Marketing and Sales: What's the difference?

Marketing and sales are one of the most important components for a business to survive in the market. While both depend on each other, many people confuse marketing with sales and vice versa, which is a big mistake. Marketing involves designing a product according to the needs of the market and customers, promoting the product through advertisements etc., and setting a competitive price for the product. Marketing is a platform that drives sales. While on the other hand, the sales process is what you do to successfully sell a product and get a contract. Sales and marketing together are part of selling and one cannot do without the other. They can also be called activities. Business success is critical to the success of these two important activities.

Marketing is the backbone of a company's future and the starting point for sales. While the marketing process includes product design, advertising, etc., the selling process is the implementation of all efforts that involve direct interaction with the customer either by personal meeting, cold calls or by networking. But there is always a constant rivalry between the two, with one claiming dominance over the other. Marketers say they have the upper hand because they believe they are the ones who design the products, create the strategy, and also develop the basic tools for sales. They say that sales are the result of marketing and therefore you should follow its directions. Salespeople may not agree with this opinion and may be completely at odds with their opinion. They believe that salespeople are the ones who actually sell the product and bring money into the company.

But many experts believe that marketing should play a pivotal role between the two. A successful marketing campaign makes selling easy and makes people believe that salespeople are actually the dominant leaders. The most important role of the marketing department is to create opportunities for the sales department. Marketing drives sales and sales drive corporate success. Marketing is the life support of sales, it is the person who constantly supports the sales department and enables them to successfully deliver the final product. There should not be a race to gain supremacy over another division, but rather a race to win the market and customers together.

Many companies combine sales and marketing together but in reality they have different goals. While the sales department is concerned with meeting the requirements of what the customer requires, the marketing department is actually busy studying what the market demands. The marketing department's goal is to predict how the market will shape in the future. They must envision that their product meets the needs of the market over the next few years and be prepared to make design changes in their product accordingly.

It is very important for a company to integrate its sales and marketing department in a good way. It is the right integration between these two important entities that fuels the growth of the company. Sellers should not be treated as mere cash collectors. Each department has its own role and must go hand in hand in selling the company's product and this should be the most important criteria.