The number of marketing and sales definitions around are as plenty as the number of definitions of love. Here is my version, marketing is creating awareness and interest for your business on a large scale. Sales are all about building the desire for your product which promotes action to buy. Marketing and sales roles can easily be confused especially when managed by one person. It happens to the best of us.
The role of marketing is to create awareness among your core audience.
Before promoting your offering, conduct consumer and product research to ensure your offering is a good fit for your target group.
Consumer research is the process of understanding the primary audience you intend to sell to, known as a target market. Discovering basic details such as gender, marital status, income, educational background, occupation, and social activities will help identify what your market looks like. Thorough research will also uncover challenges, pain points, values, and what would stop this group from purchasing.
Imagine trying to sell a Maserati coupe to a family of four, probably not an ideal vehicle. A Toyota SUV may be a better option since it can fit a car seat and a toddler comfortably, has high safety ratings, and good on gas. These features matter most to this group based on your research. (I am not soliciting Toyota’s product, just simply using this as an example)
Product research is the process of tailoring your product to meet the needs of your target market. If the current features of your offering do not solve a problem, this is an opportunity to make necessary improvements.
In marketing, promotions are launched to communicate the value of the product, service, or brand. The promotional efforts are designed to educate, increase awareness, build brand value and recognition. The objective of a marketing promotion is to reach a large number of people. This can be done by using various media channels such as radio, television, newspaper, magazine ads, social media, online ads,or websites to name a few. Promotional efforts are a success if it generates a demand for your offering.
The role of sales is to create revenue.
Any great sales person will tell you that building a relationship with the customer is the best way to convert their interest into a sale. There are two elements which are pivotal to the sales process, customer relationship and conversion.
Let’s say boy meets girl. Boy winks at girl. Girl smiles. Boy asks girl to get married. Girl takes off running. If boy took the time to ask her out on a date, to learn her likes and dislikes, showed her why he is right for her, she would have dropped a tear in lieu off running like a herd of bulls was chasing her. Take the time to build a relationship with your prospective clients don’t be so quick to put a ring on it.
Sales fulfills the demand your marketing efforts generate.
Marketing is the activities you do to attract large numbers of people to your business. The tasks you do behind the scenes to ensure you are offering the right product to the right people are consumer and product research. Once clients are attracted to your business it is the salesperson’s job to point them in the direction of the solution that will help to solve their problem. It is important to understand the difference between the two entities so therefore you can properly evaluate the progress of your business.
