Ultimately, these differences are superficial because the customer will always look for the same things -- quality and value.

The notion that services are not comparable is absurd. For this to be true, a service would need to be in a monopoly. It is easy to compare your current haircut with your last, your current lawyer with your friend's lawyer. Customers constantly compare services, just as much as they compare television sets at the store. That products are returnable is true, but marketers should not operate on the assumption that defects are acceptable. Indeed, the likelihood of a problem occurring and the ease of replacement of that product or service should be only a minor factor in a marketing program. Customers, after all, expect things to work the first time, whether a paper plate or a tax preparation.

Those who argue that marketing services is fundamentally different than marketing products...
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