I know, I know, if you are a Marketing and/or Sales practitioner, of course, you know marketing and sales are not synonymous.

However, if you are working as an independent marketing consultant, it is possible that your prospects may not know the difference. Sure, you know everything about your potential clients. You’ve done your homework and researched them thoroughly. You know where they live, how they live, their habits, likes, and dislikes. As a Marketing professional, you’ve analyzed the data, and now you know how to communicate with those in your target market. If you are really successful, they have even reached out to you.

But have you ever thought that maybe your prospects don’t have a clue as to how to use your services?

‘I recently encountered this challenge when a business owner inquired about my”Sales’ program. Since I offer Marketing Communications services, not Sales, I declined the invitation to do business.’I recently encountered this challenge when a business owner inquired about my ‘Sales’ program. Since I offer Marketing Communications services, not Sales, I declined the invitation to do business.

Simply put, I’m not a salesperson. I’ve closed very few deals other than what I’ve closed for my own consultancy. On the other hand, I have exposed my clients to hundreds of thousands of potential customers, thereby enlarging their warm market in which THEY could sell. I am excellent at attracting potential customers and communicating with those prospects. However, I believe selling to them should be done by someone skilled at closing deals.

And the aforementioned is exactly what I should have told the prospect, but it didn’t occur to me until days later.

However, in every meeting, there is something gained. In this particular encounter, I learned that we, the Marketing professionals, would do ourselves a favor to teach our prospects how to use our services. In doing so, we educate others about the goals of Marketing and what it can achieve.   We can also educate our prospects on how effective Marketing can be when combined with a great sales program.

Copyright (c) 2009 MH