Seven Habits of Highly Effective Marketers

1. |They are customer oriented.

As marketing expert Philip Kotler contends, "The aim of marketing is to make selling superfluous. The aim of marketing is to know and understand the customer so well that the product or service fits him and sells itself."

A team of 200 scientists at Colgate spent ten years and $35 million developing Total toothpaste. With aging baby boomers increasingly concerned with gingivitis, the product targets consumers aware of this bleeding-gum problem. This has resulted in the largest marketing campaign in the company's history and a blockbuster product.

2. They know what's happening.

To make good decisions, marketers require information from a number of sources. To manage this information, they usually have some type of marketing information system composed of at least three parts: 1. An environmental scanning component that monitors the economic, demographic, political/legal, technological, cultural and competitive environments; 2. An internal marketing records system that provides reports on items such as sales, orders, inventory levels, costs, prices, and accounts payable and receivable; and 3. A market research component that conducts studies on topics of particular interest.

3. They focus

4. They are different

Any company must have a basis for distinguishing itself in the marketplace to justify its existence or to compete effectively. This differentiating feature is called an organizations' "sustainable competitive advantage" (SCA). If a business doesn't have one, it won't be around long.

Southwest Airlines developed a highly effective system for keeping costs down and keeping key services up. Although other airlines have tried to duplicate this model, none have yet been effective.

5. They communicate

Although not necessarily more important, communication is certainly the most visible part of marketing. One of the most effective advertising campaigns in recent years is built around the three words "Like a Rock." In 1991, the Chevrolet truck division of General Motors had a major image problem. Although engineering tests showed that the Chevy truck was one of the most dependable and well-build on the market, consumers did not perceive it that way. Marketing research studies showed that Chevy trucks were perceived as "wimpy" and as the least dependable, least durable trucks on the market.