Everything you need to know about the key differences between marketing and selling.
Generally, managers use ‘marketing’ and ‘selling’ as synonyms, though there is a significant difference between the two concepts. It is necessary for a successful marketing manager to understand the differences between the two.
Selling has always suffered due to dubious business practices by a few where the value promised and the product delivered did not match when the customer actually used the product or the service.
Marketing and selling are basic business activities that signify the distribution process from a business (seller) to a customer (buyer).
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However, there are significant differences between marketing and selling. Broadly, marketing involves promoting, distributing, packaging, pricing and selling of products/services while selling is a part of marketing that involves the actual exchange between a buyer and seller.
Difference Between Marketing and Selling
Difference between Marketing and Selling
Profits are directly related to sales. Increased sales at competitive rates ensure increased earning. Sale is a process, by which goods and services flow from the producer to the consumers. It is an activity of distributing goods. Marketing on the other hand is a comprehensive term which includes selling in itself, merchandising and distribution. The ultimate end of both selling and marketing is to maximise profit by promoting sales.
Ordinarily both these terms carry the same meaning, but modern thinkers differentiate between the two terms on following grounds:
Difference # Marketing:
i. Emphasis- Marketing stresses to satisfy consumer’s wants effectively.
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ii. Stage- Marketing in its initial stage decides, what the consumers want. Secondly, it decides how the commodity can be profitably produced and finally delivered to consumers for satisfying their needs.
iii. Scope- Marketing takes into consideration both the internal and external factors. Its scope is wider.
iv. Orientation of efforts- Efforts are buyer oriented and emphasis is on to satisfy needs of buyers effectively.
v. Goals- It refers to an integrated approach towards achieving long-term goals.
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vi. Approach towards profit- Profit is sought by ensuring customer’s satisfaction.
vii. Comprehensiveness- Marketing is a comprehensive term, which includes selling, advertising and also the distribution of goods.
Difference # Selling:
i. Emphasis- Selling emphasises the product.
ii. Stage- Commodities are produced and afterwards efforts are made for their profitable selling.
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iii. Scope- Selling is concerned with the internal considerations. Its scope is narrower.
iv. Orientation of efforts- Efforts are seller oriented and emphasis is on to meet consumers’ needs.
v. Goals- It refers to a piecemeal approach to achieve short-term goals.
vi. Approach towards profit- Profit is sought by ensuring higher sales volume.
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vii. Comprehensiveness- Selling is part of marketing and thus not a comprehensive term.
Difference between Marketing and Selling by Pointwise
Difference # Selling:
1. Primary focus – Focus on sales volume.
2. Starting Point – Company manufactures the product.
3. Management philosophy – Management wants to sell big volumes and make profits
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4. Short-term or long-term orientation – Planning is short-run-oriented in terms of today’s products and markets
5. Emphasis – Always emphasizing the needs of seller
6. Views about business – Views business as a production house whose business is to produce and sell
7. Methods and means – Remains focused on existing technology and reducing costs
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8. Effort at various levels – Different departments work as in a highly separate water tight compartments
9. Price determination – Cost determines price, and
10. Place of customer – Selling looks at customer as the last link in business.
Difference # Marketing:
1. Primary focus – Focus on customer needs.
2. Starting Point – Company thinks about what customer wants and then starts producing things that meet customer needs.
3. Management philosophy – Management seeks to earn profits by delivering value to customers.
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4. Short-term or long-term orientation – Planning is long-run oriented in today’s products and terms of new products, tomorrow’s markets and future growth.
5. Emphasis – Always emphasizing the needs of customers and their preferences in a changing market environment.
6. Views about Business – The primary purpose of business is to satisfy the customer. So whatever a business does, it does with a view to deliver satisfaction to customers.
7. Methods and means –Remain focused on new technologies, new innovations and new ways of meeting customer needs.
8. Effort at various levels – All departments of the business integrated manner, the sole purpose being generation of consumer satisfaction.
