There seems to be a never ending argument among marketing and sales professionals as to what really is the difference between marketing and sales functions. More often than not, both business activity terms are used to describe any business activity that is involved in increasing revenues. For small businesses, with limited resources, there often is no practical difference in marketing and sales functions, all revenue generating activities are typically implemented by the same personnel.
As a company grows in revenues and number of personnel, it typically follows a logical business function progression of "specialization", a process where the lines between more generic, departmental descriptions and functions became much more definitive and associated functional responsibilities become much more focused. Marketing and sales functions are no exception.
Marketing and sales functions are diverse yet very interdependent. Typically "sales" cannot exceed revenue objectives without an effective marketing planning and support, and "marketing" directives ultimately becomes useless without sales to implement the plan.
Like many complex business issues, it is sometimes easier to define something by what it's NOT as it is to define it by what it is. Let's take a closer look at marketing to better define what sales is not.
Simply defining "marketing" as the "Four P's", product, price, place and promotion, based on your Marketing 101 class in college is not practical in today's global markets. In a general sense, marketing is more theoretic than sales, focused on purchase causality and is more prescriptive in purpose than descriptive. Marketing involves micro and macro market analysis focused on strategic intentions where sales is driven more by tactical challenges and customer relations. Let's take a closer look at how marketing is truly different from sales:
Marketing responsibilities are distinct from sales in that marketing:
* Establishes and justifies the company's best competitive position within a market
* Initially creates, helps sustain, and rigorously interprets customer relationships
* Locates and profiles potential markets and key participants within
* Generates quality sales leads
* Develops effective selling tools
* Formally analyzes and tracks competitor's business strategies and tactics
* Defines, prioritizes and justifies new product or service improvements and developments
* Promotes an explicit company product or service image
* Facilitates information transfer from customers to the rest of the company
* Simplifies the customer's product or service procurement process
A full time Marketing Manager would be responsible for the following tasks:
New Product Rollouts:
Strategy development, program incentives, timing and media coverage
Agency Evaluation:
Selection and evaluation of outside marketing contractors
Customer Database Management:
Software selection, training, maintenance of customer contact Information
Market Research:
Market definition, prioritization, project management, data gathering
Pricing Analysis:
Pricing as a marketing tool?initiate and analyze competitor's pricing practices
Product Audits:
Establishment of a formal means to evaluate competitive offerings
Public Relations:
Establishment, guidance and coordination of all areas of public Relations
Trade Shows:
Definition, participation, prioritization and audit for effectiveness of all trade shows
Product Promotions:
Strategy formulation, program composition, premium definition, all media coverage
Marketing Communications:
All printed / electronic communication: brochures, catalogs, price lists, case histories
Media Selection:
Assist in selection and prioritization of all media options: print, broadcast, multimedia
Internal Communications:
Establish and maintain all inter-company corporate communication means
International Marketing:
Establish company presence in targeted international markets, audit for effectiveness
Strategic Planning:
Offer strategic information and alternative insights to corporate management strategies
Board Meeting Participation:
Communicate and reinforce the company marketing priorities, strategies and tactics
Corporate Vision Statement:
Proliferate and reinforce the corporate vision throughout the Organization
Corporate Identity and Image:
Create, maintain, improve and "manage" all corporate images and symbols
To a "pure" marketer, the marketing role in a company is not just a business function, but a business philosophy. An effective marketer truly believes "dominating" their target market is "owning" their market. The more a marketer can do to maintain market leadership the more effective they are perceived within the organization and within the industry.
As customer retention has become more of a business priority in our intensifying competitive markets, the marketing function has evolved from influencing potential customers to involving them the company's business planning and advancement. Effective marketing also has blurred the distinction between product and service and continues to apply more influence on the company's sales representation priorities.
In conclusion, marketing and sales functions are deeply rooted in each other's purpose and revenue growth intentions. There are few functional areas in business that relate more to each other. So the next time you hear someone say the word "sales", when the appropriate description would have been "marketing", or vise versa, think of this article and choose from any one of these documented business functions to make your point of distinction!
