John H. Hathaway-Bates

4th Edition

NERTHUS
PUBLICATIONS

CHAPTER ONE

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SALES AND MARKETING

The Concept of Tactical Marketing and Management

"TACTICAL MARKETING" differs from traditional marketing methods in that it deals directly with an existing situation, whether it is the implementation of a new concept or an adjustment to an existing program that is required to take effect immediately.  Strategic Marketing, on the other hand, is used to project possibilities that are totally dependent upon optimum developments predicted to happen in the future on a broad scale. Tactical Mar­keting can therefore be integrated into an overall Strategic Mar­keting Program, as it deals with individual needs, programs and changes that will normally need to be fast-track in implementation and able to provide immediate results.

Tactical Marketing is 'market directed' and is a science rather than an art, in that it makes the future change one piece at a time to achieve an immediate result, or establish a path towards an overall marketing or management goal.  As Strategic Marketing deals in prediction of what the future 'may' become and then plans for it, it needs to be general in nature; and that is a very difficult formula to deal with in the normal day-to-day operation of a new or expanding business.

A Commercial Tactician is someone who uses the tools of analysis to evaluate facts and trends, and then compares them with each other and market forces. Put more simply — A Commercial Tactician searches for negative factors and then devises plans and systems to either get rid of them or take advantage of them.

That is the description of Tactical Marketing and Management I have been giving for many years now. Understand that this is not an academic conclusion, it is based on successes and failures that I have personally been involved in.  It is my opinion, and as such is subject to change as events change and alter the situation and circumstances from which it is drawn.

The systems you are going to read about, interspersed with my opinions and experiences, do just that, they make 'fact gathering' a relatively unseen process which produces unbelievable results.  If you do not like the actual task of sorting, comparing and collating, hire someone to do it for you. I have always done this, and believe that a good marketing administrator is worth two top sales­people to any organization.

"MARKETING" is a word few business people do not hear, read or say at least once every day of their working lives.  Yet it is a word only a very few really understand. To most people the words Marketing and Sales are interchangeable, but in fact there is a real and important difference between Sales and Marketing that is essential to understand if you are considering implementing a marketing program. For many years now I have explained this difference in a simple sentence:

SALES exploits existing markets, whereas MARKETING creates new markets and methods to increase business activity.

Perhaps this oversimplification is a little contrived, but it does illustrate that while Sales is in most cases reliant upon the individual ability, mood or knowledge of the person employed "to sell"; Marketing is a management, research and promotional discipline, or if you wish, a science, used to gain access to business oppor­tunities and acceptance by potential clients.

Unless the need is for a one-time-only sale, never to be repeated, then it must be accepted that in fact a service is being marketed. Anyone offering a service should accept at the outset that they are selling something which is ongoing and must be viewed on a long-term basis. In fact, everyone's real product is time, talent, reputa­tion and capability to supply whatever they are in business to supply. Therefore, when management or ownership dictates a policy which makes success dependent upon immediate or now results, they must (sometimes at least) expect that those engaged in the actual selling may employ exaggeration or make promises to clients that are beyond the firm's capability. This may result in a large number of immediate sales, but such orders are almost cer­tain to run into trouble and be counterproductive to the firm's activities in the long run. Therefore, the aim of anyone involved in marketing must be:

1.   To encourage potential clients to want to buy.

2.   To help clients understand what is being offered, and how they can employ it to their advantage.

3.   To build the client's trust in the capability of what is being offered.

4.   To assist the client to identify their needs realistically.

5.   To build a marketing system which will gain, monitor, control and generate quality business as an ongoing activity.

Most professional marketers (individuals and organizations) sell concepts and ideas rather than tangible products, and no one will buy a concept of any kind unless they feel they can trust and believe in not just the ability of those involved, but also the professional service and care they will need to complete whatever has been promised initially. Perhaps this is why, in today's fast-moving society, the emphasis on success in almost all fields has changed in the last decade from talent, expertise and experience to Marketing. The reason being that unless you can market what you have to offer in the first place, you will be unable to use those talents and skills, or even begin to prove your ability, and thereby could be refused the opportunity to build a reputation of any sort.

Marketing a service, as opposed to marketing a product, can cause many people a problem when they try to isolate the difference between the two. Essentially, what some marketing people find easiest to do is to try to create a product out of their services. This is understandable as it is, without a doubt, the easiest method to follow, but once this system is accepted and takes over as a marketing philosophy, are they not threatening the very reason for their existence and abdicating, to some extent, their professional responsibility?

