Truth be told, there is a difference between marketing and selling. What we call marketing jobs are actually sales job. It’s not your fault really because even the company that recruited you advertised for executive marketers only for you to end up as an executive sales representative. Nothing is wrong with that though. So pardon me, when I refer to selling as marketing, which is the language in the street. The actual topic for this piece would have been ‘why people hate sales job.

Personally, I am a business man, a management consultant, and a blogger, so I have done and still do both marketing and selling. That is the only way money can come now. I have also interviewed, recruited and managed sales reps for different organizations and I can tell you that sales jobs are rewarding but it is not easy even for Ezekiel.

These are the reasons why most young graduates struggle in selling (hereinafter referred to as marketing) and why they hate it.

One day, I was coming from a meeting in Ikoyi. My friend was driving me and we were headed for Lekki. As usual, there was traffic but I wasn’t in a hurry. So I decided to enjoy the moment and feed my eyes and my subconscious mind with the arrays of premium automobiles driving out of ikoyi. You know them. G wagons, Mercedes Benz ML 450, Range Rover Vogues, Ford explorers, BMWs, Chryslers etc. It was an inspiring experience until something quite hilarious and touching caught my attention. In that same traffic, were some struggling and less privileged dudes (no disrespect) trying to sell books to the ‘landlords’ of those vehicles. Think and grow rich, why we want you to be rich, and 48 laws of power, seven habits of highly effective people and so many other powerful titles. This is paradox personified. But you know what, their case is not very different with what most young graduates are subjected to by their employers.

Most marketers are trying to sell what they don’t have or use. The person selling life insurance is not even insured himself. The person selling real estate does not have one property anywhere. You are asked to sell pension scheme and you are not on any scheme. You are a sales person for a travel agency when you don’t even know what an international wing of an airport looks like. It ruptures your confidence and for most persons their self-esteem. It wouldn’t have mattered if you were the only person that knows this but your prospective client (buyer) knows this too. That is why when you are struggling to explain the benefits of your product, he looks you in the eyes and all he can see is TARGET. Someone on a mission to meet target. It paints the picture that buying from you is just doing you a favor.


Monotonous product and a saturated market: this is the problem most commercial bank marketers are facing. You are selling something that is not different from what every other person is selling, so there is no USP (unique selling point). What are you selling for GT Bank that First Bank is not selling. What are you selling for Heritage bank that Sterling is not selling? Everybody is selling the same thing, with different product name. Everybody is selling to the same set of persons without promising anything different. The market is saturated yet the Target is outrageous. If you don’t have the contact (connection) to pull a major account, forget it. After three months, you are thrown out. No thanks to outsourcing firms that can provide cheap labor anytime.

source http://jobtrends.com.ng/why-job-seekers-hate-marketing-jobs-brown-uzoukwu/

Nice thread ...But I think you are actually doing your blog more harm than good. Secondly, you don't seem to be practising what you're preaching ... You should post the whole piece right here... Discerning minds would , I believe, be inclined to visit your blog..or at least, bookmark it. Well done!

On a second note!

What are you trying to sell to us? What ideas are you trying to portray? that there are no upsides to marketing/sales?

Sales / marketing dikwa promising!

A

Noted. Thanks a lot

virud:
Nice thread ...But I think you are actually doing your blog more harm than good. Secondly, you don't seem to be practising what you're preaching ... You should post the whole piece right here... Discerning minds would , I believe, be inclined to visit your blog..or at least, bookmark it. Well done!

On a second note!

What are you trying to sell to us? What ideas are you trying to portray? that there are no upsides to marketing/sales?

Sales / marketing dikwa promising!

wfmcc:
All opinions should be respected, so I respect yours. But know that all Banks do not have the same products. Secondly,targets are challenging but I would tell you many have achieved without even having any connection but they built up to the challenge. Thirdly,why would you think you can not,even when you have not tried,it is better to try for the said three months,bare the risk,& what if you make it?. Know that no employer jails an employee for not failing to meet target. My dear, any optimist can always think and try,it could be an avenue for a greater exploit.

. Broda clicking on like button is not enough to show how i feel after reading what you comment. I LOVE UR COMMENT

If because of ur connections are the reasons y u are going into marketing of any kind, u might not succeed because dat connection is laziness.

nobody need job, all we want s money .

and also who wan walk taya??

marketing [url]nobody need job, all we want s money .

and also who wan walk taya??

marketing [/url]nobody need job, all we want s money .

and also who wan walk taya??

marketing

Unrealistic targets and peanut pay.

Marketing is stressful

ok

Hold it!

we can change that mentality. marketing is good in the real sense but for the
unrealistic targets, i reject that.
secondly marketers themselves should be adequately trained. but employers are
afraid of losing such a trained staff to other poaching firms.
but how do someone market a product/service he/she has little or no knowledge?

Life is not easy chai man no get choice

But seriously, as simple as marketing looks, its not that easy at all...

Charleen94:
But seriously, as simple as marketing looks, its not that easy at all...

After the Monthly Performance Review, na run you go run.

The pressure is insane and the economy is not helping.

We market everyday (knowingly or unknowingly) so not a biggie.. especially cos you always would need something from somebody

Good writeup

it depends on what u are marketing

The trekking no be here and lots of mischievous people take sexual advantage of female marketers .

Meanwhile, a lot of people won't even allow their wives become marketers especially in the banking sector

end note:

in this part of the world, most sales people are always in the wrong location at the right time, expecting their target audience buy what they 've already got..

customers are inexuastible, someone somewhere needs what you are offering, it's all got to do with how you can identify where they are, and get them to patronize.

Marketing is different from sales. .. Nigerians often mistake both.

Ok

always hard to convince people to buy a new product




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point of corretion: a sales job is different from a real marketih job. mostly what those banks are looking for are sales people to sell their banking services on the streets. that aint marketing. marketing is abt creation n communication of value

Marketing is the opium of any profitable organization.

While many people prefer the type of job that requires them walking into an office,sit down and attend to clients, they fail to look away from the fact that without marketing,that company will crash in a swift.

The time is coming when employers will pay salaries based on percentage of profits made for the month so whether we love it or hate it,we all better start embracing marketing.

The funny twist is that consciously or unconsciously we are all marketers and most times without benefits.

How many times have you told a friend about a nice meal you ate at a certain mama put?
How many times have you recommended a good product you like to a friend?
Countless number of people are enjoying the health benefits of garlic and pineapple mix because i freely gave an advice on it and if there is a company that is actually selling this i guess i would have earned great commissions from them.

i can not continue to enumerate on the many products and services we all have marketed at one time or the other without even deliberately doing it yet when we are conspicuously confronted with a sales/marketing job, we suddenly develop an appalling attitude towards it.Strange i must say.

Marketing Job is fun

Nigeria labour market just don't know the difference in marketing and sells

With all this comment tho, it not encouraging at all