Last time we challenged you on the performance of your business and your innovation.
See copy at http://mcp3p.com /archives/776
This time the challenge relates to your interaction with your customers.
Are you intimidated by your biggest customer?
Is your customer base to shallow?
No business can afford to continue operating in the same old way and expect to meet its growth ambitions. Customer now expect more from you, the competition continues to be fierce, and the people who buy your products are more discriminating, demanding greater value and at the same time their buying habits are changing. Success requires deeper consumer and shopper insights, stronger collaboration and partnership with key customers, a consistent approach across businesses, and a team of skilled professionals dedicated to make it happen day after day.
Customer marketing is the way forward; it is about building brands and categories through customers and channels. Customer marketing brings together customer or channel objectives, together with insights about shoppers into activities that drive business and build equity.
Customer Marketing operates under three guiding principles:
1. The store is a communication channel itself, where all elements of the marketing mix can be leveraged to bring a brand to life and build brand equity. Customer marketing goes well beyond just making sure the shelf is stocked and prices are right.
2. If we view shopping as an experience rather than a simple transaction, you can add value by exceeding shoppers’ expectations by providing a “wow” factor to the whole experience.
3. The Customer Marketing process begins at the channel level. You must start with a channel understanding and leverage this perspective in order to offer the most relevant brand proposition to the channel.
Increasingly, customers are looking to partner with companies that best understand the shopper and the market dynamics relevant to their stores. They essentially need help to build programs that can deliver growth to their categories in a differentiated way.
MC Partners can help you understand and develop the key building blocks which are essential to your business. We will be challenging you on other key blocks in the coming weeks. We believe that this recession is close to a turning point, now is the time to ensure that your business can take advantage of the new reality the post-recession dawn will bring.
If you wish to discuss the above or other business issues with us, directly or with your team please give us a call.
