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Selling vs. Marketing – Is
there a difference?
© 2007 David Peterson
I hear these two terms used
interchangeably and when I read I see these two terms used
interchangeably. Selling and Marketing… Are they the same?
Should you even lump them in the same category?
If you are looking to start an
Internet business you have probably read some dramatic
headlines like “No selling involved,” and my favorite “little
or no investment needed!” Let’s break these down into our
selling and marketing columns.
In the selling column we have
the tasks that an entire professional population of salespeople
does everyday. Those tasks are: Open, Probe, Pitch, and Close.
These tasks in the selling
column require you to seek out and actually speak to the
prospect. This will either be done via the phone or
face-to-face.
There is no wiggle room here.
If you are selling then you need to be in front of the
prospect interacting with them. You will be determining the
prospects needs and then trying to maneuver them into wanting
your product. Selling is a science that can be learned. For
more on Open, Probe, Pitch, and Close read
this free article on the subject.
The marketing column is
completely different. Marketing is the method of building
initial interest and then keeping that interest in your
product.
To build interest marketers
first spend a tremendous amount of time trying to figure out
what the typical prospect looks like. “Looks Like”
translates into the prospect’s demographic profile.
The best marketers have a
strong analytical background with a flare for writing good
copy. The point being if you can write a strong sales letter,
place that on the Internet, then drive the correct demographic
population to that site you should be able to build interest
in your product.
Notice I said “build interest”
not “sell” your product. The role of the marketer is to
get the prospect as close as possible to making a decision. To
be fair you will get a sizable amount of prospects that will
take the plunge and purchase without ever speaking to a human.
We call these prospects the “Low Hanging Fruit.”
By the time you are deciding on
your future Internet business the low hanging fruit will
probably be all picked. You will have to learn how to sell.
Now that we have established
the terms let’s return to the dramatic headlines, No selling
involved, and my favorite, little or no investment involved.
Here is what they really mean.
No Selling Involved: If
you get immersed in this type of business expect expenses. The
website and business you purchase will rely heavily on
marketing. Marketing cost money. You will be purchasing both
qualified leads and some type of pay per click advertising.
Both leads and advertising have significant hard costs
associated with them. With a straight marketing play you will
need a specific type of person to hit your site in order to
convert them to a sale. If you try to use a shotgun approach
and don’t focus your marketing efforts you could quickly go
broke.
Little or No Investment
Needed: If you see these words expect to sell. Selling
doesn’t cost anything except your time. Selling does require
that you know the sales process and that you are not afraid to
use that process. Selling means that every prospect that you
come in contact with has a right to hear your pitch. That
prospect can become a customer or a member of your
organization if you can establish the customer’s needs.
Selling is time consuming, it requires patience, and you will
need to be able to handle rejection. Rejection is inevitable.
When searching for your
business opportunities look out for these terms: Selling and
Marketing. They are two completely different words. You are
going to have to perform either one of these tasks and
probably both to be successful in your Internet business. Make
sure you have a complete understanding of which of these two
terms you will need to concentrate on before purchasing your
new Internet business.
Sincerely,
David
Peterson
Author
of:
Been There - Done That
David
Peterson's Search Engine Optimization Guide
Please
send all correspondence to: questions@usreference.com
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