Gesellschaft für Marketing

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Strategic Marketing in Action, April 23-27, 2012

Who
********
You are a mid-level or senior manager with strategic, marketing or commercial responsibilities and have at least 10 years of experience in different fields.

What
********
- Boost your strategic thinking about the evolving competitive landscape, understand how to co-create more value with your customers and capture more value with smart pricing
- Gain insights into drivers of customer value, behavior and choice, and align different stakeholders, such as employees and partners, to improve customer satisfaction and loyalty of your key accounts and most important customers
- Formulate a differentiated value proposition for customer-focused strategy and brand platform incorporating social media
- Meet the challenge of implementing your strategy and gaining internal support by demonstrating the financial value marketing creates in terms of Net Marketing Contribution

Dates
********
1st program: April 23-27, 2012 with 1 month pre-phase and 3 months post-module learning
2nd program: Oct 29-Nov 2, 2012 with 1 month pre-phase and 3 months post-module learning

 

Duration
*******
Phase I - 1 month (web-based)
Phase II - 5 days on campus
Phase III - 3 months (web-based)

Web
********
Find all information on http://www.imd.ch/sma .

Pricing Innovation: Skibillet auf Lebenszeit

Skigebiet verkauft Abonnemente auf Lebenszeit

http://www.tagesanzeiger.ch/schweiz/standard/Skigebiet-verkauft-Abonnemente-auf-Lebenszeit/story/24195356

Die Tourismusregion Moléson will mit einer bahnbrechenden Idee neue Finanzierungsmittel generieren: Sie verkauft die ersten Abonnemente auf Lebenszeit.

Das Skigebiet Moléson im Kanton Freiburg bietet neu ein Abonnement auf Lebenszeit an – als Schweizer Premiere. Was das Abonnement kostet, hängt vom Alter der Käufer ab. Bis 19-Jährige bezahlen 7600 Franken. Für 30- bis 39-Jährige kostet das Lebens-Abonnement 6000 Franken. Vom 60. Geburtstag an ist es für 2300 Franken zu haben. Verkauft wird das Abonnement auf Lebenszeit von Dezember 2011 bis Juni 2012. Es ist auch im Sommer gültig. Ziel der Aktion ist es, Stammkunden zu bekommen und Mittel zur Finanzierung der neuen Seilbahn zu generieren, die Mitte Dezember in Betrieb genommen wird. Eine Mitarbeiterin der Seilbahn bestätigte der Nachrichtenagentur sda am Freitag eine Meldung der Westschweizer Zeitung «Le Matin». «Die Idee wird Schule machen» «Eine Schweizer Premiere», kommentiert Roman Weissen, Sprecher des Verbandes Seilbahnen Schweiz, die Idee. Er ist begeistert: «Das ist eine innovative Idee, die Schule machen wird.» In diese Richtung müssten Seilbahnen mit ihren Anstrengungen gehen, um ihre Finanzierung zu sichern. Nach Angaben des Verbandes vom Donnerstag sind die Betreiber der Seilbahnen mit wachsenden Kosten für Infrastruktur, Energie und Personal konfrontiert. Auch das Präparieren der Pisten koste immer mehr Geld. Derweil schlagen in der kommenden Wintersaison in den Schweizer Skigebieten die Preise von rund 70 Prozent der Tages- und Mehrtageskarten sowie von Saisonabonnementen nicht auf. Wenn Preise angepasst würden, dann im bescheidenen Rahmen, hiess es.

Weltwoche offeriert gratis Marketing-Fachbuch (die Idee ist besser als das Buch, leider)

Die Zeitschrift Weltwoche offeriert zusammen mit www.studentensupport.ch gratis Marketing-Fachbücher zum Downloaden.

Leider erinnert mich das Buch "Grundlagen des Marketing" von Michael Zerres an längst vergessen geglaubte Marketingbücher, die die Faszination des Themas nicht einmal im Ansatz zu vermitteln vermögen, oder wollen.

Interessant ist aber die Idee eines werbefinanzierten Lehrbuches auf pdf Basis allemal.

Wie funktioniert Yield Management bei Airlines?

 

Amazon.com – Managing Reference Price

Amazon.com – Managing Reference Price

It is not news when I say that Amazon.com offers free shipping on orders of $25 or more. But there are two very interesting things I see in how they implement that offer: The free shipping option is a less convenient option. The offer states that it will take 5-7 business days compared to 3 business days for the next lowest priced standard shipping option. The shipping charges are not different but  Amazon manages customer perceptions of the service by signaling that it is the slowest of all

[via [Technorati] Tag results for Pricing]

Some fascinating research on pricing different options.

