Promotional Planning Part 4 Focusing on the Customer

Promotional Planning Part 4 Focusing on the Customer: Marketing Growth Strategies Power. Point Presentation by Charlie Cook The University of West Alabama Copyright © 2006 Thomson Business & Professional Publishing. All rights reserved.

Looking Ahead After studying this chapter, you should be able to: 1. Describe the communication process and the factors determining a promotional mix. 2. Explain methods of determining the appropriate level of promotional expenditure. 3. Describe personal selling activities. 4. Identify advertising options for a small business. 5. Discuss the use of sales promotional tools. Copyright © 2006 Thomson Business & Professional Publishing. All rights reserved. 2

The Communication Process in Promotion • Communication Process Components – Source—the message sender – Channel—the path the message travels – Receiver—the recipient of the message • Forms of Promotional Communication – Nonpersonal—advertising – Personal—personal selling – Special forms—sales promotion Copyright © 2006 Thomson Business & Professional Publishing. All rights reserved. 3

Similarity of Personal and Small Business Communication Processes (a) (b) A Personal Communication Channel A Small Business Communication Channel Parents XYZ Company "We love you" "Buy my product" Source Message Channel Options E-mail message Personal visit to campus Newspaper advertisement Personal sales call Flowers and a "care package" sent Business gift Daughter at college Customers Receiver Exhibit 16 -1 Copyright © 2006 Thomson Business & Professional Publishing. All rights reserved. 4

Promotional Communications • Promotional Mix – A blend of nonpersonal, and special forms for communication techniques aimed at a target market – Makeup of the mix is determined by: • Geographical nature of target market • Size of promotional budget • Product’s characteristics Copyright © 2006 Thomson Business & Professional Publishing. All rights reserved. 5

Determining the Promotional Budget • “How much should a small business spend on promotion? ” – Allocating a percentage of sales – Deciding how much can be spared – Spending as much as the competition – Determining what it takes to do the job Copyright © 2006 Thomson Business & Professional Publishing. All rights reserved. 6

Four-Step Method of Determining a Promotional Budget Exhibit 16. 2 Copyright © 2006 Thomson Business & Professional Publishing. All rights reserved. 7

Comparing Alternative Promotion Expense Estimates START Compute WTDJ Key Terms: WTDJ: What it will take to do the job Proceed to develop promotion at WTDJ level YES Is WTDJ equal to or less than others? NO APS: A percentage of sales WCS: What can be spared ACS: As much as the competition spends Compute average of WTDJ, APS, WCS, and ACS Compare WCS with computed average Proceed to develop promotion at average level YES Is WCS equal to or greater than average? Copyright © 2006 Thomson Business & Professional Publishing. All rights reserved. NO Seek additional funds to supplement promotion 8

Personal Selling in the Small Firm • Personal Selling – A sales presentation (promotion) delivered in a one-on -one manner – Requires: • Product knowledge • Well-prepared sales presentation • Ability to build good will Copyright © 2006 Thomson Business & Professional Publishing. All rights reserved. 9

Importance of Product Knowledge • Salespersons use product knowledge to: – Successfully educate customers about the product’s advantages, uses, and limitations. – Answer customer questions and counter customer objections. Personal selling becomes order-taking when a salesperson lacks product knowledge. Copyright © 2006 Thomson Business & Professional Publishing. All rights reserved. 10

The Sales Presentation: Prospecting • Prospecting – A systematic process of continually looking for new customers • Prospecting Techniques – Personal referrals • Salesperson initiates customer contact through referral by another party known to the customer – Impersonal referrals • Information on potential new customers developed from public records and published sources Copyright © 2006 Thomson Business & Professional Publishing. All rights reserved. 11

The Sales Presentation: Prospecting • Prospecting Techniques (cont’d. ) – Marketer-initiated contacts • Market surveys are used to identify prospects. – Customer-initiated contacts • Potential customers are identified through their contacts with the firm. Copyright © 2006 Thomson Business & Professional Publishing. All rights reserved. 12

