2024 – Connecting with Customers When executed successfully achievement of long term customer loyalty and

 

Connecting with Customers

When executed successfully, achievement of long term customer loyalty  and purchase preference over competing products or services is referred  to as brand equity; that somewhat intangible value adding advantage.   Brand equity also encompasses the concept of perceived value, which is a  subjective measure that consumers develop to assess the costs of  obtaining the brand.

The day of the lone salesperson calling on a customer is becoming  history.  Today, 75% of firms employ cross-functional teams to work with  customers to improve relationships, find better ways of doing things,  and create and sustain customer value.

Xerox: Building Customer Relationships through Personal Selling

Xerox is well-known for its sales representative training program.   Every new sales representative at Xerox receives eight weeks of training  development in the field and at the Xerox Corporate University in  Virginia.  The case follows Alison Capossela, a Washington, D.C.-based  Xerox sales representative on a sales call as she narrates her  activities during the stages of the personal selling process.  She says  “I’m like the quarterback of the team.”

Sources

Kerin, R. A. & Hartley, S. W. (2017). Marketing. (13th ed.). New York, New York: McGraw-Hill Education.

The History of Xerox and Milestones . (n.d.). Retrieved July 8, 2016, from Xerox.com: http://www.xerox.com/about-xerox/company-history/enus.html

 

Review the following information to see how Xerox continues to be  relevant through customer relationship building in an increasingly  competitive industry:

Background on Xerox

“Corporate Strategy – Company Profile—Can Xerox Duplicate Its Paper Success?”  Foreign Direct Investment, April 2012. http://www.nytimes.com/1994/12/18/business/xerox-s-new-strategy-will-not-copy-the-past.html?pagewanted=all (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.

To review the requirements as a sales representative for Xerox: www.xerox-jobs.com (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.

• Read the video case in the textbook on pp. 593-594. 
• Watch the Xerox case video: http://www.viddler.com/embed/74096e5a/?f=1&autoplay=0&player=full&disablebranding=0 (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. 
• Review the following online websites and articles:
• A Day In the Life of a Xerox sales rep: http://www.xerox.com/jobs/day-in-the-life-in-sales/enaw.html (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. 

Based on the information provided, put yourself in the position of a  marketing consultant brought in to the company to critically examine the  company’s dedication to customer development and retention, and then  formulate a set of well-developed and supported recommendations to the  company’s senior leadership team. The recommendation should be logically  presented, well-supported, and thoroughly vetted.