hat the potential customer wants, then deciding how to produce it economically and deliver it profitably.

Sales, he added, centers around the old saying about finding a need and filling it. Marketing, however, grew out of finding – and at times even creating – a “want,” then being able to create and deliver at a profit that which can satisfy the want.

Taking his explanation a step further, the old gentleman went on to say that Sales more

Is it really a battle, or merely a misunderstanding? Perhaps it’s time the business world takes another look at both of these two revenue producing activities. Both, after all, have undergone subtle changes in recent years.

What prompted my taking a second look was a colleague who recently found himself “between jobs.” He’d worked in one area of Marketing or another for all the years I’ve known him. He’s good at what he does, largely because he enjoys the kinds of open-ended challenges Marketing offers.

Until now, changing jobs had always been his choice. But having to find a new Marketing position this time – he was “down-sized” – caught him unaware of something that’s actually been going on for years: the confusion among many, including both senior managers and HR staffers, over what is Sales and what is Marketing.

Yes, he’s networking with his Marketing peers, but to discover what other opportunities might be out there, he’s done numerous online searches using “Marketing” as his key word. Much to his surprise, about 75 percent of the “Marketing” positions that show up in his searches are in reality Sales positions, most with the word “Sales” showing up in their titles or early in job descriptions.

He thought that a bit strange, and said so as we had lunch a few days ago. Strange it may be, I explained, but that confusion about two very different types of jobs has existed for a very long time.

I went on to share with him how someone much older and wiser than me described for me a number of years ago what he saw as the differences between Sales and Marketing:

Sales, he explained, typically involves finding and motivating potential buyers for goods or services that already exist.

Marketing, said that elder statesman, involves finding out what the potential customer wants, then deciding how to produce it economically and deliver it profitably.

Sales, he added, centers around the old saying about finding a need and filling it. Marketing, however, grew out of finding – and at times even creating – a “want,” then being able to create and deliver at a profit that which can satisfy the want.

Taking his explanation a step further, the old gentleman went on to say that Sales more

e he enjoys the kinds of open-ended challenges Marketing offers.

Until now, changing jobs had always been his choice. But having to find a new Marketing position this time – he was “down-sized” – caught him unaware of something that’s actually been going on for years: the confusion among many, including both senior managers and HR staffers, over what is Sales and what is Marketing.

Yes, he’s networking with his Marketing peers, but to discover what other opportunities might be out there, he’s done numerous online searches using “Marketing” as his key word. Much to his surprise, about 75 percent of the “Marketing” positions that show up in his searches are in reality Sales positions, most with the word “Sales” showing up in their titles or early in job descriptions.

He thought that a bit strange, and said so as we had lunch a few days ago. Strange it may be, I explained, but that confusion about two very different types of jobs has existed for a very long time.

I went on to share with him how someone much older and wiser than me described for me a number of years ago what he saw as the differences between Sales and Marketing:

Sales, he explained, typically involves finding and motivating potential buyers for goods or services that already exist.

Marketing, said that elder statesman, involves finding out what the potential customer wants, then deciding how to produce it economically and deliver it profitably.

Sales, he added, centers around the old saying about finding a need and filling it. Marketing, however, grew out of finding – and at times even creating – a “want,” then being able to create and deliver at a profit that which can satisfy the want.

Taking his explanation a step further, the old gentleman went on to say that Sales more

cover what other opportunities might be out there, he’s done numerous online searches using “Marketing” as his key word. Much to his surprise, about 75 percent of the “Marketing” positions that show up in his searches are in reality Sales positions, most with the word “Sales” showing up in their titles or early in job descriptions.

He thought that a bit strange, and said so as we had lunch a few days ago. Strange it may be, I explained, but that confusion about two very different types of jobs has existed for a very long time.

I went on to share with him how someone much older and wiser than me described for me a number of years ago what he saw as the differences between Sales and Marketing:

Sales, he explained, typically involves finding and motivating potential buyers for goods or services that already exist.

Marketing, said that elder statesman, involves finding out what the potential customer wants, then deciding how to produce it economically and deliver it profitably.

Sales, he added, centers around the old saying about finding a need and filling it. Marketing, however, grew out of finding – and at times even creating – a “want,” then being able to create and deliver at a profit that which can satisfy the want.

Taking his explanation a step further, the old gentleman went on to say that Sales more

hat confusion about two very different types of jobs has existed for a very long time.

I went on to share with him how someone much older and wiser than me described for me a number of years ago what he saw as the differences between Sales and Marketing:

Sales, he explained, typically involves finding and motivating potential buyers for goods or services that already exist.

Marketing, said that elder statesman, involves finding out what the potential customer wants, then deciding how to produce it economically and deliver it profitably.

Sales, he added, centers around the old saying about finding a need and filling it. Marketing, however, grew out of finding – and at times even creating – a “want,” then being able to create and deliver at a profit that which can satisfy the want.

Taking his explanation a step further, the old gentleman went on to say that Sales more

hat the potential customer wants, then deciding how to produce it economically and deliver it profitably.

Sales, he added, centers around the old saying about finding a need and filling it. Marketing, however, grew out of finding – and at times even creating – a “want,” then being able to create and deliver at a profit that which can satisfy the want.

Taking his explanation a step further, the old gentleman went on to say that Sales more often than not involves a logical buying decision, while Marketing’s success often depends an emotional ones.

An over-simplification? Perhaps. Trying to explain in a few dozen words something as complex as the differences between Sales and Marketing can only lead to over-simplification. But the differences are worth noting because they are significant, and they can influence how a business goes about seeking customers.