Ways to Increase Sales Volume

Convert nonusers to your product(s)

Enter new market segments after proper analysis of the market

Attract competitors’ customers

Have consumers use the product on more occasions (Orange Juice, It's not just for breakfast anymore!)

Have consumers use more of the product on each occasion

Have consumers use the product in new ways (Post-It note art projects!)

Strategies for Sustaining Rapid Market Growth

Improve product quality, add new features, and improve styling

Add new models and flanker products

Enter new market segments

Increase distribution coverage

Shift from product-awareness advertising to product-preference advertising

Lower prices to attract the next layer of price-sensitive buyers

Market Opportunity Analysis (MOA)

Questions companies need to ask before expanding into new markets…


Can the benefits involved in the opportunity be articulated convincingly to a defined target market?

Can the target market be located and reached with cost-effective media and trade channels?

Does the company possess or have access to the critical capabilities and resources needed to deliver the customer benefits?

Can the company deliver the benefits better than any actual or potential competitors?

Will the financial rate of return meet or exceed the company’s required threshold for investment?

Effective Leadership

Was Martin Luther King, Jr an effective leader? The question seems unintelligent since the outcome of history can been seen all around us in the fruitful labors of the Civil Rights movement. Clearly, King was an effective leader by the definition of accomplishing racial equality for black Americans through his actions, speeches and writings such as The Letter from a Birmingham Jail. One could go on to enumerate all the accomplishments of Dr. King throughout his life, but this analysis will focus on specific instances of leadership in order to gauge the degree of effectiveness of his proclaimed mission:

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal. (American Rhetoric, 2009)

Born into a family which had a tradition of pastors, and after completing his education, King began to assume different leadership positions. King recognized the opportunities before his race and was convinced that the injustice that was subject to blacks would not stand for long. After the early success of the Montgomery Bus Boycott which began when Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat, King became the leader of the Civil Rights movement. King was deeply inspired by Jesus and Gandhi. He became utterly convinced of the power of love to transform the racial hatred and bitterness that was at the root of segregation. This power which originated from Jesus himself in the Sermon on the Mount tells Christians to love your enemies:

You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' But I say to you, offer no resistance to one who is evil. When someone strikes you on (your) right cheek, turn the other one to him as well. (NAB, 2002)

King applied these principals along with the concrete example of Gandhi during his battle for the independence of India. According to Kevin Morrow, the Gandhi approach had caught King’s attention at a time of disillusionment and despair about love as a force for political and social change. "I became deeply fascinated by his campaigns of nonviolent resistance,” King remembers. “As I delved deeper into the philosophy of Gandhi, my skepticism concerning the power of love gradually diminished, and I came to see for the first time its potency in the area of social reform." (Examiner, 2009)

King knew about the laws of God which are just and in conformity with the natural law, and the laws of man which if not based on the natural law can be unjust. Thus, one has a duty to fight against and disobey unjust laws and King taught this to his followers.

King was a pastor, a man of God and he used the words of Jesus to rally the deeply spiritual elements of the civil rights movement. For instance during his sermon, “I’ve been To the Mountaintop,”, King uses powerful biblical language and weaves the civil rights struggle into an eternal perspective, a fight that will go on even after King is gone:

We’ve got some difficult days ahead. But it really doesn’t matter with me now, because I’ve been to the mountaintop and I don’t mind. Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I’m not concerned about that now. I just want to do God’s will, and He’s allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I’ve looked over and I’ve seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you, but I want you to know tonight, that we as a people will get to the Promised Land. And I’m happy tonight; I’m not worried about anything. I’m not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord.” (King Center, 2009)

This type of powerful language coupled with the seriousness of the task at hand, allowed King to use his rhetorical skills to the greatest effect. King was a student of history, of struggle, and a man of great character. He followed the greatest practitioners of non-violent resistance in Jesus and Gandhi and effectively implemented their strategy and tactics into the civil rights battle. Additionally, King did not avoid confrontation, but sought victory unequivocally and without compromises for what was right. He also foresaw the danger to his own life, but placed his destiny into the hands of God and courageously continued to fight for justice until his assassination in 1968.

“Let us rise up tonight with a greater readiness. Let us stand with a greater determination. And let us move on in these powerful days, these days of challenge to make America what it ought to be. We have an opportunity to make America a better nation. And I want to thank God once more for allowing me to be here with you.” (King Center, 2009)

Bibliography:

"American Rhetoric: Martin Luther King, Jr. - I Have a Dream." American Rhetoric: The Power of Oratory in the United States. 4 Mar. 2009 .

Morrow, Kevin . "DC Christian Culture Examiner: In Jesus-Gandhi-King connection, Sermon on the Mount's influence comes full circle." Burlington Vermont News. 6 Mar. 2009 .

"The King Center." The King Center. 6 Mar. 2009 .

"USCCB - NAB - Matthew 5." United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. 6 Mar. 2009 .