Sales and marketing are crucial pillars of every business. They are closely linked and act as a catalyst for generating revenue (profit). While marketing is about building awareness about a brand and organization, sales turn that viewership into profits by converting potential customers into actual customers.

Continue reading to closely understand sales and marketing and the differences between them in detail.

A. What is Marketing?

While the Oxford dictionary defines marketing as “The action or business of promoting and selling products or services, including market research and advertising”, Philip Kotler, known as ‘The Father of Modern Marketing’, defines marketing as an ‘administrative and social process through which individuals obtain what they need or desire’.

Business functions like selling, advertising, and logistics are a part of marketing. The marketing department of a company ensures that the correct information regarding the products or services is available to the customer while ensuring the delivery and good quality of the products or services.

Steps to Creating a Successful Marketing Strategy

 1. Market Research

Conducting extensive market research helps gauge the wants and needs of the customers. Through market research, a company collects information about the buying behaviors, patterns, cultural beliefs, and others of customers, which can then be translated into the product.

   2.Recognizing Target Customers

Every product or service has a target customer base. For instance, face tints will only be used by urban women in their early-20s or late 30s. This understanding will help devise a marketing strategy that caters to the target audience. Top courses in sales and marketing can help you understand the importance of the target audience in the best way.

  3. Identifying Unique Selling Proposition

USP is the factor that makes a product or service stand out. Businesses must recognize the USP of their products and services and communicate the same to their target audience through marketing campaigns.

  4. Developing a Brand

A brand is defined as – a type of product manufactured by a particular company under a particular name. A brand is unique to a product, distinguishing one brand’s product from the other.

  5. Choosing the Right Marketing Channels

A marketing channel is a medium through which customers learn about a new product. It can be a print advertisement, a TV commercial, or a Facebook ad. Depending on the target audience and type of product, it is vital to choose the right marketing channel.

  6. Exceptional After-Sales Services

Marketing is an ongoing business activity. It does not merely encapsulate selling products, but it also involves after-sales services. Communicating with the customers is the key to customer loyalty.

  7. Monitoring and Reviewing

Marketing strategies require constant monitoring and reviewing. It allows businesses to make effective changes.

Now that we have gotten an idea about marketing and creating marketing strategies, it is important to have a thorough understanding of sales. Let’s delve deeper into understanding what sales is and how to increase the same.

B. What is Sales?

A sale occurs when a buyer purchases tangible or intangible commodities from a seller.

It involves the passing of ownership from the seller to the buyer and relies mainly on the trust that the latter has in the former.

Sales is a competitive activity and may involve middlemen like salespeople, retailers, wholesalers, etc. It can be a contract between a buyer and seller or a process in which a salesperson sells different products.

How to Increase Sales?

  1. Setting Goals: During the incubation of a product, setting a specific goal will help maximize investments. It is imperative to set achievable business goals.

  2. Analyze Previous Sales: Analyzing past sales records helps gauge the company’s performance. It also helps in evaluating gaps and mistakes made in the past that can be corrected in the future.

  3. Evaluating Target Audience: Understanding the target audience is one of the most critical steps of the selling process. Evaluating the likes and dislikes of the customers and implementing them in the products boosts sales. It also increases customer satisfaction, which leads to customer loyalty.

  4. Implementing Marketing Strategies: A proper marketing strategy boosts the business’s visibility. Marketing is a business function that educates buyers about products. Therefore, a good marketing strategy can increase sales.

 Sales vs. Marketing: Understanding the Real Difference