Thoughtful Thursdays – Is it a sales or marketing concern?
The line between marketing and sales is easily blurred in a small and micro businesses. In organizations where there are marketing and sales departments, the lines are clearly defined and in some cases are not to be crossed.
Marketing produces prospects, while sales activities result in customers.
It is now common to wear both marketing and sales hats. These activities can easily run into or over one another. For example you may set a marketing objective to meet five prospects at a networking event. You meet prospect number two and the conversation turns into a qualification and before you know it, a future meeting is set up. Good work!
The issue is that the event is now over and although you have qualified a prospect, you are short three, based on your marketing objective of meeting five prospects.
At the next sales review, you find that sales did not meet forecasts. Is it a sales or marketing concern? In this case I would suggest that sales may not be the issue. You have proven that you can close.
What I see is a shortage of prospects, and that would be a marketing concern. You will want to increase your marketing efforts to meet your marketing objectives.
So before you begin to question your sales abilities, make sure it really is a sales issue.
Good selling,
Richard
Have a question about sales? Contact Sakanashi and Associates Inc. and I will respond
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