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Creating a Measurable
Customer-Centric Marketing Plan
Laura Patterson
President & [email protected]
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About VisionEdge Marketing –Experienced Practitioners
� Founded in 1999 and headquartered in Austin, TX, VisionEdge Marketing, Inc. serves more than 100 customers, and counting.
� VisionEdge Marketing, Inc. is a data-driven and metrics-focusedmarketing firm that specializes in improving marketing performance
and creating competitive advantage designed to attract, secure and retain profitable customers.
� Services include
� Marketing performance management
� Marketing and sales alignment
� Product and strategic marketing
� Pipeline re-engineering
� Professional development
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Session Objectives
Session 1:
� Understand the role of the marketing in a customer-centric environment
� Explain the process for developing a customer-centric marketing plan
� Review questions every marketing plan should answer
� Analyzing Your Situation
� Competition
� Customers
� Company
Session 2:
� Target Market
� Positioning
� Dragons and Quests
� Use the M.O.S.T approach to create a plan
� Mission, metrics, outcomes, objectives, strategies, and tactics
� Case Study
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Common Company Challenges
� Lack of a shared, focused strategy
� Quality of positioning strategy
� Marketing and sales effectiveness
� Lack of plan (if its not written down, there’s no plan)
� No measures of success
Without strategy and planning, it’s
impossible to build a successful company.
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““Business has only two basic Business has only two basic
functions functions –– marketing and marketing and
innovationinnovation””
Peter Peter DruckerDrucker, 1992, 1992
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Order of Courses:Every Business Needs 3 Plans
Operational PlanBottoms up, fiscal year
Focuses on the fiscal year ahead and addresses what all aspects of the organization must do to achieve the operationalplans objectives
Marketing Plan
Explains the strategies around
the target market, product, channel, price, and promotion and details the implementation of these strategies that willcost-effectively generate theorganization’s revenue goals and business outcomes.
Marketing Plans are Linked to Business Plans
Strategic Business PlanTop down, longer horizon. The process of determining how the organization should expect to be positioned at some time in the future and what steps should be taken in the near term to move toward that positioning.
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The Role of Marketing
Marketing is an organizational function and a set of processes for creating,
communicating and delivering value to
customers and for managing customer
relationships in ways that benefit the
organization and its stakeholders.
AMA Definition of Marketing
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Three Ways to Achieve our Job
1. Find Profitable Opportunities
� The process of acquiring/securing customers
2. Keep Profitable Opportunities
� The process of retaining customers
3. Grow Profitable Opportunities
� The process of increasing the value of your customer franchise and brand
“Marketing has the
main responsibility
for achieving
profitable revenue
growth.”
Phil Kotler
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Keep the Job in Mind
Market Share Lifetime Value Brand/Customer Equity
Find/SecureProfitableCustomers
Acquisition
KeepCustomers
Penetration
GrowCustomerValue
Monetization
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The Value of a Plan
�� Outlines unique, meaningful strategies that Outlines unique, meaningful strategies that
focus on the current needs and desires of the focus on the current needs and desires of the
target customertarget customer
�� Serves as a blueprint, roadmap for actionServes as a blueprint, roadmap for action
�� Provides focus Provides focus
�� Establishes prioritiesEstablishes priorities
Provides the basis by which actual and Provides the basis by which actual and
expected performance can be comparedexpected performance can be compared
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What’s Wrong With This Plan?
ACE Global Inc.
Excerpted Plan:
� Conduct quarterly sales training
� Develop and implement quarterly direct marketing program
� Participate in key trade shows
� Create new collateral
� Optimize the website for search engines
� Conduct a customer satisfaction study
Improve Your Probability for Success ™ | www.visionedgemarketing.com | ©1999-2009 VisionEdge Marketing. All rights reserved. Not for reproduction or redistribution without written permission. 12
What’s Wrong With This Plan?
Xcelsier, Inc.
