Marketing Plan For Lifestyle Services In The Villages, Florida

Assessment of Current Company

The world, as we know it, is changing constantly with the creation of new industries and products. The speed of change has changed from the one we experienced historically. As days dawn, we witness new products and goods – introduced to make human life better. Emerging new products require emerging markets to thrive. Therefore, developing new markets need advanced marketing expertise. The process of marketing influences human being – in that as much as we buy products, we are still part of the marketing team as either wholesalers or salespersons. The dynamism of marketing as a concept is because it is under constant redefinition. Every activity within an organizational setup with the capacity to create value – via the exchange of goods and services for financial gains define marketing. However, the outlined concept is a traditional outlay of marketing employed by organizations. However, because we are in the age of globalization, a different approach towards defining marketing exists – the concept is modern marketing (Moncrief, 2000).

In relation, the company of which I am part is multi-billion while also the parent of a renowned U.S corporation. We are also the parent company to many number industry related companies, to whom we provide consultancy services and manage both corporate and government accounts, which sells and finances rolling stock (Chandler, 1962). The company also strives to be the first choice for global solutions for residential and corporate customers. To achieve such an objective, it provides services that are of quality and efficient leading to a slogan “customers for life.” As a company mission, the stakeholders make the company a success, by having the passion for offering services to one another while sharing deep organizational heritage. Stakeholders also believe in the fraternity’s work input, which makes the difference to other firms (Kotler, 2003).

With HQ located in the US, the company support functions that are central to firm input is provided in the sectors of management facilitation, accounting, public relations, marketing and sales, legal framework, human resources, as well as information technology. To provide better services to the clients, the firm has service centers across Asia and Europe. The company operates in a service-oriented industry, heavily focused on customer feedback (Moncrief, 2000).

The company was founded in 1988 and is owned exclusively by external shareholders and particular members from overseas within the senior management framework of key companies (Kotler, Armstrong, Saunders & Wong, 1999). The key positions in the C suite are;

1. Chairman of the Board of Directors
2. President
3. Chief executive officer (CEO) of the operating subsidiaries

As a result of a large number of acquisitions, the company inherited some marketing messaging, that were not always aligned with the overall marketing strategy. The goal of this marketing strategy is to clarify marketing message, set service direction and build our sales ‘playbook’ for local/intrastate, interstate and international services.

Follow on from the introduction; I will drill deeper inside to the structure, leadership team and operating model to explain current set up. The company is very focused on keeping its heritage in all aspects of the business. The company started as a small firm that has grown since its startup in 1988, by making all sizes of acquisitions. The leadership team at the time was very confident that keeping the original structure that is well tested and proven to work, it the only way forward. The company operated a flat organizational structure, also known as horizontal. The leadership promoted employee involvement in all aspects of business, through the decentralized decision-making process. For firms with teams that are self-managed – the groups organize and perform their duties without supervisors or middle managers are likely to fit in the preferred model. However, conflict may most likely, be created with workers who have expectations like job promotion as part of their career path.

On the contrary, because the organization has a flat structure, such conflicts are unlikely to happen. Most definitely, career paths that are “horizontal” may be present in the firm. Career paths that are “horizontal” include aspects of developing extraordinary expertise in duties such as craft mastery while receiving pay rises – mainly because one is loyal (Moncrief, 2000).

The company operates in a service-oriented industry, heavily focused on customer feedback. By keeping the structure flat, the company is forced to have the responsibility levels of baseline employees elevated into different management layers. As a result, responses to customer feedback became more rapid. Fast forward 30 years, the company kept its reputation in the industry for its first class customer feedback quality and speed. Over the years we have built a library of key KPI’s (Key Performance Indicators), that are implemented to everything we do both externally with our clients, as well as all internal operational processes. Our baseline employees remain to be measured by these (Kotler, 2003).

By making regular changes that will reduce, being ambiguous while ensuring that direction is to workers is established without any form of associated disadvantages. A massive amount of changes and formalization will lead to reduced productivity and open mind thinking because workers already confirmed to behaving in a way – and they are set to such method of behavior. The culture of; we always worked this way, no need to change”, is very much a challenge when it comes to implementing needed changes (Moncrief, 2000).

