How to Market a Tough Sell

How to Market a “Hard Sell” Product

Brian Burroughs

BUS 620 Managerial Marketing

Dr. Geraldine Goodstone

April 9, 2012

How to Market a “Hard Sell” Product

Traditional music stores, SUV’s or gas guzzling cars, foods made from trans fat, or pharmaceuticals are some examples of products that at times are hard to market. All marketers, from time to time, confront products that, for whatever reason, become difficult to sell. The ultimate goal of marketing is targeting products to customers who are ready to buy. Some products, on occasion, require an additional push. During this time, marketers need creative ideas when it seems impossible to sell your product.

Mullins and Walker Jr.’s definition of marketing is “a social process involving the activities necessary to enable individuals and organizations to obtain what they need and want through exchanges with others and to develop ongoing exchange relationships.” (2010, p.6) The most important characteristic of marketing as a business function is its focus on customers and their needs. They need to achieve a sustainable advantage via satisfied customers and enduring relationships. A major part of a marketer’s job is to develop a new product or service and then to stimulate customer wants for it by convincing people it can help them better satisfy one or more of their needs.

“The cardinal rule of marketing the unusual, difficult, or unpopular is that nothing is impossible.” (Bolander, 2011, para.1) The first step in launching a marketing strategy is identifying why the product might be difficult to sell. Economic conditions can make marketing difficult. Selling SUV’s with the rising gas prices or the green movement will generate opposition from car buyers. Advancement in technology can create a challenge for selling CD’s because they become outdated. Pharmaceutical companies and companies who sell foods with trans fat need to find ways to respond to the concerns raised by the article of study....