Application of Marketing Strategies in Nigerian Quantity Surveying Firms

Abstract

Marketing has not been fully understood in the context of the construction industry. This inadequacy is worse for quantity surveying (QS) consultancy firms in developing countries like Nigeria due to the relative ignorance of the general public about the job of a quantity surveyor. Consequently, most QS firms in the country perform poorly while others struggle to survive. The goals of this paper were to identify strategies for marketing by QS firms in Nigeria, and to develop a framework for the adoption of marketing strategies by the firms.  The study made use of exploratory research design with secondary sources of data and focus group discussion as instruments for data collection. It found that stringent codes of ethics, insufficient marketing know-how, and difficulty in the measurement of marketing performance are among factors that could hinder the adoption of marketing by QS firms in Nigeria. A number of marketing strategies and criteria for selection of marketing strategies by QS firms were identified and categorised. A pictorial model for the implementation of marketing strategies in QS firms in the country was also derived. The study recommended a reorientation by QS firms to adopt marketing as a key management strategy.

Keywords: Firms, Marketing Strategy, Professional Ethics, Nigeria, Quantity Surveying,