Welcome to 2012. I’ve always been somewhat surprised at the confusion that seems to exist between the marketing and the sales process. Hopefully the following blog will eliminate some of the discrepancies.
A marketing person I am not, but I’ve had the opportunity to work with a number of marketing professionals over the years while initiating sales concepts that compliment a well-conceived marketing effort.
Both marketing and sales are critical to ensure the growth of a business, but they are not the same, let’s discuss the differences.
In simple terms, marketing is a game plan that creates visibility and awareness of an aspiring enterprise, its products, and services. Hopefully, it creates a “call to action” for your target market if they perceive that your product alleviates a need or problem. Marketing can consist of everything from collateral material, a promotional website, email correspondence, and social media such as Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Marketing is all about creating a presence and creating a favorable perception about the product or service that a intended market can envision solving a problem. If this perception is favorable, it creates a response that helps to initiate the sales process.
The term “sales” sometimes evokes negative feelings in a person’s mind. But in reality, sales is the major key to generating business. Sales is the engine that moves a company. It creates a cash-flow and operating capitol. Without sales, there is no way to develop new growth and expansion in a company.
The sales concept is primarily direct contact with perspective clients. It is a follow up to the marketing effort. Sales concepts can take several forms, such as a response to an email inquiry, responding to contact from a website, a telephone conversation, or a face-to-face meeting.
Simply put, sales is all about responding to a perspective client’s need or problem with direct contact that leads to a sales transaction. It is about creating a win-win situation for everyone involved. The transaction will not take place until the perceived value of a product or service exceeds the cost. Without this, there is no cash-flow or momentum in the company. I’ve shared over the years with clients that until a transaction takes place, there’s not much for anyone else to do.
Take a moment and look around and try to point out any item that at least one transaction has not taken place before it becomes part of your life or environment. I will be surprised if you can find one.
As you can begin to see, sales and marketing are very complimentary but certainly differ in relationship to their intended purpose. The fine line between the two is often blurred to most people who group sales and marketing together without understanding their differences. Next week we will further discuss the aspects of the sales process and getting intended results.