Excerpted Plan:
Mission: Double revenues from 2008 to 2009
Objectives:
� Increase the number of opportunities in the SMB space
� Increase share of wallet with existing customers
Strategies:
� Target top 25 SMBs in each of our major markets
� Secure one new deal from each of our top 3 customers in each vertical
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Develop a Customer-Centric Measurable Plan
"Plans are nothing;
planning is everything.“
Dwight D. Eisenhower
• Prioritize Where to Best Invest Your Time• Focus on Who is Most Likely to Buy
� Enhance lead gen activities�Generate Interest and Consideration�Qualify and Prioritize� Incubate if necessary
• Clearly Understand the Customer’s Buying Process� How do you meet their needs differently and better than the competition
�Why do you win? Why do you Lose?• Develop a Marketing Strategy for Key
and Strategic Customer and Market Opportunities
� Do Your Homework• Farm additional revenue from existing
customers� Regularly communicate with customers
� Effectively cross-sell and up-sell• Create Customer Loyalty
� Increase referrals
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A Marketing Plan
�� A process not a documentA process not a document
�� Tells a storyTells a story
�� It identifies the place and It identifies the place and timetime
�� It identifies the characters It identifies the characters ––the good and the badthe good and the bad
�� It tells how the current It tells how the current situation came to besituation came to be
�� It defines what must happen It defines what must happen to make for a good to make for a good outcomeoutcome
�� It establishes the challenges It establishes the challenges and what they must do to and what they must do to over come themover come them
�� And it clarifies the outcomeAnd it clarifies the outcome
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Attributes of a Good Plan
� Establishes clear measurable objectives� Defines performance targets� Identifies a target customer group� Explains what these customers want� Develops a positioning strategy relevant to
this group that differentiates the company from competitors
� Creates an effective strategy to achieve objectives
� Outlines a specific plan of action with expected results tied to the outcomes
� POAs are calendarized, budgeted with clear ownership
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Does Your Plan Answer These Questions?
1. What economic and business environment are you experiencing?
2. What opportunities and problems are you facing?3. What business outcomes do you expect to achieve?4. Who are your customers?5. What are your customer’s needs and buying process to
meet these needs?6. Why should they buy your product or service rather than
your competitors’?7. What exactly do you sell? 8. How will you communicate your product or service to
create opportunities?9. How many opportunities do you need to achieve your
goals, how do these opportunities move through the buying process?
10. Who will do what, when, how much will it cost?11. How are you going to measure your progress and the
value?
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Answers involve the Ps of Marketing- aka The Marketing Mix
�� Marketing Mix Defined: A unique blend of strategies, known as thMarketing Mix Defined: A unique blend of strategies, known as the e Ps of marketing, designed to produce mutually satisfying Ps of marketing, designed to produce mutually satisfying exchanges with a target marketexchanges with a target market
�� The 6 Ps of MarketingThe 6 Ps of Marketing
�� Positioning:Positioning: The The ‘‘placeplace’’ a product, brand, or entity occupies in a product, brand, or entity occupies in the customersthe customers’’ minds relative to competitive offeringsminds relative to competitive offerings
�� Promise:Promise:What can I count on from you?What can I count on from you?
�� Product:Product: Includes the physical unit, packaging, warranty, afterIncludes the physical unit, packaging, warranty, after--sale service, brand name and image, valuesale service, brand name and image, value
�� Place:Place: Concerned with how to make it convenient to buy the Concerned with how to make it convenient to buy the productproduct
�� Promotion:Promotion: Informing, educating, persuading, and reminding Informing, educating, persuading, and reminding target markets about the offertarget markets about the offer
�� Price:Price: What the buyer must give up to obtain the productWhat the buyer must give up to obtain the product
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Plan Development Process
Marketing Strategy
Product
Promotion
Distribution
Price
Marketing Mix
Business Mission Statement
Objectives
Situation or SWOT Analysis
Target Market Strategy
Implementation
Evaluation
Control
Strategy
Product
Promotion
Distribution
Price
ProductProduct
PromotionPromotion
DistributionDistribution
PricePrice
Tactics
Business Mission Statement
Business Mission Statement
ObjectivesObjectives
Situation or SWOT Analysis
Situation or SWOT Analysis
Target Market Strategy
Implementation
Evaluation
Control
Using a Collaborative Roll Up Your Sleeves Process
� Clarify Current Situation� Understand the macro
environment� Understand the current
