MARKETING: IDENTIFY CONSUMERS, PRODUCE PROTOTYPE, OPERATIONS AND SALES. Marketing is too often confused with selling. Marketing and selling are almost opposites. "Hard-sell marketing" is a contradiction. "Marketing is not the art of finding clever ways to dispose of what you make. Marketing is the art of creating genuine customer value. It is the art of helping your customers become better off. The marketer's watchwords are quality, service, and value." Selling starts only when you have a product. Marketing starts before a product exists. Marketing is the homework your company does to figure out what people need and what your company should offer. Marketing determines how to launch, price, distribute and promote your product/service offerings to the marketplace. Marketing then monitors the results and improves the offering over time. Marketing also decides if and when to end an offering. Marketing is not a short-term selling effort, but a long-term investment effort. When marketing is done well, it occurs before the company makes any product or enters any market; and it continues long after the sale. Marketing hopes to understand the target customer so well that selling isn't necessary. Identify consumers through marketing which is selecting the right product, pricing strategy, promotional program, and distribution outlets for your particular audience or market. "In order to produce a business prototype, product positioning is critical." This is a conscious attempt on the part of your company to differentiate between your offering and those of your competitors. You position your product in people's minds by creating a perception of your product or services when they have a need. Producing the business prototype is the "essence" of moving a concept through design and implementation to marketplace and consumer acceptance. The methods of how your business is going to operate are established and documented with a "prototype," so as to be a master of educating your employees on each detail of the day-to-day operations. Sales
will determine any ongoing modifications required in the "original"
business plan and customer service and quality will be continually evaluated
so as to maximize the "return on investment." |
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