Leading experts held a presentation on effective marketing strategy and discussed ways in which organisations in Bahrain could boost their chances of developing products that customers value and pay for.

Effective marketing strategy was the key topic for the latest Bahrain British Business Forum (BBBF) meeting held at the Gulf Hotel.

Speakers, to a group of more than 40 people from a wide range of local businesses, included ACK Solutions managing director Ahmed Al Akber and Bahrain Polytechnic head of marketing Brian Lees.

In his presentation, Al Akber highlighted ways that organisations can increase their chances of developing products that customers value and pay for, reported the Gulf Daily News, our sister publication.

He said this value, when communicated in short, simple terms can be more easily understood by customers. "This results in more business and often leads to an ongoing dialogue with customers which ensures a consistent sales pipeline," he explained.

"The vast majority of new products that are introduced end up failing. Some businesses spend months and sometimes years perfecting a product without getting customer input, only to find out this is not what their customers want and so they fail," stated Al Akber.

He said businesses could increase their chances of success for new products and services by simply sharing them with customers during their development in order to gauge their hidden needs.

Lees gave a talk about how final year marketing students support Bahraini businesses through their industry projects. "The students are a consulting resource and work on projects of value to businesses," he remarked.

"This has already proved to be of great value to participating businesses. The students learn and grow and find it very satisfying when their ideas are used in real business situations, particularly when the value of their input is evident. This is a win-win situation that we want more Bahraini businesses to be part of," Lees said.-TradeArabia News Service