30+mba-第21部分

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begin　to　assemble　a　product　or　service　to　satisfy　them。　Fortunately；　help　
is　at　hand。　An　American　psychologist；　Abraham　Maslow；　who　taught　at　
Brandeis　University；　Boston　and　whose　International　Business　School　
now　ranks　highly　in　the　Economist’s　survey　of　top　business　schools　（see　
the　Appendix　for　more　on　business　school　rankings）；　demonstrated　in　
his　research　that　‘all　customers　are　goal　seekers　who　gratify　their　needs　
by　purchase　and　consumption’。　He　then　went　a　bit　further　and　classified　
consumer　needs　into　a　five…stage　pyramid　he　called　the　hierarchy　of　needs。　
Self…actualization　
This　is　the　summit　of　Maslow’s　hierarchy；　in　which　people　are　looking　for　
truth；　wisdom；　justice　and　purpose。　It’s　a　need　that　is　never　fully　satisfied　
Marketing　87　
and　according　to　Maslow　only　a　very　small　percentage　of　people　ever　reach　
the　point　where　they　are　prepared　to　pay　much　money　to　satisfy　such　
needs。　It　is　le。。　to　the　likes　of　Bill　Gates　and　Sir　Tom　Hunter　to　give　away　billions　
to　form　foundations　to　dispose　of　their　wealth　on　worthy　causes。　The　
rest　of　us　scrabble　around　further　down　the　hierarchy。　
Esteem　
Here　people　are　concerned　with　such　ma。。ers　as　self…respect；　achievement；　
a。。ention；　recognition　and　reputation。　The　benefits　that　customers　are　
looking　for　include　the　feeling　that　others　will　think　be。。er　of　them　if　they　
have　a　particular　product。　Much　of　brand　marketing　is　aimed　at　making　
consumers　believe　that　by　conspicuously　wearing　the　maker’s　label　or　
logo　so　that　others　can　see　it；　it　will　earn　them　‘respect’。　Understanding　
how　this　part　of　Maslow’s　hierarchy　works　was　vital　to　the　founders　of　Responsibletravel。
　（responsibletravel）。　Founded　six　years　ago　
with　backing　from　the　late　Anita　Roddick　（Body　Shop）　in　Justin　Francis’s　
front　room　in　Brighton；　with　his　partner　Harold　Goodwin；　it　set　out　to　be　
the　world’s　first　pany　to　offer　environmentally　responsible　travel　and　
holidays。　It　was　one　of　the　first　panies　to　offer　carbon　offset　schemes　
for　travellers　and　it　boasts　that　it　turns　away　more　tour　panies　trying　
to　list　on　its　site　than　it　accepts。　It　appeals　to　consumers　who　want　to　be　
recognized　in　their　munities　as　being　socially　responsible。　
Social　needs　
The　need　for　friends；　belonging　to　associations；　clubs　or　other　groups　and　
the　need　to　give　and　get　love　are　all　social　needs。　A。。er　‘lower’　needs　have　
been　met；　these　needs；　which　relate　to　interacting　with　other　people；　e　
to　the　fore。　Hotel　Chocolat　（hotelchocolat。uk）；　founded　by　Angus　
Thirlwell　and　Peter　Harris　in　their　kitchen；　is　a　good　example　of　a　business　
based　on　meeting　social　needs。　It　markets　home…delivered　luxury　chocolates　
but　generates　sales　by　having　Tasting　Clubs　to　check　out　products　each　
month。　The　concept　of　the　club　is　that　you　invite　friends　round　and　use　the　
firm’s　scoring　system　to　rate　and　give　feedback　on　the　chocolates。　
Safety　
The　second　most　basic　need　of　consumers　is　to　feel　safe　and　secure。　People　
who　feel　they　are　in　harm’s　way；　either　through　their　general　environment　
or　because　of　the　product　or　service　on　offer；　will　not　be　over…interested　in　
having　their　higher　needs　met。　When　Charles　Rigby　set　up　World　Challenge　
（world…challenge。uk）　to　market　challenging　expeditions　to　exotic　
locations　around　the　world；　with　the　aim　of　taking　young　people　up　to　
