Marketing Practitioner Competency

Has Your Company Achieved Marketing Practitioner Competency?

Marketing practitioners don't consider "marketing" to be a department.  Instead, it is a concept and belief that is wholly embraced and executed throughout the organization.

Read The Entire Post


By John Bernardi

Apprentice Level Marketing Competency

Has Your Company Reached the Marketing Apprentice Level?

If you subscribe to the basic keys to success that apply to any marketing competency level and your company has achieved marketing novice competency, you are ready to design a marketing strategy that will support your long-term goals through tactics and objectives that evolve during the next 3 to 5 year time horizon.

Read The Entire Post

By John Bernardi

Market Research is Essential Prior to Capacity Investment Decisions

What To Do When Your Company Reaches Capacity Limits? [People, Facilities and Equipment]

Status Quo Strategy

You selectively determine what sales opportunities to pursue in order to optimize available capacity.

This short-term strategy will lead to trouble mode and storm clouds will eventually appear on your horizon.

If market research proves a total available market that is growing or significantly higher than your available capacity, then status quo is a high-risk strategy.  When your market share declines you will become a higher cost producer in your category.  This opens the door to growth mode competitors who will become more attractive to your customers and employees.

Growth Strategy

You aggressively pursue all sales opportunities that match your ideal customer profile.

If market research proves a total available market that is growing or significantly higher than your available capacity, then lower your risk by implementing a growth strategy to maintain or increase your market share.  You will improve your position as a low-cost producer in your category.  This will spell trouble for your competitors as you become more attractive to their customers and employees.

If you opt to invest in more capacity in order to elevate a key aspect(s) of your business, you will also need to invest in skill development, process enhancement and productivity tools in order to capitalize on your growth opportunities.

Market Research Competency Is Essential

Without the appropriate market research competency [in-house or external], you won’t be able to make objectively correct capacity investment decisions.

By John Bernardi

Business Strategies Based On Sales Models Limit Growth

Business Strategies Based On Sales Models Limit Growth

Are you a CEO whose company implements a sales model as its underlying business strategy?  Does it provide a comfort zone that enables you to focus on the transactions that populate your P&L rather than continually nurturing the health of your customer and market portfolios?  Do you have the necessary knowledge, belief, patience and risk tolerance to invest in a growth strategy?

Growth Strategy Matrix

Are your marketing people really marketing assisted selling tacticians who create content, run promotions and  coordinate events instead of leading the growth strategy?

 

What level of marketing competency has your company achieved?

• Marketing novice
• Marketing apprentice
• Marketing practitioner
• Marketing master

What level would you like to attain?

By John Bernardi

Start With A Market Follower Strategy

First Implement A Market Follower Strategy

Then Become A Market Leader As Success And Resources Grow

Market Leaders create an umbrella under which category members can thrive. They have the highest market share [sometimes as much as 40-50%]. Their product/service portfolio is always evolving.  Their complementary partnerships challenge them and optimize results.  They are low cost leaders whose value proposition makes them best suited to telling their compelling story. 



Market Followers possess a core competency that enables a competitive advantage but have much less resources than the market leader. Associating with a category led by a prestigious market leader enhances their credibility. Position against the category gold standard in the areas of cost, ease of use, convenience, design, reliability, performance, range of selection, service and location.  A successful follower may eventually become a leader as they build their resource pool and create their own compelling story.

Begin by narrowcasting to build a high share of your defined niche market. Always innovate - products, services and processes. Build complementary partnerships that help you to sell a total solution. Your pricing strategy must enable gross margin and cash flow to contribute to the goal of becoming a market leader.

The key to success will always be your strategy for optimizing the customer experience. This is the best way to differentiate your company for the long haul.
 
By John Bernardi