9. Price determination – Consumer determine price, price determines cost.
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10. Place of customer – Marketing views the customer first and foremost important link in business.
Difference between Marketing and Selling – 10 Key Differences
Difference # Marketing:
1. It is oriented to satisfy consumer needs and desires.
2. The consumer occupies the place of pride in any marketing scheme.
3. It is concerned with planning and development of products to match the market requirements.
4. It presents an integrated approach to achieve long term goals
5. It is concerned with converting consumer needs into products.
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6. It starts with buyer or market
7. Views business as a customer satisfying process
8. Marketing communication is basically to communicate the benefits provided by the customer
9. Here the profit is through customer satisfaction
10. It stresses on innovations and providing better value to the customer by adopting latest technology.
Difference # Selling:
1. It is oriented to satisfy the seller’s needs
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2. The product occupies the place of pride in any selling scheme
3. It is only concerned with selling the goods and services which have already been produced
4. It represents an approach to achieve short term goals
5. It is concerned with converting products into cash
6. It starts with the seller or factory
7. Views business as a goods producing process
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8. Sellers motives dominate marketing communication.
9. Profit is through more sales.
10. It stresses on staying with existing technology.
Difference between Marketing and Selling – 5 Key Differences
Marketing and selling are basic business activities that signify the distribution process from a business (seller) to a customer (buyer). However, there are significant differences between marketing and selling. Broadly, marketing involves promoting, distributing, packaging, pricing and selling of products/services while selling is a part of marketing that involves the actual exchange between a buyer and seller.
Key differences between the two are discussed below:
1. Scope:
Marketing involves all activities starting from conducting market research to understand customers’ requirements, product planning and development (changes in quality, design, prices, etc.), channels of distribution, promotion, advertising and serving to the customers. Marketing function is conducted prior to, during and following the production and sale of products /services.
Alternatively, selling refers to business activities to only secure the sale of products/services that are already manufactured by the business. Selling process does not require understanding or adapting to customers’ requirements unlike the marketing process.
2. Objectives:
The main objective of selling is profit-making by directing activities towards selling more quantity of products/services. Alternatively, marketing focuses on making more profits by satisfying customers. Profitability aspect in a selling-oriented business focuses on the volume of products/services sold. Conversely, profitability in a marketing-directed business is customer-oriented.
3. Extent of Relationship:
Marketing is related to customer satisfaction requiring activities during pre-production and post-production activities like after sales or customer care related services. Selling is predominantly production-oriented that focuses on the volume of products / services produced. Accordingly, selling aims at distributing as many quantities of products/services as possible.
4. Customer Orientation:
Marketing is customer-oriented as more attention is paid on their wants and needs leading towards customer satisfaction. Selling aims at ensuring that the customers receive more than expected quantities of products /services irrespective of customers’ needs. Selling may also lead to wastage of excessive products/ services.
5. Solutions to Problems:
Problems that arise during marketing are a main concern for businesses as they need to track changing tastes and preferences of customers and bear costs of determining these changes through market research and making changes in products/services. These problems are associated with changes in customers’ preferences and satisfaction.
Problems in selling are associated with determining the right means or channels of distribution. Channels of distribution could be through a retailer, wholesaler, and associated middle-men and so on. Problems accordingly can be resolved by changing the channels of distribution but continue sale of products/services.
Difference between Marketing and Selling
Difference # Marketing:
1. Scope – Market research; product planning and development; channels of distribution; promotion; advertising.
2. Objective – Profit-making through customer satisfaction.
3. Extent of relationship – Pre, during and post-production.
4. Customer orientation – Customer needs and wants; Customer satisfaction.
5. Solution to problems – Determining changes in business’ and customers’ environment to ensure customer satisfaction.
Difference # Selling:
1. Scope – Sale of products and services.
2. Objective – Only profit making.
3. Extent of relationship – Production-oriented.
4. Customer orientation – Customers should receive more than expected.
5. Solution to problems – Determining right or alternative channel of distribution to ensure sale occurs.
Difference: Selling Versus Marketing
Marketing is the creation and delivery of a standard of living. Marketing involves- (a) finding out what the consumers want, (b) planning and developing a product or service that will satisfy those wants, and (c) determining the best way to price, promote, and distribute the product or service.
