Every firm relies on sales and marketing to succeed. They are inextricably intertwined and serve as a catalyst for revenue generation (profit). While marketing is concerned with increasing awareness of a brand or organization, sales are concerned with turning potential customers into real customers. Continue reading to learn more about what is the difference between sales and marketing, as well as the sales and marketing courses that Emeritus has to offer.
What is sales and marketing?
Before we get into their specifics, let’s define sales and marketing.
What is the definition of sales?
Sales is the process of persuading a potential customer to buy a product or service from you. A sales representative typically communicates with prospects on a one-on-one basis by email, phone, or in person. Sales reps often do the following to get a ‘yes’ from a prospect during the sales cycle:
- Ask pertinent questions to their prospects.
- Respond to arguments from prospects.
- Meetings, demonstrations, and follow-ups should all be scheduled.
- Salespeople are frequently tasked with upselling and cross selling the company’s products and services to current clients.
What is marketing?
Marketing is made up of strategies and processes that create leads for salespeople and customers for the company. Marketers assist their company in reaching out to new customers, converting them into high-quality leads and increasing demand for products and services. They also connect with customers to inform them about new products and features, as well as to promote these upgrades and serve as advisors. The marketing department plays a key role in assisting sales by reaching out to a wider set of potential clients at once. Marketers concentrate on the following in order to achieve this:
- They need to undertake market and audience research to figure out what their target customers are doing to solve their problems and pain points.
- Lead generating tactics for a variety of media
- Long-term attempts to establish and promote a recognized brand.
What is the difference between sales and marketing?
| Marketing | Sales | |
| Approach | A broader range of actions to sell product/service, build client relationships, and much more to determine future needs and have a strategy in place to address those demands throughout time. | Make client demand meet the company’s present product offerings. |
| Process | Market research, distribution channels, and competing products and services are all examined. | The ratio is usually one to one. |
| Focus | An overall picture of promoting, distributing, and pricing products/services; meeting client demands and needs with products and/or services the company can provide. | Meet your sales volume targets. |
| Horizon | Long-term | Short-term |
| Scope | Customer service and satisfaction; public relations; advertising; sales; market research; market research | Persuade the consumer to buy the product that has been made to meet her demands once it has been created. |
| Priority | Marketing demonstrates how to reach out to customers and establish long-term relationships. | The end result is selling. |
| Identity | The goal of marketing is to create a brand identity that is easily associated with the satisfaction of needs. | Sales is a human interaction-driven technique for addressing demands in an opportunistic, individual way. There is no foundation for brand identification, longevity, or consistency. Simply put, it’s the ability to respond to a need at the appropriate time. |
Despite their obvious distinctions, sales and marketing are not mutually exclusive. Both the concepts are inextricably intertwined and have a critical role in the long-term existence of a company. Following are a few certified sales and marketing courses you can opt for to enhance your career.
Sales & Marketing Communication
The MICA (previously known as Mudra Institute of Communication, Ahmedabad) Post-Graduate Certificate in Sales & Marketing Communication programme will assist you in strategizing marketing difficulties and recalibrating strategies of interacting and influencing clients using digital and conventional platforms. You will receive the core knowledge, skills, and frameworks necessary to manage effective and comprehensive sales and marketing communication strategies as a result of this programme.
Strategic Marketing for Business Success
IIM Lucknow has created the Executive Programme in Strategic Marketing for Business Success to assist you stay relevant today. You will gain a comprehensive understanding of modern marketing in the digital age, including strategic global marketing, innovative marketing strategies, design thinking, digital marketing, and emerging technologies such as AI (Artificial Intelligence) and Blockchain, as well as their impact on maximizing ROI (Return on Investment) and driving business growth.
Learning sales and marketing is simple, thanks to Emeritus’ sales and marketing courses that teach you the in and out of the industry. Enroll in one of these marketing courses where you will learn more about what is the difference between sales and marketing and its benefits to advance your career.
