Academic English Skills Coursework 1: Source Evaluation and Essay Outline

Name: Class: Date:

AMY AES 12/02/2018

Title:
Marketing is the same as sales.' Evaluate arguments for and against this statement. Consider the perceptions of the consumer

Part 1: Sources

Write a reference list for at least of SIX sources which you have found to be reliable and
appropriate for academic use, and are relevant to your essay title.

Avinash Malshe (2009) Strategic sales organizations: transformation

challenges and facilitators within the sales–marketing interface, Journal of Strategic Marketing, 17:3-
4, 271-289, DOI: 10.1080/09652540903064811

Christian Homburg and Ove Jensen (2007). Source: Journal of Marketing, Vol. 71, No. 3 (Jul., 2007),
pp. 124-142

Cohn, C. (2015). Forbes Welcome. [online] Forbes.com. Available at:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/chuckcohn/2015/06/16/differences-in-selling-b2b-vs-
b2c/#195b67534fb2 [Accessed 15 Feb. 2018].

Forbes.com. (2015). Forbes Welcome. [online] Available at

https://www.forbes.com/sites/chuckcohn/2015/06/16/differences-in-selling-b2b-vs-b2c/#3a5e4dff4fb2
[Accessed 24 Jan. 2018].

Havlíček, K., Roubal, O. (2013). Sales Management and Sales

Communication in SME ́s. European Research Studies
Journal, 16: 29-42.

Hei-wai Lee, Crystal J. Scott, (2015) "Marketing or sales: the executive decision", Journal of Business
Strategy, Vol. 36
Issue: 5, pp.43-49, https://doi.org/10.1108/JBS-07-2014-0084

Homburg, C., Jensen, O. and Krohmer, H. (2008), “Configurations of marketing and sales: a
taxonomy”, Journal of Marketing, Vol. 72 No. 2, pp. 133-154.

Homburg, C. and Jensen, O. (2007), “The thought worlds of marketing and sales: which differences
make a difference?”, Journal of Marketing, Vol. 71 No. 7, pp. 124-142.
Kiron, D., Palmer, D., Phillips, A.N. and Berkman, R. (2013), “The executives role in social business”,
MIT Sloan Management Review, Vol. 54 No. 4, p. 83.

Lancaster, G., & Reynolds, Paul. (2005). Management of marketing. Oxford ; Burlington, MA:
Elsevier/Butterworth-Heinemann.

Michael Beverland, Marion Steel, G. Peter Dapiran, (2006) "Cultural frames that drive sales and
marketing apart: an exploratory
study", Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing, Vol. 21 Issue: 6, pp.386-394,
https://doi.org/10.1108/08858620610690146

Rémi Mencarelli, Arnaud Riviere. Perceived value in B2B and B2C: A comparative approach and
cross-fertilization. Marketing Theory, SAGE Publications, 2015, 15 (2), pp.201-220.
<10.1177/1470593114552581>. <halshs-01157807>

Stewart, D.W. (2009), “Marketing accountability: linking marketing actions to financial results”,
Journal
of Business Research, Vol. 62 No. 6, pp. 636-643.

Part 2: Source Evaluation [Explanation of why you have selected the sources for use.]

Complete the table below for FOUR of the sources included in your Part 1 list.

EVALUATION 1
Reference: ( Hei-wai Lee, Crystal J. Scott, 2015)

Why have you chosen this source? Refer to the currency, authority, purpose, reliability of evidence or data,
objectivity, use of expected academic conventions.

- The source is current because it was published in 2015 so its information is rather up-to-date.
- Hei-Wai Lee is Professor of Finance at College of Business, The University of Michigan – Dearborn, Dearborn, MI,
USA and Crystal J. Scott is Associate Professor of Marketing at the same university. Both of them have published
many articles anf journals so they all have authority.
- The source itself is a journal and it even gets cited in another book namely "Hiring the right executive: Sales or

marketing orientation", Which helps to prove its reliability.

How is the source relevant to your title? What are the useful points / arguments made in the text?

The source yields information on the differences between sales and marketing when it comes to attitude of the
professionals towards each other, job descriptions and the source also mentions the key determinants in
distinguishing sales and marketing executive.

