Definition of service marketing
Service marketing is a series of activities taken by enterprises in the marketing process to fully meet the needs of consumers on the premise of fully understanding and meeting their needs. As an element of marketing mix, service really attracted people's attention in the late 1980s. During this period, due to the progress of science and technology and the remarkable improvement of social productivity, the industrial upgrading and professional development of production are accelerating day by day. On the one hand, the service content of products, that is, the service intensity of products, is increasing day by day. On the other hand, with the improvement of labor productivity, the market turns to the buyer's market. With the improvement of income level, consumers' consumption demand has gradually changed, and the level of demand has also increased accordingly, and it has expanded in a diversified direction.
Comparison between service marketing and traditional marketing
Compared with traditional marketing methods, service marketing is a marketing concept, enterprises are marketing services, while traditional marketing methods are just a means of sales, and enterprises are marketing specific products. Under the traditional marketing method, consumers buy products, which means that they have completed the sales of a village. Although there is also after-sales service, it only solves the function of after-sales maintenance of products. From the perspective of service marketing, consumers' purchase of products only means the beginning of sales work, not the end. Enterprises pay attention not only to the successful sales of products, but also to the feelings of consumers in the whole process of enjoying the services provided by enterprises through products. This can also be understood from Maslow's hierarchy of needs theory: the highest demand of human beings is respect demand and self-realization demand, and service marketing provides this demand for consumers (or people), while traditional marketing methods only provide simple satisfaction for consumers' physiological or safety needs. With the progress of society and the improvement of people's income, consumers need not only a product, but also a specific or personalized service brought by this product, so that they have a feeling of being respected and realizing their self-worth, which brings customer loyalty. Service marketing is not only a new trend of industry development, but also an inevitable product of social progress.
Evolution of service marketing
The marketing activities of mature service enterprises in developed countries have generally gone through seven stages.
(1) sales stage
Competition appears, and the sales ability is gradually improved;
Focus on sales plan rather than profit;
Train employees in sales skills;
Hope to attract more new customers, regardless of customer satisfaction.
(2) advertising and communication stage
Intentionally increase advertising investment;
Designate multiple advertising agencies;
Put brochures and various materials at the point of sale;
Customers then raise their expectations, and companies often find it difficult to meet their expectations;
Output is not easy to measure;
Competitive imitation prevails.
(3) product development stage
Aware of new customer needs;
Introduce many new products and services, which can be spread;
Emphasize the process of new product development;
Subdivide the market and build a strong brand.
(4) Differentiation stage
Enterprise positioning through strategic analysis;
Looking for differentiation and defining strategies;
Deeper market segmentation;
Market research, marketing planning, marketing training;
Strengthen brand operation.
(5) customer service stage
Customer service training;
Smile movement;
Improve the external promotion behavior of services;
The profit rate is affected to some extent or even unsustainable;
Not supported by processes and systems.
(6) Service quality stage
Confirmation of service quality gap;
Customer letter analysis, customer behavior research;
Design of service blueprint;
Neglect to retain old customers.
(7) integration and relationship marketing stage
Regularly study customers and competitors;
Focus on all key markets;
Strictly analyze and integrate the marketing plan;
Data-based marketing;
Balanced marketing activities;
Improve procedures and systems;
Improvement measures to retain old customers.
In 1990s, relationship marketing became the focus of marketing enterprises and pushed service marketing to a new height.
General characteristics of service marketing
(1) dispersion of supply and demand
In service marketing activities, the supply and demand of service products are scattered. Not only does the supplier cover all departments and industries of the tertiary industry, but also the services provided by enterprises are widely dispersed, and the demand side involves various enterprises, social organizations and different types of consumers. Because service enterprises generally occupy a small area, have little capital and operate flexibly, they are often scattered in every corner of society. Even large mechanical service companies can only provide services where mechanical damage or failure occurs. The dispersion of service supply and demand requires that service outlets should be widely dispersed and as close as possible to consumers.
(2) single marketing method
The marketing methods of tangible products include distribution, agency and direct sales. Tangible products can be changed hands many times in the market, and products can reach consumers through wholesale, retail and other links. Because of the unity of production and consumption, service marketing can only adopt direct sales, and the intervention of middlemen is impossible, and it is impossible to store it for sale. The singleness and directness of service marketing mode, to a certain extent, limits the expansion of service market, and also limits the service industry to sell its own service products in many markets, which brings difficulties to the promotion of service products.
(3) The marketing objectives are complex and changeable.
Buyers in the service market are diverse, extensive and complex. Consumers who purchase services have different purchase motives and purposes. Buyers of a service product may involve different types of families and individuals with different identities from all walks of life. Even if you buy the same service products, some of them are used for daily consumption, and the other part is used for production and consumption, such as information consultation, post and telecommunications, etc.
(4) The demand elasticity of service consumers is high.
According to Maslow's hierarchy of needs theory, people's basic material needs are primary needs, which are easy to produce * * *, while people's spiritual and cultural consumption needs belong to secondary needs, and the demanders will form greater demand elasticity due to their different social environments and conditions. At the same time, the demand for services and tangible products are included in a certain organization and total expenditure, which is one of the reasons for the great demand elasticity. At the same time, the demand for services is greatly influenced by external conditions, such as seasonal changes, climate change and the rapid development of science and technology, which have a great impact on the demand for information services, environmental protection services, tourism services and shipping services. Demand elasticity is the biggest problem faced by service operators.
