Service Marketing Introduction
The terms marketing and sales are often used interchangeably... but they're really quite different functions.
The job of marketing is to bring qualified prospects to your business. On the other hand, the job of sales
is to determine the specific needs of the prospect that marketing attracted...match your product's
benefits to those needs... and close the deal. To use a baseball analogy...Marketing is the set up - sales is the pitch.
Academically, marketing is described as being comprised of 4 Ps ... product...position...price...promotion.
For a service business - your product is not just the output or result, but the entire experience your
client has in dealing with your business...from the first impression she receives when first exposed to you,
to every interaction with the client that occurs during performance of the service...
and every interaction with the client that takes place after the service is completed and paid for.
That experience is completely perceptual and subjective...AND it involves every touch point your
client has with you personally, your advertising , and your support staff.
Client experience begins with expectations that are created in your marketing message... and it ends with how well
your customer believes those expectations were met or exceeded. Meeting expectations is the minimum requirement
for a satisfied customer... exceeding expectations leads to referrals.
The 4 Ps are all inter-related. Together they define your client\'s expectations of your business.
Focusing on only one P... advertising for instance... without addressing the
other aspects of marketing, can lead to your client having a poor perception of his experience
with your service.
The objective of this series is to assist you to strike the right balance for all
parts of the marketing mix... which will bring more clients to your business.