Ten Differences between Marketing and Selling

Every interview I have attended has some variation of this question “What is the difference between Marketing and Selling” so here is the ten differences from various books.

S. No	Marketing	Selling
1	Marketing starts with the buyer and focuses constantly on the needs of the buyer.	Selling starts with the seller, and is preoccupied with the needs of the seller
2	Emphasises on identification of a market opportunity	Emphasises on saleable surplus available within the corporation.
3	Buyer is the centre of the business universe ; activities follow the buyer and his needs	Seller is the centre of the business universe; activities start with the sellers existing products.
4	Seeks to convert customer needs into products	Seeks to quickly convert products into cash
5	Emphasises on fulfilling the needs of the customers	Concerns itself with the tricks and techniques of getting the customers to part with their cash.
6	Buyer determines the marketing mix	Sellers preference dominates the formulation of the marketing mix.
7	Consumer determines the price	Cost determines the price
8	Emphasis on innovation in every sphere to provide better value to customer by adopting newer technologies	Emphasis on staying with the existing technology and reducing costs.
9	Marketing communication is looked upon as the tool for communicating the benefits provided by the product	Seller’s motives dominate marketing communications.
10	In firms practising marketing, marketing is the central function of the business.	In firms practising selling, production is the central function of the business.