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MARFIN The Marketing Manager

III. The MARFIN System

  1. Introduction to Marketing
  2. The MARFIN Model
  3. Strategic Checkpoints
  4. SmartDatabase and SmartCharts
  5. Analytics and the 4Ps

IV. Marketing Analysis and
     Strategy Development

  1. Market
  2. Market Share
  3. Product
  4. Price
  5. Distribution
  6. Communication
  7. Promotion

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I. Preface

Numbers do talk indeed! And this book will show you how.

This book is designed for those who want to acquire a deep understanding of the marketing thought process and its creative application. It is a practical book guiding you through the key applications of the marketing process. Students as well as marketing practitioners will find it very useful in their everyday work and learning.

You do not need the MARFIN software to benefit from the book. Using the software, however, provides the additional benefit of taking advantage of the latest digital technology.

The MARFIN planning system provides a solution to common problems that are encountered in small or large companies. Often there is a lack of understanding about (1) what data was needed in order to gain a comprehensive understanding of the marketplace, (2) once the data becomes available how to analyze it, and finally, (3) how to build a winning strategy based on the newly acquired knowledge. The MARFIN system helps you answer these questions.

This book will also familiarize you with MARFIN’s two new concepts: the SmartDatabase and the SmartCharts. The SmartDatabase is unique because it stores the data in its marketing context. You will always know what data is available and what is missing. SmartCharts are unique because they can be used for data entry and multifaceted analyses. The MARFIN charts enable you to analyze the generally available market data in different creative ways so as to provide better strategic insights. The system leads you through the strategic thought process step by step and finally aids in formulating a successful plan.

MARFIN is a combination of the words marketing and financial. By creating a name from the combination of these two words for this new marketing management tool, I wanted to emphasize the importance of the financial aspects and their consequences on the marketing strategy. Unfortunately, this interdependence has often been overlooked. Luckily, the tide is turning.

Marketing is in reality a logical, comprehensive thinking process – and the book builds on these aspects. It actually teaches the reader the marketing thought process. Students and business executives will find the book illuminating and helpful.

Acknowledgments

The MARFIN analytical and strategy developing system was conceived and developed by me alone. I felt that there was an opening on the market for a comprehensive but practical marketing guidebook that is simple and easy to use by both beginners and long-time professionals. In making this possible, I am primarily indebted to Professor Philip Kotler, Kellogg School of Management, whose books on marketing was used as a primary sources for explaining the major marketing concepts. Secondly, I am thankful to Sabra E. Brock Ph.D., dean of Touro College's Graduate School of Business, who was most helpful in summarizing and clarifying the practical meaning of these principles for this handbook. I trust you will find this book illuminating and helpful.

Suzanne Bősze Irving