You may say it's your latest bill for newspaper advertising. Someone else may picture his sales staff calling from a bank of phones. And another business owner might think about the latest list she's testing for a direct-mail campaign. All of you are right. And all of you are wrong.
Marketing is the sum of many actions.
It involves product design, pricing strategy, sales and distribution, and promotion and advertising. Business owners frequently put the marketing horse before the business cart, says consultant Bruce Murphy, of Path Wey Marketing Co. in Guilford. Marketing is not a goal in itself, he points out. You should think of a marketing plan as a road map that takes you to the goal or goals you've set in an overall business plan. The business plan sets your destination.