Sales Vs. Marketing

Sales and Marketing: the long-lost twins of persuasion, separated at birth, ships passing in the night. These endeavors have much in common, to the point that a lot of folks aren’t able to differentiate between the two.

TechArk is here to solve the mystery, and explain the key differences while outlining the many similarities.

Ready, set, sell!

Sales and Marketing work closely together as one often informs the other, and yet the departments don’t always mix in real life. Let’s take a look at how the processes differ, then delve into what pulls the two back together:

As you can see, the differences are there, but subtle. In the classic example of “sell me this pen,” Marketing focuses on the unique features of the pen while Sales focuses on the buyer’s need for a writing apparatus.

Marketing speaks to the general public, while Sales speaks to the individual. While Sales is granted a transformative power to create a need for the consumer and instantly fill it, Marketing is given the arduous task of making real life look and sound better.

So, how are they similar?

Both exist to increase profits for a business. Both work heavily off of common psychological principles of persuasion. Without a deep-seated understanding of the inner workings and dialogue of the human psyche, neither department is successful.

Historically, the challenges faced by each respectively are merging into one-and-the-same. For example, sales has always existed on the wind, so to speak, being blown by chance towards the highest likely conversion. Now, with the advent of call tracking, website analytics, contact forms, and lead generators, cold calls aren’t so frosty anymore, because the Seller knows that the prospect is already interested: Marketing informing Sales.

In the same vein, what used to be a one-way conversation in Marketing is now just as multifaceted as an in-person sales pitch. Online reviews and social media have opened up the conversation, so that potential buyers can respond — and respond they do, with questions, comments, observations, and jokes. Now, the Marketer can form a relationship with the consumer, cultivating brand loyalty and advocacy even over long distances.

Sales Vs. Marketing? We think a better play is Sales + Marketing!