About the Author:
Mark Smock is President of http://www.business-buyer-directory.com, the FIRST international business buyer directory of its kind. Business Buyer Directory provides a non-traditional means for proactive business buyers to locate businesses for sale worldwide that meet their exact registered purchase criteria.
![]() |
|
![]() |
|
![]() |
|
![]() |
Why cutting your prices is like cutting your own... Read More
We all work hard to attract even one paying client.... Read More
How well do you know your customers?What is the primary... Read More
CRM?strategic engine or just another technology tool? How would you... Read More
Personal contact with customers is a crucial element in the... Read More
Time is a concern for all of us. We only... Read More
If you want to substantially increase your tourism prospects and... Read More
None of us have enough time in the day to... Read More
My childhood was my foundation for how I write and... Read More
Some of the most successful package introductions have come from... Read More
Business cards are such wonderfully creative little marketing products. Most... Read More
The difference between a successful business and one that just... Read More
Things have to change. Cross selling is not going to... Read More
In direct mail, the offer is the incentive or reward... Read More
1. Determine the goals of your promotional products program. Do... Read More
1. It costs less to delegate to a professional than... Read More
Postcards are perhaps the least expensive way of reaching a... Read More
Price is an often overlooked marketing strategy, as many tend... Read More
Wondering how to get new patients into your practice? Wondering... Read More
All small businesses can benefit from inexpensive off the shelf... Read More
How many Hispanic people live in the US currently. Well... Read More
Deciding whether a particular marketing program is profitable to your... Read More
Do you want to be quoted by the national press... Read More
In "Developing a Marketing Plan", we covered the first steps... Read More
Article marketing is the latest buzzword for marketers... Read More
We are all customers of one product or another. How... Read More
In today's competitive (sometimes cutthroat) marketplace, savvy business owners need... Read More
Your list of customers who have previously bought from you... Read More
Doing a current customer breakdown can help you find the... Read More
With the arrival of Spring, I decided to get outside... Read More
Before you can market, you need to know who you... Read More
How many times has your competitor gotten one over on... Read More
Cinch your success with 8-second leaders! Step into the saddle... Read More
All small businesses can benefit from inexpensive off the shelf... Read More
Targeting high potential markets with a direct mail marketing campaign... Read More
The buzzword these days is "relationship" marketing. Just what is... Read More
You may be engaged in a marketing activities that are... Read More
In today's competitive world of business, it takes moxie and... Read More
Staying ahead of the marketing curve seems to be a... Read More
If recreating the old experience of subscribing to magazines by... Read More
But more importantly, watch what they do. If you do... Read More
As you have probably experienced there is a lot of... Read More
Some companies that use direct mail to sell their products... Read More
More and more companies seem to be looking for new... Read More
With the increase in number of tradeshows being held across... Read More
Dumb Excuse #1"I'm not sure I want to invest any... Read More
Wondering if your marketing message is dancing in the spotlight... Read More
How many Hispanic people live in the US currently. Well... Read More
In the fundraising profession, appeal letters that you mail to... Read More
I want to share with you a story. This story... Read More
First, some background on today's topic. I've had a terrible... Read More
Sometimes you can use a guarantee effectively in your headline.... Read More
Candy, squeeze balls, pens, and key chains -- these provide... Read More
Do you have a website? A Web Newsletter? A mailing... Read More
One secret to a site that sells: Look at your... Read More
The usual complaint from companies is that Marketing simply does... Read More
KNOW YOUR AUDIENCEThe Oscars will be handed out soon, and... Read More
When it comes to marketing there's simply too many choices.... Read More
More of the findings of the recent studies in behavioral... Read More
It all started out with an email message: "I am... Read More
According to Dough McCormick, Chariman and CEO of iVillage, Inc,... Read More
Just because you have to stretch your marketing dollars doesn't... Read More
Here's a simple way you can generate lots of sales... Read More
Looking to grow your business? Make sure you have these... Read More
You'll always need to find new prospects for your business.... Read More
Your market is not everybody, as so many small businesses... Read More
Marketing |