Therefore, marketing is a total integrated process, which aims at customer satisfaction and business success. Under the selling concept the company makes a product and then uses various methods of selling to persuade a customer to buy the article.
The Differences between Selling and Marketing Concepts:
Difference # Selling Concept:
1. Selling involves planning, direction and control of the personal selling activities of a business unit including recruitment, selection, training, motivation, compensation of sales force.
2. Emphasis is on the product.
3. Company makes a product and then finds out how to sell it.
4. Emphasis is on company needs.
5. Selling is production-oriented.
6. Selling assumes that the goods can be easily sold.
7. In selling, once the goods are sold, the seller does not think about the consumer.
8. Selling aims at profit maximisation by increasing sales volumes and profit is the primary aspect in selling.
9. Selling aims at converting goods into cash and has narrow perspective.
10. Selling concept is traditional and outdated.
Difference # Marketing Concept:
1. Marketing involves- (a) finding out what the consumers want (b) planning and developing a product or service that will satisfy those wants and (c) determining the best way to price, promote and distribute the product or service.
2. Emphasis is on consumer wants.
3. Company first finds out what the consumer wants and then develops and supplies the product to satisfy those wants.
4. Emphasis is on market needs.
5. Marketing is consumer-oriented.
6. Marketing believes that the consumer is the king and goods should meet his wants and preferences.
7. All marketing activities start with the consumer and end with the consumer.
8. Marketing believes in profitable sales through customer satisfaction.
9. Marketing has long range objectives such as customer satisfaction, growth, and market share.
10. Marketing concept is modern and accepted universally.
P. Drucker makes the contrast between these two concepts even more diametrically opposite:
1. Under selling concept, the need for some selling is taken for granted. Under the marketing concept, the aim of marketing is to render selling superfluous or unwanted. With full understanding of customer demand, the product must fit or match the buyer needs entirely and it should sell itself without any promotional efforts.
2. A market minded firm’s offering is determined not by the seller but by the buyer. The seller takes his cues from the buyer in such a way that the product becomes a consequence of the marketing effort, not vice versa.
3. The suggestions from the buyer are duly incorporated in the cues from the seller and a tailor-made marketing mix at once fits in with customer needs and expectations.
4. Ideally, under marketing concept, a customer should be too ready to buy the product on his own initiative. The seller has simply to ensure the availability of that product.
In his celebrated article ‘Marketing Myopia’, T. Levitt offers the best contrast between selling concept and marketing concept:
1. Selling focuses on the seller’s needs, marketing on the buyer’s needs.
2. Selling is pre-occupied with the seller’s need to convert his product into cash; marketing with the idea of satisfying the customer’s needs by means of the product and the whole cluster of things associated with creating, delivering and finally consuming it.
3. Selling aims at profit through sales volume; marketing aims at profit through serving customer demand.
Difference between Selling and Marketing
Selling is an important activity of Marketing. It consists in transferring goods and services to the customers. The main emphasis in selling’s on profit maximisation through sales volume. Marketing on the other hand is a broader area and its functions as a whole aim at customer satisfaction and profits through such customer satisfaction.
Again, in Marketing, the selling effort is customer-oriented but in selling the efforts is company- oriented.
The concept of selling assures that consumers if left alone will not buy enough of the company’s products. Thus goods are already produced and an aggressive selling and promotion effort has to be pursued. The customers’ demand on the other hand, determines production in Marketing. Thus, in selling the focus is on products while in marketing the focus is on customer needs.
