Marketing for Entrepreneurs: Concepts and Applications for New Ventures

One of the primary reasons most often cited for the failure of a new venture is the entrepreneur's inability to identity and exploit the `right idea'. This is directly connected to the concepts and principles of marketing, specifically: knowing what to produce and knowing what not to produce. Additionally, even if the entrepreneur has the right idea, many experts cite weak marketing efforts (marketing execution) as another reason for venture failure. Marketing for Entrepreneurs moves beyond the classic 4Ps and demonstrates the application of marketing in an entrepreneurial context. Traditional marketing texts are incapable of addressing marketing concepts directly applicable to the entrepreneur's unique situation. Furthermore, general entrepreneurship books are also not applicable because they tend to focus on management teams or the development of business plans while failing to address critical marketing dimensions.

Table of Contents:
Chapter 1 – Marketing in an Entrepreneurial Context Marketing: Defined The Seven Steps in the Marketing Process Using marketing to discover and satisfy customer needs The 5Ps for product-based ventures and 8Ps of service-based ventures Chapter 2 – Finding and Evaluating the Right Marketing Opportunity Characteristics of a good opportunity Chapter 3 - Using Marketing Research to Ensure Entrepreneurial Success Marketing research as success insurance: reducing venture failure rates Types of marketing research Chapter 4 – Understanding Customers and Competitors Understanding the customer Understanding competition Chapter 5 – Segmenting, Targeting, and Positioning Ways to segment consumer and business markets Selecting target segments Positioning Chapter 6 – Developing New Products and Services Types of new products and services Characteristics of successful new products and services The new product/service development process Managing your products/services over their life cycles Chapter 7 – Building and Sustaining the Entrepreneurial Brand What is a brand? The entrepreneurial branding process Why is entrepreneurial branding important? Entrepreneurial Branding strategies Characteristics of a good brand Chapter 8 – Entrepreneurial Pricing The pricing parameters Some entrepreneurial pricing advice Chapter 9 – Entrepreneurial Channel Development and Supply Chain Management Defining channels of distribution Factors affecting channel choice When to use intermediaries When to go direct When to use multi-channel marketing Channel design considerations Channel choice and development in a global context Supply Chain management and marketing strategy Chapter 10 – Entrepreneurial Promotion: Doing More With Less! Developing integrated marketing communications (IMC) The Communications Mix Advertising; Public Relations; Sales Promotion; Personal Selling; and Direct marketing Constructing an IMC Plan Testing and Evaluating the Plan Maximizing the IMC budget and impact of the communications Chapter 11 – The Entrepreneurial Marketing Plan The Anatomy of the entrepreneurial marketing plan Planning and strategy lessons Profitability and ROI Marketing Sample Marketing Plan

About the Author :
Frederick G. Crane is an executive professor of Entrepreneurship & Innovation at the College of Business at Northeastern University, Editor of the Journal of the Academy of Business Education, and co-founder of Ceilidh Insights LLC, an innovation management training, intellectual property consulting, and consumer insight company. He was formerly a professor of marketing and entrepreneurship at the University of New Hampshire and a chair and full professor at Dalhousie University. He currently teaches courses in entrepreneurship, innovation, and entrepreneurial marketing. His academic research activities have resulted in more than 100 publications, including fifteen books. Additionally, he currently serves on the editorial boards of several academic journals. His current research stream intersects the domains of marketing, entrepreneurship, corporate venturing, and innovation, and he is conducting ongoing research on the psychology of entrepreneurship, entrepreneurial education, entrepreneurial branding, and innovation readiness. Dr. Crane is also an award-winning educator who has received numerous honors for teaching excellence over the past twenty years.