Useful points:
• The world of Sales in the eyes of Marketers and vice versa
• Job description
• The major factors in deciding when deciding a sales or martkeing excecutive

EVALUATION 2
Reference: (Avinash Malshe, 2009)

Why have you chosen this source? Refer to the currency, authority, purpose, reliability of evidence or data,
objectivity, use of expected academic conventions.

- Although the currency of this source is not very strong, the information it gives is relevant because it writes about
the transformation in sales-marketing interface.
- The author has authority to write about marketing because he received his Ph.D. in the same field from the
University of Nebraska-Lincoln and he has taught at the University of St. Thomas for over 11 years, not to mention
his huge collections of published work in many journals.
- The source also contains tables of data which reinforces its academic creditability

How is the source relevant to your title? What are the useful points / arguments made in the text?

The source highlights the overlaps and differences in sales and marketing personnel’s perceptions about the role
they and their counterparts may play in the strategic process in great depth. In this way, many good points which are
mentioned below can be exploited from the source.
• differences between sales and marketing may be a function of cultural mismatch, interfunctional conflict,
differences in thought worlds,
• the overlaps in salespeople and marketers' thinking
• recommendation which is that the two functions should be intergrated for their own benefits
The information from this source can totally be used in my passage 3 ( mentioning differences ) and passage 5 ( my
own viewpoint about the relationship between marketing and sales )

EVALUATION 3
Reference: ( Forbes.com 2015)
Why have you chosen this source? Refer to the currency, authority, purpose, reliability of evidence or data,
objectivity, use of expected academic conventions.

_ The author is Founder and CEO of Varsity Tutors. Having considerable experiences in entrepreneurship and start-
up means his having the authority to share his knowledge about marketing and sales.

_ The source was published online in 2017 so the information is updated

_Though the article does not cite reference materials and not have so many datas, it still can be considered quite
reliable based on its coming from “the Forbes” - one of the leading source for trustworthy news and updated
information and its author’s profile as the Forbes contributor with posts having up to nearly 500 thousand views.

How is the source relevant to your title? What are the useful points / arguments made in the text?
The article analyzes the fundamental discrepancies between Marketing (B2B) and sales (B2C) to assist individuals
to opt for the most suitable business framework. The author explains in detail the distinction in the three main
aspects which can be seen as useful points:
• Decision- making process
• The involment of stakeholders
• The length of relationship
The clear points in the article can be displayed to back up the differences in passage 3

EVALUATION 4
Reference:
(Michael Beverland, Marion Steel, G. Peter Dapiran, 2006)

Why have you chosen this source? Refer to the currency, authority, purpose, reliability of evidence or data,
objectivity, use of expected academic conventions.
- While Michael Beverland is the senior lecturer in the Department of Management and Marketing, University of
Melbourne, Parkville, Australia, Marion Steel and G. Peter Dapiran are respectively research fellow and senior
lecturer in the Department of Marketing, Monash University, Caulfield East, Australia so they all have authority and
specialized knowledge to write about marketing and sales
- The article gets cited by other 25 sources many of which are books and journals so this proves that the information
within the article is useful and creditable. It is also peer-reviewed as an academic convention which also adds weight
to its reliability.
- The currency is not so trong but also not so weak as it was published in 2006

How is the source relevant to your title? What are the useful points / arguments made in the text?

The article gives some recommendation on how to improve the relationship between the two function. To be
accurate, it states that future improvement in
- future research
- reducing the ability of both departments to cement the mutual mental
Frames leading to dysfunctional teams
- modifications in the mindset of salesmen and marketers
Part 3: Essay Outline

Title:
'Marketing is the same as sales.' Evaluate arguments for and against this statement. Consider the perceptions of the
consumer.

Introduction: Recently, Marketing and Sales have been in the limelight and aroused wide concern for the controvery
asscociated with them. While some individuals are of fercent conviction that both units bear great resemblance,
others have trust in their discrepancies. This essay will discuss those two viewpoints.

Your position / thesis statement:

It is undeniable that marketing and sales possess both overlaps and differences. However instead of dividing them as
seperate functions, learning how to connect them matters the most considering the merits they can give while
supporting each other in the operation level.

