There are various marketing management philosophies in the marketing world about how to get your business off of the ground and start becoming a profitable company. These philosophies are called orientations, for example, sales orientation. In no way shape or form are any of them wrong, however, if you do not properly implement your chosen orientation properly, and know how your target market is going to react, then you could be in some big trouble, and starting a new business all over again. So, this begs the question,” Which marketing strategy is right for me and my business?” Well, we will explore the different strategies in this article to help guide you in the right direction.
Sales Orientation
In this type of orientation, the business believes people will buy more goods and services by using aggressive sales techniques to produce high sales, and as a result, high profits. They normally do not care about customer wants and needs as long as they continue to effectively sell their product. An example of this would be small used car lots where they say, “How can I get you in this car today?”
Production Orientation
This focuses on the internal capabilities of the company, rather than the desires and needs of the marketplace. This means they will not focus on a specific target market because they believe in mass production and looking at all target markets as one massive market. Oftentimes people refer to this orientation as the “Field of Dreams” orientation because of the thought process, “If we build it, they will come.”
Market Orientation
This is a more consumer friendly orientation because organizations that implement this strategy focus on customer wants and needs. The business will adjust their mission statement and products to meet the wants and needs of a specified target market. This is a very selfless orientation and should provide consumers with a lot confidence due to the willingness to adapt to consumers instead of it being the other way around.
Societal Orientation
This is almost exactly the same as market orientation with regards to focusing on customer wants and needs. However, they also cater to society, and what is best for the environment. Long-term best interests of the consumer are also at the top of their mind. This type of orientation will attract people who believe in green marketing, and look for products that do not harm the environment as much as others do.
Let’s Sum This Up
Here are the four different types of orientations within the marketing world that you can choose from in order to make your company become a profitable organization. Now, this is just one small part of the marketing picture, but it is a start. In order to be successful, you need to have a plan, and knowing what type of marketing orientation you intend to use is very important to that plan.
For those of you who are looking to start a business, I hope this gave you some clarity on the different types of orientations that are in the marketing world. Also, for those just seeking a better understanding of these terms, I hope you enjoyed the article, and now have fewer question marks in and around this topic.
Sources:
Lamb, C. W., Hair J. F. Jr., McDaniel, C. (2013). MKTG 7 . Independence, KY: Cengage Learning.
