Lena Linn, mentor/coach: fin referens

Lena är en av Sveriges mest erfarna som mentor/coach åt väl över etthundra enskilda adepter under mer än tio år. Klienter har varit företag och organisationer (för nyckelmedarbetare) bl a Praktikertjänst, SLU (Sveriges Lantbruksuniversitet), Visita (tidigare SHR, Sveriges Hotell och Restaurangförbund), IHM samt Arbetsförmedlingen och kvalificerade enskilda. En av dem är Sunniva Fallan Röd, som utsågs till ”Årets framtidschef” på Kompetensgalan 2012: ”Mentorskapet med Lena Linn har betytt väldigt mycket för min karriär. Med Lenas hjälp fick jag perspektiv på mitt ledarskap så jag kunde utveckla mig till en bättre chef. Vi talade även mycket kring kvinnors roll i näringslivet samt om affärsutveckling och politik på arbetsmarknaden. Lenas breda kunskap och långvariga erfarenhet var en källa till information och inspiration för mig.”

Sunniva är nu hotellchef på Rica Hotel Kungsgatan.

Why selling is not marketing

From historic reasons selling has since the advent of marketing been regarded as an integrated part of it. This has more to do with the origins of marketing, as an upgraded version of selling, rather than a discipline in itself. With the development of marketing theory, however, it has become obvious that the basic nature of the disciplines tell them apart; marketing is aimed at creating value in brands and products, whereas selling uses this to perform transactions. Marketing may increase the value of a product by raising its price, creating a social awareness of quality or prestige. Selling, dealing with one buyer at a time, is deprived of this opportunity, and is referred to lower the price to increase the prospect of a transaction. These basic differences are strong reasons for organizing marketing and sales in different departments, making conflicts between staff more inclined towards marketing and those with their heart in sales less difficult. Read further in my General Theory of Marketing.

Evolutionary Marketing: different origins

For 30 years I have developed, worked with, and employed a practical concept of marketing in my consultancy. I did not know that others were on the same track, until I came across Spent by Geoffrey Miller a couple of years ago, and The Consuming Instinct by Gad Saad more recently. Apparently, the same idea has dawned to us simultaneously in different parts of the World unknown to each other. The Americans developed the idea in academic environments, whereas I did it in the practice of my consultancy, writing books about it, lecturing and teaching. Consequently, it was rather recently, when I realized that this marketing theory of the future would be called evolutionary marketing. The difference between our parallel efforts is that the professors have had better resources to verify their ideas and theories, whereas I have been more inclined to develop a system of practical models for people active in business. Read it and discover the useful and practical models you can use in everyday marketing.

Pricing – flexible or fixed?

When deciding on a flexible or fixed price for electricity or bank loan interests you are often in a difficult situation of choice. Which one is to be preferred? Putting this situation in relation to the principle of the transaction equation, I realized this. The flexible, demand dependent, price is the price of a commodity. The fixed price may rather be seen as that of a branded product, as the offer contains a component of reliability – no surprises here. On the buyer’s side this would be regarded with trust and comfort. By the addition of this positive aspect to the product, the supplier would be able to ask a higher price over time. This potential for a metavalue clearly indicates a branded product. I will appreciate your comments – does the difference in the offers mean the fundamental difference between non-branded and branded products? Do visit my General Theory of Marketing for a comprehensive discussion.

Readers, Friends of Linn's Blog: Want a Dialogue?

From the statistics of my blog, I can see that I have readers from several countries, USA, Canada, GB, France, Germany, Russia, Poland, The Philippines and a number of others. Interested, I suppose, like myself, in the development of marketing theory. Have you also seen my General Theory of Marketing? If not, click here. I love to discuss and exchange ideas. What do you think about what you read – I am anxious to share your reactions and reflections. Either comment on the spot or mail me at c.e.linn@metamanagement.se. Thank you!

6 realistic conditions for marketing theory

Marketing has become one of the most important disciplines in business, but its underpinnings are still dubious. All development has mostly been concentrated to its surface, and I think that some attention to its foundations would sort out some discrepancies in these superimposed concepts. These embarrassingly simple points may add some reality to everyday marketing activities. 1) The transaction is the objective of all business. 2) The transaction is always accomplished when the buyer considers the value of the offer higher than the price asked for it (if not, he doesn’t buy). 3) As communication is central to marketing, brands are required to make it work. 4) Consequently, marketing can only be performed with branded products. 5) Value and brands exist in the human mind only – and in business they count only in the mind of the (potential) buyer. 6) This is why a theory of marketing demands a profound and up-to-date knowledge of human perception and behavioural science. If you want to study my reasoning in detail, download my General Theory of Marketing.