The difference of marketing and selling can be shown as follows:
Difference # Selling:
(i) Selling starts with the seller and is preoccupied all the time with the needs of the seller.
(ii) Selling starts with the corporation’s existing activities and products.
(iii) Selling emphasises saleable surpluses within the corporation; seeks to convert products’ into ‘cash’; emphasises getting rid of the stocks; concerns itself with the tricks and techniques of getting the customers to part with their cash for the products available with the salesman.
(iv) Selling over emphasises the ‘exchange’ aspect without caring for the value satisfactions’ inherent in the exchange.
(v) Views business as a ‘good producing process’.
(vi) The seller determines what ‘product’ is to be offered.
(vii) The ‘product’ precedes the marketing effort; the marketing effort becomes the consequence of the product on hand.
(viii) ln selling, packaging is essentially seen as a mere protection or a mere container for the product.
(ix) Cost determines price.
(x) Transportation, storage and other distribution functions are perceived as mere extensions of the production function.
(xi) The emphasis is on ‘somehow selling’; there is no coordination among the different functions of the total marketing task.
(xii) Different departments of the business operate as separate watertight compartments.
(xiii) In firms practising ‘selling’, production is the central function; a sale is a subordinate or secondary function.
(xiv) ‘Selling’ views the customer as the list link in the business.
Difference # Marketing:
(i) Marketing starts with the buyer and focuses constantly on the needs of the buyer.
(ii) Under marketing, all activities and products take their direction from the consumer and his needs.
(iii) Marketing emphasises identification of a market opportunity; seeks to convert customer needs’ into ‘products’; emphasises fulfilling the needs of the customers.
(iv) Marketing concerns itself primarily and truly with the ‘value satisfactions’ that should flow to the customer from the exchange.
(v) Views business as a ‘customer satisfying process’.
(vi) What should be offered as a ‘product’ is determined by the buyer; the seller makes a ‘total product offering’ that would match and satisfy the identified needs of the identified customers.
(vii)The product’ is the consequence of the marketing effort; the marketing effort leads to products the consumers would actually want to buy in their own interest.
(viii) In marketing, it is seen from the point of view of the customer; it is designed to provide the maximum possible convenience and satisfaction to the customer.
(ix) Consumer determines price; price determines costs.
(x) They are seen as vital services to be provided to the customer not grudgingly, but in the most willing manner.
(xi) The emphasis is on an integrated approach; through an integrated strategy covering product, promotion, pricing and distribution.
(xii) All department of the business operate in close integration with the sole purpose of producing consumer satisfaction.
(xiii) In firms practising ‘marketing’, marketing is the central function; the entire company is organised around the marketing function.
(xiv) Marketing views the customer as the very purpose of the business; sees the business from the point of view of the customer; customer consciousness permeates the entire organisation, all departments and all people in the organisation all the time.
Differentiate between Marketing and Selling
Selling process begins after production of goods and services, when the firm starts a search for a market and persuades the customers to buy whatever the firm has to offer. Thus, it is an inward-looking process. Whereas, marketing is outward-looking, trying to match the real requirements of the customers.
Difference # Selling:
1. Emphasis – On product.
2. Approach – Company manufactures the product first and then decides to sell it.
3. Philosophy – Views business as a goods producing process.
4. Technology – Emphasis on staying with existing technology and reducing costs.
5. Orientation – Management is sales-volume oriented.
6. Need Priority – Stresses needs of a seller.
7. Planning – Planning is short-term oriented, in terms of today’s products and markets.
8. Customers – Selling views customers as the last link in business.
9. Price Determination – Cost determines price.
10. Work Delegation – Different departments work as highly separate watertight compartments.
Difference # Marketing:
1. Emphasis – On consumer needs and wants.
2. Approach – Company first determines customers’ needs and wants and then decides on how to deliver a product to satisfy these wants.
3. Philosophy – Views business as a consumer satisfying process.
4. Technology – Emphasis on innovation in every sphere, on providing better value to the customers by adopting a superior technology.