The fact I foresee is that until a crisis occurs, no decision or changes will be a) made, and b) implemented. A structure that is formal reduces job satisfaction and motivation. Thereby, the pace of decision-making is lowered. Most importantly, our company is in a service industry that is susceptible to issues of high formalization levels and lack of appetite to change (Kleiman, 2012). The employees that are part of service team and are client facing, in person or virtually, face client issues and problems and are often faced with a situation where immediate action may need to be taken, but there are no guidelines or specific procedure for such a matter. While the company empowers workers to be able to handle customer complaints, low-level workers still do not have the power to resolve problems that customers raise. Such workers are also constrained by rules and principles that are stiff and outline only a given number of responses that are acceptable (Kotler, 2003).

• 2017 total industry was down 2.1 percent from 2016.
• Sales volume has declined 40 percent over last decade.
• The USA falls eighth on the highest volume (nearly 50/50 of inbound/outbound sales).
• Contracts ranging from $2,000 to $2,999 were the most significant percentage of new business in 2017.
• Hyper-localized, next-generation niche companies that connect consumers with services with the tap of a button are on the.
• These niche companies are segmenting the traditional full-service into several stages. As they gain more traction, they are changing the competitive landscape for conventional full-service providers.

• Lead Generation: While self-generated leads in all markets are extremely low, the US has the highest number of self-generated leads. It should be noted, however, that the closing ratio on these is only 13%. Current investment in marketing-managed lead sources is meager (Kotler, Armstrong, Saunders & Wong, 1999).
• Reporting: We do not have sufficient data to support whom we are losing business to, and why. This is attributed to users not tracking this information in CRM system. Overall tracking of lead sub-sources is diluted and poor (Kleiman, 2012).
• Technology: We are lacking critical technology the consumer can easily find with the competition (instant quoting, video estimating, self-service tools and services, automated processes, etc.)
• Name recognition: Wide-spread consensus due to branding issues between the brands and limited promotional investment continues to contribute to a lack of name recognition in our markets (Moncrief, 2000).

1. Collective ownership of financial performance between Sales and Operations.
2. Accelerate service growth in B2C and Commercial Services to drive more local revenue.
3. Executions in 4 C’s.
4. Evaluate existing and new, developing markets
5. Achieve set International profit targets

1. Consolidate Domestic, Cross-Border and International financials
2. Regional summary P&L
3. New service line P&L
4. International market ‘ roll forward.’

1. Go – To – Market strategy clarified and aligned with business units globally
2. Recruit Specialist with a focus on selected market
3. Continue to focus on the rate increase to improve pricing and commercial offering
4. Re-implement CRM platform

• Re-write and approve sales pipeline
• Formalize opportunity and lead value
• Formalize sales channels

1. Explore and develop global targeted sales strategy
2. Invest in marketing resources
3. B2B clarified and aligned

• Invest in setting the platform for 2018 – 2019 growth

1. Accelerate the rate of growth in the B2B service line

• Marketing investment to be made to enhance lead generation capabilities and leverage new website significantly

1. Improve engagement between centralized Customer Service and Operations
2. Increase focus on Quality, to include:

• The customer experience
• Quality KPI’s and metrics to drive and improvement
• Build additional customer service center

$900K investment in marketing initiatives to meet 2018 business objectives assigned of by the Board of Directors and investors. Consolidate vendors were possible to reduce cost, leverage spending and eliminate vendor redundancies. Plan to create a market research book to include: Market Overview, Business Data, and Competitors.

• SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) and traditional marketing initiatives in all markets
• Advanced SEO (Search Engine Optimisation), digital and traditional marketing in 4 primary markets, US, UK, South East Asia, and China

Marketing spends to be carefully managed for possible dial-up or down opportunities, with a particular focus on performance-driven adjustments. New approaches will show us to be more analytical, and data-driven to refine and target optimal marketing spend (Chandler, 1962).

1. Generate 100 leads per month per sales person. 33% must be self-generated.
2. Online quoting tool.
3. Increase brand awareness to create validity for sales in the marketplace.

1. Increase brand awareness to create validity for sales in the marketplace.

The growth is planned to be coming from a current baseline of 30 Sales professionals with a sole focus on the service line. It’s incremental to assure 4 – 6 Sales people to be based in target markets. With new services planned to be introduced to marker, the implementation has been agreed to be rolled out on regional bases, starting with the largest market US.  The plan is to recruit, hire and onboard new sale professionals in the targeted market that will be aligned with a marketing strategy to sell a new pilot product, starting with Direct Consumer (Moncrief, 2000).

