“Is there a difference between sales and marketing” is a question we have heard a lot of times. If you also have a similar query, this article addresses it once and for all.
The terms sales and marketing look a whole lot similar and are often used interchangeably. But there are a few striking differences between them.
Before understanding what is the difference between marketing and sales, you must understand them in isolation first.
If you know what these terms mean individually, it will be easier to explain the difference between sales and marketing. Hence, let us jump right into the article by studying the term “sales” in detail.
Simply put, the term sales is concerned with selling or making the goods and services available to clients. Moreover, it also encompasses maintaining relationships with current and prospective customers. For example, the sales department of an organization convinces potential customers to buy the product or service they are offering.
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And once the product or service is sold, it is the responsibility of the salesperson to maintain relationships with the customers for future sales and address their queries. Further, the more the sales, the more is the company’s revenue. Hence, you may often see salespeople trying to maximize the volume of products/services sold to the customers.
Now, talking about marketing, it is a somewhat broader concept than sales. Let us understand it to see how it compares with sales.
Traditionally, business organizations were only concerned with sales. But as society progressed and the concept of “customer satisfaction” gained prominence, they began to realize the importance of marketing their products and services.
Then businesses realized that they cannot persuade someone to purchase their products/avail of their services unless the person is really interested in them. If the product or service delivers value to the customer and he finds some interest in them, only then the company can have long-term growth.
Hence, evolved a concept we know today as marketing. Marketing personnel or marketers are concerned with building the potential customer’s interest in the product or service through various channels (like blogs, social media platforms, etc.)
After interest generation, a potential customer is better motivated to become a customer to add to the sales and revenue of the company.
Now, you might have noticed that the core goal of sales and marketing is one, i.e., to increase revenue. But does this mean they are the same? Well, no. There are many differences between sales and marketing.
The basic difference between sales and marketing is that sales targets a small group of people to maximize profit through sales volumes. Whereas, marketing focuses on a larger group of people or the entire public to earn profits through customer satisfaction.
Moreover, there are many other differences between marketing and sales. Let us explain them in points in the following section.
The following points explain the difference between sales and marketing clearly.
The broad objective of both marketing and sales is to generate revenue for the company. But the nature of their goals is significantly different.
Marketing aims to promote the brand and its products/services among a larger segment of the population. The marketing department decides the product’s price and communicates to the prospective customers how the product/service justifies the set price (the value they get from the product or service). And the marketing goals are not a one-time affair, they continue for many months/years.
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On the other hand, sales goals are more concerned with achieving the set quotas and sales targets. Generally measured on a monthly basis, these goals are short-term.
Sales and marketing seem similar, but they are performed a lot differently. The process of marketing begins with detailing the company’s history, goals, and objectives of marketing taking into consideration the 4Ps, i.e., Price, Product, Place, and Promotion.
Moreover, the marketing plan determines what channels the company will use to promote the product/service. Furthermore, it sets a budget for the campaigns the marketing team needs to undertake. The below figure shows the marketing process in detail.
Whereas, the sales plan is more focused on the process of selling the product/service, the structure of the team, and goals (which is primarily the maximization of sales volume). The sales plan sets targets that the sales team needs to achieve. It also describes the necessary tools, action plans, and resources to achieve them. The following figure shows a common sales plan template.
Strategies are also a significant factor when it comes to the difference between sales and marketing. Sales and marketing differ a lot in terms of the strategies adopted to achieve the goals and objectives.
Hence, look at some of the sales and marketing strategies to understand the difference between sales management and marketing management.
The strategies adopted for marketing depend upon the target market and the type of campaign. However, the following are the most widely used marketing strategies.
The strategies adopted to sell a company’s products or services depend upon the type of product/service, customer attitudes, and the industry as a whole. However, below are some most commonly used strategies to boost sales.
The tools used for marketing and selling a product/service are also a major difference between sales and marketing. For example, Search Engine Optimization is a marketing tool whereas email management software is a sales tool.
Therefore, below we list some common sales and marketing tools.
Like sale strategies, tools also depend on the product/service, target market, and the industry. However, here are some frequently used sales tools.
Below are the most commonly used marketing tools.
So, these were some of the most basic differences between sales and marketing. Let us now explain them in a tabular format for your convenience.
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We can summarize the above differences between the marketing funnel and sales funnel in the following table.
| Basis of Difference | Sales | Marketing |
| Scope and goals | Narrow and short-term | Wide and long-term |
| Process | Revolves around maximizing the sale volume | Centered around 4Ps, namely, product, price, place, and promotion |
| Strategies | Involve strategies like N.E.A.T, SPIN, SNAP, etc. | Involve blog marketing, SEO, social media marketing, etc. |
| Tools | Use tools like invoicing programs, meetings apps, lead generation software, etc. | Use tools like data reporting software, content creation tools, project management tools, etc. |
This article explained the basic difference between sales and marketing with examples. We hope these concepts and their differences are now clear to you.
Before leaving you should note that sales and marketing are separate functions but interconnected to achieve the overall organization’s overall objective of wealth and profit maximization.
If you have any more questions or suggestions about this write-up, you may put them in the comments section for us to get in touch with you.
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