around　19　out　of　their　fort　zones　and　teaching　them　how　to　overe　
adversity；　he　knew　he　had　a　challenge　of　his　own　on　his　hands：　how　to　
88　The　Thirty…Day　MBA　
make　an　activity　simultaneously　exciting　and　apparently　dangerous　to　
teenagers；　while　being　safe　enough　for　the　parents　writing　the　cheques　to　
feel　fortable。　Six　full　sections　on　its　website　are　devoted　to　explaining　
the　safety　measures　that　the　pany　takes　to　ensure　that　unacceptable　
risks　are　eliminated　as　far　as　is　humanly　possible。　
Physiological　needs　
Air；　water；　sleep　and　food　are　all　absolutely　essential　to　sustain　life。　Until　
these　basic　needs　are　satisfied；　higher　needs　such　as　self…esteem　will　not　be　
considered。　
You　can　read　more　about　Maslow’s　needs　hierarchy　and　how　to　take　it　
into　account　in　understanding　customers　on　the　Net　MBA　website　（　
netmba　》　Management　》　Maslow’s　Hierarchy　of　Needs）。　
Features；　benefits　and　proofs　
While　understanding　customer　needs　is　vital；　it　is　not　sufficient　on　its　own　
to　help　put　together　a　saleable　proposition。　Before　you　can　do　that；　you　
have　to　understand　the　benefits　that　customers　will　get　when　they　purchase。　
Features　are　what　a　product　or　service　has　or　is；　and　benefits　are　
what　the　product　does　for　the　customer。　When　Nigel　Apperley　founded　his　
business　Internet　Cameras　Direct；　now　Internet　Direct　（internetdirect。　
co。uk）　and　part　of　the　AIM…listed　eXpansy　plc；　while　a　student　at　business　
school；　he　knew　there　was　no　point　in　telling　customers　about　SLRs　or　
shu。。er　speeds。　These　are　not　the　end　product　that　customers　want；　they　are　
looking　for　the　convenience　and　economy　of　buying　direct；　so　he　planned　
to　follow　the　Dell　puter　direct　sales　model　and　show　good　pictures。　
Within　three　years　Apperley　had　annual　turnover　in　excess　of　￡20m　and　
had　moved　a　long　way　from　his　home…based　beginnings。　
Look　at　the　example　of　product　features　and　benefits　（Table　3。1）；　which　
has　been　extended　to　include　proofs　showing　how　the　benefits　will　be　
Table　3。1　Example　showing　product　features；　benefits　and　proofs　
Features　Benefits　Proofs　
Our　maternity　clothes　are　
designed　by　fashion　experts　
You　get　to　look　
and　feel　great　
See　the　press　ments　in　fashion　
magazines　
Our　bookkeeping　system　is　
approved　by　HM　Revenue　
and　Customs　
You　can　sleep　
at　night　
Our　system　is　rated　No1　by　
the　Evaluation　centre　（　
evaluationcenter》accounting　
so。。ware）
Marketing　89　
delivered。　The　essential　element　to　remember　here　is　that　the　customer　only　
wants　to　pay　for　benefits　while　the　seller　has　to　pick　up　the　tab　for　all　the　
features　whether　the　customers　sees　them　as　valuable　or　not。　Benefits　will　
provide　the　‘copy’　for　a　business’s　advertising　and　promotional　activities。　
Product/service　adoption　cycle　–　who　will　
buy　first？　
Customers　do　not　sit　and　wait　for　a　new　business　to　open　its　doors。　Word　
spreads　slowly　as　the　message　is　diffused　throughout　the　various　customer　
groups。　Even　then　it　is　noticeable　that　generally　it　is　the　more　adventurous　
types　who　first　buy　from　a　new　business。　Only　a。。er　these　people　have　given　
their　seal　of　approval　do　the　‘followers’　e　along。　Research　shows　that　
this　adoption　process；　as　it　is　known；　moves　through　five　distinct　customer　
characteristics；　from　innovators　to　laggards；　with　the　overall　population　
being　different　for　each　group。　（See　Table　3。2。）　
Table　3。2　The　product/service　adoption　cycle　
