storeoffice more presentable to customers and how this newly improved appearance will affect your cash registerbank statement
If you are weary of trying new things dont worry Use us FREE for one month and if you are not completely satisfied with the results if you are not completely confident that it makes a difference to your customers if you are not completely aware of how it raises the morale of your employees then you do not have to using us again
But if YOU DO see a great improvement well make you a great deal on our services simply because we want your long term business Marketing messagesales offer to businesses that DO currently use a cleaning service
I understand that you currently use ABC Cleaners LLC Now you may or may not be completely happy right now but I want to make you a no-risk offer you cant refuse
The truth is that you likely get consumed in your day to day activities in running your business overseeing operations managing employees and handling customers Therefore there may be little imperfections your cleaning service is making that goes unnoticed by you But dont assume for one minute that your customers or potential customers wont notice And remember first impressions DO count
So heres our offer Have us come in the morning after your regular cleaning service cleans your office We will do a thorough inspection with you present and look for anything they may have done a less-than-satisfactory job on Then well show you why you probably over looked it for so long but why your customers will take notice and how they will think differently about you because of it
Now if everything is already 100 completely clean and presentable well thank you for your time and then be on our way But if together we find lots of little things that are carelessly being done we will cleanfix it for you for FREE
Thats right use our services as a compliment to what you are already paying for Compare the quality of work we do to what you are already paying for If you can see the difference in what we do for you compared to what you are already paying for then consider us as your new cleaning service
6 Develop your marketing message
Once you understand the true needs your potential clients have and the unique and competitive solutions you can offer only then should you develop your marketing copy -- your sales pitch
The two examples above incorporate great marketing copy with a strong benefits related offer You can then deliver this through direct mail telemarketing or a combination of both
I would only recommend distributing flyers if you are confident you can place there where they will get read by people who make the decision to hire a cleaning service So if there is an Open Bulletin board in an office building then go for it However they are rare and you probably need permission anyway
Id avoid the fax marketing altogether Its quite annoying ties up there fax line and unless people have already heard of you they are more likely to toss your message in the garbage
Try sending direct mail to the decision makers of these target companies and describe the benefits they will experience from using your services
7 Follow up
Even after identifying the businesses that are most likely to need your services after you have identified a solution and even after you contacted them with a compelling offer you still have to follow up
Chances are they loved the sound of it when they got it They had every intention of following up with you But then just got busy So your follow up call can make all the difference in the world and get your foot in the door in a very big way Then its up to you to DELIVER on your promise
8 ANALYSIS
Market Analysis
The goal of a market analysis is to determine the attractiveness of a market and to understand its evolving opportunities and threats as they relate to the strengths and weaknesses of the firm
David A Aaker outlined the following dimensions of a market analysis
Market size (current and future)
Market growth rate
Market profitability
Industry cost structure
Distribution channels
Market trends
Key success factors
Market Size
The size of the market can be evaluated based on present sales and on potential sales if the use of the product were expanded The following are some information sources for determining market size
government data
trade associations financial data from major players customer surveys
Market Growth Rate
A simple means of forecasting the market growth rate is to extrapolate historical data into the future While this method may provide a first-order estimate it does not predict important turning points A better method is to study growth drivers such as demographic information and sales growth in complementary products Such drivers serve as leading indicators that are more accurate than simply extrapolating historical data
Important inflection points in the market growth rate sometimes can be predicted by constructing a product diffusion curve The shape of the curve can be estimated by studying the characteristics of the adoption rate of a similar product in the past
Ultimately the maturity and decline stages of the product life cycle will be reached Some leading indicators of the decline phase include price pressure caused by competition a decrease in brand loyalty the emergence of substitute products market saturation and the lack of growth drivers
Market Profitability
While different firms in a market will have different levels of profitability the average profit potential for a market can be used as a guideline for knowing how difficult it is to make money in the market Michael Porter devised a useful framework for evaluating the attractiveness of an industry or market This framework known as Porters five forces identifies five factors that influence the market profitability
Buyer power
Supplier power
Barriers to entry
Threat of substitute products
Rivalry among firms in the industry
Industry Cost Structure
The cost structure is important for identifying key factors for success To this end Porters value chain model is useful for determining where value is added and for isolating the costs
The cost structure also is helpful for formulating strategies to develop a competitive advantage For example in some environments the experience curve effect can be used to develop a cost advantage over competitors
Distribution Channels
The following aspects of the distribution system are useful in a market analysis
Existing distribution channels - can be described by how direct they are to the customer
Trends and emerging channels - new channels can offer the opportunity to develop a competitive advantage
Channel power structure - for example in the case of a product having little brand equity retailers have negotiating power over manufacturers and can capture more margin
Market Trends
Changes in the market are important because they often are the source of new opportunities and threats The relevant trends are industry-dependent but some examples include changes in price sensitivity demand for variety and level of emphasis on service and support Regional trends also may be relevant
Key Success Factors
The key success factors are those elements that are necessary in order for the firm to achieve its marketing objectives A few examples of such factors include
Access to essential unique resources
Ability to achieve economies of scale
Access to distribution channels
Technological progress
It is important to consider that key success factors may change over time especially as the product progresses through its life cycle
9 CONCLUSIONS
Organizations engage in marketing research for two reasons
(1) (1) to identify (2) and (2) solve marketing problems
(3)
This distinction serves as a basis for classifying marketing research into problem identification research and problem solving research
Problem identification research is undertaken to help identify problems which are perhaps not apparent on the surface and yet exist or are likely to company image market characteristics sales analysis short-range forecasting long range forecasting and business trends research Research of this type provides information about the marketing environment and helps diagnose a problem For example The findings of problem solving research are used in making decisions which will solve specific marketing problems
The Stanford Research Institute on the other hand conducts an annual survey of consumers that is used to classify persons into homogeneous groups for segmentation purposes The National Purchase Diary panel (NPD) maintains the largest diary panel in the United States
Standardized services are research studies conducted for different client firms but in a standard way For example procedures for measuring
advertising effectiveness have been standardized so that the results can be compared across studies and evaluative norms can be established The Starch Readership Survey is the most widely used service for evaluating print advertisements another well-known service is the Gallup and Robinson Magazine Impact Studies These services are also sold on a syndicated basis
Customized services offer a wide variety of marketing research services customized to suit a clients specific needs Each marketing research project is treated uniquely
Limited-service suppliers specialize in one or a few phases of the marketing research project Services offered by such suppliers are classified as field services coding and data entry data analysis analytical services and branded products Field services collect data through mail personal or telephone interviewing and firms that specialize in interviewing are called field service organizations These organizations may range from small proprietary organizations which operate locally to large multinational organizations with WATS line interviewing facilities Some organizations maintain extensive interviewing facilities across the country for interviewing shoppers in malls
Coding and data entry services include editing completed questionnaires developing a coding scheme and transcribing the data on to diskettes or magnetic tapes for input into the computer NRC Data Systems provides such services
Analytical services include designing and pretesting questionnaires determining the best means of collecting data designing sampling plans and other aspects of the research design Some complex
marketing research projects require knowledge of sophisticated procedures including specialized experimental designs and analytical techniques such as conjoint analysis and multidimensional scaling This kind of expertise can be obtained from firms and consultants specializing in analytical services
Data analysis services are offered by firms also known as tab houses that specialize in computer analysis of quantitative data such as those obtained in large surveys Initially most data analysis firms supplied only tabulations (frequency counts) and cross tabulations (frequency counts that describe two or more variables simultaneously) With the proliferation of software many firms now have the capability to analyze their own data but data analysis firms are still in demand
Branded marketing research products and services are specialized data collection and analysis procedures developed to address specific types of marketing research problems These procedures are patented given brand names and marketed like any other branded product
Types of marketing research
Marketing research techniques come in many forms including
Ad Tracking ndash periodic or continuous in-market research to monitor a brandrsquos performance using measures such as brand awareness brand preference and product usage (Young 2005)
Advertising Research ndash used to predict copy testing or track the efficacy of advertisements for any medium measured by the adrsquos ability to get attention (measured with Attention Tracking) communicate the message build the brandrsquos image and motivate the consumer to purchase the product or service (Young 2005)
Brand equity research - how favorably do consumers view the brand
Brand association research - what do consumers associate with the brand
Brand attribute research - what are the key traits that describe the brand promise
Brand name testing - what do consumers feel about the names of the products
Commercial eye tracking research - examine advertisements package designs websites etc by analyzing visual behavior of the consumer
Concept testing - to test the acceptance of a concept by target consumers
Cool hunting - to make observations and predictions in changes of new or existing cultural trends in areas such as fashion music films television youth culture and lifestyle
Buyer decision processes research - to determine what motivates people to buy and what decision-making process they use
Copy testing ndash predicts in-market performance of an ad before it airs by analyzing audience levels of attention brand linkage motivation entertainment and communication as well as breaking down the adrsquos flow of attention and flow of emotion (Young p 213)
Customer satisfaction research - quantitative or qualitative studies that yields an understanding of a customers of satisfaction with a transaction
Demand estimation - to determine the approximate level of demand for the product
Distribution channel audits - to assess distributorsrsquo and retailersrsquo attitudes toward a product brand or company
Internet strategic intelligence - searching for customer opinions in the Internet chats forums web pages blogs where people express freely about their experiences with products becoming strong opinion formers
Marketing effectiveness and analytics - Building models and measuring results to determine the effectiveness of individual marketing activities
Mystery Consumer or Mystery shopping - An employee or representative of the market research firm anonymously contacts a salesperson and indicates he or she is shopping for a product The shopper then records the entire experience This method is often used for quality control or for researching competitors products
Positioning research - how does the target market see the brand relative to competitors - what does the brand stand for
Price elasticity testing - to determine how sensitive customers are to price changes
Sales forecasting - to determine the expected level of sales given the level of demand With respect to other factors like Advertising expenditure sales promotion etc
Segmentation research - to determine the demographic psychographic and behavioural characteristics of potential buyers
Online panel - a group of individual who accepted to respond to marketing research online
Store audit - to measure the sales of a product or product line at a statistically selected store sample in order to determine market share or to determine whether a retail store provides adequate service
Test marketing - a small-scale product launch used to determine the likely acceptance of the product when it is introduced into a wider market
Viral Marketing Research - refers to marketing research designed to estimate the probability that specific communications will be transmitted throughout an individuals Social Network Estimates of Social Networking Potential (SNP) are combined with estimates of selling effectiveness to estimate ROI on specific combinations of messages and media
All of these forms of marketing research can be classified as either problem-identification research or as problem-solving research
There are two main sources of data - primary and secondary Primary research is conducted from scratch It is original and collected to solve the problem in hand Secondary research already exists since it has been collected for other purposes It is conducted on data published previously and usually by someone else Secondary research costs far less than primary research but seldom comes in a form that exactly meets the needs of the researcher
A similar distinction exists between exploratory research and conclusive research Exploratory research provides insights into and comprehension of an issue or situation It should draw definitive conclusions only with extreme caution Conclusive research draws conclusions the results of the study can be generalized to the whole population
Exploratory research is conducted to explore a problem to get some basic idea about the solution at the preliminary stages of research It may serve as the input to conclusive research Exploratory research information is collected by focus group interviews reviewing literature or books discussing with experts etc This is unstructured and qualitative in nature If a secondary source of data is unable to serve the purpose a convenience sample of small size can be collected Conclusive research is conducted to draw some conclusion about the problem It is essentially structured and quantitative research and the
output of this research is the input to MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS (MIS)
Marketing research methods
Methodologically marketing research uses the following types of research designs
Based on questioning
Qualitative marketing research - generally used for exploratory purposes - small number of respondents - not generalizable to the whole population - statistical significance and confidence not calculated - examples include focus groups in-depth interviews and projective techniques
Quantitative marketing research - generally used to draw conclusions - tests a specific hypothesis - uses random sampling techniques so as to infer from the sample to the population - involves a large number of respondents - examples include surveys and questionnaires Techniques include choice modelling maximum difference preference scaling and covariance analysis
Based on observations
Ethnographic studies - by nature qualitative the researcher observes social phenomena in their natural setting - observations can
occur cross-sectionally (observations made at one time) or longitudinally (observations occur over several time-periods) ndash
examples include product-use analysis and computer cookie traces See also Ethnography and Observational techniques
Experimental techniques - by nature quantitative the researcher creates a quasi-artificial environment to try to control spurious factors
then manipulates at least one of the variables - examples include purchase laboratories and test markets
Questionnaires 1 What are the objectives of the marketing strategy Are they clearly stated Are they consistent with the objectives of the firm Is the entire marketing mix structured to meet these objectives
2 What marketing concepts are at issue in the current strategy Is the marketing strategy well planned and laid out Is the strategy consistent with sound marketing principles If the strategy takes exception to marketing principles is there a good reason for it
3 To what target market is the strategy directed Is it well defined Is the market large enough to be profitably served Does the market have long-run potential
4 What competitive advantage does the marketing strategy offer If none what can be done to gain a competitive advantage in the marketplace
5 What products are being sold What is the width depth and consistency of the firms product lines Does the firm need new products to fill out its product line Should any product be deleted What is the profitability of the various products
6 What promotion mix is being used Is promotion consistent with the products and product images What could be done to improve the promotion mix
7 What channels of distribution are being used Do they deliver the product at the right time and right place to meet consumer needs Are the channels typical of those used in the industry Could channels be made more efficient
8 What pricing strategies are being used How do prices compare with similar products of other firms How are prices determined
9 Are marketing research and information systematically integrated into the marketing strategy Is the overall marketing strategy internally consistent
It has been clearly established that a competitive tendering process is the best method for meeting the objectives of this purchasing project If (for example) it was known that there was only one organisation capable of supplying best to get on with talking to them and negotiating a contract
Because of the significant value of many purchases issues of probity arise Organisations seek to ensure that awarding a contract is based on best fit to the agreed criteria and not bribery corruption or incompetence
Bidding process
Suppliers who are seeking to win a competitive tender go through a bidding process At its most primitive this would consist of evaluating the specification (issued by the purchasing organization) designing a suitable proposal and working out a price This is a primitive approach because
There is an old saying in industrial marketing if the first time you have heard about a tender is when you are invited to submit then you have already lost it
While flippant the previous point illustrates a basic requirement for being successful in competitive tendering it is important to develop a strong relationship with a prospective customer organization well before they have started the formal part of their procurement process
Non-tender purchasing
Not all industrial sales involve competitive tendering Tender processes are time consuming and expensive particularly when executed with the aim of ensuring probity Government agencies are particularly likely to utilise elaborate competitive tendering processes due to the expectation that they should be seen at all times to be responsibly and accountably spending public monies Private companies are able to avoid the complexity of a fully transparent tender process but are still able to run the procurement process with some rigourBeneficial
Developing a sales strategysolution sellingtechnical selling
The art of technical selling (solution selling) follows a three stage process
Stage 1 Sell the appointment Never sell over the telephone The aim of the first contact with a prospective purchaser is to sell the appointment The reason is simple industrial sales are complex any attempt to sell over the phone will trivialise your product or service and run the risk of not fully understanding the customers need
Stage 2 Understand their needs The best method of selling is to minimise the information about your goods or services until you have fully understood your customers requirements
Stage 3 Develop and propose a solution The solution is (of course) developed from your (or the firm that you represents) product or service offerings
Marketing supports solution selling through methods like account-based marketingmdashunderstanding a specific target organizations requirements as the foundation of a marketing program As research shows[1] sales success is heavily weighted towards suppliers who understand the customer In UK research 77 per cent of senior decision-makers believe new suppliers marketing From cannon fodder to preferred tenderer
The term cannon fodder derives from the World Wars and refers to the massing of undertrained and recently recruited troops sent to the fronts to face the enemy Such troops invariably had a poor survival rate but provided the tactical advantage of distracting the enemy while
professional soldiers mounted more effective operations In adopting the term to Industrial Marketing it means those bids being submitted that have no chance of winning but are involved to make up the numbers (you cant have only one bid in a competitive tender process that wouldnt satisfy the requirements of probity) (for example in government tenders or for private enterprise the requirement to truly test the market and to keep them honest) The reader might be wondering why anybody would go to all of the work of submitting a tender when they had no chance of winning for the same reason that troops were sent in to battle to die they thought they had a real chance
The key features of a successful industrial sales organisation
In industrial marketing the personal selling is still very effective because many products must be customized to suit the requirements of the individual customer Indicators such as the sales tunnel give information on the expected sales in the near future the hit rate indicates whether the sales organization is busy with promising sales leads or it is spending too much effort on projects that are eventually lost to the competition or that are abandoned by the prospect
RESEARCH PROBLEM
1 Identify your target market
Which businesses need cleaning services Which ones can afford it and will pay for it Why
In your case I would think that small businesses may not be your ideal client But then again define small business Are you referring to sales volume or number of employees
I can tell you right now as a marketing consultant that has worked with a wide variety of businesses including small companies
Small businesses are very price sensitive and prefer to do more themselves rather than pay someone else (They hold this belief even if it would free up more time to be more productive Go figure)
So before you randomly begin picking a target market have a rational reason why Continue to read below and youll begin to see what I am talking about
2 Determine their wants and needs
It may be obvious to you but ask yourself Why would someone want a clean office
These businesses never have walk-in traffic They do not have customers visit them So naturally there is far less of a concern for a clean office Sure it would be nice to have but since no revenue will be lost if their office is not spectacular looking they are not motivated to do anything about it
However seek out the businesses that do deal with customers directly especially professional services where they have very high end clients visit them Now they NEED a very presentable office or they risk losing out on a lot of revenue
3 Determine the level and type of demand
If you have ever read any of my previous work you will know that I am a very strong advocate of knowing whether the type of demand is Primary Demand or Selective Demand It is one of the most overlooked aspects of marketing being ignored today
Primary Demand If a business does not already use your TYPE of service and is not currently considering doing so you will need to create primary demand Simply put you will have to convince them first to even want your type of service (or product) before you even get them to buy it from you
So for your cleaning business example if you are approaching businesses that currently do not use a cleaning service you will have to explain the time saving and productivity enhancing benefits of using one Then explain why YOU are the one they need
Selective Demand These businesses already use a service (or product) or are in the market for it and are actively looking In these cases you do not need to spend much effort convincing them why they need it
In this case you must state your argument why your cleaning service should be the one they choose
This is what you will encounter when you call on or contact businesses already using a cleaning service They will either be satisfied or unsatisfied with their current service provider Your emphasis will have to be on conquest sales -- meaning stealing customers from your competition
Now in your line of business and in many others slashing prices always seems to be the first technique used to steal customers This may work well for selling products But if you are marketing services let me tell you thisthink twice before doing that
Yes I am fully aware of the fact that there will be businesses that will be open to talking to you if you offer them a better deal In some cases they may feel they are legitimately getting ripped off or paying way
too much right now And they just might be right In those cases if you can give them a fair price that is a better deal for them AND still gives you healthy profit margins then go for it
However if you are slashing prices just to gain clients arent you really just hurting yourself in the long run First of all you can easily get into the game of How low will they go Secondly it de-values your perception of quality if you are cheap Thirdly whos to say after all this effort you wont lose the business in a month or two when someone else quotes them an even lower price
What will you do next price so low that you lose money with every client I didnt think so
Heres what you could do though
4 Develop a Hypothesis and a Solution to Match
After you know your target market have defined their needs and analyzed the competitive picture (currently using or not currently using a service like mine) go ahead and develop a clearly thought out hypothesis
For example start with business NOT currently using a cleaning service but that deal with customers or clients regularly at their location
Develop a strong case for WHY they would be wise to invest in your
cleaning services Show them on a break-even analysis that your fee will be well compensated in either customer retention or converting a higher level of store traffic or business appointments into paying customersclients
Then state your case why it is more cost effective and saves them valuable time to outsource this to you rather than doing it themselves or paying an employee overtime to do it You can also emphasize that you are the expert at this not someones secretary so it is expected that you will do a far better job at it
For businesses that ARE already using a cleaning service or are currently shopping for one state why you are unique and better
Determine the really compelling reasons why these businesses want a cleaning service to begin with
Maybe it is a retail store that wants to create a better first impression for their customers This will ultimately lead to a better customer experience and ultimately more in-store purchases
A good example may be that unlike most competitors you also clean windows Well as a marketing consultant to retail businesses I can tell you that many passerbys will first look in a store window before deciding to walk in or not
Now for successful marketing all retail businesses would perform better if they had more in-store traffic So therefore if your cleaning service also cleans windows you could rightfully justify that your services are more valuable to their retail business You actually HELP
them get more customers and sell more products
Maybe it is a professional service business that needs to impress prospective clients to choose their services over a similar competitor
Your cleaning service may dust chairs and polish wooden conference tables Many other cleaning services may not do this or do a poor job in doing so
Now as marketing consultants to service businesses I can also tell you that if a consultant attorney accountant or any other business professional needs to meet with prospective clients in their office they will appreciate a better appearance So if your cleaning services can provide this better than anyone else (or at least if you tell them about this first) you will get the business or at least be highly considered for it
Whatever the case may be establish what makes you different and have you are best suited to meet their needs
Do you see where I am going with this Your initial marketing questions asked how you can get more business by passing out flyers or sending faxes to small offices Truthfully that is simply not going to work You are not looking at the overall big picture of why anyone would either want to hire a cleaning service or to hire your particular cleaning service
5 You must make AN OFFER
Here are some examples
Marketing messagesales offer to a business that does NOT currently use a cleaning service
If you have never considered using a cleaning service before allow us to show you how XYZ Cleaning Inc can make your storeoffice more presentable to customers and how this newly improved appearance will affect your cash registerbank statement
If you are weary of trying new things dont worry Use us FREE for one month and if you are not completely satisfied with the results if you are not completely confident that it makes a difference to your customers if you are not completely aware of how it raises the morale of your employees then you do not have to using us again
But if YOU DO see a great improvement well make you a great deal on our services simply because we want your long term business Marketing messagesales offer to businesses that DO currently use a cleaning service
I understand that you currently use ABC Cleaners LLC Now you may or may not be completely happy right now but I want to make you a no-risk offer you cant refuse
The truth is that you likely get consumed in your day to day activities in running your business overseeing operations managing employees and handling customers Therefore there may be little imperfections your cleaning service is making that goes unnoticed by you But dont assume for one minute that your customers or potential customers wont notice And remember first impressions DO count
So heres our offer Have us come in the morning after your regular cleaning service cleans your office We will do a thorough inspection with you present and look for anything they may have done a less-than-satisfactory job on Then well show you why you probably over looked it for so long but why your customers will take notice and how they will think differently about you because of it
Now if everything is already 100 completely clean and presentable well thank you for your time and then be on our way But if together we find lots of little things that are carelessly being done we will cleanfix it for you for FREE
Thats right use our services as a compliment to what you are already paying for Compare the quality of work we do to what you are already paying for If you can see the difference in what we do for you compared to what you are already paying for then consider us as your new cleaning service
6 Develop your marketing message
Once you understand the true needs your potential clients have and the unique and competitive solutions you can offer only then should you develop your marketing copy -- your sales pitch
The two examples above incorporate great marketing copy with a strong benefits related offer You can then deliver this through direct mail telemarketing or a combination of both
I would only recommend distributing flyers if you are confident you can place there where they will get read by people who make the decision to hire a cleaning service So if there is an Open Bulletin board in an office building then go for it However they are rare and you probably need permission anyway
Id avoid the fax marketing altogether Its quite annoying ties up there fax line and unless people have already heard of you they are more likely to toss your message in the garbage
Try sending direct mail to the decision makers of these target companies and describe the benefits they will experience from using your services
7 Follow up
Even after identifying the businesses that are most likely to need your services after you have identified a solution and even after you contacted them with a compelling offer you still have to follow up
Chances are they loved the sound of it when they got it They had every intention of following up with you But then just got busy So your follow up call can make all the difference in the world and get your foot in the door in a very big way Then its up to you to DELIVER on your promise
8 ANALYSIS
Market Analysis
The goal of a market analysis is to determine the attractiveness of a market and to understand its evolving opportunities and threats as they relate to the strengths and weaknesses of the firm
David A Aaker outlined the following dimensions of a market analysis
Market size (current and future)
Market growth rate
Market profitability
Industry cost structure
Distribution channels
Market trends
Key success factors
Market Size
The size of the market can be evaluated based on present sales and on potential sales if the use of the product were expanded The following are some information sources for determining market size
government data
trade associations financial data from major players customer surveys
Market Growth Rate
A simple means of forecasting the market growth rate is to extrapolate historical data into the future While this method may provide a first-order estimate it does not predict important turning points A better method is to study growth drivers such as demographic information and sales growth in complementary products Such drivers serve as leading indicators that are more accurate than simply extrapolating historical data
Important inflection points in the market growth rate sometimes can be predicted by constructing a product diffusion curve The shape of the curve can be estimated by studying the characteristics of the adoption rate of a similar product in the past
Ultimately the maturity and decline stages of the product life cycle will be reached Some leading indicators of the decline phase include price pressure caused by competition a decrease in brand loyalty the emergence of substitute products market saturation and the lack of growth drivers
Market Profitability
While different firms in a market will have different levels of profitability the average profit potential for a market can be used as a guideline for knowing how difficult it is to make money in the market Michael Porter devised a useful framework for evaluating the attractiveness of an industry or market This framework known as Porters five forces identifies five factors that influence the market profitability
Buyer power
Supplier power
Barriers to entry
Threat of substitute products
Rivalry among firms in the industry
Industry Cost Structure
The cost structure is important for identifying key factors for success To this end Porters value chain model is useful for determining where value is added and for isolating the costs
The cost structure also is helpful for formulating strategies to develop a competitive advantage For example in some environments the experience curve effect can be used to develop a cost advantage over competitors
Distribution Channels
The following aspects of the distribution system are useful in a market analysis
Existing distribution channels - can be described by how direct they are to the customer
Trends and emerging channels - new channels can offer the opportunity to develop a competitive advantage
Channel power structure - for example in the case of a product having little brand equity retailers have negotiating power over manufacturers and can capture more margin
Market Trends
Changes in the market are important because they often are the source of new opportunities and threats The relevant trends are industry-dependent but some examples include changes in price sensitivity demand for variety and level of emphasis on service and support Regional trends also may be relevant
Key Success Factors
The key success factors are those elements that are necessary in order for the firm to achieve its marketing objectives A few examples of such factors include
Access to essential unique resources
Ability to achieve economies of scale
Access to distribution channels
Technological progress
It is important to consider that key success factors may change over time especially as the product progresses through its life cycle
9 CONCLUSIONS
Organizations engage in marketing research for two reasons
(1) (1) to identify (2) and (2) solve marketing problems
(3)
This distinction serves as a basis for classifying marketing research into problem identification research and problem solving research
Problem identification research is undertaken to help identify problems which are perhaps not apparent on the surface and yet exist or are likely to company image market characteristics sales analysis short-range forecasting long range forecasting and business trends research Research of this type provides information about the marketing environment and helps diagnose a problem For example The findings of problem solving research are used in making decisions which will solve specific marketing problems
The Stanford Research Institute on the other hand conducts an annual survey of consumers that is used to classify persons into homogeneous groups for segmentation purposes The National Purchase Diary panel (NPD) maintains the largest diary panel in the United States
Standardized services are research studies conducted for different client firms but in a standard way For example procedures for measuring
advertising effectiveness have been standardized so that the results can be compared across studies and evaluative norms can be established The Starch Readership Survey is the most widely used service for evaluating print advertisements another well-known service is the Gallup and Robinson Magazine Impact Studies These services are also sold on a syndicated basis
Customized services offer a wide variety of marketing research services customized to suit a clients specific needs Each marketing research project is treated uniquely
Limited-service suppliers specialize in one or a few phases of the marketing research project Services offered by such suppliers are classified as field services coding and data entry data analysis analytical services and branded products Field services collect data through mail personal or telephone interviewing and firms that specialize in interviewing are called field service organizations These organizations may range from small proprietary organizations which operate locally to large multinational organizations with WATS line interviewing facilities Some organizations maintain extensive interviewing facilities across the country for interviewing shoppers in malls
Coding and data entry services include editing completed questionnaires developing a coding scheme and transcribing the data on to diskettes or magnetic tapes for input into the computer NRC Data Systems provides such services
Analytical services include designing and pretesting questionnaires determining the best means of collecting data designing sampling plans and other aspects of the research design Some complex
marketing research projects require knowledge of sophisticated procedures including specialized experimental designs and analytical techniques such as conjoint analysis and multidimensional scaling This kind of expertise can be obtained from firms and consultants specializing in analytical services
Data analysis services are offered by firms also known as tab houses that specialize in computer analysis of quantitative data such as those obtained in large surveys Initially most data analysis firms supplied only tabulations (frequency counts) and cross tabulations (frequency counts that describe two or more variables simultaneously) With the proliferation of software many firms now have the capability to analyze their own data but data analysis firms are still in demand
Branded marketing research products and services are specialized data collection and analysis procedures developed to address specific types of marketing research problems These procedures are patented given brand names and marketed like any other branded product
Types of marketing research
Marketing research techniques come in many forms including
Ad Tracking ndash periodic or continuous in-market research to monitor a brandrsquos performance using measures such as brand awareness brand preference and product usage (Young 2005)
Advertising Research ndash used to predict copy testing or track the efficacy of advertisements for any medium measured by the adrsquos ability to get attention (measured with Attention Tracking) communicate the message build the brandrsquos image and motivate the consumer to purchase the product or service (Young 2005)
Brand equity research - how favorably do consumers view the brand
Brand association research - what do consumers associate with the brand
Brand attribute research - what are the key traits that describe the brand promise
Brand name testing - what do consumers feel about the names of the products
Commercial eye tracking research - examine advertisements package designs websites etc by analyzing visual behavior of the consumer
Concept testing - to test the acceptance of a concept by target consumers
Cool hunting - to make observations and predictions in changes of new or existing cultural trends in areas such as fashion music films television youth culture and lifestyle
Buyer decision processes research - to determine what motivates people to buy and what decision-making process they use
Copy testing ndash predicts in-market performance of an ad before it airs by analyzing audience levels of attention brand linkage motivation entertainment and communication as well as breaking down the adrsquos flow of attention and flow of emotion (Young p 213)
Customer satisfaction research - quantitative or qualitative studies that yields an understanding of a customers of satisfaction with a transaction
Demand estimation - to determine the approximate level of demand for the product
Distribution channel audits - to assess distributorsrsquo and retailersrsquo attitudes toward a product brand or company
Internet strategic intelligence - searching for customer opinions in the Internet chats forums web pages blogs where people express freely about their experiences with products becoming strong opinion formers
Marketing effectiveness and analytics - Building models and measuring results to determine the effectiveness of individual marketing activities
Mystery Consumer or Mystery shopping - An employee or representative of the market research firm anonymously contacts a salesperson and indicates he or she is shopping for a product The shopper then records the entire experience This method is often used for quality control or for researching competitors products
Positioning research - how does the target market see the brand relative to competitors - what does the brand stand for
Price elasticity testing - to determine how sensitive customers are to price changes
Sales forecasting - to determine the expected level of sales given the level of demand With respect to other factors like Advertising expenditure sales promotion etc
Segmentation research - to determine the demographic psychographic and behavioural characteristics of potential buyers
Online panel - a group of individual who accepted to respond to marketing research online
Store audit - to measure the sales of a product or product line at a statistically selected store sample in order to determine market share or to determine whether a retail store provides adequate service
Test marketing - a small-scale product launch used to determine the likely acceptance of the product when it is introduced into a wider market
Viral Marketing Research - refers to marketing research designed to estimate the probability that specific communications will be transmitted throughout an individuals Social Network Estimates of Social Networking Potential (SNP) are combined with estimates of selling effectiveness to estimate ROI on specific combinations of messages and media
All of these forms of marketing research can be classified as either problem-identification research or as problem-solving research
There are two main sources of data - primary and secondary Primary research is conducted from scratch It is original and collected to solve the problem in hand Secondary research already exists since it has been collected for other purposes It is conducted on data published previously and usually by someone else Secondary research costs far less than primary research but seldom comes in a form that exactly meets the needs of the researcher
A similar distinction exists between exploratory research and conclusive research Exploratory research provides insights into and comprehension of an issue or situation It should draw definitive conclusions only with extreme caution Conclusive research draws conclusions the results of the study can be generalized to the whole population
Exploratory research is conducted to explore a problem to get some basic idea about the solution at the preliminary stages of research It may serve as the input to conclusive research Exploratory research information is collected by focus group interviews reviewing literature or books discussing with experts etc This is unstructured and qualitative in nature If a secondary source of data is unable to serve the purpose a convenience sample of small size can be collected Conclusive research is conducted to draw some conclusion about the problem It is essentially structured and quantitative research and the
output of this research is the input to MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS (MIS)
Marketing research methods
Methodologically marketing research uses the following types of research designs
Based on questioning
Qualitative marketing research - generally used for exploratory purposes - small number of respondents - not generalizable to the whole population - statistical significance and confidence not calculated - examples include focus groups in-depth interviews and projective techniques
Quantitative marketing research - generally used to draw conclusions - tests a specific hypothesis - uses random sampling techniques so as to infer from the sample to the population - involves a large number of respondents - examples include surveys and questionnaires Techniques include choice modelling maximum difference preference scaling and covariance analysis
Based on observations
Ethnographic studies - by nature qualitative the researcher observes social phenomena in their natural setting - observations can
occur cross-sectionally (observations made at one time) or longitudinally (observations occur over several time-periods) ndash
examples include product-use analysis and computer cookie traces See also Ethnography and Observational techniques
Experimental techniques - by nature quantitative the researcher creates a quasi-artificial environment to try to control spurious factors
then manipulates at least one of the variables - examples include purchase laboratories and test markets
Questionnaires 1 What are the objectives of the marketing strategy Are they clearly stated Are they consistent with the objectives of the firm Is the entire marketing mix structured to meet these objectives
2 What marketing concepts are at issue in the current strategy Is the marketing strategy well planned and laid out Is the strategy consistent with sound marketing principles If the strategy takes exception to marketing principles is there a good reason for it
3 To what target market is the strategy directed Is it well defined Is the market large enough to be profitably served Does the market have long-run potential
4 What competitive advantage does the marketing strategy offer If none what can be done to gain a competitive advantage in the marketplace
5 What products are being sold What is the width depth and consistency of the firms product lines Does the firm need new products to fill out its product line Should any product be deleted What is the profitability of the various products
6 What promotion mix is being used Is promotion consistent with the products and product images What could be done to improve the promotion mix
7 What channels of distribution are being used Do they deliver the product at the right time and right place to meet consumer needs Are the channels typical of those used in the industry Could channels be made more efficient
8 What pricing strategies are being used How do prices compare with similar products of other firms How are prices determined
9 Are marketing research and information systematically integrated into the marketing strategy Is the overall marketing strategy internally consistent
While flippant the previous point illustrates a basic requirement for being successful in competitive tendering it is important to develop a strong relationship with a prospective customer organization well before they have started the formal part of their procurement process
Non-tender purchasing
Not all industrial sales involve competitive tendering Tender processes are time consuming and expensive particularly when executed with the aim of ensuring probity Government agencies are particularly likely to utilise elaborate competitive tendering processes due to the expectation that they should be seen at all times to be responsibly and accountably spending public monies Private companies are able to avoid the complexity of a fully transparent tender process but are still able to run the procurement process with some rigourBeneficial
Developing a sales strategysolution sellingtechnical selling
The art of technical selling (solution selling) follows a three stage process
Stage 1 Sell the appointment Never sell over the telephone The aim of the first contact with a prospective purchaser is to sell the appointment The reason is simple industrial sales are complex any attempt to sell over the phone will trivialise your product or service and run the risk of not fully understanding the customers need
Stage 2 Understand their needs The best method of selling is to minimise the information about your goods or services until you have fully understood your customers requirements
Stage 3 Develop and propose a solution The solution is (of course) developed from your (or the firm that you represents) product or service offerings
Marketing supports solution selling through methods like account-based marketingmdashunderstanding a specific target organizations requirements as the foundation of a marketing program As research shows[1] sales success is heavily weighted towards suppliers who understand the customer In UK research 77 per cent of senior decision-makers believe new suppliers marketing From cannon fodder to preferred tenderer
The term cannon fodder derives from the World Wars and refers to the massing of undertrained and recently recruited troops sent to the fronts to face the enemy Such troops invariably had a poor survival rate but provided the tactical advantage of distracting the enemy while
professional soldiers mounted more effective operations In adopting the term to Industrial Marketing it means those bids being submitted that have no chance of winning but are involved to make up the numbers (you cant have only one bid in a competitive tender process that wouldnt satisfy the requirements of probity) (for example in government tenders or for private enterprise the requirement to truly test the market and to keep them honest) The reader might be wondering why anybody would go to all of the work of submitting a tender when they had no chance of winning for the same reason that troops were sent in to battle to die they thought they had a real chance
The key features of a successful industrial sales organisation
In industrial marketing the personal selling is still very effective because many products must be customized to suit the requirements of the individual customer Indicators such as the sales tunnel give information on the expected sales in the near future the hit rate indicates whether the sales organization is busy with promising sales leads or it is spending too much effort on projects that are eventually lost to the competition or that are abandoned by the prospect
RESEARCH PROBLEM
1 Identify your target market
Which businesses need cleaning services Which ones can afford it and will pay for it Why
In your case I would think that small businesses may not be your ideal client But then again define small business Are you referring to sales volume or number of employees
I can tell you right now as a marketing consultant that has worked with a wide variety of businesses including small companies
Small businesses are very price sensitive and prefer to do more themselves rather than pay someone else (They hold this belief even if it would free up more time to be more productive Go figure)
So before you randomly begin picking a target market have a rational reason why Continue to read below and youll begin to see what I am talking about
2 Determine their wants and needs
It may be obvious to you but ask yourself Why would someone want a clean office
These businesses never have walk-in traffic They do not have customers visit them So naturally there is far less of a concern for a clean office Sure it would be nice to have but since no revenue will be lost if their office is not spectacular looking they are not motivated to do anything about it
However seek out the businesses that do deal with customers directly especially professional services where they have very high end clients visit them Now they NEED a very presentable office or they risk losing out on a lot of revenue
3 Determine the level and type of demand
If you have ever read any of my previous work you will know that I am a very strong advocate of knowing whether the type of demand is Primary Demand or Selective Demand It is one of the most overlooked aspects of marketing being ignored today
Primary Demand If a business does not already use your TYPE of service and is not currently considering doing so you will need to create primary demand Simply put you will have to convince them first to even want your type of service (or product) before you even get them to buy it from you
So for your cleaning business example if you are approaching businesses that currently do not use a cleaning service you will have to explain the time saving and productivity enhancing benefits of using one Then explain why YOU are the one they need
Selective Demand These businesses already use a service (or product) or are in the market for it and are actively looking In these cases you do not need to spend much effort convincing them why they need it
In this case you must state your argument why your cleaning service should be the one they choose
This is what you will encounter when you call on or contact businesses already using a cleaning service They will either be satisfied or unsatisfied with their current service provider Your emphasis will have to be on conquest sales -- meaning stealing customers from your competition
Now in your line of business and in many others slashing prices always seems to be the first technique used to steal customers This may work well for selling products But if you are marketing services let me tell you thisthink twice before doing that
Yes I am fully aware of the fact that there will be businesses that will be open to talking to you if you offer them a better deal In some cases they may feel they are legitimately getting ripped off or paying way
too much right now And they just might be right In those cases if you can give them a fair price that is a better deal for them AND still gives you healthy profit margins then go for it
However if you are slashing prices just to gain clients arent you really just hurting yourself in the long run First of all you can easily get into the game of How low will they go Secondly it de-values your perception of quality if you are cheap Thirdly whos to say after all this effort you wont lose the business in a month or two when someone else quotes them an even lower price
What will you do next price so low that you lose money with every client I didnt think so
Heres what you could do though
4 Develop a Hypothesis and a Solution to Match
After you know your target market have defined their needs and analyzed the competitive picture (currently using or not currently using a service like mine) go ahead and develop a clearly thought out hypothesis
For example start with business NOT currently using a cleaning service but that deal with customers or clients regularly at their location
Develop a strong case for WHY they would be wise to invest in your
cleaning services Show them on a break-even analysis that your fee will be well compensated in either customer retention or converting a higher level of store traffic or business appointments into paying customersclients
Then state your case why it is more cost effective and saves them valuable time to outsource this to you rather than doing it themselves or paying an employee overtime to do it You can also emphasize that you are the expert at this not someones secretary so it is expected that you will do a far better job at it
For businesses that ARE already using a cleaning service or are currently shopping for one state why you are unique and better
Determine the really compelling reasons why these businesses want a cleaning service to begin with
Maybe it is a retail store that wants to create a better first impression for their customers This will ultimately lead to a better customer experience and ultimately more in-store purchases
A good example may be that unlike most competitors you also clean windows Well as a marketing consultant to retail businesses I can tell you that many passerbys will first look in a store window before deciding to walk in or not
Now for successful marketing all retail businesses would perform better if they had more in-store traffic So therefore if your cleaning service also cleans windows you could rightfully justify that your services are more valuable to their retail business You actually HELP
them get more customers and sell more products
Maybe it is a professional service business that needs to impress prospective clients to choose their services over a similar competitor
Your cleaning service may dust chairs and polish wooden conference tables Many other cleaning services may not do this or do a poor job in doing so
Now as marketing consultants to service businesses I can also tell you that if a consultant attorney accountant or any other business professional needs to meet with prospective clients in their office they will appreciate a better appearance So if your cleaning services can provide this better than anyone else (or at least if you tell them about this first) you will get the business or at least be highly considered for it
Whatever the case may be establish what makes you different and have you are best suited to meet their needs
Do you see where I am going with this Your initial marketing questions asked how you can get more business by passing out flyers or sending faxes to small offices Truthfully that is simply not going to work You are not looking at the overall big picture of why anyone would either want to hire a cleaning service or to hire your particular cleaning service
5 You must make AN OFFER
Here are some examples
Marketing messagesales offer to a business that does NOT currently use a cleaning service
If you have never considered using a cleaning service before allow us to show you how XYZ Cleaning Inc can make your storeoffice more presentable to customers and how this newly improved appearance will affect your cash registerbank statement
If you are weary of trying new things dont worry Use us FREE for one month and if you are not completely satisfied with the results if you are not completely confident that it makes a difference to your customers if you are not completely aware of how it raises the morale of your employees then you do not have to using us again
But if YOU DO see a great improvement well make you a great deal on our services simply because we want your long term business Marketing messagesales offer to businesses that DO currently use a cleaning service
I understand that you currently use ABC Cleaners LLC Now you may or may not be completely happy right now but I want to make you a no-risk offer you cant refuse
The truth is that you likely get consumed in your day to day activities in running your business overseeing operations managing employees and handling customers Therefore there may be little imperfections your cleaning service is making that goes unnoticed by you But dont assume for one minute that your customers or potential customers wont notice And remember first impressions DO count
