Principles of Marketing

The setting

MERIDIAN GROCERS is a family-owned supermarket that has run a printed punch-card loyalty programme for years. Shoppers forget the cards, staff spend time reprinting them, and the owner has begun to wonder whether the programme is doing anything at all beyond giving people a reason to be annoyed at the till.

Your role

You are to assume the role of a marketing assistant at MERIDIAN GROCERS.

Your task

MERIDIAN GROCERS has served the same neighbourhood for three generations, and most of its shoppers are regulars the staff know by name. The punch card was introduced years ago as a thank-you: fill it, and the next shop comes with a free item. In practice, shoppers leave the cards at home, cashiers reprint them several times a day, and the queue slows every time someone asks whether a lost card can be honoured anyway.

The owner has heard two opposite complaints this month. One long-standing customer said the card makes her feel valued; another said it feels like the store is keeping score. The owner does not want to lose the goodwill the programme was built on, but no longer believes it is doing what it was meant to do.

The owner (judge) wants you to recommend how MERIDIAN should treat its regular shoppers. Explain what positive customer relations does for a store like this one, describe what a customer service mindset looks like at the till, explain how you would communicate any change in the programme to shoppers who already hold cards, and describe how the store should build lasting relationships with the people who shop there every week.

Performance indicators

• Explain the nature of positive customer relations.
• Demonstrate a customer service mindset.
• Interpret business policies to customers/clients.
• Build and maintain relationships with customers.

The judge will ask

1. 1.What would you say to a regular who has been collecting punches for a year?
2. 2.How would you know whether the change had worked?

The setting

HARBOUR SPORTS is a sporting goods store. A customer has returned to the counter for the third time about a pair of running shoes, is speaking loudly enough that other shoppers have noticed, and the newest member of staff has been left alone on the floor.

Your role

You are to assume the role of the assistant manager at HARBOUR SPORTS.

Your task

HARBOUR SPORTS is a family-run sporting goods store that has built its reputation on fitting runners properly. This customer bought a pair of running shoes three weeks ago, has returned twice to say they cause blisters, and was told both times that worn shoes cannot be returned. Today the customer has come back a third time and is raising their voice at the counter while several shoppers look on.

The newest employee, in only his second week, was the one who refused the return on the last visit because that is what the policy sheet says. He has now stepped back from the counter and is looking to you for help.

The store manager (judge) wants you to explain how this should be handled, both now and the next time. Explain how to handle a difficult customer without an audience making it worse, describe the process for handling a complaint properly, explain how the way staff speak to shoppers reinforces what the store stands for, and describe how customer inquiries should be answered so a question does not become a complaint.

Performance indicators

• Handle difficult customers.
• Handle customer/client complaints.
• Reinforce service orientation through communication.
• Respond to customer inquiries.

The judge will ask

1. 1.What is the first thing you say to this customer?
2. 2.How would you prepare a new employee for a moment like this?

The setting

BRIGHTSIDE GARDEN CENTRE has always promoted its spring opening with a printed flyer delivered to homes nearby. A newer member of staff has suggested that the same money would go further on social media, and the owner is not sure which of them is right.

Your role

You are to assume the role of a marketing assistant at BRIGHTSIDE GARDEN CENTRE.

Your task

BRIGHTSIDE GARDEN CENTRE does most of its year's business in a few busy weeks each spring, when every garden centre in the area opens at once and competes for the same weekend shoppers. For years the owner has relied on a printed flyer delivered to nearby homes, and regulars say they look out for it.

A newer employee has pointed out that the shoppers she talks to are younger than they used to be and rarely mention the flyer at all. The owner is willing to change, but wants to understand the market the centre is actually competing in before deciding where its effort should go.

The owner (judge) wants you to explain how BRIGHTSIDE should reach shoppers this spring. Explain the principles of supply and demand as they apply to a garden centre with one short selling season, describe the functions of prices in a market where every centre nearby opens the same week, explain the role a business like this plays in its community, and describe the types of business activity BRIGHTSIDE depends on.

Performance indicators

• Explain the principles of supply and demand.
• Describe the functions of prices in markets.
• Explain the role of business in society.
• Describe types of business activities.

The judge will ask

1. 1.Which would you choose, and what would you give up by choosing it?
2. 2.How could the two work together instead of competing?

The setting

CLARKE & SONS sells kitchen appliances. A new blender has been arriving in store with almost no product information, and staff have been sending customers to look it up on their phones rather than explaining it themselves.

Your role

You are to assume the role of a sales associate at CLARKE & SONS.

Your task

CLARKE & SONS is a kitchen appliance store whose customers usually arrive with a problem rather than a product in mind. A new blender has become popular after appearing on a cooking programme, but the manufacturer sent almost no information with it, and several staff have admitted they do not really understand what makes it different from the cheaper models beside it.

Rather than risk saying something wrong, staff have started telling customers to look the blender up on their phones. The department manager has noticed that many of those customers leave without buying and suspects they are buying it online instead.

The department manager (judge) wants you to explain how the floor staff should be talking to customers about this product. Explain the nature of effective verbal communication on a shop floor, demonstrate the active listening that tells a salesperson what a customer actually came in for, explain how asking relevant questions uncovers that, and describe how staff should provide legitimate responses to inquiries they do not know the answer to.

Performance indicators

• Explain the nature of effective verbal communications.
• Demonstrate active listening skills.
• Ask relevant questions.
• Provide legitimate responses to inquiries.

The judge will ask

1. 1.What should a salesperson know about a product before they sell it?
2. 2.What would you do about the customer already standing there on their phone?