"Sales" and "market" who is more important?

Originally, this is a question that should not be asked, but since this topic has become a real problem that plagues everyone, we will discuss it in depth once, and hope that everyone will not have to worry about it after it is clear. Since it has not been long enough for us to switch from the era of planned economy to the era of market economy, many people are still unclear about some basic concepts in the market economy system, so what is sales, what is marketing, marketing and sales It seems that it is not clear what kind of relationship it is. In order to answer these most elementary questions, it is necessary to start with the most basic concepts.

Which is more important, arms or thighs?
We can compare the marketing department to a scout, while the sales department is a combat unit.

There is no need to answer this question, everyone knows the answer, because both arms and thighs are indispensable. As long as a person lacks any "part", it is called "crippled", because different "parts" on the human body have different functions and play different roles, and there is no question of who is more important.

Similarly, in an enterprise, the marketing department and the sales department play different roles and are responsible for different tasks, and there is no question of who is more important.

Everyone has heard the parable of "the blind man carries the lame man", but the truth is almost the same. We can compare the marketing department to a scout, while the sales department is a combat force. Without the scouts, the combat department would be like a blind man "chattering randomly", with no rules, no rhythm, or even clear goals. Although the sales staff worked very hard, they could only try their luck, and the effect could be imagined. Similarly, if there are only scouts and no combat troops, the mission will still not be completed, because although we know what to do next, but no one does it, the result is only a paper.

Which is more important today or tomorrow?
The task of the sales department is to focus on today and let the company have healthy cash flow, while the task of the marketing department is to focus on tomorrow and stimulate future market demand.

I don't think anyone is willing to sacrifice tomorrow's long-term interests for today's short-term interests, "too much to death". Therefore, everyone will consider their future in a "combination of long and short". Enterprises are no exception. They must take into account short-term interests and long-term interests and find a balance.

If an enterprise only cares about today, there may be no food tomorrow. Such an enterprise will become a "blind man" who "only lowers his head to pull the car and does not look up at the road". The unstable life of "Next Day"; the life of the sales staff will be more difficult day by day, every January 1st, everything is "zeroed", and we have to start from scratch, and we have to find out where to go, and we are always in the "adventure". "status. On the other hand, if a company only looks at tomorrow, it may starve to death today, and can only look at the beautiful pictures to satisfy their hunger. Such companies are often very ambitious, living in an illusion, and relying on fantasy to motivate themselves, but they always reach their goals. not a target.

Therefore, in an enterprise, the task of the sales department is to focus on today, so that the company can have healthy cash flow in; while the task of the marketing department is to focus on tomorrow, that is, to find future opportunities, identify future opportunities, and stimulate the future The market demand of the company makes the target customers interested in the complete products of the company, and continuously generates "potential customer flow", and delivers "prospective customers" to the sales department.

Which is important between strategy and execution?
The Marketing Department is responsible for the company's marketing strategy design for the next 3-5 years, while the Sales Department is responsible for the specific implementation in the next year.

A copy of "Execution" awakened many entrepreneurs and managers overnight. It seems that everyone has found the root cause of the problem and found a panacea to solve the problem of the enterprise, so the concept of "execution" is "unprecedented". Speed is regarded as a "magic weapon" by more and more enterprises. But without a clear corporate strategy, what do you implement?

This is a simple question, but many entrepreneurs and decision makers are reluctant to admit that their companies have no strategy. Many people regard ideas as strategies, goals as strategies, ideals as strategies, etc. Wait. Therefore, when enterprises encounter problems, they attribute them to poor "execution". As I have repeatedly emphasized in other articles before, the current challenge facing the vast majority of Chinese companies is the "lack of strategy", and the lack of this strategy brings them "the confusion of tomorrow", I will talk about it today It's too early to execute, because unlike multinational companies, don't follow suit blindly.

It can be said that if an enterprise does not have a marketing department, there is no division of labor between the marketing department and the sales department, so the strategy can only come from the inspiration of the boss, rather than objective and scientific analysis. Usually, the marketing department is responsible for the company's marketing strategy design for the next 3-5 years (and the sales director must participate in the strategy design), while the sales department is responsible for the specific implementation in the next year. In this case, the role of the marketing department is similar to the staff department in the army, which is the strategic design department, and the sales department is the execution department, so strategy and execution are indispensable.

Sell first or market first?
The more the competition, the more important the function of the marketing department. Whether to do sales first or market first depends on the competitive situation of the industry and the position of each enterprise in the target market.

Generally speaking, in a market that is not sufficiently competitive (not incompetent), with little (or no) product differentiation, everyone focuses their efforts on capturing existing market opportunities, as long as they can produce Similar products can make money. Especially with some well-known companies, you can quickly enter a new market by OEM or ODM. Because of the tracking strategy, there is no need to do scientific market research, no need to do consumer behavior analysis, and no need What kind of strategic design, just follow others.

This does have value in a market environment where counterfeit and shoddy products are still rampant, because consumers don't know who to trust and who to trust, as long as there are a few (relatively) reliable brands Products from these companies will be prioritized. During this period, the sales department was the most important department in the enterprise, and the marketing department did not have much use. At this time, the most typical competitive elements in the market are price wars and advertising wars, and the sales department is fully competent. This is what we call the typical sales model stage.

But as competition intensifies, it's hard to survive on undifferentiated products. Once a market enters a state of perfect competition, counterfeit and shoddy products will gradually withdraw from the market. Since there are too many large companies left, the only way to shuffle the cards is to "survive the fittest" and enter the final state of monopolistic competition.

At this stage, it is impossible for a company to win by "single action" by sales staff, especially it is impossible to achieve a comprehensive and decisive success. At this time, the value of the marketing department begins to be reflected, because enterprises need to have special personnel to lay out, plan, and design, and play cards according to the rules of the game, and eliminate enterprises that do not abide by the rules of the game.