Marketing muscle

One of my business Gurus, Dr Tarun Gupta, loves to say 'you can have a business without any resource or function, but not without a customer!

Marketing is a discipline that most of us think we know, but the reality is generally different!

Marketing is just as important for small business and individuals as for corporations. Top salespeople know that they must sell themselves before any product or service.

Imperfect competition covers up wasteful and erroneous marketing. This is especially true of India where scarce infrastructure and corruption can act as huge entry barriers. International companies have insidious ways of keeping domestic and small players away from vast swathes of markets.

Just as water finds its own level, so it is with market share over the long term. Profitability is another leveling factor since organizations with access to cheap funds can, in the short term, use predatory pricing to keep potential competitors away.

I value your contributions to how to find and retain customers:

1. Segment creatively.
2. Target with laser-sharp focus.
3. Check that you can fill a real market gap sustainably and with profit, before you enter.
4. Never take customers for granted.
5. Emphasize internal and interactive marketing; keep external marketing under-stated.
6. Ensure that each element of the marketing mix is in tune with all the others.

I can expand on the points above if you wish.

Now for an exercise. Here is a picture from the deep interiors of Northern India:

One of my colleagues, Kuldeep Singh Khushwaha is first from left. The others are farmers. 

How would you go about making and executing a marketing plan to cater to these customers. We can exchange notes with what my colleagues and I have done with farm inputs.