environment� Understand our customers� Understand our SWOT
� Define Target Market� Establish Business Outcomes and
Validate� Establish Marketing Mission� Create Measurable Objectives and
Validate� Develop Strategies� Map the Customer Buying Process� Develop Tactics, Timeline, and Budget
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Plan Flow
�� Executive Summary Executive Summary �� Company OverviewCompany Overview
�� Positioning StrategyPositioning Strategy
�� Strategy RationaleStrategy Rationale
�� Positioning StatementPositioning Statement
�� Message MapMessage Map
�� Situational Analysis Situational Analysis –– A Succinct Story A Succinct Story BoardBoard�� Sales TrendsSales Trends
�� Market TrendsMarket Trends
�� Customer TrendsCustomer Trends
�� Competitive AnalysisCompetitive Analysis
�� SWOTSWOT
�� Marketing Objectives and MetricsMarketing Objectives and Metrics�� CustomerCustomer--Centric StrategiesCentric Strategies
�� Tactical Implementation PlanTactical Implementation Plan�� BudgetBudget
�� AppendixAppendix
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5 Minimum Layers for Any Plan
1. Situation Analysis� Current situation description� SWOT� Summary of main issues and opportunities� List of assumptions
2. Business Outcomes� Mission� Metrics
3. Outcomes and Objectives4. Customer Centric Strategies
� Hammer out a strategy that addresses primary target market, buyers who ready, able and willing� May require research
� Positioning – clarify the reason why people should buy from YOU (WIFM)� May require research
5. Tactics� Identify concrete actions, timeline, resources (people, time,
money)
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Layer 1: Situation Analysis
Planning is the process of anticipating future events and determining strategies to achieve organizational objectives in the future – this means you need context.
� You exist within a market
� You exist within a competitive environment
How can you know what to do if you don’t know
where you are?
Key questions to answer:
� What’s going on that affects your business
� What’s going on in your industry
� What’s happening with your competition
� What’s happening with your customers
� What’s happening with your company
� SWOT - What your company does and how it operates, its strengths and weaknesses
Plans Require Context
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Situational Analysis – What We Know
�� A snapshot of your A snapshot of your situation, your company, situation, your company, the market, and the market, and competition at this point competition at this point in timein time
�� Demonstrates youDemonstrates you’’ve ve evaluated the situation evaluated the situation and understand what and understand what customers wantcustomers want
�� Requires regular Requires regular monitoringmonitoring
�� Best when used fresh but Best when used fresh but can be stored for up to 90 can be stored for up to 90 daysdays
� Market Analysis� Macro and Micro Trends: Track
trends so you can capitalize on them by adding new
products/services or modifying existing offers
� Customer Analysis
� Competitive Analysis
� Self – Analysis� SWOT
The Findings Serve as The Findings Serve as
the Basis for Your the Basis for Your
RecommendationsRecommendations
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The More Facts the Better
� Nice to have time and resources to be thorough – not always possible
� If you can’t do your own research
� Leverage third party research
� Attend conferences, webinars, trade shows
�� Go where your customers and Go where your customers and
competition gocompetition go
� Talk to customers and prospects
�� Customer Advisory BoardsCustomer Advisory Boards
� Read key publications
� Use the web, blogs, etc.
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Capture the Marco Environment
The pertinent facts and implications related to economic, demographic, cultural, technological, and/or political forces that are outside your control but will have an effect on your business.
How do these impact your business?
What opportunities do they present?
� Population trends
� Insurance costs
� Regulation
� War
� Interest rates
� Unemployment
� Gas prices
Write down 1-2 macro trends affecting your biz
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Add in Market/Industry Trends
� Need to track trends so you can capitalize on them by adding new products/services or modifying existing offers
� Rather than trying to develop a trend, be prepared to move quickly to take advantage of a trend
� Look for relevant patterns� Volume (i.e. flat, on the
rise, etc)� Profitability (margin
pressures, highly profitable low overhead)
� Customer type (i.e. early adopters, followers)
� Industry stage (i.e. emerging, plateauing)
Write down 1-2 market and industry trends affecting your biz
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Add In Competition
� Direct
� Same customer problem
� Same product category
� Same market/customer segment
� Indirect
� Same customer problem
� Different product category
� Same market/customer segment• Who is your competition?
• What do you know about them?• What do you need to know you don’t know? • Why do your customers use/prefer them?
