What is the best way to attract, serve, and retain customers?

Marketing and sales are critical to the success of a new firm since the firm normally starts without any customers. A new business must create a marketing and sales plan, which describes its target customers for its product offering. A sound marketing plan is built on solid information obtained through market research. The new firm creates a product position and a mix of price, product, promotion, and distribution channels that will attract and satisfy the customer. Gaining recognition and acceptance in a target market requires the following steps in sequence:

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Contextual Marketing: The Real Business of the Internet
The painful truth is that the Internet has been a letdown for most companies--largely because the dominant model for Internet commerce, the destination Web site, doesn't suit the needs of those companies or their customers. Most consumer product companies don't provide enough value or dynamic information to induce customers to make the repeat visits--and disclose the detailed information--that make such sites profitable. Instead of trying to create destinations that people will come to, companies need to use the power and reach of the Internet to deliver tailored messages and information to customers. Companies have to become what the authors call "contextual marketers." Delivering the most relevant information possible to consumers in the most timely manner possible will become feasible, the authors say, as access moves beyond the PC to shopping malls, retail stores, airports, bus stations, and even cars. The authors describe how the ubiquitous Internet will hasten the demise of the destination Web site--and open up scads of opportunities to reach customers through marketing "mobilemediaries," such as smart cards, e-wallets, and bar code scanners.