The discussion of process within marketing sparks lively debate with three main views;
1. Some see processes as a means to achieve an outcome, for example - to achieve a 30% market share a company implements a marketing planning process. Another view is that marketing has a number of processes that integrate together to create an overall marketing process, for example - telemarketing and Internet marketing can be integrated. 3. A further view is that marketing processes are used to control the marketing mix, i.e.
2.
processes that measure the achievement marketing objectives.
All views are understandable, but not particularly customer focused. For the purposes of the marketing mix, process is an element of service that sees the customer experiencing an organisations offering. Its best viewed as something that your customer participates in at different points in time. At each stage of the process, markets:
- - Deliver value through all elements of the marketing mix. Process, physical evidence and people enhance services.
- . Feedback can be taken and the mix can be altered.
- - Customers are retained, and other serves or products are extended and marked to them.
- . The process itself can be tailored to the needs of different individuals, experiencing a similar
service at the same time.
Processes essentially have inputs, throughputs and outputs (or outcomes). Marketing adds value to each of the stages.