Relationship Marketing

Essentially marketing refers to the process by which organizations communicate commodity values to their clients with the intention of establishing sales for the particular product or service. Indeed, marketing is a fundamental component in a business which is responsible for attracting clients. In a societal setting, marketing basically refers to a link between the society’s material demands and their respective economic patterns of reaction. In essence, marketing complements the people’s needs by virtue of exchanges and establishment of long term rapport between clients and the business enterprise through product positioning to the respective clients. Finally, in this context, marketing can be referred to as the science concerned with the selection of target markets via serious market analysis as well as market segmentation. This also involves the apprehension of the consumers purchasing behaviors besides providing better-quality customer value. Basically, relationship marketing, therefore, involves the sustained prospects to keep and improve the relationship between the business and its current client base (Godson, 2009).

In the establishment of cookie sales, there is a number of marketing decisions made in order to establish the highest amount of sales in the immediate local market segment. Furthermore, the mode of market segmentation has been on a progressive change. In the recent past, there have been up scaling challenges due to decline in the levels of cookie sales due to heightened competition among different sales agents in the local settings. Despite the high preference of the cookie as a money making venture minting approximately 714 dollars per annum, the cookie program has consistently witnessed a decline in sales due to low level of sales expertise among the girl scouts, which involve persuasion and establishment of long-lasting relationship with the prospective clients. In order to present a strong marketing mix through the establishment of an expansive marketing plan from production, on sale advertisement to the actual sales establishment, the cookie program has to establish firm decisions on reducing the operational costs of production and supplies (Godson, 2009).

In particular, the cookie program had to restructure its operations with a view to mitigate its production costs and streamline its production with the current market demands as of 2004. The actual restructuring process was particularly aimed at maximizing the amount of sales besides condensing the costs of its operations and spur cost saving prospects. Furthermore, in the contemporary sales period, the cookie program has also sprung to cut down the price levels particularly from the previous 3.50 dollars to 4 dollars per cookie box. This marks one among other moves to expand the aggregate revenue from the aggregate sales. Prior to this decision, the local councils were responsible for setting up of prices which led to a conflicting sales venture among various cookie vendor troops and a subsequent drop in the level of revenue for the Girl Scout cookie program (Lamb & McDaniel, et al. 2013).

Furthermore, in order to reduce the operational costs of production, the Girl Scouts cookie program also decided to change the mode of product packaging to simpler and cheaper packaging products all aimed at reducing the costs of production and supply further. In addition to that, the program developers and management also sought to expand specific cookie brands to specific market through distinct market segmentation approach. However, the program experienced a number of setbacks particularly through a narrow response in additional market and, therefore, minimal if any additional revenue. For instance, Dulce de Leche, a cookie type based in Latin America, faced a narrow response in the Hispanic market an indication of low market preference and, therefore, unviable venture (Lamb & McDaniel, et al. 2013).

Following subsequent failure in the performance of the market for the cookies, the program management has also set to improve the market approach with a view of increasing the cookie market performances. In particular, the program, has sought professional resource to improve the market performance through increased sales. In particular, training projections have been launched particularly through professional guides in seminars and other sales based approaches. Among the key professional element that has been highly emphasized is the identification of a sales target or objective and working on it. Besides that, the professional implication has also sought to improve sales through such sales strategies as brainstorming and interrogating reluctant buyers, which lure them into purchasing cookie products (Lamb & McDaniel, et al. 2013).  The above marks a number of key questions that nag the selling strategies for the Girl Scout Cookie program.

Initially, the Girls Scout Cookie program failed due to lack of inherent sales skills particularly in relationship marketing. Relationship marketing basically involves the ability to establish a compact seller-buyer relationship, which is a key to the establishment of sales. This also involved the development of competitive self-presentation prompts. Furthermore, in relationship development, the Girls ought to develop a courtesy in handling customers. For instance, the girls ought to thank any prospective clients for the time they offer to them in establishing sales even in the event that the customer do not make any purchases. Such a scenario is important in developing pro-active customer loyalty and a future buyer and, therefore, a long-term propensity for the sales to establish. The instance that girls conduct the sales in person is another major element that denotes their confidence level and ability to persuade prospective clients into buying cookie product with the intent and objective enshrined within the Girl Scout program initiative through a personal encounter with the prospective clients. The Girls Scouts carry the program impressions in them. While at it, the participation of the girls in the actual sales is an important progress that clearly outlines the propensity of the cookie to sell (Lamb & McDaniel, et al. 2013).

Viable participation of the girls in the sales is also an important progress that the girls had acquired prerequisite professional capacity in product relationship marketing through a personalized approach to marketing. In addition to that, the girls’ relationship marketing capacity was also highly marked through the development of creative marketing approaches such as the development of additional sales tactics, such as mobiles sales booth used by two Florida eighth-graders around the supermarket precincts, which resulted in a pronounced positive response from the cookie clients (Lamb & McDaniel, et al. 2013).

Despite the career development prospects that the Girl Scout are impacted on in the course of training and execution of their sales mandate, the actual cookie sales is a hard task for a majority of the girls. However, this seems not the case particularly for Barbara Krumsiek, the group CEO, Calvert but an exclusive case. In essence, one on one sale of the cookies involves massive interactions with the people of different races, culture and origins which may prove quite tasking to the majority of the girls. However, in the long-run, the girls are impacted with moderated public relations skills which are highly regarded in both business and other career prospects. Indeed, selling tactic involves the development of social interaction capacities among people of different cultures and, therefore, is quite essential in validating future career prospects (Palmatier, 2008). Essentially, every career involves the interaction between one individual and the other. Every career, therefore, involves either a direct or indirect persuasion or self-presentation techniques which are essential in developing mutual benefits for both the organization and the individuals involved.

In the contemporary business environment, majority of organizations operate in a highly dynamic environment with a gradually advancing rate of change. Consequently, most organizations have seized tremendous rise in international business and foreign assignments. The expansion in scope of the market has been one among the key challenges that come alongside a pool of benefits. Consequently, the sales personnel ought to develop high-rated public relation skills at all institutional and personal level of sales generation. Consequently, the development of a competitive relationship marketing skills is a powerful tool in the development and establishment of any business prospect both at local and international vicinity and, therefore, essential component of any career (Palmatier, 2008). As a result, the skills impacted in the girls during the individualized sales of cookies are an important resource essential for development of other business fronts regardless of their confinement to the sales discipline.