The Relationship Between Marketing and Business

In business, marketing has been a popular term. Marketing and business are two things that cannot be separated. One will follow another; without one, another is impossible to exist. However, in our society, the term marketing has been connected to the term sales as well. Some people even thought that those words have been in a unity one to another. Therefore we will hear the term sales and marketing used as a phrase so many times. In fact, both have different stages in reality. People often think that the activity of those two departments is in the same area. Unfortunately, this thought has been kept not even by ordinary people but also the businessman as well. And This misconception is even considered a normal thing for so long. 

Now, let’s take a look closer at these two terms and see the detailed difference between them. 

The Definition of Sales and Marketing

First of all, let’s take a look at its definition. From the definition, then we are going to break down each specification, jobs description, and how it impacts the business. 

1. Sales

When you hear the word sales, what comes to your mind is sure about how people peddle their merchandise, isn’t it? Well, in fact, that is what sales are. Sales are identical to the activity of peddling merchandise to people. It has a good role in introducing a product to customers. The way the sales offer the product to the customers is by telling the customers the goodness of the products and giving the knowledge to the customers about the products until the customers are interested in purchasing the products. A salesperson will not think whether the customer satisfy or not since their target is that the customer purchases the products he offers; that means the company target has been achieved. 

The point is, a salesperson is successful when he or she can ensure that the product they offer is purchased by the customers. In other words, we can say that a salesperson’s main function is to realize the increase in product selling. 

2. Marketing

Marketing has more complex activity than sales does. A marketer is demanded to have more knowledge, not only about the product but also about many things else related, such as the price, the place, the promotion, the process, even the physical proof. All those things are going to be needed in supporting the marketing process he is doing. It is completely different from sales, which only focus on one thing: promotion. 

A marketer should be able to take care of the brand image of a certain product or service that he acknowledges people about. He then should work on the product planning, the price set-up, the promotion, distribution, and all those things are for the satisfaction of the customers. A marketer should be able to be called the representation of the company system in applying the strategy which is being held. 

A marketer should focus on strategic planning in promoting a product or service. He or she would be responsible for the working process by prioritizing how a product or service is ready for the customers. The next executor who should offer the products to the customer is the function of the salesperson. 

The Difference Between Sales and Marketing

After recognizing the main difference between the two terms, now let’s see the differences between the two in more detail. In a company, there are certain points that can be used to differentiate the two departments.  

1. Different Performance

Basically, sales and marketing are two fields that depend on one another. When the salesperson does the selling, then the marketer should analyze and identify what the market needs. However, sales are only focusing on the transaction, while marketing starts every sale from the beginning, even before the transaction process happens until the transaction is over, and still, the marketer should give a guarantee and take care of the loyalty of the customers. 

2. Working Spaces

The working space for sales is actually short-term, while its cousin has long-term conditional. 

When a person works in marketing part, he or she has responsibility in taking good care of his relationship with the customers. In addition, he has to build a good relationship with any partners or vendors regarding the promoted products. 

While salesperson has more tendency to public relations, and its main function is to convince consumers or prospective consumers. They have to make sure that the customers should have made decisions and felt the products offered. A good salesperson has to have a good listening ability in order to satisfy the customers. 

3. Main Priority and Function

Both sales and marketing have different objectives in every activity done. A salesperson will prioritize the accommodation target of customers, and its main function is to help the customers to fulfill their needs. On the other hand, the marketer will be responsible for reaching the customers and prioritizing good relationships. He or she should be able to invite the customers to become loyal customers who are loyal to certain products or services offered. 

4. The Activity and Its Result

The activities done by both sides are different, and it will bring different results as well. A marketer’s role is primarily behind the scene. He has to analyze the market strategy and any other important things. While the salesperson should face the customer in person, so he has to be nice in front of the customers. 

The salesperson focuses on contacting the customers and keeping a good relationship until they find agreement as to the result of his activity. While a marketer should acknowledge the customers about the products he wants to sell, give the guarantee that the products are really worth purchasing.

By understanding the difference between sales and marketing, you will see that both have big roles in running a business. Though playing different parts in the business, sales and marketing will be one of the determiners of the success of a business. 

Marketing Roles in Business

Now, after understanding the difference between sales and marketing, it’s time to see the relationship between marketing and business. Marketing and business and two things that cannot be separated. Here are the roles of marketing in business.

1. As Sales

One of the relationships between marketing and business is that it has become sales. It is inevitable that profit is important for running a company, and the profit is obtained from the sales activity. 

2. As Promotion

Marketing and business should walk in harmony. The first part will do the promotion for a business. The purpose is to acknowledge the customers about the products so that the activity would increase the profit obtained by increasing the sales rate. 

3. Research and Development

Another thing we can say about marketing and business is that marketing will do the research for business development. It should do the research of what the market needs because it’s constantly changing. If a company can fulfill the needs of the customers, of course, it will increase the profit of the company. In addition, after knowing the needs of the market, the marketer would be able to do the development of the products so that they will meet the customer’s demand.   

4. Implement Marketing Communication Concept

When talking about marketing and business, another role of marketing in business is the implementation of marketing communication concepts made. Marketing communication is part of communication which functions to do the communication strategy in communicating the products to the customers. Here, a marketer is demanded to have good communication skills. With this skill, he should be able to build and maintain a good relationship between the company and the customers. 

