Strategic Planning in Industrial Markets
Strategic Planning in Industrial Markets
Strategic Planning in Industrial Markets
Introduction
The increasing rate of change in the economic, political and social environments of
firms has led to growing competitiveness, uncertainties and risks. Under such
circumstances many people believe that success and survival are more assured by
improved understanding and application of strategic planning frameworks. Thus,
strategic planning has been the focus of increasing attention in the management
literature, although marketing planning has received less priority.
However, it is our view that existing approaches are inadequate in several respects
when we try to relate them to the realities of strategic planning and implementation in
the industrial marketing field. It is our contention that the particular characteristics
of industrial marketing require a framework of strategic planning which integrates the
dimensions of industrial supplier - customer interaction, the management of portfolios
of relationships and the different levels of management perspective which characterise
the marketing and purchasing of industrial products and services.
In this article we postulate a new approach to strategic marketing planning which
incorporates these issues and provides a comprehensive framework which, we believe
is a contribution both to academic understanding and to the development and
implementation of strategic plans in practice.
In the first section of the article we critically appraise existing strategic planning
approaches and identify the areas where further developments are needed. This is
based on the interaction approach to industrial marketing[1]. Subsequently we suggest
an interactive approach to strategic marketing planning which integrates the specific
characteristics of industrial markets and competitive systems. The conceptual and
empirical research basis of this article is described in detail in Turnbull and Valla[2].
The Application of Strategic Planning Models to Industrial Marketing
According to Enis[3]: "strategic planning will be the bedrock of marketing management in the 1980s".
There has been a growing interest in planning models of all kinds throughout the last
20 years and there are a large number of alternative models now available covering most
potential company environment situations. Despite the plethora of models and
approaches we believe that certain key questions have yet to be addressed and answered.
* Is the field of strategic planning research and practice so clearly defined and
homogeneous that it is free of unsupported generalisation or implicit
assumptions and qualifications?
* What is the real scope of existing models and do they encompass all the
dimensions of the strategic decision-making environment?
* Are the published findings and prescriptive models consistent with research
findings in other disciplines such as marketing, and particularly with industrial
marketing?
There are, in our view, no simple answers to these questions and several issues need to
be clarified.
Firstly, the terminology of the whole planning field is confusing. Aaker[4], in a short
historical perspective, identifies various different wordings that have been used to describe the process of developing and implementing strategies; from the early "budgeting
and control" to the more recent "strategic market management", with other terms
including "long-range planning", "strategic planning" and "strategic management".
Each wording reflects an evolution in status and perceptions of strategy and planning.
In current literature there are still quite different, if not conflicting, viewpoints in the
way strategic planning is approached.
In trying to clarify this issue it may be useful to distinguish, within a global strategic
planning approach, three different problem areas:
the strategic diagnosis or analysis process, by which the position of the firm
within its relevant environment is evaluated;
theformulation of strategic choices, which translates the firm's ambitions within
its environment;
the implementation of strategic choices/decisions, which develops strategic choice
decisions into programmes of action.
These three fields are quite different in nature and usually have a different organisational status in the firm. However, despite their different nature, in recent years these
three areas have been encompassed within the generic strategic planning of the business. This assumes a necessary coherence and consistency between the three areas; yet,
at the same time, we know from empirical evidence that the assumed coherence and
consistency is very difficult to achieve in practice. As Stonich and the Management
Analysis Centre[5] noted:
. . . the planning movement that began in the 1970s has in many cases become a formality
in which process has overtaken purpose.
In other words, formulating strategic choices is one thing, the implementation of
them is another.
One explanation of this particular problem relates to the definition of the concept
of strategy. Although there are slight variations to be found between the definition
found in textbooks, the generally accepted view of strategy implies a difference between
policy, strategy and tactics. Whenever several levels of strategy are identified it is usually
strictly on an organisational basis. For instance, Vancil and Lorange[6] describe three
None of the available strategic models has the potential for reconciling the different
decision-making areas and their respective environments and backgrounds.
Taking the industrial marketing viewpoint, there is a need then for the formulation
of a strategic framework which would integrate the specific aspects of the industrial
marketing environment. A strategic market-planning approach could then be
integrated within the strategic business-planning approach. At the same time, we can
then ensure the necessary distinction between the two perspectives and the integration
of both within a global planning framework.
We shall discuss this point in the following sections. In order to do this we need to
raise another issue related to the concept of strategies. Industrial marketing strategies
can be analysed either as an output, related to the objectives the firm wishes to achieve
in terms of market position and to the strategic path it wishes to follow in order to reach
such objectives, or as a decision-making process through which a firm formulates and
implements strategic choices.