So heres our offer Have us come in the morning after your regular cleaning service cleans your office We will do a thorough inspection with you present and look for anything they may have done a less-than-satisfactory job on Then well show you why you probably over looked it for so long but why your customers will take notice and how they will think differently about you because of it
Now if everything is already 100 completely clean and presentable well thank you for your time and then be on our way But if together we find lots of little things that are carelessly being done we will cleanfix it for you for FREE
Thats right use our services as a compliment to what you are already paying for Compare the quality of work we do to what you are already paying for If you can see the difference in what we do for you compared to what you are already paying for then consider us as your new cleaning service
6 Develop your marketing message
Once you understand the true needs your potential clients have and the unique and competitive solutions you can offer only then should you develop your marketing copy -- your sales pitch
The two examples above incorporate great marketing copy with a strong benefits related offer You can then deliver this through direct mail telemarketing or a combination of both
I would only recommend distributing flyers if you are confident you can place there where they will get read by people who make the decision to hire a cleaning service So if there is an Open Bulletin board in an office building then go for it However they are rare and you probably need permission anyway
Id avoid the fax marketing altogether Its quite annoying ties up there fax line and unless people have already heard of you they are more likely to toss your message in the garbage
Try sending direct mail to the decision makers of these target companies and describe the benefits they will experience from using your services
7 Follow up
Even after identifying the businesses that are most likely to need your services after you have identified a solution and even after you contacted them with a compelling offer you still have to follow up
Chances are they loved the sound of it when they got it They had every intention of following up with you But then just got busy So your follow up call can make all the difference in the world and get your foot in the door in a very big way Then its up to you to DELIVER on your promise
8 ANALYSIS
Market Analysis
The goal of a market analysis is to determine the attractiveness of a market and to understand its evolving opportunities and threats as they relate to the strengths and weaknesses of the firm
David A Aaker outlined the following dimensions of a market analysis
Market size (current and future)
Market growth rate
Market profitability
Industry cost structure
Distribution channels
Market trends
Key success factors
Market Size
The size of the market can be evaluated based on present sales and on potential sales if the use of the product were expanded The following are some information sources for determining market size
government data
trade associations financial data from major players customer surveys
Market Growth Rate
A simple means of forecasting the market growth rate is to extrapolate historical data into the future While this method may provide a first-order estimate it does not predict important turning points A better method is to study growth drivers such as demographic information and sales growth in complementary products Such drivers serve as leading indicators that are more accurate than simply extrapolating historical data
Important inflection points in the market growth rate sometimes can be predicted by constructing a product diffusion curve The shape of the curve can be estimated by studying the characteristics of the adoption rate of a similar product in the past
Ultimately the maturity and decline stages of the product life cycle will be reached Some leading indicators of the decline phase include price pressure caused by competition a decrease in brand loyalty the emergence of substitute products market saturation and the lack of growth drivers
Market Profitability
While different firms in a market will have different levels of profitability the average profit potential for a market can be used as a guideline for knowing how difficult it is to make money in the market Michael Porter devised a useful framework for evaluating the attractiveness of an industry or market This framework known as Porters five forces identifies five factors that influence the market profitability
Buyer power
Supplier power
Barriers to entry
Threat of substitute products
Rivalry among firms in the industry
Industry Cost Structure
The cost structure is important for identifying key factors for success To this end Porters value chain model is useful for determining where value is added and for isolating the costs
The cost structure also is helpful for formulating strategies to develop a competitive advantage For example in some environments the experience curve effect can be used to develop a cost advantage over competitors
Distribution Channels
The following aspects of the distribution system are useful in a market analysis
Existing distribution channels - can be described by how direct they are to the customer
Trends and emerging channels - new channels can offer the opportunity to develop a competitive advantage
Channel power structure - for example in the case of a product having little brand equity retailers have negotiating power over manufacturers and can capture more margin
Market Trends
Changes in the market are important because they often are the source of new opportunities and threats The relevant trends are industry-dependent but some examples include changes in price sensitivity demand for variety and level of emphasis on service and support Regional trends also may be relevant
Key Success Factors
The key success factors are those elements that are necessary in order for the firm to achieve its marketing objectives A few examples of such factors include
Access to essential unique resources
Ability to achieve economies of scale
Access to distribution channels
Technological progress
It is important to consider that key success factors may change over time especially as the product progresses through its life cycle
9 CONCLUSIONS
Organizations engage in marketing research for two reasons
(1) (1) to identify (2) and (2) solve marketing problems
(3)
This distinction serves as a basis for classifying marketing research into problem identification research and problem solving research
Problem identification research is undertaken to help identify problems which are perhaps not apparent on the surface and yet exist or are likely to company image market characteristics sales analysis short-range forecasting long range forecasting and business trends research Research of this type provides information about the marketing environment and helps diagnose a problem For example The findings of problem solving research are used in making decisions which will solve specific marketing problems
The Stanford Research Institute on the other hand conducts an annual survey of consumers that is used to classify persons into homogeneous groups for segmentation purposes The National Purchase Diary panel (NPD) maintains the largest diary panel in the United States
Standardized services are research studies conducted for different client firms but in a standard way For example procedures for measuring
advertising effectiveness have been standardized so that the results can be compared across studies and evaluative norms can be established The Starch Readership Survey is the most widely used service for evaluating print advertisements another well-known service is the Gallup and Robinson Magazine Impact Studies These services are also sold on a syndicated basis
Customized services offer a wide variety of marketing research services customized to suit a clients specific needs Each marketing research project is treated uniquely
Limited-service suppliers specialize in one or a few phases of the marketing research project Services offered by such suppliers are classified as field services coding and data entry data analysis analytical services and branded products Field services collect data through mail personal or telephone interviewing and firms that specialize in interviewing are called field service organizations These organizations may range from small proprietary organizations which operate locally to large multinational organizations with WATS line interviewing facilities Some organizations maintain extensive interviewing facilities across the country for interviewing shoppers in malls
Coding and data entry services include editing completed questionnaires developing a coding scheme and transcribing the data on to diskettes or magnetic tapes for input into the computer NRC Data Systems provides such services
Analytical services include designing and pretesting questionnaires determining the best means of collecting data designing sampling plans and other aspects of the research design Some complex
marketing research projects require knowledge of sophisticated procedures including specialized experimental designs and analytical techniques such as conjoint analysis and multidimensional scaling This kind of expertise can be obtained from firms and consultants specializing in analytical services
Data analysis services are offered by firms also known as tab houses that specialize in computer analysis of quantitative data such as those obtained in large surveys Initially most data analysis firms supplied only tabulations (frequency counts) and cross tabulations (frequency counts that describe two or more variables simultaneously) With the proliferation of software many firms now have the capability to analyze their own data but data analysis firms are still in demand
Branded marketing research products and services are specialized data collection and analysis procedures developed to address specific types of marketing research problems These procedures are patented given brand names and marketed like any other branded product
Types of marketing research
Marketing research techniques come in many forms including
Ad Tracking ndash periodic or continuous in-market research to monitor a brandrsquos performance using measures such as brand awareness brand preference and product usage (Young 2005)
Advertising Research ndash used to predict copy testing or track the efficacy of advertisements for any medium measured by the adrsquos ability to get attention (measured with Attention Tracking) communicate the message build the brandrsquos image and motivate the consumer to purchase the product or service (Young 2005)
Brand equity research - how favorably do consumers view the brand
Brand association research - what do consumers associate with the brand
Brand attribute research - what are the key traits that describe the brand promise
Brand name testing - what do consumers feel about the names of the products
Commercial eye tracking research - examine advertisements package designs websites etc by analyzing visual behavior of the consumer
Concept testing - to test the acceptance of a concept by target consumers
Cool hunting - to make observations and predictions in changes of new or existing cultural trends in areas such as fashion music films television youth culture and lifestyle
Buyer decision processes research - to determine what motivates people to buy and what decision-making process they use
Copy testing ndash predicts in-market performance of an ad before it airs by analyzing audience levels of attention brand linkage motivation entertainment and communication as well as breaking down the adrsquos flow of attention and flow of emotion (Young p 213)
Customer satisfaction research - quantitative or qualitative studies that yields an understanding of a customers of satisfaction with a transaction
Demand estimation - to determine the approximate level of demand for the product
Distribution channel audits - to assess distributorsrsquo and retailersrsquo attitudes toward a product brand or company
Internet strategic intelligence - searching for customer opinions in the Internet chats forums web pages blogs where people express freely about their experiences with products becoming strong opinion formers
Marketing effectiveness and analytics - Building models and measuring results to determine the effectiveness of individual marketing activities
Mystery Consumer or Mystery shopping - An employee or representative of the market research firm anonymously contacts a salesperson and indicates he or she is shopping for a product The shopper then records the entire experience This method is often used for quality control or for researching competitors products
Positioning research - how does the target market see the brand relative to competitors - what does the brand stand for
Price elasticity testing - to determine how sensitive customers are to price changes
Sales forecasting - to determine the expected level of sales given the level of demand With respect to other factors like Advertising expenditure sales promotion etc
Segmentation research - to determine the demographic psychographic and behavioural characteristics of potential buyers
Online panel - a group of individual who accepted to respond to marketing research online
Store audit - to measure the sales of a product or product line at a statistically selected store sample in order to determine market share or to determine whether a retail store provides adequate service
Test marketing - a small-scale product launch used to determine the likely acceptance of the product when it is introduced into a wider market
Viral Marketing Research - refers to marketing research designed to estimate the probability that specific communications will be transmitted throughout an individuals Social Network Estimates of Social Networking Potential (SNP) are combined with estimates of selling effectiveness to estimate ROI on specific combinations of messages and media
All of these forms of marketing research can be classified as either problem-identification research or as problem-solving research
There are two main sources of data - primary and secondary Primary research is conducted from scratch It is original and collected to solve the problem in hand Secondary research already exists since it has been collected for other purposes It is conducted on data published previously and usually by someone else Secondary research costs far less than primary research but seldom comes in a form that exactly meets the needs of the researcher
A similar distinction exists between exploratory research and conclusive research Exploratory research provides insights into and comprehension of an issue or situation It should draw definitive conclusions only with extreme caution Conclusive research draws conclusions the results of the study can be generalized to the whole population
Exploratory research is conducted to explore a problem to get some basic idea about the solution at the preliminary stages of research It may serve as the input to conclusive research Exploratory research information is collected by focus group interviews reviewing literature or books discussing with experts etc This is unstructured and qualitative in nature If a secondary source of data is unable to serve the purpose a convenience sample of small size can be collected Conclusive research is conducted to draw some conclusion about the problem It is essentially structured and quantitative research and the
output of this research is the input to MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS (MIS)
Marketing research methods
Methodologically marketing research uses the following types of research designs
Based on questioning
Qualitative marketing research - generally used for exploratory purposes - small number of respondents - not generalizable to the whole population - statistical significance and confidence not calculated - examples include focus groups in-depth interviews and projective techniques
Quantitative marketing research - generally used to draw conclusions - tests a specific hypothesis - uses random sampling techniques so as to infer from the sample to the population - involves a large number of respondents - examples include surveys and questionnaires Techniques include choice modelling maximum difference preference scaling and covariance analysis
Based on observations
Ethnographic studies - by nature qualitative the researcher observes social phenomena in their natural setting - observations can
occur cross-sectionally (observations made at one time) or longitudinally (observations occur over several time-periods) ndash
examples include product-use analysis and computer cookie traces See also Ethnography and Observational techniques
Experimental techniques - by nature quantitative the researcher creates a quasi-artificial environment to try to control spurious factors
then manipulates at least one of the variables - examples include purchase laboratories and test markets
Questionnaires 1 What are the objectives of the marketing strategy Are they clearly stated Are they consistent with the objectives of the firm Is the entire marketing mix structured to meet these objectives
2 What marketing concepts are at issue in the current strategy Is the marketing strategy well planned and laid out Is the strategy consistent with sound marketing principles If the strategy takes exception to marketing principles is there a good reason for it
3 To what target market is the strategy directed Is it well defined Is the market large enough to be profitably served Does the market have long-run potential
4 What competitive advantage does the marketing strategy offer If none what can be done to gain a competitive advantage in the marketplace
5 What products are being sold What is the width depth and consistency of the firms product lines Does the firm need new products to fill out its product line Should any product be deleted What is the profitability of the various products
6 What promotion mix is being used Is promotion consistent with the products and product images What could be done to improve the promotion mix
7 What channels of distribution are being used Do they deliver the product at the right time and right place to meet consumer needs Are the channels typical of those used in the industry Could channels be made more efficient
8 What pricing strategies are being used How do prices compare with similar products of other firms How are prices determined
9 Are marketing research and information systematically integrated into the marketing strategy Is the overall marketing strategy internally consistent
Stage 1 Sell the appointment Never sell over the telephone The aim of the first contact with a prospective purchaser is to sell the appointment The reason is simple industrial sales are complex any attempt to sell over the phone will trivialise your product or service and run the risk of not fully understanding the customers need
Stage 2 Understand their needs The best method of selling is to minimise the information about your goods or services until you have fully understood your customers requirements
Stage 3 Develop and propose a solution The solution is (of course) developed from your (or the firm that you represents) product or service offerings
Marketing supports solution selling through methods like account-based marketingmdashunderstanding a specific target organizations requirements as the foundation of a marketing program As research shows[1] sales success is heavily weighted towards suppliers who understand the customer In UK research 77 per cent of senior decision-makers believe new suppliers marketing From cannon fodder to preferred tenderer
The term cannon fodder derives from the World Wars and refers to the massing of undertrained and recently recruited troops sent to the fronts to face the enemy Such troops invariably had a poor survival rate but provided the tactical advantage of distracting the enemy while
professional soldiers mounted more effective operations In adopting the term to Industrial Marketing it means those bids being submitted that have no chance of winning but are involved to make up the numbers (you cant have only one bid in a competitive tender process that wouldnt satisfy the requirements of probity) (for example in government tenders or for private enterprise the requirement to truly test the market and to keep them honest) The reader might be wondering why anybody would go to all of the work of submitting a tender when they had no chance of winning for the same reason that troops were sent in to battle to die they thought they had a real chance
The key features of a successful industrial sales organisation
In industrial marketing the personal selling is still very effective because many products must be customized to suit the requirements of the individual customer Indicators such as the sales tunnel give information on the expected sales in the near future the hit rate indicates whether the sales organization is busy with promising sales leads or it is spending too much effort on projects that are eventually lost to the competition or that are abandoned by the prospect
RESEARCH PROBLEM
1 Identify your target market
Which businesses need cleaning services Which ones can afford it and will pay for it Why
In your case I would think that small businesses may not be your ideal client But then again define small business Are you referring to sales volume or number of employees
I can tell you right now as a marketing consultant that has worked with a wide variety of businesses including small companies
Small businesses are very price sensitive and prefer to do more themselves rather than pay someone else (They hold this belief even if it would free up more time to be more productive Go figure)
So before you randomly begin picking a target market have a rational reason why Continue to read below and youll begin to see what I am talking about
2 Determine their wants and needs
It may be obvious to you but ask yourself Why would someone want a clean office
These businesses never have walk-in traffic They do not have customers visit them So naturally there is far less of a concern for a clean office Sure it would be nice to have but since no revenue will be lost if their office is not spectacular looking they are not motivated to do anything about it
However seek out the businesses that do deal with customers directly especially professional services where they have very high end clients visit them Now they NEED a very presentable office or they risk losing out on a lot of revenue
3 Determine the level and type of demand
If you have ever read any of my previous work you will know that I am a very strong advocate of knowing whether the type of demand is Primary Demand or Selective Demand It is one of the most overlooked aspects of marketing being ignored today
Primary Demand If a business does not already use your TYPE of service and is not currently considering doing so you will need to create primary demand Simply put you will have to convince them first to even want your type of service (or product) before you even get them to buy it from you
So for your cleaning business example if you are approaching businesses that currently do not use a cleaning service you will have to explain the time saving and productivity enhancing benefits of using one Then explain why YOU are the one they need
Selective Demand These businesses already use a service (or product) or are in the market for it and are actively looking In these cases you do not need to spend much effort convincing them why they need it
In this case you must state your argument why your cleaning service should be the one they choose
This is what you will encounter when you call on or contact businesses already using a cleaning service They will either be satisfied or unsatisfied with their current service provider Your emphasis will have to be on conquest sales -- meaning stealing customers from your competition
Now in your line of business and in many others slashing prices always seems to be the first technique used to steal customers This may work well for selling products But if you are marketing services let me tell you thisthink twice before doing that
Yes I am fully aware of the fact that there will be businesses that will be open to talking to you if you offer them a better deal In some cases they may feel they are legitimately getting ripped off or paying way
too much right now And they just might be right In those cases if you can give them a fair price that is a better deal for them AND still gives you healthy profit margins then go for it
However if you are slashing prices just to gain clients arent you really just hurting yourself in the long run First of all you can easily get into the game of How low will they go Secondly it de-values your perception of quality if you are cheap Thirdly whos to say after all this effort you wont lose the business in a month or two when someone else quotes them an even lower price
What will you do next price so low that you lose money with every client I didnt think so
Heres what you could do though
4 Develop a Hypothesis and a Solution to Match
After you know your target market have defined their needs and analyzed the competitive picture (currently using or not currently using a service like mine) go ahead and develop a clearly thought out hypothesis
For example start with business NOT currently using a cleaning service but that deal with customers or clients regularly at their location
Develop a strong case for WHY they would be wise to invest in your
cleaning services Show them on a break-even analysis that your fee will be well compensated in either customer retention or converting a higher level of store traffic or business appointments into paying customersclients
Then state your case why it is more cost effective and saves them valuable time to outsource this to you rather than doing it themselves or paying an employee overtime to do it You can also emphasize that you are the expert at this not someones secretary so it is expected that you will do a far better job at it
For businesses that ARE already using a cleaning service or are currently shopping for one state why you are unique and better
Determine the really compelling reasons why these businesses want a cleaning service to begin with
Maybe it is a retail store that wants to create a better first impression for their customers This will ultimately lead to a better customer experience and ultimately more in-store purchases
A good example may be that unlike most competitors you also clean windows Well as a marketing consultant to retail businesses I can tell you that many passerbys will first look in a store window before deciding to walk in or not
Now for successful marketing all retail businesses would perform better if they had more in-store traffic So therefore if your cleaning service also cleans windows you could rightfully justify that your services are more valuable to their retail business You actually HELP
them get more customers and sell more products
Maybe it is a professional service business that needs to impress prospective clients to choose their services over a similar competitor
Your cleaning service may dust chairs and polish wooden conference tables Many other cleaning services may not do this or do a poor job in doing so
Now as marketing consultants to service businesses I can also tell you that if a consultant attorney accountant or any other business professional needs to meet with prospective clients in their office they will appreciate a better appearance So if your cleaning services can provide this better than anyone else (or at least if you tell them about this first) you will get the business or at least be highly considered for it
Whatever the case may be establish what makes you different and have you are best suited to meet their needs
Do you see where I am going with this Your initial marketing questions asked how you can get more business by passing out flyers or sending faxes to small offices Truthfully that is simply not going to work You are not looking at the overall big picture of why anyone would either want to hire a cleaning service or to hire your particular cleaning service
5 You must make AN OFFER
Here are some examples
Marketing messagesales offer to a business that does NOT currently use a cleaning service
If you have never considered using a cleaning service before allow us to show you how XYZ Cleaning Inc can make your storeoffice more presentable to customers and how this newly improved appearance will affect your cash registerbank statement
If you are weary of trying new things dont worry Use us FREE for one month and if you are not completely satisfied with the results if you are not completely confident that it makes a difference to your customers if you are not completely aware of how it raises the morale of your employees then you do not have to using us again
But if YOU DO see a great improvement well make you a great deal on our services simply because we want your long term business Marketing messagesales offer to businesses that DO currently use a cleaning service
I understand that you currently use ABC Cleaners LLC Now you may or may not be completely happy right now but I want to make you a no-risk offer you cant refuse
The truth is that you likely get consumed in your day to day activities in running your business overseeing operations managing employees and handling customers Therefore there may be little imperfections your cleaning service is making that goes unnoticed by you But dont assume for one minute that your customers or potential customers wont notice And remember first impressions DO count
So heres our offer Have us come in the morning after your regular cleaning service cleans your office We will do a thorough inspection with you present and look for anything they may have done a less-than-satisfactory job on Then well show you why you probably over looked it for so long but why your customers will take notice and how they will think differently about you because of it
Now if everything is already 100 completely clean and presentable well thank you for your time and then be on our way But if together we find lots of little things that are carelessly being done we will cleanfix it for you for FREE
Thats right use our services as a compliment to what you are already paying for Compare the quality of work we do to what you are already paying for If you can see the difference in what we do for you compared to what you are already paying for then consider us as your new cleaning service
6 Develop your marketing message
Once you understand the true needs your potential clients have and the unique and competitive solutions you can offer only then should you develop your marketing copy -- your sales pitch
The two examples above incorporate great marketing copy with a strong benefits related offer You can then deliver this through direct mail telemarketing or a combination of both
I would only recommend distributing flyers if you are confident you can place there where they will get read by people who make the decision to hire a cleaning service So if there is an Open Bulletin board in an office building then go for it However they are rare and you probably need permission anyway
Id avoid the fax marketing altogether Its quite annoying ties up there fax line and unless people have already heard of you they are more likely to toss your message in the garbage
Try sending direct mail to the decision makers of these target companies and describe the benefits they will experience from using your services
7 Follow up
Even after identifying the businesses that are most likely to need your services after you have identified a solution and even after you contacted them with a compelling offer you still have to follow up
Chances are they loved the sound of it when they got it They had every intention of following up with you But then just got busy So your follow up call can make all the difference in the world and get your foot in the door in a very big way Then its up to you to DELIVER on your promise
8 ANALYSIS
Market Analysis
The goal of a market analysis is to determine the attractiveness of a market and to understand its evolving opportunities and threats as they relate to the strengths and weaknesses of the firm
David A Aaker outlined the following dimensions of a market analysis
Market size (current and future)
Market growth rate
Market profitability
Industry cost structure
Distribution channels
Market trends
Key success factors
Market Size
The size of the market can be evaluated based on present sales and on potential sales if the use of the product were expanded The following are some information sources for determining market size
government data
trade associations financial data from major players customer surveys
Market Growth Rate
A simple means of forecasting the market growth rate is to extrapolate historical data into the future While this method may provide a first-order estimate it does not predict important turning points A better method is to study growth drivers such as demographic information and sales growth in complementary products Such drivers serve as leading indicators that are more accurate than simply extrapolating historical data
Important inflection points in the market growth rate sometimes can be predicted by constructing a product diffusion curve The shape of the curve can be estimated by studying the characteristics of the adoption rate of a similar product in the past
Ultimately the maturity and decline stages of the product life cycle will be reached Some leading indicators of the decline phase include price pressure caused by competition a decrease in brand loyalty the emergence of substitute products market saturation and the lack of growth drivers
Market Profitability
While different firms in a market will have different levels of profitability the average profit potential for a market can be used as a guideline for knowing how difficult it is to make money in the market Michael Porter devised a useful framework for evaluating the attractiveness of an industry or market This framework known as Porters five forces identifies five factors that influence the market profitability
Buyer power
Supplier power
Barriers to entry
Threat of substitute products
Rivalry among firms in the industry
Industry Cost Structure
The cost structure is important for identifying key factors for success To this end Porters value chain model is useful for determining where value is added and for isolating the costs
The cost structure also is helpful for formulating strategies to develop a competitive advantage For example in some environments the experience curve effect can be used to develop a cost advantage over competitors
Distribution Channels
The following aspects of the distribution system are useful in a market analysis
Existing distribution channels - can be described by how direct they are to the customer
Trends and emerging channels - new channels can offer the opportunity to develop a competitive advantage
Channel power structure - for example in the case of a product having little brand equity retailers have negotiating power over manufacturers and can capture more margin
Market Trends
Changes in the market are important because they often are the source of new opportunities and threats The relevant trends are industry-dependent but some examples include changes in price sensitivity demand for variety and level of emphasis on service and support Regional trends also may be relevant
Key Success Factors
The key success factors are those elements that are necessary in order for the firm to achieve its marketing objectives A few examples of such factors include
Access to essential unique resources
Ability to achieve economies of scale
Access to distribution channels
Technological progress
It is important to consider that key success factors may change over time especially as the product progresses through its life cycle
9 CONCLUSIONS
Organizations engage in marketing research for two reasons
(1) (1) to identify (2) and (2) solve marketing problems
(3)
This distinction serves as a basis for classifying marketing research into problem identification research and problem solving research
Problem identification research is undertaken to help identify problems which are perhaps not apparent on the surface and yet exist or are likely to company image market characteristics sales analysis short-range forecasting long range forecasting and business trends research Research of this type provides information about the marketing environment and helps diagnose a problem For example The findings of problem solving research are used in making decisions which will solve specific marketing problems
The Stanford Research Institute on the other hand conducts an annual survey of consumers that is used to classify persons into homogeneous groups for segmentation purposes The National Purchase Diary panel (NPD) maintains the largest diary panel in the United States
Standardized services are research studies conducted for different client firms but in a standard way For example procedures for measuring
advertising effectiveness have been standardized so that the results can be compared across studies and evaluative norms can be established The Starch Readership Survey is the most widely used service for evaluating print advertisements another well-known service is the Gallup and Robinson Magazine Impact Studies These services are also sold on a syndicated basis
Customized services offer a wide variety of marketing research services customized to suit a clients specific needs Each marketing research project is treated uniquely
Limited-service suppliers specialize in one or a few phases of the marketing research project Services offered by such suppliers are classified as field services coding and data entry data analysis analytical services and branded products Field services collect data through mail personal or telephone interviewing and firms that specialize in interviewing are called field service organizations These organizations may range from small proprietary organizations which operate locally to large multinational organizations with WATS line interviewing facilities Some organizations maintain extensive interviewing facilities across the country for interviewing shoppers in malls
Coding and data entry services include editing completed questionnaires developing a coding scheme and transcribing the data on to diskettes or magnetic tapes for input into the computer NRC Data Systems provides such services
Analytical services include designing and pretesting questionnaires determining the best means of collecting data designing sampling plans and other aspects of the research design Some complex
marketing research projects require knowledge of sophisticated procedures including specialized experimental designs and analytical techniques such as conjoint analysis and multidimensional scaling This kind of expertise can be obtained from firms and consultants specializing in analytical services
Data analysis services are offered by firms also known as tab houses that specialize in computer analysis of quantitative data such as those obtained in large surveys Initially most data analysis firms supplied only tabulations (frequency counts) and cross tabulations (frequency counts that describe two or more variables simultaneously) With the proliferation of software many firms now have the capability to analyze their own data but data analysis firms are still in demand
Branded marketing research products and services are specialized data collection and analysis procedures developed to address specific types of marketing research problems These procedures are patented given brand names and marketed like any other branded product
Types of marketing research
Marketing research techniques come in many forms including
Ad Tracking ndash periodic or continuous in-market research to monitor a brandrsquos performance using measures such as brand awareness brand preference and product usage (Young 2005)
Advertising Research ndash used to predict copy testing or track the efficacy of advertisements for any medium measured by the adrsquos ability to get attention (measured with Attention Tracking) communicate the message build the brandrsquos image and motivate the consumer to purchase the product or service (Young 2005)
Brand equity research - how favorably do consumers view the brand
Brand association research - what do consumers associate with the brand
Brand attribute research - what are the key traits that describe the brand promise
Brand name testing - what do consumers feel about the names of the products
Commercial eye tracking research - examine advertisements package designs websites etc by analyzing visual behavior of the consumer
Concept testing - to test the acceptance of a concept by target consumers
Cool hunting - to make observations and predictions in changes of new or existing cultural trends in areas such as fashion music films television youth culture and lifestyle
Buyer decision processes research - to determine what motivates people to buy and what decision-making process they use
Copy testing ndash predicts in-market performance of an ad before it airs by analyzing audience levels of attention brand linkage motivation entertainment and communication as well as breaking down the adrsquos flow of attention and flow of emotion (Young p 213)
Customer satisfaction research - quantitative or qualitative studies that yields an understanding of a customers of satisfaction with a transaction
Demand estimation - to determine the approximate level of demand for the product
Distribution channel audits - to assess distributorsrsquo and retailersrsquo attitudes toward a product brand or company
Internet strategic intelligence - searching for customer opinions in the Internet chats forums web pages blogs where people express freely about their experiences with products becoming strong opinion formers
Marketing effectiveness and analytics - Building models and measuring results to determine the effectiveness of individual marketing activities
Mystery Consumer or Mystery shopping - An employee or representative of the market research firm anonymously contacts a salesperson and indicates he or she is shopping for a product The shopper then records the entire experience This method is often used for quality control or for researching competitors products
Positioning research - how does the target market see the brand relative to competitors - what does the brand stand for
Price elasticity testing - to determine how sensitive customers are to price changes
Sales forecasting - to determine the expected level of sales given the level of demand With respect to other factors like Advertising expenditure sales promotion etc
Segmentation research - to determine the demographic psychographic and behavioural characteristics of potential buyers
Online panel - a group of individual who accepted to respond to marketing research online
Store audit - to measure the sales of a product or product line at a statistically selected store sample in order to determine market share or to determine whether a retail store provides adequate service
Test marketing - a small-scale product launch used to determine the likely acceptance of the product when it is introduced into a wider market
Viral Marketing Research - refers to marketing research designed to estimate the probability that specific communications will be transmitted throughout an individuals Social Network Estimates of Social Networking Potential (SNP) are combined with estimates of selling effectiveness to estimate ROI on specific combinations of messages and media
All of these forms of marketing research can be classified as either problem-identification research or as problem-solving research
There are two main sources of data - primary and secondary Primary research is conducted from scratch It is original and collected to solve the problem in hand Secondary research already exists since it has been collected for other purposes It is conducted on data published previously and usually by someone else Secondary research costs far less than primary research but seldom comes in a form that exactly meets the needs of the researcher
A similar distinction exists between exploratory research and conclusive research Exploratory research provides insights into and comprehension of an issue or situation It should draw definitive conclusions only with extreme caution Conclusive research draws conclusions the results of the study can be generalized to the whole population
Exploratory research is conducted to explore a problem to get some basic idea about the solution at the preliminary stages of research It may serve as the input to conclusive research Exploratory research information is collected by focus group interviews reviewing literature or books discussing with experts etc This is unstructured and qualitative in nature If a secondary source of data is unable to serve the purpose a convenience sample of small size can be collected Conclusive research is conducted to draw some conclusion about the problem It is essentially structured and quantitative research and the
output of this research is the input to MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS (MIS)
Marketing research methods
Methodologically marketing research uses the following types of research designs
Based on questioning
Qualitative marketing research - generally used for exploratory purposes - small number of respondents - not generalizable to the whole population - statistical significance and confidence not calculated - examples include focus groups in-depth interviews and projective techniques
Quantitative marketing research - generally used to draw conclusions - tests a specific hypothesis - uses random sampling techniques so as to infer from the sample to the population - involves a large number of respondents - examples include surveys and questionnaires Techniques include choice modelling maximum difference preference scaling and covariance analysis
Based on observations
Ethnographic studies - by nature qualitative the researcher observes social phenomena in their natural setting - observations can
occur cross-sectionally (observations made at one time) or longitudinally (observations occur over several time-periods) ndash
examples include product-use analysis and computer cookie traces See also Ethnography and Observational techniques
Experimental techniques - by nature quantitative the researcher creates a quasi-artificial environment to try to control spurious factors
then manipulates at least one of the variables - examples include purchase laboratories and test markets
Questionnaires 1 What are the objectives of the marketing strategy Are they clearly stated Are they consistent with the objectives of the firm Is the entire marketing mix structured to meet these objectives
2 What marketing concepts are at issue in the current strategy Is the marketing strategy well planned and laid out Is the strategy consistent with sound marketing principles If the strategy takes exception to marketing principles is there a good reason for it
3 To what target market is the strategy directed Is it well defined Is the market large enough to be profitably served Does the market have long-run potential
4 What competitive advantage does the marketing strategy offer If none what can be done to gain a competitive advantage in the marketplace
5 What products are being sold What is the width depth and consistency of the firms product lines Does the firm need new products to fill out its product line Should any product be deleted What is the profitability of the various products
6 What promotion mix is being used Is promotion consistent with the products and product images What could be done to improve the promotion mix
7 What channels of distribution are being used Do they deliver the product at the right time and right place to meet consumer needs Are the channels typical of those used in the industry Could channels be made more efficient
8 What pricing strategies are being used How do prices compare with similar products of other firms How are prices determined
9 Are marketing research and information systematically integrated into the marketing strategy Is the overall marketing strategy internally consistent
professional soldiers mounted more effective operations In adopting the term to Industrial Marketing it means those bids being submitted that have no chance of winning but are involved to make up the numbers (you cant have only one bid in a competitive tender process that wouldnt satisfy the requirements of probity) (for example in government tenders or for private enterprise the requirement to truly test the market and to keep them honest) The reader might be wondering why anybody would go to all of the work of submitting a tender when they had no chance of winning for the same reason that troops were sent in to battle to die they thought they had a real chance
The key features of a successful industrial sales organisation
In industrial marketing the personal selling is still very effective because many products must be customized to suit the requirements of the individual customer Indicators such as the sales tunnel give information on the expected sales in the near future the hit rate indicates whether the sales organization is busy with promising sales leads or it is spending too much effort on projects that are eventually lost to the competition or that are abandoned by the prospect
RESEARCH PROBLEM
1 Identify your target market
Which businesses need cleaning services Which ones can afford it and will pay for it Why
In your case I would think that small businesses may not be your ideal client But then again define small business Are you referring to sales volume or number of employees
I can tell you right now as a marketing consultant that has worked with a wide variety of businesses including small companies
Small businesses are very price sensitive and prefer to do more themselves rather than pay someone else (They hold this belief even if it would free up more time to be more productive Go figure)
So before you randomly begin picking a target market have a rational reason why Continue to read below and youll begin to see what I am talking about
2 Determine their wants and needs
It may be obvious to you but ask yourself Why would someone want a clean office
These businesses never have walk-in traffic They do not have customers visit them So naturally there is far less of a concern for a clean office Sure it would be nice to have but since no revenue will be lost if their office is not spectacular looking they are not motivated to do anything about it
However seek out the businesses that do deal with customers directly especially professional services where they have very high end clients visit them Now they NEED a very presentable office or they risk losing out on a lot of revenue
3 Determine the level and type of demand
If you have ever read any of my previous work you will know that I am a very strong advocate of knowing whether the type of demand is Primary Demand or Selective Demand It is one of the most overlooked aspects of marketing being ignored today
Primary Demand If a business does not already use your TYPE of service and is not currently considering doing so you will need to create primary demand Simply put you will have to convince them first to even want your type of service (or product) before you even get them to buy it from you
So for your cleaning business example if you are approaching businesses that currently do not use a cleaning service you will have to explain the time saving and productivity enhancing benefits of using one Then explain why YOU are the one they need
Selective Demand These businesses already use a service (or product) or are in the market for it and are actively looking In these cases you do not need to spend much effort convincing them why they need it
In this case you must state your argument why your cleaning service should be the one they choose
This is what you will encounter when you call on or contact businesses already using a cleaning service They will either be satisfied or unsatisfied with their current service provider Your emphasis will have to be on conquest sales -- meaning stealing customers from your competition
Now in your line of business and in many others slashing prices always seems to be the first technique used to steal customers This may work well for selling products But if you are marketing services let me tell you thisthink twice before doing that
Yes I am fully aware of the fact that there will be businesses that will be open to talking to you if you offer them a better deal In some cases they may feel they are legitimately getting ripped off or paying way
too much right now And they just might be right In those cases if you can give them a fair price that is a better deal for them AND still gives you healthy profit margins then go for it
However if you are slashing prices just to gain clients arent you really just hurting yourself in the long run First of all you can easily get into the game of How low will they go Secondly it de-values your perception of quality if you are cheap Thirdly whos to say after all this effort you wont lose the business in a month or two when someone else quotes them an even lower price
What will you do next price so low that you lose money with every client I didnt think so
Heres what you could do though
4 Develop a Hypothesis and a Solution to Match
After you know your target market have defined their needs and analyzed the competitive picture (currently using or not currently using a service like mine) go ahead and develop a clearly thought out hypothesis
For example start with business NOT currently using a cleaning service but that deal with customers or clients regularly at their location
Develop a strong case for WHY they would be wise to invest in your
cleaning services Show them on a break-even analysis that your fee will be well compensated in either customer retention or converting a higher level of store traffic or business appointments into paying customersclients
Then state your case why it is more cost effective and saves them valuable time to outsource this to you rather than doing it themselves or paying an employee overtime to do it You can also emphasize that you are the expert at this not someones secretary so it is expected that you will do a far better job at it
For businesses that ARE already using a cleaning service or are currently shopping for one state why you are unique and better
Determine the really compelling reasons why these businesses want a cleaning service to begin with
Maybe it is a retail store that wants to create a better first impression for their customers This will ultimately lead to a better customer experience and ultimately more in-store purchases
A good example may be that unlike most competitors you also clean windows Well as a marketing consultant to retail businesses I can tell you that many passerbys will first look in a store window before deciding to walk in or not
Now for successful marketing all retail businesses would perform better if they had more in-store traffic So therefore if your cleaning service also cleans windows you could rightfully justify that your services are more valuable to their retail business You actually HELP
them get more customers and sell more products
Maybe it is a professional service business that needs to impress prospective clients to choose their services over a similar competitor
Your cleaning service may dust chairs and polish wooden conference tables Many other cleaning services may not do this or do a poor job in doing so
Now as marketing consultants to service businesses I can also tell you that if a consultant attorney accountant or any other business professional needs to meet with prospective clients in their office they will appreciate a better appearance So if your cleaning services can provide this better than anyone else (or at least if you tell them about this first) you will get the business or at least be highly considered for it
Whatever the case may be establish what makes you different and have you are best suited to meet their needs
Do you see where I am going with this Your initial marketing questions asked how you can get more business by passing out flyers or sending faxes to small offices Truthfully that is simply not going to work You are not looking at the overall big picture of why anyone would either want to hire a cleaning service or to hire your particular cleaning service
5 You must make AN OFFER
Here are some examples
Marketing messagesales offer to a business that does NOT currently use a cleaning service
If you have never considered using a cleaning service before allow us to show you how XYZ Cleaning Inc can make your storeoffice more presentable to customers and how this newly improved appearance will affect your cash registerbank statement
If you are weary of trying new things dont worry Use us FREE for one month and if you are not completely satisfied with the results if you are not completely confident that it makes a difference to your customers if you are not completely aware of how it raises the morale of your employees then you do not have to using us again
But if YOU DO see a great improvement well make you a great deal on our services simply because we want your long term business Marketing messagesales offer to businesses that DO currently use a cleaning service
I understand that you currently use ABC Cleaners LLC Now you may or may not be completely happy right now but I want to make you a no-risk offer you cant refuse
The truth is that you likely get consumed in your day to day activities in running your business overseeing operations managing employees and handling customers Therefore there may be little imperfections your cleaning service is making that goes unnoticed by you But dont assume for one minute that your customers or potential customers wont notice And remember first impressions DO count
So heres our offer Have us come in the morning after your regular cleaning service cleans your office We will do a thorough inspection with you present and look for anything they may have done a less-than-satisfactory job on Then well show you why you probably over looked it for so long but why your customers will take notice and how they will think differently about you because of it
Now if everything is already 100 completely clean and presentable well thank you for your time and then be on our way But if together we find lots of little things that are carelessly being done we will cleanfix it for you for FREE
Thats right use our services as a compliment to what you are already paying for Compare the quality of work we do to what you are already paying for If you can see the difference in what we do for you compared to what you are already paying for then consider us as your new cleaning service
6 Develop your marketing message
Once you understand the true needs your potential clients have and the unique and competitive solutions you can offer only then should you develop your marketing copy -- your sales pitch
The two examples above incorporate great marketing copy with a strong benefits related offer You can then deliver this through direct mail telemarketing or a combination of both
I would only recommend distributing flyers if you are confident you can place there where they will get read by people who make the decision to hire a cleaning service So if there is an Open Bulletin board in an office building then go for it However they are rare and you probably need permission anyway
Id avoid the fax marketing altogether Its quite annoying ties up there fax line and unless people have already heard of you they are more likely to toss your message in the garbage
Try sending direct mail to the decision makers of these target companies and describe the benefits they will experience from using your services
7 Follow up
Even after identifying the businesses that are most likely to need your services after you have identified a solution and even after you contacted them with a compelling offer you still have to follow up
Chances are they loved the sound of it when they got it They had every intention of following up with you But then just got busy So your follow up call can make all the difference in the world and get your foot in the door in a very big way Then its up to you to DELIVER on your promise
8 ANALYSIS
Market Analysis
The goal of a market analysis is to determine the attractiveness of a market and to understand its evolving opportunities and threats as they relate to the strengths and weaknesses of the firm
David A Aaker outlined the following dimensions of a market analysis
Market size (current and future)
Market growth rate
Market profitability
Industry cost structure
Distribution channels
Market trends
Key success factors
Market Size
The size of the market can be evaluated based on present sales and on potential sales if the use of the product were expanded The following are some information sources for determining market size
government data
trade associations financial data from major players customer surveys
Market Growth Rate
A simple means of forecasting the market growth rate is to extrapolate historical data into the future While this method may provide a first-order estimate it does not predict important turning points A better method is to study growth drivers such as demographic information and sales growth in complementary products Such drivers serve as leading indicators that are more accurate than simply extrapolating historical data
Important inflection points in the market growth rate sometimes can be predicted by constructing a product diffusion curve The shape of the curve can be estimated by studying the characteristics of the adoption rate of a similar product in the past
Ultimately the maturity and decline stages of the product life cycle will be reached Some leading indicators of the decline phase include price pressure caused by competition a decrease in brand loyalty the emergence of substitute products market saturation and the lack of growth drivers
Market Profitability
While different firms in a market will have different levels of profitability the average profit potential for a market can be used as a guideline for knowing how difficult it is to make money in the market Michael Porter devised a useful framework for evaluating the attractiveness of an industry or market This framework known as Porters five forces identifies five factors that influence the market profitability
Buyer power
Supplier power
Barriers to entry
Threat of substitute products
Rivalry among firms in the industry
Industry Cost Structure
The cost structure is important for identifying key factors for success To this end Porters value chain model is useful for determining where value is added and for isolating the costs
The cost structure also is helpful for formulating strategies to develop a competitive advantage For example in some environments the experience curve effect can be used to develop a cost advantage over competitors
Distribution Channels
