Happy 4th of July

 Why Sales & Marketing are Not the Same 

 

Sales and marketing are two terms that are often incorrectly used interchangeably by many business professionals.  This is generally a mistake since sales and marketing are two separate functions that although complimentary in nature, work in very unique and different ways.

Now you may be saying, "Wait a minute, I happen to work in a small office and we all wear many hats.  I don't have separate marketing and sales employees, I am both."   This is indeed the case in many situations, especially with small businesses which is absolutely fine.  However, understanding how sales and marketing relate is still important and knowing when to think as a marketer, versus act as a sales professional, can mean the difference between success and failure.

Good marketing makes sales easier.   The role of marketing is not to make sales.  The role of marketing is to create situations, the right conditions, for sales to occur.  Marketing also creates qualified leads and keeps existing customers coming back to you.

Marketing supports sales efforts and is often one of the major avenues for creating qualified leads for future sales.   Often marketing tools need to be present before sales can even take place.  For example, marketing creates the branding, company literature, website and other company pieces that sales relies on to generate leads, convey the company message and help close the sale.

Sales is the art of persuading an individual or company to make a purchase of a product or service.  The sales process is typically heavy on interpersonal interactions and relationships, whereas that usually is not the case with marketing.  Really anything that allows you to engage directly with the client or prospect and close the deal can be viewed as a function of sales.

Sales and marketing are crucial components to have for the long term success of most environmental and IAQ businesses.  Marketing convinces the prospect that your company is the company for them and gets them to contact your company in person, via the phone, email or by visiting the company website. 

You now have a great lead for the sales component of your company since the prospect contacted your company. The odds of these leads being interested and qualified are much higher than leads that your sales department has to generate on their own from cold calls and other means. A professional and efficient sales process will now begin the interpersonal course of converting these leads into customers.

We could go on forever about how marketing and sales work together and how they are different.  Just remember this; few great marketers make great sales professionals - just as few great sales professionals make great marketers.   Each role is different, yet they must work well together to optimize company sales and growth.

Even in a company with just one employee it is important to understand how each process works.  Correctly implementing strategic sales and marketing programs to be able to optimize your efforts, knowing when to wear the correct sales or marketing hat, will allow you to achieve the greatest rewards.

www.cochraneassoc.com info@cochraneassoc.com
602-510-3179