Dissertation Proposal On How Relationship Marketing Can Help Improve The Image Of Companion

INTRODUCTION

Against the background of the current economic situation within the region, many marketers are looking for better and more effective ways of increasing their sales. Some of them assume that when there is greater media visibility, then one is more likely to boost their success. However, what most of these marketers are forgetting is that there are relationships that are created every time a sale is made. Consequently, their companies must look for ways in which they can sustain this kind of relationship. The proposal will examine how relationship marketing can boost company images in the car industry with specific emphasis on the issue of trust.

BACKGROUND

This project is worth doing because of a series of reasons. First of all, the automobile company is one of the most important sectors of the UKs economy. Consequently, there is a need to look for ways in which this industry can be improved in order to boost the economy. Additionally, by examining the role that trust plays in relationship marketing, then car companies can understand the underlying factors required to make relationship marketing work for them. This project will also be significant in providing information about various tools and approaches in relationship marketing from automobile companies. (Jackson, 1985)

Previous work in relationship marketing has focused on its core functions. Levitt (1983) explains that relationship marketing is a form of marketing that centres on consumer satisfaction and retention. This is a shift from traditional approaches that mostly emphasised on transactions made at the point of sale. Some authors have looked at application of relationships to the automotive industry. Nilsson (2004) examined a case study of an automobile company in the US and looked at how this companys success had been enhanced though relationship marketing. Other authors such as Kotler (2005) , DeYoung and Boldt (1988) & Berry (1983)

have examined ways in which relationship marketing can be integrated with other marketing concepts such as process reengineering. Furthermore, a lot of work has centred upon the use of relationship marketing in various aspects of an organisation. These include its application in the supply chain logistics, information technology and other vital sectors. (DeYoung, 1987)

RESEARCH QUESTIONS AND OBJECTIVES

The major objective that the research will be trying to achieve is to determine what the link between company image and relationship marketing is in the automobile industry. This will be determined through four specific objectives
1)What role does trust play in boosting relationship marketing in the automobile industry
2)What role does loyalty play in enhancing relationship marketing?
3)How can automobile companies apply relationship marketing in their marketing mix?
4)What is the value that relationship marketing brings to automobile companies?

Through these research objectives, it will be possible to understand what makes automobile companies successful in terms of relationship marketing and that can then be linked to company image. When companies are regarded as successful by their current or future clientele, then it is likely that they have a good image or vice versa. (Jackson, 1985)

METHOD; RESEARCH DESIGN
The research will dwell on the automobile industry in the United Kingdom. This will be done through a combination of approaches. Some leading automobile manufacturers like General Motors will be identified and asked about their implementation of relationship marketing. This will be analysed through personal interviews with their sales members. Additionally, the customer lifetime value added to a company through relationship marketing will be calculated for those chosen organisations. Customers will also be included in the research because they will be instrumental in assessment of how successful they perceive certain companies hence reflecting on the company image. (Envision software, 2007)

Personal interviews will be utilised when dealing with company representatives owing to the fact that they will be useful in highlighting certain unique r. marketing features prevalent in their organisations. However, in order to get uniform responses from clients, it would be favourable to use questionnaires for them. Secondary data will also form an important part of this research because it will provide a backbone for determining those elements that cannot be conducted practically and this include measurement of the value added to companies as a result of relationship marketing.

DATA COLLECTION
Data will be obtained through sales performance records released to the public by industry analysts. Data will also be obtained through the use of personal interviews. The population size in this part of the research will be made up of all top performing automobile companies in the UK. Ten sales representatives will be chosen from these companies. The sampling criteria will solely be based on that companys willingness and response to requests for interviews.

In the other aspect of the interview involving the public or various clienteles, the research will need to obtain fair representation from various parts of the UK. Consequently, a telephone directory will be used and respondents will be asked whether they would like to participate in the research. The questionnaires will be delivered personally to their residential areas after they accept to participate. Sampling criteria will be based on non probability sampling. Numbers will be chosen randomly in order to minimise biases. The research will involve ten personal interviews for sale representatives in automobile companies. Additionally, fifty questionnaires will be filled by those who accept to participate. (Durfee & Chase, 2003)

The research will also make a number of ethical considerations. Confidentiality will be a key concern as respondents in the questionnaire and the interview will be protected from other parties by concealing their identities. Additionally, care will be taken to ensure that clients only answer those questions that they feel comfortable with since they will be informed about this at the beginning of the research.

TIMESCALE

RESOURCES
Secondary data will largely be obtained from financial data released to the public. This will available in the school library and also in internet websites. This information will be crucial for ensuring that the issue of company image is duly inspected.