Innovators　2。5％　of　the　overall　market　
Early　adopters　13。5％　of　the　overall　market　
Early　majority　34。0％　of　the　overall　market　
Late　majority　34。0％　of　the　overall　market　
Laggards　16。0％　of　the　overall　market　
Total　market　100％　
Let’s　suppose　you　have　identified　the　market　for　your　internet　gi。。　service。　
Initially　your　market　has　been　constrained　to　affluent　professionals　within　
5　miles　of　your　home　to　keep　delivery　costs　low。　So　if　market　research　
shows　that　there　are　100；000　people　that　meet　the　profile　of　your　ideal　
customer　and　they　have　regular　access　to　the　internet；　the　market　open　for　
exploitation　at　the　outset　may　be　as　low　as　2；500；　which　is　the　2。5　per　cent　
of　innovators。　
This　adoption　process；　from　the　2。5　per　cent　of　innovators　who　make　
up　a　new　business’s　first　customers　through　to　the　laggards　who　won’t　
buy　from　anyone　until　they　have　been　in　business　for　20　years；　is　most　
noticeable　with　truly　innovative　and　relatively　costly　goods　and　services；　
but　the　general　trend　is　true　for　all　businesses。　Until　you　have　sold　to　the　
innovators；　significant　sales　cannot　be　achieved。　So；　an　important　first　task　
is　to　identify　these　customers。　The　moral　is：　the　more　you　know　about　your　
potential　customers　at　the　outset；　the　be。。er　your　chances　of　success。
90　The　Thirty…Day　MBA　
One　further　issue　to　keep　in　mind　when　shaping　your　marketing　strategy　
is　that　innovators；　early　adopters　and　all　the　other　sub…segments　don’t　
necessarily　use　the　same　media；　websites；　magazines　and　newspapers　or　
respond　to　the　same　images　and　messages。　So　they　need　to　be　marketed　to　
in　very　different　ways。　
SEGMENTING　MARKETS　
Having　established　that　customers　have　different　needs　means　that　we　
need　to　organize　our　marketing　effort　so　as　to　address　those　individually。　
However；　trying　to　satisfy　everyone　may　mean　that　we　end　up　satisfying　
no　one　fully。　The　marketing　process　that　helps　us　deal　with　this　seemingly　
impossible　task　is　market　segmentation。　This　is　the　name　given　to　
the　process　whereby　customers　and　potential　customers　are　organized　
into　clusters　or　groups　of　‘similar’　types。　For　example；　a　carpet/upholstery　
cleaning　business　has　private　individuals　and　business　clients　running　
restaurants　and　guesthouses；　for　example。　
These　two　segments　are　fundamentally　different；　with　one　segment　
being　more　focused　on　cost　and　the　other　more　concerned　that　the　work　is　
carried　out　with　the　least　disruption　to　their　business。　Also；　each　of　these　
customer　groups　is　motivated　to　buy　for　different　reasons　and　your　selling　
message　has　to　be　modified　accordingly。　
Worthwhile　criteria　
These　are　four　useful　rules　to　help　decide　if　a　market　segment　is　worth　
trying　to　sell　into：　
。　Measurability：　Can　you　estimate　how　many　customers　are　in　the　
segment？　Are　there　enough　to　make　it　worth　offering　something　
‘different’？　
。　Accessibility：　Can　you　municate　with　these　customers；　preferably　
in　a　way　that　reaches　them　on　an　individual　basis？　For　example；　you　
could　reach　the　over…50s　by　advertising　in　a　specialist　‘older　people’s’　
magazine；　with　reasonable　confidence　that　young　people　will　not　read　
it。　So　if　you　were　trying　to　promote　Scrabble　with　tiles　50　per　cent　larger；　
you　might　prefer　that　young　people　did　not　hear　about　it。　If　they　did；　it　
might　give　the　product　an　old…fashioned　image。　
。　Open　to　profitable　development：　The　customers　mu