Marketers generally purchase electricity from generators and/or natural gas from producers, and then resell it to utilities, end users, or other marketers. Successful marketers add value by saving generators, producers, and customers the trouble of finding each other, arranging for transmission and ancillary or balancing services, and by assuming price or other marketplace risks. Some larger generation companies and natural gas producers have an energy marketing arm to handle marketing of their own supply, while others simply sell to independent marketing companies.
The role of the marketer is sometimes divided into two categories — the wholesale marketer and the retail marketer. Wholesale marketers buy supply and resell it to utilities, other marketers, and very large industrial customers. Retail marketers also buy supply but focus solely on resale to end-use customers. Since retail marketers usually have a lot more customers than wholesale marketers, their skills are focused on mass sales, customer service, product development, billing, credit and collections, and brand development. Wholesale marketers tend to focus more on risk management and direct sales.