d the weight of these criteria. Also, the mix of product, price, placement, and promotion has not been seriously examined. Incorporating the marketing mix and a positioning strategy would be duties of a marketing manager, a position that The Faith Mountain Company did not have in 1991. However, with the expected growth and revenue that Faith Mountain plans to accumulate, they have considered implementing a marketing manager as part of their personnel. II. Problem Identification and Potential Solutions1. Problem: Market Research. Although The Faith Mountain Company has a target market in mind, currently targeting women between the ages of 30 and 50 who have traditional values. There has been little research done to determine why this is their target market, or if this segment is their most profitable customer base for maximizing sales.Potential Solution(s): Find an effective medium to survey both customers and potential customers. These surveys should include the customer’s demographic information, i.e. age, race, gender, family income, etc. The surveys must also try to assimilate what attributes are valued in the industry. These attributes should include but not be limited to: variety of merchandise selection, quality of merchandise, level of customer service, timeliness of delivery, price, company reputation, etc. Then they should rate each of these attributes on a scale of 1 to 10 in increasing level of utility, weight, or importance. This should give The Faith Mountain Company feedback as to whether or not their current target market should be broadened, or repositioned. 2. Problem: Personnel. Currently, the company employs less than 50 people. Nearly all of the hiring is done by Cheri Woodard. If the company wishes to expand its customer database, as well as open another retail outlet, it must consider hiring more employees to handle increased sales and customer service demands. Another glaring problem facing Fai...
