Foundations of Marketing

The customers are out there.

The competition is, too.

We'll help you understand them.

Join us for:
Foundations of Marketing

At the end of the program, you'll be able to answer these questions and more:

• How do you conduct market research?
  
  
• Who are your competitors, and what are they doing right?
  
  
• How can you ensure that customers come back for your products and services?
  
  
• How much is too much for your product?
  
  
• And how do you let customers know about what you do?
  

Don't miss out on this opportunity to strengthen the foundation of your marketing efforts!

We'll help you succeed.

This course is for small business owners, managers and marketing directors who are interested in enhancing their marketing efforts through market and customer research, better knowledge of their competitors, pricing strategies and promotional tactics to enhance sales.

This course is offered in five modules on a schedule that you determine according to your time and needs. The materials are a combination of printed information and online experiences. Discussions to share ideas, good practices, research resources and strategies are held when convenient.

Here's what you'll learn:

• Customer and market knowledge
  A good company must understand its market and customers. We'll show you how to do basic primary and secondary market research to learn more about your target customers, customer segments and the market in which you are operating. You will use this knowledge to evaluate the viability of your existing market or new markets you may want to enter.
  
  
• The competition
  We'll challenge you to compare your company to your competition so you can develop strategies that build on your strengths. We'll teach you how to systematically analyze the threats and opportunities in your market by collecting information on the competition.
  
  
• Customer relationships and satisfaction
  We'll cover keeping customers and improving the referral rate from satisfied customers. After identifying customer contact points, we'll help you clarify expectations of customer contact personnel in your business. We'll help you develop strategies to manage customer complaints and how to learn from them. We'll also give you some pointers on how to follow up with customers after the transaction to strengthen their loyalty and satisfaction.
  
  
• Pricing
  Products and services must be priced properly to keep the company profitable as well as support your position in the market. You'll learn the various costs that must be recovered as well as the effect pricing has in supporting your company's position in your market.
  
  
• Promotions
  You can have the best product or service offered at the best price, but if people don't know about it, you won't sell anything. If your message is off the mark or does not appeal to the needs of your customers, you will be throwing good money out the window. We'll help you develop strategies for advertising and public relations that will project your company's image to your audience.

Visit our Calendar of Events to find a course offered near you.