1. To maintain a strong value proposition with clients. A strong characteristic of our company is the quality of services we deliver, for an affordable price. By continuing with this value proposition through service innovation and fordable pricing, the brand image should grow and strengthen the name.
2. To become a market leader. Everyone’s goal is to be a leader. We are on our way to take this position, by offering top quality service at an affordable price.

After completing extensive research, we have recognized competitive advantage for market entry by offering several of its unique “lifestyle services.” Based upon local advertising, the market is flooded with self?storage services both within and outside of the “yellow line.” However, there are no full?service moving companies located within the “yellow line.” It is not necessary for us to take an extremely aggressive approach to marketing. However, a consistent moderate approach is recommended. We should be able to flood the market to establish brand awareness and maintain with reasonable advertising (Kotler, 2003).

The company is entering a brand new market in central Florida called The Villages. The average resident is retired at 61 years of age and lives an active adult lifestyle. Many of these activities include great golf, decorating home and gardens, entertainment and fine dining. We have created a menu of unique “lifestyle services” available exclusively for residents of The Villages (Chandler, 1962).

These services will allow residents to enjoy their retirement without missing a beat. This comprehensive marketing plan will establish guidelines and provide a formal marketing budget for the operation at The Villages (Moncrief, 2000).

As we implement a new strategy, the focus must remain on monitoring new developments and tracking result in both external and internal organizational environments.  The marketplace changes, and when it does, we need to be ready to move in the same direction and speed (Kotler, Armstrong, Saunders & Wong, 1999).

By applying ‘Marketing mix’ to pursue a planned strategy in the target market to ensure objectives are met, and devising marketing variables into categories. Such categorization ensures that the management of the company has easy time formulating related strategies. The categories are four – and represent the four P’s (4 P’s). They are the Place, Product, Promotion, and Price. Most significantly, one should understand that the customer does not conform to being part of the marketing mix – contrarily, customers are the target.

Product: According to the definition of Kotler and Armstrong, a product is “anything” with the capability of attracting market attention, usage, acquisition, or consumption as well as satisfying the needs of the customer or user if offered (Armstrong & Kotler, 2005). However, even if most definitions of a product are similar, emphasis should be on the fact that products are not just finished goods alone.

Place: Under this factor, we look into the marketplace and marketing issues like exposure, channel type, distribution, transportation, and location. The client should be in a position of getting the product where he or she needs it. (Armstrong, 2015)

Price: Every marketing plan has to incorporate pricing considerations (Kotler, 2005). This factor also has its mix that includes cost, competition, discounts, markups, and geography. No matter how perfect other aspects of marketing mix can be, wrong pricing will scare off buyers.  

Promotion: The first thing that comes to mind when creating a marketing plan is product promotion. However, this attribute of marketing is less important in the mix compared to the other three. As defined by Armstrong & Kotler, advertising is all about informing the target market and interested buyers of how “right” a company’s good is – the process involves the use of channels of information dissemination (Kalpana, 2000).

We will provide a menu of innovative moving and storage solutions to a very refreshing retirement community. From relocation and moving perspective, our newly on-boarded sales team is targeting each client with four moves:

1. Moving from outside of The Villages, FL to within the “yellow line.”
2. Moving from within the “yellow line” to another residence within the “yellow line.”
3. Moving from a residence within the “yellow line” into an assisted living facility
4. Moving an entire Villages home inventory to a distant family member or designee

A comprehensive list of “lifestyle services” will be available to residents throughout their retirement at The Villages. The initial list of services will be prepared with the intention to grow as the market becomes developed. The list is made up of:

• Just Ask   – personalized move consultation
• Attic?to?Go SM – your easy storage solution
• Handy Helper – labor assistance
• Courier and Moving services
• Automobile shipping
• Custom shipping and packing
• Full?service storage and moving
• Do?it?yourself storage and moving

Place

The Villages is located 68 miles northwest of the Orlando International Airport. It contains 23,000 total acres privately developed by The Villages, Florida, Inc. Our company will establish occupancy within the “yellow line” and open an operation center located in the area. In the meantime, all business inquiries should be directed to our closest office in Orlando, until The Villages’ office is established (Chandler, 1962).

