Marketing

Audit
Checklist

Amarketingauditshouldbedoneatthebeginningofthemarketingplanningprocess.Ittakesaclose
lookatthecurrentbusinesslandscapeinternallyandexternally.Thequestionsaredesignedtoprompt
examinationofenvironmentsandpracticestoevaluatewhatyourcompanyisdoing,whyitisdoingitand
whetheritiseffective.

Everyoneintheorganizationshouldbeabletoanswerquestionsaboutthecompanyfromthe
receptionistatthefrontdesk,totheclerkinfacilities.Ifthisisnottrue,thenoneofyourobjectivesneeds
toincludetheinternalsocializationofthemarketingplan.

External Audit focuses on: Internal Audit focuses on:

Sales
Business&economicenvironment
- totalsalesrevenues
- economy
- geographicreachandlocation
- fiscal
- typeofindustry
- social
- bycustomer
- technological
- byproduct

Themarket Marketing
- size - procedures
- characteristics - organizations
- trends - information
- channels - mix
- customers -
- industrybehavior

Thecompetition
- majorcompetitors
- marketingmethods
- keystrengths&weaknesses
- extentofdiversification

Past Performance Indicators & Lessons Learned

1. Wasapreviousauditconducted,whatweretheconclusionsandobservations?
2. Howsuccessfulweretheimplementedrecommendationsandsuggestionsfromearlieraudits?
3. Howwerethosemeasured?
4. Howoftendoesyourorganizationconductaudits?

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Audit
Checklist

Sales and its knowledge of the customer:

5. Doyouknowwhatthecustomerknows,feelsandbelievesaboutyourcompany?
6. Whatsurveysareusedtodeterminewhatcustomersknowaboutyourproducts&services?
7. Howoftenaretheseconducted?
8. Haveyoueveraskedwhattheyknow,feel,believeaboutyourcompetition?
9. Isitdifferentfromwhatyouwantcustomerstofeel,aboutyourcompany?
10. Whatdoyouwantthemtobelieve,know,aboutyourcompany?
11. Isyourplanmarketdrivenorengineeringdriven(builditandtheywillcome)?
12. Doyouknowhowyourcompanydevelopsnewbusinessopportunities?
13. Doyouuseanytypeofstrategicaccountmanagementpractices?Ifso,what?
14. HowwouldyoudefinethecompanysUniqueSellingProposition(USP)

Customer Relationship Management

1. Doyouknowhowsatisfiedyourcustomersarewithyourproducts/services?
2. Doyouyouusecustomersurveysorotherformsofcustomerevaluations?
3. DoyouconsiderCRMasales,marketingorcustomerserviceresponsibility?
4. WheredoesCRMresidewithinyourcompany?
5. Towhatlevelisyourcompanymeetingorexceedingcustomerexpectations?
6. Doyouholdcustomersatisfactionreviews?
7. Ifyoudo,isthereanyinternalresistancetocustomersatisfactionreviews?
8. Doyoulinkanycustomersatisfactionfeedbacktoyourcustomerserviceplanning,newproduct
development,and/ormarketingstrategydevelopment?
9. Howdoyoudetectproblemscustomersmaybeexperiencingwithyourcompany,brandorproducts?
Whodoyouinvolveintheprocessandremediation?

Marketing Questions
1. Howdoesyourcurrentmarketingstrategyaligntobusinessobjectivesandstrategy?
2. Doyouhavetheappropriateexecutivesupportandbuyin?
3. Areorganizationsproperlybudgetedtoachievetheirrespectiveobjectives?
4. Arecompany/organizationalobjectivesclearlydefinedandarticulated?
5. Doyoufeelyouaregettingvalueformoneyfromyourmarketingbudgets?

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Audit
Checklist

6. Isyourcorporateorbrandimageconsistentwithyourproductorservice,intheeyesofyour
customers?
7. Doyouactivelymanageyourbrand,productorcorporateidentity?
8. Howeffectivedoyoufeelyourexternalcommunicationsare?Inwhatway?
9. Howeffectivedoyoufeelyourinternalcommunicationsare?Inwhatway?
10. Whendidyoulastlaunchanewproduct?Wasitsuccessful?Why/How?
11. Howeffectivedoyoufeelyourcurrentmarketingis?

Brand
1. Howwouldyoudefinethecompanysbrand?Isitactivelymanaged?How?
2. Howlonghasthebrand/productbeenaround?
3. Whatistheestimatedbrandequity?
4. Whatdoesthebrandmeanintheeyesofyourcustomers?
5. Wouldyourcustomersmissitifitdidnotexist?
6. Haveyouextendedthebrandorproductline?Ifnot,couldyoudoit?
7. Arethereanyhighriskareasyoushouldavoid?
8. Doyourbrand/productpromotionsreinforcethecorevalues?

