Prof. Andrés Musalem

Marketing Practicum: Response and Proposals

• Directed Phone Interviews• Managing your team• Team Structure• Final Points• Team Responses to Clients

Agenda

Directed Interviews

• Who?– An executive at the client, a supplier, a

customer, an industry expert, a competitor.

• Why not just reading books, articles, reports?– Sometimes the information you need is in

someone else’s head (e.g., customers).

Directed Interviews

• How would you plan a successful interview?– Goals: the three key pieces of information you’d like to

learn about.– Writing an interview guide (script):

• Introduction.• The questions.• The order: from more general and easier to more specific and

sensitive.• Questions you know the answer to?• Anything else the interviewee would like to tell us?

Directed Interviews

• Execution:– Have your client set up the meeting.– Upfront: Indicate who you are and what you are doing.– Interview in pairs. Why?– Always take notes and show interest.– What’s better: multiple choice or open ended?– Listen and paraphrase: repeat their own words. Why?

• Opportunity for interviewee to correct or add more information.

– Sometimes, it might help to let the silence hang.

Directed Interviews

• A few additional tips:– Ask if there is someone else you should contact. – Close with thanks and ask if you might call back later – Write a thank you note.

Managing your team

• Now is the time to think broad.– Learn about your client’s goals and constraints.

• By the week after Thanksgiving, your project goals should be focused enough to assign clear tasks

• Most assignments should go to overlapping pairs of team members. Why?

Team Structure

• Discipline of regular weekly meetings

• I’ll participate in several of your weekly telephone meetings with your client.

• Contact me if something is not going well• Free riders will not be tolerated.

Peer Evaluation As indicated in the course outline, part of your grade depends on the evaluation of your individual contribution to the practicum. As a result, it is important to have your assessment of the contribution of the members of your team. Please fill out this form and return it via email amusalem@duke.edu. Your ratings of others will be strictly confidential. Your Name: ___________________________________________ Practicum : ______________________________________________ 1. In the chart below, write in the name of each team member, including yourself. Estimate the relative

effort level and the amount that each team member contributed to the PRACTICUM. The first column should indicate relative effort and work level while the second column indicates the degree to which each individual contributed to the success of the project. Your estimates can range from 0% to 100% but should sum to 100%.

Team Member Name Effort level Contribution toward

PRACTICUM

100% 100% 2. Put comments here:

Final points• You represent Duke University and your client.

• You have a real opportunity to change the status quo:– This is NOT a retrospective case analysis!

• Success is not fully measured by whether the client accepts your ideas– Recommendations based on a realistic and solid understanding

of the client’s problem.

Marketing Practicum ProjectsTeam Responses

• 1:30-2:05: Carolina F., Carolina J., Hertantya, Rebecca, Silvana.

• 2:10-2:35: Criss, Jessica, Kara, Rodnei and Sonya.

• 2:50-3:15: Brian, Jolynn, Karen, Meleata, Sam and Tristan.

• 3:20-3:45: Ericka, Emily, Jacqueline, Jessica, Meredith.