Shoot from the hip or accurate marksmanship?

Marketing plans are often written because the management or boss demands a plan. Usually the results are pretty decent. But, honestly, couldn't they have been even better? Are we really certain when confronted with following questions?

• Do we really know what the customer wants - have we asked?
• Are we spending our time on the right customers - how sure are we?
• Are we getting the highest possible price for our products - every percent winds up on the bottom line!
• Are there other customer categories that would benefit from our products and services - how closely have we looked at the opportunities?
• Are there other geographic markets where we could successfully make inroads - have we checked and set priorities?
• Do we know that our products have the best possible function from a customer perspective - have we looked at QFD?
• Do we have a comprehensive product range from a lifecycle perspective - have we analysed our products according to GE and BCG?
• Is every product contributing to profits, all costs considered - or is a product entirely unprofitable and should perhaps be eliminated?
• Can we expand our product range to serve our current customers - have we thoroughly investigated the opportunities?
• What do we know about our competitors - are we conducting continual and structured competition analyses?
• Do we know if our marketing activities are giving good value for money - do we measure the effects of, for example, trade fairs and advertising?
• Do we have sound knowledge of the surrounding world - do we adequately monitor potential threats such as substitutes, new competitors, political and social change?
• Do we have an active branding strategy - are all employees and partners aware of it and live up to its intentions?

Marketing - a constant struggle for the customer favour

Marketing is sometimes said to resemble war - market warfare. There are several striking similarities. Three of the most central factors for success in both instances are information, analysis and careful preparation. Forces small in number have won military victories over more numerous opponents through superior information and cunning. There are comparable examples within marketing:

• Pepsi Cola took a firm grip on Coca Cola - a David and Goliath encounter, following a successful campaign during the "Cola War" of the 1970s.
• The success of many Japanese companies is based on dedicated information gathering and analysis. One example is Japanese auto design. When Japanese-designed cars were not popular among European consumers the Japanese auto manufacturers brought in European car designers. The results were not a long time coming.

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