Career Course in Marketing Management

Introduction: 

Business is omnipresent in our day-to-day life and for a potential growth in the market, all kinds of organizations depend on the promotion of their products. For that every firm requires professionals with sales or marketing background. Marketing is a business discipline which is focused on the application of marketing techniques and administrating an organizations marketing resources. In simple words, marketing is the method of convincing people about a product / concept using different ideas and thus help the business grow. This field which involves advertising, distributing and selling of a product is regarded as the most important element in the growth of any company. 

Marketing / Sales Management involves studying the marketability of the product involved and the measures to enhance sales and implementing the same. Even though the term marketing has been derived from its initial word 'market', the place where transactions between buyers and sellers occur, it is much more than the original meaning. It is a well planned process of exchange between the customers and the sellers. A marketing process consists of four major Ps; i.e Product, Pricing, Placement and Promotion. 

Marketing personnel are professionals appointed by the company for convincing the clients and make them buy a product that the business offers. They are the people who create brands and promote their products and services. Sales and Marketing are two of the ever flourishing career sectors in the world and those having a knack for convincing people can find excellent job openings in this field. No specific qualification is required to enter the field, but a managerial position in marketing requires MBA graduates preferably with marketing as the specialized area. Success in this profession depends on ones marketing skills, which include communication, tact, creativity, stress and time management. 

According to American Marketing Association (AMA) marketing is "the activity, set of institutions, and processes for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners, and society at large.” The term marketing applies not only to private business firms but also to almost all other organizations such as government, social service institutions, NGO's etc. 

Eligibility: 

The field of marketing is open to all. Though no formal educational qualification is required, most organisations prefer graduates specially with MBA degree as their marketing executives. Most Business schools teach sales and marketing management as a part of the MBA curriculum. Graduates in any discipline can apply for the two year MBA programme with specialisation in marketing. Admission is based on written examination followed by group discussion and personal interview. CAT, MAT, XAT, JMET, ATMA are some of the management entrance test conducted by the institutes like Indian Institute of Management (IIM), All India Management Aptitude Testing Service (AIMATS), New Delhi, Xavier Labour Research Institute, Jamshedpur (XLRI), Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) and Association of Indian Management Schools (AIMS). Even though these exams are conducted by the respective institute for their admission, its scores are widely accepted by many of the Indian Business Schools. MAT exams are conducted 4 times a year while all the others are held once in a year. Certain other Business schools and universities conduct their own entrance test and some of these include National Management Aptitude Test (NMAT), Symbiosis National Aptitude (SNAP) Test, Open Management Admission Test (OPENMAT) by Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), Written Admission Test (WAT), IBSAT, CEMAT etc. All these exams follow the same syllabus and students can attempt 2 or 3 of these tests, so that they can apply to multiple institutes. Some institutes offer executive MBA programme in Sales and Marketing which require a certain years of experience. 

Besides MBA programmes, BBA (Bachelor in Business Administration) or BBM (Bachelor in Business Management) degree holders can also have openings in the field of marketing. The diploma course, PGDMCM (Post Graduate Diploma in Marketing Communication Management) also make the students professionally qualified in the fields of marketing, advertising, Entertainment, Brand management etc. 

Accounting principles, business laws, buyer behavior, economics, human motivation and behavior, statistics, principles of marketing, marketing research, production management, psychology are some of the subjects taught for marketing management courses. 

Personal Skill: 

For a successful career in the field of sales and marketing certain personal skills are needed. Understanding the product well is the major thing one should look into when he enters the field of marketing. One should be very tactful when dealing with clients and be patient and possess keen business expertise. Good communication skills, leadership quality, ability to motivate and work as part of a team, ability to understand and solve problems are the needed attributes. Quick thinking and the ability to come up with new ideas are advantageous. Meeting the target is a big criteria and for that time management is very essential. A marketing manager must be self confident and always be updated with the current affairs and be familiar with advertising and merchandising techniques. Working for long hours under hectic work pressure is not a new thing in this profession. Sometimes the job of a marketing manager demands lot of travelling, be prepared for that. Good computer knowledge especially in softwares like Excel and Power Point is an added advantage for this profession. 

Job Prospects and Career Option: 

Marketing and Sales Management is one of the most sought after careers, and ample job opportunities are available in this field with the emerging number of multinational and national companies. But this field is very competitive and only skilled person could make a successful career. 

Marketing managers are personnel who takes care of sales, marketing, product promotions, advertisement and public relation of a firm or organisation. Their major tasks involves market research, product development, promotion, pricing, sales and distribution. It is these people who develop detailed marketing strategies, analyze the demand of the company's products and services in the market, identify the competitors and potential markets and handle customer management. They are responsible to ensure customer satisfaction and also to achieve the business goal or target of an organization. They should always be alert, keep an eye on the changing marketing activities and makes plans accordingly and should develop new ideas and strategies for the products. 

Marketing management is a profession that offers a number of opportunities in various fields. Graduates can start off their career as marketing executive and depending on their skills and experience within a couple of months or years, they could reach the post of Marketing manager. From this post one has an opportunity to climb the ladder and occupy the top most positions in the company. A well-qualified MBA graduate can be offered positions such as marketing manager, brand manager, market research analyst, and new product manager, sales manager, advertising manager, PR (public relations) director etc. 

Small companies, big corporates, government and non government organizations, consultancies, public relation agencies all offer a wide range of opportunities for marketing professionals. Advertising, sales, management, creative writing for product promotion etc are the areas of work involved. They can work in department stores, computer companies, utility companies, construction firms, food producers, manufacturing firms and arts organizations. One could also establish their own consultancy, that gives advice and suggestions for the organizations regarding marketing or can start their own advertising agencies. 

Remuneration: 

Marketing management is a well-paid profession. Apart from the salary, marketing personnel's are offered high incentives for meeting their targets. A marketing executive with MBA degree from a good business school may get nothing less than 3 to 3.5 lakh as annual income. An experienced one could take home easily an annual income of 5 lakh. The senior most positions could get more, than that depending upon the organization and their experience. Most of the companies will also meet travel allowances for executives who do field work. Even though the basic payment in small companies may be less than that of big corporates, they offer good incentives to the employees. 

Institutes: 

Numerous institutes in India and abroad offer courses in Marketing. Marketing is an important area of specialization in Business Administration and almost all of the business schools in India offer this specialization in their MBA course. Always make sure to choose a good school with campus placement opportunities. 

• B.Com. Marketing Management 

• Certificate Course in Marketing and Advertising 

• Diploma in Advertising and Marketing 

• Diploma in Marketing Management (DMM) 

• MBA Marketing 

• MBA Marketing and Retail Management 

• MBA Sales and Marketing 

• M.Com. Marketing 

• Master of Marketing Management (MMM) 

• Post Graduate Diploma in Advertising and Marketing Communication 

• Post Graduate Diploma in Marketing and Retail Management 

• Post Graduate Diploma in Marketing Management 

Excerpts from (New Age) Career Course, Published By: A. K. Mishra Publishers, Odisha 

Mr. Sounik Kajal Kumar Dash, Diploma (EE), B.Tech (EEE), ADEM, DHRD, 

MBA (IHRM, CULC-London) ,Corporate Lobbyist and Strategist, Career Consultant

Curtsey: http://www.odishabook.com/Aticle/Education/Career-Options/2013/09/08/Career-Course-in-Marketing-Management