Marketing, Advertising, Sales - Who Does What?

It's so easy for the confusion to begin when you start talking about advertising, marketing and sales. Truth is most individuals don't understand the difference. The good news is there is a difference and each of these components have a part to play in the success of a company. Today, I want to clear up the confusion.

I started to see the misunderstanding of these roles when I was spending time browsing and sorting through job listings. It is not uncommon for sales jobs to be listed in the marketing jobs classifications and the same was true when it came to jobs that pertained to advertising.

I'm going to say it one more time, before getting into the details - they are not the same.

Let's take a look at the defining differences:

Marketing: The systematic planning, implementation and control of a mix of business activities intended to bring together buyers and sellers for the mutually advantageous exchange or transfer of products.

Advertising: The paid, public, non-personal announcement of a persuasive message by an identified sponsor; the non-personal presentation or promotion by a firm of its products to its existing and potential customers.

Sales: The sales process is everything that you do to close the sale and get a signed agreement or contract. The sales process consists of interpersonal interaction. It is often done by a one-on-one meeting, cold calls, and networking. It's anything that engages you with the prospect or customer on a personal level rather than at a distance. Advertising and marketing lay the ground work to warm up the lead and prepare them for the close of the sale.

When you are looking to place job listings, be sure to list them in the right category and you will more than likely detour the chances of getting applicants that don't fit the requirements for the positions you are listing.

When it comes to the world of corporations and business structure look at the different roles and use them to help define how departments can work together with the other departments and the role that each department plays when supporting the others.

All three of these components are necessary when it comes to the success of a business, but having a deeper understanding of their purpose can help in organization and planning for that success.

source: about.com