Bringing marketing into the core of commercial moving companies

Andrew Shelton of Shelton Associates set out his advice for how CMG Members can build a successful marketing plan. He introduced attendees to the basic concepts of marketing, from a practical viewpoint; “marketing is not something that you can just add on later, it has to be part of everything you do,” he explained.

Andrew Shelton- Key Note Speaker for CMG

Andrew’s presentation considered the major ideas of marketing for service companies, including the 7 ‘P’s’ of product, price, promotion, place, people, physical evidence and process. He elaborated on the main stages of developing a marketing plan, from a business review and marketing audit to SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) analysis, agreeing target segments and establishing an action plan.

When presenting product, pricing, promotion and distribution strategies in turn; he put his finger on one of the main issues of the removals trade today: “most of us are not charging enough for what we do.” He advised that “You can use a Cost Plus Basis for pricing, but you must also take account of what the market will bear.” Companies need to develop a promotional and marketing strategy, he recommended, and to implement an action plan that assigns responsibilities, sets deadlines and costs, and establishes systems for monitoring the progress made.

Andrew Shelton returned to centre stage later on in the afternoon to present proposals for the development of the CMG’s very own strategic marketing plan. The CMG’s Marketing Sub-Committee is currently considering the suggestions and R&S will report on the marketing plan in a future issue.