Marketing Audit

Marketing Audit

The marketing audit considers three things: 1) External Environment, Internal Environment and 3) Evaluation of the Marketing Plan.

What’s Our External Environment ?

• What is the nature of our 'customer?' The nature of our customer is dealing with either someone who is in need of something or someone that shipping something to one of their customers.

• What are our customers’ and how do we satisfy them? We satisfy them by providing them with exceptional service, and provide them savings from what they are used to.
• What’s their perception of our brand? Their perception of our brand is that we are all the same, and just have a different mission statement. Do they tend to be loyal? No one customer is ever loyal to any 3PL. It is whoever provides them the best service at the time.
• Have you conducted segmentation studies to identify your customers? In order to find certain customers in the area you have to research what is a popular commodity in that certain area. Lots of research, and cold calls go into this process.
• How do you try to position your product in the mind of your customers?  To position your brand in your customer’s mind, you must start from within your business. Every member of your organization that touches the customer has to be the perfect expression of your position. And, since everyone touches the customer in some way, everyone should be the best expression of your position.
• What do your customers ‘value’ and how do you provide that ‘value?’ Our customers value speed, price, and technology - all built around service.

• What is the nature of competition in our target markets? The nature of competition who can provide the best service while keeping costs lower than the competition. If you can save that customer $50 to $100 per shipment and provide them the same service then why wouldn’t they use you for your services.

• Do you know your competitors’ level of profitability? No I do not. Every competitor is different with there margins. Some just go for 5% profit, and some go for 10%,15%, and even 20%. I guess it all depends on number of employees at the company, and what they are spending to run day to day.
• Do you know how many competitors you have? There are several competitors in the logistics industry that try to come in and underbid you on everything.  Do you know who they are?  Yes I do. All I have to do is do a search on google for third party logistics companies, and that will tell me who my competition is.
• Do you know you competitor’s relative strengths and weaknesses? Yes to a certain extent. People talk, and sometimes let out the competitions strengths, and weaknesses.
• Do you know your competitors’ marketing strategies?  Not all of them. In this industry you just have to know the right websites to look on, and talk with the right companies and you can pretty much gauge what is being done for marketing.  
• Do you know the demography of your consumers? Such as average age, levels of population, gender make up, etc. In transportation its all about who can provide certain for the right dollar amount. Sometimes it helps to know the area which you are working in but it wont really make you or break you. It’s the services that your provide that make your or break you.

What’s Our Internal Environment ?

• What are our marketing resources?
• How is our marketing team organized?
• How efficient is our marketing team?
• How effective is our marketing team?
• Do we use technology or social to communicate with our customers?
• How effective are we at Customer Relationship Management (CRM)?
• Do we have a marketing planning process?
• Is our marketing planning information current and accurate? Do we have a new product development program?
• Do we know how profitable is our product portfolio?
• Do we have a pricing strategy?  Does it work?
• Do we have an effective and efficient distribution strategy?
• Are our marketing communications effective?
• Do we have the right people in front of our customers?

What’s Our Marketing Plan?

• What are our marketing objectives?
• What are our marketing strategies?
• Do we have strategies to apply – Product, Price, Promotion and Place (distribution) ?
• How well are we controlling the marketing process?
• Are we achieving our marketing budget?
• How do you feel our marketing team is implementing the marketing plan?