Scope of Marketing Management

1.Setting Marketing Goals:

The prime task of marketing manager is to set marketing goals and objectives. Clearly and precisely defined objective can help marketing manager to direct marketing efforts effectively. The goals and objective (whether strategic and operating, or short-term and long-term) must be suitably communicated with the employees concern. As far as possible, objectives should be expressed in the quantifiable terms.

2. Selecting Target Market:

Segmenting the total market and selecting the target market is a fundamental task of marketing management. Modern marketing practice is based on the target market, and not on the total market. Marketing manager cannot satisfy the needs and wants of entire market. He must concentrate his efforts only on well-defined specific groups of customers, known as the target market. All the marketing functions are directed to cater needs and wants of the target market only. Based on company’s overall capacity, the target market should be selected.

3. Formulating Suitable Marketing Organisation:

To implement marketing plan, a suitable organisation structure is essential. On the basis of analysis of type of products, type of market, geographical concentration of market, and many other relevant factors, appropriate organisation must be designed. Various alternative structures are available, such as product organisation, geographic organisation, functional organisation, matrix organisation, etc. Based upon requirements, the appropriate structure should be prepared and modified as per needs.

4. Maintaining Healthy Relations with other Departments:

Marketing department needs cooperation from other departments of organisation, including financial department, personnel department, and production department, to satisfy customers effectively. Their support is considered to be important to satisfy consumers. Thus, for integrated efforts, marketing manager should try to establish good relations with them. Likewise, within marketing department, he must establish coordination among various personnel.

5. Establishing and Maintaining Profitable Relations with Outside Parties:

Alike internal support, the external relations are also extremely necessary. Marketer, in order to carry out marketing activities effectively, must establish and maintain healthy relations with various parties, such as suppliers, service providers, government agencies, dealers, consultants, and so forth. Without their support, marketing manager cannot carry out functions successfully. Due to important role of external relations, contemporary marketing practices can be said as relationship marketing.

6. Marketing Research Activities:

Marketing research is one of the important functions of modern marketing. Marketing research involves systematic collection, analysis, and interpretation of data on any problem related to marketing. It provides the manager with valuable information on which marketing decisions can be taken. Marketing research is essential to know adequately about consumers and market situation. It is a basic function to satisfy consumers. Marketing efforts are based on the marketing research information.

7. Sales Management:

Sales management is one of the important functions of marketing management. Sales management concerns with planning, implementation, and controlling selling efforts. It performs all the activities directly related to execution of sales.

Sales department carry out selling functions. Sales department formulates sales policies, ensures adequate quantity of products, maintains sales records, formulates structures for sales department, manages sales force (salesmen), and controls selling efforts.

8. Exercising Effective Control on Marketing Activities:

Control is essential to ensure that activities are performed as per plan. Control involves establishing standards, measuring actual performance, comparing actual performance with standards, and taking corrective actions, if needed. Control keeps the entire marketing department alert, active, and regular. Marketing manager should set up an effective controlling system to monitor marketing efforts.