Pushing To Business Success

Market research is often needed to ensure that we produce what customers really want and not what we think they want. Primary vs. secondary research methods.

There are two main approaches to marketing. Secondary research involves using information that others have already put together. For example, if you are thinking about starting a business making clothes for tall people, you don’t need to question people about how tall they are to find out how many tall people exist—that information has already been published by the U.S. Government. Primary research, in contrast, is research that you design and conduct yourself. For example, you may need to find out whether consumers would prefer that your soft drinks be sweater or tarter.

Research will often help us reduce risks associated with a new product, but it cannot take the risk away entirely. It is also important to ascertain whether the research has been complete. For example, Coca Cola did a great deal of research prior to releasing the New Coke, and consumers seemed to prefer the taste. However, consumers were not prepared to have this drink replace traditional Coke.

There are four key point of Consumer Behavior:

* The most obvious is for marketing strategy—i.e., for making better marketing campaigns. For example, by understanding that consumers are more receptive to food advertising when they are hungry, we learn to schedule snack advertisements late in the afternoon. By understanding that new products are usually initially adopted by a few consumers and only spread later, and then only gradually, to the rest of the population, we learn that (1) companies that introduce new products must be well financed so that they can stay afloat until their products become a commercial success and (2) it is important to please initial customers, since they will in turn influence many subsequent customers’ brand choices.

* A second application is public policy. In the 1980s, Accutane, a near miracle cure for acne, was introduced. Unfortunately, Accutane resulted in severe birth defects if taken by pregnant women. Although physicians were instructed to warn their female patients of this, a number still became pregnant while taking the drug. To get consumers’ attention, the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) took the step of requiring that very graphic pictures of deformed babies be shown on the medicine containers.

* Social marketing involves getting ideas across to consumers rather than selling something. Marty Fishbein, a marketing professor, went on sabbatical to work for the Centers for Disease Control trying to reduce the incidence of transmission of diseases through illegal drug use. The best solution, obviously, would be if we could get illegal drug users to stop. This, however, was deemed to be infeasible. It was also determined that the practice of sharing needles was too ingrained in the drug culture to be stopped. As a result, using knowledge of consumer attitudes, Dr. Fishbein created a campaign that encouraged the cleaning of needles in bleach before sharing them, a goal that was believed to be more realistic.

* As a final benefit, studying consumer behavior should make us better consumers. Common sense suggests, for example, that if you buy a 64 liquid ounce bottle of laundry detergent, you should pay less per ounce than if you bought two 32 ounce bottles. In practice, however, you often pay a size premium by buying the larger quantity. In other words, in this case, knowing this fact will sensitize you to the need to check the unit cost labels to determine if you are really getting a bargain.

There are several units in the market that can be analyzed. Our main thrust in this course is the consumer. However, we will also need to analyze our own firm’s strengths and weaknesses and those of competing firms. Suppose, for example, that we make a product aimed at older consumers, a growing segment. A competing firm that targets babies, a shrinking market, is likely to consider repositioning toward our market. To assess a competing firm’s potential threat, we need to examine its assets (e.g., technology, patents, market knowledge, awareness of its brands) against pressures it faces from the market. Finally, we need to assess conditions (the marketing environment). For example, although we may have developed a product that offers great appeal for consumers, a recession may cut demand dramatically.

Consumer Behavior means the psychology of Marketing.
Understanding about Consumer Behavior can help firms and organizations improve their marketing strategies by understanding issues such as how:

* The psychology of how consumers think, feel, reason, and select between different alternatives (e.g., brands, products);

* The psychology of how the consumer is influenced by his or her environment (e.g., culture, family, signs, media);

* The behavior of consumers while shopping or making other marketing decisions;

* Limitations in consumer knowledge or information processing abilities influence decisions and marketing outcome;

* How consumer motivation and decision strategies differ between products that differ in their level of importance or interest that they entail for the consumer; and

* How marketers can adapt and improve their marketing campaigns and marketing strategies to more effectively reach the consumer.

One "official" definition of consumer behavior is "The study of individuals, groups, or organizations and the processes they use to select, secure, use, and dispose of products, services, experiences, or ideas to satisfy needs and the impacts that these processes have on the consumer and society." Although it is not necessary to memorize this definition, it brings up some useful points:
* Behavior occurs either for the individual, or in the context of a group (e.g., friends influence what kinds of clothes a person wears) or an organization (people on the job make decisions as to which products the firm should use).

* Consumer behavior involves the use and disposal of products as well as the study of how they are purchased. Product use is often of great interest to the marketer, because this may influence how a product is best positioned or how we can encourage increased consumption. Since many environmental problems result from product disposal (e.g., motor oil being sent into sewage systems to save the recycling fee, or garbage piling up at landfills) this is also an area of interest.

