The major differences between selling and marketing are listed as below:
(i) Part of the Process vs Wider Term: Selling is only a part of the process of marketing and is concerned with promoting and transferring possession and ownership of goods from the seller to the buyer. Marketing is a much wider term consisting of number of activities such as identification of the customer’s needs, developing the products to satisfy these needs, fixing prices and persuading the potential buyers to buy the same. Thus, selling is merely a part of marketing.
(ii) Transfer of Title vs Satisfying Customer Needs: The main focus of selling is on affecting transfer of title and possession of goods from sellers to consumers or users. In contrast, marketing activities put greater thrust on achieving maximum satisfaction of the customer’s needs and wants.
(iii) Profit through Maximising Sales vs Customer Satisfaction: All selling activities are directed at maximising sales and, thereby, the profits of the firm. In other words, the emphasis is on profit maximisation through maximisation of sales. Marketing, on the other hand, is concerned with customer satisfaction and thereby increasing profit in the long run. A marketing organisation, thus, attaches highest importance to customer satisfaction as a route to profit maximisation.
(iv) Start and End of the Activities: Selling activities start after the product has been developed while marketing activities start much before the product is produced and continue even after the product has been sold.