Communications

Free ink is an expression used in the public relations field and the PR expert is good at obtaining it. It means of course the newspaper, magazine, or other media coverage of you and your product without direct cost. New ideas business start up, success stories innovations are news. They are ideal subject for free ink and they assist customer acquaintance with a product. In some case the PR or more correctly termed “Communications Consultant” can be an extremely valuable marketing tool for a business.

Personal selling

Now here is a dilemma. The salesperson can be the most effective means of persuading a customer to purchase a product, but he or she can also be the most costly method. As previously noted, a perfect use of the marketing philosophy would probably remove the need for a sales force –but nothing is perfect. Personal selling is especially beneficial when the direct contact with customers provides feedback. Many consumers will exchange information with capable sales people to reveal prejudices, preferences, new sales opportunities even comment about the competition. Along with, capturing an order from a customer the good salesperson can collect market knowledge from the most important person in the life of many businesses –the customer.

Many business actively market with stalls and fairs or country and city markets. Major trade shows can be expensive but they are the ideal means of marketing many products.

The important thing to remember about personal selling is that it is only one of the marketing mix tools. Many new businesses assume that they have to put a sales rep on the road to see their product get to the customer. There is other often less expensive means of getting the message to the public –all part of the Marketing Philosophy.