Marketing Success – Focus On The Customer
Marketing Success – Focus On The Customer
Customer focus is what drives sucessful business. Time and time again youll here people say you need to deliver value to the customer; thats what sustains business.
There are three types of customer focus:
1. Customerdriven
2. Consumerdriven
3. Formal SIVA
Customerdriven relies on product innovation and closely watching your market segment as well as identifying new customer segments. Consumerdriven relies on the needs of consumers to drive the marketing strategy. Every marketing decision relies on consumer wants. The problem with this approach is that RD is usually not a focus because new innovation doesnt always lead to successful products.
Lastly something called the SIVA model formalizes the customerdriven approach using variations on marketing mix.
Product => Solution
Promotion => Information
Price => Value
Place => Access
When workng around the SIVA model keep these things in mind:
Does your product or service solve the customers problem. Is it a valid solution?
Does your target market know about the solution? Disseminating information is critical. If they do know do they have the necessary information to make a buying decision?
Is the customer aware of the value given by the product or service? Do they know the costs and benefits and what is the overall customer perception of the value which may differ greatly from the actual value?
Where can the product or service be found? How can you make it easy for the customer to find you?
The biggest advice that stands out in my mind is to consider the following:
Is your business marketdriven or marketdriving?
In the former you are following market trends and sustaining a business. In the latter you are paving the way and likely to be ahead of competition. As my old basketball coach used to say: Anticipation Anticipation Anticipation! He was talking about where the basketball was going. Im talking about where the market is going.
About the writer:nbsp;nbsp;Joshua Saunders is an experienced entrepreneur engineer and business development professional. Joshua has started and run several businesses and assists others in creating business plans feasibility studies market research business strategy and growth plans.
For more information visit: www.JoshuaSaunders.com
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