How to develop a marketing concept

Unfortunately, there is still a misunderstanding about the word marketing. Many people, including top executives, use it as a sophisticated term for selling. Marketing representative is commonly used in ads to recruit salespeople. Actually, marketing is a way of managing a business so that each critical business decision is made with full knowledge of the impact it will have on the customer.

Here are some specific ways in which the marketing approach differs from the classic, or sales, approach to managing a business.

1. In the classic approach, engineers and designers create a product, which is then given to salespeople who are told to find customers and sell the product. In the marketing approach, the first step is to determine what the customer needs or wants. That information is given to designers who develop the product and finally to engineers who produce it. Thus, the sales approach only ends with the customer, while the marketing approach begins and ends with the customer.

2. The second major difference between the sales and marketing approaches is the focus of management. The sales approach almost always focuses on volume while the marketing approach focuses on profit.

In short, under the classic (sales) approach the customer exists for the business, while under the marketing approach the business exists for the customer.

The marketing concept is a management plan that views all marketing components as part of a total system that requires effective planning, organization, leadership and control. It is based on the importance of customers to a firm, and states that:

All company policies and activities should be aimed at satisfying customer needs.
Profitable sales volume is a better company goal than maximum sales volume.
In order to conduct a successful marketing program you must be able to answer the following questions:

What type of business are you in (manufacturing, merchandising or service)?

What is the nature of your product(s) or service(s)?

What market segments do you intend to serve? (Describe the age, sex, income level and life-style characteristics of each market segment.)

What strategies will you use to attract and keep customers?

• Product

• Price

• Place

• Promotion

• Persuasion (personal selling)

What is your unique selling proposition (USP)?

Who is your competition, and what will you do to control your share of the market?

Marketing Strategy: Doing the two step - Part 2

A two step approach to marketing may be much more successful than the currently used my most companies. Employing a two part marketing strategy may often require a radical departure in thinking for many business people. Having prospects self select themselves as customers is just too appealing to pass up, however, even for the most traditional marketer.

An entrepreneur often must be convinced to try a two step marketing program. The two or more step system will very often run counter to the instincts of many business people. Two step marketing is based on giving something away for free, with the hope of getting something back in return. For many business owners and managers, the idea of giving away freebies with no guarantees of returning revenue, runs counter to their nature. There will almsost certainly be objections to this innovative relationship marketing plan.

One objection, as expected, will be that the current marketing program is working very well already. While the current system may be capturing customers, it is very likely not a targeted approach. When you ask the one step marketer who are their customers, they will usually respond that everyone is a prospect. Of course, this is easily proven incorrect. For example, people who don't own homes are not prospects for home improvements or lawn care. A targeted approach will not only bring in more customers and clients, but may also be cheaper to operate as well.



The next objection will be one based on cost. The concern will state that if a business offers free booklets of information, e-books, courses, guides, and samples of products or services, the company's out of pocket expenses will rise. While the initial cost may appear to be higher, very often the overall expenditure will remain the same. Advertising and marketing costs can be transferred from previously unproductive areas to the newer systems. At the same time, many of the items offered as giveaways may have no cash costs involved in delivery.

A third objection will regard the time delay between the giving of the item and the receiving of any business. Of course, the person requesting the information may not be in the market for your product or service immediately. The value of the two step system regarding time is how business prospects are developed over time, creating future customers and clients. While some customers may not appear for a year or more, there will always be some arriving almost immediately. Once the first time lag is past, there will be a steady stream of customers and clients at your company's doorstep.



Another objection arises as to why anyone would believe a two step system would ever work at all in the real world. When a person requests your free booklet on travel safety advice for women, for example, you are providing real value to people. You are also building a relationship built on trust.

The free information recipient will now trust you as a source of knowledge and valuable information. At the same time, the woman needing safe travel tips is very likely to be in the market for travel in the near future. Instead of contacting any of a myriad of travel services, your business will be the first one considered by the female traveler. You have already demonstrated that you have her individual needs and concerns in mind.

It's time to put a two step marketing system in place for your company. Give a little and the rewards will be great for both you and your company's customers.

It's a win-win relationship marketing plan where everyone benefits in the end.

4 Ways to Overcome Marketing Challenges Forever

For most small business owners, marketing is an overwhelming concept. They need marketing solutions that ensure a smooth-running, profitable business yet most don't know where to begin or how to focus their efforts.

90% of small businesses don't even have a marketing plan. It's difficult to reach your destination if you don't know where you're going!

If you're a small business owner looking for ease, focus and marketing success, we recommend that you focus on just 4 tactics:

1. Establish a memorable and unmistakeable brand identity:

   The secret to business success is determined by your ability to powerfully communicate your business with laser precision and your ability to deliver a clearly-defined and consistent experience.

   In a nutshell... it's called branding, and, when done right, it ensures a thriving business with all the customers and profits you need. The secret is to establish a powerful brand identity that sings distinction. And establish that identity before you launch any marketing activities.

2. Create a deep connection with your core target audience - your potential raving fans!

   Who wants and needs what you have to offer? The only wrong answer is "everyone." If you're a pediatrician, you may see infants and children. Are they your target audience? No! They are your patients, but it's the parents you need to connect with to get the kids in your door. And it's not just any parents - it's a definite group of parents.

   In marketing, you get a lot more "bang for your buck" if you focus your spending on a well-defined group of people that you enjoy working with. The better you define this group, the more effective your marketing can be.

3. Design compelling offerings that pull customers in like a magnet.

   80% of all purchase decisions are based on emotion. It's your job as a marketer to know how your customers want to feel and to get them to visualize how your services can meet their needs. People want to know, "What's in it for me?" Tap into the emotion and create offerings that touch your customers.

4. Craft A Personal, Workable Marketing Plan

   Marketing is everything you do to make your product or service more visible, more desirable and more profitable. Your marketing plan will clearly define the big picture and provide focus and direction based on the 4 'P's of Marketing - product, price, place/distribution and promotion.

   Since 90% of small business owners do not have a plan, you'll have a leg up on your competition by crafting your personal, workable marketing plan to ensure that you reach your business goals.

Following these 4 criteria will transform any small business into a money-making machine guaranteed to grow your client list, sales and profits. The upfront work is the secret to a million-dollar business, literally and figuratively.