In the world of marketing, everyone knows that they are two different things. While marketing deals with the overall strategy of selling a product, sales deals with the actual selling. When you sell something, no matter what it is, you are marketing it. If you are marketing, you are communicating to potential clients your message. Both words mean the same thing: getting your message to your target audience so that they can make a purchase.
Fundamental Difference
So, let’s dig a bit deeper to learn the difference more thoroughly. Sales refers to the act of marketing, wherein the product is sold for a fixed price to the consumer at a given time and at a given point of time. Marketing on the other hand, pertains to knowing the needs of the consumers in such a manner so that when any new product is introduced, it automatically sells off. For example, if you are going to introduce a new tooth whitening product to the market, then you are marketing it. You may try to create content on social media and even buy YouTube views to reach more people. You are trying to communicate to your targeted clients your message regarding this new teeth whitening product.
Now that you have established the two concepts, lets talk about how you can use them. Marketing has a clear purpose, which is to reach out to your targeted consumers and increase your brand awareness. As you can see from the previous examples, marketing is always related to improving your brand image or increasing consumer satisfaction. Marketing and sales are interrelated because both are intertwined with each other. There are many different techniques that go into making marketing successful.
Reactive Vs Prescriptive
One of the most important issues to take note when understanding the difference between marketing and sales is that marketing strategies are usually reactive in nature. Whereas sales strategies are primarily prescriptive in nature. Marketing works towards providing your potential consumers with the means by which they can make a purchase decision. If your marketing campaign does not address this primary need of your consumers, then you are destined for failure.
With the introduction of social media marketing strategies, a new dimension has been added to marketing efforts. Marketing teams now have to focus on providing their clientele with the means by which they can communicate with their customers directly. This direct interaction between the consumer and the company has the power to make or break any campaign.
Combining Strategies
It is important that marketing and sales strategy become closely aligned with each other. A strong marketing strategy is one that is designed to capture a segment of consumers in your particular industry niche. It is also important that the marketing strategy is one that will give your target market a direct connection to your company’s products and services. When these two elements come together, you create the base for a healthy, mutually beneficial relationship between the company and its target consumers. In turn, the relationship will ensure that your company is able to continuously drive leads to its website and maintain a strong, consistent sales figure.
It is also important to realize that your marketing strategies should be developed around the core values and goals of your company. If you want to attract the right target audience, your marketing and sales message have to be tailored towards their interests, needs and wants. For example, if you are a business that sells professional cleaning supplies, your marketing message should be geared towards homeowners, not professional janitorial services. While there are a number of marketing strategies that may work for every type of company, if your target audience is homeowners in your area, you have to focus on providing your prospects with information that they may find relevant.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it is important to realize the difference between marketing and sales. One is more about creating awareness of your product or service while the other is all about closing a sale. Marketing is one method that is used to identify potential customers while sales is the means through which you close the deal after a prospect makes an offer. There are many ways to market products and services. The keys to success are to identify your target audience and develop a marketing strategy that focuses on these individuals.