The infamous “yellow line” is the exterior perimeter that signifies official Villages property. If you are deemed to be within the “yellow line,” you are also considered golf car accessible, an essential transportation source for Villagers. Two communities currently exist within the “yellow line,” and a third community (final phase) has already broken ground on its construction (Kotler, Armstrong, Saunders & Wong, 1999).

External Factors

Demographic Trends: The average prospective client is age 61. Residents of The Villages are generally retired and have chosen to relocate to a community flourishing in “lifestyle services” and amenities. As a direct product of The Villages, Florida, Inc.’s meticulous planning and its upper echelon design, the

opportunity for growth are significant.

• The population of The Villages in 2005: 54,635
• Current villages population stands at 78,000
• Estimated population within the identified communities by 2012 was 102,119 (31% projected increase)
• The average age of homebuyer regarding men to women is 62 to 60

Economic Trends: Despite the recent economic recession and according to The Villages Daily Sun, The Villages continues to increase its residency by over 7,300 homeowners annually (Chandler, 1962).

• Average number of people who move into The Villages daily: 20
• Percentage of people moving into The Villages paying cash for their home: 50%
• Average household income for the state of Florida: $44,847
• Average household income for buyers in The Villages: $93,800

Ecological Trends: The Villages community is an environmentally?conscientious community. Clean energy, environmentally?friendly materials, and other green initiatives are very relevant and essential factors.

Technological Trends: Residents within The Villages are moderately technology savvy. Their use of social media is increasing and will serve as an active channel for electronic advertising. The Villages Computer Club and The Villages Macintosh Users Group are two unique non?profit organizations comprised of and for Villagers, residents of The Villages (Kotler, 2003).

Internal Advertising

The Villages Media Advertising: The Villages Daily Sun is the primary outlet for media advertising located within the “yellow line.” The Villages Daily Sun started as a newsletter and has evolved into a full?service media enterprise. It owns a well?branded “Golf Car Approved” logo that is trademarked and only available within Daily Sun?issued periodicals. This logo exclusively identifies entities operating within the “yellow line.” By occupying space within the “yellow line,” businesses are guaranteed the lowest available price for all advertising (Moncrief, 2000). The following are The Villages Daily Sun’s advertising opportunities at the lowest possible cost:

• The Villages Daily Sun (newspaper print)
• The Villages Magazine
• New Comers Guide (comprehensive welcome guide, copy)
• Sound Clips, coupon, and business advertising book
• Radio WVLG, AM 640
• TV Channel Two, VNN (Villages Network News)
• Hop to the Villages, online directory
• Movie Theatre, graphic billboard
• The Villages Event Featured Sponsor Packages

Internal Marketing: The team should learn about The Villages establishment through an internal press release in the form of who, what, when, where, why and how. This will be co?released by SRS and the marketing department. It will go to all employees company?wide. The corporate reception desk should be made aware of how calls should be transferred, where to send press/media relations calls as well as what to defer to the branch and what phone number to use (Kotler, 2003).

Commercial Solutions Campaign: The Villages will conduct a strong marketing campaign to solicit commercial clients. Marketing will prepare the commercial solutions flyer to be distributed (Kotler, Armstrong, Saunders & Wong, 1999).

Grand Opening Reception: SRS of The Villages will host a grand opening reception at its warehouse at The Villages. The guest list will primarily be comprised of corporate and industrial prospects with businesses within the “yellow line.” This reception will include the formal ribbon cutting ceremony (provided by The Villages marketing department at no additional cost) as well as hors-d’oeuvres and drinks accompanied by a very classy appeal. The date for this event is the first week in November (Kotler, 2003).

• To accurately report lead source effectiveness, tighter control, and training for inside and field sales.
• A ‘function’ is needed on our CRM system to increase lead tracking accuracy on inbound calls.
• A toll to be implemented and used by inside sales to track all leads, not just those considered opportunities entered into CRM system.
• Expectations of sales executives must be set and managed. Self-lead generation is at an all-time low; it’s recommended to be included in individual KPI performance (Kotler, 1991).
• An Automated reporting platform that pulls in data from disparate Systems should be developed to measure ROI accurately.
• Delivering superior customer service, adapting quickly to new trends and channel partnerships are critical to success. Besides, automating the function and quoting process should be high on the priority list, an aggressive strategy focused on market activity, and units should be developed as a priority (Abraham, 2005).
• Need to invest in resources and financial capital in this service line to increase lead generation, overall performance, and brand awareness.

