Question

Topic: Strategy

Top 3 Concerns

Posted by Anonymous on8/30/2005 at 4:17 PM ET 250 Points
With Q4 around the corner and planning stages ahead I'm interested in what you feel the top 3 concerns for Marketing Executives should be heading into 06'.
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  • Posted byPeter (henna gaijin)on8/30/2005 at 4:33 PM Accepted
    These aren't really specific to this current quarter or fiscal year:

    1) improving the bottom line of the company
    2) showing the effectiveness of marketing programs (getting to an ROI so non-marketing people can understand the value)
    3) using the info from 2 to make better marketing decisions (so marketing is more effective - which will help you in goal #1)
  • Posted bymgoodmanon8/30/2005 at 6:45 PM Accepted
    1. Understanding customers and end-users better, so you can identify unmet needs that can lead you to new products, services, and processes -- that will, in turn, lead to increased sales/profit.

    2. Focusing on core values, strategy, mission, and important things -- not just on the urgent stuff that somehow consumes most of our time.

    3. Thinking creatively, inventing new approaches, getting outside the box, delegating the routine elements of the job and making a meaningful contribution that stems from your unique talents.

    No need to wait until '06 for any of these.
  • Posted on8/31/2005 at 6:05 AM Accepted
    1. finding new communication channels - customers are attacked by thousands of messages / day , we must find ways to deliver the messages on non-conventional channels

    2. I must agree with peter for no 2 - showing effectiveness of marketing with clear and measurable results

    3. segment the market properly - as new clusters will develop, based on other traditions, customs, values etc
  • Posted bysteven.alkeron8/31/2005 at 10:50 AM Accepted
    Was that personal concerns?

    Do the first five of the ten things I said that I would do a-priori in 2004 which were carried over to 2005 and still havn’t been done.

    Get it into the company’s mindset that time management in marketing is as vital as it is in production, human resources and accounts. Today’s prevarication or lost opportunity to do something is the next quarter’s lost sales.

    Acknowledge the fact that though we are CRM experts with a calendar and a hot-list on every screen, a paper diary is still essential. Especially for that list of 10 things I was going to do.

    Well, that’s my personal dirty washing out of the way. Now for the world of marketing as a whole:

    Look very carefully at the new “e”, web and text based media as they rise and rise in importance in the marketing mix. Keep an eye on the older items of the mix as they become unfashionable. Then be prepared to use them as they will have huge novelty allure.

    Get clients to purchase a fountain pen and learn how to write again.

    Focus on sales forecasting as a very saleable service. Show clients that forecasting is not a linear process. Ensure that this knowledge does not leak out to bank managers, fund managers and other institutional investors. Get clients to do their forecasts with the rigour they will do a trial balance.

    Best wishes

    Steve Alker
    Unimax Solutions

  • Posted bytimo kruskopfon9/2/2005 at 5:05 AM Accepted
    This is a subjective list after discussing with several CMO's and Managers.

    1. Positioning and re-positioning: staying one step ahead of customer expectations. Brand relevance and consiestency on market.
    2. Sales channel shaping and buy-in: how to motivate distributors, branch offices or dealers to execute
    3. Lead managment: catch prospects and keep customers. Close to Peter's #2. What you measure is what you get.

    Keep going. This is super interesting to get into core of our business.

    Timo
  • Posted bysteven.alkeron9/2/2005 36点 Member
    Hi again

    这个讨论非常interestin发展g way. Could I add another 3 items from my own specialism (CRM)? I left them out originally, rather than be seen to be beating my own drum too much.

    If you don’t have a CRM system or a prospect management system, put one in place. This includes the management ethos as well as software to run it. A recent informal survey from our local Government Enterprise organisation indicated that 78% of companies did not have any defined system to handle ongoing customer contact or to coordinate prospecting, the management of leads and the monitoring of sales activity. That’s staggering.

    If you have the software, try to elevate its usage from electronic dustbin to something more productive. A survey of our own prospects shows that they fall into 3 broad categories with the majority in category 1. Plan to move yourself up at least one step.

    1. Electronic dustbin: All customers and some prospects are on a database of sorts, where the software allows to users to retrieve the company record by using it’s name on an ad-hoc basis. There is no strategy to do anything with the data.

    2. Electronic Filing Cabinet: As above, but the data is better organised with retrieval by contact name and other useful category headings. Notes are often logged and some actions are planned. There is still no strategy or plan to get some measurable return from the system.

    3. Basic CRM system or prospect management database. Customer needs are better codified and a lead is treated as a valuable company resource. There are some tactics in place as to what procedures should be carried out but no strategy. Reporting, to show what is going on and where the company is making a return on its investment is patchy, but the need is recognised.

    If you are in category 3, then its time to set a plan in place to drive your sales and marketing efforts forward by managing the incredibly valuable information you have access to. It’s time to enact a strategy.

    Reduce the burden of producing reports manually and free up time for sales and marketing activities. Automate the little things which make the staff experience and the customer experience better.

    If your systems and procedures are in place, they will inform your staff when the most important types of customer or prospect contact are needed. Because you will have eliminated many time wasting, repetitive and unproductive activities, you will be able to deal with them person-to-person, rather than via an automated impersonal letter, email or text.

    If your reporting is up-to-scratch, you will know what people are doing, how effectively they are doing it and what you are likely to be earning from their activities. The best thing about this bit is that it shouldn’t take them any time at all to generate the reports as they derive from information you will need to capture in the first place.

    Hope that makes sense!

    Steve Alker
    Unimax Solutions
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