THE NATURE OF MARKETING PROBLEMS

Marketing practice is faced with many problems that make it difficult for effective implementation of the marketing goals, objectives, and plans.

The nature of marketing problems can be summarized in the following areas

1.     Declining sales output: From time to time,the marketing department experience low or poor sales output as a result of lack of customers patronage, inability of distributors to sell the organizations products to the final retailers. Declining sales output can affect the profitability level of the firm, thereby becoming a marketing problem.

2.     Inability to control the external environment of business: The marketing department is surrounded by the external environment which is made up of the economic, social, political, technological and cultural environments. These environment affects the ability of the marketing department to implement its plans, objectives and policies effectively as it would have wanted to, thus becoming a problem.

3.     The problem of relating with other functional departments in the organization: Since marketing exists among other departments in the organization like Research and development, Production, Finance, Human resources, Engineering, Legal services etc. it sometimes become difficult to relate with these other departments, when trying to operate effectively.

4.     The problem of poor implementation of marketing programs e.g. marketing research, sales management, advertising, sales promotion, organizational policies, goals and objectives.

5.     Lack of cooperation in the marketing department: Some subordinates can be very stubborn and may not adhere to the instructions of the marketing Manager or Director.