The concept of marketing and sales: what's the difference?

In this article, you will learn all you need to know about the major difference between marketing and selling. Keep reading to learn more.

What is marketing concept?

Marketing can be understood as a very capacious process, representing a separate area of the activities of competent specialists of an organization or a specialized firm. Its main goals include the following:

Research on the consumer market - In regards to the demand for a particular product or service.
Provide assistance to interested economic entities in the release of products or services that are in demand.
Evaluation of the effectiveness of the firm's pricing policy for products or services sold on the market.
Promotion of the relevant products or service in the market.
Evaluation of the effectiveness of the organization in the delivery of products, and provision of various services to the consumers, as well as ensuring compliance with the supplier's warranty obligations.

The main task of marketing is to maintain the competitive position of the business on the market through accessible and legal methods, as well as by using the knowledge and skills of specialists who are competent in solving similar problems. This competitiveness is achieved to a large extent by identifying the wishes and expectations of the consumer.

Another important area of marketing is researching proposals from competing businesses, exploring the strengths and weaknesses of related products or services.

What is sales?

Sales refer to:

The functions of the firm's activities, which are directly related to the transfer of goods or the delivery of services to consumers, as well as the receipt of fees for the relevant products and services.
The direction of the firm's activities related to the promotion of goods on the market and the stimulation of buying activity (in this case we are talking about active sales).
The development of the concepts of an optimal price policy, the determination of selling prices for certain goods or services, the establishment of discounts and special offers.
The activities of competent specialists of the firm connected with the formation of an assortment of products or services that are delivered to the market.
The direction of the company's activities related to the registration of legal relations with consumers, accounting and tax reporting.

Sales are mostly one-sided since it does not involve getting any feedback from the market. However, the information sellers require in terms of best supply, the determination of prices, the range of goods or services, can be gotte via certain sources in the market.

Difference between sales and marketing

The main difference between marketing and sales is, first of all, the intensity of the use of feedback channels in the market. In the case of sales, the corresponding mechanisms, as we noted above, are very limited. However, constant communication with the market to get feedback from various stakeholders is an essential component of marketing.

The work of marketing specialists is usually associated with activities like:
Organization of delivery of goods or delivery of services to consumers.
Registration of legal relations with consumers.

Stimulation of consumer demand through active negotiations with clients, the formation of price offers with discounts, special offers (however their creation can be carried out taking into account the recommendations of experts in marketing).

These activities are the responsibilities of sellers:

Difference between marketing and selling concept

The work of sellers is rarely associated with certain activities that characterize the labor function of marketers. Namely:

Study of the market for certain characteristics of consumer demands.
Study of products and services of competitors.
Assessment of the effectiveness of certain activities of the enterprise associated with the sale of goods and services.

In marketing, it is more important to listen to the target market to guide decisions and pass information. Trainings can be held constantly to improve the market’s awareness about products.

A seller sometimes has the opportunity to individualize the components of sales, but the main emphasis is usually on helping the customer to determine the product he wants to buy or to offer variations if he has already purchased the product. In sales, not much time is spent on training to find out which product will be ideal for the client.

In addition, sellers are not required to spend time listening to the wishes of the customers, they are more interested in selling the product they have at hand.

The core function of the sales team is to sell the products that the business has made and fulfill the company’s sales goals as quickly as possible. If you look through the prism of the marketing concept, you will understand that an enterprise should put the wishes and needs of the consumers first.

Do you see the difference yet? Sales is all about making profits instead of focusing on meeting consumer's demands. While marketing includes a lot of research and promotional activities to find out which products are being sought by clients, and that potential buyers are aware of them.

Similarities between marketing and sales

There is also some similar features between marketing and sales. For example, the efficiency of sales can be the subject of marketing research. In addition, practical recommendations of marketing specialists can be implemented by sellers as a part of maintaining the competitive presence of the company in the market (for example, this may involve setting discounts, special offers, and the use of certain methods of active sales).

Marketing forms the uniqueness of the product and the company, and sales transfer these values to customers get profit in return.

A company will most likely sell a lot of its products more effectively when sales gets support from marketing.

Marketers constantly stay abreast on issues concerning the market; they monitor what customers, competitors and suppliers are eager to get. In lots of cases, it is simply impossible to combine sales with marketing. But a competent union of marketing and sales management gives a result which many company owners dream of.

Getting a good sales manager and a marketer at the same time may seem like a bad idea when a firm only focuses on the cost, however, when the final result is considered, it becomes obvious that the gains outweigh the cost. The best investment is investing in yourself and your business, this will guarantee your profits.

Now that you know the difference between marketing and sales, it’s time to use these instruments properly to keep your goods in demand. We wish you good luck and great success in your business!