Practicing the Sales Presentation • Improves the salesperson’s success rate • Prepares salesperson for objections related to price, product, timing, service, or need • Techniques for dealing with objections: – Direct denial – Indirect denial – Boomerang technique – Compensation method – Pass-up method Copyright © 2006 Thomson Business & Professional Publishing. All rights reserved. 13

Overcoming Customer Objections I had problems with a similar product before and don’t want to go through that again! Yes, I understand your attitude, but have you considered. . . ? I’m too busy. That’s why I want to explain how I can save you time by. . . I like what you have said, but I need to wait. Let’s figure how much you can save by acting now. Your product sounds just like your competitor’s. There are similarities, but we have. . . at a better price. I’m not sure I can risk a changeover to your product. Let me tell you how one of your competitors decided to buy from me. Copyright © 2006 Thomson Business & Professional Publishing. All rights reserved. 14

Making the Sales Presentation • Adapting the sales approach to the customers’ needs: – Avoid a “canned” sales talk. – Speak the customer’s “language. ” – Answer every objection explicitly and adequately. – Be enthusiastic, friendly, and persistent. – Be personally supportive of the customer. Copyright © 2006 Thomson Business & Professional Publishing. All rights reserved. 15

Customer Goodwill and Relationship Selling • Relationship Selling – Building customer goodwill for future sales to satisfied customers through: • Maintaining a good personal appearance • Having a pleasant personality • Using professional etiquette in all customer contacts • Understanding the customer’s point of view • Maintaining high ethical standards in the customer relationship Copyright © 2006 Thomson Business & Professional Publishing. All rights reserved. 16

The Compensation Program for Salespeople • Nonfinancial Rewards – Personal recognition of employees by the firm • Plaques and “Employee of the Month” awards • Providing “perks” to superior performers – Personal satisfaction drawn by salespersons from doing their work well Copyright © 2006 Thomson Business & Professional Publishing. All rights reserved. 17

Compensating Salespeople • Financial Rewards – Commissions • Compensation paid as percentage of sales productivity • Strong sales motivator – Straight Salary • Compensation paid regardless of sales made – Combination of Commissions and Salary • Balance of two compensation forms is adjusted to provide an increasing proportion of commission as salesperson gains experience Copyright © 2006 Thomson Business & Professional Publishing. All rights reserved. 18

Advertising Practices for Small Firms • Advertising – The impersonal presentation of a business idea through mass media • Advertising Objectives – To sell by informing, persuading, and reminding – To serve as a complement to product quality and efficient service – To properly reflect changes in customer needs and preferences Copyright © 2006 Thomson Business & Professional Publishing. All rights reserved. 19

Types of Advertising • Product Advertising – The presentation of a business idea designed to make potential customers aware of a specific product or service and create a desire for it • Institutional Advertising – The presentation of information about a particular firm, designed to enhance the firm’s image Copyright © 2006 Thomson Business & Professional Publishing. All rights reserved. 20

Obtaining Assistance with Advertising • Advertising Agencies – Furnish design, artwork, and copy for ads – Evaluate and recommend media with greatest “pulling power” – Evaluate the effectiveness of advertising appeals – Advise on promotion and merchandise displays – Conduct market sampling studies – Furnish mailing lists • Other Sources – Suppliers – Trade Associations Copyright © 2006 Thomson Business & Professional Publishing. All rights reserved. 21

Advertising Decision Factors • Frequency of Advertising – With regularity for effectiveness and continuity • Introduction of new uses for established products • Introduction of new products and services • Where to Advertise – Appropriate media mix is determined by: • • • Geographical area for target market coverage Customer type targeted by advertising campaign Advertising media customarily used by industry By type of business Web advertising: advertising appearing on the World Wide Web Copyright © 2006 Thomson Business & Professional Publishing. All rights reserved. 22