Some fascinating research on pricing different options.

Jeffrey Kearney, one of the Mentors at ViRTUS, send me the link to this TED talk the other day. It’s a relatively short video of behavioral economist Dan Ariely, the author of Predictably Irrational, discussing his own counter intuitive (and sometimes shocking) research findings on how we make choices between competing options.I was shocked by some of his finding and what they mean for the practicality of pricing options.  Subtle changes in how different options are priced relative to each other

[via [Technorati] Tag results for Pricing]

Nicht nur der Big Mac ist zu teuer

Nicht nur der Big Mac ist zu teuer

Von Mirjam Comtesse

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Schweizer zahlen für einen Big Mac deutlich mehr als EU-Bürger. Dies liegt aber nicht nur am starken Franken.

Firmen versuchen die hohe Kaufkraft in der Schweiz abzuschöpfen.
Bild: Keystone

Der Big-Mac-Index 2010 des «Economist» zeigt, dass ein Big Mac in der Schweiz viel mehr kostet als in fast allen anderen Ländern. Das britische Wirtschaftsmagazin führt dies darauf zurück, dass der Franken im Vergleich zum US-Dollar überbewertet ist. Doch hinter dem Preisunterschied steckt mehr: «Ein Kilo Rindfleisch ist in der Schweiz teurer, die Miete pro Quadratmeter kostet mehr, die Mindestlöhne sind höher und die Konsumenten haben mehr Ansprüche an die Qualität», sagt der Marketingexperte Stefan Michel von IMD International in Lausanne. Hinzu kommt: Firmen versuchen oft, die hohe Kaufkraft hierzulande abzuschöpfen. Ein Beispiel dafür liefert die Kleidermarke Esprit: Wenn ein Herrenhemd im Ausland 40 Euro kostet, dann verlangt das Unternehmen in der Schweiz gerne 80 Franken dafür. Dabei steht der Euro zum Franken nicht 2:1, sondern nur 1,34:1.

«Schaden für Wirtschaft»

Abzockerei? Michel winkt ab: Aus betriebswirtschaftlicher Sicht sei es nur logisch, möglichst viel herausholen zu wollen. «Erst wenn eine Firma ihre Marktmacht ausnutzt, wird es verwerflich. Solange ein Konsument die Wahl hat und sich trotzdem für ein teureres Produkt entscheidet, gibt es kein Problem.»

Anders sieht dies Sara Stalder von der Stiftung für Konsumentenschutz (SKS): «Vor allem Markenhersteller nutzen ihren guten Ruf aus, um in der Schweiz höhere Preise zu verlangen.» Es könne nicht sein, dass Händler hierzulande Markenprodukte schon teurer einkaufen müssten, als diese im benachbarten Ausland im Laden verkauft würden. «Das bedeutet für uns einen volkswirtschaftlichen Schaden», meint die Konsumentenschützerin. Sie rät: «Wer sich im Ausland aufhält und Gelegenheit für beispielsweise einen Kleider- oder Schuheinkauf sieht, sollte dies ausnützen.»

Weko schaltet sich ein

Auch der neue Präsident der Wettbewerbskommission (Weko), Vincent Martenet, hat das Problem erkannt: «Wenn die Preise in der Schweiz höher sind, nur weil der Konsument eine höhere Kaufkraft hat, können wir das nicht akzeptieren», erklärte er kürzlich in der «NZZ am Sonntag». Bei Anzeichen auf Beschränkungen des Wettbewerbs eröffne die Weko eine Untersuchung. Schon bald stehe in einem exemplarischen Fall eine solche Untersuchung an. (Berner Zeitung)

European Pricing Platform [English]

Founded in 2004, the European Pricing Platform has become a leading knowledge sharing platform for European pricing decision makers, revenue managers and CxO’s, dedicated to develop and share pricing knowledge, best practices and resources via on- and offlline media.

The ePP is a knowledge sharing platform : 

• puts pricing on the ceo's agenda
• brings together pricing decision makers and CxO’s with leading pricing experts, researchers and academics.
• the ePP is the on- and off-line meeting place for European pricing decision makers and pricing academics.
• narrows the gap between pricing academic theory and business practice. It therefore supports academic pricing research intended for the development and practical translation of leading-edge pricing knowledge on topics of importance towards business.
• shares pricing knowledge trough a multiple of on- and off-line media such as workshops, conferences, trainings, webinars, publications, etc.