REFERENCES

Kotler, P. (2005): Relationship marketing- gaining competitive advantage through customer satisfaction and customer retention; North Western University Press
Nilsson, T. (2004): Customer relationship management within the US Automotive Industry; department of BA and Social Sciences, Lulea University Report, 18th June
Envision software (2007); Project Timeline management, available at http://www.envisionsoftware.com/ accessed on 11th November 2008
Durfee, W. & Chase, T. (2003): Project management, University of Minnesota Press
DeYoung, B. (1987): Marketing Your Charter Boat Enterprise – Putting Relationships to Work; Information Bulletin, no. 206
Berry, L. (1983): Relationship Marketing in Perspectives on Services Marketing; American Marketing Association
DeYoung, B. and Boldt, W. (1988): Relationship Marketing – Putting Relationships to Work, in Cornell Cooperative Extension Marketing Manual
Jackson, B. (1985): Build Customer Relationships That Last; Harvard Business Review, 120-28
Levitt, T. (1983): After the Sale, in The Marketing Imagination; Free Press

Importance Of Marketing Consultant To Grow Your Business

Be it an online business or traditional roofing, export business; the main motto is MONEY. Money and profit doesnt fall from the sky, but from the customers. Thus to achieve your goal in business you must have more customers that too loyal ones. Now that we know customer is the essential ingredient in ones business, what makes us get more customers or to retain the existing ones? Advertise. In other words market the products to the customers.

In your business you may recruit quality software professionals for system related work, security official for security, workers for production etc, but why not a marketing consultant for marketing? Most of the people think marketing can be done by some of the workers itself or by some advertising agent. However this misconception leads to erroneous results. Marketing is as important as the production, design, export, sales etc. Unlike agents who are middlemen between your company and the ad agency, marketing consultant is the one who has education and experience in the marketing field.

Marketing consultants must be recruited in the company because they not only help in marketing products but also suggest tips and tactics to improve the marketing strategy of the company. Their only job is to promote your products and increase the prospective customers. Since they are consistently in the marketing environment, they know the recent trends and the competitors, thereby improving your business by their marketing skills.

They provide new ideas because their basic education for marketing would have made them creative, innovative. Apart from providing ideas and marketing strategy, they dont hesitate to go from places to places or website to website, to social networks to promote the company. Additionally a marketing consultant would have a lot of acquaintances and contacts than you, hence when he promotes through his social networking profile then there is likely to be more response, than promoting normally.

Finally, marketing consultants are a pleasant plus to your business and recruiting them will improve your business and assure its growth by all means. If your business is small scale one (online or traditional) then your ultimate option for marketing should be through marketing consultants since they find you customers at the initial step, which may be an useful step initially, that will give you profit on the long run.

Most Excellent Internet Marketing Tasks You Can Outsource

In the corporate industry, there are so many Internet marketing techniques that you can use in order to ensure the growth and expansion of your business. Of all these techniques, outsourcing has been very prominent. The main reason behind this is that you get the chance to save more money and time while making sure that all the aspects of your business are intact and working well. A business involves a lot of tasks that are vital in achieving success but there are certain Internet marketing tasks you can outsource which would give you more opportunities to accomplish something.

The Internet marketing tasks you can outsource vary depending on the nature of your business. Nonetheless, carefully choosing these online tasks would give you peace of mind because you know that the outsourcing companies are perfectly driven to accomplish what you are expecting them to. Here are the 7 most excellent Internet marketing tasks you can outsource:

1.Copywriting and Article Writing

Both copywriting and article writing can be very helpful in advertising your products and services. These two strategies will allow you to build public awareness and credibility but could be very complex especially for people who are not familiar with the techniques of writing that are necessary to utilize.

2.Website Layout and Design

Not everyone have the expertise of coming up with an excellent website design. If you are an online entrepreneur, you know that your website is one of the most important tools that you can use to drive people towards your business. Creation of website layout and design is an online task you can outsource, so that you can save more time because experts can accomplish the tasks faster than anyone else.

3.Order Taking and Sales

Every sale is important. This is why you have to take advantage of the interests of people. The best example of this is an infomercial that entices a consumer to call and place an order. At the time that prospective customers call, someone has to be there to answer and place it. Otherwise, everything will be wasted.

4.Customer Service via Different Media

Providing utmost customer service is important so that you can keep your consumers and attract more people to take advantage of your offers. This can be done in different ways. Here are three media where customer service can be provided.

Email
Chat
Phone

5.Technical Support

For products and services that involve high technicality, it is important for the company to provide assistance to customers who are having a hard time using the products.

6.Marketing Research and Advertising

Research could be very tedious and expensive. This is one task you can outsource in order to get desirable results and more savings.

7.Online Marketing Strategies

Online marketing strategies involve a lot of analysis and evaluation. This is the reason why it is best to leave the job to specialists.

