The importance of communications

It now becomes clear that if management is getting things done through people, it is imperative that the people understand what is expected of them, and that they be in a position to consult with others, engage in self-appraisal, and make recommendations for such changes as experience and circumstances may require. In no field of management do proper communications play as important a role as they do in marketing.
Many marketing activities are performed in scattered, often isolated territories. The situation of the salesman far away from home office is a familiar one. But many others also perform far away from home base. Distribution, by its nature, involves people, in many different parts of the country, operating under many different circumstances and situations,
Reporting, correctly and clearly, and communicating with superiors and subordinates, assume para¬mount roles in proper measurement and control of the marketing effort. A good communications system is necessary at each level if the supervisor is to judge the effectiveness of the performance under his supervision.
Effective communications is a two-way street. Both sender and receiver must know what is required of them, what is meant by each message, and how the information is to be used. Before it is fair to judge a man for his performance, that man must understand fully what is expected of him. It is up to the manager to communicate this knowledge to subordinates. Whether or not a company has a formal and elaborate system for measurement and control, it is evident that measuring the total marketing job depends upon senior management decisions and cooperation. All measuring activity is undertaken for the purpose of improving the status quo. Therefore, any effort made to measure and control must pay for itself in better results or it is not justified.
Controls and yardsticks should not be established for their own sake, nor for the sake of policing. What we seek in any attempt to measure and control is a method of knowing what is going on so that it can be done more effectively. The entire organization must accept this principle. The most successful marketing operation is that which succeeds in applying most effectively a profitable sales effort throughout the entire organization.