Entrepreneurs do have differing orientation about marketing and its relevance to their businesses. When they say it is all about buying at low price and selling it for profit, it is very disappointing to know that they fail to comprehend the magnitude of marketing in their business.

Valeria Maltoni of MarketingProfs Daily Fix raises an important question – What’s It Mean to Be a Marketer? She concludes that marketers today act only as order takers and many people equate marketing with tactics. I lifted some of the good qualities of marketers cited in her post and they are:

• Listening to feedback
• Selling ideas and then goods/services
• Spotting trends
• Thinking strategically

Perhaps a bigger question is: What does Marketing mean to your company? Using the good qualities above, do you have the following?

• Effective customer feedback system
• Formal competitor analysis
• Extensive knowledge of current and future market logos trends
• Strategic short-term and long-term goals for your small business

Yes, marketing is deeper than buy and sell concept. If marketing is that simple then we need not worry about business failures, right? Try to broaden your perspective and use the questions above as your guideline.

For starters, read Free Business Tips’ advice on knowing you customers and the value of 80/20 Rule.