* Consumer behavior involves services and ideas as well as tangible products.

* The impact of consumer behavior on society is also of relevance. For example, aggressive marketing of high fat foods, or aggressive marketing of easy credit, may have serious repercussions for the national health and economy.

All sorts of things go on at meetings but it is disappointing how rarely a productive and creative exchange of ideas leads to good collective decisions. Nevertheless, use of assertive technique can facilitate positive and productive meetings.

Meetings produce many of the decisions that affect how you do your job, what your future opportunities are going to be, and what direction your organization as a whole is going to take. If you are able to function well, powerfully, and clearly at meetings, then you can have a positive influence both on your own prospects and on how the organization itself develops.

Chairing

If you bear this manager's formula in mind, it becomes clear how to make the other decisions that arise in chairing a meeting. When someone is rambling rambling Neurology Fragmented non-goal directed speech most often caused by acute organic brain disease. See Organic brain disease, Word salad.
..... Click the link for more information. on miles off the point, when should you intervene and bring him or her back to the agenda? When an argument arises that in your judgment is more of a personal sparring match Noun 1. sparring match - a practice or exhibition boxing match boxing match - a match between boxers; usually held in a boxing ring than a debate useful to the meeting, when should you step in? When someone slaps a suggestion down without allowing due discussion, at what point do you ensure that discussion does take place?

The question to ask yourself is: "What is necessary to be assertive on behalf of the task of the meeting?"

Defining The Task of the Meeting

To manage a meeting successfully you must know what the task of the meeting is, so you must be properly prepared. Familiarize yourself with the agenda and read previously circulated papers. Deluged by printed material, we all have to learn ways of reading that are not unlike the "active listening Active listening is an intent to "listen for meaning", in which the listener checks with the speaker to see that a statement has been correctly heard and understood. The goal of active listening is to improve mutual understanding." model of listening--that is you learn to read very fast and summarize the main points for yourself as you go along.

Only if you have absorbed preparatory materials properly can you identify the "task of the meeting." In Mind Your Manners, John Mole comments dryly on the tendency of some managers to regard such pre-meeting work as optional:

It is not usual for everyone to be well prepared. Even when papers are previously distributed, they will not always be read. Lack of preparation does not inhibit passing of opinion and judgment.

This does not make a good impression on colleagues and competitors.

Control

A meeting brings together people with:

* Information

* Skills

* Representative interests

* Vision.

You have to make sure all their data can be pooled and that the best possible synthesis can take place. You will need to use the skills of "contacting your strength," using the core phrase, and good prompting.

It takes confidence to be a good chair and have sufficient personal authority to keep the meeting on track.

Utilize Core Phrases

Why do participants wander off the point at a meeting? They may want to impress other participants with their ideas and forecefulness. They may be feeling isolated in their work and using the meeting arena as a chance to communicate compulsively.
1. Having the capacity to compel: a frightening, compulsive novel.

2. Psychology Caused or conditioned by compulsion or obsession.

They may be extremely concerned about something that does indeed need discussion but is not relevant to this particular meeting. Perhaps the most difficult person is the one who simply loves the sound of his or her own voice. When you are chairing, it is useful to notice why a speaker is rambling and adjust your core phrase accordingly:

"I can see you're very worried about X, John, but we can't deal with it at this meeting. Bring it up again at the Y meeting. What we must focus on here is..."

or

"I must stop you there. We must return to the point we are dealing with, which is..."

The hooks you may get in return are:

"Let me just finish..." (manipulative ma·nip·u·la·tive
adj.
Serving, tending, or having the power to manipulate.

n.
Any of various objects designed to be moved or arranged by hand as a means of developing motor skills or understanding abstractions, especially in )

"Don't you interrupt me..." (argumentative Controversial; subject to argument.

Pleading in which a point relied upon is not set out, but merely implied, is often labeled argumentative. Pleading that contains arguments that should be saved for trial, in addition to allegations establishing a Cause of Action or
..... Click the link for more information.)

"Well, I must say, no one's ever found it necessary to stop me in my tracks before..." (irrelevant logic)

Show you've heard (but not with too much empathy in case the other speaker wants to wander again) and repeat your core phrase.

"No, we must move on. What we must focus on here is..."

"I understand that. We must return to the point we're dealing with, which is..."

Dealing with an aggressive "Don't interrupt me..." is difficult. Don't get into a "yes you are/no I'm not" argument. Try:

"What I'm saying is that we must get back to the point, which is..."

