1. INTRODUCTION

Marketing to a lay man is the art of buying and selling of goods. While some people think that marketing is only about advertising and/or personal selling of goods and services. To some, it is a process of looking for buyers for goods and services. As such people see the work of marketers as hungry scooters looking for whom to pay for what they don’t need. Advertising has always been the Peck's bad boy of American business urging us to buy things we probably don't need and often can't afford.   (Andrew Hacker).The reason for this ignorance could be traced to some marketing managers who set unattainable targets for their salesmen. Before we proceed, it is pertinent to explain the difference between selling and marketing which in most cases has been regarded as synonyms. This is a misconception of marketing.

1. MARKETING AND SELLING

Marketing is primarily concerned with the sophisticated strategy of trying to produce / provide what the consumers want and exchange that product / Service at a mutual benefit to both parties. It started before the products were born and being offered for sale. While selling is mainly concerned with the plans and tactics of getting the consumer to exchange what he has for what the seller has. It focuses on what the salesman needs do to be an asset to his company. While marketing focuses on the needs of buyers, selling on the other hand focuses on the needs and aims of the seller.

1.  IMPORTANCE OF MARKETING

Marketing performs among others the following under listed functions:

1. Contribution to high material standard of living.
2. aids production
3. helps in decision making
4. economic growth
5. Solve problem of scarcity.
6. DEFINITION AND SCOPE OF MARKETING

The American Marketing Association (AMA) defines marketing as “…an organizational function and a set of processes for creating, communicating and delivering value to customers and for managing customer relationships in ways that benefit the organization and its stakeholders."(2004)
“Marketing deals with identifying and meeting human and social needs. One of the shortest definitions of marketing is “meetingneeds profitably”… (Kotler and Keller)
It’s not easy to define marketing in a manner that is generally acceptable to everyone. This is because marketing is a salient organ of every managerial success. Marketing is a wide range concept entailing the development of ideas, screening of ideas, concept development, pricing, promotion and distribution of goods to the final users. According to Ross Perot “Business is not just doing deals; business is having great products, doing great engineering, and providing tremendous service to customers. Finally, business is a cobweb of human relationships”. Marketing is simply the task of creating, promoting, and delivering goods and services to consumers and businesses.

Professional Marketers are equipped with skills to arouse demands for their company products and services. This is one of the key functional duties of a marketer. He strategize on the best way of satisfying their customers/clients; being able to meet their running cost, and as well as having returns on investment. Our company is built on people-those who work for us, and those we do business with. (H. S. Firestone).

Marketing is no longer seen as a merely post-production activity but an all round process that begins and ends with customer satisfaction. Marketing cut across all aspect of life be it personal, organizational, Socio-political, religious, economic, etc. marketing is a universal concept that encompasses all facet of life. Thus, marketing can be seen as the optimization of resources, goods, services, experiences, events, persons, places, properties, organizations, information, and ideas. Marketing has directly or indirectly permeates into all our daily activities be it individual, organization, or government.

To an individual who dressed corporate; looking radiant, with his credentials in his hand and sets out for a job interview. He believes his potential employer needs an intelligent, brilliant, hardworking man and for him to get the job; he has to provide the employer required brilliance and quality for him to get such job to earn a living. This shows that marketing is a mutual concept where all parties benefit with no person loosing. Let’s also use an accounting student who after acquiring academic qualification also “delves” into the professional field of accounting – ICAN, ACCA, ANAN, etc. Why does he have to do this since all are titled accountants? The reason for his exploration is simple. He does this because of the competition in the labour market coupled with employers’ preference for professionals (chartered). There is a popular saying that says ICAN makes the difference in an Accountant.

To an organization (profit making/non-profit making) needs to assess its strength and weakness and examines its opportunities and threats; then develops idea of what to offer. The first step in product development is generation of idea of what to produce. Mickey Mouse popped out of my mind onto a drawing pad 20 years ago on a train ride from Manhattan to Hollywood at a time when business fortunes of my brother Roy and myself were at lowest ebb and disaster seemed right around the corner. (Walt Disney).

Idea plays an essential role in product development.  If you have ideas, you have the main asset you need, and there isn't any limit to what you can do with your business and your life. Ideas are any man's greatest asset (H. S. Firestone). Ideas have played a remarkable role, asides managerial decisions, in all activities of man. According to Napoleon Hill “All achievements, all earned riches have their beginning in idea”. After the generation of ideas, the managers now screen the ideas and choose the one, when developed will benefit both the buyers and the company.

To the government, marketing helps satisfy citizens and improve their standards of living. In most African countries including Nigeria, marketing has not been applied in government decision making and this accounts for our underdevelopment. Marketing is mostly practiced in developed countries of U.S. Britain, china and among others. For example, Britain is known as one of the richest economy in the world. I ask this question. What is the basis of Britain success? SLAVE TRADE!!! No, the reason behind Britain success is strategic marketing. Britain has no resources, yet, plays a vital role in the international economy and politics. Britain economic and political policies are based on marketing strategies – deep intellectual thinking. You will be amazed when you enter a supermarket in U.K by 2.00 a m and buy whatever you need at a fair price with no shop attendant. It seems like magic but it’s not. It’s simply marketing.

Today, China is regarded as one of the fast growing economy in the world because of its strategic and international marketing tools. China has been able to dominate many economies with her affordable products at a cheap price.

Hence, it’s high time we all start reaping the benefit which marketing is offering by applying it in all our daily activities. Nigeria has no business with poverty. With our human and material resources, we shall strive to eradicate poverty from our country.  (Olusegun Obasanjo).
Even religious bodies are now marketers. Most radio stations and television station stations are now filled with religious programmes, announcement of night vigils, testimonies, etc. Most people are poor; some are in spiritual bondage, while some are in one problem or the other. They all need deliverance. The spiritual fathers and anointed men of God are able to pray for their salvation and they give offerings in return at the end of prayer sessions. Thus, everybody is gaining and nobody is loosing – marketing.

Thus, marketing is defined as the process through which the satisfaction of one is met at the benefit of the other. Marketing is a mutual concept. You can neither loose nor regret (if properly applied). All it requires is adequate planning, hard thinking and dedication. Fear less and take risk. I will end this paper with the words of William Hewlet he says “All business proceeds on beliefs, or judgments of probabilities, and not on certainties.” All said and done there is element of marketing.

REFERENCES

1. Kotler and Keller        - Marketing Management, 12e

2. Quoteopia!                  - http://www.quoteopia.com/

Yusuff Taoheed Ola (ANIMN, AAT)
Audit Staff
Olajide and Associates Nig.
www.olajideassociates.com