| Course | BUSI 330 Principles of Marketing (BUSI330) |
|---|---|
| Module/Week | 6 |
| Assignment | Collaborative Marketing Plan Draft 3 |
| Paper type | Group marketing plan draft |
| Length | about 579 words, 2 double-spaced pages plus title page and references. Course guide: the third draft of the group marketing plan for a new product concept at a Fortune 500 company, prepared collaboratively with content from every member |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| Points | 60 |
| School | Liberty University Online |
| Program | BS in Business Administration |
| Where it sits | Module/Week 6 in Liberty's published BUSI 330 course guide; current sections can differ |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for BUSI 330 Week 6
Deere SoilSense Marketing Plan, Draft 3: Pricing, Channels and the Dealer Network
[Student Name]
School of Business, Liberty University
BUSI 330: Principles of Marketing
Collaborative Marketing Plan: Draft 3
[Instructor Name]
[Date]
SoilSense is an imaginary product concept; its prices, costs and dealer terms are proposals written for the assignment, and the textbook and research cited are real.
Deere SoilSense Marketing Plan, Draft 3: Pricing, Channels and the Dealer Network
1. Revisions to Draft 2
The research plan now includes questions about acceptable installation dates, after pilot farmers in our informal interviews said spring installation competes with planting.
2. Pricing Objectives
The pricing objective for the first two years is market penetration among the target segment, consistent with the goal of 800 farms in year one, while covering the cost of probes, installation and support by year three.
3. Customer Value
Kerin and Hartley (2020) define value as the ratio of perceived benefits to price. For a typical target farm of 1,200 acres of corn and soybeans, the field pilot assumes SoilSense reduces nitrogen application by 10 percent on corn acres. If 600 acres are in corn and nitrogen costs about $90 per acre, the saving is about $5,400 a year, before any yield benefit or water savings. The service's value to this farm is therefore at least $4.50 per acre across all 1,200 acres.
4. Cost and Competition
Our estimated annual cost to serve a 1,200-acre farm, including probes amortized over five years, dealer installation, maintenance, data connectivity and software support, is about $2.50 per acre. Independent sensor kits cost less to buy but require the farmer to install, maintain and interpret them. Hiring an independent agronomist for soil sampling and recommendations typically costs more per acre and provides readings a few times a season rather than every hour. Because USDA research shows mid-sized farms adopt precision tools less often than large ones (McFadden et al., 2023), price sensitivity in the target segment is likely to be real, which supports an introductory offer.
5. Final Price
The list price is $4.00 per acre per year, below the estimated value of $4.50 so that the farmer keeps a share of the savings, and above our $2.50 cost. A first-season introductory price of $3.00 per acre lowers the risk of trying the service. Pricing below the value the customer receives leaves the farmer a reason to renew. Prices will be quoted per acre and billed annually after harvest, when farm cash flow is strongest, a timing the bookkeeper in the buying center will appreciate.
6. Channel Design
SoilSense uses a hybrid channel. Deere dealers sell the service, install and maintain the probes and provide first-line support, while the software and data reach the farmer online through Operations Center. Independent dealerships already carry the Deere name into farm communities (Deere & Company, 2024). The channel chapter argues that middlemen earn their place by doing jobs a manufacturer would do less well (Kerin & Hartley, 2020), and for SoilSense those jobs are local installation, seasonal service and the trust built over years of equipment sales.
7. Dealer Motivation and Avoiding Conflict
- Dealers earn 20 percent of each subscription for the life of the account, so they benefit from renewals as well as new sales.
- Farms that sign up online are assigned to their local dealer, who receives the same commission, removing any incentive for dealers to see online sales as competition.
- Deere keeps the same price in every channel, preventing customers from playing one channel against another.
- Dealers receive training and demonstration kits before launch, and early-adopting dealers get priority access to pilot results for local marketing.
8. The Showroom Experience
Although SoilSense is sold through equipment dealers rather than retail stores, the retailing chapter's emphasis on the shopping experience applies. A demonstration screen in each dealer's showroom will show live readings from a nearby pilot field, giving farmers a tangible view of an intangible service.
9. Member Contributions
- Revisions and pricing objectives: Member D.
- Customer value and cost analysis: Member B.
- Final price and channel design: Member A.
- Dealer motivation and showroom experience: Member C.
References
Deere & Company. (2024). 2024 annual report.
Kerin, R. A., & Hartley, S. W. (2020). Marketing: The core (8th ed.). McGraw-Hill Education.
