Seller’s Market
In a Seller’s Market, all the good products in a segment stock out. Desperate customers turn their attention to the remaining undesirable products (which may even target another segment), as long as they are within the rough cuts for price, MTBF and positioning.
Product sales are driven by the monthly Customer Survey Score (the December score is published in The Comp-XM Inquirer segment analysis pages). Any product with a score of 1 or more competes for sales– the higher the score, the higher the appeal. As a product approaches any of the rough cuts, its score falls towards 0.
Usually a product with very low appeal makes few sales. However, in a Seller’s Market, customers will accept marginal products as long as they fall within the rough cut limits. For example, desperate customers with no better alternatives will buy:
• A product priced $5.99 above the price range– at $6.00 customers reach their tolerance limit and refuse to buy the product;
• A product with MTBF 5,999 hours below the range– at 6,000 hours below the range customers refuse to buy the product;
• A product positioned just inside the rough cut circle on the perceptual map– outside the circle they say “no” to the product.
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5 Reports
Customer purchase and sensor company fi nancial results are reported in an industry newsletter, The Comp-XM Inquirer. The Inquirer has three notable differences from your previous industry report:
• You can only view the most recent Inquirer ; • Your company’s annual report is accessed from the Inquirer; • You now have access to your competitors’ annual reports.
The Inquirer is available from two locations:
• From the Comp-XM Dashboard, click the Comp-XM Inquirer link (see “6.2 Dashboard”);
• From the Comp-XM Spreadsheet, click the Reports link in the menu bar.
Figure 6.1
Round Schedules
9
questions) and a check mark if you have already entered an answer;
Your answer is not recorded unless you click the Save
Answer button.
• Answer each question; • You can re-select a question if you wish to change the answer.
6.4 Round Schedules
To see round schedules, click the dates in the Dashboard’s Deadlines column.
Only the fi nal deadline is enforced for self-paced exams.
If Comp-XM is not self-paced, the Dashboard will display:
• The date and time you can begin making simulation decisions and answering Board Queries;
• The date and time when simulation decisions and Board Query answers are due.
6.3 Answering Board Queries
Each round, your Board of Directors presents you with a set of questions. You can answer these questions before, during, or after you make decisions for your company (we recommend before):
• From the Dashboard, click the Answer Board Query button; • A new window opens asking you to authenticate that you are
the person taking the exam– click I Agree; • Next, a list of Board Query questions appears on the left
(Figure 6.2); • A second link to the Inquirer is available from this window–
you will need the Inquirer to answer most Board Query questions;
• To begin, click a question number in the column on the left (cursor, Figure 6.2);
• The associated question will appear on the right– questions will be either true-false, multiple choice or essay (some multiple choice questions require more than one selection);
• You do not have to answer the Board Query questions in any particular order– each question has a point value for correct answers (you can receive partial credit for some types of