The Marketing House

Being an effective and efficient marketer is not unlike building a house. It requires the same structure as a house. In marketing the foundation is the premise (research-based plan) upon which one develops the company personality (the product, price and people). With the ground floors in place, then (and only then) can a company build the upper floor, which is promotion.

Common sense is the roof that keeps the whole operation running smoothly.

HO– USE ILLUSTRATION

1. FOUNDATION: Know How People Think
Understanding the basic preoccupation people have with their self-interests is one of the foundational premises upon which successful marketers build their strategies.

2. FOUNDATION: Thoroughly Understand Your Market
Smart marketers devote significant time and resources to reseraching their markets by securing off-the-shelf information and generating new data from research projects.

3. FOUNDATION: Plan to Plan; Then Plan
Unless businesses plan to plan they won’t plan. Having made that commitment, they can review all pertinent data and develop long and short-term plans. This allows them to operate proactively rather than re-actively. It also builds internal unity and loyalty.

4. GROUND FLOOR: What Do You Have To Offer?
Product quality, price competitiveness and personal service form the basic company personality-and this is what they sell. Since this is the real identity of a company, this is where the effort should be focused to substantially improve marketing.

5. UPPER FLOOR: Results From Your Sales Force
With a solid ground floor to support them, the sales force can function effectively if they are trained, provided incentives, recognized for their efforts and compensated adequately.

6. UPPER FLOOR: Promoting Your Product
Savvy use of advertising, direct marketing and public relations tools can enhance most marketing efforts. However, they must avoid the common mistake of speaking to the self-interest of the company rather than the client.

7. THE ROOF: Common Sense
Commitment to business principles such as honesty, flexibility, faithfulness, generosity, excellence, perseverance, etc. seem like a given, but when they are intentionally applied they produce great results. However, of all the principles the greatest value of all is LOVE. Love empowers every endeavor and, without it, we drift into many pitfalls.