5. Orientation – Management is profit-oriented.
6. Need Priority – Stresses needs and wants of buyers.
7. Planning – Planning is long-term oriented, in terms of new products, tomorrow’s markets, and future growth.
8. Customers – Marketing views the customers as the very beginning of a business.
9. Price Determination – Consumers determine price, price determines cost.
10. Work Delegation – All departments of a business operate in an integrated manner, the sole purpose being generation of consumer satisfaction.
Difference between Selling and Marketing – 16 Major Differences
Selling is an important activity of Marketing. It consists in transferring goods and services to the customers. The main emphasis in selling’s on profit maximisation through sales volume. Marketing on the other hand is a broader area and its functions as a whole aim at customer satisfaction and profits through such customer satisfaction.
Again, in Marketing, the selling effort is customer-oriented but in selling the efforts is company- oriented.
The concept of selling assures that consumers if left alone will not buy enough of the company’s products. Thus goods are already produced and an aggressive selling and promotion effort has to be pursued. The customers’ demand on the other hand, determines production in Marketing. Thus, in selling the focus is on products while in marketing the focus is on customer needs.
The difference of marketing and selling can be shown as follows:
Difference # Selling:
(i) Selling starts with the seller and is preoccupied all the time with the needs of the seller.
(ii) Selling starts with the corporation’s existing activities and products.
(iii) Selling emphasises saleable surpluses within the corporation; seeks to convert products’ into ‘cash’; emphasises getting rid of the stocks; concerns itself with the tricks and techniques of getting the customers to part with their cash for the products available with the salesman.
(iv) Selling over emphasises the ‘exchange’ aspect without caring for the value satisfactions’ inherent in the exchange.
(v) Views business as a ‘good producing process’.
(vi) The seller determines what ‘product’ is to be offered.
(vii) The ‘product’ precedes the marketing effort; the marketing effort becomes the consequence of the product on hand.
(viii) ln selling, packaging is essentially seen as a mere protection or a mere container for the product.
(ix) Cost determines price.
(x) Transportation, storage and other distribution functions are perceived as mere extensions of the production function.
(xi) The emphasis is on ‘somehow selling’; there is no coordination among the different functions of the total marketing task.
(xii) Different departments of the business operate as separate watertight compartments.
(xiii) In firms practising ‘selling’, production is the central function; a sale is a subordinate or secondary function.
(xiv) ‘Selling’ views the customer as the list link in the business.
Difference # Marketing:
(i) Marketing starts with the buyer and focuses constantly on the needs of the buyer.
(ii) Under marketing, all activities and products take their direction from the consumer and his needs.
(iii) Marketing emphasises identification of a market opportunity; seeks to convert customer needs’ into ‘products’; emphasises fulfilling the needs of the customers.
(iv) Marketing concerns itself primarily and truly with the ‘value satisfactions’ that should flow to the customer from the exchange.
(v) Views business as a ‘customer satisfying process’.
(vi) What should be offered as a ‘product’ is determined by the buyer; the seller makes a ‘total product offering’ that would match and satisfy the identified needs of the identified customers.
(vii)The product’ is the consequence of the marketing effort; the marketing effort leads to products the consumers would actually want to buy in their own interest.
(viii) In marketing, it is seen from the point of view of the customer; it is designed to provide the maximum possible convenience and satisfaction to the customer.
(ix) Consumer determines price; price determines costs.
(x) They are seen as vital services to be provided to the customer not grudgingly, but in the most willing manner.
(xi) The emphasis is on an integrated approach; through an integrated strategy covering product, promotion, pricing and distribution.
(xii) All department of the business operate in close integration with the sole purpose of producing consumer satisfaction.
(xiii) In firms practising ‘marketing’, marketing is the central function; the entire company is organised around the marketing function.
(xiv) Marketing views the customer as the very purpose of the business; sees the business from the point of view of the customer; customer consciousness permeates the entire organisation, all departments and all people in the organisation all the time.
