What Must a Salesperson do to Close the Gap between Marketing and Sales?

What's the difference between Marketing and Sales? 

Marketing consultant, Laura Lake, defines marketing as "everything that you do to reach and persuade prospects" and sales as "everything that you do to close the sale and get a signed agreement or contract."  Anonymously authored blog About How To suggests "Marketing = Sizzle" whereas "Sales = Closing."  Duct Tape Marketing says marketing is "getting someone who has a need to know, like and trust you" and sales is converting someone with an unfulfilled need who knows, likes and trusts you into someone who will "try, buy, repeat and refer."  Information Marketer, Robert Middleton, analogistically describes marketing as getting to 2nd base and sales as bringing in the home run.  Finally, I like Karl Goldfield's personal definitions which includes a take on Business Development:

Business development is the accumulating of partnerships that will help you sell.
Marketing is the establishing of credibility that will help you sell.
Sales is the act of selling. Selling is the ability to receive money for an offering.

 

In an earlier post, "Do Salespeople Need their Own Web Presence?," I suggest that, especially for companies with distinctive marketing and sales departments, each salesperson should develop a personal brand. 

When prospects decide to become customers, what are they buying, your company and service or you?  Who are your Advisor Alliance partners promoting, the company or service or you?

If marketing's job is to build credibility, trust and familiarity for the company and its brand, how do they do it for you, the trusted advisor from whom the customer is really buying? 

Who's promoting you?

Comments

[Karl Goldfield]

Thank you for the post comment. I like your article as well.