16 Questions you MUST ask yourself about your marketing program and your product.
6. Will the promotion program work?
The first concern is whether the positioning for a product has ever been defined. If the product has indeed been rationally positioned, the next question is whether or not that position is adequately reflected in the company's promotions. A product's positioning should be the cornerstone of every piece of sales literature, advertising, and promotion. Much of the effectiveness of any promotion depends on the creativity of the people involved.
7. Is the product different?
I am always tempted to tell marketing people that I would rather be different than better, knowing full well that if a product is truly different in some ways important to some customers, they will automatically perceive the product as better. Products succeed and become profitable when they are dramatically different in significant ways. Marketing departments should create differences and be capable of articulating their importance.
8. Does a marketing plan exist?
A marketing plan should exist. Sometimes it lives only in the head of a strong leader and is transmitted through his or her words and activities. An unwritten plan is indicative of no plan at all. Even then, it is not enough to have a written plan. It must be a living plan as well. The company must know it exists and must be following it. The plan should be continually reviewed. If the plan is written and never looked again, it is not a plan at all.
9. Is the pricing fair?
It is reasonably easy to determine if profit margins are adequate to sustain a company. This is an analytic job for the finance department. It is much more difficult to figure out whether the customer is being charged a fair price. So much of the customer's perception and utility is derived from it after the purchase. Marketing should be able to explain to management why the price is fair to both the customer and the company.
Continue to part 3 of 3 >
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