Market entry is one of the important challenges faced by emerging companies. It is necessary to quickly understand the opportunities and risks of the target market under limited time and resources, formulate effective competitive strategies, build core competitiveness, and achieve market possession and growth. As a professional third-party service organization, consulting companies can provide a full range of market research, analysis, strategy and implementation services for emerging enterprises to help them enter the market from zero to one and achieve their business goals. This article will combine the service experience and customer cases of Shangpu Consulting Company to introduce the specific methods and processes of how consulting companies help emerging companies enter the market.

1. Consulting's Value Proposition and Scope of Services

A consulting firm is a service organization that provides customers with problem solutions or decision support with the main content of providing professional knowledge, skills and methods. The consulting firm's value proposition includes the following:

Provide an objective, neutral and professional third-party perspective to help customers identify, analyze and solve problems

Provide systematic, comprehensive and in-depth market research and analysis to help customers understand the market environment, competitive situation, customer needs, industry trends, etc.

Provide innovative, practical and feasible market strategies and implementation plans to help customers set goals, choose paths, optimize resources, execute plans, etc.

Provide continuous, effective and efficient project management and tracking services to help customers monitor progress, evaluate results, adjust measures, ensure quality, etc.

The scope of services of consulting firms can be divided according to different industry fields and professional fields. In general, consulting firms can provide the following types of services:

Strategic consulting: mainly related to enterprise strategic planning, business model design, organizational structure optimization, etc.

Management consulting: mainly involved in operational management optimization, human resources management improvement, financial management improvement, etc.

Technical consulting: mainly related to the application of information technology, the promotion of digital transformation, the improvement of innovation capabilities, etc.

Market consulting: mainly involved in market research and analysis, market entry strategy formulation, marketing activities implementation, etc.

Investment consulting: mainly related to investment feasibility assessment, investment project search, investment risk control, etc.

This paper focuses on market consulting services, I .e. how consulting firms can help start-ups enter the market. Market entry is the process by which a firm brings its product or service to a new or existing market. Market entry is an important strategic decision for emerging enterprises, and it is also a business behavior full of challenges and risks. Market entry needs to consider the following key issues:

Why enter the market? That is, the purpose and motivation of market entry, including seeking growth opportunities, improving competitive advantages, reducing costs, etc.

Which market to enter? That is, the target and scope of market entry, including domestic and foreign markets, regional markets, market segments, etc.

When to enter the market? That is, the timing and rhythm of market entry, including the advantage of the first mover, the advantage of the latecomer, synchronous following, etc.

How to enter the market? That is, the mode and method of market entry, including export trade, joint venture and cooperation, sole proprietorship, acquisition and merger, etc.

What resources are used to enter the market? That is, the input and cost of market entry, including human resources, financial resources, technical resources, etc.

Consultants can provide a full range of services to start-ups from zero to one, including:

Market research and analysis: by collecting and processing various data and information, help emerging enterprises understand the size, structure, characteristics, trends, opportunities and risks of the target market, assess the potential demand and competitiveness of their products or services in the target market, and determine the most favorable market segments and target customer groups.

Market strategy formulation: according to the results of market research and analysis, help emerging enterprises to formulate market entry strategies suitable for their own conditions and target market environment, including choosing the best time, mode, mode, etc., as well as formulating product strategy, price strategy, channel strategy, marketing strategy, etc.

Market implementation plan: according to the requirements of market strategy, help emerging enterprises to formulate specific market implementation plans, including determining project objectives, budget, team, process, timetable, etc., as well as developing project monitoring, evaluation, adjustment and other mechanisms.

Market implementation support: Provide continuous support services for emerging companies during the implementation of market implementation plans, including assistance in establishing partnerships, providing professional training and guidance, and solving problems and difficulties encountered.

Market research and analysis methods for 2. consulting firms

The consulting firm's market research and analysis is to provide effective market information and insight for emerging companies and provide a basis for subsequent decision-making. Consultants usually use the following methods to conduct market research and analysis:

Desktop research: through the collection and collation of a variety of existing data information, such as official statistics, industry reports, expert papers, network information, etc., for preliminary analysis and summary.

Field research: through direct visits to the target market or related institutions, such as customers, competitors, channel providers, industry associations, etc., in-depth observation, interviews, questionnaires, etc., to obtain first-hand data information, detailed analysis and induction.

Model analysis: through the use of various quantitative or qualitative analytical models, suchPESTanalysis,SWOTAnalysis, Porter's Five Forces Analysis, Boston Matrix, etc., to systematically process and interpret the collected data information.

Case analysis: by referring to and learning from other successful or failed market entry cases, such as Starbucks entering the Chinese market, Wal-Mart entering the German market, etc., extract the experience and lessons that can be used for reference.

The goal of the consulting firm's market research and analysis is to provide emerging companies with the following types of market information:

Market overview: including the basic situation of the target market, such as geographical location, population size, economic level, social culture, etc.

Market demand: including the potential demand, demand characteristics, and changes in demand for emerging enterprise products or services in the target market.

