Techno-Ready Marketing Audit

The audit questions are based on five key areas:

• The technology macro-environment
• The technology customer
• The organization
• Acquisition strategies
• Customer satisfaction and retention strategies

Technology Macro-Environment

• Are there opportunities in the market for us or a competitor to achieve "critical mass" that leads to a dominant position (e.g., control of standard)?
• Who are our competitors, in terms of offering different versions of the same technology or competing technologies?
• What technology is currently in development that could enhance or potentially leapfrog our current offerings?
• In what stage of market maturity is our core technology?
• What important legal and regulatory trends will affect us in the future?

• How techno-ready are our different customer segments?
• Do different facets of techno-readiness prevail in our market (e.g., concerns about safety and risk)?
• What are the major benefits of our technology, from the customer point of view? What is the financial business case for adopting our technology offering?
• How do buyers and users decide to adopt?

• How techno-ready are the different layers and functions within our organization?
• Are there gaps in techno-readiness between management, employees and customers?
• How does the marketing of our traditional, low-technology offerings mesh with that of our cutting-edge technology offerings?
• Is technology used internally in a manner that enables the organization to fulfill its marketing mission? (E.g., do systems enable employees to serve customers?)
• Does the organization have a rigorous market research process for developing and evaluating technology offerings?

Product Issues

• Are our products future-ready, meaning they will meet increasingly sophisticated needs?
• Is our technology offering too advanced for the market? Too complex?
• Are our products and services customer-focused, in terms of usability, reliability and compatibility?
• Do we offer sufficient capability for customization?

• Do we have an established brand name that reassures the market? Do we need to create a new one for the proper positioning?
• Do we have a formal benefits statement of the unique advantages of our technology offering? Can we provide a vivid demonstration of our benefits?
• Are we effectively enlisting innovators as evangelists for our technology offering?
• Does our communication address the concerns and fears of the less techno-ready adopters?

• Do we have the optimum revenue model for addressing short-term competitive realities and long term growth opportunities?
• Are we continually measuring price elasticity?
• Do we offer pricing options to appeal to all kinds of technology buyers, from the least techno-ready to the most sophisticated?

• Do our channels offer the right kinds of support and information to meet the needs of our customers?
• How effective is our sales force in ensuring a responsive interaction for a techno-offering? Are they motivated enough to be enthusiastic missionaries?

• Is there a responsive customer care function that supports customers with different levels of techno-readiness?
• Do customers have multiple options for getting information, including a telephone or office where they can interact with a person?
• Are customers empowered to solve problems on their own?
• Is customer satisfaction tracked?
• Does our marketing approach encourage long-term relationships that span a single version of our offering?