Which one comes first? Can you have one without the other? As a small business which role should you hire first?
The gap between sales and marketing is closing. These two roles in my humble opinion used to be worlds apart but now – how different are they? Both operating in the space of ‘professional services’ the two have to coexist in a harmonious manner to truly achieve the best possible impact and returns. But how often do they – well, rarely in my experience.
I’ve seen a whole host of examples in teams large and small unable to coexist and work together, with quite frankly, snobbery on both sides. Previously seen as the unqualified marketers (don’t even get me started on this) sales professionals have often got the rough end of the stick. Or marketers referred to as the fluffy colour inners (again let’s not go there).
Ok so let’s be frank and in my traditional style, direct. How exactly do you expect to grow your business without either of these two functions? As I often am heard saying, you can have the best business or product in the world but if you can’t sell or market it – it will remain just that – an on the shelf product or service.
So, which one comes first? As an owner of a sales and marketing company – which started life as a sales consultancy firm, I can give you an unbiased answer. MARKETING. This has to come first – every time, without question. I can sell your products or services, but you know how I’ll do it more efficiently, more effectively and provide you a with a quicker return on investment – if your prospects know who you are and they’ve built up a perspective of you.
They trust you; they know you and they like you. Brand awareness and brand visibility is one of the fundamental aspects for any sales individual and yes sometimes this is their responsibility if no marketing function is available but often this is up to both the sales and marketing functions.
In fact, every single person in your business is responsible for your brand perception and customer engagement in some form or another. You could therefore argue that every single member of your organisation is in your sales and marketing team. The question therefore is do they know this and have you provided them with adequate training?
For small and medium companies who have to date grown organically and now looking to scale or venture into new markets – which role would you hire first? Both are a huge commitment and a costly one with average salaries for both in the North East totting up to c80K. That’s why three years ago we pivoted.
Three years ago, as a Sales Consultancy company, we brought marketing into the fold following on from customer feedback. Previously working with outsourced marketing agencies for our SMEs, they fed back the challenge and we adapted. Now we are offering both sales and marketing solutions on a hybrid basis giving you the opportunity to embrace both at once on a holistic basis without having to compromise.
Find out how we can help you with your sales and marketing.
Consultancy
Mentoring
Roots – Sales and Marketing outsourced for small businesses
Going For Growth – Sales and Marketing outsourced for medium businesses