Marketing

The iSolon range of Marketing Development Programmes is focused on the B2B world. We help organisations to identify and develop their differentiation opportunities; and to construct and communicate their Marketing Plans.

Our definition of marketing is this:

“Marketing is the name of the battleground upon which competing companies vie for the control of the customers’ mind.”

To illustrate this definition think of your local utility companies or banks and the image you have of them. Their actions have created the image you have – be they good ones or bad.

Here is an extract of the most senior marketing programme that we offer:

Programme Summary

There are three separate stages:

  • Paper License -Current image and key product or service differentiation
  • Red License – Developing and testing more unique selling propositions
  • Mercury License – Constructing and communicating the Marketing Plan

The following individual comments were recorded following an iSolon Marketing Development Programme held in Budapest:
budapest

“Very professional organisation! Excellent speakers/guests”
“This last module has been truly valuable, both Stephen and Marcello where excellent, the insight into their thinking and the perception of how vendors engage was truly enlightening. I wish we could have had more time in their company”
“It was actually better and put together in a different way than expected”
“The presenters were not only well educated but also experienced and most highly motivating and inspirational.”
“Very worthwhile! Originally came to the course with a slightly cynical expectation of the value of the course, but the course content and presentation standard exceeded expectations by a long way.”

An Example of the Agenda

PAPER LICENSE – CURRENT IMAGE AND KEY PRODUCT OR SERVICE DIFFERENTIATION

Office and field research will attempt to answer over 100 foundation questions. Here are some examples:

 BIG PICTURE

  •  What business are you in?
  • What business are you not in?
  • What is it that you sell? [Not what you do]
  • What is your current market share by revenue and by earnings?
  • What is the forecast earnings pool for your industry segment over the medium term, and your realistic potential share?
  • What is your product or service innovation process?

MEDIUM PICTURE

  • Why do customers buy from you?
  • Why do customers buy from your competitors?
  • What percentage of revenue is spent on marketing?
  • Name your top ten customers by revenue and by earnings?
  • How many customers contributed 80% of your revenue/80% of your earnings?
  • How many products or services do you offer?

SMALL PICTURE

  • What is your win percentage, by volume of bids and by value?
  • What are your employees passionate about?
  • What are your employee engagement scores?
  • What is your staff turnover figure?
  • What is your induction/product/service training process?
  • What is your marketing planning process?

baaWhen we were talking with BAA many years ago, we asked them what business they thought they were in. Was BAA an airport operator? A transport hub operator? A logistics organisation? A retail park? An event organiser?

Here is an extract of our foundation level marketing programme:

Essential Marketing Skills

A series of individual discrete workshops that build upon each other and lead to improved marketing and customer focus. The objectives are:

  1. To develop customer interaction and communication skills
  2. To develop employee interaction and internal communication skills
  3. To develop marketing planning skills

An example of the Agenda:

PRE-COURSE:

Task 1: Participants will be asked to identify and record what they perceive as the organisation’s top three marketing opportunities.

Task 2: Participants will be asked to write 200 words on what they perceive to be their organisation’s image in the marketplace.

Task 3: Participants will be sent a copy of the book ‘Marketing Plans’ by Malcolm Macdonald and asked to read a specific chapter. During the Programme, participants will have the opportunity to brief their colleagues about what they have read. When contributions from each individual are combined, everyone should have a broad understanding of the whole marketing planning process.

THE PROGRAMME:

Day 1

  • Welcome & Introductions
  • The Seven Marketing ‘P’s
  • Exercises on the Seven Marketing ‘P’s

Day 2

  • Porter’s Five Forces and Exercises
  • The Six Key Attraction Factors
  • The Brand Pyramid

Day 3

  • The Marketing Planning Process in outline