Problem: A national manufacturer wondered whether what he was doing was enough or if there was something different he could do to meet his demands. While he has internal sales data going back 25 years and intuitive understanding of his customers, he wasn’t sure if he could do things differently.
Process: We conducted a series of studies of both his current and prospective clients as well as his competitor’s clients. Based on this we developed a perceptual map of customer expectations and their ranking of his products as well as the competitors’ along these dimensions.
Outcome: The perceptual map provided an accurate, quantitative estimate of customer perceptions of the client’s products. This was used to develop a strategic marketing plan that involved transferring resources towards initiatives that were important and where the client was performing poorly. Subsequently, we conducted a conjoint analysis to determine the correct mix of product features and pricing that the prospective customers wanted.