Marketing Vs. Sales

Sales and marketing jobs often sound very similar, but they’re very different disciplines requiring different skill sets. Find out what sets them apart and which career path is right for you.

By Kelly Burkart, Star Tribune Sales and Marketing

Sales and marketing jobs often sound very similar. You may even see crossover in keywords or categories as you search employment ads. So, does that mean marketing and sales careers are one and the same? Can you be successful at one as well as the other?

"Sales and marketing are two very different disciplines requiring different types of people with different skills," says Scott Zosel of Zosel & Co., a Minneapolis-based marketing consulting firm.

Sales: Building Relationships

Sales roles are about one-on-one relationships-from prospecting to closing a deal and all the phone calls in between. Wherever customers are in the sales process, salespeople convince them to take the next step. And, for salespeople, successful relationships help breed more business through referrals and networking.

Marketing: planning and tactics

Marketing is a business support function that paves the way for sales with promotional materials and an understanding of target audiences. Marketing plans, which may include sales strategies, are created at the executive level to guide more junior marketers in executing tactics, including ads, web pages, print brochures and more.

Choosing your career path

An entry-level career path in sales may include training from a mentor, but in general, you'll jump right into selling. On the other hand, marketers may start out with tactical or support roles and grow into more strategy, planning and consulting.

For mid-career professionals, "it's probably easier for a marketing person to go into sales," says Zosel. After years of executing tactics, marketing people may be attracted to the personal interaction and relationship-building of a sales job. On the other hand, Zosel says that "sometimes the top sales performer will be moved into a marketing management position, and it doesn't usually work. He or she may be too focused on the front lines and not interested or able to take on the responsibility of managing marketing tactics."

In the long run, "usually salespeople are the ones to advance to the top executive spots within a company. They're the relationship builders, while the marketers are more technical, analytical and process-oriented." Remember, you need to know your strengths and think about your career goals in order to choose between the two disciplines.