(5) Service personnel have high requirements for technology, skills and skills.
The technology, skills and skills of service providers are directly related to the quality of service. Consumers' requirements for the quality of various service products are also the requirements for the skills and skills of service personnel. There can't be a single unified standard for the service quality of service providers, only relative standards and buyers' feelings.
Service marketing principle
"Service marketing" is a kind of marketing means to provide services by paying attention to customers and finally realize benign exchange. To implement service marketing, we must first make clear the service target, that is, "who is the customer". Customers in the beverage industry are divided into two levels: distributors and consumers. For enterprises, all dealers and consumers should be regarded as gods to provide quality services. Improve customer satisfaction and build customer loyalty through service.
For manufacturers, in view of the marketing model of the beverage industry, distributors occupy a decisive position. Manufacturers' profits come from distributors in various provinces and cities across the country. Distributors have the right to control market demand. Therefore, our main focus is to deal with customer relationships with distributors around the world and establish cooperative, friendly and mutually beneficial partnerships. You know, they are the greatest wealth of the enterprise, without them, the enterprise will have nothing.
Enterprises must unswervingly establish the idea of serving customers, clearly understand the market development situation, and make it clear that dealers are the gods of manufacturers and consumers are the highest gods. Everything an enterprise does should take the consumer's demand as the ultimate starting point and destination, penetrate the work to the consumer level through dealers, and start from the source to cultivate the satisfaction and loyalty of consumers. Insist on providing them with first-class products and first-class services. First, it can reflect the responsibility of enterprises to products, distributors and consumer markets; Secondly, we can strengthen communication, increase the attractiveness of the company, improve competitiveness, make progress together with customers, benefit from customers, and achieve "win-win" for manufacturers, distributors and consumers.
As an important part of service marketing, the quality of "customer concern" will determine the success of the follow-up links and affect the effect of the overall service marketing plan. The following are the nine principles of "customer concern":
1. Getting a new customer is more expensive than keeping an existing customer.
When expanding the market and expanding the market share, enterprises often put more energy into developing new customers, but the cost of developing new customers will be higher than that of retaining existing customers. In addition, according to foreign survey data, the expectations of new customers are generally higher than those of old customers. This has greatly affected the success rate of developing new customers. It is undeniable that new customers represent new markets, which can not be ignored, but we must find a balance point, and this fulcrum needs every enterprise to constantly explore.
Unless you can make up for the loss quickly, the lost customers will be lost forever.
Every enterprise has such a division of its customer base, so each customer enjoys different customer policies. However, enterprises must clearly realize that every customer is our food and clothing parents, and no matter how much they contribute to the company, we should avoid the policy of customer discrimination, so don't give up customers and withdraw from the market easily.
Dissatisfied customers have more "friends" than satisfied customers.
Competitors will take advantage of customers' dissatisfaction, gradually erode their loyalty, and at the same time expand the bad influence in your customer base. This is why dissatisfied customers have more "friends" than satisfied customers.
4. Communication channels are smooth, and complaints are welcome.
Only when there are complaints can we improve our work. Handling complaints in time can improve customer satisfaction and avoid the decline of customer loyalty. Smooth communication channels facilitate enterprises to collect feedback information from all parties, which is conducive to the development of marketing work.
Customers are not always right, but how to tell customers that they are wrong will produce different results.
The customer is not always right. "The customer is always right" is reserved for customers, not enterprises. Enterprises must promptly discover and clearly understand the reasons why customers have different positions from themselves, and inform and guide them. Of course, this requires certain marketing art and skills, and different methods will produce different effects.
6. Customers have full choice.
No matter what industry or product, even monopoly, customers' right to choose cannot be ignored. Market is the embodiment of demand, and customers are the source of demand.
7. You must listen to customers and understand their needs.
Customer service should not be blind, but targeted. Enterprises must listen to customers' opinions, understand their needs, and serve customers on this basis, so as to get twice the result with half the effort and improve customer loyalty.
8. If you don't want to believe it, how can you expect your customers to believe it?
Enterprises must put themselves in the customer's shoes when recommending new products to customers or asking customers to cooperate in a cooperation. If you feel unreasonable, don't try it easily. Your impulse will always conflict with the customer.
9. If you don't take care of your customers, others will.
The market competition is fierce, and competitors always pay attention to each other's customers. Enterprises must communicate regularly to understand customers and solve problems raised by customers. Ignoring your customers is tantamount to giving them to your competitors.
The above nine points are simple principles. Enterprises will get twice the result with half the effort if they can follow the above principles. Of course, there is no eternal truth. With the change of the market and the continuous accumulation of work experience, I believe that more incisive and practical "customer care" rules will emerge as the times require, and the "customer care" work will also be pushed to a new height.
