Prospecting is a marketing function

I've been online all night reading about sales and marketing and last night I read somewhere that prospecting is a marketing function. Why would prospecting be a marketing function?

Marketing is the general term for everything a company does to get the market to buy thier product/service. However, no company can simply go out and do "marketing". They have to do a functional part of marketing. This can include advertising, prospecting, or something along those lines. And you can take that even further. For example, prospecting could be done over the phone or face to face. Advertising could be done on a billboard, through direct mail, on television, etc.

The article said that prospecting was a marketing function not a sales function. Isn't prospecting really a part of sales?

Quote:

Originally Posted by donnie

The article said that prospecting was a marketing function not a sales function. Isn't prospecting really a part of sales?

I dunno, it's usually the sales people doing the door knocking and telephone calls.

This article was nothing more than a theory. There isn't a right answer.

However, I would say that prospecting is simply one-to-one advertising. Advertising is what you do to get the attention of your market. Sales is what you do once you have their attention.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Derek

This article was nothing more than a theory. There isn't a right answer.

However, I would say that prospecting is simply one-to-one advertising. Advertising is what you do to get the attention of your market. Sales is what you do once you have their attention.

I guess telemarketing or door knocking could be looked at as one-to-one advertising but I've never heard it called that.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Thomas

I guess telemarketing or door knocking could be looked at as one-to-one advertising but I've never heard it called that.

Personal selling is an aspect of Promotion which is a pillar of marketing. The intent of prospecting as it relates to personal selling is not to "advertise" your product or service but instead to identify and ultimately sell your product/service to prospects who are ready, willing and able.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sensei

Personal selling is an aspect of Promotion which is a pillar of marketing. The intent of prospecting as it relates to personal selling is not to "advertise" your product or service but instead to identify and ultimately sell your product/service to prospects who are ready, willing and able.

To me that makes sense. When I read that about prospecting I wondered if I had missed something. It looks like I didn't.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sensei

Personal selling is an aspect of Promotion which is a pillar of marketing. The intent of prospecting as it relates to personal selling is not to "advertise" your product or service but instead to identify and ultimately sell your product/service to prospects who are ready, willing and able.

You nailed it Sensei. I couldn't have said it better myself.

Quote:

Originally Posted by donnie

The article said that prospecting was a marketing function not a sales function. Isn't prospecting really a part of sales?

Yes, it is. It is a marketing part of sales. Marketing and sales are not synonymous, but neither are they separate. Service is another thing that is often part of sales, but it doesn't mean the same thing.

Prospecting is a marketing function

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