In preparing messages, you can apply the AIM planning process for best results: audience analysis, idea development, and message structuring.

AUDIENCE ANALYSIS. For many messages, identifying audience benefits and constraints is the single most important planning step. Also, understanding what audiences value, prioritize, and prefer helps you develop a message that matches their interests.

Your readers will inevitably judge your recommendations, requests, and other messages based on their view of your credibility. An important part of analyzing your audience is determining how credible they think you are. Many entry-level professionals face this situation; they have relatively low professional credibility because they are viewed as the newcomers. To break out of a reputation as an inexperienced newcomer, consider the following options: (a) set up a time to talk with your boss; (b) ask your boss if you can take on any higher-responsibility projects; (c) make sure you fit in with the corporate culture in terms of professional dress and communication style; (d) attend a lot of meetings to get to know as many colleagues as possible; and (e) create a professional blog about a niche area.

IDEA DEVELOPMENT. Before crafting a business message, you should carefully understand the issues at hand. You can do this by identifying and analyzing the key business problems and organizing your information into facts, conclusions, and positions.

MESSAGE STRUCTURING. Creating the structure of your message involves framing your message in a simple, vivid, and memorable statement of 15 words or less. It also involves setting up the logic of your message with key supporting points and a call to action.

Read the case below and answer the questions that follow.

Change at Kitchen Heaven Marketing

After graduating with a degree in marketing, you were recently hired as a marketing assistant for Kitchen Heaven Marketing, a company that produces high-end cutlery sets, cooking ware, and other kitchen tools. The company relies on direct sales with no retail presence or mass advertising. In the past ten years, it has developed a minor e-commerce presence. But, it still gains nearly 90 percent of its sales from its direct sales operations. Sales reps are each independent contractors. Most of the sales reps establish customer networks through acquaintances and contact customers individually to sell products.

In the past five years, overall sales have dropped by nearly 40 percent. The owner of the company, Darin Bridges, is somewhat concerned about falling sales. But, he believes the fall in sales is largely due to the recession. In fact, he often displays charts from two other recessionary periods that showed nearly identical declines in sales.

Darin is a strong proponent of the direct sales approach, especially for high-end products. He has resisted attempts in the past to create a retail presence for the products. He views customers of Kitchen Heaven Marketing as individuals who settle for nothing less than the finest home cooking. Darin believes these customers want trusted advisors who could make their kitchen experiences as pleasant as possible. He is convinced that the only way to sell the company's high-quality, expensive products is through contact with close acquaintances who are highly knowledgeable about the products. These sales reps are selling a way of life.

You were hired by the marketing director, Mark Wirthlin. He thinks the company's recent decline in sales is a crisis. Unlike the company's owner, Mark thinks the current direct sales approach is not working. He also thinks the company needs a much stronger web presence with video tutorials for product use. He also wonders if the company should establish a retail presence.

Mark wanted you to spend one month examining other marketing models that might work for Kitchen Heaven Marketing. He thought you should focus your efforts on how other companies with heavy direct sales efforts had adapted their marketing models in recent years. Although he thought expanding into retail was a good idea, he encouraged you not to consider this option because Darin would reject this option. Mark also recommended changes that did not require significant costs because the company was not in a strong cash position after several years of poor sales performance.

At the end of one month, you identified several strategies to increase sales. You found that rather than one-to-one direct sales, a variety of research showed that customers were more responsive to group events that included product demonstrations. Sales reps could host these events and demonstrate the products in a nonthreatening and fun manner. You also thought that sales reps needed training on the use of social media for a variety of purposes: to generate buzz around products and events; to listen to the needs of their customers; and, most importantly, to maintain more constant contact with customers.

Mark was happy with your ideas. He wanted you to write up your ideas as a short two-page briefing for Darin Bridges. The following questions involve evaluating your approach to planning this communication.

Which of the following is most likely to be a constraint to implementing your suggested solution?

Sales reps who are unwilling to make changes

A sales force that is resistant to change

Limited cash on hand to make changes

Which of the following best summarizes the owner's belief system about sales?

Customers purchase lifestyle products that are the least expensive.

Customers purchase lifestyle products from people who they know and who have expertise.

Customers purchase products with the highest quality.

You undoubtedly have a reputation as a newcomer. You don't have much real-world experience, and you're new to the company. In the eyes of the owner, what is most likely the best strategy for building your credibility?

Attend a lot of meetings to get to know as many colleagues as possible.

Meet with Mark, your direct supervisor, about how to establish your credibility with the owner.

Make sure you fit in with the corporate culture in terms of professional dress and communication style.

Which of the following business challenges do you think Darin, the owner, is most likely to agree with?

Sales have declined because customers can easily shop—comparing prices and quality—for most of the products online.

Sales have declined because direct sales approaches are becoming less effective.

Sales have declined because customers have lower disposable income.

Sales have declined because the company isn't developing new products.

Sales have declined because the company is not expanding into retail sales.

Which of the following would be considered the most effective frame for the report?

Suggesting techniques to help our sales reps become more trusted advisors

Giving our sales reps new tools to drive up sales

Overcoming our current crisis in sales

Adopting a social media marketing approach to increase sales

Which of the following call-to-action statements is most likely to gain a favorable response?

To get our sales and ROI projections for these new strategies, give me a call right now.

If you want to really improve sales, please give us the green light to move forward.

You can reach me at my office phone number if you have any questions.

Please let me know when you can meet with Mark and me to discuss these strategies further.

I look forward to your approval for these actions so that we can start training our sales reps immediately.

Ultimately, you decide to organize your two-page briefing into several sections: “Background,” “Emerging Strategies in Direct Sales Companies,” and “Recommendations.” Which stage of the AIM planning process does this match?

Message structuring

Audience Analysis

Idea development

Answer rating: 100% (QA)

1 Limited cash on hand to make changes It is evident from the case that the company is undergoing de... View the full answer