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Season with Customer/Target Market Data
Successful companies are Successful companies are
customercustomer--centric, they centric, they
……
�� know their know their
customers, customers,
�� what they want, what they want,
andand
�� how theyhow they’’ll buyll buy
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Customer Centricity is the Secret Ingredient
� Bridges the gap between brand and customer value
� Translates customer value into a value proposition
� Sets and achieves goals to create and nurture a promise of value to customers
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Customer Centricity
To be customer-centric, you must look at the
world through the eyes of the customer,
what they want from you, what they expect from you, what they
can count on from you.
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Why be Customer-Centric?
� 60% more profitable� 2X as likely to exceed return
on shareholder equity� Twice as likely to exceed
goals for pre-tax returns on� Assets� Sales growth� Market share� New product development
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Why be Customer-Centric?
� Creates loyal customers
� Loyal customers are 7-10 times more profitable
� 70% of defections have nothing to do with the product
� Rule of thumb: up to 10 times more expensive to acquire than retain
� Customer loyalty starts with being customer-centric
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4 Key Benefits to Creating A Buyer Centric Model
Use the Customer Satisfaction Index to understand and act
on customer satisfaction and loyalty information. See
page 10 of the worksheet for more information.
.
1. Provides insights into how the target makes a purchase and decides to buy
2. Enables the development of tools designed to build an action that will motivate the target toward the next step in selecting your company’s offer
3. Aligns marketing and sales around a common process and vocabulary
4. Provides a measurement process and tool
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Are You Customer-Centric?
� Pick a customer you do or have worked with
� Put yourself in the customers’ shoes
� How would customers for this company answer the following questions:
� Using the following scale strongly disagree, disagree, neither disagree or agree, agree, or strongly agree?
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Are you customer-centric?
Strongly Agree
AgreeNeitherDisagreeStrongly Disagree
Question
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
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Your customers agree that?
� Your ability to mobilize your company competencies on their behalf is better than your competitors’
� You play a leading role in shaping the supply chain in which youoperate
� Your role in shaping the supply chain is appreciated by your customers and suppliers
� You go out of way to understand what value means to them, more so than your competitors
� Your new product/service was carefully developed with the customer value in mind
� Your new product/service introduction success rate is better than your competitors’
� You keep a close monitor of your relationships with them at all levels across the range of products/services they purchase
� Your business processes are integrated with theirs
� You offer a better total solution that provides a competitive advantage
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How did you score?
� For every
� Strongly Disagree score 1,
� Disagree score 2,
� Neither 0,
� Agree 4, and
� Strongly Agree 5.
� Total it up-
� How did the company score?
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What Your Score Means
� 0-20 Product-centric
� 13-24 Transition
� 25-35 Customer-valued centered
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How to Become Customer-Centric
� Reverse the value chain Start with the customer not what you sell� Recognize customers’
needs and priorities (value proposition – why they should buy from you)
� Identify the channels (placement) that best deliver these needs
� Determine the services and products best suited for these channels (product)
� Develop the resources needed to deliver these products/services and protect value stream (differentiation; brand strategy)
� Companies reap the rewards of the value they create for customers
© 1999 VisionEdge Marketing
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Fold in Information About You
What is your current situation?
� Are you profitable?
� Is your revenue increasing or declining?
� Are you customers staying or defecting?
� Are you living off your base or acquiring new customers?
� Are your customers buying more from you than your competition?
Which scenario looks like you? Why a gap?
Operating
Costs
Revenue
Revenue
Operating
Costs
Service costs too high?
Investments in new
equip?
Cost to acquire too high?
Not enough customers?
Customers defecting?
Not enough margin?
Lots of repeat biz?
No competition?
Low overhead?
High margin customers?
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Convert your Data - Picture’s Worth a 1000 Words – Help Us See What’s Important
Time
#newctms
Time
# RepeatCtms
Is your market growing?How fast?
Is your market flat?
Is your market declining?
Time
Rate
Number ofNew ctmsDecreasing,Increasing,Staying the same
Time
Time
Market
Share
Which box are you?Are you taking share?Losing share?
TIP: Story board your data
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Mix and Sift – Create Your SWOT
©South-Western College Publishing
SS
WW
OO
TT
Things the company does well.Things the company does well.
Things the company does not do well.Things the company does not do well.
Conditions in the external environment that favor strengths.
Conditions in the external environment that favor strengths.
Conditions in the external environment that do not relate to existing strengths or favor areas of current weakness.
