Assignment
QRobden Glass Company 3 IMPORTANCE OF MARKETING FUNCTION
John Robden started the Robden Glass Company ten years ago to develop materials to insulate jet engines. After experimentation, he devised a process for producing fibrous sheets of matted fibers from specially constructed fiber glass laminates. Through this process, the company was able to manufacture high and low temperature insulation, which was sold principally to customers in the aircraft and aircraft supply business. All sales were handled by four engineers, who dealt directly with the customers, and by Mr. Robden, who spent about one-fourth of his time in sales activities. Although the sales of the company continued to show a modest growth each year, the total volume of Robden did not increase as rapidly as did the business of its competitors. Robden had active competitors in all of its fields of operation; the company had, however, established and maintained a reputation for products of high quality and technical superiority. It was, therefore, difficult to ac- Robden Glass Company 41 count for its failure to maintain its market position in the rapidly growing aircraft industry. Since its beginning, Robden had conducted extensive research into new methods of processing fiber glass and had established a special research department to work on insulation problems. Mr. Robden was a trained scientist and had been in charge of the research department of a large company before he started his own firm.
When he selected his sales personnel, he did not necessarily look for men of great sales ability. He chose men solely on the basis of their technological competence. He believed that his sales engineers had to know more about the problems of the customers than did the engineers who worked for these firms. As Mr. Robden stated, "We do not have a marketing problem with our company. Our job is to stay ahead of our competitors in developing new products through research, and then to manufacture these products at the lowest possible cost so that we can sell them at a competitive price. "There are companies in the food, automobile, clothing, appliance, and other akin fields that sell to the ultimate consumers. These establishments have to estimate sales potentials, consumer preferences, sales promotion, and scientific sales techniques in oraer to sell their products.
"On the other hand, we could not use marketing strategy of this type because we might find that, after setting a quota or planning some special promotional plan, our competitors would devise a change in a product that would improve it to such a degree that our customers would stop buying from us. "Besides, we sell to a limited number of accounts. Actually, I do not like even to use the word 'sell' since our customers buy from us because we have the right product for their needs." Mr. Robden refused, therefore, to use any formal marketing planning or training techniques to improve the contact work of his sales engineers. He recognized the value of these procedures for companies in other industries, but did not believe that he could use any of these methods for his own company.
1. In what manner might Mr. Robden make use of formal marketing planning? 42 The nature of marketing
3. Contrast the need for technical know-how of salesmen with their ability to sell.
4. What would you recommend that Mr. Robden should do to increase sales?
The response should include a reference list. Double-space, using Times New Roman 12 pnt font, one-inch margins, and APA style of writing and citations.