Consulting in Marketing
From Wikipractice
Contents |
Introduction
The marketing consulting activities differs in several ways from that getting(touching) the other functions of the company.
It is by its marketing that the company is in touch with the external entities (customers and competitors) which have independent existences.
The survival of the company depends on the way it manages to adapt itself in the conditions of the market influenced by the activities of these entities.
In the marketing, we find two types of main activities: the activities which consist in defining the strategy of development of the company and the activities which consist in applying the defined plans and which are translated by the sale of products, the advertisement, the distribution of products, etc.
The definition of the strategy of development of the company recovers from the high direction(management) of the company, while the operations of marketing can be realized by the responsibles for the marketing.
Marketing strategy
The strategic decisions in the marketing have implications on the whole company and on every particular function such the production, the finances, etc.
A good starting point is to classify the orientation of the company. There are three possible classifications:
- Product oriented.
- Production oriented.
- Market oriented.
A product oriented company emphasizes the product itself, while a company directed to the production emphasizes the conception of the product and the modifications of this one.
In these two cases, the considerations of the market are ignored or almost. In a company the orientation of which is centred on the market, the decisions are based on the analysis of needs and demand of the market.
The objective is to seize the opportunities offered by the market. This approach can produce positive effects on two other orientations and allow, what is more important, to identify new possibilities.
- What customer problems our products can resolve more economically or more adequately that the products of the other manufacturers?
- Who has these problems?
- What particular circumstances at our customer , current or potential, could bring us to modify our products, our conditions of delivery, etc.?
Thinking according to solutions to be supplied to the problems is a very useful tool in the marketing. It helps considerably in the research for new products for the current customers and in the research for new customers for the current products.
These analyses can be used as bases to the recommendations of the consultant concerning the addition and the elimination of certain products. Sometimes, they can identify the necessity of a more detailed analysis of certain factors such: the price setting, the credit policy, the image of the company, etc.
Marketing Operations
All companies don't have the same conception of the operations which are a part of functions of marketing and of those who are not a part of it.
Sales, advertisement, promotions, relations with the distributors and marketing researches are considered by most of the companies as included in the responsibilities of the director of marketing; however, the situation concerning the development of the new products, the conception of products and packaging, transport and storing of finished products, is less clear, generally.
These last activities can generate conflicts between the director of the production and the marketing manager.
