After posting that sales and marketing question the other day, I also sent it out on my LinkedIn account to see what my network would say. I wasn’t disappointed!
Read all the answers here to “What’s Your Opinion of the Difference Between Sales & Marketing?” As of 7:10 am today, there are 52 answers, one for every week. Some answers have me laughing, reflecting the personality of my business friends — Others are more thoughtful and extemely detailed. Without a doubt, I’ve had the opportunity to look at this subject in ways I hadn’t thought of before.
Do any of the answers surprise you??
Maybe a bit to late, but in my opinion:
Sales goes for the Head
Marketing goes for the Heart
Tried to post it on Linkedin as well, but failed there :(
Hello Chris -
You have asked a wonderful question, and I wish I would have seen it on LinkedIn. In my opinion, the primary function of marketing is generating high quality leads for sales. Other activities such as branding, website design/implementation, etc have the purpose of generating awareness and interest, but that ultimately translates directly into lead generation.
The primary function of sales is to take these leads and drive deal closure. In fact, I would argue that the ONLY function of sales is attaining or exceeding quota.
That said, I also believe it is crucial for Marketing and Sales to partner closely together. That relationship is often contentious and driven by business objectives that are not aligned. At my company, sales and marketing both are held accountable and compensated for driving revenue. This means Marketing is extremely invested in providing Sales with the leads we need to close as much business as possible.