Marketing Products is not what everyone seems to think it is. Most people jump to the conclusion that marketing is either advertising, the gathering of information from potential buyers, or just plain getting as many prospects to call on as humanly possible.
Well to a certain extent the above is true. Marketing products and advertising do go together. And so it is with information gathering and prospecting. But there is so much more to marketing.
What Is Marketing?
Simply put marketing means that you are in the arena where buying and selling is taking place. If you are buying or selling then you are marketing.
When marketing a product there are 4 main areas that play a part in the successful execution of any sales strategy:
- Product
- Place
- Promotion
- Price
Product: When we talk about product we may be referring to a tangible object such as a car or an information product such as a course on how to market. New product marketing of information products is becoming more widespread thanks to the internet. And let’s not forget about marketing research products. This is a growing field that shows no signs of letting up anytime soon.
The product is the most important of the 4 areas as it pertains to marketing. Without the proper product to market you are just wasting your time and effort.
Most companies will spend countless hours and put forth massive efforts just to find the smallest product that they think the public might be interested in buying. They know that with the wrong product no sales will result. With the right product they will have sales and growth.
Place: When marketing new products or old products the place where you choose to sell is very important. It would make no sense to try and sell ice to Eskimos in Alaska, even though people try it all the time. Nor would it make sense to sell winter coats to people who live by the equator.
Promotion: Promoting a product is a lot like positioning products. Promotion can be accomplished face to face, by advertising on TV or in print, and of course by internet marketing products.
There are direct marketing products that people will sell face to face like Amway, Tupperware, or Avon.
There are also promotional marketing products like pens, calendars, statues, and the list goes on and on. Normally a product name or company name will be put on these type of products with the hopes that the product or name will get stuck in peoples heads.
When marketing promotional products you need to be careful not to come off as slick but rather inline with helping a client achieve their objectives.
These custom marketing products can be helpful in the right situations. Just be careful not to go overboard with them. They can quickly turn cheesy.
Price: Price is the easiest. You may sell a product at whatever somebody is willing to pay for it. It really is that easy. It always helps to know what a majority of people are willing to pay so that you can sell the most products. But all in all charge as much as the market will allow.
Target marketing is when you go after a specific group of people in a certain demographic. It can be based on age, geographic location, or even height or weight. The possibilities are endless.
A business marketing products can be very rewarding and financially uplifting. It takes a certain type of person to make a profession out of marketing products, but there never seems to be a shortage of people willing to give it a go. Perhaps, because in many cases you are able to learn on the job and not start with a specialized education.
Marketing success depends on how much work you are willing to put into your job. The return you receive is equal to the hard work you put in. No other job equates your work with success any more than marketing products.
To make a business marketing products is to make a commitment to work long hours and take a lot of rejection. Rejection is part of the game. You can’t take it personally but rather see each rejection as a learning opportunity. You may walk away without a sale but gain experience in answering a question that comes up repeatedly. How valuable can that be?
Just remember when marketing products you must keep focused on the customer, completely understand your product, and lastly truly know what your goals are. Goals are important because sometimes you want to sell right then and there and other times you just want to introduce a prospect to a product.
The old sayings still applies: “The customer is always right, unless they are wrong.” Your job is to make the sale or get the word out….Not to be somebody’s guardian angel.
Today we have internet marketing products. It is a whole new area that has opened up and many people are learning about it and taking advantage of it. It is a billion dollar industry and growing. Don’t be left behind.
Marketing products is a business that should be taken seriously. It is what drives the economy of the world, puts food on the family dinner table, and brings us new and exciting things to make our lives better.
When marketing products do it as a professional and you will be rewarded like one.