The following aspects of the distribution system are useful in a market analysis
Existing distribution channels - can be described by how direct they are to the customer
Trends and emerging channels - new channels can offer the opportunity to develop a competitive advantage
Channel power structure - for example in the case of a product having little brand equity retailers have negotiating power over manufacturers and can capture more margin
Market Trends
Changes in the market are important because they often are the source of new opportunities and threats The relevant trends are industry-dependent but some examples include changes in price sensitivity demand for variety and level of emphasis on service and support Regional trends also may be relevant
Key Success Factors
The key success factors are those elements that are necessary in order for the firm to achieve its marketing objectives A few examples of such factors include
Access to essential unique resources
Ability to achieve economies of scale
Access to distribution channels
Technological progress
It is important to consider that key success factors may change over time especially as the product progresses through its life cycle
9 CONCLUSIONS
Organizations engage in marketing research for two reasons
(1) (1) to identify (2) and (2) solve marketing problems
(3)
This distinction serves as a basis for classifying marketing research into problem identification research and problem solving research
Problem identification research is undertaken to help identify problems which are perhaps not apparent on the surface and yet exist or are likely to company image market characteristics sales analysis short-range forecasting long range forecasting and business trends research Research of this type provides information about the marketing environment and helps diagnose a problem For example The findings of problem solving research are used in making decisions which will solve specific marketing problems
The Stanford Research Institute on the other hand conducts an annual survey of consumers that is used to classify persons into homogeneous groups for segmentation purposes The National Purchase Diary panel (NPD) maintains the largest diary panel in the United States
Standardized services are research studies conducted for different client firms but in a standard way For example procedures for measuring
advertising effectiveness have been standardized so that the results can be compared across studies and evaluative norms can be established The Starch Readership Survey is the most widely used service for evaluating print advertisements another well-known service is the Gallup and Robinson Magazine Impact Studies These services are also sold on a syndicated basis
Customized services offer a wide variety of marketing research services customized to suit a clients specific needs Each marketing research project is treated uniquely
Limited-service suppliers specialize in one or a few phases of the marketing research project Services offered by such suppliers are classified as field services coding and data entry data analysis analytical services and branded products Field services collect data through mail personal or telephone interviewing and firms that specialize in interviewing are called field service organizations These organizations may range from small proprietary organizations which operate locally to large multinational organizations with WATS line interviewing facilities Some organizations maintain extensive interviewing facilities across the country for interviewing shoppers in malls
Coding and data entry services include editing completed questionnaires developing a coding scheme and transcribing the data on to diskettes or magnetic tapes for input into the computer NRC Data Systems provides such services
Analytical services include designing and pretesting questionnaires determining the best means of collecting data designing sampling plans and other aspects of the research design Some complex
marketing research projects require knowledge of sophisticated procedures including specialized experimental designs and analytical techniques such as conjoint analysis and multidimensional scaling This kind of expertise can be obtained from firms and consultants specializing in analytical services
Data analysis services are offered by firms also known as tab houses that specialize in computer analysis of quantitative data such as those obtained in large surveys Initially most data analysis firms supplied only tabulations (frequency counts) and cross tabulations (frequency counts that describe two or more variables simultaneously) With the proliferation of software many firms now have the capability to analyze their own data but data analysis firms are still in demand
Branded marketing research products and services are specialized data collection and analysis procedures developed to address specific types of marketing research problems These procedures are patented given brand names and marketed like any other branded product
Types of marketing research
Marketing research techniques come in many forms including
Ad Tracking ndash periodic or continuous in-market research to monitor a brandrsquos performance using measures such as brand awareness brand preference and product usage (Young 2005)
Advertising Research ndash used to predict copy testing or track the efficacy of advertisements for any medium measured by the adrsquos ability to get attention (measured with Attention Tracking) communicate the message build the brandrsquos image and motivate the consumer to purchase the product or service (Young 2005)
Brand equity research - how favorably do consumers view the brand
Brand association research - what do consumers associate with the brand
Brand attribute research - what are the key traits that describe the brand promise
Brand name testing - what do consumers feel about the names of the products
Commercial eye tracking research - examine advertisements package designs websites etc by analyzing visual behavior of the consumer
Concept testing - to test the acceptance of a concept by target consumers
Cool hunting - to make observations and predictions in changes of new or existing cultural trends in areas such as fashion music films television youth culture and lifestyle
Buyer decision processes research - to determine what motivates people to buy and what decision-making process they use
Copy testing ndash predicts in-market performance of an ad before it airs by analyzing audience levels of attention brand linkage motivation entertainment and communication as well as breaking down the adrsquos flow of attention and flow of emotion (Young p 213)
Customer satisfaction research - quantitative or qualitative studies that yields an understanding of a customers of satisfaction with a transaction
Demand estimation - to determine the approximate level of demand for the product
Distribution channel audits - to assess distributorsrsquo and retailersrsquo attitudes toward a product brand or company
Internet strategic intelligence - searching for customer opinions in the Internet chats forums web pages blogs where people express freely about their experiences with products becoming strong opinion formers
Marketing effectiveness and analytics - Building models and measuring results to determine the effectiveness of individual marketing activities
Mystery Consumer or Mystery shopping - An employee or representative of the market research firm anonymously contacts a salesperson and indicates he or she is shopping for a product The shopper then records the entire experience This method is often used for quality control or for researching competitors products
Positioning research - how does the target market see the brand relative to competitors - what does the brand stand for
Price elasticity testing - to determine how sensitive customers are to price changes
Sales forecasting - to determine the expected level of sales given the level of demand With respect to other factors like Advertising expenditure sales promotion etc
Segmentation research - to determine the demographic psychographic and behavioural characteristics of potential buyers
Online panel - a group of individual who accepted to respond to marketing research online
Store audit - to measure the sales of a product or product line at a statistically selected store sample in order to determine market share or to determine whether a retail store provides adequate service
Test marketing - a small-scale product launch used to determine the likely acceptance of the product when it is introduced into a wider market
Viral Marketing Research - refers to marketing research designed to estimate the probability that specific communications will be transmitted throughout an individuals Social Network Estimates of Social Networking Potential (SNP) are combined with estimates of selling effectiveness to estimate ROI on specific combinations of messages and media
All of these forms of marketing research can be classified as either problem-identification research or as problem-solving research
There are two main sources of data - primary and secondary Primary research is conducted from scratch It is original and collected to solve the problem in hand Secondary research already exists since it has been collected for other purposes It is conducted on data published previously and usually by someone else Secondary research costs far less than primary research but seldom comes in a form that exactly meets the needs of the researcher
A similar distinction exists between exploratory research and conclusive research Exploratory research provides insights into and comprehension of an issue or situation It should draw definitive conclusions only with extreme caution Conclusive research draws conclusions the results of the study can be generalized to the whole population
Exploratory research is conducted to explore a problem to get some basic idea about the solution at the preliminary stages of research It may serve as the input to conclusive research Exploratory research information is collected by focus group interviews reviewing literature or books discussing with experts etc This is unstructured and qualitative in nature If a secondary source of data is unable to serve the purpose a convenience sample of small size can be collected Conclusive research is conducted to draw some conclusion about the problem It is essentially structured and quantitative research and the
output of this research is the input to MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS (MIS)
Marketing research methods
Methodologically marketing research uses the following types of research designs
Based on questioning
Qualitative marketing research - generally used for exploratory purposes - small number of respondents - not generalizable to the whole population - statistical significance and confidence not calculated - examples include focus groups in-depth interviews and projective techniques
Quantitative marketing research - generally used to draw conclusions - tests a specific hypothesis - uses random sampling techniques so as to infer from the sample to the population - involves a large number of respondents - examples include surveys and questionnaires Techniques include choice modelling maximum difference preference scaling and covariance analysis
Based on observations
Ethnographic studies - by nature qualitative the researcher observes social phenomena in their natural setting - observations can
occur cross-sectionally (observations made at one time) or longitudinally (observations occur over several time-periods) ndash
examples include product-use analysis and computer cookie traces See also Ethnography and Observational techniques
Experimental techniques - by nature quantitative the researcher creates a quasi-artificial environment to try to control spurious factors
then manipulates at least one of the variables - examples include purchase laboratories and test markets
Questionnaires 1 What are the objectives of the marketing strategy Are they clearly stated Are they consistent with the objectives of the firm Is the entire marketing mix structured to meet these objectives
2 What marketing concepts are at issue in the current strategy Is the marketing strategy well planned and laid out Is the strategy consistent with sound marketing principles If the strategy takes exception to marketing principles is there a good reason for it
3 To what target market is the strategy directed Is it well defined Is the market large enough to be profitably served Does the market have long-run potential
4 What competitive advantage does the marketing strategy offer If none what can be done to gain a competitive advantage in the marketplace
5 What products are being sold What is the width depth and consistency of the firms product lines Does the firm need new products to fill out its product line Should any product be deleted What is the profitability of the various products
6 What promotion mix is being used Is promotion consistent with the products and product images What could be done to improve the promotion mix
7 What channels of distribution are being used Do they deliver the product at the right time and right place to meet consumer needs Are the channels typical of those used in the industry Could channels be made more efficient
8 What pricing strategies are being used How do prices compare with similar products of other firms How are prices determined
9 Are marketing research and information systematically integrated into the marketing strategy Is the overall marketing strategy internally consistent
RESEARCH PROBLEM
1 Identify your target market
Which businesses need cleaning services Which ones can afford it and will pay for it Why
In your case I would think that small businesses may not be your ideal client But then again define small business Are you referring to sales volume or number of employees
I can tell you right now as a marketing consultant that has worked with a wide variety of businesses including small companies
Small businesses are very price sensitive and prefer to do more themselves rather than pay someone else (They hold this belief even if it would free up more time to be more productive Go figure)
So before you randomly begin picking a target market have a rational reason why Continue to read below and youll begin to see what I am talking about
2 Determine their wants and needs
It may be obvious to you but ask yourself Why would someone want a clean office
These businesses never have walk-in traffic They do not have customers visit them So naturally there is far less of a concern for a clean office Sure it would be nice to have but since no revenue will be lost if their office is not spectacular looking they are not motivated to do anything about it
However seek out the businesses that do deal with customers directly especially professional services where they have very high end clients visit them Now they NEED a very presentable office or they risk losing out on a lot of revenue
3 Determine the level and type of demand
If you have ever read any of my previous work you will know that I am a very strong advocate of knowing whether the type of demand is Primary Demand or Selective Demand It is one of the most overlooked aspects of marketing being ignored today
Primary Demand If a business does not already use your TYPE of service and is not currently considering doing so you will need to create primary demand Simply put you will have to convince them first to even want your type of service (or product) before you even get them to buy it from you
So for your cleaning business example if you are approaching businesses that currently do not use a cleaning service you will have to explain the time saving and productivity enhancing benefits of using one Then explain why YOU are the one they need
Selective Demand These businesses already use a service (or product) or are in the market for it and are actively looking In these cases you do not need to spend much effort convincing them why they need it
In this case you must state your argument why your cleaning service should be the one they choose
This is what you will encounter when you call on or contact businesses already using a cleaning service They will either be satisfied or unsatisfied with their current service provider Your emphasis will have to be on conquest sales -- meaning stealing customers from your competition
Now in your line of business and in many others slashing prices always seems to be the first technique used to steal customers This may work well for selling products But if you are marketing services let me tell you thisthink twice before doing that
Yes I am fully aware of the fact that there will be businesses that will be open to talking to you if you offer them a better deal In some cases they may feel they are legitimately getting ripped off or paying way
too much right now And they just might be right In those cases if you can give them a fair price that is a better deal for them AND still gives you healthy profit margins then go for it
However if you are slashing prices just to gain clients arent you really just hurting yourself in the long run First of all you can easily get into the game of How low will they go Secondly it de-values your perception of quality if you are cheap Thirdly whos to say after all this effort you wont lose the business in a month or two when someone else quotes them an even lower price
What will you do next price so low that you lose money with every client I didnt think so
Heres what you could do though
4 Develop a Hypothesis and a Solution to Match
After you know your target market have defined their needs and analyzed the competitive picture (currently using or not currently using a service like mine) go ahead and develop a clearly thought out hypothesis
For example start with business NOT currently using a cleaning service but that deal with customers or clients regularly at their location
Develop a strong case for WHY they would be wise to invest in your
cleaning services Show them on a break-even analysis that your fee will be well compensated in either customer retention or converting a higher level of store traffic or business appointments into paying customersclients
Then state your case why it is more cost effective and saves them valuable time to outsource this to you rather than doing it themselves or paying an employee overtime to do it You can also emphasize that you are the expert at this not someones secretary so it is expected that you will do a far better job at it
For businesses that ARE already using a cleaning service or are currently shopping for one state why you are unique and better
Determine the really compelling reasons why these businesses want a cleaning service to begin with
Maybe it is a retail store that wants to create a better first impression for their customers This will ultimately lead to a better customer experience and ultimately more in-store purchases
A good example may be that unlike most competitors you also clean windows Well as a marketing consultant to retail businesses I can tell you that many passerbys will first look in a store window before deciding to walk in or not
Now for successful marketing all retail businesses would perform better if they had more in-store traffic So therefore if your cleaning service also cleans windows you could rightfully justify that your services are more valuable to their retail business You actually HELP
them get more customers and sell more products
Maybe it is a professional service business that needs to impress prospective clients to choose their services over a similar competitor
Your cleaning service may dust chairs and polish wooden conference tables Many other cleaning services may not do this or do a poor job in doing so
Now as marketing consultants to service businesses I can also tell you that if a consultant attorney accountant or any other business professional needs to meet with prospective clients in their office they will appreciate a better appearance So if your cleaning services can provide this better than anyone else (or at least if you tell them about this first) you will get the business or at least be highly considered for it
Whatever the case may be establish what makes you different and have you are best suited to meet their needs
Do you see where I am going with this Your initial marketing questions asked how you can get more business by passing out flyers or sending faxes to small offices Truthfully that is simply not going to work You are not looking at the overall big picture of why anyone would either want to hire a cleaning service or to hire your particular cleaning service
5 You must make AN OFFER
Here are some examples
Marketing messagesales offer to a business that does NOT currently use a cleaning service
If you have never considered using a cleaning service before allow us to show you how XYZ Cleaning Inc can make your storeoffice more presentable to customers and how this newly improved appearance will affect your cash registerbank statement
If you are weary of trying new things dont worry Use us FREE for one month and if you are not completely satisfied with the results if you are not completely confident that it makes a difference to your customers if you are not completely aware of how it raises the morale of your employees then you do not have to using us again
But if YOU DO see a great improvement well make you a great deal on our services simply because we want your long term business Marketing messagesales offer to businesses that DO currently use a cleaning service
I understand that you currently use ABC Cleaners LLC Now you may or may not be completely happy right now but I want to make you a no-risk offer you cant refuse
The truth is that you likely get consumed in your day to day activities in running your business overseeing operations managing employees and handling customers Therefore there may be little imperfections your cleaning service is making that goes unnoticed by you But dont assume for one minute that your customers or potential customers wont notice And remember first impressions DO count
So heres our offer Have us come in the morning after your regular cleaning service cleans your office We will do a thorough inspection with you present and look for anything they may have done a less-than-satisfactory job on Then well show you why you probably over looked it for so long but why your customers will take notice and how they will think differently about you because of it
Now if everything is already 100 completely clean and presentable well thank you for your time and then be on our way But if together we find lots of little things that are carelessly being done we will cleanfix it for you for FREE
Thats right use our services as a compliment to what you are already paying for Compare the quality of work we do to what you are already paying for If you can see the difference in what we do for you compared to what you are already paying for then consider us as your new cleaning service
6 Develop your marketing message
Once you understand the true needs your potential clients have and the unique and competitive solutions you can offer only then should you develop your marketing copy -- your sales pitch
The two examples above incorporate great marketing copy with a strong benefits related offer You can then deliver this through direct mail telemarketing or a combination of both
I would only recommend distributing flyers if you are confident you can place there where they will get read by people who make the decision to hire a cleaning service So if there is an Open Bulletin board in an office building then go for it However they are rare and you probably need permission anyway
Id avoid the fax marketing altogether Its quite annoying ties up there fax line and unless people have already heard of you they are more likely to toss your message in the garbage
Try sending direct mail to the decision makers of these target companies and describe the benefits they will experience from using your services
7 Follow up
Even after identifying the businesses that are most likely to need your services after you have identified a solution and even after you contacted them with a compelling offer you still have to follow up
Chances are they loved the sound of it when they got it They had every intention of following up with you But then just got busy So your follow up call can make all the difference in the world and get your foot in the door in a very big way Then its up to you to DELIVER on your promise
8 ANALYSIS
Market Analysis
The goal of a market analysis is to determine the attractiveness of a market and to understand its evolving opportunities and threats as they relate to the strengths and weaknesses of the firm
David A Aaker outlined the following dimensions of a market analysis
Market size (current and future)
Market growth rate
Market profitability
Industry cost structure
Distribution channels
Market trends
Key success factors
Market Size
The size of the market can be evaluated based on present sales and on potential sales if the use of the product were expanded The following are some information sources for determining market size
government data
trade associations financial data from major players customer surveys
Market Growth Rate
A simple means of forecasting the market growth rate is to extrapolate historical data into the future While this method may provide a first-order estimate it does not predict important turning points A better method is to study growth drivers such as demographic information and sales growth in complementary products Such drivers serve as leading indicators that are more accurate than simply extrapolating historical data
Important inflection points in the market growth rate sometimes can be predicted by constructing a product diffusion curve The shape of the curve can be estimated by studying the characteristics of the adoption rate of a similar product in the past
Ultimately the maturity and decline stages of the product life cycle will be reached Some leading indicators of the decline phase include price pressure caused by competition a decrease in brand loyalty the emergence of substitute products market saturation and the lack of growth drivers
Market Profitability
While different firms in a market will have different levels of profitability the average profit potential for a market can be used as a guideline for knowing how difficult it is to make money in the market Michael Porter devised a useful framework for evaluating the attractiveness of an industry or market This framework known as Porters five forces identifies five factors that influence the market profitability
Buyer power
Supplier power
Barriers to entry
Threat of substitute products
Rivalry among firms in the industry
Industry Cost Structure
The cost structure is important for identifying key factors for success To this end Porters value chain model is useful for determining where value is added and for isolating the costs
The cost structure also is helpful for formulating strategies to develop a competitive advantage For example in some environments the experience curve effect can be used to develop a cost advantage over competitors
Distribution Channels
The following aspects of the distribution system are useful in a market analysis
Existing distribution channels - can be described by how direct they are to the customer
Trends and emerging channels - new channels can offer the opportunity to develop a competitive advantage
Channel power structure - for example in the case of a product having little brand equity retailers have negotiating power over manufacturers and can capture more margin
Market Trends
Changes in the market are important because they often are the source of new opportunities and threats The relevant trends are industry-dependent but some examples include changes in price sensitivity demand for variety and level of emphasis on service and support Regional trends also may be relevant
Key Success Factors
The key success factors are those elements that are necessary in order for the firm to achieve its marketing objectives A few examples of such factors include
Access to essential unique resources
Ability to achieve economies of scale
Access to distribution channels
Technological progress
It is important to consider that key success factors may change over time especially as the product progresses through its life cycle
9 CONCLUSIONS
Organizations engage in marketing research for two reasons
(1) (1) to identify (2) and (2) solve marketing problems
(3)
This distinction serves as a basis for classifying marketing research into problem identification research and problem solving research
Problem identification research is undertaken to help identify problems which are perhaps not apparent on the surface and yet exist or are likely to company image market characteristics sales analysis short-range forecasting long range forecasting and business trends research Research of this type provides information about the marketing environment and helps diagnose a problem For example The findings of problem solving research are used in making decisions which will solve specific marketing problems
The Stanford Research Institute on the other hand conducts an annual survey of consumers that is used to classify persons into homogeneous groups for segmentation purposes The National Purchase Diary panel (NPD) maintains the largest diary panel in the United States
Standardized services are research studies conducted for different client firms but in a standard way For example procedures for measuring
advertising effectiveness have been standardized so that the results can be compared across studies and evaluative norms can be established The Starch Readership Survey is the most widely used service for evaluating print advertisements another well-known service is the Gallup and Robinson Magazine Impact Studies These services are also sold on a syndicated basis
Customized services offer a wide variety of marketing research services customized to suit a clients specific needs Each marketing research project is treated uniquely
Limited-service suppliers specialize in one or a few phases of the marketing research project Services offered by such suppliers are classified as field services coding and data entry data analysis analytical services and branded products Field services collect data through mail personal or telephone interviewing and firms that specialize in interviewing are called field service organizations These organizations may range from small proprietary organizations which operate locally to large multinational organizations with WATS line interviewing facilities Some organizations maintain extensive interviewing facilities across the country for interviewing shoppers in malls
Coding and data entry services include editing completed questionnaires developing a coding scheme and transcribing the data on to diskettes or magnetic tapes for input into the computer NRC Data Systems provides such services
Analytical services include designing and pretesting questionnaires determining the best means of collecting data designing sampling plans and other aspects of the research design Some complex
marketing research projects require knowledge of sophisticated procedures including specialized experimental designs and analytical techniques such as conjoint analysis and multidimensional scaling This kind of expertise can be obtained from firms and consultants specializing in analytical services
Data analysis services are offered by firms also known as tab houses that specialize in computer analysis of quantitative data such as those obtained in large surveys Initially most data analysis firms supplied only tabulations (frequency counts) and cross tabulations (frequency counts that describe two or more variables simultaneously) With the proliferation of software many firms now have the capability to analyze their own data but data analysis firms are still in demand
Branded marketing research products and services are specialized data collection and analysis procedures developed to address specific types of marketing research problems These procedures are patented given brand names and marketed like any other branded product
Types of marketing research
Marketing research techniques come in many forms including
Ad Tracking ndash periodic or continuous in-market research to monitor a brandrsquos performance using measures such as brand awareness brand preference and product usage (Young 2005)
Advertising Research ndash used to predict copy testing or track the efficacy of advertisements for any medium measured by the adrsquos ability to get attention (measured with Attention Tracking) communicate the message build the brandrsquos image and motivate the consumer to purchase the product or service (Young 2005)
Brand equity research - how favorably do consumers view the brand
Brand association research - what do consumers associate with the brand
Brand attribute research - what are the key traits that describe the brand promise
Brand name testing - what do consumers feel about the names of the products
Commercial eye tracking research - examine advertisements package designs websites etc by analyzing visual behavior of the consumer
Concept testing - to test the acceptance of a concept by target consumers
Cool hunting - to make observations and predictions in changes of new or existing cultural trends in areas such as fashion music films television youth culture and lifestyle
Buyer decision processes research - to determine what motivates people to buy and what decision-making process they use
Copy testing ndash predicts in-market performance of an ad before it airs by analyzing audience levels of attention brand linkage motivation entertainment and communication as well as breaking down the adrsquos flow of attention and flow of emotion (Young p 213)
Customer satisfaction research - quantitative or qualitative studies that yields an understanding of a customers of satisfaction with a transaction
Demand estimation - to determine the approximate level of demand for the product
Distribution channel audits - to assess distributorsrsquo and retailersrsquo attitudes toward a product brand or company
Internet strategic intelligence - searching for customer opinions in the Internet chats forums web pages blogs where people express freely about their experiences with products becoming strong opinion formers
Marketing effectiveness and analytics - Building models and measuring results to determine the effectiveness of individual marketing activities
Mystery Consumer or Mystery shopping - An employee or representative of the market research firm anonymously contacts a salesperson and indicates he or she is shopping for a product The shopper then records the entire experience This method is often used for quality control or for researching competitors products
Positioning research - how does the target market see the brand relative to competitors - what does the brand stand for
Price elasticity testing - to determine how sensitive customers are to price changes
Sales forecasting - to determine the expected level of sales given the level of demand With respect to other factors like Advertising expenditure sales promotion etc
Segmentation research - to determine the demographic psychographic and behavioural characteristics of potential buyers
Online panel - a group of individual who accepted to respond to marketing research online
Store audit - to measure the sales of a product or product line at a statistically selected store sample in order to determine market share or to determine whether a retail store provides adequate service
Test marketing - a small-scale product launch used to determine the likely acceptance of the product when it is introduced into a wider market
Viral Marketing Research - refers to marketing research designed to estimate the probability that specific communications will be transmitted throughout an individuals Social Network Estimates of Social Networking Potential (SNP) are combined with estimates of selling effectiveness to estimate ROI on specific combinations of messages and media
All of these forms of marketing research can be classified as either problem-identification research or as problem-solving research
There are two main sources of data - primary and secondary Primary research is conducted from scratch It is original and collected to solve the problem in hand Secondary research already exists since it has been collected for other purposes It is conducted on data published previously and usually by someone else Secondary research costs far less than primary research but seldom comes in a form that exactly meets the needs of the researcher
A similar distinction exists between exploratory research and conclusive research Exploratory research provides insights into and comprehension of an issue or situation It should draw definitive conclusions only with extreme caution Conclusive research draws conclusions the results of the study can be generalized to the whole population
Exploratory research is conducted to explore a problem to get some basic idea about the solution at the preliminary stages of research It may serve as the input to conclusive research Exploratory research information is collected by focus group interviews reviewing literature or books discussing with experts etc This is unstructured and qualitative in nature If a secondary source of data is unable to serve the purpose a convenience sample of small size can be collected Conclusive research is conducted to draw some conclusion about the problem It is essentially structured and quantitative research and the
output of this research is the input to MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS (MIS)
Marketing research methods
Methodologically marketing research uses the following types of research designs
Based on questioning
Qualitative marketing research - generally used for exploratory purposes - small number of respondents - not generalizable to the whole population - statistical significance and confidence not calculated - examples include focus groups in-depth interviews and projective techniques
Quantitative marketing research - generally used to draw conclusions - tests a specific hypothesis - uses random sampling techniques so as to infer from the sample to the population - involves a large number of respondents - examples include surveys and questionnaires Techniques include choice modelling maximum difference preference scaling and covariance analysis
Based on observations
Ethnographic studies - by nature qualitative the researcher observes social phenomena in their natural setting - observations can
occur cross-sectionally (observations made at one time) or longitudinally (observations occur over several time-periods) ndash
examples include product-use analysis and computer cookie traces See also Ethnography and Observational techniques
Experimental techniques - by nature quantitative the researcher creates a quasi-artificial environment to try to control spurious factors
then manipulates at least one of the variables - examples include purchase laboratories and test markets
Questionnaires 1 What are the objectives of the marketing strategy Are they clearly stated Are they consistent with the objectives of the firm Is the entire marketing mix structured to meet these objectives
2 What marketing concepts are at issue in the current strategy Is the marketing strategy well planned and laid out Is the strategy consistent with sound marketing principles If the strategy takes exception to marketing principles is there a good reason for it
3 To what target market is the strategy directed Is it well defined Is the market large enough to be profitably served Does the market have long-run potential
4 What competitive advantage does the marketing strategy offer If none what can be done to gain a competitive advantage in the marketplace
5 What products are being sold What is the width depth and consistency of the firms product lines Does the firm need new products to fill out its product line Should any product be deleted What is the profitability of the various products
6 What promotion mix is being used Is promotion consistent with the products and product images What could be done to improve the promotion mix
7 What channels of distribution are being used Do they deliver the product at the right time and right place to meet consumer needs Are the channels typical of those used in the industry Could channels be made more efficient
8 What pricing strategies are being used How do prices compare with similar products of other firms How are prices determined
9 Are marketing research and information systematically integrated into the marketing strategy Is the overall marketing strategy internally consistent
2 Determine their wants and needs
It may be obvious to you but ask yourself Why would someone want a clean office
These businesses never have walk-in traffic They do not have customers visit them So naturally there is far less of a concern for a clean office Sure it would be nice to have but since no revenue will be lost if their office is not spectacular looking they are not motivated to do anything about it
However seek out the businesses that do deal with customers directly especially professional services where they have very high end clients visit them Now they NEED a very presentable office or they risk losing out on a lot of revenue
3 Determine the level and type of demand
If you have ever read any of my previous work you will know that I am a very strong advocate of knowing whether the type of demand is Primary Demand or Selective Demand It is one of the most overlooked aspects of marketing being ignored today
Primary Demand If a business does not already use your TYPE of service and is not currently considering doing so you will need to create primary demand Simply put you will have to convince them first to even want your type of service (or product) before you even get them to buy it from you
So for your cleaning business example if you are approaching businesses that currently do not use a cleaning service you will have to explain the time saving and productivity enhancing benefits of using one Then explain why YOU are the one they need
Selective Demand These businesses already use a service (or product) or are in the market for it and are actively looking In these cases you do not need to spend much effort convincing them why they need it
In this case you must state your argument why your cleaning service should be the one they choose
This is what you will encounter when you call on or contact businesses already using a cleaning service They will either be satisfied or unsatisfied with their current service provider Your emphasis will have to be on conquest sales -- meaning stealing customers from your competition
Now in your line of business and in many others slashing prices always seems to be the first technique used to steal customers This may work well for selling products But if you are marketing services let me tell you thisthink twice before doing that
Yes I am fully aware of the fact that there will be businesses that will be open to talking to you if you offer them a better deal In some cases they may feel they are legitimately getting ripped off or paying way
too much right now And they just might be right In those cases if you can give them a fair price that is a better deal for them AND still gives you healthy profit margins then go for it
However if you are slashing prices just to gain clients arent you really just hurting yourself in the long run First of all you can easily get into the game of How low will they go Secondly it de-values your perception of quality if you are cheap Thirdly whos to say after all this effort you wont lose the business in a month or two when someone else quotes them an even lower price
What will you do next price so low that you lose money with every client I didnt think so
Heres what you could do though
4 Develop a Hypothesis and a Solution to Match
After you know your target market have defined their needs and analyzed the competitive picture (currently using or not currently using a service like mine) go ahead and develop a clearly thought out hypothesis
For example start with business NOT currently using a cleaning service but that deal with customers or clients regularly at their location
Develop a strong case for WHY they would be wise to invest in your
cleaning services Show them on a break-even analysis that your fee will be well compensated in either customer retention or converting a higher level of store traffic or business appointments into paying customersclients
Then state your case why it is more cost effective and saves them valuable time to outsource this to you rather than doing it themselves or paying an employee overtime to do it You can also emphasize that you are the expert at this not someones secretary so it is expected that you will do a far better job at it
For businesses that ARE already using a cleaning service or are currently shopping for one state why you are unique and better
Determine the really compelling reasons why these businesses want a cleaning service to begin with
Maybe it is a retail store that wants to create a better first impression for their customers This will ultimately lead to a better customer experience and ultimately more in-store purchases
A good example may be that unlike most competitors you also clean windows Well as a marketing consultant to retail businesses I can tell you that many passerbys will first look in a store window before deciding to walk in or not
Now for successful marketing all retail businesses would perform better if they had more in-store traffic So therefore if your cleaning service also cleans windows you could rightfully justify that your services are more valuable to their retail business You actually HELP
them get more customers and sell more products
Maybe it is a professional service business that needs to impress prospective clients to choose their services over a similar competitor
Your cleaning service may dust chairs and polish wooden conference tables Many other cleaning services may not do this or do a poor job in doing so
Now as marketing consultants to service businesses I can also tell you that if a consultant attorney accountant or any other business professional needs to meet with prospective clients in their office they will appreciate a better appearance So if your cleaning services can provide this better than anyone else (or at least if you tell them about this first) you will get the business or at least be highly considered for it
Whatever the case may be establish what makes you different and have you are best suited to meet their needs
Do you see where I am going with this Your initial marketing questions asked how you can get more business by passing out flyers or sending faxes to small offices Truthfully that is simply not going to work You are not looking at the overall big picture of why anyone would either want to hire a cleaning service or to hire your particular cleaning service
5 You must make AN OFFER
Here are some examples
Marketing messagesales offer to a business that does NOT currently use a cleaning service
If you have never considered using a cleaning service before allow us to show you how XYZ Cleaning Inc can make your storeoffice more presentable to customers and how this newly improved appearance will affect your cash registerbank statement
If you are weary of trying new things dont worry Use us FREE for one month and if you are not completely satisfied with the results if you are not completely confident that it makes a difference to your customers if you are not completely aware of how it raises the morale of your employees then you do not have to using us again
But if YOU DO see a great improvement well make you a great deal on our services simply because we want your long term business Marketing messagesales offer to businesses that DO currently use a cleaning service
I understand that you currently use ABC Cleaners LLC Now you may or may not be completely happy right now but I want to make you a no-risk offer you cant refuse
The truth is that you likely get consumed in your day to day activities in running your business overseeing operations managing employees and handling customers Therefore there may be little imperfections your cleaning service is making that goes unnoticed by you But dont assume for one minute that your customers or potential customers wont notice And remember first impressions DO count
So heres our offer Have us come in the morning after your regular cleaning service cleans your office We will do a thorough inspection with you present and look for anything they may have done a less-than-satisfactory job on Then well show you why you probably over looked it for so long but why your customers will take notice and how they will think differently about you because of it
Now if everything is already 100 completely clean and presentable well thank you for your time and then be on our way But if together we find lots of little things that are carelessly being done we will cleanfix it for you for FREE
Thats right use our services as a compliment to what you are already paying for Compare the quality of work we do to what you are already paying for If you can see the difference in what we do for you compared to what you are already paying for then consider us as your new cleaning service
6 Develop your marketing message
Once you understand the true needs your potential clients have and the unique and competitive solutions you can offer only then should you develop your marketing copy -- your sales pitch
The two examples above incorporate great marketing copy with a strong benefits related offer You can then deliver this through direct mail telemarketing or a combination of both
I would only recommend distributing flyers if you are confident you can place there where they will get read by people who make the decision to hire a cleaning service So if there is an Open Bulletin board in an office building then go for it However they are rare and you probably need permission anyway
Id avoid the fax marketing altogether Its quite annoying ties up there fax line and unless people have already heard of you they are more likely to toss your message in the garbage
Try sending direct mail to the decision makers of these target companies and describe the benefits they will experience from using your services
7 Follow up
Even after identifying the businesses that are most likely to need your services after you have identified a solution and even after you contacted them with a compelling offer you still have to follow up
Chances are they loved the sound of it when they got it They had every intention of following up with you But then just got busy So your follow up call can make all the difference in the world and get your foot in the door in a very big way Then its up to you to DELIVER on your promise
8 ANALYSIS
Market Analysis
The goal of a market analysis is to determine the attractiveness of a market and to understand its evolving opportunities and threats as they relate to the strengths and weaknesses of the firm
David A Aaker outlined the following dimensions of a market analysis
Market size (current and future)
Market growth rate
Market profitability
Industry cost structure
Distribution channels
Market trends
Key success factors
Market Size
The size of the market can be evaluated based on present sales and on potential sales if the use of the product were expanded The following are some information sources for determining market size
government data
trade associations financial data from major players customer surveys
Market Growth Rate
A simple means of forecasting the market growth rate is to extrapolate historical data into the future While this method may provide a first-order estimate it does not predict important turning points A better method is to study growth drivers such as demographic information and sales growth in complementary products Such drivers serve as leading indicators that are more accurate than simply extrapolating historical data
Important inflection points in the market growth rate sometimes can be predicted by constructing a product diffusion curve The shape of the curve can be estimated by studying the characteristics of the adoption rate of a similar product in the past
Ultimately the maturity and decline stages of the product life cycle will be reached Some leading indicators of the decline phase include price pressure caused by competition a decrease in brand loyalty the emergence of substitute products market saturation and the lack of growth drivers
Market Profitability
While different firms in a market will have different levels of profitability the average profit potential for a market can be used as a guideline for knowing how difficult it is to make money in the market Michael Porter devised a useful framework for evaluating the attractiveness of an industry or market This framework known as Porters five forces identifies five factors that influence the market profitability
Buyer power
Supplier power
Barriers to entry
Threat of substitute products
Rivalry among firms in the industry
Industry Cost Structure
The cost structure is important for identifying key factors for success To this end Porters value chain model is useful for determining where value is added and for isolating the costs
The cost structure also is helpful for formulating strategies to develop a competitive advantage For example in some environments the experience curve effect can be used to develop a cost advantage over competitors
Distribution Channels
The following aspects of the distribution system are useful in a market analysis
Existing distribution channels - can be described by how direct they are to the customer
Trends and emerging channels - new channels can offer the opportunity to develop a competitive advantage
Channel power structure - for example in the case of a product having little brand equity retailers have negotiating power over manufacturers and can capture more margin
Market Trends
Changes in the market are important because they often are the source of new opportunities and threats The relevant trends are industry-dependent but some examples include changes in price sensitivity demand for variety and level of emphasis on service and support Regional trends also may be relevant
Key Success Factors
The key success factors are those elements that are necessary in order for the firm to achieve its marketing objectives A few examples of such factors include
Access to essential unique resources
Ability to achieve economies of scale
Access to distribution channels
Technological progress
It is important to consider that key success factors may change over time especially as the product progresses through its life cycle
9 CONCLUSIONS
Organizations engage in marketing research for two reasons
(1) (1) to identify (2) and (2) solve marketing problems
(3)
This distinction serves as a basis for classifying marketing research into problem identification research and problem solving research
Problem identification research is undertaken to help identify problems which are perhaps not apparent on the surface and yet exist or are likely to company image market characteristics sales analysis short-range forecasting long range forecasting and business trends research Research of this type provides information about the marketing environment and helps diagnose a problem For example The findings of problem solving research are used in making decisions which will solve specific marketing problems
The Stanford Research Institute on the other hand conducts an annual survey of consumers that is used to classify persons into homogeneous groups for segmentation purposes The National Purchase Diary panel (NPD) maintains the largest diary panel in the United States
Standardized services are research studies conducted for different client firms but in a standard way For example procedures for measuring
advertising effectiveness have been standardized so that the results can be compared across studies and evaluative norms can be established The Starch Readership Survey is the most widely used service for evaluating print advertisements another well-known service is the Gallup and Robinson Magazine Impact Studies These services are also sold on a syndicated basis
Customized services offer a wide variety of marketing research services customized to suit a clients specific needs Each marketing research project is treated uniquely
Limited-service suppliers specialize in one or a few phases of the marketing research project Services offered by such suppliers are classified as field services coding and data entry data analysis analytical services and branded products Field services collect data through mail personal or telephone interviewing and firms that specialize in interviewing are called field service organizations These organizations may range from small proprietary organizations which operate locally to large multinational organizations with WATS line interviewing facilities Some organizations maintain extensive interviewing facilities across the country for interviewing shoppers in malls
Coding and data entry services include editing completed questionnaires developing a coding scheme and transcribing the data on to diskettes or magnetic tapes for input into the computer NRC Data Systems provides such services
Analytical services include designing and pretesting questionnaires determining the best means of collecting data designing sampling plans and other aspects of the research design Some complex
marketing research projects require knowledge of sophisticated procedures including specialized experimental designs and analytical techniques such as conjoint analysis and multidimensional scaling This kind of expertise can be obtained from firms and consultants specializing in analytical services
Data analysis services are offered by firms also known as tab houses that specialize in computer analysis of quantitative data such as those obtained in large surveys Initially most data analysis firms supplied only tabulations (frequency counts) and cross tabulations (frequency counts that describe two or more variables simultaneously) With the proliferation of software many firms now have the capability to analyze their own data but data analysis firms are still in demand
Branded marketing research products and services are specialized data collection and analysis procedures developed to address specific types of marketing research problems These procedures are patented given brand names and marketed like any other branded product
Types of marketing research
Marketing research techniques come in many forms including
Ad Tracking ndash periodic or continuous in-market research to monitor a brandrsquos performance using measures such as brand awareness brand preference and product usage (Young 2005)
Advertising Research ndash used to predict copy testing or track the efficacy of advertisements for any medium measured by the adrsquos ability to get attention (measured with Attention Tracking) communicate the message build the brandrsquos image and motivate the consumer to purchase the product or service (Young 2005)
Brand equity research - how favorably do consumers view the brand
Brand association research - what do consumers associate with the brand
Brand attribute research - what are the key traits that describe the brand promise
Brand name testing - what do consumers feel about the names of the products
Commercial eye tracking research - examine advertisements package designs websites etc by analyzing visual behavior of the consumer
Concept testing - to test the acceptance of a concept by target consumers
Cool hunting - to make observations and predictions in changes of new or existing cultural trends in areas such as fashion music films television youth culture and lifestyle
Buyer decision processes research - to determine what motivates people to buy and what decision-making process they use
Copy testing ndash predicts in-market performance of an ad before it airs by analyzing audience levels of attention brand linkage motivation entertainment and communication as well as breaking down the adrsquos flow of attention and flow of emotion (Young p 213)
Customer satisfaction research - quantitative or qualitative studies that yields an understanding of a customers of satisfaction with a transaction
Demand estimation - to determine the approximate level of demand for the product
Distribution channel audits - to assess distributorsrsquo and retailersrsquo attitudes toward a product brand or company
Internet strategic intelligence - searching for customer opinions in the Internet chats forums web pages blogs where people express freely about their experiences with products becoming strong opinion formers
Marketing effectiveness and analytics - Building models and measuring results to determine the effectiveness of individual marketing activities
Mystery Consumer or Mystery shopping - An employee or representative of the market research firm anonymously contacts a salesperson and indicates he or she is shopping for a product The shopper then records the entire experience This method is often used for quality control or for researching competitors products
Positioning research - how does the target market see the brand relative to competitors - what does the brand stand for
Price elasticity testing - to determine how sensitive customers are to price changes
Sales forecasting - to determine the expected level of sales given the level of demand With respect to other factors like Advertising expenditure sales promotion etc
Segmentation research - to determine the demographic psychographic and behavioural characteristics of potential buyers
Online panel - a group of individual who accepted to respond to marketing research online
Store audit - to measure the sales of a product or product line at a statistically selected store sample in order to determine market share or to determine whether a retail store provides adequate service
Test marketing - a small-scale product launch used to determine the likely acceptance of the product when it is introduced into a wider market
Viral Marketing Research - refers to marketing research designed to estimate the probability that specific communications will be transmitted throughout an individuals Social Network Estimates of Social Networking Potential (SNP) are combined with estimates of selling effectiveness to estimate ROI on specific combinations of messages and media
All of these forms of marketing research can be classified as either problem-identification research or as problem-solving research
There are two main sources of data - primary and secondary Primary research is conducted from scratch It is original and collected to solve the problem in hand Secondary research already exists since it has been collected for other purposes It is conducted on data published previously and usually by someone else Secondary research costs far less than primary research but seldom comes in a form that exactly meets the needs of the researcher
A similar distinction exists between exploratory research and conclusive research Exploratory research provides insights into and comprehension of an issue or situation It should draw definitive conclusions only with extreme caution Conclusive research draws conclusions the results of the study can be generalized to the whole population
