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The
definition of “customer intimacy” is knowing customers on a scale of
one-to-one. Today,
the ante has been raised and now we need solid statistical information and
personal contact rather than a “gut feel.” Also, customers should be
closer to manufacturers - helping with key business decisions.
Lost Order Report Analysis
For
years sales staff were required to submit lost order reports. It appears this
practice has been lost in the daily practice of business. However, good lost
order information needs to be collected and analyzed statistically for
patterns and trends before markets begin to deteriorate. This is the
Statistical Process Control (SPC) of the marketer. Decision Technology can
contact lost customers, obtain lost order information and create accurate
“lost order models.”
Customer Needs Analysis & Surveys
The
Customer Needs Analysis is the heart of the “Customer-Driven” market
research process. Here, we discover, through research, the customer’s wants
and needs. The essence of marketing is simply this: “The customer First,
Last and Always.”
Joe
McPherson, Director of Innovation, SRI International said:
“What’s
usually missing is going to the field and asking dumb questions, and smelling
and feeling and getting in bed with the problem so that you understand the
other side of it.”
Customer Surveys
A
Manufacturing Research Survey is created to explore customer attitudes,
preferences and needs. The survey is physically presented to the customer in
one of several forms depending on survey goals and sample criteria.
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Blind mailed survey (paper, diskette or Internet).
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Questionnaires administered by the field sales staff.
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Telephone surveys.
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In-Person interviews.
Survey Samples
Selection of the survey sample
group (customer database) is critical. It must reflect sample sizes in concert
with the market segments selected in the Market Segmentation studies. Names
are obtained from several sources including client mailing lists and field
sales contacts.
Survey
Content
Survey questions can be
directed toward several areas - machine process and application, perceptions
and image and satisfaction. Typically, questions cover these areas:
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Customer business profiles (who is the customer?)
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Machine application & processes
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Machine feature preferences
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Machine/service value-ratings
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Competitive benchmarking
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Customer satisfaction.
Survey Analysis
The survey results are logged
into a computer database and programmed for strategy modeling. For example,
data can be printed based on customers with 100 or more employees who own
competitive machines. This allows understanding needs in “niche”
sub-markets.
Each
question is charted and graphed for easy interpretation.
Buyer Profiles
The
survey process yields valuable information about buyer purchase decisions.
Buyer profiles are a “personality profile” of buying habits. Using this
information, sales staff can quickly identify high and low potential buyers.
Sales calls can be maximized and sales training can be more effective.
Price-Performance
& Positioning Analysis
The “Price-Performance Matrix” is a tool that
measures a product’s image of quality or value, relative to its price. In
industrial markets, this is a measure of how well a product delivers on its
benefits based on its price. It is used for several other marketing functions:
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Product positioning - where products fit in the market (price &
value).
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Pricing decisions - relative price levels.
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Competitive analysis - where are we in comparison to key competitors?
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Customer buying habits - how do customers perceive our value?
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Opportunity - examining markets for opportunity.
Customers
make purchase decisions based on their perceptions of value. The primary task
of the marketing function (including sales) is to increase the customer’s
perceived value of the product. This tool will assist in this task.
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