Marketing and Sales Questions

We can say that sales promotion is a cost effective technique by which an organisation can achieve its sales volume or the marketing objectives by providing value added product and not just an ordinary product to the end user or even the intermediaries. It is short term by nature and is suitable enough for generating sales within a short span of time. Sales promotion techniques are being increasingly used by retailing organisations some of which include advertising, providing discounts and allowances or a 'buy one get one free offer' etc.

a.Direct interaction with customers: The retailer acts as the final link between the organisation and its customer. The retailer knows his customer better than anyone. He even suggests the customer what to purchase and allows him credit facilities to encourage frequent buying behaviour in the customer.

b.Small purchases: The customer purchases goods in small lots from the retail stores. So there are frequent visits to the retail store by the customer.

c.Instrument of marketing communication: via which information about the product is disseminated to the needy customers

In contrast to investment, consumption is relatively stable.

Shipment movement information is captured each time a tracking label is scanned in the UPS delivery system. There may be several days between scans if the shipment is going cross-country or moving between countries.

Destination Scan: The shipment has arrived at the local UPS facility responsible for final delivery.

Arrival Scan: The shipment has arrived at a UPS facility.

Departure Scan: The shipment has departed a UPS facility and is on its way to the next UPS facility.

Origin Scan: UPS has received the shipment.

In the light of competition, it may be seen that competitors may initiate price changes. If the cutting off on prices does not affect the company, then the current pricing strategy itself can be continued to maintain the profitability of the company. However if the price change on one firm is affecting the other, then it can:

a.reduce the product price at par with competitors’ price or below competitors’ price

or

b. Provide added advantage to the existing product like better quality, or ‘a buy one get one free’ offer.

or

c.Provide better quality of the product at a higher price thereby not being at par with the competitors.

The annual plan control is one of the four types of marketing control system. Annual plan control is essential in order to determine whether all the marketing efforts undertaken by the organisation has been really worthwhile or not. It aims to achieve sales volume,profits and all those objectives which have been set up in the beginning of the year. In an organisation,the top management and middle level management are responsible for the annual plan control. They have to keep a check on the activities undertaken to implement the plans.

No problem. We can use network marketing as an alternative. The company already has its strong network of customers who can spread the word about its products. They can encourage referral rewards for say every three customers who will buy our product or avail our service.

We can also announce a contest for the customers to buy the product and win a chance to get himself broadcasted for the product advertisement. We can ask them to send in their photo along with the contest application form which they get alongwith the product they buy. So we don’t have to pay them as we would otherwise have to pay to a celebrity.