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Assign12.txt
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#: 69388 S20/Marketing OS/2 Apps
26-Dec-95 12:10:43
Sb: Assignment 1 & 2
Fm: Felix Cruz 72274,3102
To: All
Esther,
> explaining the current status of your product and its marketing.
Who's buying? Several answers here. We are still selling to innovators and
influentials (Groups 1 and 2; they represent 5 & 15 percent, respectively, of
a 6 phase buying cycle. I'm using this analogy because I haven't yet received
my copy <g>). This is typified by responses like: "I'm buying OS/2 tools
because I support OS/2 here at work and understand the value of preventative
maintenance" coming from invidividuals with titles like LAN administrator,
network support rep, or consultant.
This class of customers buys our software based on ads, referrals from IBM, as
well as word of mouth (WOM). This represents the one side of the chasm. These
customers are highly computer literate and understand the value of basic disk
and file utilities. They often read several, if not most of the industry trade
rags, in order to keep up with technology changes and trends. Our biggest
challenge for this group of buyers is simply to make them aware of our
software. This group is typically price _in_sensitive.
On the other side of the chasm, we are also seeing more purchases from
customers buying OS/2 utilities for the first time. They also tend to buy
based on our ads, or WOM. Typical comments include: "I'm buying because I want
to make my computer run smoothly"; "I'm buying this product for my spouse", or
"I heard 'xxx' is a good set of "easy to use" tools for inexperienced users.
Buyers on this side of the chasm are relatively information ignorant and
inexpeienced; they use computers to accomplish productive work, and they want
software which
is easy to install, easy to use, reliable, WAD, and doesn't require a lot of
TLC to keep working properly.
I suspect the vast majority of the mainstream market rarely, if ever, read the
major trade rags (Infoworld, Computerworld, PC Week, etc). They most likely
get their product information from mass market pubs like PC World, Home
Computing, Compuserve's magazine, Newsweek, Time, etc. These buyers will
likely get product information from walking into their local computer store
and browsing the shelves.
Our marketing effort is geared towards the first group of buyers (the
innovators and influentials) because this generates the highest return on our
marketing investment. However, as this market gets saturated, we plan to
reorient our focus to the mainstream market by changing our marketing approach
to meet the needs of this group. This we will accomplish by focusing on the
retail channel in 1996.
> "Fundamentally, marketing must refocus away from *selling product* and
toward *creating relationship.* ... We must direct our attention toward
creating and maintaining an ongoing customer relationship <
This is no secret; "people buy stuff from people they like". As long as we
remember the customer is our reason for success, and as long as we continue to
offer high quality software, our best buyers will be our our own customers.
> Assignment Two: How have you designed and implemented your marketing to
create relationships? <
Gotta think about this one....
> What have you done right?
We have set as an objective a 24 hour response to any question or request
received, whether by CIS, internet, fax, mail, or phone. As a previous thread
noted, (Shmuel?) acknowledge *all* communications, even if you don't have an
immediate answer. 9 times out of 10, a customer simply wants an
acknowledgement that their correspondence has been received.
> What could you do better?
We could have been quicker to implement our internet support strategy. We need
to improve our formal support structure for all the OS/2 user groups. We need
to improve access to corporate decisionmakers. We need to constantly make our
products easy to use, easy to maintain, and above all, make them reliable.
(Gosh, this is as time consuming -and rewarding as going back to college! <s>)
Felix Cruz
SofTouch Systems, Inc