Reasons why marketing is the new sales

D2C Admin

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Sales are to businesses, like oxygen is to humans. A business would die without any sales, especially since the rate of sales is directly related to business growth and customer retention. But with the current pandemic situation, face-to-face sales are out of the question, putting several businesses at risk. This is why companies are turning to marketing as it leads to increased conversions in businesses. With the advantages it carries, marketing is the new sales.

The terms marketing and sales, though often interchanged, carry different meanings. Marketing informs and attracts leads and prospects to a company, and product or service. Sales, on the other hand, works directly with prospects to reinforce the value of the company's solution to convert prospects into customers. However, both of them carry the same goal of attracting prospects and converting them to customers, ultimately generating revenue.

The interrelation these two terms share is what makes them critical to the survival of any business. But with the ongoing pandemic, conventional methods of sales (like face-to-face selling) is out of the question. Moreover, you can’t sell anything if you can’t tell anything, and marketing helps a company tell its story. This has paved the way for companies to realize that marketing is the new sales.

Marketing develops consumer trust and loyalty

There is no doubt that sales play a pivotal role in the success of any business. After all, it encourages companies to engage in personal interactions with their consumers to provide a basis to relationship building. Such relations are based on trust and loyalty. Trust is the driving factor that generates sales. You as a consumer would only purchase something if you trust that it delivers the desired results.

So how is this trust generated? You guessed it, marketing! Indeed, marketing is the new sales as it is revolutionizing customer relations. During the pandemic itself, persuasive marketing through digital platforms has helped gain the trust and loyalty of customers. Major marketing campaigns humanize the company to show consumers they care, proving that marketing is the new sales.

Many companies are now resorting to what is known as ‘crisis marketing’. It develops a feeling between the consumers and businesses that everyone is in this situation together. For instance, Ford’s ‘Built to Lend a Hand’ campaign in the US outlines initiatives including payment relief and credit support for those who have been hit by the pandemic. Such marketing strategies drive sales, proving that marketing is the new sales.

Marketing sustains relations through a client list

As mentioned above, marketing helps in fostering a feeling of loyalty and trust in consumers, which creates long-term relationships in terms of a client list. In this case, the reason why marketing is the new sales is that the former gives valuable insight into the consumers, which helps you to expand the services you provide to them.

Marketing is the new sales because it lets consumers know that the relationship they share when the company does not end once the services are delivered. Rather, successful marketing campaigns and strategies indicate that they are personally invested in their consumers and wish to sustain the relationship. Just like airlines use every flight to encourage you to fly with them again and to thank you for traveling, it’s important to do the same with any company's client list.

A client list helps a company promote strategies with the right people at the right time. For instance, Swiggy provides a birthday discount to its consumers on their special day. This lets the consumer know they matter, which makes them want to invest their time in a company. In this way, marketing is the new sales.

Market research addresses the needs of consumers

Once you develop a client list, the next step is to conduct market research. This revolves around researching your target demographic so you can build a sound marketing strategy. Effective market research requires using tools to find out who you should be targeting based on what you’re selling. Upon knowing what your target audience is, you can drive your sales accordingly.

By catering to the needs of your client list and providing them with services that reflect these needs, marketing is the new sales as this ensures customers will continue to invest in you. The tailor-made experiences you provide them with will make them spend more time with you. Market research indeed helps you explore the mind of your consumers and address their needs, which in turn will assure a rise in sales.

Consequent marketing strategies need to show that they understand the needs and demands of their clients, and take action to fulfill them. Take Netflix for instance. The marketing strategies they used to promote themselves when they entered the Indian market included advertisements by regional celebrities, original content in regional languages, and being sensitive to their consumers in terms of adjusting subscription fees. It is through such strategies that Netflix is ruling the Indian OTT market, proving that marketing is the new sales.

The existing link between sales and marketing

The major reason why marketing is the new sales lies in the relation between the two terms. It has been established by now that marketing helps in building customer relations, which in turn drives sales. Instead of pushing for sales like you’re a telemarketer, the pandemic has shown us that companies should smoothly incentivize the sale through heartwarming marketing techniques that show how much you care about them.

What a company is doing with its marketing is not just creating awareness about their brand, but it leads to the growth of the business in terms of its consumer base and revenue. Your marketing strategy is what you offer, who you offer it to, and how you offer it. The manner in which it drives any business forward is the reason why marketing is the new sales.

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