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Many people are confused by the difference between sales and marketing. Just remember that marketing people deal with markets that contain many potential customers, and they talk to them as a group. Whereas salespeople deal with a few customers and talk to them one at a time.

There is a lot of overlap between the two roles and this can sometimes cause conflict and misunderstanding. But it is essential that marketing and sales people work together and support each other to achieve the organization’s business objectives.

one minute wonder Make sure that you involve sales and customer service people as early as possible in all promotional campaigns. This eliminates hostility, misunderstanding and any feelings of things not being invented here.

 Marketing looks at what’s happening in the market. It’s important to assess market trends and the competition. These days, most forward-thinking marketing people also involve salespeople to help their understanding. This is because salespeople have an intimate knowledge of individual customers and competitors.

 Marketing creates promotional campaigns. This is to increase awareness of the business and its brand. Salespeople must be told what the promotions are doing and when they’re going to happen. Then sales can ride on the back of the campaign and generate additional business.

 Marketing prepares promotional material. This is to help potential customers understand what your business does. It includes brochures, presentations and your website. Salespeople should use these to describe the business and explain the benefits of your products to individual customers.

 Marketing works with sales. Together they create campaigns to generate enquiries from customers. It is essential that these campaigns support sales activities and objectives.

 Sales weeds out the time-wasters. Sales must identify those potential customers who are seriously interested in buying your products. It’s also their job to convince individual customers to make a purchase. Then salespeople will either take an order or the money.

 Sales and marketing work together on catalogues. Whether it’s with mail order, over the Internet or through third parties such as distributors and agents, marketing and sales must work together. In this situation marketing must support sales.

To learn more about selling, you should read the Selling Secrets book in this series.

Marketing approaches broad groups of potential customers; salespeople talk to them individually.