Do You Have Market Orientation?

A Personal Challenge

The very moment you join an organisation a strange thing happens to you.  You may not feel any different, but the minute you begin working for a company you cease to have the ability to see things from a customer’s point of view ever again. Now you’re part of the company, you can control all the inputs but you’ll never be able to see your product/service, price, or communications the way that your consumer sees it.

The realisation that you are not the consumer is a vital starting point on the journey to becoming an effective marketer.  Your opinion isn’t just worthless, it’s downright dangerous because you are biased by the very fact you made these things. If you think you can somehow intuit what the consumer thinks, or use your gut feeling to figure out what’s good or not you’re going to end up heading down the wrong path.

Here’s a quick test:

1. Is your product priced too high?
2. Is your product’s functionality right?
3. Does your latest company communication look good?

Your answer must always be – ‘I don’t know!’

Adopting a Market Orientation helps you know how to connect with consumers, understand their voice and answer these questions quickly and efficiently.

The Humility of Marketing

Oftentimes when people think of marketers an image of a brash and arrogant individual springs to mind, but the reality is the great marketers all share a mix of humility and paranoia because they know their own opinion is neither here nor there.

They are always working at the whim of the target market and are always aware of that fact throughout the decision making.

It’s very easy to say ‘this price is good, that product is great, this website works’ but it’s meaningless.  Knowing you’re not the consumer, but that you can connect with them to get valuable insights is absolutely paramount for success.