Become a Tele-caller

Ask an MBA on what a marketer’s job is and abrupt would come the reply …

He is one who

1. Does market survey
2. Plans products to be taken to market
3. Plans GTM (go-to-market) strategy
4. Plans media campaigns ….blah blah blah

Good answers to impress Mr. Kotler .

My take is …

Marketer is one who knows his customers; their idiosyncrasies and traits

(more than that he knows about his wife :))

And the rest of above (Kotler’s theory) will fall in place automatically.

So how can we get to know about our customers?

Sharing the best two ways I found to understand customers.

Become:

 1.       A tele-caller:

If you think that it’s an easy job, just pick up a phone and experience it for yourself.

Call up your customers (especially ones who have logged complaints about your product or service) and they will tell you enough on “areas of improvement”.

 Customers are at receiving end of mistakes done by your organization.

Wrong commitments, bad post sales support, unsatisfactory product performance, etc. They will tell you all.  

They will provide you with enough “To-Do’s” than your boss can ever list for  you with 🙂

 So – talk to customer … often!

2.       A sale executive:

Greatest skill that selling teaches you is to “market-on-your-feet”.

You got just 5 mins!

Yes that’s the time in which you need to build an impression that

“you understand, you care, you deliver”

Here you are marketing:

“Your product, your organization and yourself”

These are skills that you learn only by doing.

No theory, no book, no one can teach you, but yourself!

Knowing customers is not a days job either. You have to get your hands dirty. Do jobs that generally do not fall in your marketing KRA – and is best delegated.

 In short, do not miss any opportunity where you get to speak , to meet or interact with your customer.

Dear Reader: Do you have more ideas …please share!