Network and Marketing The Same and Yet Different

Networking and marketing share many similarities but are inherently different. Networking is a technique that involves meeting acquaintances and sharing information about you, your business or products. However, marketing involves advertising a service or product with the intent of selling it. Both networking and marketing involve pushing a product but they use different means to do so.

A sale is the primary reason to use marketing. However, a sale is not the goal of networking even though it could eventually be the consequence of a relationship that is built while socializing. The two are often confused because salesmen often use networking to sell a product rather than the appropriate marketing technique. There are several differences between the two that will be help to distinguish between them.

Marketers are always focused on the short-term idea of an immediate sale. Conversely, a true networker is focused on the long term. Networking involves making and developing meaningful relationships and is a continuous process. This is an ongoing progression, which takes time and effort.

Another difference is that a marketers primary focus is to try to find a need for their product or service in order to sell it. On the other hand, someone who is networking tries to share information about themselves or their products that may be useful to the other party. Because of this, marketing is only done when immediate profits are foreseen. However, networking is done all of the time, not only when there is an expectation of something in return.

Another difference between marketing and networking is how the conversations are handled. Someone who is marketing will only listen if they think it will help close a sale. Likewise, they will only ask questions that they feel will be able to position the product they are selling in a favorable light. However, someone who is networking listens in order to gather information that will allows them to keep the conversation alive and offer their help when appropriate. They ask questions that will allow them to provide assistance to the person they are speaking with.

In addition, when people are attempting to market a product, they will only find people interesting if he or she is a potential customer. This is not the case with networking. When you are networking all contacts are important and considered interesting. This is because you never know who or what an acquaintance might know.

People who are trying to market a product often talk incessantly about that product and do not devote much time to listening to others. People with networking as there focus, will let others talk the majority of the time while they listen attentively. They use their time listening to gather information so that they will be able to determine how they can assist the other person. Someone who is networking productively will devote 80 percent of their time to listening.

In general, the goal for marketers is the sale, the people they speak to are only a means to get that sale. Conversely, for someone who is trying to network the goal is to establish and maintain contacts, and a side effect of those relationships might be a sale.

Marketing is much more aggressive and has a specific goal of closing a sale in mind. Networking is generally passive and is more concerned with the development of relationships that may be advantageous at sometime in the future. Often times overzealous marketers use a networking event as a venue top sell their product, which may lead to some confusion between the two. However, while networking and marketing share many similarities they differ in many ways.