Friday, 28 January 2011

What is the definition of sales?


What is the definition of sales? Is it cold calling, networking, following up, leaving telephone messages, writing letters, sending information in the post, planning on how to attract your next customer or developing an existing one? Every sales person will participate in a multitude of different activities in order to make a sale.  These activities will have a cross over between sales and marketing, the two functions have to work together hand in hand.

To demonstrate I have used the following example on a number of occasions to explain what sales and marketing is:

If the Circus is coming to town and you create a billboard that reads “Circus coming to the town park this Saturday,” that’s advertising.

If you hang a sign on the side of an elephant and walk him through the town, that’s promotion.

If the elephant tramples the mayor’s garden, that’s publicity.

If you get the mayor to laugh about it, that’s public relations.

If people go to the circus, you show them the many side stalls, explain how much fun they will have spending money at these stalls, answer all of their questions, and convince them to spend a lot of money at the circus? THAT’S SALES!

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