Conditions in the external environment that do not relate to existing strengths or favor areas of current weakness.
InternalInternal
ExternalExternal
©South-Western College Publishing
SS
WW
OO
TT
Things the company does well.Things the company does well.
Things the company does not do well.Things the company does not do well.
Conditions in the external environment that favor strengths.
Conditions in the external environment that favor strengths.
Conditions in the external environment that do not relate to existing strengths or favor areas of current weakness.
Conditions in the external environment that do not relate to existing strengths or favor areas of current weakness.©South-Western College Publishing
SS
WW
OO
TT
Things the company does well.Things the company does well.
Things the company does not do well.Things the company does not do well.
Conditions in the external environment that favor strengths.
Conditions in the external environment that favor strengths.
Conditions in the external environment that do not relate to existing strengths or favor areas of current weakness.
Conditions in the external environment that do not relate to existing strengths or favor areas of current weakness.
InternalInternal
ExternalExternal
Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats
Evaluate each aspect
of your company from
your customer’s view point.
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Reduction – Reduce SWOT to Salient Points
A marketing plan revolves around creating an advantage and then developing and implementing the tactics to ensure that customers/prospects realize that you have this advantage.
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Session 2
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Target Market
Target Market =The group of peopletoward whom the firm decides to direct itsmarketing efforts
All decisions are made within the context of the target market
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Attributes of Attractive Market
� Segment the
market based on
groups with similar
characteristics
� Analyze the
market based on
attractiveness of
market segments
� Select one or
more target markets
� High profitability
� Rapid growth
� Easy to access – less regulation, less competition
� Less sensitive to price
� Lack of competition
� Compatible technologies/systems
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Select the Right Target Customer
� Companies often create market segments –customers who share a common set of characteristics
�Segments are often evaluated by
� substantiality,
� identifiability,
�measurability,
�accessibility
� The target customer group is the group of people with the best fit for your offer
�Price, Product, Assurance/Comfort, Customization/Tailor Made
�Each of these demand a different approach-Operational Excellence, Product Innovation/Leadership, Brand, Customer Intimacy
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Know Your Customers
Psychographics
�How do they buy
�How do they decide to buy
�When do they buy
�Who buys? Who uses? How often?
When?
�Criticalness of need/degree of pain
�Barriers to adoption/consideration
Demographics
� Size: revenue, number of employees
� Location
� Industries
Create a profile of the ideal customer
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Establish a Sustainable Differential Advantage
� Your sustainable competitive advantage is something associated with your company that is
� different about your company/product/service
� meaningful to the target and
� not easily copied by competitors
� Develop and implement the tactics to ensure that customers/prospects realize that you have this advantage
� Answers the question - Why should customers buy from you instead of from your competitors?
Page 25
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Formulate Your Positioning
Take the Competition into Account
� What is their positioning?
�List the target markets and why each competitor believes the target
segment should buy its product
�How do the prospects see the differences between the competitors and you?
�Do your homework-market research
�Respond to competitive threats by
differentiating your product/service rather than by dropping your price or running new promotions
� The way your company and product are defined by customers on important attributes
� Determined by your firm’s resources and capabilities in conjunction with the needs of the market
� Defines the way your company and product are important to your customers and different from the competition
� Indicates� What your product is� Who is your target customer� Why your target customer
should buy from you
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Positioning Statement Example
Company Name
Market/Product Category
Benefits/Competitive Differentiator
Market Segment
Problem/Critical Need
Competitive Differentiation
TengoTengo InternetInternet
a customer hia customer hi--speed Internet Access Providerspeed Internet Access Provider
ProvidesProvides
Outstanding customer service andOutstanding customer service and
contract flexibilitycontract flexibility
ForFor
the camping and hospitality industriesthe camping and hospitality industries
Who needWho need
to rely on amenities as a differentiator for to rely on amenities as a differentiator for creating a great customer experience creating a great customer experience
UnlikeUnlike
XXX whose products and business model XXX whose products and business model doesndoesn’’t allow for flexibility, is more t allow for flexibility, is more difficult to install, and doesndifficult to install, and doesn’’t let the t let the
customer brand the servicecustomer brand the service
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Dragons and Quests
� When you complete the analysis and defined your target market you know whether you are fighting dragons or embarking on a quest or both
� Now you can create the next layer
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Use M.O.S.T.
