DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SELLING AND MARKETING
In general we use ‘marketing’ and ‘selling’ as synonyms but there is a substantial difference between both the concepts. It is necessary to understand the differences between Marketing vs Selling for a successful marketing manager. Selling has a product focus and mostly producer driven. It is the action part of marketing and it has short – term goal of achieving market share.
The emphasis is on price variation for closing the sale where the objective can be stated, as “I must somehow sell the product”. This short – term focus does not consider a prudential planning for building up the brand in the market place and winning competitive advantage through a high loyal set of customers. The end means of any sales activity is maximizing profits through sales maximization.
When the focus is on selling, the businessman thinks that after production has been completed the task of the sales force starts. It is also the task of the sales department to sell whatever the production department has manufactured. Aggressive sales methods are justified to meet this goal and customer’s actual needs and satisfaction are taken for granted. Selling converts the product in to cash for the company in the short run.
Marketing as a concept and approach is much wider than selling and is also dynamic as the focus is on the customer rather than the product. While selling revolves around the needs and interest of the manufacturer or marketer, marketing revolves around that of consumer. It is the whole process of meeting and satisfying the needs of the consumer.
Marketing consists of all those activities that are associated with product planning, pricing, promoting and distributing the product or service. The task commences with identifying consumer needs and does not end till feedback on consumer satisfaction from the consumption of the product is received.
It is a long chain of activity, which comprises production, packing, promotion, pricing, distribution and then the selling. Consumer needs become the guiding force behind all these activities. Profits are not ignored but they are built up on a long run basis. Mind share is more important than market share in Marketing.
According to Prof. Theodore Levitt
The difference between selling and marketing is more than semantic. A truly marketing minded firm tries to create value satisfying goods and services which the consumers will want to buy. What is offers for sale is determined not by the seller but by the buyers. The seller takes his cues from the buyer and the product becomes the consequence of the marketing effort, not vice versa. Selling merely concerns itself with the tricks and techniques of getting the customers to exchange their cash for the company’s products, it does not bother about the value satisfaction that the exchange is all about. On the contrary, marketing views the entire business as consisting of a tightly integrated effort to discover, create, arouse ad satisfy customer needs.
Main Features of SELLING in Marketing vs Selling
1 Emphasis is on the product
2 Company Manufactures the product first
3 Management is sales volume oriented
4 Planning is short-run-oriented in terms of today’s products and markets
5 Stresses needs of seller
6 Views business as a good producing process
7 Emphasis on staying with existing technology and reducing costs
8 Different departments work as in a highly separate water tight compartments
9 Cost determines Price
10 Selling views customer as a last link in business
Main features of MARKETING in Selling vs Marketing
1 Emphasis on consumer needs and wants
2 Company first determines customers needs and wants and then decides out how to deliver a product to satisfy these wants
3 Management is profit oriented
4 Planning is long-run-oriented in today’s products and terms of new products, tomorrow’s markets and future growth
5 Stresses needs and wants of buyers
6 Views business as consumer producing process satisfying process
7 Emphasis on innovation on every existing technology and reducing every sphere, on providing better costs value to the customer by adopting a superior technology
8 All departments of the business integrated manner, the sole purpose being generation of consumer satisfaction
9. Consumer determine price, price determines cost
10. Marketing views the customer last link in business as the very purpose of the business
Here is a quick 1 minute video by us on the difference between selling and Marketing. Hope you like it.
Good artical
You are really a gem. The way you explain your point is worth appreciating. I wanna would like to join your team.Is there any gateway for the same.
marketing is the art of selling product which is depend on each other contribution.
I really like your articles. Really helped in understanding the concepts of Marketing Management. Keep up the good work!
Thank you harsh for the feedback 🙂
Distinguishing between similar things is the toughest differenciation. You have explained it in a very simple and effective way. Thank for the article!
Truly speaking, you guys perfectly explained the difference between sales and marketing . Thanks for sharing this post
Marketing is a broader aspect and Selling is just a part of the Marketing process.
Marketing is broader than selling and differs in four important aspects;- ( starting point, Focus, Means and End)
it was really helped for me
It’s very helpful to all students thanks to all of u nd very simply explained the difference of marketing nd selling
Your article on DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SELLING AND MARKETING is really remarkable and give a clear a substantial difference between both the concepts.Many times I personally observed, people using ‘marketing’ and ‘selling’ as synonyms.Once again thanking you for posting this informative Article.
marketing is the systematic planning,implementation and controlling business activities to bring together buyers and sellers
what do you think about marketing and seller? can you explain for me what the meaning and different for two thing…
Do you mean marketer vs seller? In that case, i would recommend you to read on push vs pull marketing. Quite simply, the seller is meant to use push strategy and make customers buy the product. And the marketer is meant to use pull marketing and attract the customer and convert him in buying the product.
Hi
Plz if any one leav me the explanation and differences between selling and marketing I would be very think full because I have written test for the position of sale Representativ officer
Very nice article. Simple and crisp.
Good job done (y)
Perfect explaination
Very useful article
very well explained sir. but yet, some people stay hard core on what they believe~~ like marketing is equal to selling and not bother to distinguish the difference between the two .it is really hard to break barriers with tons of explanations to people with this kind of attitude.. =)
People might believe that. But they will read the difference when they actually need Marketing over sales 🙂 Sales is not enough to achieve the goals of any organization.
hi
I have question,what is meant when it is said that marketing should be viewed as an “overall business philosophy”rather than merely another functional area of management?
To understand the same, you should read more about the Holistic marketing concept. Take apple for example – Each and every department is well branded including services (they have apple bars to service their customers and the employees wear apple t shirts). Their customer service departments have completely white interiors to go with the brand colors. Wherever you go, you will be in awe of the brand. Hence, we can safely say that Marketing can be viewed as an Overall business philosophy rather then just a function. When we view it as a business philosophy, we observe much better results.
u guys have made it easy for students like us to understand marketing. thanks for its truly helping us
thanks for ur hard work