What is Marketing anyway?

We all know what marketing is, right? Or do we? We're bombarded with advertising and various forms of marketing everyday. But do we really understand it, or more importantly, what purpose marketing serves?

Peter Drucker, famous business guru, has a great definition of marketing. He says, "The aim of marketing is to make selling superfluous. The aim is to know and understand the customer so well that the product or service fits him or her and sells itself." In other words, the message (and your connection to it) is so compelling that you want to run right out and buy that product or service. This has happened to all of us on some level. Did you really comparison shop MP3 players before buying that Ipod or did you go straight to the Apple store?

So how does that relate to marketing in real estate? I'm sure we've all experienced the over-zealous realtor trying to "sell" us on the features and benefits of his or her latest listing. Peter Drucker would have us believe that if we truly understand our customer's needs and our message really resonates with them, they will be "sold" before they even get to the front door. And isn't that what the Internet is all about? The consumer has the ultimate weapon of choice, but we as real estate professionals have the opportunity (and the obligation) to communicate effectively to our potential customers.