Marketing Management for Engineering Managers

This chapter covers many important issues related to the marketing of a company’s products and services. Engineering managers should understand the overall objectives of the firm’s marketing efforts and become sensitive to various marketing approaches affecting engineering. They should become well versed with marketing terminology and elements of the marketing mix (seven P’s), namely, product, price, promotion, placement (distribution), physical evidence, process design, and people. It is important for engineering managers to accept the fact that marketing involves a lot of uncertainties associated with consumers’ perceptions, competitive analyses, and market forecasting. They need to wholeheartedly adopt customer orientation in planning and implementing all engineering efforts in support of marketing. They must strive to work closely with marketing personnel and remain supportive of the overall marketing efforts by providing high-quality engineering inputs to the firm’s marketing program. As Cyrus Eaton said, “What counts in any system is the intelligence, self-control, conscience and energy of the individual.”