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.