The Development of E-marketing concept on Integrated Ceiling Industry

With the popularity of network, e-marketing on integrated ceiling industry comes into being accordingly. According to the development of internet marketing concept, The Development of the E-marketing concept on Integrated Ceiling Industry can be divided into the following follow stages: Online display stage, group buying stage, integrated marketing, e-commerce. This article will present more details on each stage.

Online display stage: Household enterprise pay more attention on web design before the year 2005,. In this stage, Many enterprise just displayed their ceiling products on their websites, and nearly all the enterprise are only do business about bathroom heater and ventilator. The main function of the website in this stage is to promote corporate image and advise the products they sell. After 2005, Due to the networking groups grows intensified, few people with a keen sight started to pay attention to sell products on line. many household enterprise tends to advise on internet. They broadcast products such as fiberglass ceiling board, decorative plaster cornice , black fiberglass panel. Some companies who has no enterprise website start to budget on the building of website, and the budget of the enterprise turns from traditional media into internet advertisement.

Group buying stage: Integration ceiling distributors who are doing building materials products business are never thought to sell their products on internet. With the rapid development of e-marketing, more and more netizens want to buy building materials on internet. To meet the netizens’ demand for decoration materials (such as suspended ceiling materials), a new half-E-commerce model appears in integrated industry. Through network organization, people appointed a time and place to arrange the meet of sellers and buyers which is like the way catching a freak show in a country. In industry, enterprises called this as network group buying. This model of group buying was very popular in 2007-2009. Some company in the market focus on internet group buying business which brings profits to them.

integrated marketing stage: After 2006, the network has entered fast lane of development, the number of net citizens grows exponentially. From the year 2009, the ways on enterprise network marketing of integrated ceiling industry also presents different branches, such as blog marketing, BBS, network news marketing, search marketing, viral marketing. Enterprise network marketing also turned from pure advertising to a variety of integrated application of marketing methods. However, there is no business model of substantive changes, it is still only supports offline business.

E-commerce Stage E-commerce is a type of industry where buying and selling of product or service is conducted over electronic systems such as the Internet and other computer networks. With the emergency of e-commerce, household websites, enterprise, famous chain household manufacturers attach importance to household electricity commerce. A professional once pointed that household electricity commerce may be the last wave of electric business boom which suggest that there is a great profit space in this area while other other industry is saturated. All the integrated ceiling enterprises in the mall, start to build household enterprise network Marketing Department, and set personnel responsible for online sales and to develop network sales channels, these facts presents the household electronic commerce has come.

A Few Things You Should Know Before Getting Involved In Network Marketing

With all the economic hiccups and credit crunches happening worldwide, many people are always on the lookout on how they can improve or mend their financial situations. Usually, they take extra work on top of their day jobs. With these, it is no wonder why many people are getting curious at network marketing jobs.

What is network marketing?
Network marketing can be referred to as a marketing technique or strategy that involves independent agents to get in touch with prospective clients in exchange for a specific amount of commission for the sales that they are able to make as well as the sales made by the other people in which that agent has sponsored into the business. Usually agents who are engaged in network marketing have the option to do their work on their free time for a specific number of hours or on a full time basis. If you are thinking of taking such type of work, here are a few things you should know before getting involved in network marketing.

Compensation Through Recruitment-

You must avoid any network marketing companies that offer compensation plans, which include payments coming purely from recruiting other distributors. This may be a sign that the network marketing company you are talking to is just a pyramid scheme.

Purchasing a Set of Expensive Products or Items in Advance-

You should also watch out for network marketing companies that will require their new distributors to buy a set of expensive items or products in advance. This is another sign of a pyramiding scheme and this will just collapse quickly.

Making Money Through a Downline-

You must also be cautious when a network marketing company would offer you plan where you will only make money if you constantly expand your downline instead of sales through products. Real network marketing jobs must not depend on the recruitment of other distributors to earn or by expanding the downline.

Get the Facts Straight-

Most network marketing companies have products related to health. If the network marketing company claims that their products have extensive health benefits, you have to get that information validated before believing or repeating them. The facts need to backed up by real validation and not just by the words of the representative that you are talking to.

Scrutinize What They are Saying About Incomes-

Other network marketing representatives would entice you to join their network marketing company by providing you information about the potential income that you can have or their current earning marks. However, you must be watchful and as much as you can scrutinize what they are saying since those using the pyramiding scheme will lie about their actual earnings just so you will join.

Never Be Pressured-

When joining a legit network marketing company, representatives will never pressure you or put you on the spot in such a way that you will feel compelled to join or sign contracts. They should allow you to take your time so you can think about their proposal more as well as weigh the pros and cons of the business for you.

Network marketing, just like any business, is not risk-free. Moreover, there would be certain individuals who might take advantage of the economic bumps just so they can recruit people in doing non-beneficial network marketing scheme. You must always be cautious and always think about things thrice. Remember these few things you should know before getting involved in network marketing.