Marketing plays an important role in the organization’s strategic plan in a variety of ways. It is the first to provide an underlying philosophy, the marketing concept. That recommends that the company’s strategic focus be on building relationships with key consumer groups. Marketing also provides information to strategic planners by assisting to find attractive market opportunities. Also assessing the potential of the company to benefit from the opportunities.
The strategic plan for the company defines the types of businesses that the company will operate and develop the goals for each. Within every business area, in-depth planning is important. The main functional departments within every organization are finance, marketing, accounting, and operations, purchasing human resources, information systems, and many others. These must work together to achieve strategic goals.
Additionally, within business units, marketing develops strategies for achieving the objectives of the unit. When the objectives of the unit are define, the task of marketing is to carry out the objectives successfully. The value of the customer is the primary component of the formula used by marketers to achieve success.
Although marketing plays an important role, it’s only a part of the process of attracting, retaining, and growing the number of customers. In addition to customer relationship management, marketers should take part in managing partner relationships. They must collaborate closely with partners from other departmental areas to build an efficient internal value chain that serves customers. Additionally, they need to work effectively with other companies within the marketing system to create a superior competitive external value delivery system.
Working with other Departments of the Company
Each department within the company is seen as a part of the company’s internal value chain. The collection of internal departments carrying the value-creating tasks to develop, manufacture markets, distribute and maintain the firm’s products. Each department is responsible for value-creating actions to develop, manufacture markets, sell, deliver and help support the company’s products. The success of the company is not just on the way each department can carry out its tasks but also on the way the different departments collaborate on their work.
The value chain of a company is only as solid as the weakest link. The success of a value chain is contingent on how each department does its job to add value to customers’ lives and also on how the organization organizes the activities of the various departments.
Functions of Company
The various functions of a company should be in sync to provide value to consumers. However, in reality, the relationships between departments can be a source of conflict and miscommunications. The marketing department can see the perspective of the consumer. However, when it is trying to increase customer satisfaction. It could make other departments do better concerning their requirements. Marketing department actions could increase the cost of purchasing, alter production schedules, create an inventory and cause budget problems. Therefore, other departments could be able to resist the marketing department’s efforts.
However, marketers must figure out ways to convince all departments to think in terms of consumers and build a smooth value chain. One expert in marketing describes it this way:
True market orientation doesn’t necessarily mean becoming a marketing-driven company. It is when the whole company is obsess with providing value to the customer and thinks of itself as a collection of processes. It can profitably define, design the right environment, communicates, and delivers worth to its clients.
Working with other partners within the marketing System
More and more companies are now cooperating with other participants of the supply chain, including distributors, suppliers, and, ultimately customers to enhance the performance of the value delivery network.
Value delivery network
The network is made up of the company as well as its suppliers, distributors, and, finally its customers. Those who work together to improve the efficiency of the whole system.
Today, more and more competition has no longer taken place between competitors. It is instead, it occurs across the whole value delivery networks that are create by these rivals.