As per Philip Kotler marketing is defined as “satisfying needs and wants through an exchange process”. As per this definition the word “exchange” indicates “Sales” and even the “Experience” enabled through the sales process. Hence, theoretically “Sales” is an integrated part of “Marketing”.
However, this may not be true in practice, atleast as perceived by me due to following reasons: a) Marketing & Sales teams operating as separate teams in organizations that I have worked for. b) Sales teams are focused getting the ROI and looking for marketing team for branding, visibility, demand generation support. c) Discussion on cost of Sales is the central topic where the Sales gain precedence over marketing due to ease of measurement. This is not to state that marketing returns cannot be measured but that they are not preferred over Sales. d) ROI is becoming universal measurement tool and which is calculated using only sales and not any other equally measurable tool that may be an outcome of marketing activity. Being more inclined towards the finance function, I rarely feel connected with the marketing guys. Is it not that marketing is just getting tactical (lacking any strategic direction) enabling sales atleast in case of services?
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