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Chapter 1 Marketing and You
There are two types of goals: short term
and long term. A short-term goal is one that
can be achieved in less than one year. For
example, running two miles today is a short-
term goal. A long-term goal is one that will
take a longer time to achieve, usually longer
than one year. For example, a long-term goal
is to successfully run a half marathon in the
next year. In terms of schooling, a short-term
goal is to get an A on Friday’s test. A long-
term goal is to get a college degree. In terms
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a cashier. A long-term goal is to become the
vice-president of sales for a retail chain.
Goal setting is a process of deciding what
a person wants to achieve. Your goals must be
based on who you are, your strengths, your
interests, and what you want in life. Suppose
you think it would be exciting to be a surgeon
like one of the characters in a TV show.
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istry even though you did well in the classes.
Choosing the goal of becoming a surgeon
may not be the best choice since those are the
primary types of high-level classes that occupa-
tion requires. However, perhaps you are a very
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You might like to become a writer in a hospital
public relations department.
FYI
Marketing is more than a high school class or
college major. It is a critical business function. A
background in marketing can help to you to sell
your idea to management, an opportunity to an
investor, or yourself to a potential employer.
SMART Goals
Everyone has goals. You may have a goal to
get a good grade on your next test. Your friend
may have a goal to save enough money to take
a trip over spring break. Well-defined goals
follow the SMART goal process. SMART goals
are specific, measurable, attainable, realistic,
and timely as illustrated in Figure 1-4.
Specific
How will you know if you have reached
your career goal? You must be specific about
it. For example, “I want to be rich” is not a
very specific goal. Instead, you might say, “I
want to have $100,000 in a savings account.”
Case in Point
Hyatt
Happy customers are generally repeat customers. Companies looking to provide
superior customer service often go the extra mile for their customers. However,
employees of any business are only human, and sometimes even the best employees
can make mistakes. The most important thing for continued success is to acknowledge a mistake when
it happens and attempt to correct it. One Hyatt hotel even took advantage of the social media site Twitter
to raise customer service to a new level. A Hyatt guest had an unfortunate experience when entering the
room that had been previously booked. When the guest opened the in-room refrigerator, the last guest’s
food was still there. The hotel’s housekeeping department had forgotten to clean the refrigerator.
The customer took a picture of the food in a dirty refrigerator and tweeted it to @HyattConcierge. Within
a matter of hours, the guest received a phone call from Hyatt management apologizing for the inconve-
nience. The situation was fixed immediately, and a handwritten note and gift were also sent to his room. The
Hyatt staff turned a potentially damaging tweet into an opportunity for exemplary customer service.