Promotion

The combination of promotional tools you use will depend on the budget you make available, the message you wish to communicate and the group of customers you are targeting.

The promotional mix is made up of five elements:

1. Advertising
2. Sales Promotion
3. Public Relations
4. Direct Marketing
5. Personal Selling

People

The people employed in your organisation will determine the quality of service your customers receive. This is truer for services, but also impacts on businesses making tangible products. Happy, skilled and motivated staff make happy customers. They are more likely to think about the customer and deliver good customer service if they are well trained and are recruited for their positive attitude to customers.

You can achieve a competitive advantage over your competitors through offering a high level of pre-sales and after-sales support and advice. Again, this can impact on the price you set, as customers are likely to be prepared to pay more for the service they receive but there may be a higher cost for you to take into account.

Process

The processes involved in delivering your products and services to the customer have an impact on the way in which your customers perceive you.

Look at all the processes involved in getting your products to the customer. Start with the identification of prospects and work through to after-sales support.

• Does any stage cause a delay?
• How can you improve this?
• Are your customers kept informed about what is happening?
• Do your staff keep their promises to customers?
• How effectively are you handling customer complaints?