Explain why marketing implementation is difficult for many firms. ...

[APUS57]

Explain why marketing implementation is difficult for many firms. In your answer, discuss how these difficulties often stem from the relationship between strategic planning and marketing implementation.

Question 2

A salesperson should focus his or her sales resources on only one individual in the buying organization.
 
 Indicate whether the statement is true or false

[dyrone]

Answer to Question 1

Marketing implementation is critical to the success of any firm because it is responsible for putting the marketing strategy into action. Marketing implementation is a very broad concept, and for that reason it is often misunderstood. Some of this misunderstanding stems from the fact that marketing strategies almost always turn out differently than expected. In fact, all firms have two strategies: their intended strategy and a realized strategy. Intended marketing strategy is what the firm wants to happen-it is the firm's planned strategic choices that appear in the marketing plan itself. The realized marketing strategy, on the other hand, is the strategy that actually takes place. More often than not, the difference between the intended and the realized strategy is a matter of the implementation of the intended strategy. Such differences are often the result of internal or external environmental factors that change during implementation.

One of the most interesting aspects of marketing implementation is its relationship to the strategic planning process. Many of the problems of marketing implementation occur because of its relationship to strategic planning. The three most common issues in this relationship are interdependency, evolution, and separation.

 Interdependency-Many firms assume that the planning and implementation process is a one-way street; that is, strategic planning comes first, followed by implementation. Although it is true that the content of the marketing plan determines how it will be implemented, it is also true that how the marketing strategy is to be implemented determines the content of the marketing plan.
 Evolution-All firms face a simple truth in planning and implementation: Important environmental factors constantly change. As the needs and wants of customers change, as competitors devise new marketing strategies, and as the firm's own internal environment changes, the firm must constantly adapt. In some cases, these changes occur so rapidly that once the firm decides on a marketing strategy, it quickly becomes out of date. Because planning and implementation are intertwined, both must constantly evolve to fit the other.
 Separation-The ineffective implementation of marketing strategy is often a self-generated problem that stems from the way that planning and implementation are carried out in most firms. Middle- or upper-level managers often do strategic planning; however, the responsibility for implementation almost always falls on lower-level managers and frontline employees. Top executives often fall into a trap of believing that a good marketing strategy will implement itself. Because there is distance between executives and the day-to-day activities at the front line of the firm, they often do not understand the unique problems associated with implementing marketing strategy. Conversely, frontline employees-who do understand the challenges and hurdles of implementation-usually have a limited voice in planning the strategy.

Answer to Question 2

False