Hvis din lille virksomhed har brug for et løft til bundlinjen måske er det tid til at gennemgå din salgs- og marketingstrategi og komme op med en plan om at vinde terræn på dine konkurrenter. En god måde at starte er ved at nedbryde udtrykket “salg og marketing” i diskrete, håndterbare elementer. Du ender med en tjekliste, som kan tages op til revision med henblik på at prioritere områder, der kræver forbedring – en tjekliste, der vil tjene som grundlag for en effektiv markedsføring strategi.
Nedenstående forslag til en liste bruger eksempler fra en detail blomsterhandler forretning til at foretage nogle punkter klart.
Table of Contents
1) Markeder
Hvor meget ved du egentlig om dine nuværende markeder eller fremtidigt marked? Hvorfor dine kunder købe hos dig? Hvad kunne du tilbyde at ville tiltrække flere ikke-kunder? Hvordan kan du sælge til flere af de rentable kunder? Hvis du tilføjer funktioner eller tjenester, vil folk betale mere for dem eller vil de tiltrække flere kunder? Er der bulk, institutionelle, industriel, eller virksomhedens markeder ud over normal detail, som du ignorerer?
Blomsterhandler: Har du tænkt på at sælge faste ugentlige arrangementer til områdets virksomheder, især bilforhandlere, advokatfirmaer, ejendomsselskaber mv til en nedsat sats, men med en etårig kontrakt i 50 arrangementer?
2) Konkurrence
Hvem er de, og hvad er de op til? Hvad er den overordnede tendens på markedet, og hvordan klarer du det med hensyn til markedsandele og profit position?
Hvordan du virkelig rank mod konkurrenter? Hvilke erstatninger er der for at dine produkter, og hvor meget af en trussel er de?
Blomsterhandler: Hvis din begravelse virksomhed er svindende, hvad kulturelle tendenser ( “ingen blomster” meddelelser for eksempel) er vigtige her, og hvordan kan man imødegå dem (såsom at sende blomster eller en frugt kurv til hjemmet af overlevende, for eksempel)?
Brug Competitive Intelligence til at vedligeholde og forbedre din virksomheds markedsandel.
3) Distribution
How can you get your products/services out to new outlets profitably? Are there unbranded opportunities? Can you bundle in your products with someone else’s?
Florist: Can you partner with service providers for high school proms in the area (photographers, limo services) and offer a one-stop package for young people? This could become a good new sales channel for you.
4) Supply Chain
Are you at the mercy of wholesalers for your raw materials or product components? How can you manage suppliers and gain more buying power over them? Can you simplify your products and reduce your supply needs? Can you buy in bulk and store them somewhere in a cost effective manner? Can you buy some things pre-fabricated cheaper than doing it yourself (or vice versa)?
Florist: Use the internet to locate California-based rose growers who will air freight roses in volume for you and a loose consortium of other florists in your area. They’ll give you greater variety at the standard market rate, versus reduced availability and price gouging during holidays from local wholesalers. Be prepared for friction from them, however.
5) Positioning
Where do your products/services fall in relation to the total market? Is this truly the position you want? Are you “all things to all people,” or should you move more toward a high-end position (charging a premium for a differentiated service), or a low-cost position (undercutting others’ prices but at a profit, due to high efficiency)? If you are truly “in the middle,” you should examine how well you’re doing regularly (with the help of a good accounting system).
Florist: Should you consider exiting no-growth “traditional lines” such as church flowers and move toward faster-growth lines such as silk flowers for weddings? Does your shop portray the position you want to be in?
6) Promotion
Feel invisible? How can you change your sales and marketing strategy to change this? What promotion tools make the most sense to promote your products yet are consistent with the marketing image you want to project?
How do you know if they pay off? Are you promoting on the internet effectively?
Florist: You have a business website. Maybe it’s time to create a business Facebook page and see if you can reach more potential customers via a Social Media campaign. That’s part of reaching your future market.
7) Pricing
What is your pricing strategy? Does variable pricing make sense for different markets, perishable products, or time-based sales processes, or various customer types? Are you charging for everything you do?
Florist: You have Poinsettia prices at Christmas that vary based on the size of the plant. Should you consider lowering prices pre-December 5 (to promote early sales), and raising prices slowly after December 20 (to maximize revenues from last-minute buyers)? Have you ever considered two-for-one sales for holiday plants or a coupon for a spring bouquet for people who buy fresh arrangements in January and February?
8) Service Delivery
How well and how consistently are you delivering/producing your products/services? What people problems must be addressed? Do you really train people in their overall role and mission, not just the mechanics of their job? How do you know your customer service is satisfactory? How can you use disservice situations to build customer loyalty?
Florist: Have you ever followed up with customers who stopped buying (or slowed down buying) to see if there are quality/service issues involved?
9) Financing
What is your capital structure? That is, what are the proportions of cash, bank borrowing, other borrowing, invested funds, and net income to your operation? Do you produce an annual financial report and a monthly cash report? Are there other sources of capital you should look at? Are there cheaper sources for say, bank loans, or do you have access to angel investors or venture capitalists for equity financing?
Florist: As a member of an industry trade group (FTD for example), are there financial services or even loans they can provide that would be helpful? Are you big enough now for a CPA to really review your books and interpret your position?
10) Strategy
How can you build customer loyalty? How can you increase sales to existing customers (more frequent use or buys, selling a broader product line to them) or new customers (existing and new products)? How can you penetrate into new areas profitably? What new substitute products are successful at Wal-Mart or other outlets that you have sniffed at as not being part of your traditional business? What costs can be removed without affecting the value equation?
Florist: Summer sales are lackluster; have you considered holding gardening workshops in spring? Maybe bring in lawn and gardening experts to your shop to sell their lawn and garden materials, for a commission to you. This will help you meet your customers who are in lawn and garden shops at this time of year.
11) Management
What risks exist today and which are on the horizon? What is the likelihood and impact of each? How can you reduce both? Are there alliances that make sense? Are there trade groups you should be in? Are there natural ties that no one is exploiting– like a video store letting people order a video with a choice of pizza from the next-door pizza shop for a specific time? Or letting customers return their videos to a local Starbucks they stop at in the morning?
Florist: Your shop is located in a major city. Identify and contact the more successful caterers and see if there is room for an alliance here, on the premise that you can bring each other in on larger events you provide services for.
12) Information
What information is your accounting system giving you about profitable lines, costs, and margins? If “none,” why not fix it and start making better decisions? What advice can you get from a trade group or local retail association?
Florist: You have wedding, funeral, church, personal, plant, and supplies lines. Last year on sales of $500,000, you had a net profit of $40,000 (8%). Ever wonder which lines were profitable? Which were loss-makers?
A Cohesive Marketing Strategy Equals More Sales
Obviously this is just a start for developing an effective marketing strategy, but suggestive. It feels good to be able to check “OK” next to some of these, but it should also be empowering to prioritize those few that need your attention.
Ahmad Faishal is now a full-time writer and former Analyst of BPD DIY Bank. He’s Risk Management Certified. Specializing in writing about financial literacy, Faishal acknowledges the need for a world filled with education and understanding of various financial areas including topics related to managing personal finance, money and investing and considers investoguru as the best place for his knowledge and experience to come together.