Week 9 Reading Reflection

What stood out to me the most in the reading was was the claim of the effectiveness of telemarketing. I worked as a telemarketer for a time when I couldn't find any other work, and it did not seem effective to me. I would also assume that telemarketing is on the decline due to many factors, especially due to ones pointed out by the author such as the DNC list and high turn over.

The only part I found confusing was the differences between a production-driven philosophy, a sales-driven philosophy, and a consumer driven philosophy. To me these are competing interests and must be balanced out rather than focusing solely on one.

Two questions I would ask the author would include: "What is the best way to balance out the three marketing philosophies?" and "Would, in your opinion, the negatives associated with telemarketing be worth the risk especially with internet marketing so well established?"

There is nothing I felt the author was wrong about in this section aside from my questions on the validity of telemarketing. This chapter was informative and helpful in an area which I am admittedly weak. Marketing is an area I need to improve on if I am going to make my business into a reality.

Idea Napkin No. 2

1. I have worked in the signage industry now for over three years. While that time period isn't long, especially compared to my co-workers, it has netted me valuable experience in understanding what the customers needs are in this field. I am fortunate in that I have experience in every task in our little shop. I have experience in production, design, sales and installation. As far as my aspirations go, had the question been asked a year or so ago I would have been able to give a clear and detailed answer, now however I am not so sure. This business concept is one I have thought about since before taking this class, and should it become a reality I believe it would be the primary focus of my life.
2. My company's purpose is to provide high quality signage to customers anywhere in the world. I have seen the current quality of online signage and I find it lacking. The unmet need of my customer is a reliable supplier of professional quality signage. In my time in this industry I have discovered that there is virtually no business that does not have a need for some form of signage. Even an entirely web based business still has a need for vehicle magnets and graphics to aid in promotion.
3. My customer is a business person. I have determined both from my experiences at work and from my interviews that the average private citizen has little use for signage in their personal lives. The only call I have for signage for people not connected with a business entity is generally a birthday or anniversary banner, or perhaps a small vinyl decal for the back window of their car. Entrepreneurs and managers are the main purchasers of signage, and they are my target. Businessmen also understand the importance of quality and are willing to pay for a higher quality product if they believe the product will be a good investment. In the case of signage it is also a necessary investment.
4. Customers will pay for my product because it will be of a higher quality than they can currently receive from an online sign company. While I may not beat the prices of places like Vista Print, I will beat their quality. In my current job I have many out of state customers whom I have never met face to face and likely never will. They communicate with us via email or phone and then we ship them their finished signage. My business will provide the same quality of product and service to the end user without the waste of a brick and mortar storefront. In addition, by providing an web based store front with an emphasis on user-friendliness, my company will be just as readily accessible and mass-marketable as my competitors.  
5. My core competency that sets me above my competition is a personal belief that if you deliver a quality product to the customer then they will come back. A sign isn't like most retail products. A sign is as unique as the person or company who has commissioned it. It is not mass produced (unless it's a bandit coroplast) and has to truly represent the identity of the company whose logo is on it. 

My list is largely the same as last time although i expanded on item two more. I believe that these five elements fit together well. In both this assignment and the last one I believe I have outlined my abilities and knowledge to allow me to be able to introduce this idea. As before I know my greatest challenge will be to show my difference from my competition. This will involve a great deal of time spent on marketing and promotion. 

The feedback I received was largely positive and didn't involve any suggestions for improvement. All of the commenters mentioned my focus on quality over price as a positive. I tried to further emphasize on this point in this post. Another benefit that was mentioned in the comments was that I am a business to business enterprise. I to believe this is a plus, and I expanded upon that point in item number three. Having taken the time to reread my last post and to reflect on the feedback I believe I have a better understanding of these five elements.