Services marketing are based on relationship and value. It can be used to service a market or product. Apart from the usual 4 ‘p’ – people, place, promotion & price, services marketing mix added an additional 3 more ‘p’ - people, physical environment, process. In Services marketing,
The buyer purchases are intangible
The service may be based on the reputation of a single person it's more difficult to compare the quality of similar services
The buyer cannot return the service

There are 4 different types of services characteristic namely • Intangible • Inseparability • Variability • Perishability

Intangible - the service cannot be touched or viewed, so it is difficult for clients to tell in advance what they will be getting;
Inseparability - the service is being produced at the same time that the client is receiving it (e.g. during an online search, or a legal consultation);
Variability – services which involve people, as people are all different and so there is a possibility that they may answer enquiry differently or even the same person may answer enquiry differently at different time. Therefore it is important to minimize the differences in performance through training, quality assurance and etc.
Perishability - unused capacity cannot be stored for future use.

Using cars wash services as an example to describe the challenges faced. Firstly, since this service is intangible, the clients are unsure about what they will be getting or the benefit when they send their cars for cars wash services. Secondly, the cars wash services is being established at the same time and the client is also receiving the car wash services at the same time which the client sometime may not feel that they are paying for the services. Thirdly, the cars wash services workers may answer to clients enquire differently or even the same worker may answer to their client