Marketing Made Simple

13	Marketing strategy,planning and control

13.1 Introduction

Some businesses are led by managers who have a ‘feel’ for the market, and their intuitive decisions lead to success. Intuition is important, but few of us could say that our intuition is so frequently correct that we could use it as the basis for managing a company. Markets change rapidly and the intuitive leader runs risks that are unacceptable to shareholders as well as employees. Furthermore, if the intuitive leader is suddenly indisposed, what might happen? Some companies simply respond to current demand and, as long as order books are full, they see no need for planning. When sales slow down, they put pressure on the sales force to sell more.

13.2 Strategic planning