Definition

• Transactional marketing is a set of commercial tactics that emphasizes one-off exchanges with consumers. Although the interaction may seem sporadic, a business spends the same amount of time drawing up a transactional marketing action plan as it would for a traditional marketing blueprint. In a global marketplace where first impressions generally count, customers are likely to buy a company's products in the future if they have had good first encounters with the business. Traditional marketing is distinct from transactional marketing in that it focuses on building long-term relationships. It predicates future sales on a solid rapport with customers and ongoing interactions between salespeople and corporate clients.
  
  

Relevance

• Transactional marketing is often suitable in situations in which clients want to buy high-value, low-turnover items or goods that are cyclical by nature or design. For example, a U.S.-based airline manufacturer may use sound transactional marketing tactics to sell a fleet of 15 planes to a South Africa-based airliner. Given the long useful life of aircraft, the American firm could conclude the next trade might not happen before 15 or 20 years. To make transaction marketing a success, the business may focus on other strategic revenue generators, such as maintenance and parts sales.
  
  

Strategic Aspects

• Companies rely on various practical and innovative approaches to review the way they do business and try to curb bureaucracies hindering sales efforts. Properly analyzing corporate processes and swiftly implementing adequate fixes can render a firm more responsive to the demands of the marketplace. An effective transactional marketing strategy deals with specific items spanning various work streams. These run the gamut from research and development (R&D) processes and corporate pricing methods to distribution outlets and communication tactics conducive to sales growth and profitability. In essence, a business may adopt the 4-P concept -- product, price, promotion and place -- to adequately run its operations and improve its transactional marketing efforts.
  
  

Personnel Involvement

• In the corporate setting, various personnel work in tandem to create a transactional marketing play book -- that is, a list of things to execute, monitor and appraise. Besides traditional marketing professionals and salespeople, other personnel include R&D engineers, financial managers, budget supervisors, regulatory-compliance personnel and advertising specialists.