Peter F. Kaminski

Consumer Complaints: Advice on How Companies Should Respond Based on an Empirical Study

Reports on a study to investigate the impact of customer satisfaction of different types of company responses to letters of complaint. Considers the effects on consumers of various defensive marketing strategies: letter and free good, letter only, and no response. Surmises that the results support the notion that appropriate defensive marketing strategies can improve the company′s image among customers who write complaint letters.

New product development: using the salesforce to identify opportunities

The development process for new products is critically dependent on customer‐generated new product ideas. Although several conduits exist for identifying and communicating these ideas, by far the most productive one is the organization’s salesforce. While the integral role of salespeople as the linkage between buyers and sellers is generally acknowledged by many researchers, little empirical evidence exists which explores this role. This paper explores the role of the salesforce as an information source in the opportunity identification phase of the new product development process. It presents results of an empirical study of 223 sales managers concerning actual use and effectiveness of the salesforce as a source of new product ideas and proposes specific recommendations concerning improved utilization of the salesforce as a source of new product ideas generated from customers.

The readability of advertisements and articles in trade journals

Abstract Trade journal advertising often uses a considerable amount of written text to deliver the advertisers message. Whether these ads are read and understood by the intended target market may depend upon the ease with which the ad can be read. This study uses Gunnings Fog Index to compare the readability levels of 101 trade journal advertisements to the readability levels of articles in 13 trade journals randomly selected for analysis. Although a substantial difference in readability levels among trade journals was found, a high level of association between the mean readability level of ads and the mean readability level of articles within each trade journal exists. Based on readability levels, ad writers appear to be adapting the readability levels of their ads to the differing readability levels of various trade journals.

Customer Knowledge Acquisition in the Business Products Market

Examines how the business products‐marketing firm acquires knowledge about its customers. Objectives include identifying the most effective means by which organizations can acquire customer knowledge, and the specific kind of knowledge which firms should strive to possess about their customers in order to create value. Puts forward two key premisses regarding where customer knowledge acquisition efforts should lie, and what the results of these activities should be. Presents the results of an empirical study conducted in the telecommunications industry on this topic. Concludes by drawing managerial implications.

The readability of sales training manuals

Abstract The readability level of sales training material is critically important to the success of a companys sales training program. These programs consume a sizeable portion of marketing budgets and using training materials with appropriate readability levels will improve the effective use of these budgets. Training materials written at an inappropriate level may create dissatisfaction with the program, cause misdirected effort on the part of both instructors and trainees, and result in lost time in creating fully trained sales representatives. This article examines the sales training materials of a sample of companies and draws several conclusions concerning the readability levels of their materials. The Fog Index, a pragmatic tool for assessing readability levels of written material, is also presented, along with an example of how a manager might use the Fog Index to assess the sales training materials of his or her own company.

Applying territoriality to steps in the buyer/seller process

Abstract Territoriality is the drive of an individual to stake out, establish, maintain, and defend an area of space for personal use. The “area of space” may be physical or psychological. Industrial buyers and others involved in the buying process, as members of organizations, will act to establish individual territories within the organization and may also act to represent an organizations territorial needs. Because an understanding of the behavior of buyers is important to industrial sales people, and because the concept of territoriality is a mixture of psychological processes, physical behavior, and the space surrounding an individual, a Territoriality Scan System is proposed to assist the salesperson in improving his or her sales communications with industrial buyers. A salesperson can gather important information about an industrial buyers psychological processes by observing the buyers physical behavior and surrounding physical space using the Territoriality Scan System. These observational measurements can then be used to enhance the entire sales presentation.

Synchronization of Transportation Strategies with Demand: A Prescriptive Model

Transportation managers are increasingly being asked to participate in various marketing-related tasks as well as to assume a more active role in formulating marketing and transportation strategies. As a means for assisting transportation managers to more effectively synchronize transportation strategies in relation to demand, the authors suggest that the product life cycle (PLC) theory be used as the organizing framework.