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IS YOUR BUSINESS MARKET FOCUSED?
How many businesses really know whether they have the required marketing skills, knowledge and attitude to compete
profitably in an ever-increasing global market-place? This question has been posed by well-known companies such as
Bell Canada, Ericsson, Aliant, Hewlett-Packard, Xerox, Dupont and many others. In response to this question, a
two-year research project to develop, test and validate a method of assessing a manager's marketing knowledge and
attitudes was undertaken. The Marketing Excellence Survey (MES) has been used to assess the marketing knowledge
and attitudes of over 7500 managers in more than 150 businesses throughout the world. Research confirms that firms
with a strong market focus achieve higher levels of profitability. They do this through market-led strategies that
deliver strong levels of customer satisfaction and retention.
Assessing Marketing IQ
"Most companies do not objectively measure knowledge and attitudes. It's usually more subjective because it is
done by interview and observation and not validated through measurement," says John Bardawill of TMG International
Inc. The higher a manager's marketing IQ (marketing knowledge), the greater the manager's success with respect to
customers, competitors, pricing, profitability and working as part of an integrated team. Successful organizations
identify strengths in their employees and use this information to give themselves a strategic advantage. Marketing
knowledge and attitudes determine how we think, what strategies we employ and how we act.
Does a High Marketing IQ Make a Difference?
Organizations with high levels of marketing IQ tend to be in a better position to lead the challenge of building
a more market focused business culture - resulting in greater growth and profitability. "The Marketing Excellence
Survey shows that the more marketing education and experience a person has, the more likely they are to build a
stronger market focus for their business. This holds true whatever that person's role is within the organization and
translates into higher customer value and, in turn, into business profitability," says John Bardawill of TMG Inc.
Benchmarking Market Focus
The Marketing Excellence Survey is the only management tool in existence that objectively establishes and benchmarks
the marketing knowledge and attitudes (the business marketing IQ) of an organization and its executives. Dr. Roger
Best from the University of Oregon in the United States developed the Marketing Excellence Survey. Its international
database enables a company to benchmark its market focus against the world's best, at the individual, department,
business unit or organizational level.
Benefits
James Mackay from Eastman Kodak stated: "We used the Marketing Excellence Survey to measure the marketing knowledge
of our top management team. Based on the results, we developed a marketing education program. One year later, we
used the survey to demonstrate a significant improvement in marketing knowledge and attitudes. "Businesses can now
compare themselves with their international counterparts.
The Marketing Excellence Survey pinpoints the following strengths.
- Real, not imaginary, individual marketing strengths that can be used to create a competitive advantage.
- Skill gaps in individual marketing knowledge, which training programs can be tailored to resolve.
- Actions a company needs to take in order to develop a market focused culture and thereby secure its competitive advantage.
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