Market competition: including the competitive landscape of the target market, the strengths and weaknesses of competitors, competitive strategies and behaviors, etc.

Market opportunities: including market gaps in the target market, market growth points, market innovation points, etc.

Market risk: including policies and regulations, technological changes, consumer preferences, social events, etc. in the target market.

The output of the consulting firm's market research and analysis is to provide the following types of market insights for emerging companies:

Market positioning: that is, what role the emerging enterprise should play in the target market, such as leader, challenger, follower, etc.

Market segmentation: that is, which specific market segments or target customer groups in the target market should be targeted by emerging enterprises, such as high-end users, low-end users, loyal users, etc.

Market differentiation: that is, how emerging enterprises should distinguish from competitors through the characteristics or advantages of products or services, such as functional differentiation, brand differentiation, service differentiation, etc.

Market value proposition: how emerging companies should convey the value or benefits of their products or services to target customers, such as solving problems, meeting needs, creating experiences, etc.

Market entry strategies and implementation options for 3. consulting firms

The market entry strategy and implementation plan of the consulting company are based on the results of market research and analysis, providing effective decision-making suggestions and action guidelines for emerging enterprises, and providing guarantee for subsequent project implementation. Consultants usually use the following methods to develop market entry strategies and implementation plans:

Goal setting: By determining the goals and expectations of emerging enterprises entering the market, such as sales, market share, profit margin, etc., as well as indicators and methods to measure whether these goals are achieved, such as sales reports, customer feedback, financial statements, etc.

Path selection: by evaluating the suitability and feasibility of different market entry modes and methods for emerging enterprises, such as export trade, joint ventures and cooperation, sole proprietorship, mergers and acquisitions, etc., as well as the advantages and disadvantages and risks of these modes and methods, select the best market entry path.

Resource optimization: by analyzing the internal and external resources of emerging enterprises, such as human resources, financial resources, technical resources, etc., as well as the allocation and utilization of these resources, optimize the allocation and management of resources, and improve the efficiency and effectiveness of resources.

Plan formulation: to ensure the smooth progress of the project by formulating a specific market entry implementation plan, including determining the project's objectives, budget, team, process, timetable, etc., as well as formulating project monitoring, evaluation, adjustment and other mechanisms.

The goal of the consulting firm's market entry strategy and implementation plan is to provide emerging companies with the following types of decision-making recommendations and action guidelines:

Product strategy: that is, how emerging enterprises should design or adjust the functions, quality and appearance of their products or services according to the needs and characteristics of the target market and target customers to meet market demand and improve market competitiveness.

Price strategy: that is, how emerging enterprises should determine or adjust the price level, price structure, price changes, etc. of their products or services according to the target market and the target customer's ability and willingness to pay, in order to achieve market share and profit maximization.

Channel strategy: that is, how emerging enterprises should choose or establish sales channels, distribution channels, service channels, etc. for their products or services according to the distribution and behavior of the target market and target customers in order to achieve market coverage and customer satisfaction.

Marketing strategy: that is, how emerging enterprises should formulate or implement the promotion methods, promotion contents and promotion effects of their products or services according to the cognition and preferences of the target market and target customers, so as to realize market communication and customer loyalty.

Customer Cases and Effect Evaluation of 4. Consulting Company

The client case and effect evaluation of the consulting company are designed to demonstrate the consulting company's service capabilities and performance results in helping emerging companies enter the market, and to provide a foundation of trust for subsequent partnerships. Consultants usually use the following methods to evaluate customer cases and results:

Customer case: show the service experience and professional level of the consulting company by introducing specific cases of the consulting company providing market entry services for other emerging enterprises in the past, such as service background, service process, service results, etc.

Effect evaluation: by comparing the data indicators before and after the consulting company provides market entry services for emerging enterprises, such as sales, market share, profit margin, etc., to show the service contribution and value impact of the consulting company.

Customer feedback: show the service quality and customer relationship of the consulting company by collecting and displaying the customer evaluation and suggestions obtained after the consulting company provides market entry services for emerging enterprises, such as satisfaction, loyalty, recommend, etc.

The goal of the consulting firm's customer case and performance evaluation is to provide the following types of trust foundations to start-ups:

Professional trust: the emerging business believes that the consulting firm has sufficient expertise, skills and methods to provide it with high-quality market entry services.

Experience trust: that is, emerging enterprises believe that consulting companies have rich service experience and successful cases, can provide them with efficient market entry services.

Value trust: the emerging business believes that the consulting firm has a good service contribution and value impact, and can provide it with high-return market entry services.

Relationship trust: that is, the emerging enterprises believe that the consulting firm has excellent service quality and customer relationship, can provide them with high satisfaction market entry services.

Conclusion:

Market entry is an important stage in the development of emerging enterprises and an important area for consulting firms to demonstrate their professional value. Consulting companies can provide emerging enterprises with a full range of services to enter the market from zero to one, including market research and analysis, market strategy formulation, market implementation plan, market implementation support, etc., to help emerging enterprises quickly understand the opportunities and risks of the target market, formulate effective competition strategies, build core competitiveness, and achieve market share and growth.