In a bad economy it is difficult to sell any product that is not an absolute necessity. On the other hand in a good economy the sale of these goods require little marketing. There are companies however, that face the daunting task of marketing products that are a hard sale no matter the condition of the economy. This paper will focus on the television manufacturing and funereal services industry to discuss the issues facing companies who must market products that are not an easy sell as well as discuss the impacts the exchange relationship when the customer does not want to be a customer.
Issues facing companies who must market products that may not be an “easy sell
In the age of technology companies seek to stay ahead of their field by being the first to come up with the next new trend. In the television manufacturing field as with so many others this has held true. In the late nineties the world was introduced to high definition televisions. Their sleek flat panel design allowed them to hang on walls making it captivating and an easy sell to those looking to buy a new television along with those looking to keep up with the trend of the day. As more and more manufacturers enter the market for them, the sale price was low enough for them to show up in many homes, replacing the bulky version of old regardless of whether or not they were still in good working condition.
While the entrance of several high definition television manufactures was good for the customers, it required companies to lowers their prices which lowered their profit per item. This paved the way for the next new wave in television viewing to emerge. The invention of three dimensional televisions is another intriguing product in home entertainment however; their emergent would not be as easy of a sell as the high definition television. The first issue facing the sale of this product is the fact that many homes are in possession of their not so old high definition television.
In
References: Mullins, J. W., & Walker, O. C. (2010). Marketing management: a strategic decision-making approach (7th ed.). Boston: McGraw-Hill Irwin. Spangler, T.. (2010, September). 3DTV: TOUGH SELL. Multichannel News, 31(34), 2. Retrieved May 20, 2012, from ProQuest Telecommunications. (Document ID: 2142313571). The Hard Sell: How to Market Products That Are No Longer Popular - Knowledge@Wharton. (n.d.). Knowledge@Wharton. Retrieved May 20, 2012, from http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article.cfm?articleid=1950