Monthly Archives: April 2013

Assignment 3 in the Marketing Plan Project was blast! Ever since high school, I’ve wanted to do something fun during presentations but was never allowed to deviate from suiting up and speaking in front of the class. My team chose Starbucks as our company to analyze and it was a lot of fun working with them because we all have a great personality. I think marketing requires a lot of creativity and presenting our original ideas innovatively is a great way to inspire people and magnify every team members’ strengths.

For instance, one of my group members is extremely good at using PowerPoint and Keynote. Another group member is detail-oriented and reminds us to follow the marking rubric when coming up with different ideas to put together the video. My other two group members are good at referencing and coming up with different ideas for evaluating the marketing mix for our chosen target market. On the other hand, I am good at speaking; therefore, I was in charge of speaking throughout the whole video.

Another reason why I really enjoyed assignment 3 is that I was able to learn about all the recording facilities available for students in the CLC. Using computers and creating videos is not my expertise; therefore, I am really happy to be able to learn about such important skills as part of my assignment requirement. I believe that forming groups with random classmates is a good way to make new friends and learn from each other. In conclusion, I enjoyed the Marketing Plan project as a whole, but especially assignment 3!

During class, we’ve discussed the five-step sales process model, which I found extremely useful and engaging because a couple of my previous employers trained employees to use a step from the same sales process. For example, I used to work in a clothing retail store in Hong Kong, where I was trained for two days on step three, which is presenting and handling objections. As a classmate mentioned, most retail employers tend to focus on step three and neglect the other four steps because in the short-term, step 3 is usually what turns consumers’ interest and desire into action.

During my work as a salesperson in a retail shop, my main tasks included presenting the functions of each product to the customers and try to turn all objections into acceptance. My employer did not mention anything about following up with a customer or having a good closing statement. After acquiring more knowledge about the other four steps in the process, I believe that all employers should take all five steps in the process seriously. Even if a sales person successfully delivers the products’ benefits and gains a sales transaction, it will eventually hurt the company if the consumer experiences buyer’s remorse.  Therefore, I think it is extremely important to follow up with customers for two main reasons. First of all, it will reduce any dissatisfaction that the customers may experience. Secondly, the company can gain additional information about their target market. For example, in the retail industry, it may be inconvenient to phone every customer about his or her purchase experience. However, the company can ask for consumers’ e-mail addresses upon purchase and send them a feedback form or provide an online chat forum for consumers on the company website.