An interesting framework for examining marketing strategies as an output has been
proposed by Cunningham[12] who established a typology of industrial marketing
strategies identified from substantial empirical research studies carried out in Western
Europe. This typology is discussed in the next section and will serve as a basis for
discussing the different nature of marketing strategies versus business strategies as well
as the issue of testing marketing strategies against business strategies for coherence,
compatibility and feasibility.
To see strategy as a decision-making process is more complex because the reality
of industrial marketing strategy in practice is that of a multi-function, multi-person
and functionally mutually interdependent activity. For instance, the implementation
of, say, a product innovation strategy will be dependent upon the willingness and
ability of research and design, production and other technical functions, as well as
on the financial function. Thus the marketing decision makers do not necessarily have
the decision power to enforce the implementation of strategic marketing decisions.
As a consequence, the formulation and implementation of industrial marketing
strategies involve collaborative, cross-functional, decision-making processes. The
necessity of high-level integration is, therefore, a prerequisite of efficient and effective
strategic market planning. This needs to be taken into account when formulating a
strategic market-planning framework. Moreover, we believe that an improved
understanding and approach to planning within the marketing function itself, can lead
to significant improvements in its capacity to collaborate effectively with other
functions.
To discuss this second issue of marketing strategies as a decision-making process, the
starting point is the MULTISTRAT Model developed by the Institut de Recherche de
l'Enterprise of the Lyon Business School[13, 14, 15, 2]. From this basis, we have
developed a new strategic market-planning framework which is presented in the fourth
section. This integrates industrial marketing of the specific tasks, establishes a clear
link between business strategy and marketing strategy, emphasises the interrelationships between market management and the management of supplier-customer relationships and, finally, formally integrates the necessary interface between the
marketing function and the other functions within the industrial firm.
planning in practice is, therefore, the testing of proposed strategic approaches for
coherence, compatibility, and feasibility. We shall return to this point later.
Cunningham's typology is obviously a conceptualisation of observed marketing
behaviour and illustrates the unique nature of industrial marketing strategies, i.e., the
requirement to take into account three perspectives simultaneously:
the supplier's global approach,
the process and expected results of supplier-customer interaction,
the specific macro- and micro-positions of competitors.
Again, we find here issues that are not integrated within global strategic frameworks.
Such issues, however, are paramount to the actual marketing performance of the
industrial firm.
Cunningham develops his analysis further by examining marketing strategies in
situations where market entry has been achieved. He identifies additional strategic
dimensions which are subsequently necessary to consolidate and develop market
positions. Such ingredients correspond to specific skills that are required to manage
supplier/customer relationships efficiently. These are:
customer orientation,
organisational effectiveness,
commercial competence,
social integration.
These skill or characteristics are key success factors in industrial marketing and the
broad approach of strategy models does not incorporate these either. We suggest that
a solution to this problem is to define a specific strategic framework which incorporates
the specific features of the industrial marketing environment and which handles two
related issues:
the need to ensure complementarity between business and marketing strategies;
the need to integrate marketing specific approaches within a global strategic
planning framework.
A final point which should be addressed here, which we mentioned earlier, is the use
of a strategic test framework which relates marketing strategic choices with, on the one
hand, the general or global strategy of the business and, on the other, with marketing
operations/tactics through a framework of tests to ensure that the marketing strategies
finally chosen will be:
(1) compatible with global objectives and resources/competence,
(2) coherent with the market environment as seen by the company,
(3) feasible in terms of the company's human, financial and production resources
and in terms of the organisation characteristics of the company.
Tests of coherence and compatibility should be performed during the strategy
formulation phase and feasibility testing should be an explicit element of the imple-
13
this often leads to the "disjointed incremental approach" which characterises much
strategic marketing in practice. Among the multifaceted issues marketing managers
have to deal with there is an important one, i.e., the management of supplier-customer
relationships.
As we have previously stressed, the management of customer portfolios and of
customer relationships is fundamental to successful industrial product marketing[l].
Analyses of supplier-customer relationships and interaction patterns have demonstrated the far-reaching characteristics of interpersonal contacts. For example, Turnbull and
Cunningham[20] conclude that, although vast networks of inter- and intra-organisational personal contacts often exist in both supplier and customer companies, such
resource-intensive activities are rarely planned or controlled by companies. Further, as
Cunningham[12] argues, the requirements of individuals or groups of customers may
be sufficiently different to require that each important relationship is planned and
handled in a unique manner. Also, since relationships are dynamic and may progress
through a series of stages[21, 22] they require to be managed over time. The heterogeneity and evolution of relationships then has important implications for industrial
marketing strategies.
