The marketing process is not a one-time operation. It is a four-step continuous process of designing (the product/service/idea as per the customer requirements), developing, delivering and determining. Bains et al have given the following four Ds comprising the process of marketing.
1. The Design Phase:
It comprises identification and anticipation of customer and consumer needs and design the product/service/idea offering around their needs so as to create value for them.
2. The Development Phase:
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The next step would be to develop products, services, and ideas which would meet the needs of the customer and consumers and deliver the value as designed.
3. The Delivery Phase:
After developing, products, services, and ideas as designed, the next logical step is to deliver them to their customers and consumers so that they may enjoy the value created.
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4. The Determination Phase:
It is concerned with making an assessment if the firm really designed, developed, and delivered what the customers and consumers had wanted. If the evaluation goes the other way then the firm will have to redesign and redevelop the product, service, and idea to deliver the real value.
The above four functions are used when marketing management is to be defined. Pride and Ferrell define marketing management as the process of planning, organizing, implementing, and controlling marketing activities to facilitate exchange effectively and efficiently.
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Effectiveness is concerned with doing right work and efficiency is concerned with doing things rightly. It is in this context we are discussing efficiency and effectiveness as to what happens to marketers when they work on different levels of efficiency and effectiveness.