Difference between Selling and Marketing
Difference # Selling:
i. Meaning – Selling involves transfer of ownership/title of goods or services to the buyer at a specific price.
ii. Initiation – The process of selling starts with the production of goods and services.
iii. Focus – The focus of the selling process is on the products.
iv. Profit – Profits are generated in the selling process through the increase in the volume of sales.
v. Emphasis – The emphasis of selling process is on the needs of the seller.
vi. Scope – Selling is a narrower concept and is a part of the marketing process.
vii. Importance – Aggressive selling, advertising and sales promotion activities determine the success of selling process.
viii. Demand/Supply – Selling gives importance to the supply of the products.
ix. Planning – Short term planning is done based on the current market scenario and the usefulness of the product.
Difference # Marketing:
i. Meaning – Marketing refers to all the activities that facilitate the trading of goods and services.
ii. Initiation – The process of marketing begins with the analysis of the needs of the consumers.
iii. Focus – The focus of marketing process is on the needs, wants and preferences of the consumers.
iv. Profit – Profits are expected to be earned in the marketing process through customer satisfaction.
v. Emphasis – The emphasis of marketing process is on the needs of the customer.
vi. Scope – Marketing is a broader concept and selling is a part of marketing.
vii. Importance – A suitable marketing mix determines the success of a marketing plan.
viii. Demand/Supply – Marketing gives importance to the demand of the products.
ix. Planning – Long term planning is done based on market research and estimated future growth.
Difference between Marketing and Selling
People often get confused with marketing as selling. However, from the discussions above you must have understood that concept of marketing is much wider than selling.
Marketing involves variety of activities like planning, pricing, promoting and distributing the product that satisfies customers’ need. Selling on the other hand is restricted to promotion of goods and services through salesmanship, advertising, publicity and short term incentives to transfer the goods from the seller to the buyer.
Difference # Marketing:
1. Meaning – Marketing means identifying customers’ needs and wants and satisfying them.
2. Scope/Process – Marketing involves activities like identifying customer’s needs, developing products to meet the needs, fixing prices and persuading consumers to buy the product.
3. Focus/Transfer of Title – Marketing aims to satisfy customers’ needs and wants.
4. Aim/Objective – Marketing aims to maximize profitability of business by focusing on customer satisfaction and growth in customer base.
5. Beginning and End of Activities – Marketing begins with identification of consumers’ needs and wants and continues even after the product is sold to the consumer.
6. Emphasis – Marketing attempts to develop a product according to consumers’ needs and wants.
7. Strategies – Marketing is an integrated effort of product development, promotion, pricing and distribution of products.
Difference # Selling:
1. Meaning – Selling means exchange of goods and services for money or in barter.
2. Scope/Process – Selling is a part of marketing and is concerned with promoting and transferring the ownership of goods from the seller to the buyer.
3. Focus/Transfer of Title – Selling focuses on transferring title and possession of goods from sellers to consumers.
4. Aim/Objective – Selling aims to maximize sales in volume and value and the profits for the firm.
5. Beginning and End of Activities – Selling begins after the product is ready for sale and ends after the sale is complete.
6. Emphasis – Selling aims to persuade customer to buy the product which a firm has on offer.
7. Strategies – Selling involves efforts like promotion and persuasion.
Difference between Selling and Marketing for Class 12
Generally, managers use ‘marketing’ and ‘selling’ as synonyms, though there is a significant difference between the two concepts. It is necessary for a successful marketing manager to understand the differences between the two. Selling has always suffered due to dubious business practices by a few where the value promised and the product delivered did not match when the customer actually used the product or the service.
This tarnished image could only be corrected if a customer could be persuaded by a marketer to buy the product again as the product will serve the purpose of the customer. Organizations seldom make profit from one-time buying of the first-time customers. So they have to rely on the repeat business to generate profits.
