Marketing Research paper

Marketing
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Abstract
This research was aimed at illustrating the need of a salesperson to push products and whether the type of product makes a difference and as will be illustrated in the report there are various reasons why salespeople push products. The type of products also matter as will be discussed in the report. The expectations of a professional salesperson were also put into consideration and a personal opinion concerning the career was created with supporting reasons discussed in detail.
A policy to ensure that a salesperson remains ethical in their advertising activities was also formulated and the various reasons to support each of the claims discussed in detail.
Publicity, public relations and corporate advertisement were discussed and illustrated in details and examples of successful applications of each of them that have been executed well in the past provided. The role and impact of publicity in the future was also predicted and guiding principles and factors that were considered in making the prediction also explained in detail.
Marketing
When a product is made, there needs to be a target market for it. The product may be an existing one, or an improvement of a product that currently exists in the market. The product may also be a new one that the target market do not know about. This calls for the need of the marketing team to be able to provide salespeople who will in turn create awareness and convince the customers that the product in question is one in which they really need to buy.

Push is a marketing process which focuses on bringing the product to the customer and placing it in front of the customer during the time of purchase. It is aimed at minimizing the amount of time between a customer discovering about the product and purchasing it. To achieve this goal, businesses use very vigorous, aggressive and wide-stretching advertisements to make the most effective and immediate impact on their target customers CITATION Har15 l 1033 (Sujan, 2015).
Traditional and classic marketing strategies such as television advertisements, direct mail catalogues and buy one get one free coupons are most common examples of push marketing strategies. Push marketing casts a wide net in the hopes of landing as many potential customers as possible. The main focus is not on building relationships with customers but on pushing products towards them. The value, quality and innovativeness are stated and emphasized to try and create immediate customer demand in the market.
Significance and Need of a Salesperson to Push Products
The biggest merit of push marketing is that it generates quick results and makes a vivid statement to its prospective customer base. It is less concerned with branding, and more concerned with creating an instant demand for a new product. It is used mostly be start-up businesses as which are introducing a new product into the market. Due to the fact that its focus is on taking the product to the customer, it is suited particularly to products that the consumer is not yet aware of CITATION Har15 l 1033 (Sujan, 2015).
This marketing strategy can be used by both small and large companies. A business such as a new shoe shop might give out free samples such as socks and shoe brushes to the members of the surrounding community while an established manufacturing might flood the airwaves with a TV advertisements for a new type of soap.
In all these strategies, salespeople are an important part of the process since they are the ones that play an integral and the most important part. They are the ones that meet the customers physically. They create a good rapport with the customers and explain to them why the specific products in each of the cases are the best and in the process convince the customers to buy their products. They also communicate feedback to the company to be able to tailor the product better according to the specific needs of the customers.
Sales people also act as consultants and counselors of the company to the consumers since they are able to listen to the customers and determine what they need in relation to the product in question and find a way of convincing them by offering advice to enable the customers to buy their products.
The type of product that the sales person works on selling at a given point in time determines whether or not the push strategy applies to be able to sell. For example, expensive products such as airplanes and private jets which are custom made do not need to be widely advertised since the target market consists of a very small group of the wealthy who already know of the existence and will need products which fit their specific need. The company will therefore be forced to adopt the pull system where the producer waits to consumer to spell their needs then the producer will produce a product that is tailored to suit the customer’s specifications. A great sales person will also help the customer stay focused on the goal that they are trying to achieve. The buying decision often stretches out and a good sales person will push the customer to help them realize the lost opportunities and opportunity costs of delaying the making of the decision and its implementation. Order of the two is not the main objective but helping the consumer achieve their goals on schedule is.
Expectations of a Salesperson and Personal View about the Career
A sales person has many expectations depending on the point of consideration. A lot is expected of them ranging from personal expectations, to the company and even family expectations. They are expected to maintain high level of satisfaction to the customers and a professional attitude at all times. They are also expected to sell the amount of products delegated to them by their sales managers. Also, they are expected to be observant so as to identify the specific needs of each consumer and be able to address them using their products and be able to convince the customers to buy their goods. They are also supposed to understand well their products so that when consulting with the customers they can answer their queries and be able to convince them to buy CITATION Exp15 l 1033 (Expectations of a Sales Professional, 2015).
By using the stated processes and following them, they are created to create consumer awareness and be able to convince the customers to purchase their products. By doing so, they will be able to increase the sales of the company and their goal would therefore have been achieved. Considering the fact that the job of the salespeople including their salaries depend directly on the amount of sales that they are able to execute. The survival, success or doom of the firm is also directly related to the sales and this makes the sales team a very important part of the firm CITATION Har15 l 1033 (Sujan, 2015).
At a personal level, I would totally be interested in a career in the marketing industry. For starters, because my own work will have a direct impact on the salary. I will be able to earn a big salary and on top of it earn a great deal of additional commissions. If I work hard, smart, continually hone my sales skills and build lasting relationships with my clientele and gain valuable experience, I can be able to command a high paying salary CITATION Why15 l 1033 (Why a Career in Sales: Pros and Cons, 2015).
A job as a salesperson will also afford me a great deal of flexibility. When the corporate employees fight for the best spot in the office setting, I would be able to enjoy the outside view of the world. I would also be able to enjoy since I would move from one place to another looking for clients and this will enable me enjoy my work better.
Being a salesperson would also allow me to build a name and legacy for myself by my own accomplishments. As a salesperson, one has a high level of accomplishment since one is directly the person responsible for making things happen. Making a big sale happen can be quite satisfying to a person and it will go down in record as an accomplishment of the company but due to the brilliance of the salesperson and this will be kept in record. One may also get awards and rewards which are put in place to reward the best salespeople. This comes together with commissions, sales contests, reward trips and recognition. This can even further create new markets for the sales persons since prospective customers may be inclined to dealing with the best seller CITATION Why15 l 1033 (Why a Career in Sales: Pros and Cons, 2015).