Exploratory research is conducted to explore a problem to get some basic idea about the solution at the preliminary stages of research It may serve as the input to conclusive research Exploratory research information is collected by focus group interviews reviewing literature or books discussing with experts etc This is unstructured and qualitative in nature If a secondary source of data is unable to serve the purpose a convenience sample of small size can be collected Conclusive research is conducted to draw some conclusion about the problem It is essentially structured and quantitative research and the
output of this research is the input to MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS (MIS)
Marketing research methods
Methodologically marketing research uses the following types of research designs
Based on questioning
Qualitative marketing research - generally used for exploratory purposes - small number of respondents - not generalizable to the whole population - statistical significance and confidence not calculated - examples include focus groups in-depth interviews and projective techniques
Quantitative marketing research - generally used to draw conclusions - tests a specific hypothesis - uses random sampling techniques so as to infer from the sample to the population - involves a large number of respondents - examples include surveys and questionnaires Techniques include choice modelling maximum difference preference scaling and covariance analysis
Based on observations
Ethnographic studies - by nature qualitative the researcher observes social phenomena in their natural setting - observations can
occur cross-sectionally (observations made at one time) or longitudinally (observations occur over several time-periods) ndash
examples include product-use analysis and computer cookie traces See also Ethnography and Observational techniques
Experimental techniques - by nature quantitative the researcher creates a quasi-artificial environment to try to control spurious factors
then manipulates at least one of the variables - examples include purchase laboratories and test markets
Questionnaires 1 What are the objectives of the marketing strategy Are they clearly stated Are they consistent with the objectives of the firm Is the entire marketing mix structured to meet these objectives
2 What marketing concepts are at issue in the current strategy Is the marketing strategy well planned and laid out Is the strategy consistent with sound marketing principles If the strategy takes exception to marketing principles is there a good reason for it
3 To what target market is the strategy directed Is it well defined Is the market large enough to be profitably served Does the market have long-run potential
4 What competitive advantage does the marketing strategy offer If none what can be done to gain a competitive advantage in the marketplace
5 What products are being sold What is the width depth and consistency of the firms product lines Does the firm need new products to fill out its product line Should any product be deleted What is the profitability of the various products
6 What promotion mix is being used Is promotion consistent with the products and product images What could be done to improve the promotion mix
7 What channels of distribution are being used Do they deliver the product at the right time and right place to meet consumer needs Are the channels typical of those used in the industry Could channels be made more efficient
8 What pricing strategies are being used How do prices compare with similar products of other firms How are prices determined
9 Are marketing research and information systematically integrated into the marketing strategy Is the overall marketing strategy internally consistent
So for your cleaning business example if you are approaching businesses that currently do not use a cleaning service you will have to explain the time saving and productivity enhancing benefits of using one Then explain why YOU are the one they need
Selective Demand These businesses already use a service (or product) or are in the market for it and are actively looking In these cases you do not need to spend much effort convincing them why they need it
In this case you must state your argument why your cleaning service should be the one they choose
This is what you will encounter when you call on or contact businesses already using a cleaning service They will either be satisfied or unsatisfied with their current service provider Your emphasis will have to be on conquest sales -- meaning stealing customers from your competition
Now in your line of business and in many others slashing prices always seems to be the first technique used to steal customers This may work well for selling products But if you are marketing services let me tell you thisthink twice before doing that
Yes I am fully aware of the fact that there will be businesses that will be open to talking to you if you offer them a better deal In some cases they may feel they are legitimately getting ripped off or paying way
too much right now And they just might be right In those cases if you can give them a fair price that is a better deal for them AND still gives you healthy profit margins then go for it
However if you are slashing prices just to gain clients arent you really just hurting yourself in the long run First of all you can easily get into the game of How low will they go Secondly it de-values your perception of quality if you are cheap Thirdly whos to say after all this effort you wont lose the business in a month or two when someone else quotes them an even lower price
What will you do next price so low that you lose money with every client I didnt think so
Heres what you could do though
4 Develop a Hypothesis and a Solution to Match
After you know your target market have defined their needs and analyzed the competitive picture (currently using or not currently using a service like mine) go ahead and develop a clearly thought out hypothesis
For example start with business NOT currently using a cleaning service but that deal with customers or clients regularly at their location
Develop a strong case for WHY they would be wise to invest in your
cleaning services Show them on a break-even analysis that your fee will be well compensated in either customer retention or converting a higher level of store traffic or business appointments into paying customersclients
Then state your case why it is more cost effective and saves them valuable time to outsource this to you rather than doing it themselves or paying an employee overtime to do it You can also emphasize that you are the expert at this not someones secretary so it is expected that you will do a far better job at it
For businesses that ARE already using a cleaning service or are currently shopping for one state why you are unique and better
Determine the really compelling reasons why these businesses want a cleaning service to begin with
Maybe it is a retail store that wants to create a better first impression for their customers This will ultimately lead to a better customer experience and ultimately more in-store purchases
A good example may be that unlike most competitors you also clean windows Well as a marketing consultant to retail businesses I can tell you that many passerbys will first look in a store window before deciding to walk in or not
Now for successful marketing all retail businesses would perform better if they had more in-store traffic So therefore if your cleaning service also cleans windows you could rightfully justify that your services are more valuable to their retail business You actually HELP
them get more customers and sell more products
Maybe it is a professional service business that needs to impress prospective clients to choose their services over a similar competitor
Your cleaning service may dust chairs and polish wooden conference tables Many other cleaning services may not do this or do a poor job in doing so
Now as marketing consultants to service businesses I can also tell you that if a consultant attorney accountant or any other business professional needs to meet with prospective clients in their office they will appreciate a better appearance So if your cleaning services can provide this better than anyone else (or at least if you tell them about this first) you will get the business or at least be highly considered for it
Whatever the case may be establish what makes you different and have you are best suited to meet their needs
Do you see where I am going with this Your initial marketing questions asked how you can get more business by passing out flyers or sending faxes to small offices Truthfully that is simply not going to work You are not looking at the overall big picture of why anyone would either want to hire a cleaning service or to hire your particular cleaning service
5 You must make AN OFFER
Here are some examples
Marketing messagesales offer to a business that does NOT currently use a cleaning service
If you have never considered using a cleaning service before allow us to show you how XYZ Cleaning Inc can make your storeoffice more presentable to customers and how this newly improved appearance will affect your cash registerbank statement
If you are weary of trying new things dont worry Use us FREE for one month and if you are not completely satisfied with the results if you are not completely confident that it makes a difference to your customers if you are not completely aware of how it raises the morale of your employees then you do not have to using us again
But if YOU DO see a great improvement well make you a great deal on our services simply because we want your long term business Marketing messagesales offer to businesses that DO currently use a cleaning service
I understand that you currently use ABC Cleaners LLC Now you may or may not be completely happy right now but I want to make you a no-risk offer you cant refuse
The truth is that you likely get consumed in your day to day activities in running your business overseeing operations managing employees and handling customers Therefore there may be little imperfections your cleaning service is making that goes unnoticed by you But dont assume for one minute that your customers or potential customers wont notice And remember first impressions DO count
So heres our offer Have us come in the morning after your regular cleaning service cleans your office We will do a thorough inspection with you present and look for anything they may have done a less-than-satisfactory job on Then well show you why you probably over looked it for so long but why your customers will take notice and how they will think differently about you because of it
Now if everything is already 100 completely clean and presentable well thank you for your time and then be on our way But if together we find lots of little things that are carelessly being done we will cleanfix it for you for FREE
Thats right use our services as a compliment to what you are already paying for Compare the quality of work we do to what you are already paying for If you can see the difference in what we do for you compared to what you are already paying for then consider us as your new cleaning service
6 Develop your marketing message
Once you understand the true needs your potential clients have and the unique and competitive solutions you can offer only then should you develop your marketing copy -- your sales pitch
The two examples above incorporate great marketing copy with a strong benefits related offer You can then deliver this through direct mail telemarketing or a combination of both
I would only recommend distributing flyers if you are confident you can place there where they will get read by people who make the decision to hire a cleaning service So if there is an Open Bulletin board in an office building then go for it However they are rare and you probably need permission anyway
Id avoid the fax marketing altogether Its quite annoying ties up there fax line and unless people have already heard of you they are more likely to toss your message in the garbage
Try sending direct mail to the decision makers of these target companies and describe the benefits they will experience from using your services
7 Follow up
Even after identifying the businesses that are most likely to need your services after you have identified a solution and even after you contacted them with a compelling offer you still have to follow up
Chances are they loved the sound of it when they got it They had every intention of following up with you But then just got busy So your follow up call can make all the difference in the world and get your foot in the door in a very big way Then its up to you to DELIVER on your promise
8 ANALYSIS
Market Analysis
The goal of a market analysis is to determine the attractiveness of a market and to understand its evolving opportunities and threats as they relate to the strengths and weaknesses of the firm
David A Aaker outlined the following dimensions of a market analysis
Market size (current and future)
Market growth rate
Market profitability
Industry cost structure
Distribution channels
Market trends
Key success factors
Market Size
The size of the market can be evaluated based on present sales and on potential sales if the use of the product were expanded The following are some information sources for determining market size
government data
trade associations financial data from major players customer surveys
Market Growth Rate
A simple means of forecasting the market growth rate is to extrapolate historical data into the future While this method may provide a first-order estimate it does not predict important turning points A better method is to study growth drivers such as demographic information and sales growth in complementary products Such drivers serve as leading indicators that are more accurate than simply extrapolating historical data
Important inflection points in the market growth rate sometimes can be predicted by constructing a product diffusion curve The shape of the curve can be estimated by studying the characteristics of the adoption rate of a similar product in the past
Ultimately the maturity and decline stages of the product life cycle will be reached Some leading indicators of the decline phase include price pressure caused by competition a decrease in brand loyalty the emergence of substitute products market saturation and the lack of growth drivers
Market Profitability
While different firms in a market will have different levels of profitability the average profit potential for a market can be used as a guideline for knowing how difficult it is to make money in the market Michael Porter devised a useful framework for evaluating the attractiveness of an industry or market This framework known as Porters five forces identifies five factors that influence the market profitability
Buyer power
Supplier power
Barriers to entry
Threat of substitute products
Rivalry among firms in the industry
Industry Cost Structure
The cost structure is important for identifying key factors for success To this end Porters value chain model is useful for determining where value is added and for isolating the costs
The cost structure also is helpful for formulating strategies to develop a competitive advantage For example in some environments the experience curve effect can be used to develop a cost advantage over competitors
Distribution Channels
The following aspects of the distribution system are useful in a market analysis
Existing distribution channels - can be described by how direct they are to the customer
Trends and emerging channels - new channels can offer the opportunity to develop a competitive advantage
Channel power structure - for example in the case of a product having little brand equity retailers have negotiating power over manufacturers and can capture more margin
Market Trends
Changes in the market are important because they often are the source of new opportunities and threats The relevant trends are industry-dependent but some examples include changes in price sensitivity demand for variety and level of emphasis on service and support Regional trends also may be relevant
Key Success Factors
The key success factors are those elements that are necessary in order for the firm to achieve its marketing objectives A few examples of such factors include
Access to essential unique resources
Ability to achieve economies of scale
Access to distribution channels
Technological progress
It is important to consider that key success factors may change over time especially as the product progresses through its life cycle
9 CONCLUSIONS
Organizations engage in marketing research for two reasons
(1) (1) to identify (2) and (2) solve marketing problems
(3)
This distinction serves as a basis for classifying marketing research into problem identification research and problem solving research
Problem identification research is undertaken to help identify problems which are perhaps not apparent on the surface and yet exist or are likely to company image market characteristics sales analysis short-range forecasting long range forecasting and business trends research Research of this type provides information about the marketing environment and helps diagnose a problem For example The findings of problem solving research are used in making decisions which will solve specific marketing problems
The Stanford Research Institute on the other hand conducts an annual survey of consumers that is used to classify persons into homogeneous groups for segmentation purposes The National Purchase Diary panel (NPD) maintains the largest diary panel in the United States
Standardized services are research studies conducted for different client firms but in a standard way For example procedures for measuring
advertising effectiveness have been standardized so that the results can be compared across studies and evaluative norms can be established The Starch Readership Survey is the most widely used service for evaluating print advertisements another well-known service is the Gallup and Robinson Magazine Impact Studies These services are also sold on a syndicated basis
Customized services offer a wide variety of marketing research services customized to suit a clients specific needs Each marketing research project is treated uniquely
Limited-service suppliers specialize in one or a few phases of the marketing research project Services offered by such suppliers are classified as field services coding and data entry data analysis analytical services and branded products Field services collect data through mail personal or telephone interviewing and firms that specialize in interviewing are called field service organizations These organizations may range from small proprietary organizations which operate locally to large multinational organizations with WATS line interviewing facilities Some organizations maintain extensive interviewing facilities across the country for interviewing shoppers in malls
Coding and data entry services include editing completed questionnaires developing a coding scheme and transcribing the data on to diskettes or magnetic tapes for input into the computer NRC Data Systems provides such services
Analytical services include designing and pretesting questionnaires determining the best means of collecting data designing sampling plans and other aspects of the research design Some complex
marketing research projects require knowledge of sophisticated procedures including specialized experimental designs and analytical techniques such as conjoint analysis and multidimensional scaling This kind of expertise can be obtained from firms and consultants specializing in analytical services
Data analysis services are offered by firms also known as tab houses that specialize in computer analysis of quantitative data such as those obtained in large surveys Initially most data analysis firms supplied only tabulations (frequency counts) and cross tabulations (frequency counts that describe two or more variables simultaneously) With the proliferation of software many firms now have the capability to analyze their own data but data analysis firms are still in demand
Branded marketing research products and services are specialized data collection and analysis procedures developed to address specific types of marketing research problems These procedures are patented given brand names and marketed like any other branded product
Types of marketing research
Marketing research techniques come in many forms including
Ad Tracking ndash periodic or continuous in-market research to monitor a brandrsquos performance using measures such as brand awareness brand preference and product usage (Young 2005)
Advertising Research ndash used to predict copy testing or track the efficacy of advertisements for any medium measured by the adrsquos ability to get attention (measured with Attention Tracking) communicate the message build the brandrsquos image and motivate the consumer to purchase the product or service (Young 2005)
Brand equity research - how favorably do consumers view the brand
Brand association research - what do consumers associate with the brand
Brand attribute research - what are the key traits that describe the brand promise
Brand name testing - what do consumers feel about the names of the products
Commercial eye tracking research - examine advertisements package designs websites etc by analyzing visual behavior of the consumer
Concept testing - to test the acceptance of a concept by target consumers
Cool hunting - to make observations and predictions in changes of new or existing cultural trends in areas such as fashion music films television youth culture and lifestyle
Buyer decision processes research - to determine what motivates people to buy and what decision-making process they use
Copy testing ndash predicts in-market performance of an ad before it airs by analyzing audience levels of attention brand linkage motivation entertainment and communication as well as breaking down the adrsquos flow of attention and flow of emotion (Young p 213)
Customer satisfaction research - quantitative or qualitative studies that yields an understanding of a customers of satisfaction with a transaction
Demand estimation - to determine the approximate level of demand for the product
Distribution channel audits - to assess distributorsrsquo and retailersrsquo attitudes toward a product brand or company
Internet strategic intelligence - searching for customer opinions in the Internet chats forums web pages blogs where people express freely about their experiences with products becoming strong opinion formers
Marketing effectiveness and analytics - Building models and measuring results to determine the effectiveness of individual marketing activities
Mystery Consumer or Mystery shopping - An employee or representative of the market research firm anonymously contacts a salesperson and indicates he or she is shopping for a product The shopper then records the entire experience This method is often used for quality control or for researching competitors products
Positioning research - how does the target market see the brand relative to competitors - what does the brand stand for
Price elasticity testing - to determine how sensitive customers are to price changes
Sales forecasting - to determine the expected level of sales given the level of demand With respect to other factors like Advertising expenditure sales promotion etc
Segmentation research - to determine the demographic psychographic and behavioural characteristics of potential buyers
Online panel - a group of individual who accepted to respond to marketing research online
Store audit - to measure the sales of a product or product line at a statistically selected store sample in order to determine market share or to determine whether a retail store provides adequate service
Test marketing - a small-scale product launch used to determine the likely acceptance of the product when it is introduced into a wider market
Viral Marketing Research - refers to marketing research designed to estimate the probability that specific communications will be transmitted throughout an individuals Social Network Estimates of Social Networking Potential (SNP) are combined with estimates of selling effectiveness to estimate ROI on specific combinations of messages and media
All of these forms of marketing research can be classified as either problem-identification research or as problem-solving research
There are two main sources of data - primary and secondary Primary research is conducted from scratch It is original and collected to solve the problem in hand Secondary research already exists since it has been collected for other purposes It is conducted on data published previously and usually by someone else Secondary research costs far less than primary research but seldom comes in a form that exactly meets the needs of the researcher
A similar distinction exists between exploratory research and conclusive research Exploratory research provides insights into and comprehension of an issue or situation It should draw definitive conclusions only with extreme caution Conclusive research draws conclusions the results of the study can be generalized to the whole population
Exploratory research is conducted to explore a problem to get some basic idea about the solution at the preliminary stages of research It may serve as the input to conclusive research Exploratory research information is collected by focus group interviews reviewing literature or books discussing with experts etc This is unstructured and qualitative in nature If a secondary source of data is unable to serve the purpose a convenience sample of small size can be collected Conclusive research is conducted to draw some conclusion about the problem It is essentially structured and quantitative research and the
output of this research is the input to MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS (MIS)
Marketing research methods
Methodologically marketing research uses the following types of research designs
Based on questioning
Qualitative marketing research - generally used for exploratory purposes - small number of respondents - not generalizable to the whole population - statistical significance and confidence not calculated - examples include focus groups in-depth interviews and projective techniques
Quantitative marketing research - generally used to draw conclusions - tests a specific hypothesis - uses random sampling techniques so as to infer from the sample to the population - involves a large number of respondents - examples include surveys and questionnaires Techniques include choice modelling maximum difference preference scaling and covariance analysis
Based on observations
Ethnographic studies - by nature qualitative the researcher observes social phenomena in their natural setting - observations can
occur cross-sectionally (observations made at one time) or longitudinally (observations occur over several time-periods) ndash
examples include product-use analysis and computer cookie traces See also Ethnography and Observational techniques
Experimental techniques - by nature quantitative the researcher creates a quasi-artificial environment to try to control spurious factors
then manipulates at least one of the variables - examples include purchase laboratories and test markets
Questionnaires 1 What are the objectives of the marketing strategy Are they clearly stated Are they consistent with the objectives of the firm Is the entire marketing mix structured to meet these objectives
2 What marketing concepts are at issue in the current strategy Is the marketing strategy well planned and laid out Is the strategy consistent with sound marketing principles If the strategy takes exception to marketing principles is there a good reason for it
3 To what target market is the strategy directed Is it well defined Is the market large enough to be profitably served Does the market have long-run potential
4 What competitive advantage does the marketing strategy offer If none what can be done to gain a competitive advantage in the marketplace
5 What products are being sold What is the width depth and consistency of the firms product lines Does the firm need new products to fill out its product line Should any product be deleted What is the profitability of the various products
6 What promotion mix is being used Is promotion consistent with the products and product images What could be done to improve the promotion mix
7 What channels of distribution are being used Do they deliver the product at the right time and right place to meet consumer needs Are the channels typical of those used in the industry Could channels be made more efficient
8 What pricing strategies are being used How do prices compare with similar products of other firms How are prices determined
9 Are marketing research and information systematically integrated into the marketing strategy Is the overall marketing strategy internally consistent
too much right now And they just might be right In those cases if you can give them a fair price that is a better deal for them AND still gives you healthy profit margins then go for it
However if you are slashing prices just to gain clients arent you really just hurting yourself in the long run First of all you can easily get into the game of How low will they go Secondly it de-values your perception of quality if you are cheap Thirdly whos to say after all this effort you wont lose the business in a month or two when someone else quotes them an even lower price
What will you do next price so low that you lose money with every client I didnt think so
Heres what you could do though
4 Develop a Hypothesis and a Solution to Match
After you know your target market have defined their needs and analyzed the competitive picture (currently using or not currently using a service like mine) go ahead and develop a clearly thought out hypothesis
For example start with business NOT currently using a cleaning service but that deal with customers or clients regularly at their location
Develop a strong case for WHY they would be wise to invest in your
cleaning services Show them on a break-even analysis that your fee will be well compensated in either customer retention or converting a higher level of store traffic or business appointments into paying customersclients
Then state your case why it is more cost effective and saves them valuable time to outsource this to you rather than doing it themselves or paying an employee overtime to do it You can also emphasize that you are the expert at this not someones secretary so it is expected that you will do a far better job at it
For businesses that ARE already using a cleaning service or are currently shopping for one state why you are unique and better
Determine the really compelling reasons why these businesses want a cleaning service to begin with
Maybe it is a retail store that wants to create a better first impression for their customers This will ultimately lead to a better customer experience and ultimately more in-store purchases
A good example may be that unlike most competitors you also clean windows Well as a marketing consultant to retail businesses I can tell you that many passerbys will first look in a store window before deciding to walk in or not
Now for successful marketing all retail businesses would perform better if they had more in-store traffic So therefore if your cleaning service also cleans windows you could rightfully justify that your services are more valuable to their retail business You actually HELP
them get more customers and sell more products
Maybe it is a professional service business that needs to impress prospective clients to choose their services over a similar competitor
Your cleaning service may dust chairs and polish wooden conference tables Many other cleaning services may not do this or do a poor job in doing so
Now as marketing consultants to service businesses I can also tell you that if a consultant attorney accountant or any other business professional needs to meet with prospective clients in their office they will appreciate a better appearance So if your cleaning services can provide this better than anyone else (or at least if you tell them about this first) you will get the business or at least be highly considered for it
Whatever the case may be establish what makes you different and have you are best suited to meet their needs
Do you see where I am going with this Your initial marketing questions asked how you can get more business by passing out flyers or sending faxes to small offices Truthfully that is simply not going to work You are not looking at the overall big picture of why anyone would either want to hire a cleaning service or to hire your particular cleaning service
5 You must make AN OFFER
Here are some examples
Marketing messagesales offer to a business that does NOT currently use a cleaning service
If you have never considered using a cleaning service before allow us to show you how XYZ Cleaning Inc can make your storeoffice more presentable to customers and how this newly improved appearance will affect your cash registerbank statement
If you are weary of trying new things dont worry Use us FREE for one month and if you are not completely satisfied with the results if you are not completely confident that it makes a difference to your customers if you are not completely aware of how it raises the morale of your employees then you do not have to using us again
But if YOU DO see a great improvement well make you a great deal on our services simply because we want your long term business Marketing messagesales offer to businesses that DO currently use a cleaning service
I understand that you currently use ABC Cleaners LLC Now you may or may not be completely happy right now but I want to make you a no-risk offer you cant refuse
The truth is that you likely get consumed in your day to day activities in running your business overseeing operations managing employees and handling customers Therefore there may be little imperfections your cleaning service is making that goes unnoticed by you But dont assume for one minute that your customers or potential customers wont notice And remember first impressions DO count
So heres our offer Have us come in the morning after your regular cleaning service cleans your office We will do a thorough inspection with you present and look for anything they may have done a less-than-satisfactory job on Then well show you why you probably over looked it for so long but why your customers will take notice and how they will think differently about you because of it
Now if everything is already 100 completely clean and presentable well thank you for your time and then be on our way But if together we find lots of little things that are carelessly being done we will cleanfix it for you for FREE
Thats right use our services as a compliment to what you are already paying for Compare the quality of work we do to what you are already paying for If you can see the difference in what we do for you compared to what you are already paying for then consider us as your new cleaning service
6 Develop your marketing message
Once you understand the true needs your potential clients have and the unique and competitive solutions you can offer only then should you develop your marketing copy -- your sales pitch
The two examples above incorporate great marketing copy with a strong benefits related offer You can then deliver this through direct mail telemarketing or a combination of both
I would only recommend distributing flyers if you are confident you can place there where they will get read by people who make the decision to hire a cleaning service So if there is an Open Bulletin board in an office building then go for it However they are rare and you probably need permission anyway
Id avoid the fax marketing altogether Its quite annoying ties up there fax line and unless people have already heard of you they are more likely to toss your message in the garbage
Try sending direct mail to the decision makers of these target companies and describe the benefits they will experience from using your services
7 Follow up
Even after identifying the businesses that are most likely to need your services after you have identified a solution and even after you contacted them with a compelling offer you still have to follow up
Chances are they loved the sound of it when they got it They had every intention of following up with you But then just got busy So your follow up call can make all the difference in the world and get your foot in the door in a very big way Then its up to you to DELIVER on your promise
8 ANALYSIS
Market Analysis
The goal of a market analysis is to determine the attractiveness of a market and to understand its evolving opportunities and threats as they relate to the strengths and weaknesses of the firm
David A Aaker outlined the following dimensions of a market analysis
Market size (current and future)
Market growth rate
Market profitability
Industry cost structure
Distribution channels
Market trends
Key success factors
Market Size
The size of the market can be evaluated based on present sales and on potential sales if the use of the product were expanded The following are some information sources for determining market size
government data
trade associations financial data from major players customer surveys
Market Growth Rate
A simple means of forecasting the market growth rate is to extrapolate historical data into the future While this method may provide a first-order estimate it does not predict important turning points A better method is to study growth drivers such as demographic information and sales growth in complementary products Such drivers serve as leading indicators that are more accurate than simply extrapolating historical data
Important inflection points in the market growth rate sometimes can be predicted by constructing a product diffusion curve The shape of the curve can be estimated by studying the characteristics of the adoption rate of a similar product in the past
Ultimately the maturity and decline stages of the product life cycle will be reached Some leading indicators of the decline phase include price pressure caused by competition a decrease in brand loyalty the emergence of substitute products market saturation and the lack of growth drivers
Market Profitability
While different firms in a market will have different levels of profitability the average profit potential for a market can be used as a guideline for knowing how difficult it is to make money in the market Michael Porter devised a useful framework for evaluating the attractiveness of an industry or market This framework known as Porters five forces identifies five factors that influence the market profitability
Buyer power
Supplier power
Barriers to entry
Threat of substitute products
Rivalry among firms in the industry
Industry Cost Structure
The cost structure is important for identifying key factors for success To this end Porters value chain model is useful for determining where value is added and for isolating the costs
The cost structure also is helpful for formulating strategies to develop a competitive advantage For example in some environments the experience curve effect can be used to develop a cost advantage over competitors
Distribution Channels
The following aspects of the distribution system are useful in a market analysis
Existing distribution channels - can be described by how direct they are to the customer
Trends and emerging channels - new channels can offer the opportunity to develop a competitive advantage
Channel power structure - for example in the case of a product having little brand equity retailers have negotiating power over manufacturers and can capture more margin
Market Trends
Changes in the market are important because they often are the source of new opportunities and threats The relevant trends are industry-dependent but some examples include changes in price sensitivity demand for variety and level of emphasis on service and support Regional trends also may be relevant
Key Success Factors
The key success factors are those elements that are necessary in order for the firm to achieve its marketing objectives A few examples of such factors include
Access to essential unique resources
Ability to achieve economies of scale
Access to distribution channels
Technological progress
It is important to consider that key success factors may change over time especially as the product progresses through its life cycle
9 CONCLUSIONS
Organizations engage in marketing research for two reasons
(1) (1) to identify (2) and (2) solve marketing problems
(3)
This distinction serves as a basis for classifying marketing research into problem identification research and problem solving research
Problem identification research is undertaken to help identify problems which are perhaps not apparent on the surface and yet exist or are likely to company image market characteristics sales analysis short-range forecasting long range forecasting and business trends research Research of this type provides information about the marketing environment and helps diagnose a problem For example The findings of problem solving research are used in making decisions which will solve specific marketing problems
The Stanford Research Institute on the other hand conducts an annual survey of consumers that is used to classify persons into homogeneous groups for segmentation purposes The National Purchase Diary panel (NPD) maintains the largest diary panel in the United States
Standardized services are research studies conducted for different client firms but in a standard way For example procedures for measuring
advertising effectiveness have been standardized so that the results can be compared across studies and evaluative norms can be established The Starch Readership Survey is the most widely used service for evaluating print advertisements another well-known service is the Gallup and Robinson Magazine Impact Studies These services are also sold on a syndicated basis
Customized services offer a wide variety of marketing research services customized to suit a clients specific needs Each marketing research project is treated uniquely
Limited-service suppliers specialize in one or a few phases of the marketing research project Services offered by such suppliers are classified as field services coding and data entry data analysis analytical services and branded products Field services collect data through mail personal or telephone interviewing and firms that specialize in interviewing are called field service organizations These organizations may range from small proprietary organizations which operate locally to large multinational organizations with WATS line interviewing facilities Some organizations maintain extensive interviewing facilities across the country for interviewing shoppers in malls
Coding and data entry services include editing completed questionnaires developing a coding scheme and transcribing the data on to diskettes or magnetic tapes for input into the computer NRC Data Systems provides such services
Analytical services include designing and pretesting questionnaires determining the best means of collecting data designing sampling plans and other aspects of the research design Some complex
marketing research projects require knowledge of sophisticated procedures including specialized experimental designs and analytical techniques such as conjoint analysis and multidimensional scaling This kind of expertise can be obtained from firms and consultants specializing in analytical services
Data analysis services are offered by firms also known as tab houses that specialize in computer analysis of quantitative data such as those obtained in large surveys Initially most data analysis firms supplied only tabulations (frequency counts) and cross tabulations (frequency counts that describe two or more variables simultaneously) With the proliferation of software many firms now have the capability to analyze their own data but data analysis firms are still in demand
Branded marketing research products and services are specialized data collection and analysis procedures developed to address specific types of marketing research problems These procedures are patented given brand names and marketed like any other branded product
Types of marketing research
Marketing research techniques come in many forms including
Ad Tracking ndash periodic or continuous in-market research to monitor a brandrsquos performance using measures such as brand awareness brand preference and product usage (Young 2005)
Advertising Research ndash used to predict copy testing or track the efficacy of advertisements for any medium measured by the adrsquos ability to get attention (measured with Attention Tracking) communicate the message build the brandrsquos image and motivate the consumer to purchase the product or service (Young 2005)
Brand equity research - how favorably do consumers view the brand
Brand association research - what do consumers associate with the brand
Brand attribute research - what are the key traits that describe the brand promise
Brand name testing - what do consumers feel about the names of the products
Commercial eye tracking research - examine advertisements package designs websites etc by analyzing visual behavior of the consumer
Concept testing - to test the acceptance of a concept by target consumers
Cool hunting - to make observations and predictions in changes of new or existing cultural trends in areas such as fashion music films television youth culture and lifestyle
Buyer decision processes research - to determine what motivates people to buy and what decision-making process they use
Copy testing ndash predicts in-market performance of an ad before it airs by analyzing audience levels of attention brand linkage motivation entertainment and communication as well as breaking down the adrsquos flow of attention and flow of emotion (Young p 213)
Customer satisfaction research - quantitative or qualitative studies that yields an understanding of a customers of satisfaction with a transaction
Demand estimation - to determine the approximate level of demand for the product
Distribution channel audits - to assess distributorsrsquo and retailersrsquo attitudes toward a product brand or company
Internet strategic intelligence - searching for customer opinions in the Internet chats forums web pages blogs where people express freely about their experiences with products becoming strong opinion formers
Marketing effectiveness and analytics - Building models and measuring results to determine the effectiveness of individual marketing activities
Mystery Consumer or Mystery shopping - An employee or representative of the market research firm anonymously contacts a salesperson and indicates he or she is shopping for a product The shopper then records the entire experience This method is often used for quality control or for researching competitors products
Positioning research - how does the target market see the brand relative to competitors - what does the brand stand for
Price elasticity testing - to determine how sensitive customers are to price changes
Sales forecasting - to determine the expected level of sales given the level of demand With respect to other factors like Advertising expenditure sales promotion etc
Segmentation research - to determine the demographic psychographic and behavioural characteristics of potential buyers
Online panel - a group of individual who accepted to respond to marketing research online
Store audit - to measure the sales of a product or product line at a statistically selected store sample in order to determine market share or to determine whether a retail store provides adequate service
Test marketing - a small-scale product launch used to determine the likely acceptance of the product when it is introduced into a wider market
Viral Marketing Research - refers to marketing research designed to estimate the probability that specific communications will be transmitted throughout an individuals Social Network Estimates of Social Networking Potential (SNP) are combined with estimates of selling effectiveness to estimate ROI on specific combinations of messages and media
All of these forms of marketing research can be classified as either problem-identification research or as problem-solving research
There are two main sources of data - primary and secondary Primary research is conducted from scratch It is original and collected to solve the problem in hand Secondary research already exists since it has been collected for other purposes It is conducted on data published previously and usually by someone else Secondary research costs far less than primary research but seldom comes in a form that exactly meets the needs of the researcher
A similar distinction exists between exploratory research and conclusive research Exploratory research provides insights into and comprehension of an issue or situation It should draw definitive conclusions only with extreme caution Conclusive research draws conclusions the results of the study can be generalized to the whole population
Exploratory research is conducted to explore a problem to get some basic idea about the solution at the preliminary stages of research It may serve as the input to conclusive research Exploratory research information is collected by focus group interviews reviewing literature or books discussing with experts etc This is unstructured and qualitative in nature If a secondary source of data is unable to serve the purpose a convenience sample of small size can be collected Conclusive research is conducted to draw some conclusion about the problem It is essentially structured and quantitative research and the
output of this research is the input to MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS (MIS)
Marketing research methods
Methodologically marketing research uses the following types of research designs
Based on questioning
Qualitative marketing research - generally used for exploratory purposes - small number of respondents - not generalizable to the whole population - statistical significance and confidence not calculated - examples include focus groups in-depth interviews and projective techniques
Quantitative marketing research - generally used to draw conclusions - tests a specific hypothesis - uses random sampling techniques so as to infer from the sample to the population - involves a large number of respondents - examples include surveys and questionnaires Techniques include choice modelling maximum difference preference scaling and covariance analysis
Based on observations
Ethnographic studies - by nature qualitative the researcher observes social phenomena in their natural setting - observations can
occur cross-sectionally (observations made at one time) or longitudinally (observations occur over several time-periods) ndash
examples include product-use analysis and computer cookie traces See also Ethnography and Observational techniques
Experimental techniques - by nature quantitative the researcher creates a quasi-artificial environment to try to control spurious factors
then manipulates at least one of the variables - examples include purchase laboratories and test markets
Questionnaires 1 What are the objectives of the marketing strategy Are they clearly stated Are they consistent with the objectives of the firm Is the entire marketing mix structured to meet these objectives
2 What marketing concepts are at issue in the current strategy Is the marketing strategy well planned and laid out Is the strategy consistent with sound marketing principles If the strategy takes exception to marketing principles is there a good reason for it
3 To what target market is the strategy directed Is it well defined Is the market large enough to be profitably served Does the market have long-run potential
4 What competitive advantage does the marketing strategy offer If none what can be done to gain a competitive advantage in the marketplace
5 What products are being sold What is the width depth and consistency of the firms product lines Does the firm need new products to fill out its product line Should any product be deleted What is the profitability of the various products
6 What promotion mix is being used Is promotion consistent with the products and product images What could be done to improve the promotion mix
7 What channels of distribution are being used Do they deliver the product at the right time and right place to meet consumer needs Are the channels typical of those used in the industry Could channels be made more efficient
8 What pricing strategies are being used How do prices compare with similar products of other firms How are prices determined
9 Are marketing research and information systematically integrated into the marketing strategy Is the overall marketing strategy internally consistent
cleaning services Show them on a break-even analysis that your fee will be well compensated in either customer retention or converting a higher level of store traffic or business appointments into paying customersclients
Then state your case why it is more cost effective and saves them valuable time to outsource this to you rather than doing it themselves or paying an employee overtime to do it You can also emphasize that you are the expert at this not someones secretary so it is expected that you will do a far better job at it
For businesses that ARE already using a cleaning service or are currently shopping for one state why you are unique and better
Determine the really compelling reasons why these businesses want a cleaning service to begin with
Maybe it is a retail store that wants to create a better first impression for their customers This will ultimately lead to a better customer experience and ultimately more in-store purchases
A good example may be that unlike most competitors you also clean windows Well as a marketing consultant to retail businesses I can tell you that many passerbys will first look in a store window before deciding to walk in or not
Now for successful marketing all retail businesses would perform better if they had more in-store traffic So therefore if your cleaning service also cleans windows you could rightfully justify that your services are more valuable to their retail business You actually HELP
them get more customers and sell more products
Maybe it is a professional service business that needs to impress prospective clients to choose their services over a similar competitor
Your cleaning service may dust chairs and polish wooden conference tables Many other cleaning services may not do this or do a poor job in doing so
Now as marketing consultants to service businesses I can also tell you that if a consultant attorney accountant or any other business professional needs to meet with prospective clients in their office they will appreciate a better appearance So if your cleaning services can provide this better than anyone else (or at least if you tell them about this first) you will get the business or at least be highly considered for it
Whatever the case may be establish what makes you different and have you are best suited to meet their needs
Do you see where I am going with this Your initial marketing questions asked how you can get more business by passing out flyers or sending faxes to small offices Truthfully that is simply not going to work You are not looking at the overall big picture of why anyone would either want to hire a cleaning service or to hire your particular cleaning service
5 You must make AN OFFER
Here are some examples
Marketing messagesales offer to a business that does NOT currently use a cleaning service
If you have never considered using a cleaning service before allow us to show you how XYZ Cleaning Inc can make your storeoffice more presentable to customers and how this newly improved appearance will affect your cash registerbank statement
If you are weary of trying new things dont worry Use us FREE for one month and if you are not completely satisfied with the results if you are not completely confident that it makes a difference to your customers if you are not completely aware of how it raises the morale of your employees then you do not have to using us again
But if YOU DO see a great improvement well make you a great deal on our services simply because we want your long term business Marketing messagesales offer to businesses that DO currently use a cleaning service
I understand that you currently use ABC Cleaners LLC Now you may or may not be completely happy right now but I want to make you a no-risk offer you cant refuse
The truth is that you likely get consumed in your day to day activities in running your business overseeing operations managing employees and handling customers Therefore there may be little imperfections your cleaning service is making that goes unnoticed by you But dont assume for one minute that your customers or potential customers wont notice And remember first impressions DO count
So heres our offer Have us come in the morning after your regular cleaning service cleans your office We will do a thorough inspection with you present and look for anything they may have done a less-than-satisfactory job on Then well show you why you probably over looked it for so long but why your customers will take notice and how they will think differently about you because of it
Now if everything is already 100 completely clean and presentable well thank you for your time and then be on our way But if together we find lots of little things that are carelessly being done we will cleanfix it for you for FREE
Thats right use our services as a compliment to what you are already paying for Compare the quality of work we do to what you are already paying for If you can see the difference in what we do for you compared to what you are already paying for then consider us as your new cleaning service
6 Develop your marketing message
Once you understand the true needs your potential clients have and the unique and competitive solutions you can offer only then should you develop your marketing copy -- your sales pitch
The two examples above incorporate great marketing copy with a strong benefits related offer You can then deliver this through direct mail telemarketing or a combination of both
I would only recommend distributing flyers if you are confident you can place there where they will get read by people who make the decision to hire a cleaning service So if there is an Open Bulletin board in an office building then go for it However they are rare and you probably need permission anyway
Id avoid the fax marketing altogether Its quite annoying ties up there fax line and unless people have already heard of you they are more likely to toss your message in the garbage
Try sending direct mail to the decision makers of these target companies and describe the benefits they will experience from using your services
7 Follow up
Even after identifying the businesses that are most likely to need your services after you have identified a solution and even after you contacted them with a compelling offer you still have to follow up
Chances are they loved the sound of it when they got it They had every intention of following up with you But then just got busy So your follow up call can make all the difference in the world and get your foot in the door in a very big way Then its up to you to DELIVER on your promise
8 ANALYSIS
Market Analysis
The goal of a market analysis is to determine the attractiveness of a market and to understand its evolving opportunities and threats as they relate to the strengths and weaknesses of the firm
David A Aaker outlined the following dimensions of a market analysis
Market size (current and future)
Market growth rate
Market profitability
Industry cost structure
Distribution channels
Market trends
Key success factors
Market Size
The size of the market can be evaluated based on present sales and on potential sales if the use of the product were expanded The following are some information sources for determining market size
government data
trade associations financial data from major players customer surveys
Market Growth Rate
A simple means of forecasting the market growth rate is to extrapolate historical data into the future While this method may provide a first-order estimate it does not predict important turning points A better method is to study growth drivers such as demographic information and sales growth in complementary products Such drivers serve as leading indicators that are more accurate than simply extrapolating historical data
Important inflection points in the market growth rate sometimes can be predicted by constructing a product diffusion curve The shape of the curve can be estimated by studying the characteristics of the adoption rate of a similar product in the past
Ultimately the maturity and decline stages of the product life cycle will be reached Some leading indicators of the decline phase include price pressure caused by competition a decrease in brand loyalty the emergence of substitute products market saturation and the lack of growth drivers
Market Profitability
While different firms in a market will have different levels of profitability the average profit potential for a market can be used as a guideline for knowing how difficult it is to make money in the market Michael Porter devised a useful framework for evaluating the attractiveness of an industry or market This framework known as Porters five forces identifies five factors that influence the market profitability
Buyer power
Supplier power
Barriers to entry
Threat of substitute products
Rivalry among firms in the industry
Industry Cost Structure
The cost structure is important for identifying key factors for success To this end Porters value chain model is useful for determining where value is added and for isolating the costs
The cost structure also is helpful for formulating strategies to develop a competitive advantage For example in some environments the experience curve effect can be used to develop a cost advantage over competitors
Distribution Channels
The following aspects of the distribution system are useful in a market analysis
Existing distribution channels - can be described by how direct they are to the customer
Trends and emerging channels - new channels can offer the opportunity to develop a competitive advantage
Channel power structure - for example in the case of a product having little brand equity retailers have negotiating power over manufacturers and can capture more margin
Market Trends
Changes in the market are important because they often are the source of new opportunities and threats The relevant trends are industry-dependent but some examples include changes in price sensitivity demand for variety and level of emphasis on service and support Regional trends also may be relevant
Key Success Factors
The key success factors are those elements that are necessary in order for the firm to achieve its marketing objectives A few examples of such factors include
Access to essential unique resources
Ability to achieve economies of scale
Access to distribution channels
Technological progress
It is important to consider that key success factors may change over time especially as the product progresses through its life cycle
9 CONCLUSIONS
Organizations engage in marketing research for two reasons