� Mission and Metrics
� Outcomes and Objectives
� Strategies
� Tactics
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Layer 2: Business Outcomes
Mission
� Tells us the purpose for your existence
� Hints at the outcomes you will impact
� Sets the stage for your objectives
Metrics� Be seen as accountable� Communicate impact� Demonstrate financial
contribution� Enable us to work smarter
-efficiently� Provide a current picture
(market share, product margins, close rate)
� Indicate future performance (projected revenue, share of wallet, net advocacy)
� Empowerment1. Influence decisions2. Recommend action3. Play a strategic role
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Measurement is the Foundation to ROI
� Design and select metrics that measure marketing’s impact on the business
� Use metrics that measure efficiency, effectiveness and payback
� Create a measurement management system and consistently use it
� Capture performance metrics as quickly as possible in order to instigate immediate change in execution
� Report results and performance in real time
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Think of Metrics Along a Continuum
Activity-Based
Operational
Outcome-Based
Leading-Indicators
Predictive
Counting:Press HitsTrade show leadsClick-Through RatesDownload numbersWebinar participants
Efficiency:Lead/RepLead AgingCampaign ROIProgram: People RatioCost/Billing DollarProgram spend/headcountProgram/Total SpendAwareness: Demand RatioMarketing spend/revenue
Business Outcomes:Market ShareCategory OwnershipLifetime Value
Likelihood of Outcome:Share of WalletAdoption RatesRate of Growth:Market
Tactical Strategic
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Layer 3: Outcomes and Objectives
Outcomes
� Tie the Plan to the Business Outcomes at the Outset
� Understand what your company is trying to do and which of those things you can directly and indirectly impact
� Aim for customer-centric outcomes
�� FindingFinding
�� Keeping Keeping
�� Growing the Growing the value of value of customerscustomers
Objectives
� Establish Measurable Objectives and Strategies tied to Customer Centric Outcomes
� Your analysis serves as the basis for setting performance targets for your objectives and strategies
� Business Outcomes- EXAMPLES
� Close the revenue gap of X$ by YE09
� Achieve a rate of growth (X%) equal to the rate of the market in two years
� Increase share of customer wallet from X to Y in 18 months
� The Business Outcomes are the Foundation for Your Marketing Objectives - EXAMPLES
� Reduce customer churn by X% in the next six months
� Increase margin/doctor to X$ by YE
� Increase # of specimens/doctor from X to Y this year
� Add X# new doctors by
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Measurable Objectives
� Realistic
� Measurable
� Time specific
� Consistent with the organization’s priorities
Marketing Objectives Must Be:
“Our objective is to increase market
share by 40% and to
obtain customer satisfaction ratings of at least 90% in 2001.”
Tip: Keep objectives customer-focused
Acquire 40% more “green” customers and obtain a 90% customer loyalty rating from this set by YE2009
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Layer 4: Customer Centric Strategies
Strategy is a campaign to win a competitive situation, taking into account your resources, your competition’s resources and the nature of the battlefield to obtain a sustainable competitive advantage.
� Stated as a customer focus
� Based on what customers want
� Identify “HOW” the objectives will be accomplished
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Marketing Strategies Enable Objectives and Tie to Corporate Strategies
Present Product New Product
New Market
MarketPenetration
MarketDevelopment
ProductDevelopment
Diversification
Present Market
Present Product New Product
New Market
MarketPenetration
MarketDevelopment
ProductDevelopment
Diversification
Present Market
Four primaryFour primary
strategiesstrategies
Asnoff Matrix
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Strategies Support Objectives
� Need to X # acquire more customers - Examples
� Is the strategy to take customers away from a particular competitor?
� Is the strategy to offer a better more accurate technology?
� Is the strategy to partner with someone?
� Increase X # number of products/customer -Examples
� Is the strategy to offer a special price break based on number of products
� Is the strategy tied to some service quality issue?
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Layer 5: Tactics
PricePrice
PromotionPromotion
PlacePlace
ProductProduct�Starting point - Includes physical unit, package, warranty, service, brand, image, and value
� Product availability where
and when customers want them.
