For many business owners sales and marketing are the same thing. And more often than not, they’re despised and avoided. It’s true. Business owners know they need to have a sales and marketing strategy but because they misunderstand the concepts, they avoid them or they make simple errors – errors that cost them customers and sales. That’s certainly no way to grow a business.

What is Sales?

Sales is a process. It’s what happens from the moment you make a connection with your prospect to the moment they become a customer. If you’re talking on the phone with a prospect or a customer, that’s sales. When they’re making a transaction on your website, that’s sales. Selling is the act of motivating a customer to buy. If there’s an opportunity to make a sale, you’re selling. Sales is one aspect of marketing.

What is Marketing?

Marketing is a broad approach. It includes everything from pricing a product and identifying your target audience to putting the product or service into the hands of your customer. Marketing begins with a strategy and ends with measuring results. Advertising, email, customer service and innovation are all part of the marketing process. Your message, your brand, and your social media interactions are all part of your marketing.

Making the Both Work Together

For both your sales and marketing to work, and for you to get excited about them, it’s important to have one single ingredient – supporting goals.

Do you know what you have to offer and how you can provide value? Are you passionate about your business and how your products and services can change lives? If the answer is yes then you have all you need to build a successful sales and marketing system. The key is to be able to communicate your goals in both your sales and marketing efforts.

Marketing is about finding customers. Sales is about ensuring those customers make a purchase. When your systems support each other and support your mission and vision, it’s much easier to approach them with confidence and enthusiasm.

Take a look at your marketing strategy. Does it support you to find customers? Does it communicate your goals for your products or services? Does it support your mission and vision?

Now take a look at the sales processes within your marketing strategy. Does it support your prospects to make a buying decision? Does it support your marketing efforts? If your business lacks, chances are there’s a gap in your sales or marketing strategy. Review them to make sure that they’re consisted, they support each other and they have appropriate goals.