The Present Situation and Threats of Service Marketing in China
After China's entry into WTO, overseas service enterprises have set foot in the mainland market to seize the opportunities. Well-known enterprises such as Wal-Mart, Carrefour, KFC and McDonald's have successively settled in China, and the distribution work is still in progress. After China's entry into WTO, China will gradually open its service market in about five years, and the restrictions on the number, location and equity of foreign joint ventures will be gradually lifted, which will undoubtedly pose a great challenge to China's service industry. At present, the service market in China is still in the primary stage. Relevant data show that in 1.93, the service trade of OECD member countries accounted for 8 1% of the total world trade. According to the information provided by the World Bank 1998- 1999 development report, the service industry accounts for 33.5% of GDP in China at present, compared with 72. 1% in the United States, 70.9% in France and 67.6% in Germany in 2000, which is far lower than that in developed countries. At present, the overall development level of China's service industry is backward, especially in various industries (projects). The development of various regions is extremely unbalanced, and some regions and some service industries (projects) are still in a blank state; At the same time, the management level and production efficiency of the service industry are relatively low, the value compensation is insufficient, and the capital shortage is serious.
The challenge of service marketing concept. Generally speaking, foreign-funded enterprises have advanced management experience, modern commercial marketing methods, advanced marketing concepts, long-term marketing objectives, perfect marketing network and efficient marketing operation system, while service enterprises in China lack such basic qualities. Once they are combined with high-quality marketing personnel and marketing management, they will inevitably have great marketing power in service marketing and directly impact the service industry in China.
The challenge of service marketing scale. Generally speaking, foreign-funded enterprises are multinational companies with abundant funds and strength, and obvious advantages in marketing scale, which can produce price advantages and service advantages, which will also have a huge shock wave for some domestic service enterprises with small scale, lack of funds and high operating costs. Some service enterprises copy the popular service measures, which are divorced from the actual bearing capacity. When serving, he ignored his own reality, blindly copied and made great efforts, but the result was not satisfactory.
The challenge of service marketing innovation. With the rapid development of science and technology, it is easier for foreign-funded enterprises to use modern high technology to carry out marketing innovation activities, such as marketing organization innovation, 7Ps innovation and service brand innovation. This is beyond the reach of service enterprises in China. For example, the network marketing developed in recent years is the result of marketing innovation by foreign-funded enterprises using modern technology.
Quality challenge of service marketers. In the service marketing of service personnel in some enterprises, personnel are a part of service, and the quality and behavior of service personnel directly determine the quality of service. The service quality and service level can't meet the needs of customers, and the service work is simple and sloppy or there are many service failure chains. Service work is a long-term series work, which runs through pre-sale, sale and after-sale, forming an interlocking service chain. Now some enterprises can only serve simply, and the service is nominal and shapeless.
How should enterprises do well in service marketing?
1, interactive communication-building a service platform
2. Consumer cognition-shaping professional quality
3. The sales have not moved, and the investigation is the first.
4. Preheat to create an active atmosphere.
5. Mid-term control, reflecting the authority of activities.
6. Post-publicity to strengthen the effect of activities.
conclusion
Service marketing is the inherent requirement of deepening enterprise marketing management, and it is also a new element of enterprise competitive advantage under the new market situation. The application of service marketing not only enriches the connotation of marketing, but also improves the comprehensive quality in the face of market economy. In view of the new characteristics of enterprise competition, paying attention to product and service market segmentation, service differentiation, materialization, standardization, service brand and public relations is an important guarantee for enterprises to win the competition at present.
Note: 7Ps marketing theory
7Ps marketing theory (7Ps marketing theory)
198 1 year, Booms and Bitner suggested adding three "service P's" on the basis of traditional marketing theory, namely people, process and material evidence.
Extended threesome
Booms and Bitner added the following three Ps (product, price, promotion and channel) to the initial 4P marketing mix. It includes seven elements: product, price, channel, promotion, personnel, tangible display and service flow.
People: All people are directly or indirectly involved in the consumption process of a certain service, which is a very important point in the 7P marketing mix. Knowledge workers, white-collar workers, managers and some consumers have added extra value to the supply of total products or services in the existing society, and this value is often very significant.
Process: The process in which services are realized through certain procedures, mechanisms and activities (that is, the process of consumer management) is the key element of marketing strategy.
Physical evidence: including the service environment where service supply can be smoothly transmitted, the ability of tangible goods to carry and express services, the intangible consumption experience of current consumers, and the ability to convey consumer satisfaction to potential customers.
The core of 7Ps
1 reveals the importance of employees' participation in the whole marketing activities. Enterprise employees are the main body of the enterprise organization, and everything that each employee does will become a part of customers' feelings about enterprise service and have a certain impact on the image of the enterprise. Every employee should actively participate in the business management decision-making of the enterprise, and truly play the role of employees as masters.
2. Enterprises should pay attention to the whole process of providing services to users, understand customers' feelings in this process through interactive communication, and make customers become participants in the service marketing process, so as to improve services in time and meet customers' expectations. Enterprise marketing should also pay attention to the management of division of labor and cooperation among internal departments, because marketing is an activity in which all departments cooperate and all employees participate, and effective division of labor and cooperation between departments is the fundamental guarantee to realize marketing activities.
I hope the above information will help you!