Marketing, Qualifying, Selling, Pitching, Closing & Buying…

What is the difference between marketing, qualifying, selling, pitching, closing and buying?

Many people use these words interchangeably or incorrectly, so I am going to give definitions of them to make life easy for y’all!

Market/Marketing

Marketing is the act of value creation:

1. Defining customers;

2. Defining customer problems;

3. Solving customer problems;

4. Find customers; and

5. Generating attention and awareness in those customers.

Number 5 is done through bait, specifically through, pre-headlines, headlines and sub headline.

Qualify/Qualifying

Qualifying is the act of determining suitability to sell, pitch and close someone.

Doing so generates a lead.

This is done through a Sales Funnel or a Setter who ask questions.

Sales/Selling

Sales/selling is the act of changing someone’s belief (particularly an objection), or beliefs (objections), to cause a buying decision.

Notice I didn’t say purchase.

Buying is simply accepting the truth of a statement.

Purchase is the exchange of money.

Sales/selling isn’t all about exchanging a product, service or solution for money.

Effective sales/selling triggers emotional reasons to buy and is best presented through story.

This is done through a Sales Script or Salesperson who defines the problem, agitates the problem, explains the situation perhaps using case studies and testimonials.

Pitch/Pitching

Pitching is the act of presenting an offer/solution, which could be a product or service.

It is generally a bid to obtain a contract or other business.

An offer is a promise of providing solution with certain terms and conditions.

This is done through a Pitch by a Salesperson who states the solution name, the offer components, the offer features, benefits and advantages, bonuses and guarantees.

Close/Closing

Closing is the act of logically convincing someone to buy and requesting them to act on the offer with urgency.

The logical argument is to strengthen your pitch, overcoming objections and prevent buyer’s remorse.

This is done through a Closer who uses trial closes, translates the offers value, justifies and summarises it and paces the future.

Buy/Buying

Buying is accepting the truth of the selling, pitching and closing statements and taking action on them.

Doing so converts a lead into a customer.

Marketing, qualifying, selling, pitching, closing and buying is as simple as that — let’s not over complicate or confused things!