En la gestión del liderazgo y la comunicación

(i)Product: Strategies are needed for managing existing product over time, adding new ones, and dropping failed products. Strategic decisions must also be made regarding branding, packaging, quality levels, design, and other product features such as warranty, after-sales service etc.

(ii)Price: Here, the necessary strategies relate to the locations of customers, price flexibility, related items within a product line, and terms of sales. In

addition, pricing strategies for entering a market, especially with a new product, must be designed.

(iii)Distribution: The relevant consideration with respect to distribution involve the management of the channel(s) by which ownership of products is transferred from producer to customer and, in many cases, the system(s) by which goods are moved from where they are produced to where they are purchased by the final customer.

Consequently, the necessary strategies applicable to middlemen (wholesalers and retailers) must be designed.

(iv)Promotion: Coordinated campaign strategies are needed to blend individual promotion methods such as advertising, personal selling, sales promotion and publicity.

Furthermore, it is necessary to adjust promotional strategies as a product moves from the early stages to the later stages of its Hein summary, if the analysis of a potential market is promising enough to make it a good target, management should develop a marketing mix that will appeal to this market. For example, it should assemble a combination of product characteristics that closely matches what the customers in the target market are looking for. Next, it should create a structure of prices that will make product purchase feasible for market members. Furthermore, management should put together a distribution system that assures goods are made available where and when they are wanted. Finally, it is necessary for management to assemble a promotional mix of advertising and other tools that will communicate the benefits of the offer to the target market.

(i) It summarizes the marketing strategies and tactics that will be used to achieve specified objectives in the upcoming year. Thus, it serves as a "how-to-do-it" document that guides executives and other employees involved in marketing.

(ii) The plan also points to what needs to be done with respect to the other steps in the management process, such as implementation and evaluation of the marketing programme.

(iii) The annual market plan also outlines who is responsible for which activities, when they are expected to be carried out, and how much time and money can be spent. Very often, the executive responsible for the division or product covered by the plan typically is he task to subordinates.

3.2.2 CONTENTS OF AN ANNUALMARKETING PLAN The following are the contents of an annual marketing plan:

(i)Executive Summary and Table of Contents:

The marketing plan usually opens with a summary of the main goals of the

plan and recommendations. The executive summary permits senior management to grasp the plan's major thrust. A table of contents follows the executive summary.

(ii)Current marketing situation:

This section presents relevant background data on sales, costs, profits, the markets, competitors, distribution, and the macro environment. The data are drawn from a product fact book maintained by the product manager.

(iii)Opportunity and issue analysis:

After summarizing the current marketing situation, the product manager goes ahead to identify the major opportunities/threats, strengths and weaknesses, as well as issues facing the product line.

(iv)Objectives:

With the summary of the issues given, the product manager must decide on the plan's financial and marketing objectives.

(v)Marketing strategy:

In this section, the product manager outlines the broad marketing strategy or "game plan"

to accomplish the marketing plan's objectives. In developing the strategy, the product manager often discusses with the purchasing and production personnel to confirm that they will be able to buy enough materials and produce enough units to meet the target sales volume levels. In addition, the product manager needs to discuss with the sales manager to obtain sufficient sales force support. Furthermore, he should discuss with the accountant to obtain sufficient funds for advertising and promotion.

(vi) Action programmes:

The marketing plan must specify the broad marketing programme for achieving the business objectives. Each marketing strategy element must be elaborated to answer such questions as: what will be done? When will it be done? Who will do it? How much will it cost?

(vii) Projected profit-and —loss statement:

This section usually includes two kinds of financial information :On the revenue side, this budget shows forecasted sales volume in units and the average price. On the expense side, it shows the cost of production, physical distribution, and marketing, broken down into finer categories. The difference between these two sides is the projected profit. With its approval, the budget is the basis for developing plans and schedules for material procurement, production scheduling, employee recruitment, and marketing operations.

(viii) Controls:

The last section of the marketing plan outlines the controls for monitoring the plan.

Typically, the goals and budget are spelled out for each month or quarter. The results for each period are reviewed by senior management. Some control sections often include contingency plans, which outline the appropriate steps to be taken by management with respect to specific adverse developments, such as price wars or strikes.

4.0 CONCLUSION

You have learned in this unit that, a company that wants to compete successfully in the marketplace must show sufficient commitment to creating and retaining satisfied customers. The company must also know how to adapt to a continually changing marketplace.

5.0 SUMMARY

Market—oriented strategic planning is the managerial process of developing and maintaining a viable fit between the organisation's objectives, skills and resources, and its

changing market opportunities. The main goal of strategic planning is to help a company select and organize its businesses in a way that will keep the company healthy even when unexpected events adversely affect any of its specific businesses or product lines.