It is always the case: appliances break down when you need them the most. Today's high will be 98, with the heat index at about a million. After venting my frustration at an inanimate object, I realize someone must repair the air conditioner; however, it will not be me. Since I know as much about repairing appliances as I know about quantum physics, I solicit recommendations from friends about repair companies. Jenn Electric, a local company, is highly recommended. I confirm on Angies List, the BBB, and Google Reviews, that it is reputable. I call; a repair person will come out in three days between 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. and charge 65 dollars for an estimate.

When the repair person arrives at 2:05 p.m., to my surprise, it is an old friend from college. After reminiscing and current events, John Paul says, Since youre in marketing, how can I increase my business? In other words, improve my company's sales in the next five minutes or be exposed as a charlatan! A simple question with a complicated answer.

We discuss the business: he advertises in the Village Events (i.e., a weekly publication of local news but mostly advertisements distributed to households), but most advertising is by word-of-mouth; he places stickers with the company name and number on repaired items; and he distributes business cards. He tried Facebook ads but found it daunting. The busiest time of the year is summer. A company representative will travel up to 50 minutes for a customer, basically, the entire Tampa-St. Petersburg metropolitan area. The business is family-owned. John Paul and his father are the repair people, and John Pauls wife is the receptionist/office worker. Both repair people are certified by GE Electric, the father with more than 19 years of experience. Although John Paul has worked for Jenn for only three years, the business was started by his father 14 years ago.

In between dismembering my air conditioner, John Paul offers me his business card, which he explains is basically the same as the Village Events advertisements. The business card is as follows:

Dismemberment, though, is not listed. With parts were strewn all over, I hope John Paul concentrates on repairing the air conditioner, but he continues to pump me for information.

According to John Paul, the problem is getting new customers, not keeping current customers, most of whom seem satisfied, although they do not gather information on customer satisfaction. With each household having multiple appliances, even a small increase in customers could prove very valuable. We did create a flyer once, he mentions, a simple one-page that detailed the same info as the business card and Village Events, but it didn't produce any results. After further questioning, John Paul reveals that the advertisement may not have looked very professional and was only delivered on one occasion to areas within walking distance of their office. John Paul asks, Maybe you could design an ad for us? Jokingly, although I am hoping he will agree, I say, Maybe we could barter the repair cost for my assistance in your advertising? He does not answer.

In detailing competitors, John Paul says, most are short-lived. Hence, it is easy to start a business but difficult to stay in business. Jenn Electric's customers, according to John Paul, want affordable, dependable service with a company that will be in existence a year from now. When I press him about which is more important, he admits he does not know. The company does not even keep a list of customers.

Although John Paul wants a quick, succinct answer, I promise to consider his situation and get back to him within a few weeks. Assuming Jenn Electric operates in the Tampa Bay area, how would you improve Jenn Electric, specifically, to increase the number of customers, company profit, and customer satisfaction? Your answer must detail, at a minimum, (please answer by question):

i) specific company objectives (SMART: specific, measurable, achievable, responsible, time specific);

ii) segmentation (list two segments): needs, benefits, and segmentation variables (list possible segments in the market)(be very specific);