Bringing together these various aspects of interactive marketing we can identify key
dimensions of supplier-customer relationships which are important inputs to the
development of a strategic marketing framework.
(1) For a given activity, the portfolio of customers comprises a number of accounts
which are of varying importance to the supplier.
(2) The management of supplier-customer relationships, being an integral part of
industrial marketing strategies, is a task which could properly be integrated
within the customer portfolio management dimension.
(3) The management of supplier-customer relationships requires the setting up of
specific objectives per account, planning, control, co-ordination and handling
of supplier-customer interaction. This means allocating resources and perhaps
making some specific investments representing a cost for the supplier.
(4) The cost of formally managing supplier-customer relationships should be
compared with some evaluation of the expected return on the investment or extra
cost which is incurred. Constrained by scarce resources and profitability requirements, the industrial marketing manager must select those accounts for which
a formalised internal procedure is justified.
(5) Techniques of micro-segmentation whih permit an evaluation of the attractiveness of each account may be used to obtain a ranking of accounts within a given
customer portfolio.
(6) For each target customer a marketing decision-making process may then be
applied which involves:
the analysis of demand (customer's requirements),
the analysis of competition offerings (differentation analysis),
the setting up of objectives (micro-market share, volume, profit),
the definition of a strategy,
* It should integrate the adaptation aspect of interaction and recognise that the
output of transactions is often the result of reciprocal adaptations by both
supplier and customer. Therefore, the supplier may not have total control over
relationships and strategy.
* It should integrate the multi-functional aspects of decision-making processes and
implementation in industrial marketing, recognising, therefore, the functional
interdependence which is a consequence.
Traditionally, marketing planning has been seen as a formalised, sequential and
unidirectional activity carried out by the supplier organisation. Such approaches do
not usually encompass supplier-customer interaction or other external interactions.
We believe, however, that planning should be more of a dynamic learning process
related to understanding and adapting to the characteristics and dynamics of the
marketplace. Whilst planning should allow adequate control of the company's market
investments, it should permit, indeed encourage, opportunistic behaviour which is an
important aspect of the learning process. "Letting things happen" and "flexible
adaptation and response systems" can be important performance characteristics
allowing a supplier to develop and consolidate relationships as opportunities and
problems arise.
As a first step in formulating a model we attempt to clarify and integrate the various
issues so far identified in Figure 3. This outline framework places the various concepts
in relation to each other.
We attempt in this framework to integrate the macro-market and micro-market
perspectives within the strategic business unit parameter, recognising the strategic
marketing opportunities and choice field. Market and relationship management then
become central issues for strategic planning.
Taking this framework it is now possible to introduce the essential detail of a comprehensive strategic planning model which we do in Figure 4. Decision-making processes,
especially for interactive marketing, are incorporated in some detail and are shown to
be linked to, and influenced by, interaction with customers and other supplier
functions. The various areas of decision making are integrated in a systems perspective,
thus avoiding the suggestion of planning as a mechanistic sequential process. Thus all
the decision areas are interconnected both internally and externally.
The "traditional" output of planning marketing plans and market investments
are shown to be directly related to market interactions and thereby adaptation of
decisions and investment choices. Plans can therefore be seen as guidelines, of greater
or lesser specificity according to the characteristics of the system.
Conclusion
In this article we have drawn extensively on the research evidence and theoretical
contributions of the IMP research group to derive an Interactive Strategic Marketing
(ISM) planning model. We believe that such a model is potentially an important
development in the industrial marketing field because existing models are inadequate
either to explain or understand the realities of planning in practice. Equally, they do
not give a framework which can be used by practising managers.
We take this critical view because our understanding of industrial marketing and
purchasing is based on a recognition of the importance of supplier-customer relationships and interaction. We also believe that the multi-functional and inter-dependent
nature of decision making and implementation is vitally important and must be
explicitly incorporated in the modelling process.
Underlying our approach is a belief that, by their very nature, industrial markets can
be characterised as disordered, even chaotic. Thus, marketing management has to
accept, understand and live with confusion and changes and yet have the ability to
adapt and respond to the opportunities that arise. It is this view that differentiates our
strategic planning approach from the more traditional and perhaps "clearer" strategic
planning models.
Thus, we argue that strategic marketing planning should be a dynamic systems
process which incorporates the variables and interdependencies within the strategic
decision environment and which is sensitive to the dynamics of the organisation, the
market and its constituent customers. Such sensitivity and flexibility will only be
achieved through the process of effective relationship and market management.
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