The three phases of the strategic marketing process are: planning, implementation, and evaluation. (1) The planning phase includes (a) situation (SWOT) analysis to identify industry trends, analyze competitors, assess own company, and research customer; (b) market-product focus and goal setting, which involves setting market and product goals, selecting target markets, finding points of difference, and positioning the product; and (c) marketing program development, which involves developing the marketing mix and the budget by estimating revenues, expenses, and profits. (2) The implementation phase involves (a) obtaining resources; (b) designing the marketing organization; (c) defining precise tasks, responsibilities, and deadlines; and (d) executing the marketing program. (3) The evaluation phase involves (a) comparing the results of the marketing program plans to the results achieved to identify deviations and (b) exploiting positive deviations or correcting negative ones. See Figure 2-6.