Paragraph 1: Purpose Background - To give basic information about marketing and sales

Topic sentence: The fundamental knowledge of the two terms’ notion plays a significant role in having better
understanding of their nature to have multi-facial analysis.

Main Point /Supporting points / Evidence, example or data / in-text citation [information prominent]

- Marketing definition (Langcaster and Reynolds, 2005)

• It has different definitions when it comes to different consumers’perception
• It is an organizational philosophy and activity which can be applied in both profit-making sectors and not-for-
profit ones
• Modern concept of marketing is its identification and satisfaction sumers’ needs
- Sales definition (Homburg et al., 2008)
while sales is said to have a short-term view driven by quotas and monthly
incentives

Paragraph 2: Marketing and Sales bear distinct differences

Topic sentence: There exist some significant differences between marketing and sales

Main Point /Supporting points / Evidence, example or data / in-text citation [information prominent]

- The different “thought worlds” and organizational goals (Homburg and Jensen, 2007; Strahle et al., 1996).
• Sales professionals are generally compensated through short-term goals like quarterly sales forecasts and revenue targets
• Marketers may be compensated for yearly goals like customer satisfaction scores and brand awareness ratings
- The method of controlling
• Marketing controlling: permanent monitoring and on evaluation of future deviations and dependent on market plans
• Sales controlling: executed more on an divisonal level and dependent on sales plan (Havlíček, Roubal, 2013)
•
- The relationship between the customers and product (Cohn, 2015)
• Marleting: Customers focus more on judging the quality standards of the product (Cohn, 2015)
• Sales: Sellers take great care of customers’needs (Cohn, 2015)

Paragraph 3: They are assumed to possess similarities as well

Topic sentence: Though the differences are undeniable, both Marketing and sales get interwined by special
connection rendering their similarities in some individuals’perceptions.

Main Point /Supporting points / Evidence, example or data / in-text citation [information prominent]
- The overlaps in the way marketers and salesmen view themselves and the other
Functions ( Hei-wai Lee, Crystal J. Scott, 2015)
• Both units possess the opposite opinions about each other
- Their future cross-functional roles
• Sales: sales directors encourage a more customer-centric view and strategic approach to sales.
• Marketing: besides creating customer value, marketing department needs to prove its position by
demonstrating its financial value to the company.

Paragraph 4: How consumers shape their perception about the two terms

Topic sentence: Client’s knowledge about the relation between B2B and B2C has mainly 3 parties

Main Point /Supporting points / Evidence, example or data / in-text citation [information prominent]
- How customers shape perception towards Marketing and sales is anayzed in the following depths
+ Seller’s main strategy
• Sales: to build brand equity, brand positioning as well as brand loyalty
• Marketing : to serve education purpose, to prove its long-term core values
+ Buying Decision: Single vs. Many
• Sales: speaking directly to the consumer with a singular marketing message and a focused brand strategy
• Marketing: a multi-faceted approach with trategy aiming different targets.

Paragraph 5: Purpose

Topic sentence: Despite the noticeable distinction between the two terms, their intergration can yield gigantic
benefits.

Main Point /Supporting points / Evidence, example or data / in-text citation [information prominent]
Specific suggestions include
• Aligning strategic capabilities
• Reinforcing interfunctional collaboration
• Encourage joint participation in strategic activities (Cespedes, 1993; Guenzi & Troilo, 2006; Ingram, 2004;
LeMeunier-Fitz-Hugh & Piercy, 2007; Matthyssens & Johnston, 2006).
• Integrate the two units in which each unit assists the activities of the other (Le Meunier-FitzHugh & Piercy,
2007).
• Cement interdepartmental communication so that they key factor which is information can be shared in
terms of frequency, modality, timeliness, and bidirectionality, as well as narrowing down the gap in cultural
differences. (Beverland et al., 2006).
Paragraph 6: Purpose

Topic sentence:

Main Point /Supporting points / Evidence, example or data / in-text citation [information prominent]

Conclusions:
Intergrating the two functions play the most important role and can be extremely advantageous.