A few weeks ago the article on management concepts brought in a lead to an on line dictionary of management concepts from Gary Grey and a request for an article on marketing concepts from Rene Padrigon. Marketing is not my field and I wish it were Vic Limlingan to write such an article. However, here it goes. Marketing is more than sales but sales is the core of marketing. In sales there are two important components: The first is telling the customer how good your product is and secondly ask for the order or in technical terms do a close. One without the other is not good. If you ask for the order without showing the customer how good your product is, then there would be no sale. If you tell the customer the virtues of your product and not ask for the order then neither would there be a sale. You have to show the customer how good your product is and then ask for the order. Only then will the sale be done. It is that simple but amateurs forget to do what veteran sales persons automatically do.

Good sales people do not begin with selling the product but sell themselves first. They make sure the customer sees them as friends or as partners to solve their problem. Veteran sales people are very often good story tellers. Stories and jokes are means to show the customer that they can be trusted; that they will tell the truth and make sure the customer's interest are protected. Once they have this confidence the problem of selling is minimized. Not only that, they usually can back come for subsequent sales. They sell their services; services which the customer can trust to be to his best interest. Good sales men sell themselves and their services. They convince the customer of the trustworthiness of their services. Good sales persons prepare and plan for their encounter with the customer. They try to figure out how they can be of help and how their product can be of help to the customer or help solve his problem. He tries to find out what the customer's likes and dislikes or problems which his product or company can help solve. He also prepares for possible objections. As mentioned good sales people first sell their trustworthiness and that of their company.

Marketing covers the concerns that surround sales. The P's concerned with marketing are Product, Packaging, Price, Place, and Promotion. Product quality is concerned with the utility of the product for the customer. Packaging makes sure the size of the product is right for the needs of the potential customers.

Price involves affordability and competitiveness. Place requires that the product be available in a convenient place. Promotion means telling customers its usefulness and motivating him to buy the product. There are other concerns but these are the normal marketing concerns. The market may already exist meaning there is existing demand for the product or the market may have to be created by telling potential customers how the product can be useful for them, its affordability, or how the product can satisfy their need or solve their problem. In the case of demand creation there may be need for research both as to the needs of customers and in development of the product that would satisfy some need of the customer. So marketing is the satisfaction of a need or perceived need of the customer. <emeterio_barcelon@yahoo.com>