Most of the selling efforts of well-organized marketing organizations are directed towards keeping a large number of customers loyal and reducing the number of transactional customers. Market intelligence provides feedback to the organizations and informs the firms about the major reasons behind the customers’ dislike for a particular product.
This information makes a company redesign its marketing programme so that the dissatisfaction of the customers is reduced or higher consumer benefits are provided to the customers. Effective selling is not about half truths or overrated claims.
Selling has a product focus and is mostly producer driven. It is the action part of marketing and has a short-term goal of achieving market share. The emphasis is on price variation for closing a sale where the objective can be worded as ‘I must somehow sell the product to the customer.’
This short-term focus does not take into account planning for building up a brand in the marketplace and winning competitive advantage through a large set of loyal customers. The key objective of any sales activity is maximizing profits through sales maximization.
When the focus is on selling, a businessman thinks that after production is complete the task of the sales force will start. It is also the task of the sales department to sell whatever the production department has manufactured. Aggressive sales methods are employed to meet the goals and customers’ actual needs, and satisfaction is taken for granted. Selling converts the product into cash for the company in the short run.
Marketing as a concept and approach is much wider than selling. It is dynamic in nature as the focus is on the customers rather than the products. While selling revolves around the needs and interests of a manufacturer or a marketer, marketing revolves around that of a consumer. It is a process of meeting and satisfying the needs of the consumers. Marketing consists of all those activities that are associated with product planning, pricing, promoting, and distributing the products or services.
The task commences with identifying consumer needs and does not end till feedback on consumer satisfaction after the consumption of the product is received. It is a long chain of activities, which comprises production, packaging, promotion, pricing, distribution, and selling.
Consumer needs become the guiding force behind all these activities. Profits are not ignored but they are built on a long-term 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 offered for sale is determined not by the seller but by the buyers.
The seller takes his/her 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, and satisfy customer needs.’
Differences between selling and marketing are as follows:
Difference # Selling:
1. Emphasis on product
2. Company manufactures the product first and then decides to sell it
3. Management is sales-volume oriented
4. Planning is short-term oriented, in terms of today’s products and markets
5. Stresses needs of a seller
6. Views business as a goods producing process
7. Emphasis on staying with existing technology and reducing costs
8. Different departments work as highly separate watertight compartments
9. Cost determines price
10. Selling views customers as the last link in business
Difference # Marketing:
1. Emphasis on consumer needs and wants
2. Company first determines customers’ needs and wants and then decides on how to deliver a product to satisfy these wants
3. Management is profit-oriented
4. Planning is long-term oriented, in terms of new products, tomorrow’s markets, and future growth
5. Stresses needs and wants of buyers
6. Views business as a consumer satisfying process
7. Emphasis on innovation in every sphere, on providing better value to the customers by adopting a superior technology
8. All departments of a business operate in an integrated manner, the sole purpose being generation of consumer satisfaction
9. Consumers determine price, price determines cost
10. Marketing views the customers as the very beginning of a business
Bower and Garda suggested seven common elements which distinguish marketing-based companies.
These are:
1. They use market share, rather than volume, as the primary measure of marketing success (although if they ignore the cost of acquiring share, profits will be unsatisfactory),
2. They analyses and use market segmentation principles,
3. Marketing-based companies research the process of monitoring customer needs, usage, and trends as well as competitive activity,
4. They evolve a structure or process of coordinating all non-marketing functions towards the achievement of marketing goals,
5. They have set of specific marketing goals and targets,
6. They follow a corporate style and culture where marketing plays a key role, and
7. They follow a market-based business concept that provides a unique value to the customers.
Therefore, selling is inward-looking. It persuades customers to take what the manufacturer has got, in which product development is detached from marketplace. Only when the product is ready, there is a search for a market and customers to persuade. Marketing is outward looking, trying to match the real requirements of the customers. The company looks for an opportunity and creates products as a solution to the customers’ problems.