Sometimes a determined wanderer-off-the-point will just go on talking right Talking Right: How Conservatives Turned Liberalism into a Tax-Raising, Latte-Drinking, Sushi-Eating, Volvo-Driving, New York Times-Reading, Body-Piercing, Hollywood-Loving, Left-Wing Freak Show over the top of your interruption, as if wallpapering over you. Keep using your core phrase:

"I must ask you to stop there..."

and up the ante if you need to.

"I must stop you there."

"Ed, I must stop you there."

"There, we must stop and come back to our main point which is..."

Notice that using the person's name makes your assertive interruption more effective.

If you have to use repeated assertive interruptions like this, you must stay well grounded in good strong body language. You can allow your voice to become more authoritative as you reiterate re·it·er·ate
tr.v. re·it·er·at·ed, re·it·er·at·ing, re·it·er·ates
To say or do again or repeatedly. See Synonyms at repeat.


re·it your point if you want; except in the most exceptional circumstances, do not shout even if the other person has begun to do so. It is much easier to keep control of the meeting if you hold on to your assertiveness assertiveness /as·ser·tive·ness/ (ah-ser´tiv-nes) the quality or state of bold or confident self-expression, neither aggressive nor submissive. and do not let it spill over Verb 1. spill over - overflow with a certain feeling; "The children bubbled over with joy"; "My boss was bubbling over with anger"
bubble over, overflow

seethe, boil - be in an agitated emotional state; "The customer was seething with anger"

2. into aggression.

Good Prompting

If members of the meeting have been slapped down or silenced by other domineering dom·i·neer·ing
adj.
Tending to domineer; overbearing.


domi·neer members, you may need to use your assertiveness to draw ideas out of them. This must again be done in a strategically--and emotionally--neutral way to preserve the objectivity of the chair. Simply invite a contribution and ensure that the person has a fair chance to have a say:

"Janet--did you have a point to make on this?"

"Let's hear the suggestion Peter was in the process of making."

"Alan, you were starting to explain something--could you complete that explanation?"

Making a Presentation

Presenting a report to a meeting can be nerve-racking. Important decisions may be made on the basis of the data that you present. Your personal sense of authorship also makes you feel vulnerable: in a very real sense, a trashed trashed
adj. Slang
Drunk or intoxicated.

Our Living Language Expressions for intoxication are among those that best showcase the creativity of slang. or rejected report leaves you feeling rejected and trashed, too. Nevertheless, presenting a report well is very satisfying, raises your personal profile, and may make a real contribution to your development within the organization.

Report-writing skills and the use of all the visual aids visual aids
Noun, pl

objects to be looked at that help the viewer to understand or remember something
..... Click the link for more information. and design of materials are an important part of any manager's portfolio and must, of course, be learned separately. The assertive skills that come into play when presenting a report are voice quality and body language.

Low and Slow Voice Quality

Remember your basic formula "lowish and slowish." The most common mistake in presenting a report is speed of delivery. If your report is well structured and concise, you can afford to take it at a steady momentum. Do not lose the force of what you are saying by hurrying.

Sometimes you will present a report that is making a strongly felt request, and sometimes you may need to present a report that is highly critical of someone or something. In either case, watch the voice timbre timbre

Quality of sound that distinguishes one instrument, voice, or other sound source from another. Timbre largely results from a characteristic combination of overtones produced by different instruments. . Sounding like you're pleading will not make your case more persuasive, nor will sounding furious make your evidence more damning.

Stay within the assertive/resonant range, and the report really can "speak for itself."

Body Language

Stand Tall and Relaxed. Everybody is looking at you, for at least part of the presentation, so the visual impression you make is very important. Use the absolute body language basics: lift your spine, drop your shoulders, keep the front of the body long, keep the back of the neck long.

Control Emotions

Use the assertiveness principle of "acting over" your emotions. Maybe you don't feel terrified--you need not let your terror show. Terror is an emotion you can share with your speaking partner later on. If you have practiced assertiveness, you have the specific skills to retain an appearance of calm and control, whatever is going on inside.

Make Frequent Eye Contact

Sweep your gaze across all the faces in the room fairly frequently (at least every two or three minutes "Three Minutes" is the 46th episode of Lost. It is the twenty-second episode of the second season. The episode was directed by Stephen Williams, and written by Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz. It first aired on May 17, 2006 on ABC. ) so that you have at least some eye contact with all those present. Some people are far more receptive than others and will return your gaze and interact with what you are saying; some will always avoid your eyes. You must be politically alert here. Avoid the temptation to address yourself mainly to any listeners who are nodding, smiling, and receptive,--it may look as though you are in some sort of private collusion An agreement between two or more people to defraud a person of his or her rights or to obtain something that is prohibited by law.