McFadden, J., Njuki, E., & Griffin, T. (2023). Precision agriculture in the digital era: Recent adoption on U.S. farms (Economic Information Bulletin No. 248). U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.
What the BUSI 330 Week 6 instructions ask
Price and place come together in the third SoilSense draft, worth 60 points in Module/Week 6, once the group has finished the pricing and channel chapters and begins the one on retailing. Feedback on Draft 2 is folded in, and as always each member must add content of their own. Because the final draft in Module/Week 8 will assemble the whole plan, this draft should be written so its sections can move into the final document with little change. Each member should check that the price chosen here matches the value estimate the group calculated, since the final plan's budget will depend on it.
How this BUSI 330 Week 6 example is built
The draft records revisions from Draft 2, then works through pricing in the order the textbook teaches: objectives, the value customers receive, cost, competitors and the final price with any adjustments. A worked example shows the savings a typical 1,200-acre farm could expect and how the subscription price compares with them. A channel section describes how dealers and the online platform share the work, sets dealer compensation and explains how conflict between channels will be avoided. A short section explains why the retailing chapter's ideas about the customer experience still apply to a dealer showroom. Member contributions close the draft. A showroom section links the dealer channel to the retailing chapter.
BUSI 330 Week 6 grading rubric: where the points go
The draft is graded on whether its price and channel decisions are reasoned, consistent with the target market and positioning from Draft 2 and supported by the chapters' concepts and evidence. Instructors look for a price justified by customer value, cost and competition, not a number chosen arbitrarily, and for a channel design that explains who does what and why each party is motivated to do it. Each member's contribution to the content counts toward that member's credit. Drafts that set a price without analysis or describe the channel only as selling online or in stores score lower. Consistency with the earlier drafts, especially the positioning, is checked closely at this stage. Dealer compensation that rewards renewals as well as first sales shows the group has thought about motivation over time.
BUSI 330 Week 6 help: mistakes that cost points
Begin pricing with what the product is worth to the target customer, using a realistic example with numbers. Then check that the price covers cost with a margin and compare it with alternatives the customer could choose. Explain any discounts or introductory offers and their purpose. For channels, describe each step from producer to customer, the role of each intermediary and how each is compensated. Anticipate conflict between channels and say how you will prevent it. Write sections so they can be dropped into the final plan. Show the arithmetic behind the price so the instructor can follow it. Explain any introductory discount's purpose and how long it will last, so the regular price remains credible to customers.
Related BUSI 330 sample papers
Other BUSI 330 weeks
- BUSI 330 Week 1: Forum 1 Thread and Replies
- BUSI 330 Week 2: Marketing Plan Draft 1
- BUSI 330 Week 3: Forum 2 Thread and Replies
- BUSI 330 Week 4: Marketing Plan Draft 2
- BUSI 330 Week 5: Forum 3 Thread and Replies
- BUSI 330 Week 7: Forum 4 Thread and Replies
- BUSI 330 Week 8: Marketing Plan Final Draft
More BS in Business Administration sample papers
- BUSI 313 Week 6: Forum 3 Replies
- BUSI 320 Week 6: Discussion Board Forum 3
- BUSI 331 Week 6: Research Report Part 3
- BUSI 332 Week 1: Forum 1 Thread
BUSI 330 Week 6 questions, answered
What is BUSI 330 Marketing Plan Draft 3?
Draft 3, worth 60 points, sets the SoilSense subscription price and designs how Deere dealers will sell and service it. It also folds in feedback on Draft 2 and lists each member's contribution.
Where can I find a free BUSI 330 Week 6 sample paper?
The third SoilSense draft, with its per-acre price, introductory offer and dealer channel, is on this page as the BUSI 330 Week 6 sample.
What is value-based pricing?
Setting a price according to the value the product creates for the customer, such as cost savings, rather than starting from the seller's cost and adding a markup.
How can a company avoid channel conflict?
By giving each channel a clear role, keeping prices consistent across channels and compensating intermediaries for sales they help create, even when the final purchase happens online.
What else is due in BUSI 330 Module/Week 6?
A quiz on retailing and wholesaling, chapter 16, shares the deadline. No forum is assigned this module/week, so the group can concentrate on pricing and channels.
Use it as a model, or ask for your own
This paper is an original model written by our desk for study. It is not a submitted student paper and not an official Liberty University document. Read it for structure and reasoning, then write your own to the instructions in your Canvas course. If you want a version built to your exact prompt and rubric, the first custom sample is free and arrives in 24 to 48 hours.
Ask for a custom BUSI 330 Week 6 sample · All BUSI 330 weeks · All courses