Q.Distinguish between salesmanship, selling and marketing.

These three terms describe activities of increasing width, and mixing them up is a common error.

Salesmanship is a part of selling, and selling is a part of marketing — each term is contained in the next.

The three terms are related but differ in width. They can be distinguished on the following points:

(i) Meaning.

• Salesmanship is the personal, persuasive skill of convincing a buyer to purchase.
• Selling is the broad act of transferring goods or services to a buyer for a price.
• Marketing is the whole process of identifying needs and satisfying them profitably.

(ii) Scope.

• Salesmanship is the narrowest — only personal persuasion.
• Selling is wider — it also includes impersonal methods such as advertising and self-service.
• Marketing is the widest — it covers product design, pricing, distribution and all promotion (of which selling is one part).

(iii) Nature.

• Salesmanship is chiefly personal (direct human contact).
• Selling may be personal or impersonal.
• Marketing is a management process that plans and coordinates everything.

(iv) Focus.

• Selling and salesmanship focus on converting a product into cash — moving what has already been made.
• Marketing focuses on the customer's need first, and then designs and sells a product to satisfy it.

(v) Relationship. Salesmanship is a part of selling, and selling is a part of marketing — the three are like circles one inside another.

The commonest mistake is treating all three as synonyms. Remember the containment relationship (salesmanship ⊂ selling ⊂ marketing). Also, students often say marketing = advertising only; marketing is far wider than any single promotional tool.