Policies to Observe to Remain Ethical in Advertising Activities
Ethics is an important part of the sales career and just like in other fields in business, one has to observe them. One of the most important aspects of this field is to tell the truth. A sales person is obligated to never lie to a customer even if the lie will incline the customer to buying.
Since the customers are human beings, it is possible that they will make a mistake and misinterpret the information that the salesperson will be giving to them. It is important that the salesperson corrects any form of misunderstanding. However tempting these misinterpretations may be since they can work to the favor of the salesperson, they are obligated not to take advantage and make sure that they correct the error in time so that the customer can make an informed decision at all times.
Discipline is also an important part of the policy that should guide a salesperson. Given the fact that it is a career that depends on outdoor activities and moving from place to place, one has to be self-driven. Planning the day and following the schedule has to be voluntary without close supervision since the supervisors might be in sight only for a short time in a day and the rest of the time, the salesperson is alone. Being disciplined will enable salespeople to sell their products and lack of discipline will make them drop or even fail to sell anything and this will put their jobs in jeopardy.
Public Relations, Publicity and Corporate Advertising
Public relations, publicity and corporate advertising are tools of communication which convey information about an organization, its services and products in order to benefit the organizations and its offerings.
Public relations (PR) is a management function which evaluates public attitudes and identifies policies and procedures of an organization with the public interest and executes a program of action to get understanding and acceptance from its customers CITATION Abo15 l 1033 (About Public Relations, 2015). Under it, there exists marketing public relations. It is aimed at determining the public’s existing general attitude towards the firm and its products, designing a PR plan that is proactive, execute the plan laid down by the management and determining the effectiveness of the plan. Its target audience are employees, customers, suppliers, media, civic groups etc. The various tools used in PR are press releases, exclusives, interviews, company newsletter, etc. A good example of a PR that has been executed well is the NBC Nightly News Broadcast where an ad executive, Charlotte Beers, and Undersecretary of State and former CEO of Ogivily and Mather, was taken to the U.S. in war message. The mission was to market the U.S. brand and connect with people abroad CITATION Pub15 l 1033 (Public Relations, Publicity, and Corporate Advertising, 2015).
Publicity on the other hand, is the generation of news about a person, product, or service that appears in the media with the aim of creating awareness. It is a short-term strategy that is aimed at increasing sales as compared to PR which lasts over a period of time. News is not always positive or controlled by the firm as compared to PR where the firm controls, determines and provides positive news about the firm and its products. Publicity bears more power compared PR because it is highly credible since the source is different from the company and consequently, the public will tend to believe them more and easily. This is so because it holds a news value and creates a lot of impressions about the firm. Publicity is a risky aspect to a firm compared to corporate advertising and PR since what is aired or printed is not up to the firm to decide. A good publicity example is the covering of an upcoming event in a newspaper the entertainment section. This will cover the event and give a glimpse of the event in either positive or negative tone and will consequently reach interested members of the public and this will affect the number of people that turn up for the event as a result CITATION Cha15 l 1033 (Chand, 2015).
Corporate advertising can be understood to be an extension of the PR function. It does not promote a specific product or service. Its main aim is to promote the organization by enhancing the image of the organization, assuming a position on an issue or cause and seeking involvement from the market. It can also be done to boost employee morale and improve relations, provide investors with information and reduce uncertainty and help diversified companies establish an identity. There are three types of corporate advertising in existence: image advertising, advocacy advertisement and cause-related advertising. Nortel Networks, an American Internet Service Provider put up a corporate advertisement bearing the face of Olympic gold medalist runner Michael Johnson. They noted that Nortel carries internet traffic, data and speeds that are the fastest in the industry CITATION Pub15 l 1033 (Public Relations, Publicity, and Corporate Advertising, 2015).
Considering the role of publicity and the method of conveyance to the public, I expect publicity to be less impactful in the future. This is because as times are advancing people are becoming more liberal concerning opinions that are conveyed through mass communication media and even the internet and this will make prospective customers to be less reluctant to take up ideas on the media. The internet is the main channel of communication of publicity in the current world and considering most ads on the internet are viruses and worms, people tend to ignore them and the information does not reach its target as a result. The roles of PR considered are: Creating high level of awareness about an organization about a firm and its products to existing customers. Its target is also to build a favorable reputation and maintain high standards of goodwill between a firm, its products and services, and its customers.
References
About Public Relations. (2015, June 10). Retrieved from www.pria.com.au/: http://www.pria.com.au/aboutus
Chand, S. (2015, June 10). Role of Public Relations in Promotion of a Company. Retrieved from www.yourarticlelibrary.com: http://www.yourarticlelibrary.com/marketing/marketing-mix/role-of-public-relations-in-promotion-of-a-company/32304/
Expectations of a Sales Professional. (2015, June 10). Retrieved from www.mackpowers.com: http://www.mackpowers.com/expectations_of_a_sales_professional/
Public Relations, Publicity, and Corporate Advertising. (2015, June 10). Retrieved from people.umass.edu: http://people.umass.edu/debevec/mktg422/Public_Relations_Publicity_and_Corporate_Advertising.pdf
Sujan, H. (2015, June 10). Salespeople’s Influence on Consumers’ and Business Buyers’ Goals and Wellbeing. Retrieved from /info.freeman.tulane.edu/hsujan: http://info.freeman.tulane.edu/hsujan/chapter15.pdf
Why a Career in Sales: Pros and Cons. (2015, June 10). Retrieved from salescareer.net: http://salescareer.net/why-a-career-in-sales-pros-and-cons/6