(1) (1) to identify (2) and (2) solve marketing problems
(3)
This distinction serves as a basis for classifying marketing research into problem identification research and problem solving research
Problem identification research is undertaken to help identify problems which are perhaps not apparent on the surface and yet exist or are likely to company image market characteristics sales analysis short-range forecasting long range forecasting and business trends research Research of this type provides information about the marketing environment and helps diagnose a problem For example The findings of problem solving research are used in making decisions which will solve specific marketing problems
The Stanford Research Institute on the other hand conducts an annual survey of consumers that is used to classify persons into homogeneous groups for segmentation purposes The National Purchase Diary panel (NPD) maintains the largest diary panel in the United States
Standardized services are research studies conducted for different client firms but in a standard way For example procedures for measuring
advertising effectiveness have been standardized so that the results can be compared across studies and evaluative norms can be established The Starch Readership Survey is the most widely used service for evaluating print advertisements another well-known service is the Gallup and Robinson Magazine Impact Studies These services are also sold on a syndicated basis
Customized services offer a wide variety of marketing research services customized to suit a clients specific needs Each marketing research project is treated uniquely
Limited-service suppliers specialize in one or a few phases of the marketing research project Services offered by such suppliers are classified as field services coding and data entry data analysis analytical services and branded products Field services collect data through mail personal or telephone interviewing and firms that specialize in interviewing are called field service organizations These organizations may range from small proprietary organizations which operate locally to large multinational organizations with WATS line interviewing facilities Some organizations maintain extensive interviewing facilities across the country for interviewing shoppers in malls
Coding and data entry services include editing completed questionnaires developing a coding scheme and transcribing the data on to diskettes or magnetic tapes for input into the computer NRC Data Systems provides such services
Analytical services include designing and pretesting questionnaires determining the best means of collecting data designing sampling plans and other aspects of the research design Some complex
marketing research projects require knowledge of sophisticated procedures including specialized experimental designs and analytical techniques such as conjoint analysis and multidimensional scaling This kind of expertise can be obtained from firms and consultants specializing in analytical services
Data analysis services are offered by firms also known as tab houses that specialize in computer analysis of quantitative data such as those obtained in large surveys Initially most data analysis firms supplied only tabulations (frequency counts) and cross tabulations (frequency counts that describe two or more variables simultaneously) With the proliferation of software many firms now have the capability to analyze their own data but data analysis firms are still in demand
Branded marketing research products and services are specialized data collection and analysis procedures developed to address specific types of marketing research problems These procedures are patented given brand names and marketed like any other branded product
Types of marketing research
Marketing research techniques come in many forms including
Ad Tracking ndash periodic or continuous in-market research to monitor a brandrsquos performance using measures such as brand awareness brand preference and product usage (Young 2005)
Advertising Research ndash used to predict copy testing or track the efficacy of advertisements for any medium measured by the adrsquos ability to get attention (measured with Attention Tracking) communicate the message build the brandrsquos image and motivate the consumer to purchase the product or service (Young 2005)
Brand equity research - how favorably do consumers view the brand
Brand association research - what do consumers associate with the brand
Brand attribute research - what are the key traits that describe the brand promise
Brand name testing - what do consumers feel about the names of the products
Commercial eye tracking research - examine advertisements package designs websites etc by analyzing visual behavior of the consumer
Concept testing - to test the acceptance of a concept by target consumers
Cool hunting - to make observations and predictions in changes of new or existing cultural trends in areas such as fashion music films television youth culture and lifestyle
Buyer decision processes research - to determine what motivates people to buy and what decision-making process they use
Copy testing ndash predicts in-market performance of an ad before it airs by analyzing audience levels of attention brand linkage motivation entertainment and communication as well as breaking down the adrsquos flow of attention and flow of emotion (Young p 213)
Customer satisfaction research - quantitative or qualitative studies that yields an understanding of a customers of satisfaction with a transaction
Demand estimation - to determine the approximate level of demand for the product
Distribution channel audits - to assess distributorsrsquo and retailersrsquo attitudes toward a product brand or company
Internet strategic intelligence - searching for customer opinions in the Internet chats forums web pages blogs where people express freely about their experiences with products becoming strong opinion formers
Marketing effectiveness and analytics - Building models and measuring results to determine the effectiveness of individual marketing activities
Mystery Consumer or Mystery shopping - An employee or representative of the market research firm anonymously contacts a salesperson and indicates he or she is shopping for a product The shopper then records the entire experience This method is often used for quality control or for researching competitors products
Positioning research - how does the target market see the brand relative to competitors - what does the brand stand for
Price elasticity testing - to determine how sensitive customers are to price changes
Sales forecasting - to determine the expected level of sales given the level of demand With respect to other factors like Advertising expenditure sales promotion etc
Segmentation research - to determine the demographic psychographic and behavioural characteristics of potential buyers
Online panel - a group of individual who accepted to respond to marketing research online
Store audit - to measure the sales of a product or product line at a statistically selected store sample in order to determine market share or to determine whether a retail store provides adequate service
Test marketing - a small-scale product launch used to determine the likely acceptance of the product when it is introduced into a wider market
Viral Marketing Research - refers to marketing research designed to estimate the probability that specific communications will be transmitted throughout an individuals Social Network Estimates of Social Networking Potential (SNP) are combined with estimates of selling effectiveness to estimate ROI on specific combinations of messages and media
All of these forms of marketing research can be classified as either problem-identification research or as problem-solving research
There are two main sources of data - primary and secondary Primary research is conducted from scratch It is original and collected to solve the problem in hand Secondary research already exists since it has been collected for other purposes It is conducted on data published previously and usually by someone else Secondary research costs far less than primary research but seldom comes in a form that exactly meets the needs of the researcher
A similar distinction exists between exploratory research and conclusive research Exploratory research provides insights into and comprehension of an issue or situation It should draw definitive conclusions only with extreme caution Conclusive research draws conclusions the results of the study can be generalized to the whole population
Exploratory research is conducted to explore a problem to get some basic idea about the solution at the preliminary stages of research It may serve as the input to conclusive research Exploratory research information is collected by focus group interviews reviewing literature or books discussing with experts etc This is unstructured and qualitative in nature If a secondary source of data is unable to serve the purpose a convenience sample of small size can be collected Conclusive research is conducted to draw some conclusion about the problem It is essentially structured and quantitative research and the
output of this research is the input to MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS (MIS)
Marketing research methods
Methodologically marketing research uses the following types of research designs
Based on questioning
Qualitative marketing research - generally used for exploratory purposes - small number of respondents - not generalizable to the whole population - statistical significance and confidence not calculated - examples include focus groups in-depth interviews and projective techniques
Quantitative marketing research - generally used to draw conclusions - tests a specific hypothesis - uses random sampling techniques so as to infer from the sample to the population - involves a large number of respondents - examples include surveys and questionnaires Techniques include choice modelling maximum difference preference scaling and covariance analysis
Based on observations
Ethnographic studies - by nature qualitative the researcher observes social phenomena in their natural setting - observations can
occur cross-sectionally (observations made at one time) or longitudinally (observations occur over several time-periods) ndash
examples include product-use analysis and computer cookie traces See also Ethnography and Observational techniques
Experimental techniques - by nature quantitative the researcher creates a quasi-artificial environment to try to control spurious factors
then manipulates at least one of the variables - examples include purchase laboratories and test markets
Questionnaires 1 What are the objectives of the marketing strategy Are they clearly stated Are they consistent with the objectives of the firm Is the entire marketing mix structured to meet these objectives
2 What marketing concepts are at issue in the current strategy Is the marketing strategy well planned and laid out Is the strategy consistent with sound marketing principles If the strategy takes exception to marketing principles is there a good reason for it
3 To what target market is the strategy directed Is it well defined Is the market large enough to be profitably served Does the market have long-run potential
4 What competitive advantage does the marketing strategy offer If none what can be done to gain a competitive advantage in the marketplace
5 What products are being sold What is the width depth and consistency of the firms product lines Does the firm need new products to fill out its product line Should any product be deleted What is the profitability of the various products
6 What promotion mix is being used Is promotion consistent with the products and product images What could be done to improve the promotion mix
7 What channels of distribution are being used Do they deliver the product at the right time and right place to meet consumer needs Are the channels typical of those used in the industry Could channels be made more efficient
8 What pricing strategies are being used How do prices compare with similar products of other firms How are prices determined
9 Are marketing research and information systematically integrated into the marketing strategy Is the overall marketing strategy internally consistent
them get more customers and sell more products
Maybe it is a professional service business that needs to impress prospective clients to choose their services over a similar competitor
Your cleaning service may dust chairs and polish wooden conference tables Many other cleaning services may not do this or do a poor job in doing so
Now as marketing consultants to service businesses I can also tell you that if a consultant attorney accountant or any other business professional needs to meet with prospective clients in their office they will appreciate a better appearance So if your cleaning services can provide this better than anyone else (or at least if you tell them about this first) you will get the business or at least be highly considered for it
Whatever the case may be establish what makes you different and have you are best suited to meet their needs
Do you see where I am going with this Your initial marketing questions asked how you can get more business by passing out flyers or sending faxes to small offices Truthfully that is simply not going to work You are not looking at the overall big picture of why anyone would either want to hire a cleaning service or to hire your particular cleaning service
5 You must make AN OFFER
Here are some examples
Marketing messagesales offer to a business that does NOT currently use a cleaning service
If you have never considered using a cleaning service before allow us to show you how XYZ Cleaning Inc can make your storeoffice more presentable to customers and how this newly improved appearance will affect your cash registerbank statement
If you are weary of trying new things dont worry Use us FREE for one month and if you are not completely satisfied with the results if you are not completely confident that it makes a difference to your customers if you are not completely aware of how it raises the morale of your employees then you do not have to using us again
But if YOU DO see a great improvement well make you a great deal on our services simply because we want your long term business Marketing messagesales offer to businesses that DO currently use a cleaning service
I understand that you currently use ABC Cleaners LLC Now you may or may not be completely happy right now but I want to make you a no-risk offer you cant refuse
The truth is that you likely get consumed in your day to day activities in running your business overseeing operations managing employees and handling customers Therefore there may be little imperfections your cleaning service is making that goes unnoticed by you But dont assume for one minute that your customers or potential customers wont notice And remember first impressions DO count
So heres our offer Have us come in the morning after your regular cleaning service cleans your office We will do a thorough inspection with you present and look for anything they may have done a less-than-satisfactory job on Then well show you why you probably over looked it for so long but why your customers will take notice and how they will think differently about you because of it
Now if everything is already 100 completely clean and presentable well thank you for your time and then be on our way But if together we find lots of little things that are carelessly being done we will cleanfix it for you for FREE
Thats right use our services as a compliment to what you are already paying for Compare the quality of work we do to what you are already paying for If you can see the difference in what we do for you compared to what you are already paying for then consider us as your new cleaning service
6 Develop your marketing message
Once you understand the true needs your potential clients have and the unique and competitive solutions you can offer only then should you develop your marketing copy -- your sales pitch
The two examples above incorporate great marketing copy with a strong benefits related offer You can then deliver this through direct mail telemarketing or a combination of both
I would only recommend distributing flyers if you are confident you can place there where they will get read by people who make the decision to hire a cleaning service So if there is an Open Bulletin board in an office building then go for it However they are rare and you probably need permission anyway
Id avoid the fax marketing altogether Its quite annoying ties up there fax line and unless people have already heard of you they are more likely to toss your message in the garbage
Try sending direct mail to the decision makers of these target companies and describe the benefits they will experience from using your services
7 Follow up
Even after identifying the businesses that are most likely to need your services after you have identified a solution and even after you contacted them with a compelling offer you still have to follow up
Chances are they loved the sound of it when they got it They had every intention of following up with you But then just got busy So your follow up call can make all the difference in the world and get your foot in the door in a very big way Then its up to you to DELIVER on your promise
8 ANALYSIS
Market Analysis
The goal of a market analysis is to determine the attractiveness of a market and to understand its evolving opportunities and threats as they relate to the strengths and weaknesses of the firm
David A Aaker outlined the following dimensions of a market analysis
Market size (current and future)
Market growth rate
Market profitability
Industry cost structure
Distribution channels
Market trends
Key success factors
Market Size
The size of the market can be evaluated based on present sales and on potential sales if the use of the product were expanded The following are some information sources for determining market size
government data
trade associations financial data from major players customer surveys
Market Growth Rate
A simple means of forecasting the market growth rate is to extrapolate historical data into the future While this method may provide a first-order estimate it does not predict important turning points A better method is to study growth drivers such as demographic information and sales growth in complementary products Such drivers serve as leading indicators that are more accurate than simply extrapolating historical data
Important inflection points in the market growth rate sometimes can be predicted by constructing a product diffusion curve The shape of the curve can be estimated by studying the characteristics of the adoption rate of a similar product in the past
Ultimately the maturity and decline stages of the product life cycle will be reached Some leading indicators of the decline phase include price pressure caused by competition a decrease in brand loyalty the emergence of substitute products market saturation and the lack of growth drivers
Market Profitability
While different firms in a market will have different levels of profitability the average profit potential for a market can be used as a guideline for knowing how difficult it is to make money in the market Michael Porter devised a useful framework for evaluating the attractiveness of an industry or market This framework known as Porters five forces identifies five factors that influence the market profitability
Buyer power
Supplier power
Barriers to entry
Threat of substitute products
Rivalry among firms in the industry
Industry Cost Structure
The cost structure is important for identifying key factors for success To this end Porters value chain model is useful for determining where value is added and for isolating the costs
The cost structure also is helpful for formulating strategies to develop a competitive advantage For example in some environments the experience curve effect can be used to develop a cost advantage over competitors
Distribution Channels
The following aspects of the distribution system are useful in a market analysis
Existing distribution channels - can be described by how direct they are to the customer
Trends and emerging channels - new channels can offer the opportunity to develop a competitive advantage
Channel power structure - for example in the case of a product having little brand equity retailers have negotiating power over manufacturers and can capture more margin
Market Trends
Changes in the market are important because they often are the source of new opportunities and threats The relevant trends are industry-dependent but some examples include changes in price sensitivity demand for variety and level of emphasis on service and support Regional trends also may be relevant
Key Success Factors
The key success factors are those elements that are necessary in order for the firm to achieve its marketing objectives A few examples of such factors include
Access to essential unique resources
Ability to achieve economies of scale
Access to distribution channels
Technological progress
It is important to consider that key success factors may change over time especially as the product progresses through its life cycle
9 CONCLUSIONS
Organizations engage in marketing research for two reasons
(1) (1) to identify (2) and (2) solve marketing problems
(3)
This distinction serves as a basis for classifying marketing research into problem identification research and problem solving research
Problem identification research is undertaken to help identify problems which are perhaps not apparent on the surface and yet exist or are likely to company image market characteristics sales analysis short-range forecasting long range forecasting and business trends research Research of this type provides information about the marketing environment and helps diagnose a problem For example The findings of problem solving research are used in making decisions which will solve specific marketing problems
The Stanford Research Institute on the other hand conducts an annual survey of consumers that is used to classify persons into homogeneous groups for segmentation purposes The National Purchase Diary panel (NPD) maintains the largest diary panel in the United States
Standardized services are research studies conducted for different client firms but in a standard way For example procedures for measuring
advertising effectiveness have been standardized so that the results can be compared across studies and evaluative norms can be established The Starch Readership Survey is the most widely used service for evaluating print advertisements another well-known service is the Gallup and Robinson Magazine Impact Studies These services are also sold on a syndicated basis
Customized services offer a wide variety of marketing research services customized to suit a clients specific needs Each marketing research project is treated uniquely
Limited-service suppliers specialize in one or a few phases of the marketing research project Services offered by such suppliers are classified as field services coding and data entry data analysis analytical services and branded products Field services collect data through mail personal or telephone interviewing and firms that specialize in interviewing are called field service organizations These organizations may range from small proprietary organizations which operate locally to large multinational organizations with WATS line interviewing facilities Some organizations maintain extensive interviewing facilities across the country for interviewing shoppers in malls
Coding and data entry services include editing completed questionnaires developing a coding scheme and transcribing the data on to diskettes or magnetic tapes for input into the computer NRC Data Systems provides such services
Analytical services include designing and pretesting questionnaires determining the best means of collecting data designing sampling plans and other aspects of the research design Some complex
marketing research projects require knowledge of sophisticated procedures including specialized experimental designs and analytical techniques such as conjoint analysis and multidimensional scaling This kind of expertise can be obtained from firms and consultants specializing in analytical services
Data analysis services are offered by firms also known as tab houses that specialize in computer analysis of quantitative data such as those obtained in large surveys Initially most data analysis firms supplied only tabulations (frequency counts) and cross tabulations (frequency counts that describe two or more variables simultaneously) With the proliferation of software many firms now have the capability to analyze their own data but data analysis firms are still in demand
Branded marketing research products and services are specialized data collection and analysis procedures developed to address specific types of marketing research problems These procedures are patented given brand names and marketed like any other branded product
Types of marketing research
Marketing research techniques come in many forms including
Ad Tracking ndash periodic or continuous in-market research to monitor a brandrsquos performance using measures such as brand awareness brand preference and product usage (Young 2005)
Advertising Research ndash used to predict copy testing or track the efficacy of advertisements for any medium measured by the adrsquos ability to get attention (measured with Attention Tracking) communicate the message build the brandrsquos image and motivate the consumer to purchase the product or service (Young 2005)
Brand equity research - how favorably do consumers view the brand
Brand association research - what do consumers associate with the brand
Brand attribute research - what are the key traits that describe the brand promise
Brand name testing - what do consumers feel about the names of the products
Commercial eye tracking research - examine advertisements package designs websites etc by analyzing visual behavior of the consumer
Concept testing - to test the acceptance of a concept by target consumers
Cool hunting - to make observations and predictions in changes of new or existing cultural trends in areas such as fashion music films television youth culture and lifestyle
Buyer decision processes research - to determine what motivates people to buy and what decision-making process they use
Copy testing ndash predicts in-market performance of an ad before it airs by analyzing audience levels of attention brand linkage motivation entertainment and communication as well as breaking down the adrsquos flow of attention and flow of emotion (Young p 213)
Customer satisfaction research - quantitative or qualitative studies that yields an understanding of a customers of satisfaction with a transaction
Demand estimation - to determine the approximate level of demand for the product
Distribution channel audits - to assess distributorsrsquo and retailersrsquo attitudes toward a product brand or company
Internet strategic intelligence - searching for customer opinions in the Internet chats forums web pages blogs where people express freely about their experiences with products becoming strong opinion formers
Marketing effectiveness and analytics - Building models and measuring results to determine the effectiveness of individual marketing activities
Mystery Consumer or Mystery shopping - An employee or representative of the market research firm anonymously contacts a salesperson and indicates he or she is shopping for a product The shopper then records the entire experience This method is often used for quality control or for researching competitors products
Positioning research - how does the target market see the brand relative to competitors - what does the brand stand for
Price elasticity testing - to determine how sensitive customers are to price changes
Sales forecasting - to determine the expected level of sales given the level of demand With respect to other factors like Advertising expenditure sales promotion etc
Segmentation research - to determine the demographic psychographic and behavioural characteristics of potential buyers
Online panel - a group of individual who accepted to respond to marketing research online
Store audit - to measure the sales of a product or product line at a statistically selected store sample in order to determine market share or to determine whether a retail store provides adequate service
Test marketing - a small-scale product launch used to determine the likely acceptance of the product when it is introduced into a wider market
Viral Marketing Research - refers to marketing research designed to estimate the probability that specific communications will be transmitted throughout an individuals Social Network Estimates of Social Networking Potential (SNP) are combined with estimates of selling effectiveness to estimate ROI on specific combinations of messages and media
All of these forms of marketing research can be classified as either problem-identification research or as problem-solving research
There are two main sources of data - primary and secondary Primary research is conducted from scratch It is original and collected to solve the problem in hand Secondary research already exists since it has been collected for other purposes It is conducted on data published previously and usually by someone else Secondary research costs far less than primary research but seldom comes in a form that exactly meets the needs of the researcher
A similar distinction exists between exploratory research and conclusive research Exploratory research provides insights into and comprehension of an issue or situation It should draw definitive conclusions only with extreme caution Conclusive research draws conclusions the results of the study can be generalized to the whole population
Exploratory research is conducted to explore a problem to get some basic idea about the solution at the preliminary stages of research It may serve as the input to conclusive research Exploratory research information is collected by focus group interviews reviewing literature or books discussing with experts etc This is unstructured and qualitative in nature If a secondary source of data is unable to serve the purpose a convenience sample of small size can be collected Conclusive research is conducted to draw some conclusion about the problem It is essentially structured and quantitative research and the
output of this research is the input to MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS (MIS)
Marketing research methods
Methodologically marketing research uses the following types of research designs
Based on questioning
Qualitative marketing research - generally used for exploratory purposes - small number of respondents - not generalizable to the whole population - statistical significance and confidence not calculated - examples include focus groups in-depth interviews and projective techniques
Quantitative marketing research - generally used to draw conclusions - tests a specific hypothesis - uses random sampling techniques so as to infer from the sample to the population - involves a large number of respondents - examples include surveys and questionnaires Techniques include choice modelling maximum difference preference scaling and covariance analysis
Based on observations
Ethnographic studies - by nature qualitative the researcher observes social phenomena in their natural setting - observations can
occur cross-sectionally (observations made at one time) or longitudinally (observations occur over several time-periods) ndash
examples include product-use analysis and computer cookie traces See also Ethnography and Observational techniques
Experimental techniques - by nature quantitative the researcher creates a quasi-artificial environment to try to control spurious factors
then manipulates at least one of the variables - examples include purchase laboratories and test markets
Questionnaires 1 What are the objectives of the marketing strategy Are they clearly stated Are they consistent with the objectives of the firm Is the entire marketing mix structured to meet these objectives
2 What marketing concepts are at issue in the current strategy Is the marketing strategy well planned and laid out Is the strategy consistent with sound marketing principles If the strategy takes exception to marketing principles is there a good reason for it
3 To what target market is the strategy directed Is it well defined Is the market large enough to be profitably served Does the market have long-run potential
4 What competitive advantage does the marketing strategy offer If none what can be done to gain a competitive advantage in the marketplace
5 What products are being sold What is the width depth and consistency of the firms product lines Does the firm need new products to fill out its product line Should any product be deleted What is the profitability of the various products
6 What promotion mix is being used Is promotion consistent with the products and product images What could be done to improve the promotion mix
7 What channels of distribution are being used Do they deliver the product at the right time and right place to meet consumer needs Are the channels typical of those used in the industry Could channels be made more efficient
8 What pricing strategies are being used How do prices compare with similar products of other firms How are prices determined
9 Are marketing research and information systematically integrated into the marketing strategy Is the overall marketing strategy internally consistent
5 You must make AN OFFER
Here are some examples
Marketing messagesales offer to a business that does NOT currently use a cleaning service
If you have never considered using a cleaning service before allow us to show you how XYZ Cleaning Inc can make your storeoffice more presentable to customers and how this newly improved appearance will affect your cash registerbank statement
If you are weary of trying new things dont worry Use us FREE for one month and if you are not completely satisfied with the results if you are not completely confident that it makes a difference to your customers if you are not completely aware of how it raises the morale of your employees then you do not have to using us again
But if YOU DO see a great improvement well make you a great deal on our services simply because we want your long term business Marketing messagesales offer to businesses that DO currently use a cleaning service
I understand that you currently use ABC Cleaners LLC Now you may or may not be completely happy right now but I want to make you a no-risk offer you cant refuse
The truth is that you likely get consumed in your day to day activities in running your business overseeing operations managing employees and handling customers Therefore there may be little imperfections your cleaning service is making that goes unnoticed by you But dont assume for one minute that your customers or potential customers wont notice And remember first impressions DO count
So heres our offer Have us come in the morning after your regular cleaning service cleans your office We will do a thorough inspection with you present and look for anything they may have done a less-than-satisfactory job on Then well show you why you probably over looked it for so long but why your customers will take notice and how they will think differently about you because of it
Now if everything is already 100 completely clean and presentable well thank you for your time and then be on our way But if together we find lots of little things that are carelessly being done we will cleanfix it for you for FREE
Thats right use our services as a compliment to what you are already paying for Compare the quality of work we do to what you are already paying for If you can see the difference in what we do for you compared to what you are already paying for then consider us as your new cleaning service
6 Develop your marketing message
Once you understand the true needs your potential clients have and the unique and competitive solutions you can offer only then should you develop your marketing copy -- your sales pitch
The two examples above incorporate great marketing copy with a strong benefits related offer You can then deliver this through direct mail telemarketing or a combination of both
I would only recommend distributing flyers if you are confident you can place there where they will get read by people who make the decision to hire a cleaning service So if there is an Open Bulletin board in an office building then go for it However they are rare and you probably need permission anyway
Id avoid the fax marketing altogether Its quite annoying ties up there fax line and unless people have already heard of you they are more likely to toss your message in the garbage
Try sending direct mail to the decision makers of these target companies and describe the benefits they will experience from using your services
7 Follow up
Even after identifying the businesses that are most likely to need your services after you have identified a solution and even after you contacted them with a compelling offer you still have to follow up
Chances are they loved the sound of it when they got it They had every intention of following up with you But then just got busy So your follow up call can make all the difference in the world and get your foot in the door in a very big way Then its up to you to DELIVER on your promise
8 ANALYSIS
Market Analysis
The goal of a market analysis is to determine the attractiveness of a market and to understand its evolving opportunities and threats as they relate to the strengths and weaknesses of the firm
David A Aaker outlined the following dimensions of a market analysis
Market size (current and future)
Market growth rate
Market profitability
Industry cost structure
Distribution channels
Market trends
Key success factors
Market Size
The size of the market can be evaluated based on present sales and on potential sales if the use of the product were expanded The following are some information sources for determining market size
government data
trade associations financial data from major players customer surveys
Market Growth Rate
A simple means of forecasting the market growth rate is to extrapolate historical data into the future While this method may provide a first-order estimate it does not predict important turning points A better method is to study growth drivers such as demographic information and sales growth in complementary products Such drivers serve as leading indicators that are more accurate than simply extrapolating historical data
Important inflection points in the market growth rate sometimes can be predicted by constructing a product diffusion curve The shape of the curve can be estimated by studying the characteristics of the adoption rate of a similar product in the past
Ultimately the maturity and decline stages of the product life cycle will be reached Some leading indicators of the decline phase include price pressure caused by competition a decrease in brand loyalty the emergence of substitute products market saturation and the lack of growth drivers
Market Profitability
While different firms in a market will have different levels of profitability the average profit potential for a market can be used as a guideline for knowing how difficult it is to make money in the market Michael Porter devised a useful framework for evaluating the attractiveness of an industry or market This framework known as Porters five forces identifies five factors that influence the market profitability
Buyer power
Supplier power
Barriers to entry
Threat of substitute products
Rivalry among firms in the industry
Industry Cost Structure
The cost structure is important for identifying key factors for success To this end Porters value chain model is useful for determining where value is added and for isolating the costs
The cost structure also is helpful for formulating strategies to develop a competitive advantage For example in some environments the experience curve effect can be used to develop a cost advantage over competitors
Distribution Channels
The following aspects of the distribution system are useful in a market analysis
Existing distribution channels - can be described by how direct they are to the customer
Trends and emerging channels - new channels can offer the opportunity to develop a competitive advantage
Channel power structure - for example in the case of a product having little brand equity retailers have negotiating power over manufacturers and can capture more margin
Market Trends
Changes in the market are important because they often are the source of new opportunities and threats The relevant trends are industry-dependent but some examples include changes in price sensitivity demand for variety and level of emphasis on service and support Regional trends also may be relevant
Key Success Factors
The key success factors are those elements that are necessary in order for the firm to achieve its marketing objectives A few examples of such factors include
Access to essential unique resources
Ability to achieve economies of scale
Access to distribution channels
Technological progress
It is important to consider that key success factors may change over time especially as the product progresses through its life cycle
9 CONCLUSIONS
Organizations engage in marketing research for two reasons
(1) (1) to identify (2) and (2) solve marketing problems
(3)
This distinction serves as a basis for classifying marketing research into problem identification research and problem solving research
Problem identification research is undertaken to help identify problems which are perhaps not apparent on the surface and yet exist or are likely to company image market characteristics sales analysis short-range forecasting long range forecasting and business trends research Research of this type provides information about the marketing environment and helps diagnose a problem For example The findings of problem solving research are used in making decisions which will solve specific marketing problems
The Stanford Research Institute on the other hand conducts an annual survey of consumers that is used to classify persons into homogeneous groups for segmentation purposes The National Purchase Diary panel (NPD) maintains the largest diary panel in the United States
Standardized services are research studies conducted for different client firms but in a standard way For example procedures for measuring
advertising effectiveness have been standardized so that the results can be compared across studies and evaluative norms can be established The Starch Readership Survey is the most widely used service for evaluating print advertisements another well-known service is the Gallup and Robinson Magazine Impact Studies These services are also sold on a syndicated basis
Customized services offer a wide variety of marketing research services customized to suit a clients specific needs Each marketing research project is treated uniquely
Limited-service suppliers specialize in one or a few phases of the marketing research project Services offered by such suppliers are classified as field services coding and data entry data analysis analytical services and branded products Field services collect data through mail personal or telephone interviewing and firms that specialize in interviewing are called field service organizations These organizations may range from small proprietary organizations which operate locally to large multinational organizations with WATS line interviewing facilities Some organizations maintain extensive interviewing facilities across the country for interviewing shoppers in malls
Coding and data entry services include editing completed questionnaires developing a coding scheme and transcribing the data on to diskettes or magnetic tapes for input into the computer NRC Data Systems provides such services
Analytical services include designing and pretesting questionnaires determining the best means of collecting data designing sampling plans and other aspects of the research design Some complex
marketing research projects require knowledge of sophisticated procedures including specialized experimental designs and analytical techniques such as conjoint analysis and multidimensional scaling This kind of expertise can be obtained from firms and consultants specializing in analytical services
Data analysis services are offered by firms also known as tab houses that specialize in computer analysis of quantitative data such as those obtained in large surveys Initially most data analysis firms supplied only tabulations (frequency counts) and cross tabulations (frequency counts that describe two or more variables simultaneously) With the proliferation of software many firms now have the capability to analyze their own data but data analysis firms are still in demand
Branded marketing research products and services are specialized data collection and analysis procedures developed to address specific types of marketing research problems These procedures are patented given brand names and marketed like any other branded product
Types of marketing research
Marketing research techniques come in many forms including
Ad Tracking ndash periodic or continuous in-market research to monitor a brandrsquos performance using measures such as brand awareness brand preference and product usage (Young 2005)
Advertising Research ndash used to predict copy testing or track the efficacy of advertisements for any medium measured by the adrsquos ability to get attention (measured with Attention Tracking) communicate the message build the brandrsquos image and motivate the consumer to purchase the product or service (Young 2005)
Brand equity research - how favorably do consumers view the brand
Brand association research - what do consumers associate with the brand
Brand attribute research - what are the key traits that describe the brand promise
Brand name testing - what do consumers feel about the names of the products
Commercial eye tracking research - examine advertisements package designs websites etc by analyzing visual behavior of the consumer
Concept testing - to test the acceptance of a concept by target consumers
Cool hunting - to make observations and predictions in changes of new or existing cultural trends in areas such as fashion music films television youth culture and lifestyle
Buyer decision processes research - to determine what motivates people to buy and what decision-making process they use
Copy testing ndash predicts in-market performance of an ad before it airs by analyzing audience levels of attention brand linkage motivation entertainment and communication as well as breaking down the adrsquos flow of attention and flow of emotion (Young p 213)
Customer satisfaction research - quantitative or qualitative studies that yields an understanding of a customers of satisfaction with a transaction
Demand estimation - to determine the approximate level of demand for the product
Distribution channel audits - to assess distributorsrsquo and retailersrsquo attitudes toward a product brand or company
Internet strategic intelligence - searching for customer opinions in the Internet chats forums web pages blogs where people express freely about their experiences with products becoming strong opinion formers
Marketing effectiveness and analytics - Building models and measuring results to determine the effectiveness of individual marketing activities
Mystery Consumer or Mystery shopping - An employee or representative of the market research firm anonymously contacts a salesperson and indicates he or she is shopping for a product The shopper then records the entire experience This method is often used for quality control or for researching competitors products
Positioning research - how does the target market see the brand relative to competitors - what does the brand stand for
Price elasticity testing - to determine how sensitive customers are to price changes
Sales forecasting - to determine the expected level of sales given the level of demand With respect to other factors like Advertising expenditure sales promotion etc
Segmentation research - to determine the demographic psychographic and behavioural characteristics of potential buyers
Online panel - a group of individual who accepted to respond to marketing research online
Store audit - to measure the sales of a product or product line at a statistically selected store sample in order to determine market share or to determine whether a retail store provides adequate service
Test marketing - a small-scale product launch used to determine the likely acceptance of the product when it is introduced into a wider market
Viral Marketing Research - refers to marketing research designed to estimate the probability that specific communications will be transmitted throughout an individuals Social Network Estimates of Social Networking Potential (SNP) are combined with estimates of selling effectiveness to estimate ROI on specific combinations of messages and media
All of these forms of marketing research can be classified as either problem-identification research or as problem-solving research
There are two main sources of data - primary and secondary Primary research is conducted from scratch It is original and collected to solve the problem in hand Secondary research already exists since it has been collected for other purposes It is conducted on data published previously and usually by someone else Secondary research costs far less than primary research but seldom comes in a form that exactly meets the needs of the researcher
A similar distinction exists between exploratory research and conclusive research Exploratory research provides insights into and comprehension of an issue or situation It should draw definitive conclusions only with extreme caution Conclusive research draws conclusions the results of the study can be generalized to the whole population
Exploratory research is conducted to explore a problem to get some basic idea about the solution at the preliminary stages of research It may serve as the input to conclusive research Exploratory research information is collected by focus group interviews reviewing literature or books discussing with experts etc This is unstructured and qualitative in nature If a secondary source of data is unable to serve the purpose a convenience sample of small size can be collected Conclusive research is conducted to draw some conclusion about the problem It is essentially structured and quantitative research and the
output of this research is the input to MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS (MIS)
Marketing research methods
Methodologically marketing research uses the following types of research designs
Based on questioning
Qualitative marketing research - generally used for exploratory purposes - small number of respondents - not generalizable to the whole population - statistical significance and confidence not calculated - examples include focus groups in-depth interviews and projective techniques
Quantitative marketing research - generally used to draw conclusions - tests a specific hypothesis - uses random sampling techniques so as to infer from the sample to the population - involves a large number of respondents - examples include surveys and questionnaires Techniques include choice modelling maximum difference preference scaling and covariance analysis
Based on observations
Ethnographic studies - by nature qualitative the researcher observes social phenomena in their natural setting - observations can
occur cross-sectionally (observations made at one time) or longitudinally (observations occur over several time-periods) ndash
examples include product-use analysis and computer cookie traces See also Ethnography and Observational techniques
Experimental techniques - by nature quantitative the researcher creates a quasi-artificial environment to try to control spurious factors
then manipulates at least one of the variables - examples include purchase laboratories and test markets
Questionnaires 1 What are the objectives of the marketing strategy Are they clearly stated Are they consistent with the objectives of the firm Is the entire marketing mix structured to meet these objectives
2 What marketing concepts are at issue in the current strategy Is the marketing strategy well planned and laid out Is the strategy consistent with sound marketing principles If the strategy takes exception to marketing principles is there a good reason for it
3 To what target market is the strategy directed Is it well defined Is the market large enough to be profitably served Does the market have long-run potential
4 What competitive advantage does the marketing strategy offer If none what can be done to gain a competitive advantage in the marketplace
5 What products are being sold What is the width depth and consistency of the firms product lines Does the firm need new products to fill out its product line Should any product be deleted What is the profitability of the various products
6 What promotion mix is being used Is promotion consistent with the products and product images What could be done to improve the promotion mix
7 What channels of distribution are being used Do they deliver the product at the right time and right place to meet consumer needs Are the channels typical of those used in the industry Could channels be made more efficient
8 What pricing strategies are being used How do prices compare with similar products of other firms How are prices determined
9 Are marketing research and information systematically integrated into the marketing strategy Is the overall marketing strategy internally consistent
The truth is that you likely get consumed in your day to day activities in running your business overseeing operations managing employees and handling customers Therefore there may be little imperfections your cleaning service is making that goes unnoticed by you But dont assume for one minute that your customers or potential customers wont notice And remember first impressions DO count
So heres our offer Have us come in the morning after your regular cleaning service cleans your office We will do a thorough inspection with you present and look for anything they may have done a less-than-satisfactory job on Then well show you why you probably over looked it for so long but why your customers will take notice and how they will think differently about you because of it
Now if everything is already 100 completely clean and presentable well thank you for your time and then be on our way But if together we find lots of little things that are carelessly being done we will cleanfix it for you for FREE
Thats right use our services as a compliment to what you are already paying for Compare the quality of work we do to what you are already paying for If you can see the difference in what we do for you compared to what you are already paying for then consider us as your new cleaning service
6 Develop your marketing message
Once you understand the true needs your potential clients have and the unique and competitive solutions you can offer only then should you develop your marketing copy -- your sales pitch
The two examples above incorporate great marketing copy with a strong benefits related offer You can then deliver this through direct mail telemarketing or a combination of both
I would only recommend distributing flyers if you are confident you can place there where they will get read by people who make the decision to hire a cleaning service So if there is an Open Bulletin board in an office building then go for it However they are rare and you probably need permission anyway
Id avoid the fax marketing altogether Its quite annoying ties up there fax line and unless people have already heard of you they are more likely to toss your message in the garbage
Try sending direct mail to the decision makers of these target companies and describe the benefits they will experience from using your services
7 Follow up
Even after identifying the businesses that are most likely to need your services after you have identified a solution and even after you contacted them with a compelling offer you still have to follow up
Chances are they loved the sound of it when they got it They had every intention of following up with you But then just got busy So your follow up call can make all the difference in the world and get your foot in the door in a very big way Then its up to you to DELIVER on your promise
8 ANALYSIS
Market Analysis
The goal of a market analysis is to determine the attractiveness of a market and to understand its evolving opportunities and threats as they relate to the strengths and weaknesses of the firm
David A Aaker outlined the following dimensions of a market analysis
Market size (current and future)
Market growth rate
Market profitability
Industry cost structure
Distribution channels
Market trends
Key success factors
Market Size
The size of the market can be evaluated based on present sales and on potential sales if the use of the product were expanded The following are some information sources for determining market size
government data
trade associations financial data from major players customer surveys
Market Growth Rate
A simple means of forecasting the market growth rate is to extrapolate historical data into the future While this method may provide a first-order estimate it does not predict important turning points A better method is to study growth drivers such as demographic information and sales growth in complementary products Such drivers serve as leading indicators that are more accurate than simply extrapolating historical data
Important inflection points in the market growth rate sometimes can be predicted by constructing a product diffusion curve The shape of the curve can be estimated by studying the characteristics of the adoption rate of a similar product in the past
Ultimately the maturity and decline stages of the product life cycle will be reached Some leading indicators of the decline phase include price pressure caused by competition a decrease in brand loyalty the emergence of substitute products market saturation and the lack of growth drivers
Market Profitability
While different firms in a market will have different levels of profitability the average profit potential for a market can be used as a guideline for knowing how difficult it is to make money in the market Michael Porter devised a useful framework for evaluating the attractiveness of an industry or market This framework known as Porters five forces identifies five factors that influence the market profitability
Buyer power
Supplier power
Barriers to entry
Threat of substitute products
Rivalry among firms in the industry
Industry Cost Structure
The cost structure is important for identifying key factors for success To this end Porters value chain model is useful for determining where value is added and for isolating the costs
The cost structure also is helpful for formulating strategies to develop a competitive advantage For example in some environments the experience curve effect can be used to develop a cost advantage over competitors
Distribution Channels
The following aspects of the distribution system are useful in a market analysis
Existing distribution channels - can be described by how direct they are to the customer
Trends and emerging channels - new channels can offer the opportunity to develop a competitive advantage
Channel power structure - for example in the case of a product having little brand equity retailers have negotiating power over manufacturers and can capture more margin
Market Trends
Changes in the market are important because they often are the source of new opportunities and threats The relevant trends are industry-dependent but some examples include changes in price sensitivity demand for variety and level of emphasis on service and support Regional trends also may be relevant
Key Success Factors
The key success factors are those elements that are necessary in order for the firm to achieve its marketing objectives A few examples of such factors include
Access to essential unique resources
Ability to achieve economies of scale
Access to distribution channels
Technological progress
It is important to consider that key success factors may change over time especially as the product progresses through its life cycle
9 CONCLUSIONS
Organizations engage in marketing research for two reasons
(1) (1) to identify (2) and (2) solve marketing problems
(3)
This distinction serves as a basis for classifying marketing research into problem identification research and problem solving research
Problem identification research is undertaken to help identify problems which are perhaps not apparent on the surface and yet exist or are likely to company image market characteristics sales analysis short-range forecasting long range forecasting and business trends research Research of this type provides information about the marketing environment and helps diagnose a problem For example The findings of problem solving research are used in making decisions which will solve specific marketing problems
The Stanford Research Institute on the other hand conducts an annual survey of consumers that is used to classify persons into homogeneous groups for segmentation purposes The National Purchase Diary panel (NPD) maintains the largest diary panel in the United States
Standardized services are research studies conducted for different client firms but in a standard way For example procedures for measuring
advertising effectiveness have been standardized so that the results can be compared across studies and evaluative norms can be established The Starch Readership Survey is the most widely used service for evaluating print advertisements another well-known service is the Gallup and Robinson Magazine Impact Studies These services are also sold on a syndicated basis
Customized services offer a wide variety of marketing research services customized to suit a clients specific needs Each marketing research project is treated uniquely
Limited-service suppliers specialize in one or a few phases of the marketing research project Services offered by such suppliers are classified as field services coding and data entry data analysis analytical services and branded products Field services collect data through mail personal or telephone interviewing and firms that specialize in interviewing are called field service organizations These organizations may range from small proprietary organizations which operate locally to large multinational organizations with WATS line interviewing facilities Some organizations maintain extensive interviewing facilities across the country for interviewing shoppers in malls
Coding and data entry services include editing completed questionnaires developing a coding scheme and transcribing the data on to diskettes or magnetic tapes for input into the computer NRC Data Systems provides such services
Analytical services include designing and pretesting questionnaires determining the best means of collecting data designing sampling plans and other aspects of the research design Some complex
marketing research projects require knowledge of sophisticated procedures including specialized experimental designs and analytical techniques such as conjoint analysis and multidimensional scaling This kind of expertise can be obtained from firms and consultants specializing in analytical services
