15 Jan Should You Focus on Sales or Marketing?

The market is finally looking up. It’s time to reach out for new business, add staff, and start getting your name out there again. But where is “there” in this new market landscape?

In the beginning you were told you had to have a website. If you didn’t see the results you wanted, it meant your website was already outdated. Then along came social media: Facebook, Twitter, Houzz, Pinterest, LinkedIn, etc. and every marketing person in the world started telling you that you need a presence on all of these places in order to drive traffic to your website.

Companies of all sizes have struggled to define the difference between sales and marketing and what role each might play in achieving growth. At some level it is really a balance to achieve – they need to complement each other.

In the real estate industry, having these roles defined and charged with specific goals is imperative. It’s almost 2014 – websites, social media and “maintaining a presence” are critical, as consumers have matured technologically, and we have to mature with it. Awards are nice, but positive reviews make the telephone ring and search rankings speak directly to your inbox.

First, you must be where your customer and potential customer base will likely go when looking for real estate and maintain a presence there. You also must make sure your web presence is in an environment that you keep up with. Not all social media or referral web sites are the same. Know your demographics and set your expectations before deciding where to put your brand.

Your presence should create a cycle that keeps feeding itself. Successful marketing creates an environment that your customer is drawn to. Customers contact your company and your sales team engages them, turning their inquiry to a sale.

Your sales team becomes more productive with higher quality leads and the marketing team studies the success of sales and refines their efforts, increasing your web presence in the correct environment and creating an even higher percentage of qualified leads.

How do you balance sales and marketing in your business? Share your challenges and successes below!