Advantages and Disadvantages of Traditional Advertising Media Source: Charles W. Lamb, Jr. , Joseph F. Hair, Jr. , and Carl Mc. Daniel, Marketing (Cincinnati: South-Western, 2004), p. 505. Copyright © 2006 Thomson Business & Professional Publishing. All rights reserved. Exhibit 16. 3 23

Web Advertising • Basic Web Promotions – Banner ads • Advertisements that appear across a Web page, often as moving rectangular strips – Pop-up ads • Advertisements that burst open on computer screens – E-mail promotion • Advertising delivered by means of electronic mail • Spam: unsolicited e-mail Copyright © 2006 Thomson Business & Professional Publishing. All rights reserved. 24

Web Advertising (cont’d. ) • Basic Web Promotions (cont’d. ) – Web sponsorships • A type of advertising in which the firm pays another organization for the right to be part of that organization’s Web page – Linkages • A type of advertising in which one firm pays another to include a click-on (click-through) link on its Web site – A corporate Web site on the Internet • Creating and registering a site name • Building a user-friendly Web site • Promoting the Web site Copyright © 2006 Thomson Business & Professional Publishing. All rights reserved. 25

Web Site Design Tips Tip 1: Make It Easy to Buy Tip 2: Make a Strong First Impression Tip 3: Minimize Distractions: Advertising Isn’t Always Necessary Tip 4: Make It Personal Tip 5: Avoid Long Instructions Tip 6: Provide Visual Clues to Location Tip 7: Show Off Products Tip 8: Encourage Spontaneous Purchases Tip 9: Alternate Background Colors in Long Lists Tip 10: Allow Users to Collect Items Source: Nadja Vol Ochs, “Easy-to-Buy E-Commerce Site Design Tips, ” http: //www. microsoft. technet/prodtechnol/sscomm/reskit/sitedes. mspx, August 3, 2004. Copyright © 2006 Thomson Business & Professional Publishing. All rights reserved. Exhibit 16. 4 26

Home Page for the Gorilla Glue Product Source: http: //www. gorillaglue. com Copyright © 2006 Thomson Business & Professional Publishing. All rights reserved. Exhibit 16. 5 27

Sales Promotional Tools • Sales Promotion – An inclusive term for any promotional techniques that are neither personal selling or advertising • Used in combination with personal selling and advertising • Specialties – Tangible and enduring functional items of worth distributed personally to recipients that serve as reminders of the firm • Pens, key chains, magnets, and clothing imprinted with the name, logo, or slogan of the firm Copyright © 2006 Thomson Business & Professional Publishing. All rights reserved. 28

Sales Promotion Tools (cont’d. ) • Trade Show Exhibits – Provide hands-on experience with products – Are less costly than personal selling • Making Trade Show Exhibits Effective – Check out the trade show’s history. – Prepare a professional-looking display. – Have a sufficient quantity of literature on hand. – Make sure you have a good product. – Do pre-show promotion. – Have a giveaway or gimmick. – Train booth personnel. – Follow up! Copyright © 2006 Thomson Business & Professional Publishing. All rights reserved. 29

Sales Promotion Tools (cont’d. ) • Publicity – Information about a firm and its products or services that appears as a news item, usually free of charge • Provides visibility for the firm • Requires regular contacts with the news media Copyright © 2006 Thomson Business & Professional Publishing. All rights reserved. 30

Sales Promotion Tools (cont’d. ) • When to Use Sales Promotion – For manufacturers • To stimulate channel members—retailers and wholesalers—to market a firm’s products – For wholesalers • To induce retailers to buy inventories earlier than they normally would – For retailers • To persuade customers to make a purchase • Strategic Alliances and Sales Promotion – Joining with another firm to promote products by sharing marketing resources and customers Copyright © 2006 Thomson Business & Professional Publishing. All rights reserved. 31

Key Terms promotional mix personal selling prospecting advertising product advertising institutional advertising Web advertising banner ads pop-up ads e-mail promotion Web sponsorship linkage sales promotion publicity Copyright © 2006 Thomson Business & Professional Publishing. All rights reserved. 32