� Involves all activities from raw
materials to finished products
� Role is to bring about
exchanges with target markets
� Includes integration of
personal selling, advertising,
sales promotion, and public relations
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Tactics Have Three Tasks – Remember our job
1. Find profitable opportunities� Generating leads and qualified leads� Conversion across the pipeline� Velocity
2. Nurture those who are not ready to convert� Do you have a process to contact active prospects/customers every 3 months?
� Do you have a method for determining when a prospect is ready to buy?
� Do your lead follow up programs tie in with other events designed to provide prospects with decision making information?
3. Create customer preference and loyalty
TIP: Be willing to kill off tactics! All tactics should support a strategy and directly link to an objective and outcome
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Communication Tactics
� PR – use of third parties to endorse (testimonials, case studies, editors, bloggers, speaking engagements, editorial coverage, juried articles, etc)
� Advertising – control of message and placement (traditional broadcast, direct marketing, event marketing, online media, collateral)
� Promotion – efforts designed to stimulate purchase and increase immediate demand
� Personal Selling – planned presentations, customer visits, telesales, consultations, proposals, etc.
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Tactics Support the Buying Process
Can be Over emphasized
May need more emphasis
AdvertisingPR
PRPromotionPersonal Selling
PromotionPersonal Selling
interest/inquiry
consideration/trial
preference purchaseawareness
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Buying Pipeline
The buying process relates to opportunity stages.
Contacts Suspects LeadsQld
LeadsProspects
Closed Deals
interest/inquiry
consideration/trial
preference purchaseawareness
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Top it Off with Budget and ROI
� This section should identify the cost for each strategy and its associated tactics and the expected results and return
� You can have a big marketing strategy on small budget
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Map your Plan
Gain leadership position by introducing innovative new
product line based on XYZ tech
Launch plan
Sales commissions
Outcome – Be acquired in 2 years at a
premium price
People
Secure 5
new Patents
Go from #5 to #3in Mkt Share in
18 mths
Patent
Outcomes - Define the overall organization charter, purpose for existence
Objectives - Realistic, performance-Based initiatives that provide the focus needed to achieve the outcomes
Strategies – The course of action for achieving the objectives, these typically remains in play
Tactics – The specificactivities needed to support strategy
Customer Retention and Value
Channel
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From Theory to Practice
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What They Wanted
� Learn key marketing and planning concepts
� Create an integrated sales and marketing plan
� Develop a set of measurable objectives
� Develop a set of key customer-based metrics
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Where They Came From
� No marketing metrics� Minimal performance
targets� Had objectives, but
they weren’t measurable
� Sales and Marketing plans were not integrated
� Very broad brush stroke strategies that were actually tactics
Before - Our Marketing Objectives:
� Grow the customer base � Develop opportunities by
creating effective campaigns, communicating effectively to existing Customers, and delivering value.
� Educate Southwest Airlines Employees and develop internal support
� Meet or exceed revenue expectations
Before – Strategy Example� Promotion: Inforwarding
(OAG) and other available industry email lists (MCAA, etc)
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What We Did
� Created a cross functional team of sales and marketing
� Engaged our GM
� Committed to the VEM process
� Did our homework – waded through the data
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The Result
� Leveraged the data to identify new and better market opportunities
� Expanded outcomes beyond revenue
� Identified skill sets
� After – Marketing Objectives � develop add X number of new customers in abc segment
� After – Strategy Example � Leverage customer experience as a competitive advantage
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Lessons Learned & Advice
� Learned the value of data and “doing the math.”� An outside perspective is useful to learning how to look at your data differently – it’s easy to fall into the trap of “thinking you know your business.”
� Learned how to:� Look at data in a more meaningful ways – for example new views of activation and retention
� Define collective outcomes and roles for sales and marketing relevant to these
� Establish measurable goals, outcomes and objectives with specific performance targets
� One piece of advice: � “Learn how to mine your data so you truly understand your business”
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Wrap Up
� What’s One New Idea
� What Will You Do
Differently in your FY010 planning?
� Thank you and Questions
Page 38
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Thank you and Resources
Learn More: 1. Subscribe to FREE monthly
newsletter, KeyPoint MPM
2. Check out - Gone Fishin’ For Marketing and Sales Alignment –Ebook
3. Six Steps for Creating a Measurable Customer-Centric Marketing Plan, Second Edition - A Self-Paced Hands On Workbook
All available at:www.visionedgemarketing.com