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Vol 7, No 9, October 2008
Dear Hiring Manager:
Because the sales and marketing functions in a
company work so closely together, some managers
feel that the skill set required of each is pretty similar.
And, because smaller organizations may not have
hiring budgets that are as robust as they would like,
they try to hire one person with both skill sets.
That can be a costly mistake. Read on for
some great reasons why those two functions are
entirely different and why you should avoid being
tempted to hire a "two for the price of one!"
Betsy Harper
Managing Partner
Sales and Marketing Search
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The Worst of Both Worlds
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The other day I planned to fall in love — with a
car that is. Specifically, an Audi A6. I was prepared to
love it because I'd wanted it for some time. But then I
test drove it.
You see, it has a "hybrid" transmission. The
salesman, a distinguished older gentleman (I believe
they "assigned" him to me), assured me that I would
get the same feeling of control and the same
responsiveness that I get from my current car, a
manual transmission model made by the same
parent company. The upside of this transmission, he
explained, was that I would get the same feel as a
manual transmission, but I wouldn't have all that
shifting to do in Boston traffic. "Kill two birds with
one stone," he said.
But out on the highway, I found the car sluggish and
unresponsive, although it certainly was a comfortable
ride. And while I didn't have to shift, I also didn't get
that highly-torqued, peppy, responsive feel that I like
when I drive. I couldn't help but think that by trying to
make that transmission appeal to both kinds of
drivers, the solution didn't satisfy any of them.
Sales Brain vs.
Marketing Brain
I feel that same way when I talk to a hiring
manager who wants to hire someone with both sales
and marketing skills. I know the budget might be tight,
but I always caution against that strategy. Like the
hybrid transmission, the hiring manager is trying to
kill two birds with one stone. Unfortunately, it's not
even gonna kill ONE bird. And here's
why:
Salespeople and marketing people don't live in
the same body.
It's that simple. And, if they do, like the hybrid
transmission, one skill will be dominant.
Here's the basic difference between the two:
- SALESPEOPLE are usually very
numbers-driven. They pay attention to the
metrics that will get them where they want to go. They
don't mind (some actually crave!) an aggressive
quota, know what they have to do as far as filling the
sales pipeline to reach that quota and are totally
comfortable having a compensation that is
dependent upon them reaching their goals. They
also want to qualify for bonuses when they exceed
their goals and are primarily driven by two things:
recognition and money.
- MARKETERS are usually more
process and "big picture"-driven. They tend
to be more strategic in their approach. Great
marketers not only know their customers inside and
out, they position their product or service skillfully, to
make selling easier. After all, the better the
marketing, the easier the selling. Marketers are
usually driven by two things: clarity (in the brand
and the message) and vision.
You could say that salespeople are from Venus and
marketing people are from Mars!
So, resist the temptation to hire someone who says
they are a sales/marketing hybrid. Figure out what
your greatest need is, and then hire for that need. If
done right, you'll be able to hire that second person
whose skills will complement the first within a
relatively short time. And then, you'll have the best of
both worlds! Vroom, vroom!!
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Nothing Succeeds Like Success
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We were happy to help Pyxis Mobile,
a leader in wireless solutions to the financial and
insurance industries, grow their inside sales team
last month.
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