The Different Between Marketing and Business Development

After learning the difference between sales and marketing, now let’s see the difference between marketing and the business development department. Someone in the business development department is responsible for building a good partnership for the sake of the company’s business development, while the marketer would be responsible for getting new clients and keeping the old clients, and making them stay loyal clients. A business development manager would empower the sales and marketing department and their materials in order to get the target for the business development since its main responsibility is to develop business solutions for the company he works for. At the same time, the ultimate purpose is to enhance more revenue for the company, indeed. They should be able to manage the customer account and bring out new sales ideas. Therefore, sales strategy and business plans are needed here. 

Marketing Plan and Strategy

In doing the work on his part, a marketer will need to create a marketing plan and strategy. Both plan and strategy may sound the same, but actually, both terms are two different things, although be in one unity. Now, let’s break it down a little bit!

1. Marketing Plan

It is a systematical and well-coordinated sales process that leads to the strategy, and the main objective is to achieve the marketing plan itself. It will be the basic motor to generate the strategy made in business later. 

2. Marketing Strategy

It is a process of marketing where the main thought comes from the question: “What is the objectives that a company wants to obtain in increasing the business profit that will be gained by the company with the efforts done?”, for example, you have to give detail information to the customers about products that you offer, and why is it different from any other similar products? 

Kinds of Marketing

Since marketing is very important in business, let’s explore more about it. Based on some considerations, there are many types of marketing. The different kinds of marketing should have different implementations. To understand deeper, here is the explanation in detail. 

1. Based on Target Market

One of the important things which affect marketing strategy and plan is the market. Before making the plan or strategy, what should be done first is to analyze the target market. By analyzing the target market, then the company would be able to create the appropriate products as needed. Based on the target market, it can be divided into four types:

• Business to Business (B2B) means your target is another company or another business, and the main objective is to offer them a product or services to help them grow their business into something bigger.

• Business to Consumer (B2C) this a technique where it is making the common society the main target. 

• Consumer to Consumer (C2C) is a technique between the customer and another customer.  

• Business to Government (B2G) is the technique done by a company to promote their products or services to the government. Commonly to increase the performance of the government employers. 

2. Based on the Technique

Like target market, marketing technique used is also important in making marketing strategy and plan. It is because the technique applied defines the customer’s perception of the products offered. Based on the technique used, the marketing is divided into these types:

• Word of Mouth (WOM), this type, is used the spoken communication in doing the marketing technique.

• Guerrilla Marketing, this one is like silence movements that are not conventional. It has the potentials to be interactive marketing and deliberately put in unexpected places and spots. 

• Affiliate Marketing, this technique is where a company will give a reward for another company or partner when the partner could bring the customers for the company or into the business. 

• Database Marketing, in this case, the marketer would use the customer’s database to do the marketing. He or she would follow the customers and build a personal relationship to acknowledge the products to the target. This personal communication is often effective in dragging the prospective customers into the loyal customers at the end. 

3. Based on The Tools Used 

Tools are also important in the marketing plan and strategy. Based on the tools used, here are the types of marketing:

• Telemarketing, this one is a model where the marketer uses the telephone to make sales. He would gather the prospective customers and offer its products to them. 

• Digital Marketing is the most popular model today. As digital lives have developed very well and even have conquered almost every part of our lives, marketers have started to use it as the means of the marketing process. They would use digital media like television, the internet, social media, and websites to promote their products. Additionally, enrolling in a digital marketing course can provide valuable insights and skills for leveraging these platforms effectively.

• Direct Mail Marketing, other media used to promote products are brochures, banners, or leaflets, and even flyers. Even when a certain business has gathered your email address, they would directly send you the digital brochures or flyers to your email. 

Marketing & Business

So, when it is asked specifically, what is the relationship between marketing and business? Then, you can give these as the answers:

1. Increasing the Awareness of the Product

In business, it is important that people are aware of your products or services. After that, you could expect them to purchase those you offered them. Then, they probably become your loyal customers, and even they would help you spread the news about your products and services. 

2. Increasing the traffic

When you do digital marketing, your aim surely is to increase the number of people who visit your website. When the number of people who visit your website increases, it means the chance to get more customers is higher. An effective strategy would help you in this process. 

3. Increasing the Number of Sales

Every business has an objective to increase its sales number. When you do online business, optimizing the websites and your SEO, making the email campaign could be one of the best strategies in marketing. What people mean by development in a business is ultimate that the sales are rising from time to time. Therefore, any activities done in sales activity have the same objective to realize it. 

4. Building Trust to Your Brand

Making people believe in your products will lead them to loyalty and repeat orders as well. It will increase the sales number, of course. And another advantage is that you will get a good review from the customers who are satisfied with your products or services. And these good reviews are going to be another effective way of promotion.

5. Tracking the Metrics

Metrics are really helpful in making a marketing strategy. It is not only leading the strategy and tracing its progress, but it also informs us what can be adapted or customized to optimize the campaign you make.  

Conclusion

So, it is obvious that marketing and business development have a very close relationship. Marketing is a way to help the business development do its role. Sales, as part of marketing, has played a big role as well in developing a business. All those activities are ended at the same point: the increasing rate of sales, which is the main parameter of business development. And in the end, the profit of the company will increase as well. So, it is inevitable that basically, the main aim of sales, marketing, and business development is to increase the profit of a business since it is what a business is for.