A secret arrangement wherein two or more people whose legal interests seemingly conflict conspire to commit Fraud with them. Be aware.

Control Your Hands

"What shall I do with my hands?" is the constant cry of anyone called upon to make presentations. If your hands seem to be a terrible liability:

(a) clasp CLASP - Computer Language for AeronauticS and Programming them loosely behind your back or in front of you for most of the time, and

(b) avoid fidgeting with them.

Once you have acquired competence in sticking to those two rules, you may find that you develop your own expressive and individual vocabulary of gestures. Such natural movements are not a liability at all.

Coping With Catastrophes

We have all attended or given presentations where disasters have happened. You fall over your own feet on the way to the flip chart flip chart
n.
A chart consisting of sheets hinged at the top that can be flipped over to present information sequentially.

Noun 1. ; you drop your notes in a cascade, which is then irretrievably ir·re·triev·a·ble
adj.
Difficult or impossible to retrieve or recover: Once the ring fell down the drain, it was irretrievable.


ir
..... Click the link for more information. out of order; you left the transparencies in the taxi; the electricity fails--all the stuff of standard Freudian anxiety-dreams and all things that can easily happen in real life.

Assertiveness is invaluable--you simply say what you feel, you negotiate for time if you need it, and you report on what you are going to do next: three core phrases one after another. It gives you a chance to "act over" feeling panicky and flustered flus·ter
tr. & intr.v. flus·tered, flus·ter·ing, flus·ters
To make or become nervous or upset.

n.
A state of agitation, confusion, or excitement. ; conversely con·verse 1
intr.v. con·versed, con·vers·ing, con·vers·es
1. To engage in a spoken exchange of thoughts, ideas, or feelings; talk. See Synonyms at speak.

2. , it gives you a way of saying that you are flustered, while holding onto your dignity.

But only do it if you are sure it is not giving power away. Otherwise, save your personal commentary on your nightmare presentation for the ears of your speaking partner.

At its most basic, assertive behaviour involves successfully dealing with potentially conflicting situations It means that you can resolve conflict, or if not resolve them outright, or that you can compromise with another person or find a middle ground without either party suffering from undue consequences
At its most basic, assertive behaviour involves successfully dealing with potentially conflicting situations. It means that you can resolve conflict, or if not resolve them outright, or that you can compromise with another person or find a middle ground without either party suffering from undue consequences.

Seen from a broader perspective, however, assertiveness is also a means of personal development. Many of us usually prefer subsuming our own rights and needs just to avoid conflict. An equally good number of people would rather keep quiet and prefer to submit to the demands of loud and aggressive people because we do not like the alternative of conflict-ridden situations or outright fighting.

Good communication can diffuse potential conflict

First off, it would be helpful for you to recognize abusive, controlling or manipulative behaviour for what they are. The reason many people prefer not to assert themselves is because they are sometimes accused of overreacting. Though this can be a valid response to our expression of our own needs, this does not diminish our right to refuse.

By all means, express yourself, and express your disapproval or refusal to do something that another person asks you to, but don?t shout or scream it back at the person.

Speak in a tone that is calm, cool and collected. This enables you to keep your head and gives you the space to formulate reasoned arguments just in case you might be called to account. Of course, you are not expected to justify your decisions, much less to try to explain to other people why, for instance, you are not responsible for finishing their work or perform errands for them. After all, you have responsibilities of your own.

But sometimes, being able to successfully communicate can also help to pave the way for a more meaningful and fruitful relationship with others.

How does this work? By calmly explaining to another the reason for your disagreement or refusal, you lay down your points in a non-emotional manner. Many individuals who act in an abrasive or aggressive way often do so without realizing it. By showing them that you are not simply being contrary but do have valid reasons for your actions, it can often serve as a check on their own behaviour.

It?s a mild form of ?walking in another person?s shoes? ? when the other person realizes that you have your own demands, needs, and opinions which are equally valid and important as their own needs. Many times, this can be sufficient for others to stop throwing their weight around too much.

Good communication can clarify your own values

What if it doesn?t work and another person becomes even more demanding? Remember that you can only successfully control your own actions. You cannot control the actions of another person. If they choose to be angry or difficult, then let them be.

Ultimately, the greater benefit for you is the clarification of your own needs. When you express your personal values in a clear and rational manner, you gain the benefit of a good solid grasp on your own values. You define your own boundaries and your limits. This inner clarification is sometimes a greater advantage in the long run than blindly resisting the manipulative or coercive behavior of other people.