How To Do Swot Analysis

How To Perform a Swot Analysis

A SWOT Analysis is an integral part of a marketing plan and can also be part of a business plan. Knowing what a SWOT Analysis is and how to perform one is very important.

What is a SWOT Analysis?

A SWOT analysis stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats and is a simple and powerful way to analyze your company's present marketing situation.

The best way to understand SWOT is to look at an actual example: AMT is a computer store in a medium-sized market in the United States. Lately it has suffered through a steady business decline caused mainly by increasing competition from larger office products stores with national brand names. The following is the SWOT analysis included in its marketing plan.

Strengths

Knowledge. Our competitors are retailers, pushing boxes. We know systems, networks, connectivity, programming, all the VARs, and data management.

Relationship selling. We get to know our customers, one by one. Our direct sales force maintains a relationship.

History. We've been in our town forever. We have loyalty of customers and vendors. We are local.

Weaknesses

Costs. The chain stores have better economics. Their per-unit costs of selling are quite low. They aren't offering what we offer in terms of knowledgeable selling, but their cost per square foot and per dollar of sales are much lower.

Price and volume. The major stores pushing boxes can afford to sell for less. Their component costs are less and they have volume buying with the main vendors.

Brand power. Take one look at their full page advertising, in color, in the Sunday paper. We can't match that. We don't have the national name that flows into national advertising.

Opportunities

Local