Marketing isn’t sales: An easy analogy

There tends to be a lot of confusion surrounding the topic of Marketing and Sales.

Although they are similar, and at times interchangeable, or so it seems — they are very different animals.

You can think of Marketing as the overarching, long-term, strategic portion of a business. It encapsulates the creation of an image, a feeling, psychology and desires of a buyer in their buying journey, the filter of a brand, service, and product. It is, to be cliché, the Puppet Master that drives all activities in a business. It tells people what to buy, where, and when.

Sales is the mechanism that executes Marketing efforts and strategies. They are, for better or worse, the puppets that get influenced by the Marketers by performing the act the Marketers have dreamed up. Not to insinuate Sales is mindless, at all!Don’t get me wrong; however, they have to comply with the larger picture. They support and get things done. Sales is just as relevant as Marketing.

Think of it this way. It doesn’t matter how wonderful your Marketing Plan is, if you can’t execute it, even the best plan isn’t effective. Marketing and Sales should work hand in hand with open communication for best results.

Originally published at Standard Beagle.