Sales vs Marketing: Which is More Important?

Patrick Bet-David breaks down the different sides in the age-old debate – which is more important Sales or Marketing?

If we look to history, CEOs have won excelling in both. Whether it’s Ray Kroc in Sales or Jeff Bezos in Marketing, there is enough evidence to support both sides depending on what industry you are in. Take life insurance, for example, Sales is what drives people to buy not marketing. While smartphones are all about Marketing. So, what are the main differences between the two?

9 Differences Between Sales and Marketing

1. Asking vs. Storytelling

   1. Sales is about asking clients questions to discover what their needs are and gathering data to prepare a sales recommendation that fits their needs.
   2. Marketing is about telling a story of how a service or product improved or can improve new clients’ businesses through different mediums.

2. Math vs Art

   1. Sales is like math because we analyze numbers and data to make logical decisions to fit the needs of our business.
   2. Marketing is like art because we use different creative messaging and tones to resonate with our target audience, so they experience emotion and share that experience with others.

3. Flirting vs Attraction

   1. Flirting is a lot like Sales. You approach a potential client, get to know them while in turn, they get to know what your business can do for them.
   2. Attraction, on the other hand, is a lot like marketing. Marketing is the exterior appearance that draws people into your business like being drawn to an attractive person.

4. Dealing with Rejection

   1. Salespeople get over rejection quickly because they have to in order to perform at a high level. Maybe if they are great, they even forget about the rejection.
   2. Marketers, being creative people, are more sensitive to feedback so rejection isn’t overcome as easily or quickly. So feedback for the two sides has to be handled differently.

5. Linear vs Exponential

   1. If you didn’t hit your numbers last quarter, drive Sales and you will get an immediate and linear result.
   2. But if you want exponential growth and to build a good year into a great year, you need to focus on marketing and attracting customers to you.

6. Capitalizing vs Generating

   1. Capitalizing or converting leads is the lifeblood of Sales. Working and hustling leads is more important than how many leads a salesforce generates.
   2. Marketing is all about generating leads. Through creative messaging, marketing generates leads for Sales to take off and run with and hopefully convert.

7. People vs Product

   1. Salespeople are all about selling themselves first. They show off how they can take care of clients and deliver confidence to convert leads. The client must buy the salesperson before they buy the product.
   2. Marketers let the world know, that their product can change people’s lives. Marketers are product driven people who need customers to buy the product first.

8. Return on Investment (ROI)

   1. The side with the hard and fast data that can prove return on investment, is hands down Sales. You can pull up any salesperson’s performance monthly, quarterly, or yearly and see what they bring in for your business.
   2. Marketing is not about how successful the last campaign was. It’s about growing a trusted brand 5, 10 years down the line. ROI is measured long-term for marketing.

9. Commission vs Salary

   1. If Sales don’t make a sale, they don’t get paid. Working for a commission means chasing a sale for six months just to get a no and not get paid for any of that time. That’s why Sales gets so much respect for what they do.
   2. Marketers are salaried and get all the glory if they hit one, just one, out of the park. This difference allows marketers a lot more opportunity to succeed and grow.

If you want more insight into what is most important in your business, Sales vs. Marketing, watch How to Find the Leaks in Your Business

For all the salespeople and marketers who agreed or disagreed with this, send your tweets @patrickbetdavid. We want to hear from you and your take on Sales vs. Marketing. 

 

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