Sales vs Marketing

Seth Godin Action Figure

I graduated with a degree in Philosophy and Political Science, not exactly the most worldly of studies. So I can say that I don't really have a clue as to what marketing or sales is all about.

That is why, I finally satiated my curiosity by typing "Difference between Sales and Marketing" in Google.

I know. You may call me a business neophyte if you wish.

According to the articles that I've read, marketing is intrinsically different from sales in the following ways:

"(Marketing) Discovering what product, service or idea customers want."

"(Marketing) Producing a product with the appropriate features and quality"

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In a nutshell and in my own words:

1. Marketing is customer or needs oriented, whereas sales is oriented towards the actual exchange.
2. Marketing is the "opening" and sales is the "closing".
3. Marketing has to do with knowing and setting the expectations of the customer whereas sales is about persuading the customer to purchase.
4. They are two different processes under one scheme: to make money.

Off beat comparison:
1. Marketing is finding the right worm for the fish. Sales is getting the fish on the hook
2. Marketing tells you that your phone is outdated and that the iPhone is THE Phone, sales is when you buy an iPhone.
3. Marketing is writing an article about retiring, and sales is when the potential retiree gets a retirement plan.

My Experiences:
1. Marketing is when a Telecom representative told me that there is no Installation Fee for my Globe Telecoms Wimax Broadband, and Sales is when I paid for the Installation Fee.
2. Marketing is when I canvassed the prices of all the commercial establishments near our office, priced our lease rates, and promoted over the Internet our commercial space. Sales is when I signed the contract and got the checks. And again, marketing, when I had to renovate the building for two occupants.

My Favorite Marketer:
1. Marketing occurs when he provided a free service in the form of a podcast to educate people about Internet Marketing, and Sales is when people subscribe to a remarkable Web Conferencing Software so that they could hold their own online meetings.
 
Gee, I'm not really good at this, that's why a video by Doug Richards of School for Startups was needed to further enlighten me.