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APPENDIX Marketing Plan Worksheets B) The Customer Environment (refer to Exhibit 3

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APPENDIX

Marketing Plan Worksheets

B) The Customer Environment (refer to Exhibit 3.4)

Who are the firm's current and potential customers?

                                    Describe the important identifying characteristics of the firm's current and potential customers with respect to demographics, geographic location, psychographic profiles, values/lifestyles, and product usage characteristics (heavy vs. light users).

 

                                    Identify the important players in the purchase process for the firm's products. These might include purchasers (actual act of purchase), users (actual product user), purchase influencers (influence the decision, make recommendations), and the bearer of financial responsibility (who pays the bill?).

 

                        What do customers do with the firm's products?

 

                                    How are the firm’s products connected to customer needs? What are the basic benefits provided by the firm’s products?

 

                                    How are the firm’s products purchased (quantities and combinations)? Is the product purchased as a part of a solution or alongside complementary products?

 

                                    How are the firm’s products consumed or used? Are there special consumption situations that influence purchase behavior?

 

                                    Are there issues related to disposition of the firm’s products, such as waste (garbage) or recycling, which must be addressed by the firm?

 

                        Where do customers purchase the firm's products?

 

                                    Identify the merchants (intermediaries) where the firm's products are purchased (e.g., store-based retailers, ecommerce, catalog retailers, vending, wholesale outlets, direct from the firm).

 

                                    Identify any trends in purchase patterns across these outlets (e.g., how has ecommerce changed the way the firm's products are purchased?).

 

                        When do customers purchase the firm's products?

 

                                    How does purchase behavior vary based on different promotional events (communication and price changes) or customer services (hours of operation, delivery)?

 

                                    How does purchase behavior vary based on uncontrollable influences such as seasonal demand patterns, time-based demand patterns, physical/social surroundings, or competitive activities?

 

                        Why (and how) do customers select the firm's products?

 

                                    Describe the advantages of the firm's products relative to competing products. How well do the firm’s products fulfill customers' needs relative to competing products?

 

                                    Describe how issues such as brand loyalty, value, commoditization, and relational exchange processes affect customers' purchase behaviors.

 

                                    Describe how credit or financing is used in purchasing the firm’s products.  Also, do customers seek long-term relationships with the firm, or do they buy in a transactional fashion (based primarily on price)?

 

                        Why do potential customers not purchase the firm's products?

 

                                    Identify the needs, preferences, and requirements of non-customers that are not being met by the firm's products.

 

                                    What are the features, benefits, and advantages of competing products that cause non-customers to choose them over the firm's products?

 

                                    Explain how the firm’s pricing, distribution, and/or promotion are out of sync with non-customers. Outside of the product, what causes non-customers to look elsewhere?

 

                                    Describe the potential for converting non-customers into customers.

 

            C.        The External Environment (refer to Exhibit 3.5)

 

                        Competition

 

                                    Identify the firm's major competitors (brand, product, generic, and total budget).

 

                                    Identify the characteristics of the firm's major competitors with respect to size, growth, profitability, target markets, products, and marketing capabilities (production, distribution, promotion, pricing).

 

                                    What other major strengths and weaknesses do these competitors possess?

 

                                    List any potential future competitors not identified above.

 

                        Economic Growth and Stability

 

                                    Identify the general economic conditions of the country, region, state, or local area where the firm’s target customers are located. How are these economic conditions related to customers’ ability to purchase the firm’s products?

 

                                    Describe the economics of the industry within which the firm operates. These issues might include the cost of raw materials, patents, merger/acquisition trends, sales trends, supply/demand issues, marketing challenges, and industry growth/decline.

 

                        Political Trends

 

                                    Identify any political activities affecting the firm or the industry with respect to changes in elected officials (domestic or foreign), potential regulations favored by elected officials, industry (lobbying) groups or political action committees, and consumer advocacy groups.

 

                                    What are the current and potential hot button political or policy issues at the national, regional, or local level that may affect the firm’s marketing activities?