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The Metrics That Marketers Muddle Negotiation Strategy / MBA Resources

Introduction to Negotiation Strategy

Negotiation Strategy solution for The Metrics That Marketers Muddle case study


At Oak Spring University, we provide corporate level professional Negotiation Strategy and other business case study solution. The Metrics That Marketers Muddle case study is a Harvard Business School (HBR) case study written by Neil Bendle, Charan K Bagga. The The Metrics That Marketers Muddle (referred as “Marketers Authors” from here on) case study provides evaluation & decision scenario in field of Sales & Marketing. It also touches upon business topics such as - negotiation strategy, negotiation framework, .

Negotiation strategy solution for case study The Metrics That Marketers Muddle ” provides a comprehensive framework to analyse all issues at hand and reach a unambiguous negotiated agreement. At Oak Spring University, we provide comprehensive negotiation strategies that have proven their worth both in the academic sphere and corporate world.


BATNA in Negotiation Strategy


Three questions every negotiator should ask before entering into a negotiation process-

What’s my BATNA (Best Alternative To a Negotiated Agreement) – my walkaway option if the deal fails?

What are my most important interests, in ranked order?

What is the other side’s BATNA, and what are his interests?



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Case Description of The Metrics That Marketers Muddle Case Study


A big challenge for marketing is demonstrating its business value. As the finance function becomes more powerful within companies, some see marketing's influence as declining. One major reason is the difficulty of measuring its impact. The article has two purposes, the authors say: First, to clarify marketing metrics so that managers select the right metrics and use them appropriately; and second, to help senior managers understand when marketers are cherry-picking the data or using inappropriate metrics. The authors assess five popular marketing metrics:market share, net promoter score, the value of a "like,"customer lifetime value, and return on investment. They conducted interviews with marketers and administered formal surveys to managers. They found that popular marketing metrics are regularly misunderstood and misused. The authors'goal is to encourage appropriate and consistent use of popular marketing metrics. Market Share: If the aim is to maximize the returns to shareholders, the authors argue, increased market share offers no benefit unless it eventually generates profits. Still, in a survey the authors conducted, they found that more marketing managers prioritized maximizing market share than prioritized maximizing profitability. Although, they note, companies with superior products tend to have high market share and high profitability, this does not necessarily mean that increasing market share will increase profits. Using market share as a metric of success simply because other marketers do it can be counterproductive. Net Promoter Score: Companies in a variety of industries have embraced net promoter score as a way to monitor their customer service operations. One of NPS's strongest selling points, the authors write, is its simplicity: It's easy for managers and employees to understand the goal of having more promoters and fewer detractors. However, they note weaknesses in how the theory has been presented to managers. Value of a "Like"The authors caution that managers shouldn't automatically assume that differences in value between social media fans and nonfans are caused by social media marketing activity. When there are differences, managers need to investigate whether they existed prior to the social media marketing effort. Customer Lifetime Value: Marketers often use CLV to help them decide whom to target in acquisition campaigns. The authors recommend basing CLV on the value of the customer relationship -- not the value of the customer relationship minus the acquisition costs. Return on Investment: Although ROI may not be a perfect metric, the authors concede, it can facilitate communication with nonmarketing colleagues. But to communicate effectively, marketers must use the term in ways that nonmarketers can understand. In order to calculate ROI, there must be a return (profit associated with an investment) and an investment. Unless you have both, you cannot calculate ROI.


Case Authors : Neil Bendle, Charan K Bagga

Topic : Sales & Marketing

Related Areas :




Seven Elemental Tools of Negotiation that can be used in The Metrics That Marketers Muddle solution


1. Satisfies everyone’s core interests (yours and theirs)


By interests, we do not mean the preconceived demands or positions that you or the other party may have, but rather the underlying needs, aims, fears, and concerns that shape what you want. Negotiation is more than getting what you want. It is not winning at all cost. Number of times Win-Win is better option that outright winning or getting what you want.





2. Is the best of many options

Options are the solutions you generate that could meet your and your counterpart’s interests . Often people come to negotiations with very fixed ideas and things they want to achieve. This strategy leaves unexplored options which might be even better than the one that one party wanted to achieve. So always try to provide as many options as possible during the negotiation process. The best outcome should be out of many options rather than few options.


3. Meets legitimate, fair standards

When soft bargainers meet hard bargainers there is always the danger of soft bargainers ceding more than what is necessary. To avoid this scenario you should always focus on legitimate standards or expectations. Standards are often external and objective measures to assess the fairness such as rules and regulations, financial values & resources , market prices etc. If the negotiated agreement is going beyond the industry norms or established standards of fairness then it is prudent to get out of the negotiation.


4. Is better than your alternatives or BATNA

Every negotiators going into the negotiations should always work out the “what if” scenario. The negotiating parties in the “The Metrics That Marketers Muddle” has three to four plausible scenarios. The negotiating protagonist needs to have clear idea of – what will happen if the negotiations fail. To put it in the negotiating literature – BATNA - Best Alternative to a Negotiated Agreement. If the negotiated agreement is not better than BATNA then there is no point in accepting the negotiated solution.


5. Is comprised of clear, realistic commitments

One of the biggest problems in implementing the negotiated agreements in corporate world is – the ambiguity in the negotiated agreement. Sometimes the negotiated agreements are not realistic or various parties interpret the outcomes based on their understanding of the situation. It is critical to do negotiations as water tight as possible so that there is less scope for ambiguity.


6. Is the result of effective communication?

Many negotiators make the mistake of focusing only on the substance of the negotiation (interests, options, standards, and so on). How you communicate about that substance, however, can make all the difference. The language you use and the way that you build understanding, jointly solve problems, and together determine the process of the negotiation with your counterpart make your negotiation more efficient, yield clear agreements that each party understands, and help you build better relationships.


7. Managing relationship with counterparty

Another critical factor in the success of your negotiation is how you manage your relationship with your counterpart. According to “Neil Bendle, Charan K Bagga”, the protagonist may want to establish a new connection or repair a damaged one; in any case, you want to build a strong working relationship built on mutual respect, well-established trust, and a side-by-side problem- solving approach.




Different types of negotiators – what is your style of negotiation

According to Harvard Business Review , there are three types of negotiators – Hard Bargainers, Soft Bargainers, and Principled Bargainers.

Hard Bargainers – These people see negotiations as an activity that they need to win. They are less focused less on the real objectives of the negotiations but more on winning. In the “The Metrics That Marketers Muddle ”, do you think a hard bargaining strategy will deliver desired results? Hard bargainers are easy to negotiate with as they often have a very predictable strategy

Soft Bargainers – These people are focused on relationship rather than hard outcomes of the negotiations. It doesn’t mean they are pushovers. These negotiators often scribe to long term relationship rather than immediate bargain.

Principled Bargainers – As explained in the seven elemental tools of negotiations above, these negotiators are more concern about the standards and norms of fairness. They often have inclusive approach to negotiations and like to work on numerous solutions that can improve the BATNA of both parties.

Open lines of communication between parties in the case study “The Metrics That Marketers Muddle” can make for an effective negotiation strategy and will make it easier to negotiate with this party the next time as well.





NPV Analysis of The Metrics That Marketers Muddle



References & Further Readings

Neil Bendle, Charan K Bagga (2018), "The Metrics That Marketers Muddle Harvard Business Review Case Study. Published by HBR Publications.


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