| Considering today’s cutthroat competition in | | | | the success of the product depends on these |
| business environment every activity carried out in an | | | | aspects too. |
| organization is scrutinized to make sure it pays its | | | | Market Selection |
| way for the business. This clarity creates both | | | | Key to every marketing strategy is to divide market |
| opportunities and threats for in-house professionals. | | | | into segments and group customers with common |
| The opportunity is of participating actively in making | | | | needs. Segments can be based on departments, |
| strategic decisions for the company and thus taking | | | | product lines, or industries served. Do not assume |
| your career to new heights in the process, where as | | | | that a single service will suit all customers. As they |
| the threat is of losing the job at hand because you | | | | have needs and priorities hence services should be |
| are inappropriate to the new role in the organization. | | | | different for distinct segments of market. This |
| How can you increase the value of your unit and | | | | approach will help to change your service from |
| make yourself inevitable for the business? This article | | | | mediocre to an excellent one. |
| will answer all your questions. | | | | Evaluate Sales and Marketing Based on Feedback |
| Make Strategic Decisions Based on User Needs | | | | Evaluate your product offering from time to time and |
| This is a two stage process: | | | | take feedbacks seriously. These feedbacks will help |
| - A. Research and gather informationB. Formulate | | | | you to prune and polish your product. |
| your mission and strategy | | | | Consider the following ways to collect feedback: |
| In the first stage, assess the attitude of the senior | | | | - Include a feedback form with every item you send |
| management to ensure that they are willing to listen. | | | | out. Try to keep it short and crisp. |
| To achieve this align your goals with those of | | | | - Maintain a call and chat log. Analyze this to identify |
| company’s. Keep yourself informed about your | | | | the demand patterns. |
| industry and your boss’s priorities. Attend | | | | Formulate your sales and marketing strategy based |
| company-sponsored training, team-building events and | | | | on the feedbacks collected to increase the sale of |
| read business journals. This stage paves the way for | | | | the product. Revise your pricing as with change in |
| formulating mission and strategy. Find out the | | | | product pricing does also change. Nothing comes for |
| process for making strategic decisions. Maintain a | | | | free and it’s high time your clients realize that. |
| library of all information collected. These investigations | | | | Utilize the Power of Technology |
| will help you identify the areas where you could play | | | | The great benefit of today’s technology is that |
| a significant role in formulating a strategy. This | | | | it allows access to remote information from the |
| information will form the base of your strategy. | | | | user’s desk top. With the help of technology you |
| Some of the information dependant strategic | | | | can collaborate between people with integrated e-mail |
| decisions include; targeting market segment, new | | | | to share files, schedules, and other critical information |
| investments, location of factories and offices, new | | | | is great way to increase productivity as now you can |
| product development and launch and pricing and | | | | work smarter and faster. With the advent of |
| Promotion. | | | | technology networking has become easy. Networks |
| Every product and service has users. Find out why | | | | help you reach more customers and serve them |
| and how they use your output. One particularly useful | | | | better. With the help of technology you can share |
| way of deducing this out is to ask what would | | | | accurate, up-to-date information more easily. Internet |
| happen if you did not offer that service. Even your | | | | and its search and retrieval tools make work much |
| coworkers could be your user. So, you must learn | | | | easier. |
| about their real needs and connect to employees, | | | | Outsource Selectively and Build Partnership |
| partners, and customers wherever they’re | | | | Outsourcing is one of the prevalent marketing styles. |
| located. | | | | Outsourcing brings more skills and knowledge at a |
| Use every opportunity to let management know | | | | lower cost. However, before outsourcing chalk down |
| about your efforts. Your responsibilities do not end | | | | what you should outsource and what you should |
| with suggesting ideas only. Volunteer to implement | | | | retain, e.g. systems development and upgrading |
| these ideas. This extra effort will facilitate good | | | | systems are typically outsourced but policies and |
| ratings in your performance evaluation. | | | | procedures are not. |
| Make your Product Unparalleled | | | | Building effective partnerships with clients and |
| There are innumerable products and services in the | | | | suppliers is significant. From individual level to |
| market similar to yours. Find out if they are better | | | | organization levels, all kinds of partnerships are |
| that yours, if yes then what makes those outputs | | | | important. |
| more attractive than yours? Though there are other | | | | Develop Multifaceted Skills |
| options available, what would make your users to | | | | Sharpen your existing skills and learn other skills to to |
| stay with you? Your users can buy information | | | | bring improved benefits to the business. Develop |
| elsewhere and probably they do. | | | | communication and interpersonal skills. Keep yourself |
| Your challenge is to customize and add value to your | | | | informed of business issues, organisation |
| output so that your users find it hard to do away | | | | ‘know-how’ and ‘know-who’. Try |
| with your product and services. There are various | | | | to learn all tricks of the trade. Develop more and |
| aspects where you can seek improvement to create | | | | more skills to make yourself jack of all trades and |
| a unique product – look and feel, feature and | | | | master of some. You can achieve this by taking up |
| functions, broad scope. Apart from these consider | | | | management training classes and participating in |
| accessibility, usability, utility, quality, customizability, | | | | various industry events and courses. |
| packaging, flexibility and reusability of your output as | | | | |