In: Operations Management
A friend of yours asks: "I hear that you are taking a marketing and sales class." Your friend appears very interested and inquisitive about marketing and sales, and proceeds to ask you several questions. How would you respond to the questions your friend is asking?
1) What is marketing?
2) What is sales?
3) Why would one study marketing and sales?
PLEASE MAKE COPY PASTE AVAILABLE
MUST BE 250 WORDS
1) What is marketing?
Marketing is the process of getting people interested in your company's product or service. This happens through market research, analysis, and understanding your ideal customer's interests. Marketing pertains to all aspects of a business, including product development, distribution methods, sales, and advertising.
Marketing is what you say and how you say it when you want to explain how awesome your product is and why people should buy it.
Eight steps to marketing your business
1)Conduct market research
2)Profile your target markets
3)Identify your unique selling proposition (USP)
4)Develop your business brand
5)Choose your marketing avenues
6)Set your goals and budget
7)Nurture your loyal customers
8)Monitor and review
2) What is sales?
Sales is when you're face-to-face with a customer, convincing a person to buy your product.Sales include “operations and activities involved in promoting and selling goods or services.”Sales is a term used to describe the activities that lead to the selling of goods or services. Salespeople are responsible for managing relationships with potential clients (prospects) and providing a solution for prospects that eventually leads to a sale.
Sales is actually a spectrum and most selling consists of performing the art of persuading the consumer that buying the product or service will benefit him or her.Some people excel at directing and persuading; these are the super salespeople that truly are worth their weight in gold.
3) Why would one study marketing and sales?
Marketing skills are transferable:Marketing is the study of behaviour and human nature. There are many fields that value these insights and skills. Think about management, leadership, public relations, advertising, direct sales, retail, hospitality or even small business ownership.
In our growing digital world, marketing is still essential. With more and more consumers going online to buy, those that understand this field are more likely to succeed. Small and large businesses utilise digital marketing to reach customers in a way that traditional marketing just can’t.
Behaviour analysis and interpretation is fascinating – understanding people and why we do things is the key to sales. Why do you choose one product over another when perusing the supermarket aisle? What makes someone spend an extra $20 when the exact same product is sold for less by a competitor? Those who study sales and marketing will gain an understanding of the buyer decision making process and what influences buyer behaviour.