There are three distinct historical marketing philosophies evident among firms even today. These are often referred to (1) production oriented, (2) sales oriented, and (3) consumer oriented marketing philosophies. 

Production Orientation.  From the late nineteenth century to the present, big business has shifted much of its marketing emphasis from the production to sales and occasionally to the consumer orientation. Many people still feel that the automotive industry is lacking behind and has its major orientation in the production orientation. The production orientation specified that if we produce a product, the consumer will buy. Historically, Henry Ford stated it best when he declared "You can buy whatever color Model T you wish ... as long as it's black." In today's markets, however, it does take a little bit more than just the production of a product to attain the sales level one normally desires.

Sales Orientation.  The sales oriented approach to marketing centers around the concept of using salespeople to sell the product to the consumer. Here the emphasis is placed around the factors or the attributes of the product or service. This was a major step in marketing. It became apparent that the sales force was influential in causing the customer to buy. 

RULE OF THUMB: The franchisee should be aware of franchisors who only provide a product or service with limited sales materials.

Consumer Orientation.  The most exciting marketing position is the consumer orientation. Instead of selling the attributes of a particular product or service, the franchisee is now selling satisfaction or personal benefits to the end consumer. The consumer now becomes the main focus and is considered both the beginning and the end of any exchange transaction. The consumer orientation is preferable because it also recognizes the production efficiency and the professional selling that adds to this concern for the customer satisfaction. 

RULE OF THUMB: Customer satisfaction is not a means to achieving a certain goal, it is the goal!

Many organizations fail to adopt a consumer orientation and, when competition is limited, the franchisor often limits production efficiencies or service efficiencies. The franchisor and the franchisee often get caught up in "moving" the merchandise rather creating customer satisfaction. The sales oriented position provides a shortsighted approach to marketing and emphasizes the product rather than the individual in user satisfaction.