Reviews of pricing, technology platforms, including reporting, and sales should be a priority.

In case no significant upswing in lead generation is reported, consideration should be given to a brand audit (Moncrief, 2000).

Conclusion

The company operates in a service-oriented industry, heavily focused on customer feedback. By keeping the structure flat, the company is forced to have the responsibility levels of baseline employees elevated into different management layers. As a result, responses to customer feedback became more rapid. Fast forward 30 years, the company kept its reputation in the industry for its first class customer feedback quality and speed. Over the years we have built a library of key KPI’s (Key Performance Indicators), that are implemented to everything we do – both externally with our clients, as well as all internal operational processes (Kotler, 1999). Our baseline employees remain to be measured by these.

Most importantly, it is important to note that organizations go through changes regularly, the scope, and nature and intensity may somewhat wary. Strategic organization changes are necessary and in most cases, should be driven by environmental factors. In as much as strategic organizational change is not a direct ticket for organizational success, the organizations that do not change their ways of management and strategy formulation will ultimately not survive. Considering the role of marketing in practice have provided a sample of many influences, both external and internal. As our company is grown, focus on marketing strategy and marketing management is essential. Being particular on ‘To Market Messaging’ together with clear marketing planning is more likely to succeed than hoping for this to organically happen (Kotler, Armstrong, Saunders & Wong, 1999).

Through the evaluation of marketing environment’s key aspects, the activity has established the Pilot Project’s target market. The marketing strategy created has two main purposes. The first is associated with generating a value proposition that is stronger in the public’s mindset. The value proposition is one of the vital goals that my company can accomplish. The best way to kick off this strategy is by starting an ad campaign. The second purpose of the marketing strategy is to become a market leader, as evidenced by hopefully increases in sales and market share (Moncrief, 2000).

Furthermore, several factors beyond the control of the organization will exist – most of which will influence the growth of the business. To discover and qualify the established factors, the activity used the PEST analysis. PEST is an acronym for Political, Economic, Social and Technological. PEST is also recognized as external factors that affect the performance and activities of the business. Francis Aguilar, a Harvard professor in 1967, developed PEST and SWOT analysis (Moncrief, 2000). In this study, the latter was used to determine a company’s outlook.

POLITICAL	ECONOMIC	SOCIAL	TECHNOLOGICAL
International Pressure	Home Economy Situation	Media Views	Information and Communication
Government Policies	Home Economy Trends	Brand, Image	Licencing Patents
GDPR	Oversea Economy Situation and Trends	Client Buying trends	Competitors Technology Development
International Legislation	Currency Exchange Rate	Demographics	Innovation
Wars and Conflicts	International Trend Mandatory Issues	Ethical Issues	Maturity and Capacity

References

Abraham, J. (2005). How to think like a marketing genius. Rolling Hills Estates, CA: The Abraham Group, Inc

Armstrong, G., & Kotler, P. (2005). Marketing: An introduction (7th ed.). Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Prentice-Hall.

Chandler A., D. (1962). Strategy and Structure, Cambridge, mass: The M. I. T. Press.

Kleiman, D. (2012), The President of MITX, The Massachusetts Innovation & Technology Exchange, The Nonprofit Trade Association Focused on Digital Marketing and Internet Business in New England and The Creators of Future M Boston.

Kotler P. (2005), Management Marketing. A Framework for Marketing Management: Prentice Hall, Inc.

Kotler, P. (1991), Marketing Management. Analysis: Planning, and Control.

Kotler, P. (1999), Marketing Management. Millennium Edition: Prentice Hall of India Private Limited New Delhi.

Kotler, P. (2003), Marketing Management. Prentice All: USA.

Kotler, P., Armstrong, Saunders, J. & Wong, V. (1999), Principles of Marketing European. Edition Prentice Hall: Europe.

Moncrief, W. (2000), Gender Differences in Sales Organizations. Journal of Business Research: Marketing.