Data analysis services are offered by firms also known as tab houses that specialize in computer analysis of quantitative data such as those obtained in large surveys Initially most data analysis firms supplied only tabulations (frequency counts) and cross tabulations (frequency counts that describe two or more variables simultaneously) With the proliferation of software many firms now have the capability to analyze their own data but data analysis firms are still in demand
Branded marketing research products and services are specialized data collection and analysis procedures developed to address specific types of marketing research problems These procedures are patented given brand names and marketed like any other branded product
Types of marketing research
Marketing research techniques come in many forms including
Ad Tracking ndash periodic or continuous in-market research to monitor a brandrsquos performance using measures such as brand awareness brand preference and product usage (Young 2005)
Advertising Research ndash used to predict copy testing or track the efficacy of advertisements for any medium measured by the adrsquos ability to get attention (measured with Attention Tracking) communicate the message build the brandrsquos image and motivate the consumer to purchase the product or service (Young 2005)
Brand equity research - how favorably do consumers view the brand
Brand association research - what do consumers associate with the brand
Brand attribute research - what are the key traits that describe the brand promise
Brand name testing - what do consumers feel about the names of the products
Commercial eye tracking research - examine advertisements package designs websites etc by analyzing visual behavior of the consumer
Concept testing - to test the acceptance of a concept by target consumers
Cool hunting - to make observations and predictions in changes of new or existing cultural trends in areas such as fashion music films television youth culture and lifestyle
Buyer decision processes research - to determine what motivates people to buy and what decision-making process they use
Copy testing ndash predicts in-market performance of an ad before it airs by analyzing audience levels of attention brand linkage motivation entertainment and communication as well as breaking down the adrsquos flow of attention and flow of emotion (Young p 213)
Customer satisfaction research - quantitative or qualitative studies that yields an understanding of a customers of satisfaction with a transaction
Demand estimation - to determine the approximate level of demand for the product
Distribution channel audits - to assess distributorsrsquo and retailersrsquo attitudes toward a product brand or company
Internet strategic intelligence - searching for customer opinions in the Internet chats forums web pages blogs where people express freely about their experiences with products becoming strong opinion formers
Marketing effectiveness and analytics - Building models and measuring results to determine the effectiveness of individual marketing activities
Mystery Consumer or Mystery shopping - An employee or representative of the market research firm anonymously contacts a salesperson and indicates he or she is shopping for a product The shopper then records the entire experience This method is often used for quality control or for researching competitors products
Positioning research - how does the target market see the brand relative to competitors - what does the brand stand for
Price elasticity testing - to determine how sensitive customers are to price changes
Sales forecasting - to determine the expected level of sales given the level of demand With respect to other factors like Advertising expenditure sales promotion etc
Segmentation research - to determine the demographic psychographic and behavioural characteristics of potential buyers
Online panel - a group of individual who accepted to respond to marketing research online
Store audit - to measure the sales of a product or product line at a statistically selected store sample in order to determine market share or to determine whether a retail store provides adequate service
Test marketing - a small-scale product launch used to determine the likely acceptance of the product when it is introduced into a wider market
Viral Marketing Research - refers to marketing research designed to estimate the probability that specific communications will be transmitted throughout an individuals Social Network Estimates of Social Networking Potential (SNP) are combined with estimates of selling effectiveness to estimate ROI on specific combinations of messages and media
All of these forms of marketing research can be classified as either problem-identification research or as problem-solving research
There are two main sources of data - primary and secondary Primary research is conducted from scratch It is original and collected to solve the problem in hand Secondary research already exists since it has been collected for other purposes It is conducted on data published previously and usually by someone else Secondary research costs far less than primary research but seldom comes in a form that exactly meets the needs of the researcher
A similar distinction exists between exploratory research and conclusive research Exploratory research provides insights into and comprehension of an issue or situation It should draw definitive conclusions only with extreme caution Conclusive research draws conclusions the results of the study can be generalized to the whole population
Exploratory research is conducted to explore a problem to get some basic idea about the solution at the preliminary stages of research It may serve as the input to conclusive research Exploratory research information is collected by focus group interviews reviewing literature or books discussing with experts etc This is unstructured and qualitative in nature If a secondary source of data is unable to serve the purpose a convenience sample of small size can be collected Conclusive research is conducted to draw some conclusion about the problem It is essentially structured and quantitative research and the
output of this research is the input to MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS (MIS)
Marketing research methods
Methodologically marketing research uses the following types of research designs
Based on questioning
Qualitative marketing research - generally used for exploratory purposes - small number of respondents - not generalizable to the whole population - statistical significance and confidence not calculated - examples include focus groups in-depth interviews and projective techniques
Quantitative marketing research - generally used to draw conclusions - tests a specific hypothesis - uses random sampling techniques so as to infer from the sample to the population - involves a large number of respondents - examples include surveys and questionnaires Techniques include choice modelling maximum difference preference scaling and covariance analysis
Based on observations
Ethnographic studies - by nature qualitative the researcher observes social phenomena in their natural setting - observations can
occur cross-sectionally (observations made at one time) or longitudinally (observations occur over several time-periods) ndash
examples include product-use analysis and computer cookie traces See also Ethnography and Observational techniques
Experimental techniques - by nature quantitative the researcher creates a quasi-artificial environment to try to control spurious factors
then manipulates at least one of the variables - examples include purchase laboratories and test markets
Questionnaires 1 What are the objectives of the marketing strategy Are they clearly stated Are they consistent with the objectives of the firm Is the entire marketing mix structured to meet these objectives
2 What marketing concepts are at issue in the current strategy Is the marketing strategy well planned and laid out Is the strategy consistent with sound marketing principles If the strategy takes exception to marketing principles is there a good reason for it
3 To what target market is the strategy directed Is it well defined Is the market large enough to be profitably served Does the market have long-run potential
4 What competitive advantage does the marketing strategy offer If none what can be done to gain a competitive advantage in the marketplace
5 What products are being sold What is the width depth and consistency of the firms product lines Does the firm need new products to fill out its product line Should any product be deleted What is the profitability of the various products
6 What promotion mix is being used Is promotion consistent with the products and product images What could be done to improve the promotion mix
7 What channels of distribution are being used Do they deliver the product at the right time and right place to meet consumer needs Are the channels typical of those used in the industry Could channels be made more efficient
8 What pricing strategies are being used How do prices compare with similar products of other firms How are prices determined
9 Are marketing research and information systematically integrated into the marketing strategy Is the overall marketing strategy internally consistent
6 Develop your marketing message
Once you understand the true needs your potential clients have and the unique and competitive solutions you can offer only then should you develop your marketing copy -- your sales pitch
The two examples above incorporate great marketing copy with a strong benefits related offer You can then deliver this through direct mail telemarketing or a combination of both
I would only recommend distributing flyers if you are confident you can place there where they will get read by people who make the decision to hire a cleaning service So if there is an Open Bulletin board in an office building then go for it However they are rare and you probably need permission anyway
Id avoid the fax marketing altogether Its quite annoying ties up there fax line and unless people have already heard of you they are more likely to toss your message in the garbage
Try sending direct mail to the decision makers of these target companies and describe the benefits they will experience from using your services
7 Follow up
Even after identifying the businesses that are most likely to need your services after you have identified a solution and even after you contacted them with a compelling offer you still have to follow up
Chances are they loved the sound of it when they got it They had every intention of following up with you But then just got busy So your follow up call can make all the difference in the world and get your foot in the door in a very big way Then its up to you to DELIVER on your promise
8 ANALYSIS
Market Analysis
The goal of a market analysis is to determine the attractiveness of a market and to understand its evolving opportunities and threats as they relate to the strengths and weaknesses of the firm
David A Aaker outlined the following dimensions of a market analysis
Market size (current and future)
Market growth rate
Market profitability
Industry cost structure
Distribution channels
Market trends
Key success factors
Market Size
The size of the market can be evaluated based on present sales and on potential sales if the use of the product were expanded The following are some information sources for determining market size
government data
trade associations financial data from major players customer surveys
Market Growth Rate
A simple means of forecasting the market growth rate is to extrapolate historical data into the future While this method may provide a first-order estimate it does not predict important turning points A better method is to study growth drivers such as demographic information and sales growth in complementary products Such drivers serve as leading indicators that are more accurate than simply extrapolating historical data
Important inflection points in the market growth rate sometimes can be predicted by constructing a product diffusion curve The shape of the curve can be estimated by studying the characteristics of the adoption rate of a similar product in the past
Ultimately the maturity and decline stages of the product life cycle will be reached Some leading indicators of the decline phase include price pressure caused by competition a decrease in brand loyalty the emergence of substitute products market saturation and the lack of growth drivers
Market Profitability
While different firms in a market will have different levels of profitability the average profit potential for a market can be used as a guideline for knowing how difficult it is to make money in the market Michael Porter devised a useful framework for evaluating the attractiveness of an industry or market This framework known as Porters five forces identifies five factors that influence the market profitability
Buyer power
Supplier power
Barriers to entry
Threat of substitute products
Rivalry among firms in the industry
Industry Cost Structure
The cost structure is important for identifying key factors for success To this end Porters value chain model is useful for determining where value is added and for isolating the costs
The cost structure also is helpful for formulating strategies to develop a competitive advantage For example in some environments the experience curve effect can be used to develop a cost advantage over competitors
Distribution Channels
The following aspects of the distribution system are useful in a market analysis
Existing distribution channels - can be described by how direct they are to the customer
Trends and emerging channels - new channels can offer the opportunity to develop a competitive advantage
Channel power structure - for example in the case of a product having little brand equity retailers have negotiating power over manufacturers and can capture more margin
Market Trends
Changes in the market are important because they often are the source of new opportunities and threats The relevant trends are industry-dependent but some examples include changes in price sensitivity demand for variety and level of emphasis on service and support Regional trends also may be relevant
Key Success Factors
The key success factors are those elements that are necessary in order for the firm to achieve its marketing objectives A few examples of such factors include
Access to essential unique resources
Ability to achieve economies of scale
Access to distribution channels
Technological progress
It is important to consider that key success factors may change over time especially as the product progresses through its life cycle
9 CONCLUSIONS
Organizations engage in marketing research for two reasons
(1) (1) to identify (2) and (2) solve marketing problems
(3)
This distinction serves as a basis for classifying marketing research into problem identification research and problem solving research
Problem identification research is undertaken to help identify problems which are perhaps not apparent on the surface and yet exist or are likely to company image market characteristics sales analysis short-range forecasting long range forecasting and business trends research Research of this type provides information about the marketing environment and helps diagnose a problem For example The findings of problem solving research are used in making decisions which will solve specific marketing problems
The Stanford Research Institute on the other hand conducts an annual survey of consumers that is used to classify persons into homogeneous groups for segmentation purposes The National Purchase Diary panel (NPD) maintains the largest diary panel in the United States
Standardized services are research studies conducted for different client firms but in a standard way For example procedures for measuring
advertising effectiveness have been standardized so that the results can be compared across studies and evaluative norms can be established The Starch Readership Survey is the most widely used service for evaluating print advertisements another well-known service is the Gallup and Robinson Magazine Impact Studies These services are also sold on a syndicated basis
Customized services offer a wide variety of marketing research services customized to suit a clients specific needs Each marketing research project is treated uniquely
Limited-service suppliers specialize in one or a few phases of the marketing research project Services offered by such suppliers are classified as field services coding and data entry data analysis analytical services and branded products Field services collect data through mail personal or telephone interviewing and firms that specialize in interviewing are called field service organizations These organizations may range from small proprietary organizations which operate locally to large multinational organizations with WATS line interviewing facilities Some organizations maintain extensive interviewing facilities across the country for interviewing shoppers in malls
Coding and data entry services include editing completed questionnaires developing a coding scheme and transcribing the data on to diskettes or magnetic tapes for input into the computer NRC Data Systems provides such services
Analytical services include designing and pretesting questionnaires determining the best means of collecting data designing sampling plans and other aspects of the research design Some complex
marketing research projects require knowledge of sophisticated procedures including specialized experimental designs and analytical techniques such as conjoint analysis and multidimensional scaling This kind of expertise can be obtained from firms and consultants specializing in analytical services
Data analysis services are offered by firms also known as tab houses that specialize in computer analysis of quantitative data such as those obtained in large surveys Initially most data analysis firms supplied only tabulations (frequency counts) and cross tabulations (frequency counts that describe two or more variables simultaneously) With the proliferation of software many firms now have the capability to analyze their own data but data analysis firms are still in demand
Branded marketing research products and services are specialized data collection and analysis procedures developed to address specific types of marketing research problems These procedures are patented given brand names and marketed like any other branded product
Types of marketing research
Marketing research techniques come in many forms including
Ad Tracking ndash periodic or continuous in-market research to monitor a brandrsquos performance using measures such as brand awareness brand preference and product usage (Young 2005)
Advertising Research ndash used to predict copy testing or track the efficacy of advertisements for any medium measured by the adrsquos ability to get attention (measured with Attention Tracking) communicate the message build the brandrsquos image and motivate the consumer to purchase the product or service (Young 2005)
Brand equity research - how favorably do consumers view the brand
Brand association research - what do consumers associate with the brand
Brand attribute research - what are the key traits that describe the brand promise
Brand name testing - what do consumers feel about the names of the products
Commercial eye tracking research - examine advertisements package designs websites etc by analyzing visual behavior of the consumer
Concept testing - to test the acceptance of a concept by target consumers
Cool hunting - to make observations and predictions in changes of new or existing cultural trends in areas such as fashion music films television youth culture and lifestyle
Buyer decision processes research - to determine what motivates people to buy and what decision-making process they use
Copy testing ndash predicts in-market performance of an ad before it airs by analyzing audience levels of attention brand linkage motivation entertainment and communication as well as breaking down the adrsquos flow of attention and flow of emotion (Young p 213)
Customer satisfaction research - quantitative or qualitative studies that yields an understanding of a customers of satisfaction with a transaction
Demand estimation - to determine the approximate level of demand for the product
Distribution channel audits - to assess distributorsrsquo and retailersrsquo attitudes toward a product brand or company
Internet strategic intelligence - searching for customer opinions in the Internet chats forums web pages blogs where people express freely about their experiences with products becoming strong opinion formers
Marketing effectiveness and analytics - Building models and measuring results to determine the effectiveness of individual marketing activities
Mystery Consumer or Mystery shopping - An employee or representative of the market research firm anonymously contacts a salesperson and indicates he or she is shopping for a product The shopper then records the entire experience This method is often used for quality control or for researching competitors products
Positioning research - how does the target market see the brand relative to competitors - what does the brand stand for
Price elasticity testing - to determine how sensitive customers are to price changes
Sales forecasting - to determine the expected level of sales given the level of demand With respect to other factors like Advertising expenditure sales promotion etc
Segmentation research - to determine the demographic psychographic and behavioural characteristics of potential buyers
Online panel - a group of individual who accepted to respond to marketing research online
Store audit - to measure the sales of a product or product line at a statistically selected store sample in order to determine market share or to determine whether a retail store provides adequate service
Test marketing - a small-scale product launch used to determine the likely acceptance of the product when it is introduced into a wider market
Viral Marketing Research - refers to marketing research designed to estimate the probability that specific communications will be transmitted throughout an individuals Social Network Estimates of Social Networking Potential (SNP) are combined with estimates of selling effectiveness to estimate ROI on specific combinations of messages and media
All of these forms of marketing research can be classified as either problem-identification research or as problem-solving research
There are two main sources of data - primary and secondary Primary research is conducted from scratch It is original and collected to solve the problem in hand Secondary research already exists since it has been collected for other purposes It is conducted on data published previously and usually by someone else Secondary research costs far less than primary research but seldom comes in a form that exactly meets the needs of the researcher
A similar distinction exists between exploratory research and conclusive research Exploratory research provides insights into and comprehension of an issue or situation It should draw definitive conclusions only with extreme caution Conclusive research draws conclusions the results of the study can be generalized to the whole population
Exploratory research is conducted to explore a problem to get some basic idea about the solution at the preliminary stages of research It may serve as the input to conclusive research Exploratory research information is collected by focus group interviews reviewing literature or books discussing with experts etc This is unstructured and qualitative in nature If a secondary source of data is unable to serve the purpose a convenience sample of small size can be collected Conclusive research is conducted to draw some conclusion about the problem It is essentially structured and quantitative research and the
output of this research is the input to MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS (MIS)
Marketing research methods
Methodologically marketing research uses the following types of research designs
Based on questioning
Qualitative marketing research - generally used for exploratory purposes - small number of respondents - not generalizable to the whole population - statistical significance and confidence not calculated - examples include focus groups in-depth interviews and projective techniques
Quantitative marketing research - generally used to draw conclusions - tests a specific hypothesis - uses random sampling techniques so as to infer from the sample to the population - involves a large number of respondents - examples include surveys and questionnaires Techniques include choice modelling maximum difference preference scaling and covariance analysis
Based on observations
Ethnographic studies - by nature qualitative the researcher observes social phenomena in their natural setting - observations can
occur cross-sectionally (observations made at one time) or longitudinally (observations occur over several time-periods) ndash
examples include product-use analysis and computer cookie traces See also Ethnography and Observational techniques
Experimental techniques - by nature quantitative the researcher creates a quasi-artificial environment to try to control spurious factors
then manipulates at least one of the variables - examples include purchase laboratories and test markets
Questionnaires 1 What are the objectives of the marketing strategy Are they clearly stated Are they consistent with the objectives of the firm Is the entire marketing mix structured to meet these objectives
2 What marketing concepts are at issue in the current strategy Is the marketing strategy well planned and laid out Is the strategy consistent with sound marketing principles If the strategy takes exception to marketing principles is there a good reason for it
3 To what target market is the strategy directed Is it well defined Is the market large enough to be profitably served Does the market have long-run potential
4 What competitive advantage does the marketing strategy offer If none what can be done to gain a competitive advantage in the marketplace
5 What products are being sold What is the width depth and consistency of the firms product lines Does the firm need new products to fill out its product line Should any product be deleted What is the profitability of the various products
6 What promotion mix is being used Is promotion consistent with the products and product images What could be done to improve the promotion mix
7 What channels of distribution are being used Do they deliver the product at the right time and right place to meet consumer needs Are the channels typical of those used in the industry Could channels be made more efficient
8 What pricing strategies are being used How do prices compare with similar products of other firms How are prices determined
9 Are marketing research and information systematically integrated into the marketing strategy Is the overall marketing strategy internally consistent
7 Follow up
Even after identifying the businesses that are most likely to need your services after you have identified a solution and even after you contacted them with a compelling offer you still have to follow up
Chances are they loved the sound of it when they got it They had every intention of following up with you But then just got busy So your follow up call can make all the difference in the world and get your foot in the door in a very big way Then its up to you to DELIVER on your promise
8 ANALYSIS
Market Analysis
The goal of a market analysis is to determine the attractiveness of a market and to understand its evolving opportunities and threats as they relate to the strengths and weaknesses of the firm
David A Aaker outlined the following dimensions of a market analysis
Market size (current and future)
Market growth rate
Market profitability
Industry cost structure
Distribution channels
Market trends
Key success factors
Market Size
The size of the market can be evaluated based on present sales and on potential sales if the use of the product were expanded The following are some information sources for determining market size
government data
trade associations financial data from major players customer surveys
Market Growth Rate
A simple means of forecasting the market growth rate is to extrapolate historical data into the future While this method may provide a first-order estimate it does not predict important turning points A better method is to study growth drivers such as demographic information and sales growth in complementary products Such drivers serve as leading indicators that are more accurate than simply extrapolating historical data
Important inflection points in the market growth rate sometimes can be predicted by constructing a product diffusion curve The shape of the curve can be estimated by studying the characteristics of the adoption rate of a similar product in the past
Ultimately the maturity and decline stages of the product life cycle will be reached Some leading indicators of the decline phase include price pressure caused by competition a decrease in brand loyalty the emergence of substitute products market saturation and the lack of growth drivers
Market Profitability
While different firms in a market will have different levels of profitability the average profit potential for a market can be used as a guideline for knowing how difficult it is to make money in the market Michael Porter devised a useful framework for evaluating the attractiveness of an industry or market This framework known as Porters five forces identifies five factors that influence the market profitability
Buyer power
Supplier power
Barriers to entry
Threat of substitute products
Rivalry among firms in the industry
Industry Cost Structure
The cost structure is important for identifying key factors for success To this end Porters value chain model is useful for determining where value is added and for isolating the costs
The cost structure also is helpful for formulating strategies to develop a competitive advantage For example in some environments the experience curve effect can be used to develop a cost advantage over competitors
Distribution Channels
The following aspects of the distribution system are useful in a market analysis
Existing distribution channels - can be described by how direct they are to the customer
Trends and emerging channels - new channels can offer the opportunity to develop a competitive advantage
Channel power structure - for example in the case of a product having little brand equity retailers have negotiating power over manufacturers and can capture more margin
Market Trends
Changes in the market are important because they often are the source of new opportunities and threats The relevant trends are industry-dependent but some examples include changes in price sensitivity demand for variety and level of emphasis on service and support Regional trends also may be relevant
Key Success Factors
The key success factors are those elements that are necessary in order for the firm to achieve its marketing objectives A few examples of such factors include
Access to essential unique resources
Ability to achieve economies of scale
Access to distribution channels
Technological progress
It is important to consider that key success factors may change over time especially as the product progresses through its life cycle
9 CONCLUSIONS
Organizations engage in marketing research for two reasons
(1) (1) to identify (2) and (2) solve marketing problems
(3)
This distinction serves as a basis for classifying marketing research into problem identification research and problem solving research
Problem identification research is undertaken to help identify problems which are perhaps not apparent on the surface and yet exist or are likely to company image market characteristics sales analysis short-range forecasting long range forecasting and business trends research Research of this type provides information about the marketing environment and helps diagnose a problem For example The findings of problem solving research are used in making decisions which will solve specific marketing problems
The Stanford Research Institute on the other hand conducts an annual survey of consumers that is used to classify persons into homogeneous groups for segmentation purposes The National Purchase Diary panel (NPD) maintains the largest diary panel in the United States
Standardized services are research studies conducted for different client firms but in a standard way For example procedures for measuring
advertising effectiveness have been standardized so that the results can be compared across studies and evaluative norms can be established The Starch Readership Survey is the most widely used service for evaluating print advertisements another well-known service is the Gallup and Robinson Magazine Impact Studies These services are also sold on a syndicated basis
Customized services offer a wide variety of marketing research services customized to suit a clients specific needs Each marketing research project is treated uniquely
Limited-service suppliers specialize in one or a few phases of the marketing research project Services offered by such suppliers are classified as field services coding and data entry data analysis analytical services and branded products Field services collect data through mail personal or telephone interviewing and firms that specialize in interviewing are called field service organizations These organizations may range from small proprietary organizations which operate locally to large multinational organizations with WATS line interviewing facilities Some organizations maintain extensive interviewing facilities across the country for interviewing shoppers in malls
Coding and data entry services include editing completed questionnaires developing a coding scheme and transcribing the data on to diskettes or magnetic tapes for input into the computer NRC Data Systems provides such services
Analytical services include designing and pretesting questionnaires determining the best means of collecting data designing sampling plans and other aspects of the research design Some complex
marketing research projects require knowledge of sophisticated procedures including specialized experimental designs and analytical techniques such as conjoint analysis and multidimensional scaling This kind of expertise can be obtained from firms and consultants specializing in analytical services
Data analysis services are offered by firms also known as tab houses that specialize in computer analysis of quantitative data such as those obtained in large surveys Initially most data analysis firms supplied only tabulations (frequency counts) and cross tabulations (frequency counts that describe two or more variables simultaneously) With the proliferation of software many firms now have the capability to analyze their own data but data analysis firms are still in demand
Branded marketing research products and services are specialized data collection and analysis procedures developed to address specific types of marketing research problems These procedures are patented given brand names and marketed like any other branded product
Types of marketing research
Marketing research techniques come in many forms including
Ad Tracking ndash periodic or continuous in-market research to monitor a brandrsquos performance using measures such as brand awareness brand preference and product usage (Young 2005)
Advertising Research ndash used to predict copy testing or track the efficacy of advertisements for any medium measured by the adrsquos ability to get attention (measured with Attention Tracking) communicate the message build the brandrsquos image and motivate the consumer to purchase the product or service (Young 2005)
Brand equity research - how favorably do consumers view the brand
Brand association research - what do consumers associate with the brand
Brand attribute research - what are the key traits that describe the brand promise
Brand name testing - what do consumers feel about the names of the products
Commercial eye tracking research - examine advertisements package designs websites etc by analyzing visual behavior of the consumer
Concept testing - to test the acceptance of a concept by target consumers
Cool hunting - to make observations and predictions in changes of new or existing cultural trends in areas such as fashion music films television youth culture and lifestyle
Buyer decision processes research - to determine what motivates people to buy and what decision-making process they use
Copy testing ndash predicts in-market performance of an ad before it airs by analyzing audience levels of attention brand linkage motivation entertainment and communication as well as breaking down the adrsquos flow of attention and flow of emotion (Young p 213)
Customer satisfaction research - quantitative or qualitative studies that yields an understanding of a customers of satisfaction with a transaction
Demand estimation - to determine the approximate level of demand for the product
Distribution channel audits - to assess distributorsrsquo and retailersrsquo attitudes toward a product brand or company
Internet strategic intelligence - searching for customer opinions in the Internet chats forums web pages blogs where people express freely about their experiences with products becoming strong opinion formers
Marketing effectiveness and analytics - Building models and measuring results to determine the effectiveness of individual marketing activities
Mystery Consumer or Mystery shopping - An employee or representative of the market research firm anonymously contacts a salesperson and indicates he or she is shopping for a product The shopper then records the entire experience This method is often used for quality control or for researching competitors products
Positioning research - how does the target market see the brand relative to competitors - what does the brand stand for
Price elasticity testing - to determine how sensitive customers are to price changes
Sales forecasting - to determine the expected level of sales given the level of demand With respect to other factors like Advertising expenditure sales promotion etc
Segmentation research - to determine the demographic psychographic and behavioural characteristics of potential buyers
Online panel - a group of individual who accepted to respond to marketing research online
Store audit - to measure the sales of a product or product line at a statistically selected store sample in order to determine market share or to determine whether a retail store provides adequate service
Test marketing - a small-scale product launch used to determine the likely acceptance of the product when it is introduced into a wider market
Viral Marketing Research - refers to marketing research designed to estimate the probability that specific communications will be transmitted throughout an individuals Social Network Estimates of Social Networking Potential (SNP) are combined with estimates of selling effectiveness to estimate ROI on specific combinations of messages and media
All of these forms of marketing research can be classified as either problem-identification research or as problem-solving research
There are two main sources of data - primary and secondary Primary research is conducted from scratch It is original and collected to solve the problem in hand Secondary research already exists since it has been collected for other purposes It is conducted on data published previously and usually by someone else Secondary research costs far less than primary research but seldom comes in a form that exactly meets the needs of the researcher
A similar distinction exists between exploratory research and conclusive research Exploratory research provides insights into and comprehension of an issue or situation It should draw definitive conclusions only with extreme caution Conclusive research draws conclusions the results of the study can be generalized to the whole population
Exploratory research is conducted to explore a problem to get some basic idea about the solution at the preliminary stages of research It may serve as the input to conclusive research Exploratory research information is collected by focus group interviews reviewing literature or books discussing with experts etc This is unstructured and qualitative in nature If a secondary source of data is unable to serve the purpose a convenience sample of small size can be collected Conclusive research is conducted to draw some conclusion about the problem It is essentially structured and quantitative research and the
output of this research is the input to MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS (MIS)
Marketing research methods
Methodologically marketing research uses the following types of research designs
Based on questioning
Qualitative marketing research - generally used for exploratory purposes - small number of respondents - not generalizable to the whole population - statistical significance and confidence not calculated - examples include focus groups in-depth interviews and projective techniques
Quantitative marketing research - generally used to draw conclusions - tests a specific hypothesis - uses random sampling techniques so as to infer from the sample to the population - involves a large number of respondents - examples include surveys and questionnaires Techniques include choice modelling maximum difference preference scaling and covariance analysis
Based on observations
Ethnographic studies - by nature qualitative the researcher observes social phenomena in their natural setting - observations can
occur cross-sectionally (observations made at one time) or longitudinally (observations occur over several time-periods) ndash
examples include product-use analysis and computer cookie traces See also Ethnography and Observational techniques
Experimental techniques - by nature quantitative the researcher creates a quasi-artificial environment to try to control spurious factors
then manipulates at least one of the variables - examples include purchase laboratories and test markets
Questionnaires 1 What are the objectives of the marketing strategy Are they clearly stated Are they consistent with the objectives of the firm Is the entire marketing mix structured to meet these objectives
2 What marketing concepts are at issue in the current strategy Is the marketing strategy well planned and laid out Is the strategy consistent with sound marketing principles If the strategy takes exception to marketing principles is there a good reason for it
3 To what target market is the strategy directed Is it well defined Is the market large enough to be profitably served Does the market have long-run potential
4 What competitive advantage does the marketing strategy offer If none what can be done to gain a competitive advantage in the marketplace
5 What products are being sold What is the width depth and consistency of the firms product lines Does the firm need new products to fill out its product line Should any product be deleted What is the profitability of the various products
6 What promotion mix is being used Is promotion consistent with the products and product images What could be done to improve the promotion mix
7 What channels of distribution are being used Do they deliver the product at the right time and right place to meet consumer needs Are the channels typical of those used in the industry Could channels be made more efficient
8 What pricing strategies are being used How do prices compare with similar products of other firms How are prices determined
9 Are marketing research and information systematically integrated into the marketing strategy Is the overall marketing strategy internally consistent
8 ANALYSIS
Market Analysis
The goal of a market analysis is to determine the attractiveness of a market and to understand its evolving opportunities and threats as they relate to the strengths and weaknesses of the firm
David A Aaker outlined the following dimensions of a market analysis
Market size (current and future)
Market growth rate
Market profitability
Industry cost structure
Distribution channels
Market trends
Key success factors
Market Size
The size of the market can be evaluated based on present sales and on potential sales if the use of the product were expanded The following are some information sources for determining market size
government data
trade associations financial data from major players customer surveys
Market Growth Rate
A simple means of forecasting the market growth rate is to extrapolate historical data into the future While this method may provide a first-order estimate it does not predict important turning points A better method is to study growth drivers such as demographic information and sales growth in complementary products Such drivers serve as leading indicators that are more accurate than simply extrapolating historical data
Important inflection points in the market growth rate sometimes can be predicted by constructing a product diffusion curve The shape of the curve can be estimated by studying the characteristics of the adoption rate of a similar product in the past
Ultimately the maturity and decline stages of the product life cycle will be reached Some leading indicators of the decline phase include price pressure caused by competition a decrease in brand loyalty the emergence of substitute products market saturation and the lack of growth drivers
Market Profitability
While different firms in a market will have different levels of profitability the average profit potential for a market can be used as a guideline for knowing how difficult it is to make money in the market Michael Porter devised a useful framework for evaluating the attractiveness of an industry or market This framework known as Porters five forces identifies five factors that influence the market profitability
Buyer power
Supplier power
Barriers to entry
Threat of substitute products
Rivalry among firms in the industry
Industry Cost Structure
The cost structure is important for identifying key factors for success To this end Porters value chain model is useful for determining where value is added and for isolating the costs
The cost structure also is helpful for formulating strategies to develop a competitive advantage For example in some environments the experience curve effect can be used to develop a cost advantage over competitors
Distribution Channels
The following aspects of the distribution system are useful in a market analysis
Existing distribution channels - can be described by how direct they are to the customer
Trends and emerging channels - new channels can offer the opportunity to develop a competitive advantage
Channel power structure - for example in the case of a product having little brand equity retailers have negotiating power over manufacturers and can capture more margin
Market Trends
Changes in the market are important because they often are the source of new opportunities and threats The relevant trends are industry-dependent but some examples include changes in price sensitivity demand for variety and level of emphasis on service and support Regional trends also may be relevant
Key Success Factors
The key success factors are those elements that are necessary in order for the firm to achieve its marketing objectives A few examples of such factors include
Access to essential unique resources
Ability to achieve economies of scale
Access to distribution channels
Technological progress
It is important to consider that key success factors may change over time especially as the product progresses through its life cycle
9 CONCLUSIONS
Organizations engage in marketing research for two reasons
(1) (1) to identify (2) and (2) solve marketing problems
(3)
This distinction serves as a basis for classifying marketing research into problem identification research and problem solving research
Problem identification research is undertaken to help identify problems which are perhaps not apparent on the surface and yet exist or are likely to company image market characteristics sales analysis short-range forecasting long range forecasting and business trends research Research of this type provides information about the marketing environment and helps diagnose a problem For example The findings of problem solving research are used in making decisions which will solve specific marketing problems
The Stanford Research Institute on the other hand conducts an annual survey of consumers that is used to classify persons into homogeneous groups for segmentation purposes The National Purchase Diary panel (NPD) maintains the largest diary panel in the United States
Standardized services are research studies conducted for different client firms but in a standard way For example procedures for measuring
advertising effectiveness have been standardized so that the results can be compared across studies and evaluative norms can be established The Starch Readership Survey is the most widely used service for evaluating print advertisements another well-known service is the Gallup and Robinson Magazine Impact Studies These services are also sold on a syndicated basis
Customized services offer a wide variety of marketing research services customized to suit a clients specific needs Each marketing research project is treated uniquely
Limited-service suppliers specialize in one or a few phases of the marketing research project Services offered by such suppliers are classified as field services coding and data entry data analysis analytical services and branded products Field services collect data through mail personal or telephone interviewing and firms that specialize in interviewing are called field service organizations These organizations may range from small proprietary organizations which operate locally to large multinational organizations with WATS line interviewing facilities Some organizations maintain extensive interviewing facilities across the country for interviewing shoppers in malls
Coding and data entry services include editing completed questionnaires developing a coding scheme and transcribing the data on to diskettes or magnetic tapes for input into the computer NRC Data Systems provides such services
Analytical services include designing and pretesting questionnaires determining the best means of collecting data designing sampling plans and other aspects of the research design Some complex
marketing research projects require knowledge of sophisticated procedures including specialized experimental designs and analytical techniques such as conjoint analysis and multidimensional scaling This kind of expertise can be obtained from firms and consultants specializing in analytical services
Data analysis services are offered by firms also known as tab houses that specialize in computer analysis of quantitative data such as those obtained in large surveys Initially most data analysis firms supplied only tabulations (frequency counts) and cross tabulations (frequency counts that describe two or more variables simultaneously) With the proliferation of software many firms now have the capability to analyze their own data but data analysis firms are still in demand
Branded marketing research products and services are specialized data collection and analysis procedures developed to address specific types of marketing research problems These procedures are patented given brand names and marketed like any other branded product
Types of marketing research
Marketing research techniques come in many forms including
Ad Tracking ndash periodic or continuous in-market research to monitor a brandrsquos performance using measures such as brand awareness brand preference and product usage (Young 2005)
Advertising Research ndash used to predict copy testing or track the efficacy of advertisements for any medium measured by the adrsquos ability to get attention (measured with Attention Tracking) communicate the message build the brandrsquos image and motivate the consumer to purchase the product or service (Young 2005)
Brand equity research - how favorably do consumers view the brand
Brand association research - what do consumers associate with the brand
Brand attribute research - what are the key traits that describe the brand promise
Brand name testing - what do consumers feel about the names of the products
Commercial eye tracking research - examine advertisements package designs websites etc by analyzing visual behavior of the consumer
Concept testing - to test the acceptance of a concept by target consumers
Cool hunting - to make observations and predictions in changes of new or existing cultural trends in areas such as fashion music films television youth culture and lifestyle
Buyer decision processes research - to determine what motivates people to buy and what decision-making process they use
Copy testing ndash predicts in-market performance of an ad before it airs by analyzing audience levels of attention brand linkage motivation entertainment and communication as well as breaking down the adrsquos flow of attention and flow of emotion (Young p 213)
Customer satisfaction research - quantitative or qualitative studies that yields an understanding of a customers of satisfaction with a transaction
Demand estimation - to determine the approximate level of demand for the product
Distribution channel audits - to assess distributorsrsquo and retailersrsquo attitudes toward a product brand or company
Internet strategic intelligence - searching for customer opinions in the Internet chats forums web pages blogs where people express freely about their experiences with products becoming strong opinion formers
Marketing effectiveness and analytics - Building models and measuring results to determine the effectiveness of individual marketing activities
Mystery Consumer or Mystery shopping - An employee or representative of the market research firm anonymously contacts a salesperson and indicates he or she is shopping for a product The shopper then records the entire experience This method is often used for quality control or for researching competitors products
Positioning research - how does the target market see the brand relative to competitors - what does the brand stand for
Price elasticity testing - to determine how sensitive customers are to price changes
Sales forecasting - to determine the expected level of sales given the level of demand With respect to other factors like Advertising expenditure sales promotion etc
Segmentation research - to determine the demographic psychographic and behavioural characteristics of potential buyers
Online panel - a group of individual who accepted to respond to marketing research online
Store audit - to measure the sales of a product or product line at a statistically selected store sample in order to determine market share or to determine whether a retail store provides adequate service
Test marketing - a small-scale product launch used to determine the likely acceptance of the product when it is introduced into a wider market
Viral Marketing Research - refers to marketing research designed to estimate the probability that specific communications will be transmitted throughout an individuals Social Network Estimates of Social Networking Potential (SNP) are combined with estimates of selling effectiveness to estimate ROI on specific combinations of messages and media
All of these forms of marketing research can be classified as either problem-identification research or as problem-solving research
There are two main sources of data - primary and secondary Primary research is conducted from scratch It is original and collected to solve the problem in hand Secondary research already exists since it has been collected for other purposes It is conducted on data published previously and usually by someone else Secondary research costs far less than primary research but seldom comes in a form that exactly meets the needs of the researcher
A similar distinction exists between exploratory research and conclusive research Exploratory research provides insights into and comprehension of an issue or situation It should draw definitive conclusions only with extreme caution Conclusive research draws conclusions the results of the study can be generalized to the whole population
Exploratory research is conducted to explore a problem to get some basic idea about the solution at the preliminary stages of research It may serve as the input to conclusive research Exploratory research information is collected by focus group interviews reviewing literature or books discussing with experts etc This is unstructured and qualitative in nature If a secondary source of data is unable to serve the purpose a convenience sample of small size can be collected Conclusive research is conducted to draw some conclusion about the problem It is essentially structured and quantitative research and the
output of this research is the input to MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS (MIS)
Marketing research methods
Methodologically marketing research uses the following types of research designs
Based on questioning
Qualitative marketing research - generally used for exploratory purposes - small number of respondents - not generalizable to the whole population - statistical significance and confidence not calculated - examples include focus groups in-depth interviews and projective techniques
Quantitative marketing research - generally used to draw conclusions - tests a specific hypothesis - uses random sampling techniques so as to infer from the sample to the population - involves a large number of respondents - examples include surveys and questionnaires Techniques include choice modelling maximum difference preference scaling and covariance analysis
Based on observations
Ethnographic studies - by nature qualitative the researcher observes social phenomena in their natural setting - observations can
occur cross-sectionally (observations made at one time) or longitudinally (observations occur over several time-periods) ndash
examples include product-use analysis and computer cookie traces See also Ethnography and Observational techniques
Experimental techniques - by nature quantitative the researcher creates a quasi-artificial environment to try to control spurious factors
then manipulates at least one of the variables - examples include purchase laboratories and test markets
Questionnaires 1 What are the objectives of the marketing strategy Are they clearly stated Are they consistent with the objectives of the firm Is the entire marketing mix structured to meet these objectives
2 What marketing concepts are at issue in the current strategy Is the marketing strategy well planned and laid out Is the strategy consistent with sound marketing principles If the strategy takes exception to marketing principles is there a good reason for it
3 To what target market is the strategy directed Is it well defined Is the market large enough to be profitably served Does the market have long-run potential
4 What competitive advantage does the marketing strategy offer If none what can be done to gain a competitive advantage in the marketplace
5 What products are being sold What is the width depth and consistency of the firms product lines Does the firm need new products to fill out its product line Should any product be deleted What is the profitability of the various products
6 What promotion mix is being used Is promotion consistent with the products and product images What could be done to improve the promotion mix
7 What channels of distribution are being used Do they deliver the product at the right time and right place to meet consumer needs Are the channels typical of those used in the industry Could channels be made more efficient
8 What pricing strategies are being used How do prices compare with similar products of other firms How are prices determined
9 Are marketing research and information systematically integrated into the marketing strategy Is the overall marketing strategy internally consistent
trade associations financial data from major players customer surveys
Market Growth Rate
A simple means of forecasting the market growth rate is to extrapolate historical data into the future While this method may provide a first-order estimate it does not predict important turning points A better method is to study growth drivers such as demographic information and sales growth in complementary products Such drivers serve as leading indicators that are more accurate than simply extrapolating historical data
Important inflection points in the market growth rate sometimes can be predicted by constructing a product diffusion curve The shape of the curve can be estimated by studying the characteristics of the adoption rate of a similar product in the past
Ultimately the maturity and decline stages of the product life cycle will be reached Some leading indicators of the decline phase include price pressure caused by competition a decrease in brand loyalty the emergence of substitute products market saturation and the lack of growth drivers
Market Profitability
While different firms in a market will have different levels of profitability the average profit potential for a market can be used as a guideline for knowing how difficult it is to make money in the market Michael Porter devised a useful framework for evaluating the attractiveness of an industry or market This framework known as Porters five forces identifies five factors that influence the market profitability
Buyer power
Supplier power
Barriers to entry
Threat of substitute products
Rivalry among firms in the industry
Industry Cost Structure
The cost structure is important for identifying key factors for success To this end Porters value chain model is useful for determining where value is added and for isolating the costs
The cost structure also is helpful for formulating strategies to develop a competitive advantage For example in some environments the experience curve effect can be used to develop a cost advantage over competitors
Distribution Channels
The following aspects of the distribution system are useful in a market analysis
Existing distribution channels - can be described by how direct they are to the customer
Trends and emerging channels - new channels can offer the opportunity to develop a competitive advantage
Channel power structure - for example in the case of a product having little brand equity retailers have negotiating power over manufacturers and can capture more margin
Market Trends
Changes in the market are important because they often are the source of new opportunities and threats The relevant trends are industry-dependent but some examples include changes in price sensitivity demand for variety and level of emphasis on service and support Regional trends also may be relevant
Key Success Factors
The key success factors are those elements that are necessary in order for the firm to achieve its marketing objectives A few examples of such factors include
Access to essential unique resources
Ability to achieve economies of scale
Access to distribution channels
Technological progress
It is important to consider that key success factors may change over time especially as the product progresses through its life cycle
