Marketing has often been defined in terms of satisfying the needs and wants of the customer. Critics argue that this goes beyond creating needs and wants that didn’t exist before, encouraging consumers to spend more on products or services they don’t need. (Kotler and Keller, 2009)
Take a position:
Marketing shapes the needs and wants of consumers.
Versus
Marketing simply reflects the needs and wants of consumers.
This question is very general in nature. I argue that a supporting or challenging argument could be made based solely on the set of products being discussed. For a position, I will focus on IT solutions equity purchase for an enterprise-grade data center. I take the position, in this field, that marketing simply reflects the needs and wants of consumers. In this environment, sales cycles can vary depending on the immediate or delayed need to support the customer environment. If current solutions (hardware and software) meet the need and demand of external customers, the cycles could be long and participation leading to intense shutdown. All parties (buyer and seller) should conduct their own SWOT analysis to present the best argument for each facet of the cycle.
Customer service, of which marketing is a part, has always focused on building and maintaining relationships (Toto, 2011). According to Day, committed relationships are among the most enduring advantages because they are difficult to understand, copy, or displace for the competition (Day, 1999, p. 126). In the current technological environment, the client is not carried away by marketing or advertising promotions (Toto, 2011). They are driven by performance, results, and support. In all circumstances, the client has statistics or comparative results early in the decision process. When competition starts to shrink, a proof of concept is often carried out with the customer’s application and / or data run on competing equipment, the bottom line being a deciding factor, along with the price and the matrix of after-sales support.
As you reflect on your network of relationships, we find solid advice from the scriptures that asks you whose friendship you are cultivating. Are these clients who possess wisdom? This important thought will help you decide where to draw the relationship line, in business contact or in a combination of business and personal. Are you building relationships with those who scoff at God’s ways and reject them? In Proverbs 13:20 we are reminded to be careful, because a wrong relationship can lead to disaster. He who walks with wise men will be wise, but the companion of fools will be destroyed (NKJV). It is important for us to understand how these relationships can and will have a much greater impact on our lives and those we serve than closing the sale or making the quarterly installment. It is critical that we pray for guidance in discerning the dangers that these bad relationships negatively impact our lives and those around us personally and professionally.