At the European Pricing Platform you can extend your network of pricing professionals, build and update relations, find and share pricing knowledge, best practices and tools, and search and post pricing jobs

http://www.pricingplatform.eu/

Wieviel soll ein selbständiger Marketingberater verlangen? [English]

In my business I speak to a lot of consultants - some new and some that have been around more than a few years. One of the questions we get asked a lot though is how much should my consultancy fees be and how should I charge? There are a number of ways to look at this and here are a few pointers, ideally you need to understand:

· Your Billable Minimum
· The Type Of Consultancy Engagement
· The 5 Different Methods For Calculating Fees

YOUR BILLABLE MINIMUM

Step 1. What are your costs?

Your consultancy fees have to cover your operating costs (in this instance I'm talking about the general business expenses excluding your salary) plus an income for you. All Consultancy businesses should know how much and what types of costs are likely to be incurred within a year. For a consultant, office and non expense related travel costs are usually the highest and can easily be 10-30% of income.

Step 2. What revenue do you need to generate?

This cost together with your earning expectations make up your forecast revenue. Say for example this is £120,000, £20,000 costs and £100,000 income.

Step 3. How much time do you have spare after admin?

It may be that you are spending 16 hours a week on non-billable or administrative work. This will give you 3-4 days per week to earn depending on how many hours you work. This translates to 144 to 192 billable days per annum (assuming 48 weeks worked a year). If we assume 192 days this means that on average you need to earn £625 per day to hit your target. If you only work 144 days then this rises to £833 per day on average to hit your revenue and earning target. Having an understanding of this figure will help you determine what fee structure you need. In this example you need to earn a minimum of £625 a day.

THE TYPE OF ENGAGEMENT

Peter Block has one of the best definitions of the three different types of consultancy engagements (see below). What we have found though is that the different types of engagements often drive different types of consultancy fees.

The "Expert" Consultant

· The Consultant is more autonomous and control sits firmly with the consultant. In effect the client has handed over control of the project to the consultant.

· There is a problem and the consultant provides the solution. My suggestion is that payment here should be on a fixed fee plus performance based basis however often this defaults back to day rate due to competition. The more specialised the area and the higher the value added, the more you can charge.

· A good example of an expert consultant is a Specialised Trainer or Specialist IT Consultant.

The "Pair of Hands" Consultant

· Where control sits firmly with the client. The client understands what needs to be done and wants the consultant (or expert) to do it.

· Consultancy Fees here are almost always day rate or even charged per hour but can include performance bonuses. These consultants often supplement the client's staffing requirements as required.

· Many generic IT Consultants and Interim Management Roles (where there is more competition) sit in this bracket.

The "Collaborative" Consultant

· Where there is an interdependent relationship and control of the project is shared. Management works closely with the consultant.

· Because the success of the project is deeply linked to the client's ability to contribute and influence the project, risks and benefits should also be shared. This means that a lower day rate may be more appropriate with higher performance based element to the consultancy fees.

5 DIFFERENT METHODS FOR CALCULATING FEES

There are 5 different methods for calculating Consultancy Fees.

1. Time based
2. Fixed fee & Success based
3. Contingency or Performance based
4. Demand based
5. Mix of the above

1. Time based

· This puts the risk squarely on the client, great for the consultant not so great for the client, in fact the worse you do the more you get paid!

· Most suitable for a "Pair of Hands" consultancy projects

2.Fixed Fees & Success Based

· Fixed fees are generally used where the value added is high but equally the risk to both parties may be high

· A fixed fee will often be negotiated as part of a tender

· Success based fixed fee - as above but is only paid out if agreed metrics are met, high risk for the consultant and so needs a higher fee to compensate for this.

3. Contingency or Performance Based

· Two decades ago it was mainly tariff analysts that used these types of fees. After some years of certain consultants not meeting targets, more and more often fees are expected to be charged in direct proportion to the benefits achieved.

4. Demand Based

· Demand based fees are the easiest to calculate - they are either based on a multiplier of what it would cost the client to pay a salary (anywhere from 150-300%).

· Or they are based on what the competition are charging.

5.A Mix Of All Of The Above

· The reality is a mix of any two of the above approaches will often work well to balance the risk to both the client and you the consultant.

Remember businesses and people often don't buy on price alone, low fees give the impression of a junior consultant, if a potential client says that your fees are too high what they are really saying is:

· I don't see the benefits
· I don't see the value
· The risk is too high

Address this and you will go a long way to improving both your fees and your profitability as a consultant.

Alistair Grieve is a leading authority on creating successful and profitable Consultancy Businesses. For more information visit http://www.yourconsultancy.co.uk. For more information on Fees including "How to increase your fees and keep your clients happy" click Consultancy fees. If you have a question about how to calculate your fees you can send an email to Alistair directly at agrieve@yourconsultancy.co.uk.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Alistair_Grieve