Think Twice About Following The Leader

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Mr. Falvey's remark about Advertising Age magazine only shows that his column confuses networking, advertising, and sales promotion, not marketing. To say that "Marketing . . . might better be called sales support or sales promotion" is analogous to saying that wearing a good suit to a job interview will clinch your being hired, or that wearing the same suit as the other interviewees will make one successful.

Jack Falvey replies: As I indicated in my column, much of the marketing advice offered to small companies bears little relationship to their needs. These letters prove the point.

The authors are offended by my contention that the rules of big-time, consumer-product marketing don't apply to most companies, especially small ones. My article did not confuse advertising with marketing. It simply pointed out that consumer-goods marketing relies heavily on massive, high-impact advertising, an expensive and ineffective route for most companies. As for the point that sales is but one element of the marketing mix, that's true only of the consumer-goods giants. Everywhere else, marketing supports sales.

I agree with those who write that it is important to understand the needs of your target market. But how are you going to determine what they are? Market research tells you little about where you've been, let alone where you ought to be going. Sales prospecting is how most businesses gain data for new directions.

Overall, my point was that the goal of marketing is not to be creative or innovative; it is to increase sales. Granted, there are times when you have to be innovative in order to build your business, but those cases are far fewer than most marketing specialists would have you believe. Maybe the book-marketing business is an exception, as Mr. Leisner suggests. I certainly hope so. I will be waiting to see the evidence in my royalty checks.