I Am A Marketer But Make My Money From Sales!

Exceptional Marketing and Sales teams are essential to a successful business. Peter Drucker says the purpose of a business is to create a customer. Further, he describes Marketing as being charged with attracting interest from the prospect. Then innovation transforms the prospect, and if the prospect ultimately pays for the product or service, only then will you have created a customer. Lastly, Marketing focuses on the needs of the customer.

So what does Sales do? Drucker says Sales focuses on the needs of the seller.

Ok, now we know why so many Sales executives are maligned for what they do. I have heard many people challenge the occupation, along with the intelligence and integrity of those in the field. I am often amused by those who make these comments because they are frequently the first to say what Sales “should do” and then want to get involved in the sales process themselves.

Ducker's definition suggests salespeople are focused on themselves, it would seem, but I take exception to that description.

Good salespeople are business executives who are focused on putting their company's interests first. They understand that markets drive business, and that attracting and extracting customers from the market for the benefit of the company comes long before their paycheck. Good salespeople know that providing real solutions to customer’s challenges is both strategic and something for which many prospects will pay a king’s ransom. But understanding the markets' challenges and a specific prospect’s pain point in particular is complex and requires real intelligence. By the above definition, weaving the story and leading the prospect to a solution is customer-focused and therefore more Marketing.

In reality, successful business executives are grounded in Marketing and effectual at Sales.

The most important thing I do is recruit business executives. That's it. Everything else is a distant second. I hire business execs with a keen sense for understanding the marketing side of the house (customer) and the sales side of the house (company). If they have too much focus in either direction, I am likely to pass on them. I have been fortunate to have many high performers lend their skills and background to me for a period of their career so I can lead them in a direction that accomplishes the company's goals and objectives. It is a tricky balance as I have worked with so many very successful folks throughout my career. Some have had impressive W2's, others big titles in big companies, or large staffs. You name it. I am honored and appreciative to everyone who has shared their expertise with me and the company we’re at.

A person having the unique blend of customer (marketing) and company (sales) skills, coupled with a healthy dose of smarts is not easy to find. Once you find them and build your team, leading them is even harder. However, nothing is as hard as being the business executive on the hook for driving your company's profitable revenue every month, quarter or year. The best salespeople may be rewarded financially but as soon as the credit hits their account, they reset to zero and are excited to “get to do it all over again”. Everyone at the company, your investors and board are counting on them. Failure in execution here can be devastating to your results. But done well, these folks are the real heroes of a business.

My Best,