15. • PM = Product Manager
• R = Market Researcher
• C = Communication Specialist
16. • PM = Product Manager
• R = Market Researcher
• C = Communication Specialist
• S = Sales Manager
• D = Distribution Specialist
• F = Finance Specialist
• E = Engineer
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20. Transforming into a true market driven company needs:
•Developing a company-wide passion for customers
•Organizing around customer segments instead of products
•Understanding customers through qualitative and
quantitative research
Under the marketing concept, all departments need to “think customer” and work together to satisfy customer needs and expectations. Yet departments define company problems and goals from their viewpoint, so conflicts of interest and communications problems are unavoidable. The marketing vice president, or the CMO, must usually work through persuasion rather than through authority to (1) coordinate the company’s internal marketing activities and (2) coordinate marketing with finance, operations, and other company functions to serve the customer.
Many companies realize they’re not yet really market and customer driven—they are product and sales driven. Transforming into a true market-driven company requires:
1. Developing a company-wide passion for customers
2. Organizing around customer segments instead of products
3. Understanding customers through qualitative and quantitative research The task is not easy, but the payoffs can be considerable. It won’t happen as a result of the CEO making speeches and urging every employee to “think customer.”
Although it’s necessary to be customer oriented, it’s not enough. The organization must also be creative. Companies today copy each others’ advantages and strategies with increasing speed, making differentiation harder to achieve and lowering margins as firms become more alike. The only answer is to build a capability in strategic innovation and imagination. This capability comes from
assembling tools, processes, skills, and measures that let the firm generate more and better new ideas than its competitors.