Sales and Marketing

The mantra for marketing professionals around the world has long been the four Ps: Product, place, price and promotion. In contrast to the ever more dynamic environment around us, these are the factors a company can control when selling their product, idea or service. Modern marketing moves far beyond the classic idea of selling a product regardless of need. In today's environment companies need the knowhow, perceptiveness and willingness to change according to what consumers want and require.

Marketing is an increasingly international discipline. Due to the high influence of factors such as culture, politics, legislation and demographics, it is often necessary to adapt the marketing mix to the country/region the product or service is to be sold in. Many marketing courses today make room for such knowledge and give at least an introduction to the way of thinking that is necessary to see the big picture together with the details to form the perfect marketing mix.A common misconception is that marketing is simply the promotion of goods and services. This is the most visible branch of marketing, but promotion alone will not sell a product. It is far more important to provide a product that is actually wanted by the market. The product, idea or service offered must fit the wants and needs of consumers - not only in price but also in their perception of the product - how it looks, how it is promoted and where it can be bought.