9 CONCLUSIONS
Organizations engage in marketing research for two reasons
(1) (1) to identify (2) and (2) solve marketing problems
(3)
This distinction serves as a basis for classifying marketing research into problem identification research and problem solving research
Problem identification research is undertaken to help identify problems which are perhaps not apparent on the surface and yet exist or are likely to company image market characteristics sales analysis short-range forecasting long range forecasting and business trends research Research of this type provides information about the marketing environment and helps diagnose a problem For example The findings of problem solving research are used in making decisions which will solve specific marketing problems
The Stanford Research Institute on the other hand conducts an annual survey of consumers that is used to classify persons into homogeneous groups for segmentation purposes The National Purchase Diary panel (NPD) maintains the largest diary panel in the United States
Standardized services are research studies conducted for different client firms but in a standard way For example procedures for measuring
advertising effectiveness have been standardized so that the results can be compared across studies and evaluative norms can be established The Starch Readership Survey is the most widely used service for evaluating print advertisements another well-known service is the Gallup and Robinson Magazine Impact Studies These services are also sold on a syndicated basis
Customized services offer a wide variety of marketing research services customized to suit a clients specific needs Each marketing research project is treated uniquely
Limited-service suppliers specialize in one or a few phases of the marketing research project Services offered by such suppliers are classified as field services coding and data entry data analysis analytical services and branded products Field services collect data through mail personal or telephone interviewing and firms that specialize in interviewing are called field service organizations These organizations may range from small proprietary organizations which operate locally to large multinational organizations with WATS line interviewing facilities Some organizations maintain extensive interviewing facilities across the country for interviewing shoppers in malls
Coding and data entry services include editing completed questionnaires developing a coding scheme and transcribing the data on to diskettes or magnetic tapes for input into the computer NRC Data Systems provides such services
Analytical services include designing and pretesting questionnaires determining the best means of collecting data designing sampling plans and other aspects of the research design Some complex
marketing research projects require knowledge of sophisticated procedures including specialized experimental designs and analytical techniques such as conjoint analysis and multidimensional scaling This kind of expertise can be obtained from firms and consultants specializing in analytical services
Data analysis services are offered by firms also known as tab houses that specialize in computer analysis of quantitative data such as those obtained in large surveys Initially most data analysis firms supplied only tabulations (frequency counts) and cross tabulations (frequency counts that describe two or more variables simultaneously) With the proliferation of software many firms now have the capability to analyze their own data but data analysis firms are still in demand
Branded marketing research products and services are specialized data collection and analysis procedures developed to address specific types of marketing research problems These procedures are patented given brand names and marketed like any other branded product
Types of marketing research
Marketing research techniques come in many forms including
Ad Tracking ndash periodic or continuous in-market research to monitor a brandrsquos performance using measures such as brand awareness brand preference and product usage (Young 2005)
Advertising Research ndash used to predict copy testing or track the efficacy of advertisements for any medium measured by the adrsquos ability to get attention (measured with Attention Tracking) communicate the message build the brandrsquos image and motivate the consumer to purchase the product or service (Young 2005)
Brand equity research - how favorably do consumers view the brand
Brand association research - what do consumers associate with the brand
Brand attribute research - what are the key traits that describe the brand promise
Brand name testing - what do consumers feel about the names of the products
Commercial eye tracking research - examine advertisements package designs websites etc by analyzing visual behavior of the consumer
Concept testing - to test the acceptance of a concept by target consumers
Cool hunting - to make observations and predictions in changes of new or existing cultural trends in areas such as fashion music films television youth culture and lifestyle
Buyer decision processes research - to determine what motivates people to buy and what decision-making process they use
Copy testing ndash predicts in-market performance of an ad before it airs by analyzing audience levels of attention brand linkage motivation entertainment and communication as well as breaking down the adrsquos flow of attention and flow of emotion (Young p 213)
Customer satisfaction research - quantitative or qualitative studies that yields an understanding of a customers of satisfaction with a transaction
Demand estimation - to determine the approximate level of demand for the product
Distribution channel audits - to assess distributorsrsquo and retailersrsquo attitudes toward a product brand or company
Internet strategic intelligence - searching for customer opinions in the Internet chats forums web pages blogs where people express freely about their experiences with products becoming strong opinion formers
Marketing effectiveness and analytics - Building models and measuring results to determine the effectiveness of individual marketing activities
Mystery Consumer or Mystery shopping - An employee or representative of the market research firm anonymously contacts a salesperson and indicates he or she is shopping for a product The shopper then records the entire experience This method is often used for quality control or for researching competitors products
Positioning research - how does the target market see the brand relative to competitors - what does the brand stand for
Price elasticity testing - to determine how sensitive customers are to price changes
Sales forecasting - to determine the expected level of sales given the level of demand With respect to other factors like Advertising expenditure sales promotion etc
Segmentation research - to determine the demographic psychographic and behavioural characteristics of potential buyers
Online panel - a group of individual who accepted to respond to marketing research online
Store audit - to measure the sales of a product or product line at a statistically selected store sample in order to determine market share or to determine whether a retail store provides adequate service
Test marketing - a small-scale product launch used to determine the likely acceptance of the product when it is introduced into a wider market
Viral Marketing Research - refers to marketing research designed to estimate the probability that specific communications will be transmitted throughout an individuals Social Network Estimates of Social Networking Potential (SNP) are combined with estimates of selling effectiveness to estimate ROI on specific combinations of messages and media
All of these forms of marketing research can be classified as either problem-identification research or as problem-solving research
There are two main sources of data - primary and secondary Primary research is conducted from scratch It is original and collected to solve the problem in hand Secondary research already exists since it has been collected for other purposes It is conducted on data published previously and usually by someone else Secondary research costs far less than primary research but seldom comes in a form that exactly meets the needs of the researcher
A similar distinction exists between exploratory research and conclusive research Exploratory research provides insights into and comprehension of an issue or situation It should draw definitive conclusions only with extreme caution Conclusive research draws conclusions the results of the study can be generalized to the whole population
Exploratory research is conducted to explore a problem to get some basic idea about the solution at the preliminary stages of research It may serve as the input to conclusive research Exploratory research information is collected by focus group interviews reviewing literature or books discussing with experts etc This is unstructured and qualitative in nature If a secondary source of data is unable to serve the purpose a convenience sample of small size can be collected Conclusive research is conducted to draw some conclusion about the problem It is essentially structured and quantitative research and the
output of this research is the input to MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS (MIS)
Marketing research methods
Methodologically marketing research uses the following types of research designs
Based on questioning
Qualitative marketing research - generally used for exploratory purposes - small number of respondents - not generalizable to the whole population - statistical significance and confidence not calculated - examples include focus groups in-depth interviews and projective techniques
Quantitative marketing research - generally used to draw conclusions - tests a specific hypothesis - uses random sampling techniques so as to infer from the sample to the population - involves a large number of respondents - examples include surveys and questionnaires Techniques include choice modelling maximum difference preference scaling and covariance analysis
Based on observations
Ethnographic studies - by nature qualitative the researcher observes social phenomena in their natural setting - observations can
occur cross-sectionally (observations made at one time) or longitudinally (observations occur over several time-periods) ndash
examples include product-use analysis and computer cookie traces See also Ethnography and Observational techniques
Experimental techniques - by nature quantitative the researcher creates a quasi-artificial environment to try to control spurious factors
then manipulates at least one of the variables - examples include purchase laboratories and test markets
Questionnaires 1 What are the objectives of the marketing strategy Are they clearly stated Are they consistent with the objectives of the firm Is the entire marketing mix structured to meet these objectives
2 What marketing concepts are at issue in the current strategy Is the marketing strategy well planned and laid out Is the strategy consistent with sound marketing principles If the strategy takes exception to marketing principles is there a good reason for it
3 To what target market is the strategy directed Is it well defined Is the market large enough to be profitably served Does the market have long-run potential
4 What competitive advantage does the marketing strategy offer If none what can be done to gain a competitive advantage in the marketplace
5 What products are being sold What is the width depth and consistency of the firms product lines Does the firm need new products to fill out its product line Should any product be deleted What is the profitability of the various products
6 What promotion mix is being used Is promotion consistent with the products and product images What could be done to improve the promotion mix
7 What channels of distribution are being used Do they deliver the product at the right time and right place to meet consumer needs Are the channels typical of those used in the industry Could channels be made more efficient
8 What pricing strategies are being used How do prices compare with similar products of other firms How are prices determined
9 Are marketing research and information systematically integrated into the marketing strategy Is the overall marketing strategy internally consistent
Market Profitability
While different firms in a market will have different levels of profitability the average profit potential for a market can be used as a guideline for knowing how difficult it is to make money in the market Michael Porter devised a useful framework for evaluating the attractiveness of an industry or market This framework known as Porters five forces identifies five factors that influence the market profitability
Buyer power
Supplier power
Barriers to entry
Threat of substitute products
Rivalry among firms in the industry
Industry Cost Structure
The cost structure is important for identifying key factors for success To this end Porters value chain model is useful for determining where value is added and for isolating the costs
The cost structure also is helpful for formulating strategies to develop a competitive advantage For example in some environments the experience curve effect can be used to develop a cost advantage over competitors
Distribution Channels
The following aspects of the distribution system are useful in a market analysis
Existing distribution channels - can be described by how direct they are to the customer
Trends and emerging channels - new channels can offer the opportunity to develop a competitive advantage
Channel power structure - for example in the case of a product having little brand equity retailers have negotiating power over manufacturers and can capture more margin
Market Trends
Changes in the market are important because they often are the source of new opportunities and threats The relevant trends are industry-dependent but some examples include changes in price sensitivity demand for variety and level of emphasis on service and support Regional trends also may be relevant
Key Success Factors
The key success factors are those elements that are necessary in order for the firm to achieve its marketing objectives A few examples of such factors include
Access to essential unique resources
Ability to achieve economies of scale
Access to distribution channels
Technological progress
It is important to consider that key success factors may change over time especially as the product progresses through its life cycle
9 CONCLUSIONS
Organizations engage in marketing research for two reasons
(1) (1) to identify (2) and (2) solve marketing problems
(3)
This distinction serves as a basis for classifying marketing research into problem identification research and problem solving research
Problem identification research is undertaken to help identify problems which are perhaps not apparent on the surface and yet exist or are likely to company image market characteristics sales analysis short-range forecasting long range forecasting and business trends research Research of this type provides information about the marketing environment and helps diagnose a problem For example The findings of problem solving research are used in making decisions which will solve specific marketing problems
The Stanford Research Institute on the other hand conducts an annual survey of consumers that is used to classify persons into homogeneous groups for segmentation purposes The National Purchase Diary panel (NPD) maintains the largest diary panel in the United States
Standardized services are research studies conducted for different client firms but in a standard way For example procedures for measuring
advertising effectiveness have been standardized so that the results can be compared across studies and evaluative norms can be established The Starch Readership Survey is the most widely used service for evaluating print advertisements another well-known service is the Gallup and Robinson Magazine Impact Studies These services are also sold on a syndicated basis
Customized services offer a wide variety of marketing research services customized to suit a clients specific needs Each marketing research project is treated uniquely
Limited-service suppliers specialize in one or a few phases of the marketing research project Services offered by such suppliers are classified as field services coding and data entry data analysis analytical services and branded products Field services collect data through mail personal or telephone interviewing and firms that specialize in interviewing are called field service organizations These organizations may range from small proprietary organizations which operate locally to large multinational organizations with WATS line interviewing facilities Some organizations maintain extensive interviewing facilities across the country for interviewing shoppers in malls
Coding and data entry services include editing completed questionnaires developing a coding scheme and transcribing the data on to diskettes or magnetic tapes for input into the computer NRC Data Systems provides such services
Analytical services include designing and pretesting questionnaires determining the best means of collecting data designing sampling plans and other aspects of the research design Some complex
marketing research projects require knowledge of sophisticated procedures including specialized experimental designs and analytical techniques such as conjoint analysis and multidimensional scaling This kind of expertise can be obtained from firms and consultants specializing in analytical services
Data analysis services are offered by firms also known as tab houses that specialize in computer analysis of quantitative data such as those obtained in large surveys Initially most data analysis firms supplied only tabulations (frequency counts) and cross tabulations (frequency counts that describe two or more variables simultaneously) With the proliferation of software many firms now have the capability to analyze their own data but data analysis firms are still in demand
Branded marketing research products and services are specialized data collection and analysis procedures developed to address specific types of marketing research problems These procedures are patented given brand names and marketed like any other branded product
Types of marketing research
Marketing research techniques come in many forms including
Ad Tracking ndash periodic or continuous in-market research to monitor a brandrsquos performance using measures such as brand awareness brand preference and product usage (Young 2005)
Advertising Research ndash used to predict copy testing or track the efficacy of advertisements for any medium measured by the adrsquos ability to get attention (measured with Attention Tracking) communicate the message build the brandrsquos image and motivate the consumer to purchase the product or service (Young 2005)
Brand equity research - how favorably do consumers view the brand
Brand association research - what do consumers associate with the brand
Brand attribute research - what are the key traits that describe the brand promise
Brand name testing - what do consumers feel about the names of the products
Commercial eye tracking research - examine advertisements package designs websites etc by analyzing visual behavior of the consumer
Concept testing - to test the acceptance of a concept by target consumers
Cool hunting - to make observations and predictions in changes of new or existing cultural trends in areas such as fashion music films television youth culture and lifestyle
Buyer decision processes research - to determine what motivates people to buy and what decision-making process they use
Copy testing ndash predicts in-market performance of an ad before it airs by analyzing audience levels of attention brand linkage motivation entertainment and communication as well as breaking down the adrsquos flow of attention and flow of emotion (Young p 213)
Customer satisfaction research - quantitative or qualitative studies that yields an understanding of a customers of satisfaction with a transaction
Demand estimation - to determine the approximate level of demand for the product
Distribution channel audits - to assess distributorsrsquo and retailersrsquo attitudes toward a product brand or company
Internet strategic intelligence - searching for customer opinions in the Internet chats forums web pages blogs where people express freely about their experiences with products becoming strong opinion formers
Marketing effectiveness and analytics - Building models and measuring results to determine the effectiveness of individual marketing activities
Mystery Consumer or Mystery shopping - An employee or representative of the market research firm anonymously contacts a salesperson and indicates he or she is shopping for a product The shopper then records the entire experience This method is often used for quality control or for researching competitors products
Positioning research - how does the target market see the brand relative to competitors - what does the brand stand for
Price elasticity testing - to determine how sensitive customers are to price changes
Sales forecasting - to determine the expected level of sales given the level of demand With respect to other factors like Advertising expenditure sales promotion etc
Segmentation research - to determine the demographic psychographic and behavioural characteristics of potential buyers
Online panel - a group of individual who accepted to respond to marketing research online
Store audit - to measure the sales of a product or product line at a statistically selected store sample in order to determine market share or to determine whether a retail store provides adequate service
Test marketing - a small-scale product launch used to determine the likely acceptance of the product when it is introduced into a wider market
Viral Marketing Research - refers to marketing research designed to estimate the probability that specific communications will be transmitted throughout an individuals Social Network Estimates of Social Networking Potential (SNP) are combined with estimates of selling effectiveness to estimate ROI on specific combinations of messages and media
All of these forms of marketing research can be classified as either problem-identification research or as problem-solving research
There are two main sources of data - primary and secondary Primary research is conducted from scratch It is original and collected to solve the problem in hand Secondary research already exists since it has been collected for other purposes It is conducted on data published previously and usually by someone else Secondary research costs far less than primary research but seldom comes in a form that exactly meets the needs of the researcher
A similar distinction exists between exploratory research and conclusive research Exploratory research provides insights into and comprehension of an issue or situation It should draw definitive conclusions only with extreme caution Conclusive research draws conclusions the results of the study can be generalized to the whole population
Exploratory research is conducted to explore a problem to get some basic idea about the solution at the preliminary stages of research It may serve as the input to conclusive research Exploratory research information is collected by focus group interviews reviewing literature or books discussing with experts etc This is unstructured and qualitative in nature If a secondary source of data is unable to serve the purpose a convenience sample of small size can be collected Conclusive research is conducted to draw some conclusion about the problem It is essentially structured and quantitative research and the
output of this research is the input to MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS (MIS)
Marketing research methods
Methodologically marketing research uses the following types of research designs
Based on questioning
Qualitative marketing research - generally used for exploratory purposes - small number of respondents - not generalizable to the whole population - statistical significance and confidence not calculated - examples include focus groups in-depth interviews and projective techniques
Quantitative marketing research - generally used to draw conclusions - tests a specific hypothesis - uses random sampling techniques so as to infer from the sample to the population - involves a large number of respondents - examples include surveys and questionnaires Techniques include choice modelling maximum difference preference scaling and covariance analysis
Based on observations
Ethnographic studies - by nature qualitative the researcher observes social phenomena in their natural setting - observations can
occur cross-sectionally (observations made at one time) or longitudinally (observations occur over several time-periods) ndash
examples include product-use analysis and computer cookie traces See also Ethnography and Observational techniques
Experimental techniques - by nature quantitative the researcher creates a quasi-artificial environment to try to control spurious factors
then manipulates at least one of the variables - examples include purchase laboratories and test markets
Questionnaires 1 What are the objectives of the marketing strategy Are they clearly stated Are they consistent with the objectives of the firm Is the entire marketing mix structured to meet these objectives
2 What marketing concepts are at issue in the current strategy Is the marketing strategy well planned and laid out Is the strategy consistent with sound marketing principles If the strategy takes exception to marketing principles is there a good reason for it
3 To what target market is the strategy directed Is it well defined Is the market large enough to be profitably served Does the market have long-run potential
4 What competitive advantage does the marketing strategy offer If none what can be done to gain a competitive advantage in the marketplace
5 What products are being sold What is the width depth and consistency of the firms product lines Does the firm need new products to fill out its product line Should any product be deleted What is the profitability of the various products
6 What promotion mix is being used Is promotion consistent with the products and product images What could be done to improve the promotion mix
7 What channels of distribution are being used Do they deliver the product at the right time and right place to meet consumer needs Are the channels typical of those used in the industry Could channels be made more efficient
8 What pricing strategies are being used How do prices compare with similar products of other firms How are prices determined
9 Are marketing research and information systematically integrated into the marketing strategy Is the overall marketing strategy internally consistent
Distribution Channels
The following aspects of the distribution system are useful in a market analysis
Existing distribution channels - can be described by how direct they are to the customer
Trends and emerging channels - new channels can offer the opportunity to develop a competitive advantage
Channel power structure - for example in the case of a product having little brand equity retailers have negotiating power over manufacturers and can capture more margin
Market Trends
Changes in the market are important because they often are the source of new opportunities and threats The relevant trends are industry-dependent but some examples include changes in price sensitivity demand for variety and level of emphasis on service and support Regional trends also may be relevant
Key Success Factors
The key success factors are those elements that are necessary in order for the firm to achieve its marketing objectives A few examples of such factors include
Access to essential unique resources
Ability to achieve economies of scale
Access to distribution channels
Technological progress
It is important to consider that key success factors may change over time especially as the product progresses through its life cycle
9 CONCLUSIONS
Organizations engage in marketing research for two reasons
(1) (1) to identify (2) and (2) solve marketing problems
(3)
This distinction serves as a basis for classifying marketing research into problem identification research and problem solving research
Problem identification research is undertaken to help identify problems which are perhaps not apparent on the surface and yet exist or are likely to company image market characteristics sales analysis short-range forecasting long range forecasting and business trends research Research of this type provides information about the marketing environment and helps diagnose a problem For example The findings of problem solving research are used in making decisions which will solve specific marketing problems
The Stanford Research Institute on the other hand conducts an annual survey of consumers that is used to classify persons into homogeneous groups for segmentation purposes The National Purchase Diary panel (NPD) maintains the largest diary panel in the United States
Standardized services are research studies conducted for different client firms but in a standard way For example procedures for measuring
advertising effectiveness have been standardized so that the results can be compared across studies and evaluative norms can be established The Starch Readership Survey is the most widely used service for evaluating print advertisements another well-known service is the Gallup and Robinson Magazine Impact Studies These services are also sold on a syndicated basis
Customized services offer a wide variety of marketing research services customized to suit a clients specific needs Each marketing research project is treated uniquely
Limited-service suppliers specialize in one or a few phases of the marketing research project Services offered by such suppliers are classified as field services coding and data entry data analysis analytical services and branded products Field services collect data through mail personal or telephone interviewing and firms that specialize in interviewing are called field service organizations These organizations may range from small proprietary organizations which operate locally to large multinational organizations with WATS line interviewing facilities Some organizations maintain extensive interviewing facilities across the country for interviewing shoppers in malls
Coding and data entry services include editing completed questionnaires developing a coding scheme and transcribing the data on to diskettes or magnetic tapes for input into the computer NRC Data Systems provides such services
Analytical services include designing and pretesting questionnaires determining the best means of collecting data designing sampling plans and other aspects of the research design Some complex
marketing research projects require knowledge of sophisticated procedures including specialized experimental designs and analytical techniques such as conjoint analysis and multidimensional scaling This kind of expertise can be obtained from firms and consultants specializing in analytical services
Data analysis services are offered by firms also known as tab houses that specialize in computer analysis of quantitative data such as those obtained in large surveys Initially most data analysis firms supplied only tabulations (frequency counts) and cross tabulations (frequency counts that describe two or more variables simultaneously) With the proliferation of software many firms now have the capability to analyze their own data but data analysis firms are still in demand
Branded marketing research products and services are specialized data collection and analysis procedures developed to address specific types of marketing research problems These procedures are patented given brand names and marketed like any other branded product
Types of marketing research
Marketing research techniques come in many forms including
Ad Tracking ndash periodic or continuous in-market research to monitor a brandrsquos performance using measures such as brand awareness brand preference and product usage (Young 2005)
Advertising Research ndash used to predict copy testing or track the efficacy of advertisements for any medium measured by the adrsquos ability to get attention (measured with Attention Tracking) communicate the message build the brandrsquos image and motivate the consumer to purchase the product or service (Young 2005)
Brand equity research - how favorably do consumers view the brand
Brand association research - what do consumers associate with the brand
Brand attribute research - what are the key traits that describe the brand promise
Brand name testing - what do consumers feel about the names of the products
Commercial eye tracking research - examine advertisements package designs websites etc by analyzing visual behavior of the consumer
Concept testing - to test the acceptance of a concept by target consumers
Cool hunting - to make observations and predictions in changes of new or existing cultural trends in areas such as fashion music films television youth culture and lifestyle
Buyer decision processes research - to determine what motivates people to buy and what decision-making process they use
Copy testing ndash predicts in-market performance of an ad before it airs by analyzing audience levels of attention brand linkage motivation entertainment and communication as well as breaking down the adrsquos flow of attention and flow of emotion (Young p 213)
Customer satisfaction research - quantitative or qualitative studies that yields an understanding of a customers of satisfaction with a transaction
Demand estimation - to determine the approximate level of demand for the product
Distribution channel audits - to assess distributorsrsquo and retailersrsquo attitudes toward a product brand or company
Internet strategic intelligence - searching for customer opinions in the Internet chats forums web pages blogs where people express freely about their experiences with products becoming strong opinion formers
Marketing effectiveness and analytics - Building models and measuring results to determine the effectiveness of individual marketing activities
Mystery Consumer or Mystery shopping - An employee or representative of the market research firm anonymously contacts a salesperson and indicates he or she is shopping for a product The shopper then records the entire experience This method is often used for quality control or for researching competitors products
Positioning research - how does the target market see the brand relative to competitors - what does the brand stand for
Price elasticity testing - to determine how sensitive customers are to price changes
Sales forecasting - to determine the expected level of sales given the level of demand With respect to other factors like Advertising expenditure sales promotion etc
Segmentation research - to determine the demographic psychographic and behavioural characteristics of potential buyers
Online panel - a group of individual who accepted to respond to marketing research online
Store audit - to measure the sales of a product or product line at a statistically selected store sample in order to determine market share or to determine whether a retail store provides adequate service
Test marketing - a small-scale product launch used to determine the likely acceptance of the product when it is introduced into a wider market
Viral Marketing Research - refers to marketing research designed to estimate the probability that specific communications will be transmitted throughout an individuals Social Network Estimates of Social Networking Potential (SNP) are combined with estimates of selling effectiveness to estimate ROI on specific combinations of messages and media
All of these forms of marketing research can be classified as either problem-identification research or as problem-solving research
There are two main sources of data - primary and secondary Primary research is conducted from scratch It is original and collected to solve the problem in hand Secondary research already exists since it has been collected for other purposes It is conducted on data published previously and usually by someone else Secondary research costs far less than primary research but seldom comes in a form that exactly meets the needs of the researcher
A similar distinction exists between exploratory research and conclusive research Exploratory research provides insights into and comprehension of an issue or situation It should draw definitive conclusions only with extreme caution Conclusive research draws conclusions the results of the study can be generalized to the whole population
Exploratory research is conducted to explore a problem to get some basic idea about the solution at the preliminary stages of research It may serve as the input to conclusive research Exploratory research information is collected by focus group interviews reviewing literature or books discussing with experts etc This is unstructured and qualitative in nature If a secondary source of data is unable to serve the purpose a convenience sample of small size can be collected Conclusive research is conducted to draw some conclusion about the problem It is essentially structured and quantitative research and the
output of this research is the input to MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS (MIS)
Marketing research methods
Methodologically marketing research uses the following types of research designs
Based on questioning
Qualitative marketing research - generally used for exploratory purposes - small number of respondents - not generalizable to the whole population - statistical significance and confidence not calculated - examples include focus groups in-depth interviews and projective techniques
Quantitative marketing research - generally used to draw conclusions - tests a specific hypothesis - uses random sampling techniques so as to infer from the sample to the population - involves a large number of respondents - examples include surveys and questionnaires Techniques include choice modelling maximum difference preference scaling and covariance analysis
Based on observations
Ethnographic studies - by nature qualitative the researcher observes social phenomena in their natural setting - observations can
occur cross-sectionally (observations made at one time) or longitudinally (observations occur over several time-periods) ndash
examples include product-use analysis and computer cookie traces See also Ethnography and Observational techniques
Experimental techniques - by nature quantitative the researcher creates a quasi-artificial environment to try to control spurious factors
then manipulates at least one of the variables - examples include purchase laboratories and test markets
Questionnaires 1 What are the objectives of the marketing strategy Are they clearly stated Are they consistent with the objectives of the firm Is the entire marketing mix structured to meet these objectives
2 What marketing concepts are at issue in the current strategy Is the marketing strategy well planned and laid out Is the strategy consistent with sound marketing principles If the strategy takes exception to marketing principles is there a good reason for it
3 To what target market is the strategy directed Is it well defined Is the market large enough to be profitably served Does the market have long-run potential
4 What competitive advantage does the marketing strategy offer If none what can be done to gain a competitive advantage in the marketplace
5 What products are being sold What is the width depth and consistency of the firms product lines Does the firm need new products to fill out its product line Should any product be deleted What is the profitability of the various products
6 What promotion mix is being used Is promotion consistent with the products and product images What could be done to improve the promotion mix
7 What channels of distribution are being used Do they deliver the product at the right time and right place to meet consumer needs Are the channels typical of those used in the industry Could channels be made more efficient
8 What pricing strategies are being used How do prices compare with similar products of other firms How are prices determined
9 Are marketing research and information systematically integrated into the marketing strategy Is the overall marketing strategy internally consistent
Key Success Factors
The key success factors are those elements that are necessary in order for the firm to achieve its marketing objectives A few examples of such factors include
Access to essential unique resources
Ability to achieve economies of scale
Access to distribution channels
Technological progress
It is important to consider that key success factors may change over time especially as the product progresses through its life cycle
9 CONCLUSIONS
Organizations engage in marketing research for two reasons
(1) (1) to identify (2) and (2) solve marketing problems
(3)
This distinction serves as a basis for classifying marketing research into problem identification research and problem solving research
Problem identification research is undertaken to help identify problems which are perhaps not apparent on the surface and yet exist or are likely to company image market characteristics sales analysis short-range forecasting long range forecasting and business trends research Research of this type provides information about the marketing environment and helps diagnose a problem For example The findings of problem solving research are used in making decisions which will solve specific marketing problems
The Stanford Research Institute on the other hand conducts an annual survey of consumers that is used to classify persons into homogeneous groups for segmentation purposes The National Purchase Diary panel (NPD) maintains the largest diary panel in the United States
Standardized services are research studies conducted for different client firms but in a standard way For example procedures for measuring
advertising effectiveness have been standardized so that the results can be compared across studies and evaluative norms can be established The Starch Readership Survey is the most widely used service for evaluating print advertisements another well-known service is the Gallup and Robinson Magazine Impact Studies These services are also sold on a syndicated basis
Customized services offer a wide variety of marketing research services customized to suit a clients specific needs Each marketing research project is treated uniquely
Limited-service suppliers specialize in one or a few phases of the marketing research project Services offered by such suppliers are classified as field services coding and data entry data analysis analytical services and branded products Field services collect data through mail personal or telephone interviewing and firms that specialize in interviewing are called field service organizations These organizations may range from small proprietary organizations which operate locally to large multinational organizations with WATS line interviewing facilities Some organizations maintain extensive interviewing facilities across the country for interviewing shoppers in malls
Coding and data entry services include editing completed questionnaires developing a coding scheme and transcribing the data on to diskettes or magnetic tapes for input into the computer NRC Data Systems provides such services
Analytical services include designing and pretesting questionnaires determining the best means of collecting data designing sampling plans and other aspects of the research design Some complex
marketing research projects require knowledge of sophisticated procedures including specialized experimental designs and analytical techniques such as conjoint analysis and multidimensional scaling This kind of expertise can be obtained from firms and consultants specializing in analytical services
Data analysis services are offered by firms also known as tab houses that specialize in computer analysis of quantitative data such as those obtained in large surveys Initially most data analysis firms supplied only tabulations (frequency counts) and cross tabulations (frequency counts that describe two or more variables simultaneously) With the proliferation of software many firms now have the capability to analyze their own data but data analysis firms are still in demand
Branded marketing research products and services are specialized data collection and analysis procedures developed to address specific types of marketing research problems These procedures are patented given brand names and marketed like any other branded product
Types of marketing research
Marketing research techniques come in many forms including
Ad Tracking ndash periodic or continuous in-market research to monitor a brandrsquos performance using measures such as brand awareness brand preference and product usage (Young 2005)
Advertising Research ndash used to predict copy testing or track the efficacy of advertisements for any medium measured by the adrsquos ability to get attention (measured with Attention Tracking) communicate the message build the brandrsquos image and motivate the consumer to purchase the product or service (Young 2005)
Brand equity research - how favorably do consumers view the brand
Brand association research - what do consumers associate with the brand
Brand attribute research - what are the key traits that describe the brand promise
Brand name testing - what do consumers feel about the names of the products
Commercial eye tracking research - examine advertisements package designs websites etc by analyzing visual behavior of the consumer
Concept testing - to test the acceptance of a concept by target consumers
Cool hunting - to make observations and predictions in changes of new or existing cultural trends in areas such as fashion music films television youth culture and lifestyle
Buyer decision processes research - to determine what motivates people to buy and what decision-making process they use
Copy testing ndash predicts in-market performance of an ad before it airs by analyzing audience levels of attention brand linkage motivation entertainment and communication as well as breaking down the adrsquos flow of attention and flow of emotion (Young p 213)
Customer satisfaction research - quantitative or qualitative studies that yields an understanding of a customers of satisfaction with a transaction
Demand estimation - to determine the approximate level of demand for the product
Distribution channel audits - to assess distributorsrsquo and retailersrsquo attitudes toward a product brand or company
Internet strategic intelligence - searching for customer opinions in the Internet chats forums web pages blogs where people express freely about their experiences with products becoming strong opinion formers
Marketing effectiveness and analytics - Building models and measuring results to determine the effectiveness of individual marketing activities
Mystery Consumer or Mystery shopping - An employee or representative of the market research firm anonymously contacts a salesperson and indicates he or she is shopping for a product The shopper then records the entire experience This method is often used for quality control or for researching competitors products
Positioning research - how does the target market see the brand relative to competitors - what does the brand stand for
Price elasticity testing - to determine how sensitive customers are to price changes
Sales forecasting - to determine the expected level of sales given the level of demand With respect to other factors like Advertising expenditure sales promotion etc
Segmentation research - to determine the demographic psychographic and behavioural characteristics of potential buyers
Online panel - a group of individual who accepted to respond to marketing research online
Store audit - to measure the sales of a product or product line at a statistically selected store sample in order to determine market share or to determine whether a retail store provides adequate service
Test marketing - a small-scale product launch used to determine the likely acceptance of the product when it is introduced into a wider market
Viral Marketing Research - refers to marketing research designed to estimate the probability that specific communications will be transmitted throughout an individuals Social Network Estimates of Social Networking Potential (SNP) are combined with estimates of selling effectiveness to estimate ROI on specific combinations of messages and media
All of these forms of marketing research can be classified as either problem-identification research or as problem-solving research
There are two main sources of data - primary and secondary Primary research is conducted from scratch It is original and collected to solve the problem in hand Secondary research already exists since it has been collected for other purposes It is conducted on data published previously and usually by someone else Secondary research costs far less than primary research but seldom comes in a form that exactly meets the needs of the researcher
A similar distinction exists between exploratory research and conclusive research Exploratory research provides insights into and comprehension of an issue or situation It should draw definitive conclusions only with extreme caution Conclusive research draws conclusions the results of the study can be generalized to the whole population
Exploratory research is conducted to explore a problem to get some basic idea about the solution at the preliminary stages of research It may serve as the input to conclusive research Exploratory research information is collected by focus group interviews reviewing literature or books discussing with experts etc This is unstructured and qualitative in nature If a secondary source of data is unable to serve the purpose a convenience sample of small size can be collected Conclusive research is conducted to draw some conclusion about the problem It is essentially structured and quantitative research and the
output of this research is the input to MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS (MIS)
Marketing research methods
Methodologically marketing research uses the following types of research designs
Based on questioning
Qualitative marketing research - generally used for exploratory purposes - small number of respondents - not generalizable to the whole population - statistical significance and confidence not calculated - examples include focus groups in-depth interviews and projective techniques
Quantitative marketing research - generally used to draw conclusions - tests a specific hypothesis - uses random sampling techniques so as to infer from the sample to the population - involves a large number of respondents - examples include surveys and questionnaires Techniques include choice modelling maximum difference preference scaling and covariance analysis
Based on observations
Ethnographic studies - by nature qualitative the researcher observes social phenomena in their natural setting - observations can
occur cross-sectionally (observations made at one time) or longitudinally (observations occur over several time-periods) ndash
examples include product-use analysis and computer cookie traces See also Ethnography and Observational techniques
Experimental techniques - by nature quantitative the researcher creates a quasi-artificial environment to try to control spurious factors
then manipulates at least one of the variables - examples include purchase laboratories and test markets
Questionnaires 1 What are the objectives of the marketing strategy Are they clearly stated Are they consistent with the objectives of the firm Is the entire marketing mix structured to meet these objectives
2 What marketing concepts are at issue in the current strategy Is the marketing strategy well planned and laid out Is the strategy consistent with sound marketing principles If the strategy takes exception to marketing principles is there a good reason for it
3 To what target market is the strategy directed Is it well defined Is the market large enough to be profitably served Does the market have long-run potential
4 What competitive advantage does the marketing strategy offer If none what can be done to gain a competitive advantage in the marketplace
5 What products are being sold What is the width depth and consistency of the firms product lines Does the firm need new products to fill out its product line Should any product be deleted What is the profitability of the various products
6 What promotion mix is being used Is promotion consistent with the products and product images What could be done to improve the promotion mix
7 What channels of distribution are being used Do they deliver the product at the right time and right place to meet consumer needs Are the channels typical of those used in the industry Could channels be made more efficient
8 What pricing strategies are being used How do prices compare with similar products of other firms How are prices determined
9 Are marketing research and information systematically integrated into the marketing strategy Is the overall marketing strategy internally consistent
9 CONCLUSIONS
Organizations engage in marketing research for two reasons
(1) (1) to identify (2) and (2) solve marketing problems
(3)
This distinction serves as a basis for classifying marketing research into problem identification research and problem solving research
Problem identification research is undertaken to help identify problems which are perhaps not apparent on the surface and yet exist or are likely to company image market characteristics sales analysis short-range forecasting long range forecasting and business trends research Research of this type provides information about the marketing environment and helps diagnose a problem For example The findings of problem solving research are used in making decisions which will solve specific marketing problems
The Stanford Research Institute on the other hand conducts an annual survey of consumers that is used to classify persons into homogeneous groups for segmentation purposes The National Purchase Diary panel (NPD) maintains the largest diary panel in the United States
Standardized services are research studies conducted for different client firms but in a standard way For example procedures for measuring
advertising effectiveness have been standardized so that the results can be compared across studies and evaluative norms can be established The Starch Readership Survey is the most widely used service for evaluating print advertisements another well-known service is the Gallup and Robinson Magazine Impact Studies These services are also sold on a syndicated basis
Customized services offer a wide variety of marketing research services customized to suit a clients specific needs Each marketing research project is treated uniquely
Limited-service suppliers specialize in one or a few phases of the marketing research project Services offered by such suppliers are classified as field services coding and data entry data analysis analytical services and branded products Field services collect data through mail personal or telephone interviewing and firms that specialize in interviewing are called field service organizations These organizations may range from small proprietary organizations which operate locally to large multinational organizations with WATS line interviewing facilities Some organizations maintain extensive interviewing facilities across the country for interviewing shoppers in malls
Coding and data entry services include editing completed questionnaires developing a coding scheme and transcribing the data on to diskettes or magnetic tapes for input into the computer NRC Data Systems provides such services
Analytical services include designing and pretesting questionnaires determining the best means of collecting data designing sampling plans and other aspects of the research design Some complex
marketing research projects require knowledge of sophisticated procedures including specialized experimental designs and analytical techniques such as conjoint analysis and multidimensional scaling This kind of expertise can be obtained from firms and consultants specializing in analytical services
Data analysis services are offered by firms also known as tab houses that specialize in computer analysis of quantitative data such as those obtained in large surveys Initially most data analysis firms supplied only tabulations (frequency counts) and cross tabulations (frequency counts that describe two or more variables simultaneously) With the proliferation of software many firms now have the capability to analyze their own data but data analysis firms are still in demand
Branded marketing research products and services are specialized data collection and analysis procedures developed to address specific types of marketing research problems These procedures are patented given brand names and marketed like any other branded product
Types of marketing research
Marketing research techniques come in many forms including
Ad Tracking ndash periodic or continuous in-market research to monitor a brandrsquos performance using measures such as brand awareness brand preference and product usage (Young 2005)
Advertising Research ndash used to predict copy testing or track the efficacy of advertisements for any medium measured by the adrsquos ability to get attention (measured with Attention Tracking) communicate the message build the brandrsquos image and motivate the consumer to purchase the product or service (Young 2005)
Brand equity research - how favorably do consumers view the brand
Brand association research - what do consumers associate with the brand
Brand attribute research - what are the key traits that describe the brand promise
Brand name testing - what do consumers feel about the names of the products
Commercial eye tracking research - examine advertisements package designs websites etc by analyzing visual behavior of the consumer
Concept testing - to test the acceptance of a concept by target consumers
Cool hunting - to make observations and predictions in changes of new or existing cultural trends in areas such as fashion music films television youth culture and lifestyle
Buyer decision processes research - to determine what motivates people to buy and what decision-making process they use
Copy testing ndash predicts in-market performance of an ad before it airs by analyzing audience levels of attention brand linkage motivation entertainment and communication as well as breaking down the adrsquos flow of attention and flow of emotion (Young p 213)
Customer satisfaction research - quantitative or qualitative studies that yields an understanding of a customers of satisfaction with a transaction
Demand estimation - to determine the approximate level of demand for the product
Distribution channel audits - to assess distributorsrsquo and retailersrsquo attitudes toward a product brand or company
Internet strategic intelligence - searching for customer opinions in the Internet chats forums web pages blogs where people express freely about their experiences with products becoming strong opinion formers
Marketing effectiveness and analytics - Building models and measuring results to determine the effectiveness of individual marketing activities
Mystery Consumer or Mystery shopping - An employee or representative of the market research firm anonymously contacts a salesperson and indicates he or she is shopping for a product The shopper then records the entire experience This method is often used for quality control or for researching competitors products
Positioning research - how does the target market see the brand relative to competitors - what does the brand stand for
Price elasticity testing - to determine how sensitive customers are to price changes
Sales forecasting - to determine the expected level of sales given the level of demand With respect to other factors like Advertising expenditure sales promotion etc
Segmentation research - to determine the demographic psychographic and behavioural characteristics of potential buyers
Online panel - a group of individual who accepted to respond to marketing research online
Store audit - to measure the sales of a product or product line at a statistically selected store sample in order to determine market share or to determine whether a retail store provides adequate service
Test marketing - a small-scale product launch used to determine the likely acceptance of the product when it is introduced into a wider market
Viral Marketing Research - refers to marketing research designed to estimate the probability that specific communications will be transmitted throughout an individuals Social Network Estimates of Social Networking Potential (SNP) are combined with estimates of selling effectiveness to estimate ROI on specific combinations of messages and media
All of these forms of marketing research can be classified as either problem-identification research or as problem-solving research
There are two main sources of data - primary and secondary Primary research is conducted from scratch It is original and collected to solve the problem in hand Secondary research already exists since it has been collected for other purposes It is conducted on data published previously and usually by someone else Secondary research costs far less than primary research but seldom comes in a form that exactly meets the needs of the researcher
A similar distinction exists between exploratory research and conclusive research Exploratory research provides insights into and comprehension of an issue or situation It should draw definitive conclusions only with extreme caution Conclusive research draws conclusions the results of the study can be generalized to the whole population
Exploratory research is conducted to explore a problem to get some basic idea about the solution at the preliminary stages of research It may serve as the input to conclusive research Exploratory research information is collected by focus group interviews reviewing literature or books discussing with experts etc This is unstructured and qualitative in nature If a secondary source of data is unable to serve the purpose a convenience sample of small size can be collected Conclusive research is conducted to draw some conclusion about the problem It is essentially structured and quantitative research and the
output of this research is the input to MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS (MIS)
Marketing research methods
Methodologically marketing research uses the following types of research designs
Based on questioning
Qualitative marketing research - generally used for exploratory purposes - small number of respondents - not generalizable to the whole population - statistical significance and confidence not calculated - examples include focus groups in-depth interviews and projective techniques
Quantitative marketing research - generally used to draw conclusions - tests a specific hypothesis - uses random sampling techniques so as to infer from the sample to the population - involves a large number of respondents - examples include surveys and questionnaires Techniques include choice modelling maximum difference preference scaling and covariance analysis
