Marketing vs. Sales Pt. 1

Today I found a great explainer series on how to look at a sales funnel by Elizabeth Yin of Hustle Fund. It was simple, clear, and direct with an easy to follow example to boot!

One concept from the talk that I believe can be applied to life more broadly is her simplified definition of marketing versus sales.

Marketing is the things you can do to get people to convert without talking to your customer (e.g. landing pages, social media, etc.) whereas sales are the activities that require you to talk with your customer to get them to convert (e.g. having sales call, running a demo, etc.).

This is a good framework for thinking about getting people to “convert” in real life.

Conversion in real life is the extension of your influence. When you “convert” someone to your side, they are willing to do things for you like make a warm introduction, show up to your event, provide feedback on an early version of something you are working on, or just return an email/call regularly.

In real life, your marketing are things that people can “google” about you like your LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, or personal website. It is how people can get to know you without ever needing to talk with you. Often times, it is also how people can show other people who you without having a long drawn out conversation with them.

When I think of the marketing vs. sales framework, it reminds me to make it easier for people to get to know me without needing to talk to me.

The great thing about marketing in real life is that you do not always have to create original content. Just sharing the things you are reading and that interest you in a public forum is often enough. Never underestimate the power of curation.

What is most important about marketing in real life is that you should do it publicly and in a format that is easy to share.

Challenge: Make it easier for people to get to know you publicly.

Choose 1 social media channel to curate, finally put together your personal website, or start that blog or newsletter! Whatever you choose, be intentional and be consistent.

We’ll talk more about the sales part of this framework in Part 2.