As stated before, to be successful as a professional in any field, one must be able to sell ideas. For if the potential client can be helped to understand the philosophy of the trade, craft or profession in­volved, above and before all other considerations (or because of them), then success is not only possible, it is inevitable. Perhaps the greatest problem anyone can have is that sometimes a com­petitor will come up with better solutions and more relevant proposals. The usual (and very human) reaction is to defend one's own conclusions and hours (if not months) of endeavor by blaming the sales techniques of the winner. There is no way that even the most gifted marketer can be successful if the product or service is not at the very least adequate to the needs of the market. Very few people can be "fooled" into buying on a long-term basis something which fails in its most basic application.

So many people ask what has become known as the free lunch question — What are the best sales techniques? The answer is that there are no ready-made, foolproof techniques. There are no tricks to selling, unless you would accept be in the right place at the right time, with the right commodity, talking to someone who wants it, needs it, will profit by it and can afford it, as an answer. The real function of sell­ing is demonstrating or showing something someone needs and asking a price for it. Then unless that person does not like the color of your eyes, you have only to prove your case and the sale is guaranteed. All one has to do is get to the right person, at the right time, with what they both want and need, and that, in essence, is what Marketing is all about. There are two little sayings which illustrate this exactly:

If you want to sell a glass of water, set up shop in a desert, not in the middle of a monsoon.

I dislike dentists so much I make a point of not even talking to them — until I have a toothache.

In other words, you can only sell something, be it glasses of water or dentistry, to most people when they know they have a need for it.

Therefore, Marketing must also be:

• Finding the right people, at the right time, with the need, desire and ability to buy.

• Developing a method to interest them enough to make them want to listen to your argument.

• Creating the safest and most convincing way of gaining their agreement that they need what is being offered.

To sum up: Marketing is a vehicle, a way to transport someone to an interview or a way to get people to want to see something  It is a bridge between producer or supplier and a potential buyer. If you have a perfect product, idea or service, and you are unable to successfully reach your potential clients, then it is probable that you could lose everything.

Possibly one of the greatest causes for concern in today's world is the "departmentalization" of business in general, to the point where a form of bureaucracy has taken over in awarding positions of responsibility. The "generalists" who created the momentum of the Industrial Revolution have been replaced in business ac­ceptance by "technocrats" and "specialists."  While this can be justified for most professions and trades, even championed for some, experience would suggest that Marketing is still the domain of the "generalist." In fact, to be able to really develop the full potential of any service or product, the broader the range of ex­perience, the more chance of success. However, "being adaptable" does not mean "being erratic," and therefore a plan of action must be developed and its implementation must be carefully monitored and controlled.

Organized Marketing will get you many more business oppor­tunities, open the right doors, and give you information about who is in the market to buy and, in many cases, can tell you what the market needs at any given time.

To read more, please visit our e-Books Purchase Page to read the rest of the book.

John H. Hathaway-Bates
 

On February 14th, 1982, John Hathaway-Bates founded The Business Forum in Beverly Hills, California. At the time of establishing The Business Forum John was recognized as a Commercial Tactician with wide experience on four continents having served as President, or Corporate Vice President, for several multi-national Corporations. He was elected a Fellow of the British Society of Commerce, the Institute of Buyers, the British Institute of Directors, the British Institute of Administrative Accountants, the Institute of Purchasing and Supply; and was elected to be a member of the Institute of Marketing, the Institute of Management and the Institute of Journalists. He has written many articles and several books, including :"Tactics". "How to Promote Your Business", "How to Organize Your Marketing" and "Fast Track Marketing in a Global Economy", he also wrote the "Contract Procedure and Specification Advice" sections of the Architect's & Specifier's Guide Series for A4 Publications, Ltd. and innovated and wrote for The Office Planner published by Benn Brothers of London; he has also had published several articles on "Color, Texture & Design", and he wrote the "Executive Guide to Office Space Planning & Design" for the American Management Association. He has had published many other works in Europe and America and has lectured in Europe, Asia, Africa and America, at Universities and to professional audiences on subjects that have ranged from multi-national accounting practices, to business development, to office management, industrial, interior, product and commercial design to tactical and strategic international marketing and management. He has also written and lectured on etiquette and business ethics.