Explain 'Sales-Oriented Stage' and 'Marketing-Oriented Stage' of Marketing.

Sales-Oriented Stage (1930–1950):

• The Great Depression caused drastic changes in buying habits and questioned existing business strategies.
• The focus shifted from production to selling.
• The new motto was 'get rid of what you have.'
• Producers realised that consumers will not buy enough unless they are approached with substantial selling and promotional efforts.
• The focus was on increasing sales rather than on consumer satisfaction.
• Demand outstripped supply earlier; now supply exceeded demand and it became a buyer's market.
• This stage was characterised by hard selling, sometimes leading to unscrupulous practices.
• Salesmanship was the focus of marketing activities.
• The selling philosophy is still used today in insurance, charity fund raising and other unsought products.

Marketing-Oriented Stage (1960–1980):

• Keen competition and growing consumer awareness forced producers to rethink the philosophy of marketing.
• Producers realised that business policies and programmes should be built around the goal of customer satisfaction.
• Management began to think of itself not as producing products but as providing value satisfaction to customers.
• The aim of marketing became to know and understand the customer so well that the product or service fits him and sells itself.
• Marketing became the heartbeat of business and the key to business planning and decision-making.
• Customer satisfaction became the principal reason for corporate existence.
• The consumer was considered the 'king' in this stage.