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Shelter Chieza  Change Management
This week I spoke to a member of the Bee Keepers Association of Zimbabwe Trust who pointed out that they were failing to meet both local and export demand.
The official said that demand for honey had increased in recent months and was now outstripping supply and this has affected exports. Before my discussion I had little knowledge about the potential that this sector holds or the huge demand for honey. It is one of the things that has never featured prominently on my shopping list.

This just goes to show the complex nature of the different tastes that exist in our economy and a bit of research and marketing that has gone into making honey a popular product among Zimbabweans.

It is therefore essential that managers should have a deep understanding of what drives people to leave their homes to buy things. Is it out of satisfying a deep need or desire?
In reality, the specialists on facilities and shop layouts are very clever. It’s no coincidence to see magazines, chocolates, bubble gums, drinks lined along the queuing points to the tills. It’s all related to the customer buying decision.

Companies ought to examine their products offing well. If you have a product that satisfies a need, you are most likely in the right direction to getting clients for your products. Needs vary, they could be physical or psychological. This is something that one has to consider when crafting a vision for a product.

You also need to examine the main driver and influence of your product. Some people have developed a habit of buying bread at the beginning of each week.  A manager must always be on the lookout for such behaviours and ensure that the consumer get what they need when they require it.

Naturally, consumers switch brands often because they want more variety. If you are a market leader, you cannot afford to relax.
Try to encourage habitual buying behaviour by dominating the shelf space, keeping shelves stocked, and running frequent reminder ads.

If your product is facing stiff competition you must use persuasive advertising to make customers stick to your product. Reminder advertising is effective only for the products that have matured like wine.  You must ensure that your product is up to scratch though. Chivas Regal once had a nasty experience when it tried to persuade consumers that it delivers more taste and status than other brands of Scotch whiskey.

The plan backfired as its competitors countered their adverts with their own. You must strive to strike a balance on whether you want huge teasers or little ones to avoid wasting advertising pages if your brand has not matured.

Often companies have been reducing the amount of money spent on advertising, forgetting that advertising has a carry-over effect that lasts beyond the current period.
Avoid looking at it as a once off expense; it is an investment that builds up an intangible asset.

My advice is to treat it as a depreciable expense which should be written off over a period of time just like capital equipment.

Nowadays mass marketing is extremely difficult because marketers find it hard to create a single product or programme that appeals to a diverse group of people.
The proliferation of advertising media and distribution channels has also made mass marketing difficult.

Traditional argument for mass marketing is that it creates the largest potential market which leads to the lowest cost which in turn translates into either lower prices or higher profit margins.

Niche marketers in the majority of cases understand the needs of the clients so well that their customers are willing to pay a premium price for their products (eg Ferrari gets a high price for its cars because its loyal buyers feel that no other car or cars come close to offering the product service membership benefits that Ferrari offers).

Successful product launches find a greater new-product success when the firm has a better understanding of customer needs. So treat your product the way it deserves, and it will treat you well in return.

Till next week, may God richly bless you.

Shelter Chieza is an Advisor in management issues. She can be contacted at [email protected]