Business Development
1. Areyoudevelopingnewbusinessfromexistingcustomers?
2. Areyoudevelopingnewbusinessfromnewcustomers?
3. Areyoudevelopingnewbusinessfromnewproducts?
4. Doyouknowwhatyourcustomerretentionratesare?
5. Doyouhaveandefinitionfora'good'saleorcustomer?
6. Doyousetrevenuetargets?
7. Doyousetprofittargets?
8. Howdoyoumanagekeyaccounts?
9. Howdoyoutargetnew,potentialkeyaccounts?
10. Doyourcustomersknowallthebrands/productsyouoffer?
11. Howmuchdoyouinvestinbusinessdevelopmentactivities?
12. Whatisthesuccessrateofyourbusinessdevelopmentefforts?
13. Doyouhaveacustomerrelationshipmanagement(ormarketing)system?
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Audit
Checklist

Corporate, Brand or Product Identity

1. Doyouactivelymanageyourcorporate,brandorproductidentity?Howdoyoudothis?
2. Areyourmarketingandcorporatecommunicationsmaterialsconsistentwiththisidentity,and
immediatelyrecognizableasbelongingtoyourbusiness?
3. Doyoufeelthattheidentityworks?
4. Doesyouridentityportraythecorrectimage?

Planning
1. Howdoesyourcompanyapproachtheplanningcycle?
2. Ismarketingplanningincludedinthisprocess?
3. Ifyes,isthemarketingplanningprocessseenasapositivemanagementtool?
4. Hasthecompanysetdefinitionsandproceduresforthebusinessandmarketingplanningprocesses?
5. Arethebudgeting,businessandcustomerserviceplanningprocessespartof,orlinkedtothe
marketingplanningprocedure?
6. Howdoyoudeterminethemarketingbudget?Doesthisprocedureworkwell?
7. Doyourmarketingplansgetmonitoredandevaluated?
8. Howsuccessfulhasthemarketingplanningprocessbeen?
9. Doyoufeelthatappropriateinternalandexternalinformationisavailableduringtheplanningand
evaluationprocesses?

Positioning
1. Doyouknowwhereyourbrand/productsarepositioned?
2. Doyouhaveaclearlydevelopedmarketingpositioningstrategy?
3. Doyourcustomersclearlyunderstandwhatyourcompanystandsfor?
4. Doesyourcompany,brandorproductmakearealdifferenceinthemarketplace?
5. Doyoufeelthatyouhaveidentifiedalltheaspectsofcompetitiveadvantageyourbrandorproduct
offers?
6. Doyouthinkyouexploitthiscompetitiveadvantagecorrectly?
7. Doyoucommunicatetheseadvantagesactively,consistentlyandeffectively?
8. Doyouthinkthecompetitiveadvantagesyoucommunicatecanmotivateyourcustomerstochoose
yourproduct/brandoverthecompetition?

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Audit
Checklist

Marketing Operations
1. Doyouknowthecapabilitiesandlimitationsofyourmarketers?Ifso,how?
2. Doyouunderstandyourmarketdynamics?
3. Doyouhaveanyproofofthemarketevolution?
4. Whoareyourcompetitors?
5. Whatarethedifferencesbetweenyourproducts/servicesandbrandingandthoseofyour
competitors?
6. Doyouhaveaclearsetofbusinessobjectivesandshortertermgoals?
7. Ifyes,doyourmarketingobjectivessupportthis?
8. Howiscustomerfeedbackincorporatedintoyourmarketingplans,serviceimprovementsand
marketingcommunicationsactivities?
9. Haveyourclearlydefinedthemarketsyouwanttodeveloporserve?
10. Howsystematicallydoyouapproachthemarketentry/supportstrategies?
11. Doyoumeasurethereturnoninvestmentprovidedbyyourmarketingactivities?

New Product Development

1. Howdoyoudevelopnewproductsorservices?
2. Howlongdoesdevelopmentnormallytake?
3. Howmanysuccessfulnewproducts/servicesdidyouintroduceinthelastyear?
4. Arefeasibilityandinvestmentcriteriasetfornewproductassessment?
5. Doyouemployandevaluatelaunchplansfornewproducts/services?
6. Isyourproductportfoliomanagedcentrallyorlocally?
7. Doyoulinknewproductdevelopmenttoyourbusinessandmarketingstrategies?Howdoyoudo
this?
8. Howarenewproduct/serviceideasencouragedandcaptured?

Change Management
1. Ifyourcompanyceasedtoexist,wouldtheworldloseout?
2. Whatisthecompany'spurpose?
3. Whatisimportantwhenaddingvaluetothecommunity/market?
4. Whatisyourcorporatefocusanddoyouhaveanycommunitygoals?
5. Whatsortoforganisationisit,andisitgoodatwhatitdoes?

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Audit
Checklist
6. Whatskillssetthecompanyapart?
7. Doyouthinkthecompanycouldbecomesupremelygoodatonething?
8. Doyouachieveyourgoalsthroughcooperationorcollaboration?
9. Doyouhaveachangemanagementpolicy?
10. Ifso,doyoufellthatitisalongtermpolicy?

General
1. Areyouconfidentaboutthefutureofyourcompany,brandorproducts?
2. Areyouhappyworkinginthecompany,andwithyourcoworkers?

Notes & Observations

Sources:RGSBusinessSolutionsandSourcesUnknown

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