Marketing and Sales Are Not the Same Thing

Is Marketing Just Another Word for Sales?

In a nutshell, no.

The two certainly work together, but they have very different jobs.

Over the years, I've seen plenty of companies use the word "marketing" as a more respectable-sounding substitute for "sales."

You've probably seen the ads:

"Marketing Reps Wanted — Start Today!"

Then you read the job description and discover they're actually looking for people to knock on doors and sell solar panels, home improvements or some other product.

There's nothing wrong with sales. Good salespeople are extremely valuable.

But calling a salesperson a marketing representative doesn't suddenly make the job marketing.

So What's the Difference?

One of the traditional ways of explaining marketing is through the Four Ps:

It's a simple model, but it demonstrates just how much broader marketing is than selling.

• What are we offering?
• Who is likely to buy it?
• What should it cost?
• How and where will customers find it?
• How should the business position itself?
• What should the website say?
• How do people discover us in search engines?
• What should we promote on social media?
• What makes someone choose us rather than the business down the street?
• And after we've won a customer, how do we encourage them to come back?

Those are all marketing questions.

Where Does Sales Fit In?

Sales is part of the process.

A salesperson generally isn't deciding what a product should look like, what it should cost, how the company should position itself, whether the website is doing its job, what should be promoted on Facebook, or how the business appears in Google.

But all of those things can make the salesperson's job considerably easier—or considerably harder.

That's why I think of good marketing as preparing the ground for the sale.

Before the salesperson ever speaks to a potential customer, that person may already have seen the company name, visited its website, read a review, noticed a Facebook post or heard about the business from somebody else.

Good marketing has already started the conversation.

Marketing Shouldn't Stop When the Sale Is Made

This is another important distinction.

Getting the customer isn't the end of marketing.

What happens after the sale?

• Was the experience good?
• Will the customer come back?
• Will they recommend the business to someone else?
• Could they buy another product or service?

Marketing therefore isn't simply about finding customers. It's also about helping a business keep them.

Zoom Out

When a business treats marketing and sales as the same thing, it can become too focused on the final transaction.

"How do we sell more?"

That's obviously an important question.

But sometimes the better questions come before it:

• Do enough people know we exist?
• Are we giving them a reason to choose us?
• Does our website build confidence?
• Are we reaching the right people?
• Are we giving existing customers a reason to return?

You don't need a huge marketing department or an enormous advertising budget to start answering those questions.

Sometimes you simply need to zoom out, look at the whole business and put a basic plan in place.

Sales is important.

Marketing helps make the sale possible.

…And that's my Two Pence Worth.