Based on observations
Ethnographic studies - by nature qualitative the researcher observes social phenomena in their natural setting - observations can
occur cross-sectionally (observations made at one time) or longitudinally (observations occur over several time-periods) ndash
examples include product-use analysis and computer cookie traces See also Ethnography and Observational techniques
Experimental techniques - by nature quantitative the researcher creates a quasi-artificial environment to try to control spurious factors
then manipulates at least one of the variables - examples include purchase laboratories and test markets
Questionnaires 1 What are the objectives of the marketing strategy Are they clearly stated Are they consistent with the objectives of the firm Is the entire marketing mix structured to meet these objectives
2 What marketing concepts are at issue in the current strategy Is the marketing strategy well planned and laid out Is the strategy consistent with sound marketing principles If the strategy takes exception to marketing principles is there a good reason for it
3 To what target market is the strategy directed Is it well defined Is the market large enough to be profitably served Does the market have long-run potential
4 What competitive advantage does the marketing strategy offer If none what can be done to gain a competitive advantage in the marketplace
5 What products are being sold What is the width depth and consistency of the firms product lines Does the firm need new products to fill out its product line Should any product be deleted What is the profitability of the various products
6 What promotion mix is being used Is promotion consistent with the products and product images What could be done to improve the promotion mix
7 What channels of distribution are being used Do they deliver the product at the right time and right place to meet consumer needs Are the channels typical of those used in the industry Could channels be made more efficient
8 What pricing strategies are being used How do prices compare with similar products of other firms How are prices determined
9 Are marketing research and information systematically integrated into the marketing strategy Is the overall marketing strategy internally consistent
advertising effectiveness have been standardized so that the results can be compared across studies and evaluative norms can be established The Starch Readership Survey is the most widely used service for evaluating print advertisements another well-known service is the Gallup and Robinson Magazine Impact Studies These services are also sold on a syndicated basis
Customized services offer a wide variety of marketing research services customized to suit a clients specific needs Each marketing research project is treated uniquely
Limited-service suppliers specialize in one or a few phases of the marketing research project Services offered by such suppliers are classified as field services coding and data entry data analysis analytical services and branded products Field services collect data through mail personal or telephone interviewing and firms that specialize in interviewing are called field service organizations These organizations may range from small proprietary organizations which operate locally to large multinational organizations with WATS line interviewing facilities Some organizations maintain extensive interviewing facilities across the country for interviewing shoppers in malls
Coding and data entry services include editing completed questionnaires developing a coding scheme and transcribing the data on to diskettes or magnetic tapes for input into the computer NRC Data Systems provides such services
Analytical services include designing and pretesting questionnaires determining the best means of collecting data designing sampling plans and other aspects of the research design Some complex
marketing research projects require knowledge of sophisticated procedures including specialized experimental designs and analytical techniques such as conjoint analysis and multidimensional scaling This kind of expertise can be obtained from firms and consultants specializing in analytical services
Data analysis services are offered by firms also known as tab houses that specialize in computer analysis of quantitative data such as those obtained in large surveys Initially most data analysis firms supplied only tabulations (frequency counts) and cross tabulations (frequency counts that describe two or more variables simultaneously) With the proliferation of software many firms now have the capability to analyze their own data but data analysis firms are still in demand
Branded marketing research products and services are specialized data collection and analysis procedures developed to address specific types of marketing research problems These procedures are patented given brand names and marketed like any other branded product
Types of marketing research
Marketing research techniques come in many forms including
Ad Tracking ndash periodic or continuous in-market research to monitor a brandrsquos performance using measures such as brand awareness brand preference and product usage (Young 2005)
Advertising Research ndash used to predict copy testing or track the efficacy of advertisements for any medium measured by the adrsquos ability to get attention (measured with Attention Tracking) communicate the message build the brandrsquos image and motivate the consumer to purchase the product or service (Young 2005)
Brand equity research - how favorably do consumers view the brand
Brand association research - what do consumers associate with the brand
Brand attribute research - what are the key traits that describe the brand promise
Brand name testing - what do consumers feel about the names of the products
Commercial eye tracking research - examine advertisements package designs websites etc by analyzing visual behavior of the consumer
Concept testing - to test the acceptance of a concept by target consumers
Cool hunting - to make observations and predictions in changes of new or existing cultural trends in areas such as fashion music films television youth culture and lifestyle
Buyer decision processes research - to determine what motivates people to buy and what decision-making process they use
Copy testing ndash predicts in-market performance of an ad before it airs by analyzing audience levels of attention brand linkage motivation entertainment and communication as well as breaking down the adrsquos flow of attention and flow of emotion (Young p 213)
Customer satisfaction research - quantitative or qualitative studies that yields an understanding of a customers of satisfaction with a transaction
Demand estimation - to determine the approximate level of demand for the product
Distribution channel audits - to assess distributorsrsquo and retailersrsquo attitudes toward a product brand or company
Internet strategic intelligence - searching for customer opinions in the Internet chats forums web pages blogs where people express freely about their experiences with products becoming strong opinion formers
Marketing effectiveness and analytics - Building models and measuring results to determine the effectiveness of individual marketing activities
Mystery Consumer or Mystery shopping - An employee or representative of the market research firm anonymously contacts a salesperson and indicates he or she is shopping for a product The shopper then records the entire experience This method is often used for quality control or for researching competitors products
Positioning research - how does the target market see the brand relative to competitors - what does the brand stand for
Price elasticity testing - to determine how sensitive customers are to price changes
Sales forecasting - to determine the expected level of sales given the level of demand With respect to other factors like Advertising expenditure sales promotion etc
Segmentation research - to determine the demographic psychographic and behavioural characteristics of potential buyers
Online panel - a group of individual who accepted to respond to marketing research online
Store audit - to measure the sales of a product or product line at a statistically selected store sample in order to determine market share or to determine whether a retail store provides adequate service
Test marketing - a small-scale product launch used to determine the likely acceptance of the product when it is introduced into a wider market
Viral Marketing Research - refers to marketing research designed to estimate the probability that specific communications will be transmitted throughout an individuals Social Network Estimates of Social Networking Potential (SNP) are combined with estimates of selling effectiveness to estimate ROI on specific combinations of messages and media
All of these forms of marketing research can be classified as either problem-identification research or as problem-solving research
There are two main sources of data - primary and secondary Primary research is conducted from scratch It is original and collected to solve the problem in hand Secondary research already exists since it has been collected for other purposes It is conducted on data published previously and usually by someone else Secondary research costs far less than primary research but seldom comes in a form that exactly meets the needs of the researcher
A similar distinction exists between exploratory research and conclusive research Exploratory research provides insights into and comprehension of an issue or situation It should draw definitive conclusions only with extreme caution Conclusive research draws conclusions the results of the study can be generalized to the whole population
Exploratory research is conducted to explore a problem to get some basic idea about the solution at the preliminary stages of research It may serve as the input to conclusive research Exploratory research information is collected by focus group interviews reviewing literature or books discussing with experts etc This is unstructured and qualitative in nature If a secondary source of data is unable to serve the purpose a convenience sample of small size can be collected Conclusive research is conducted to draw some conclusion about the problem It is essentially structured and quantitative research and the
output of this research is the input to MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS (MIS)
Marketing research methods
Methodologically marketing research uses the following types of research designs
Based on questioning
Qualitative marketing research - generally used for exploratory purposes - small number of respondents - not generalizable to the whole population - statistical significance and confidence not calculated - examples include focus groups in-depth interviews and projective techniques
Quantitative marketing research - generally used to draw conclusions - tests a specific hypothesis - uses random sampling techniques so as to infer from the sample to the population - involves a large number of respondents - examples include surveys and questionnaires Techniques include choice modelling maximum difference preference scaling and covariance analysis
Based on observations
Ethnographic studies - by nature qualitative the researcher observes social phenomena in their natural setting - observations can
occur cross-sectionally (observations made at one time) or longitudinally (observations occur over several time-periods) ndash
examples include product-use analysis and computer cookie traces See also Ethnography and Observational techniques
Experimental techniques - by nature quantitative the researcher creates a quasi-artificial environment to try to control spurious factors
then manipulates at least one of the variables - examples include purchase laboratories and test markets
Questionnaires 1 What are the objectives of the marketing strategy Are they clearly stated Are they consistent with the objectives of the firm Is the entire marketing mix structured to meet these objectives
2 What marketing concepts are at issue in the current strategy Is the marketing strategy well planned and laid out Is the strategy consistent with sound marketing principles If the strategy takes exception to marketing principles is there a good reason for it
3 To what target market is the strategy directed Is it well defined Is the market large enough to be profitably served Does the market have long-run potential
4 What competitive advantage does the marketing strategy offer If none what can be done to gain a competitive advantage in the marketplace
5 What products are being sold What is the width depth and consistency of the firms product lines Does the firm need new products to fill out its product line Should any product be deleted What is the profitability of the various products
6 What promotion mix is being used Is promotion consistent with the products and product images What could be done to improve the promotion mix
7 What channels of distribution are being used Do they deliver the product at the right time and right place to meet consumer needs Are the channels typical of those used in the industry Could channels be made more efficient
8 What pricing strategies are being used How do prices compare with similar products of other firms How are prices determined
9 Are marketing research and information systematically integrated into the marketing strategy Is the overall marketing strategy internally consistent
marketing research projects require knowledge of sophisticated procedures including specialized experimental designs and analytical techniques such as conjoint analysis and multidimensional scaling This kind of expertise can be obtained from firms and consultants specializing in analytical services
Data analysis services are offered by firms also known as tab houses that specialize in computer analysis of quantitative data such as those obtained in large surveys Initially most data analysis firms supplied only tabulations (frequency counts) and cross tabulations (frequency counts that describe two or more variables simultaneously) With the proliferation of software many firms now have the capability to analyze their own data but data analysis firms are still in demand
Branded marketing research products and services are specialized data collection and analysis procedures developed to address specific types of marketing research problems These procedures are patented given brand names and marketed like any other branded product
Types of marketing research
Marketing research techniques come in many forms including
Ad Tracking ndash periodic or continuous in-market research to monitor a brandrsquos performance using measures such as brand awareness brand preference and product usage (Young 2005)
Advertising Research ndash used to predict copy testing or track the efficacy of advertisements for any medium measured by the adrsquos ability to get attention (measured with Attention Tracking) communicate the message build the brandrsquos image and motivate the consumer to purchase the product or service (Young 2005)
Brand equity research - how favorably do consumers view the brand
Brand association research - what do consumers associate with the brand
Brand attribute research - what are the key traits that describe the brand promise
Brand name testing - what do consumers feel about the names of the products
Commercial eye tracking research - examine advertisements package designs websites etc by analyzing visual behavior of the consumer
Concept testing - to test the acceptance of a concept by target consumers
Cool hunting - to make observations and predictions in changes of new or existing cultural trends in areas such as fashion music films television youth culture and lifestyle
Buyer decision processes research - to determine what motivates people to buy and what decision-making process they use
Copy testing ndash predicts in-market performance of an ad before it airs by analyzing audience levels of attention brand linkage motivation entertainment and communication as well as breaking down the adrsquos flow of attention and flow of emotion (Young p 213)
Customer satisfaction research - quantitative or qualitative studies that yields an understanding of a customers of satisfaction with a transaction
Demand estimation - to determine the approximate level of demand for the product
Distribution channel audits - to assess distributorsrsquo and retailersrsquo attitudes toward a product brand or company
Internet strategic intelligence - searching for customer opinions in the Internet chats forums web pages blogs where people express freely about their experiences with products becoming strong opinion formers
Marketing effectiveness and analytics - Building models and measuring results to determine the effectiveness of individual marketing activities
Mystery Consumer or Mystery shopping - An employee or representative of the market research firm anonymously contacts a salesperson and indicates he or she is shopping for a product The shopper then records the entire experience This method is often used for quality control or for researching competitors products
Positioning research - how does the target market see the brand relative to competitors - what does the brand stand for
Price elasticity testing - to determine how sensitive customers are to price changes
Sales forecasting - to determine the expected level of sales given the level of demand With respect to other factors like Advertising expenditure sales promotion etc
Segmentation research - to determine the demographic psychographic and behavioural characteristics of potential buyers
Online panel - a group of individual who accepted to respond to marketing research online
Store audit - to measure the sales of a product or product line at a statistically selected store sample in order to determine market share or to determine whether a retail store provides adequate service
Test marketing - a small-scale product launch used to determine the likely acceptance of the product when it is introduced into a wider market
Viral Marketing Research - refers to marketing research designed to estimate the probability that specific communications will be transmitted throughout an individuals Social Network Estimates of Social Networking Potential (SNP) are combined with estimates of selling effectiveness to estimate ROI on specific combinations of messages and media
All of these forms of marketing research can be classified as either problem-identification research or as problem-solving research
There are two main sources of data - primary and secondary Primary research is conducted from scratch It is original and collected to solve the problem in hand Secondary research already exists since it has been collected for other purposes It is conducted on data published previously and usually by someone else Secondary research costs far less than primary research but seldom comes in a form that exactly meets the needs of the researcher
A similar distinction exists between exploratory research and conclusive research Exploratory research provides insights into and comprehension of an issue or situation It should draw definitive conclusions only with extreme caution Conclusive research draws conclusions the results of the study can be generalized to the whole population
Exploratory research is conducted to explore a problem to get some basic idea about the solution at the preliminary stages of research It may serve as the input to conclusive research Exploratory research information is collected by focus group interviews reviewing literature or books discussing with experts etc This is unstructured and qualitative in nature If a secondary source of data is unable to serve the purpose a convenience sample of small size can be collected Conclusive research is conducted to draw some conclusion about the problem It is essentially structured and quantitative research and the
output of this research is the input to MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS (MIS)
Marketing research methods
Methodologically marketing research uses the following types of research designs
Based on questioning
Qualitative marketing research - generally used for exploratory purposes - small number of respondents - not generalizable to the whole population - statistical significance and confidence not calculated - examples include focus groups in-depth interviews and projective techniques
Quantitative marketing research - generally used to draw conclusions - tests a specific hypothesis - uses random sampling techniques so as to infer from the sample to the population - involves a large number of respondents - examples include surveys and questionnaires Techniques include choice modelling maximum difference preference scaling and covariance analysis
Based on observations
Ethnographic studies - by nature qualitative the researcher observes social phenomena in their natural setting - observations can
occur cross-sectionally (observations made at one time) or longitudinally (observations occur over several time-periods) ndash
examples include product-use analysis and computer cookie traces See also Ethnography and Observational techniques
Experimental techniques - by nature quantitative the researcher creates a quasi-artificial environment to try to control spurious factors
then manipulates at least one of the variables - examples include purchase laboratories and test markets
Questionnaires 1 What are the objectives of the marketing strategy Are they clearly stated Are they consistent with the objectives of the firm Is the entire marketing mix structured to meet these objectives
2 What marketing concepts are at issue in the current strategy Is the marketing strategy well planned and laid out Is the strategy consistent with sound marketing principles If the strategy takes exception to marketing principles is there a good reason for it
3 To what target market is the strategy directed Is it well defined Is the market large enough to be profitably served Does the market have long-run potential
4 What competitive advantage does the marketing strategy offer If none what can be done to gain a competitive advantage in the marketplace
5 What products are being sold What is the width depth and consistency of the firms product lines Does the firm need new products to fill out its product line Should any product be deleted What is the profitability of the various products
6 What promotion mix is being used Is promotion consistent with the products and product images What could be done to improve the promotion mix
7 What channels of distribution are being used Do they deliver the product at the right time and right place to meet consumer needs Are the channels typical of those used in the industry Could channels be made more efficient
8 What pricing strategies are being used How do prices compare with similar products of other firms How are prices determined
9 Are marketing research and information systematically integrated into the marketing strategy Is the overall marketing strategy internally consistent
Types of marketing research
Marketing research techniques come in many forms including
Ad Tracking ndash periodic or continuous in-market research to monitor a brandrsquos performance using measures such as brand awareness brand preference and product usage (Young 2005)
Advertising Research ndash used to predict copy testing or track the efficacy of advertisements for any medium measured by the adrsquos ability to get attention (measured with Attention Tracking) communicate the message build the brandrsquos image and motivate the consumer to purchase the product or service (Young 2005)
Brand equity research - how favorably do consumers view the brand
Brand association research - what do consumers associate with the brand
Brand attribute research - what are the key traits that describe the brand promise
Brand name testing - what do consumers feel about the names of the products
Commercial eye tracking research - examine advertisements package designs websites etc by analyzing visual behavior of the consumer
Concept testing - to test the acceptance of a concept by target consumers
Cool hunting - to make observations and predictions in changes of new or existing cultural trends in areas such as fashion music films television youth culture and lifestyle
Buyer decision processes research - to determine what motivates people to buy and what decision-making process they use
Copy testing ndash predicts in-market performance of an ad before it airs by analyzing audience levels of attention brand linkage motivation entertainment and communication as well as breaking down the adrsquos flow of attention and flow of emotion (Young p 213)
Customer satisfaction research - quantitative or qualitative studies that yields an understanding of a customers of satisfaction with a transaction
Demand estimation - to determine the approximate level of demand for the product
Distribution channel audits - to assess distributorsrsquo and retailersrsquo attitudes toward a product brand or company
Internet strategic intelligence - searching for customer opinions in the Internet chats forums web pages blogs where people express freely about their experiences with products becoming strong opinion formers
Marketing effectiveness and analytics - Building models and measuring results to determine the effectiveness of individual marketing activities
Mystery Consumer or Mystery shopping - An employee or representative of the market research firm anonymously contacts a salesperson and indicates he or she is shopping for a product The shopper then records the entire experience This method is often used for quality control or for researching competitors products
Positioning research - how does the target market see the brand relative to competitors - what does the brand stand for
Price elasticity testing - to determine how sensitive customers are to price changes
Sales forecasting - to determine the expected level of sales given the level of demand With respect to other factors like Advertising expenditure sales promotion etc
Segmentation research - to determine the demographic psychographic and behavioural characteristics of potential buyers
Online panel - a group of individual who accepted to respond to marketing research online
Store audit - to measure the sales of a product or product line at a statistically selected store sample in order to determine market share or to determine whether a retail store provides adequate service
Test marketing - a small-scale product launch used to determine the likely acceptance of the product when it is introduced into a wider market
Viral Marketing Research - refers to marketing research designed to estimate the probability that specific communications will be transmitted throughout an individuals Social Network Estimates of Social Networking Potential (SNP) are combined with estimates of selling effectiveness to estimate ROI on specific combinations of messages and media
All of these forms of marketing research can be classified as either problem-identification research or as problem-solving research
There are two main sources of data - primary and secondary Primary research is conducted from scratch It is original and collected to solve the problem in hand Secondary research already exists since it has been collected for other purposes It is conducted on data published previously and usually by someone else Secondary research costs far less than primary research but seldom comes in a form that exactly meets the needs of the researcher
A similar distinction exists between exploratory research and conclusive research Exploratory research provides insights into and comprehension of an issue or situation It should draw definitive conclusions only with extreme caution Conclusive research draws conclusions the results of the study can be generalized to the whole population
Exploratory research is conducted to explore a problem to get some basic idea about the solution at the preliminary stages of research It may serve as the input to conclusive research Exploratory research information is collected by focus group interviews reviewing literature or books discussing with experts etc This is unstructured and qualitative in nature If a secondary source of data is unable to serve the purpose a convenience sample of small size can be collected Conclusive research is conducted to draw some conclusion about the problem It is essentially structured and quantitative research and the
output of this research is the input to MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS (MIS)
Marketing research methods
Methodologically marketing research uses the following types of research designs
Based on questioning
Qualitative marketing research - generally used for exploratory purposes - small number of respondents - not generalizable to the whole population - statistical significance and confidence not calculated - examples include focus groups in-depth interviews and projective techniques
Quantitative marketing research - generally used to draw conclusions - tests a specific hypothesis - uses random sampling techniques so as to infer from the sample to the population - involves a large number of respondents - examples include surveys and questionnaires Techniques include choice modelling maximum difference preference scaling and covariance analysis
Based on observations
Ethnographic studies - by nature qualitative the researcher observes social phenomena in their natural setting - observations can
occur cross-sectionally (observations made at one time) or longitudinally (observations occur over several time-periods) ndash
examples include product-use analysis and computer cookie traces See also Ethnography and Observational techniques
Experimental techniques - by nature quantitative the researcher creates a quasi-artificial environment to try to control spurious factors
then manipulates at least one of the variables - examples include purchase laboratories and test markets
Questionnaires 1 What are the objectives of the marketing strategy Are they clearly stated Are they consistent with the objectives of the firm Is the entire marketing mix structured to meet these objectives
2 What marketing concepts are at issue in the current strategy Is the marketing strategy well planned and laid out Is the strategy consistent with sound marketing principles If the strategy takes exception to marketing principles is there a good reason for it
3 To what target market is the strategy directed Is it well defined Is the market large enough to be profitably served Does the market have long-run potential
4 What competitive advantage does the marketing strategy offer If none what can be done to gain a competitive advantage in the marketplace
5 What products are being sold What is the width depth and consistency of the firms product lines Does the firm need new products to fill out its product line Should any product be deleted What is the profitability of the various products
6 What promotion mix is being used Is promotion consistent with the products and product images What could be done to improve the promotion mix
7 What channels of distribution are being used Do they deliver the product at the right time and right place to meet consumer needs Are the channels typical of those used in the industry Could channels be made more efficient
8 What pricing strategies are being used How do prices compare with similar products of other firms How are prices determined
9 Are marketing research and information systematically integrated into the marketing strategy Is the overall marketing strategy internally consistent
Concept testing - to test the acceptance of a concept by target consumers
Cool hunting - to make observations and predictions in changes of new or existing cultural trends in areas such as fashion music films television youth culture and lifestyle
Buyer decision processes research - to determine what motivates people to buy and what decision-making process they use
Copy testing ndash predicts in-market performance of an ad before it airs by analyzing audience levels of attention brand linkage motivation entertainment and communication as well as breaking down the adrsquos flow of attention and flow of emotion (Young p 213)
Customer satisfaction research - quantitative or qualitative studies that yields an understanding of a customers of satisfaction with a transaction
Demand estimation - to determine the approximate level of demand for the product
Distribution channel audits - to assess distributorsrsquo and retailersrsquo attitudes toward a product brand or company
Internet strategic intelligence - searching for customer opinions in the Internet chats forums web pages blogs where people express freely about their experiences with products becoming strong opinion formers
Marketing effectiveness and analytics - Building models and measuring results to determine the effectiveness of individual marketing activities
Mystery Consumer or Mystery shopping - An employee or representative of the market research firm anonymously contacts a salesperson and indicates he or she is shopping for a product The shopper then records the entire experience This method is often used for quality control or for researching competitors products
Positioning research - how does the target market see the brand relative to competitors - what does the brand stand for
Price elasticity testing - to determine how sensitive customers are to price changes
Sales forecasting - to determine the expected level of sales given the level of demand With respect to other factors like Advertising expenditure sales promotion etc
Segmentation research - to determine the demographic psychographic and behavioural characteristics of potential buyers
Online panel - a group of individual who accepted to respond to marketing research online
Store audit - to measure the sales of a product or product line at a statistically selected store sample in order to determine market share or to determine whether a retail store provides adequate service
Test marketing - a small-scale product launch used to determine the likely acceptance of the product when it is introduced into a wider market
Viral Marketing Research - refers to marketing research designed to estimate the probability that specific communications will be transmitted throughout an individuals Social Network Estimates of Social Networking Potential (SNP) are combined with estimates of selling effectiveness to estimate ROI on specific combinations of messages and media
All of these forms of marketing research can be classified as either problem-identification research or as problem-solving research
There are two main sources of data - primary and secondary Primary research is conducted from scratch It is original and collected to solve the problem in hand Secondary research already exists since it has been collected for other purposes It is conducted on data published previously and usually by someone else Secondary research costs far less than primary research but seldom comes in a form that exactly meets the needs of the researcher
A similar distinction exists between exploratory research and conclusive research Exploratory research provides insights into and comprehension of an issue or situation It should draw definitive conclusions only with extreme caution Conclusive research draws conclusions the results of the study can be generalized to the whole population
Exploratory research is conducted to explore a problem to get some basic idea about the solution at the preliminary stages of research It may serve as the input to conclusive research Exploratory research information is collected by focus group interviews reviewing literature or books discussing with experts etc This is unstructured and qualitative in nature If a secondary source of data is unable to serve the purpose a convenience sample of small size can be collected Conclusive research is conducted to draw some conclusion about the problem It is essentially structured and quantitative research and the
output of this research is the input to MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS (MIS)
Marketing research methods
Methodologically marketing research uses the following types of research designs
Based on questioning
Qualitative marketing research - generally used for exploratory purposes - small number of respondents - not generalizable to the whole population - statistical significance and confidence not calculated - examples include focus groups in-depth interviews and projective techniques
Quantitative marketing research - generally used to draw conclusions - tests a specific hypothesis - uses random sampling techniques so as to infer from the sample to the population - involves a large number of respondents - examples include surveys and questionnaires Techniques include choice modelling maximum difference preference scaling and covariance analysis
Based on observations
Ethnographic studies - by nature qualitative the researcher observes social phenomena in their natural setting - observations can
occur cross-sectionally (observations made at one time) or longitudinally (observations occur over several time-periods) ndash
examples include product-use analysis and computer cookie traces See also Ethnography and Observational techniques
Experimental techniques - by nature quantitative the researcher creates a quasi-artificial environment to try to control spurious factors
then manipulates at least one of the variables - examples include purchase laboratories and test markets
Questionnaires 1 What are the objectives of the marketing strategy Are they clearly stated Are they consistent with the objectives of the firm Is the entire marketing mix structured to meet these objectives
2 What marketing concepts are at issue in the current strategy Is the marketing strategy well planned and laid out Is the strategy consistent with sound marketing principles If the strategy takes exception to marketing principles is there a good reason for it
3 To what target market is the strategy directed Is it well defined Is the market large enough to be profitably served Does the market have long-run potential
4 What competitive advantage does the marketing strategy offer If none what can be done to gain a competitive advantage in the marketplace
5 What products are being sold What is the width depth and consistency of the firms product lines Does the firm need new products to fill out its product line Should any product be deleted What is the profitability of the various products
6 What promotion mix is being used Is promotion consistent with the products and product images What could be done to improve the promotion mix
7 What channels of distribution are being used Do they deliver the product at the right time and right place to meet consumer needs Are the channels typical of those used in the industry Could channels be made more efficient
8 What pricing strategies are being used How do prices compare with similar products of other firms How are prices determined
9 Are marketing research and information systematically integrated into the marketing strategy Is the overall marketing strategy internally consistent
Marketing effectiveness and analytics - Building models and measuring results to determine the effectiveness of individual marketing activities
Mystery Consumer or Mystery shopping - An employee or representative of the market research firm anonymously contacts a salesperson and indicates he or she is shopping for a product The shopper then records the entire experience This method is often used for quality control or for researching competitors products
Positioning research - how does the target market see the brand relative to competitors - what does the brand stand for
Price elasticity testing - to determine how sensitive customers are to price changes
Sales forecasting - to determine the expected level of sales given the level of demand With respect to other factors like Advertising expenditure sales promotion etc
Segmentation research - to determine the demographic psychographic and behavioural characteristics of potential buyers
Online panel - a group of individual who accepted to respond to marketing research online
Store audit - to measure the sales of a product or product line at a statistically selected store sample in order to determine market share or to determine whether a retail store provides adequate service
Test marketing - a small-scale product launch used to determine the likely acceptance of the product when it is introduced into a wider market
Viral Marketing Research - refers to marketing research designed to estimate the probability that specific communications will be transmitted throughout an individuals Social Network Estimates of Social Networking Potential (SNP) are combined with estimates of selling effectiveness to estimate ROI on specific combinations of messages and media
All of these forms of marketing research can be classified as either problem-identification research or as problem-solving research
There are two main sources of data - primary and secondary Primary research is conducted from scratch It is original and collected to solve the problem in hand Secondary research already exists since it has been collected for other purposes It is conducted on data published previously and usually by someone else Secondary research costs far less than primary research but seldom comes in a form that exactly meets the needs of the researcher
A similar distinction exists between exploratory research and conclusive research Exploratory research provides insights into and comprehension of an issue or situation It should draw definitive conclusions only with extreme caution Conclusive research draws conclusions the results of the study can be generalized to the whole population
Exploratory research is conducted to explore a problem to get some basic idea about the solution at the preliminary stages of research It may serve as the input to conclusive research Exploratory research information is collected by focus group interviews reviewing literature or books discussing with experts etc This is unstructured and qualitative in nature If a secondary source of data is unable to serve the purpose a convenience sample of small size can be collected Conclusive research is conducted to draw some conclusion about the problem It is essentially structured and quantitative research and the
output of this research is the input to MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS (MIS)
Marketing research methods
Methodologically marketing research uses the following types of research designs
Based on questioning
Qualitative marketing research - generally used for exploratory purposes - small number of respondents - not generalizable to the whole population - statistical significance and confidence not calculated - examples include focus groups in-depth interviews and projective techniques
Quantitative marketing research - generally used to draw conclusions - tests a specific hypothesis - uses random sampling techniques so as to infer from the sample to the population - involves a large number of respondents - examples include surveys and questionnaires Techniques include choice modelling maximum difference preference scaling and covariance analysis
Based on observations
Ethnographic studies - by nature qualitative the researcher observes social phenomena in their natural setting - observations can
occur cross-sectionally (observations made at one time) or longitudinally (observations occur over several time-periods) ndash
examples include product-use analysis and computer cookie traces See also Ethnography and Observational techniques
Experimental techniques - by nature quantitative the researcher creates a quasi-artificial environment to try to control spurious factors
then manipulates at least one of the variables - examples include purchase laboratories and test markets
Questionnaires 1 What are the objectives of the marketing strategy Are they clearly stated Are they consistent with the objectives of the firm Is the entire marketing mix structured to meet these objectives
2 What marketing concepts are at issue in the current strategy Is the marketing strategy well planned and laid out Is the strategy consistent with sound marketing principles If the strategy takes exception to marketing principles is there a good reason for it
3 To what target market is the strategy directed Is it well defined Is the market large enough to be profitably served Does the market have long-run potential
4 What competitive advantage does the marketing strategy offer If none what can be done to gain a competitive advantage in the marketplace
5 What products are being sold What is the width depth and consistency of the firms product lines Does the firm need new products to fill out its product line Should any product be deleted What is the profitability of the various products
6 What promotion mix is being used Is promotion consistent with the products and product images What could be done to improve the promotion mix
7 What channels of distribution are being used Do they deliver the product at the right time and right place to meet consumer needs Are the channels typical of those used in the industry Could channels be made more efficient
8 What pricing strategies are being used How do prices compare with similar products of other firms How are prices determined
9 Are marketing research and information systematically integrated into the marketing strategy Is the overall marketing strategy internally consistent
Sales forecasting - to determine the expected level of sales given the level of demand With respect to other factors like Advertising expenditure sales promotion etc
Segmentation research - to determine the demographic psychographic and behavioural characteristics of potential buyers
Online panel - a group of individual who accepted to respond to marketing research online
Store audit - to measure the sales of a product or product line at a statistically selected store sample in order to determine market share or to determine whether a retail store provides adequate service
Test marketing - a small-scale product launch used to determine the likely acceptance of the product when it is introduced into a wider market
Viral Marketing Research - refers to marketing research designed to estimate the probability that specific communications will be transmitted throughout an individuals Social Network Estimates of Social Networking Potential (SNP) are combined with estimates of selling effectiveness to estimate ROI on specific combinations of messages and media
All of these forms of marketing research can be classified as either problem-identification research or as problem-solving research
There are two main sources of data - primary and secondary Primary research is conducted from scratch It is original and collected to solve the problem in hand Secondary research already exists since it has been collected for other purposes It is conducted on data published previously and usually by someone else Secondary research costs far less than primary research but seldom comes in a form that exactly meets the needs of the researcher
A similar distinction exists between exploratory research and conclusive research Exploratory research provides insights into and comprehension of an issue or situation It should draw definitive conclusions only with extreme caution Conclusive research draws conclusions the results of the study can be generalized to the whole population
Exploratory research is conducted to explore a problem to get some basic idea about the solution at the preliminary stages of research It may serve as the input to conclusive research Exploratory research information is collected by focus group interviews reviewing literature or books discussing with experts etc This is unstructured and qualitative in nature If a secondary source of data is unable to serve the purpose a convenience sample of small size can be collected Conclusive research is conducted to draw some conclusion about the problem It is essentially structured and quantitative research and the
output of this research is the input to MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS (MIS)
Marketing research methods
Methodologically marketing research uses the following types of research designs
Based on questioning
Qualitative marketing research - generally used for exploratory purposes - small number of respondents - not generalizable to the whole population - statistical significance and confidence not calculated - examples include focus groups in-depth interviews and projective techniques
Quantitative marketing research - generally used to draw conclusions - tests a specific hypothesis - uses random sampling techniques so as to infer from the sample to the population - involves a large number of respondents - examples include surveys and questionnaires Techniques include choice modelling maximum difference preference scaling and covariance analysis
Based on observations
Ethnographic studies - by nature qualitative the researcher observes social phenomena in their natural setting - observations can
occur cross-sectionally (observations made at one time) or longitudinally (observations occur over several time-periods) ndash
examples include product-use analysis and computer cookie traces See also Ethnography and Observational techniques
Experimental techniques - by nature quantitative the researcher creates a quasi-artificial environment to try to control spurious factors
then manipulates at least one of the variables - examples include purchase laboratories and test markets
Questionnaires 1 What are the objectives of the marketing strategy Are they clearly stated Are they consistent with the objectives of the firm Is the entire marketing mix structured to meet these objectives
2 What marketing concepts are at issue in the current strategy Is the marketing strategy well planned and laid out Is the strategy consistent with sound marketing principles If the strategy takes exception to marketing principles is there a good reason for it
3 To what target market is the strategy directed Is it well defined Is the market large enough to be profitably served Does the market have long-run potential
4 What competitive advantage does the marketing strategy offer If none what can be done to gain a competitive advantage in the marketplace
5 What products are being sold What is the width depth and consistency of the firms product lines Does the firm need new products to fill out its product line Should any product be deleted What is the profitability of the various products
6 What promotion mix is being used Is promotion consistent with the products and product images What could be done to improve the promotion mix
7 What channels of distribution are being used Do they deliver the product at the right time and right place to meet consumer needs Are the channels typical of those used in the industry Could channels be made more efficient
8 What pricing strategies are being used How do prices compare with similar products of other firms How are prices determined
9 Are marketing research and information systematically integrated into the marketing strategy Is the overall marketing strategy internally consistent
All of these forms of marketing research can be classified as either problem-identification research or as problem-solving research
There are two main sources of data - primary and secondary Primary research is conducted from scratch It is original and collected to solve the problem in hand Secondary research already exists since it has been collected for other purposes It is conducted on data published previously and usually by someone else Secondary research costs far less than primary research but seldom comes in a form that exactly meets the needs of the researcher
A similar distinction exists between exploratory research and conclusive research Exploratory research provides insights into and comprehension of an issue or situation It should draw definitive conclusions only with extreme caution Conclusive research draws conclusions the results of the study can be generalized to the whole population
Exploratory research is conducted to explore a problem to get some basic idea about the solution at the preliminary stages of research It may serve as the input to conclusive research Exploratory research information is collected by focus group interviews reviewing literature or books discussing with experts etc This is unstructured and qualitative in nature If a secondary source of data is unable to serve the purpose a convenience sample of small size can be collected Conclusive research is conducted to draw some conclusion about the problem It is essentially structured and quantitative research and the
output of this research is the input to MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS (MIS)
Marketing research methods
Methodologically marketing research uses the following types of research designs
Based on questioning
Qualitative marketing research - generally used for exploratory purposes - small number of respondents - not generalizable to the whole population - statistical significance and confidence not calculated - examples include focus groups in-depth interviews and projective techniques
Quantitative marketing research - generally used to draw conclusions - tests a specific hypothesis - uses random sampling techniques so as to infer from the sample to the population - involves a large number of respondents - examples include surveys and questionnaires Techniques include choice modelling maximum difference preference scaling and covariance analysis
Based on observations
Ethnographic studies - by nature qualitative the researcher observes social phenomena in their natural setting - observations can
occur cross-sectionally (observations made at one time) or longitudinally (observations occur over several time-periods) ndash
examples include product-use analysis and computer cookie traces See also Ethnography and Observational techniques
Experimental techniques - by nature quantitative the researcher creates a quasi-artificial environment to try to control spurious factors
then manipulates at least one of the variables - examples include purchase laboratories and test markets
Questionnaires 1 What are the objectives of the marketing strategy Are they clearly stated Are they consistent with the objectives of the firm Is the entire marketing mix structured to meet these objectives
2 What marketing concepts are at issue in the current strategy Is the marketing strategy well planned and laid out Is the strategy consistent with sound marketing principles If the strategy takes exception to marketing principles is there a good reason for it
3 To what target market is the strategy directed Is it well defined Is the market large enough to be profitably served Does the market have long-run potential
4 What competitive advantage does the marketing strategy offer If none what can be done to gain a competitive advantage in the marketplace
5 What products are being sold What is the width depth and consistency of the firms product lines Does the firm need new products to fill out its product line Should any product be deleted What is the profitability of the various products
6 What promotion mix is being used Is promotion consistent with the products and product images What could be done to improve the promotion mix
7 What channels of distribution are being used Do they deliver the product at the right time and right place to meet consumer needs Are the channels typical of those used in the industry Could channels be made more efficient
8 What pricing strategies are being used How do prices compare with similar products of other firms How are prices determined
9 Are marketing research and information systematically integrated into the marketing strategy Is the overall marketing strategy internally consistent
output of this research is the input to MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS (MIS)
Marketing research methods
Methodologically marketing research uses the following types of research designs
Based on questioning
Qualitative marketing research - generally used for exploratory purposes - small number of respondents - not generalizable to the whole population - statistical significance and confidence not calculated - examples include focus groups in-depth interviews and projective techniques
Quantitative marketing research - generally used to draw conclusions - tests a specific hypothesis - uses random sampling techniques so as to infer from the sample to the population - involves a large number of respondents - examples include surveys and questionnaires Techniques include choice modelling maximum difference preference scaling and covariance analysis
Based on observations
Ethnographic studies - by nature qualitative the researcher observes social phenomena in their natural setting - observations can
occur cross-sectionally (observations made at one time) or longitudinally (observations occur over several time-periods) ndash
examples include product-use analysis and computer cookie traces See also Ethnography and Observational techniques
Experimental techniques - by nature quantitative the researcher creates a quasi-artificial environment to try to control spurious factors
then manipulates at least one of the variables - examples include purchase laboratories and test markets
Questionnaires 1 What are the objectives of the marketing strategy Are they clearly stated Are they consistent with the objectives of the firm Is the entire marketing mix structured to meet these objectives
2 What marketing concepts are at issue in the current strategy Is the marketing strategy well planned and laid out Is the strategy consistent with sound marketing principles If the strategy takes exception to marketing principles is there a good reason for it
3 To what target market is the strategy directed Is it well defined Is the market large enough to be profitably served Does the market have long-run potential
4 What competitive advantage does the marketing strategy offer If none what can be done to gain a competitive advantage in the marketplace
5 What products are being sold What is the width depth and consistency of the firms product lines Does the firm need new products to fill out its product line Should any product be deleted What is the profitability of the various products
6 What promotion mix is being used Is promotion consistent with the products and product images What could be done to improve the promotion mix
7 What channels of distribution are being used Do they deliver the product at the right time and right place to meet consumer needs Are the channels typical of those used in the industry Could channels be made more efficient
8 What pricing strategies are being used How do prices compare with similar products of other firms How are prices determined
9 Are marketing research and information systematically integrated into the marketing strategy Is the overall marketing strategy internally consistent
occur cross-sectionally (observations made at one time) or longitudinally (observations occur over several time-periods) ndash
examples include product-use analysis and computer cookie traces See also Ethnography and Observational techniques
Experimental techniques - by nature quantitative the researcher creates a quasi-artificial environment to try to control spurious factors
then manipulates at least one of the variables - examples include purchase laboratories and test markets
Questionnaires 1 What are the objectives of the marketing strategy Are they clearly stated Are they consistent with the objectives of the firm Is the entire marketing mix structured to meet these objectives
2 What marketing concepts are at issue in the current strategy Is the marketing strategy well planned and laid out Is the strategy consistent with sound marketing principles If the strategy takes exception to marketing principles is there a good reason for it
3 To what target market is the strategy directed Is it well defined Is the market large enough to be profitably served Does the market have long-run potential
4 What competitive advantage does the marketing strategy offer If none what can be done to gain a competitive advantage in the marketplace
5 What products are being sold What is the width depth and consistency of the firms product lines Does the firm need new products to fill out its product line Should any product be deleted What is the profitability of the various products
6 What promotion mix is being used Is promotion consistent with the products and product images What could be done to improve the promotion mix
7 What channels of distribution are being used Do they deliver the product at the right time and right place to meet consumer needs Are the channels typical of those used in the industry Could channels be made more efficient
8 What pricing strategies are being used How do prices compare with similar products of other firms How are prices determined
9 Are marketing research and information systematically integrated into the marketing strategy Is the overall marketing strategy internally consistent
Questionnaires 1 What are the objectives of the marketing strategy Are they clearly stated Are they consistent with the objectives of the firm Is the entire marketing mix structured to meet these objectives
2 What marketing concepts are at issue in the current strategy Is the marketing strategy well planned and laid out Is the strategy consistent with sound marketing principles If the strategy takes exception to marketing principles is there a good reason for it
3 To what target market is the strategy directed Is it well defined Is the market large enough to be profitably served Does the market have long-run potential
4 What competitive advantage does the marketing strategy offer If none what can be done to gain a competitive advantage in the marketplace
5 What products are being sold What is the width depth and consistency of the firms product lines Does the firm need new products to fill out its product line Should any product be deleted What is the profitability of the various products
6 What promotion mix is being used Is promotion consistent with the products and product images What could be done to improve the promotion mix
7 What channels of distribution are being used Do they deliver the product at the right time and right place to meet consumer needs Are the channels typical of those used in the industry Could channels be made more efficient
8 What pricing strategies are being used How do prices compare with similar products of other firms How are prices determined
9 Are marketing research and information systematically integrated into the marketing strategy Is the overall marketing strategy internally consistent
6 What promotion mix is being used Is promotion consistent with the products and product images What could be done to improve the promotion mix
7 What channels of distribution are being used Do they deliver the product at the right time and right place to meet consumer needs Are the channels typical of those used in the industry Could channels be made more efficient
8 What pricing strategies are being used How do prices compare with similar products of other firms How are prices determined
9 Are marketing research and information systematically integrated into the marketing strategy Is the overall marketing strategy internally consistent