No matter which sector your company is operating in, success or failure boils down to sales and marketing. If you’re not marketing your company and your product or service effectively, no one will be able to find you. If you are not able to close a sale when prospective customers come around, you will never even get the chance to deliver on your brand promise.
Misconceptions between sales and marketing
Sales and marketing are not the same thing. The sales process consists of building relationships and closing sales, while marketing involves creating brand awareness, generating value in the consumer’s mind, and identifying new target customers, and acquiring new sales inquiries -all the actions a company takes to reach and attract customers.
The sales and marketing departments need to work together to achieve the goals of the business. The sales team cannot be expected to handle marketing duties.
The sales department generally has limited marketing experience and only a basic understanding of the process. This results in an ineffective sales team and the company fails to capture customers.
Common marketing errors
- Branding – a brand image that is cluttered and fails to visually communicate effectively. Generally designed in-house or by an amateur with best intentions.
- Messaging – confusing copy written in haste and poorly executed.
- Marketing tools – usually a one page pamphlet that doesn’t communicate the core values of the business and isn’t persuasive.
- Website – an outdated website that has not been well thought out and is not being used as an extension of the sales team. It likely does not incorporate the brand image and lacks consistency in relation to the rest of the marketing mix.
To overcome these common mistakes, it is crucial that your company truly understands who its customers are and what they want from your organization. Then you can begin to develop strategic approaches to marketing and selling your products or services.
Inderpal Gill, Firstbase Business Services
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