Networking vs. Selling: What They Are and How They Differ

Constructing a strong and expansive professional network is critical to learning about an industry and developing skills. In addition, selling products and services and promoting a business are important duties in many jobs and industries. If you're searching for a job, networking and selling are just two of the many professional tools you can use to advance in your career. In this article, we discuss networking versus selling, explaining the definitions of both processes and outlining the key differences between them.

What is networking?

Networking is the process of building relationships with other professionals and connecting people. The purpose of networking is to meet others in an industry, get to know them and establish them as points of contact for the future. Knowing people in a field means you can get good career advice, ask people for help, find job and development opportunities, solve problems, reach professional goals and advance in your career. For example, if you're a journalist and you have a friend in the government, you might be able to schedule an interview with an important public official. Related: Networking for Introverts: 7 Tips for Making Better Connections

What is selling?

Selling is the process of explaining the value of a product or service to consumers and trying to get them to purchase it. Salespeople work closely with marketing team members to promote a product or service to audiences, generate promising leads and engage with customers. They also work with product development professionals to learn about the features of a product and understand how it's better than the competition. The primary objective of salespeople is to establish a transaction and generate revenue for an organization. Related: What Is Personal Selling? (With Tips and Techniques)

Networking vs. selling

Here are 11 important differences between these two professional skills:

1. Goals

One of the most essential differences between networking and selling is the goal of each process. The fundamental goal of selling is to make a sale or get the consumer to buy a product or service. This usually fits into larger business goals like generating revenue, earning profits and fulfilling an organization's mission statement. In contrast, the major goal of networking is to establish a strong relationship with another professional. Instead of getting another person to do something, networking is about getting to know someone and learning from their experience. This could be part of larger career goals like developing skills and gaining knowledge of an industry.

2. Strategies

Networking and selling involve different strategies and methods for success. For example, to network successfully, it's helpful to attend industry conventions and conferences, work social activities and other, similar events. To generate leads and sell successfully, it may be necessary to reach out to potential customers and businesses online and schedule meetings with decision-makers. Related: Selling Services vs. Products (And Examples of Services for Sale)

3. Importance in your job

Selling can be a more important component of some professions than others. If you're a salesperson, selling an organization's product or service to consumers is your primary goal. However, if you're a different type of professional, you may have more significant priorities than selling in your role. For example, the top goal of a physician is to provide effective medical care. For another example, the most important duty of a project manager is to complete a project on time and within budget. In contrast, networking can be important in any profession, as it's just the process of connecting with people and making friends. No matter where you work, it can be helpful to get to know other people in the industry who share your interests and career goals.

4. Approach

Depending on whether you're trying to network with someone or sell to them, you may approach the situation differently. Salespeople typically focus on gauging the need of a consumer so they can determine if a product or service can fulfill that need. When you're networking instead, you might approach it more like a friendship, share information with them and connect them with other points of contact.

5. Expectations

When you transact a sale with someone, there are certain expectations on both sides of the transaction. The customer expects a high-quality, useful product and the salesperson expects some form of payment. In contrast, when people work on building their professional networks, they don't expect payment in return for their efforts. While there are many long-term benefits to forming relationships with people, the primary purpose of doing this is to get to know another person's personality, understand their perspective and learn from them.

6. Potential contacts

When you're selling, it's likely you have a specific target audience you want to reach. These are a select group of people that may be interested in your product or service. Establishing a target audience can save time and ensure you're only talking to people in situations with a good chance of making a sale. In networking, however, you may have a much broader group of potential contacts. Instead of focusing on people who may want to purchase something, you can seek relationships with all kinds of professionals in both your industry and other fields. Related: 15 Essential Skills Needed in Selling Positions and How To Improve Them

7. Timeline

When you're selling a product or service, you may only communicate with a customer for a limited amount of time. You may contact them when you're describing the benefits and features of what you're offering, negotiating and signing a contract or assisting them with issues they might be experiencing. Even if you manage a long-term client's account with an organization, you still may only talk to them once in a year to encourage them to renew their contract or continue supporting the business in another way. In contrast, the timeline for networking is much longer than that of selling. When you construct your professional network, you're typically trying to establish long-term, lasting relationships. A successful point of contact is one that you can maintain well into the future.

8. Discussion topics

The subjects of your discussions differ whether you're conducting networking or selling. With a member of your network, you might talk about topics like industry advancements and changes, potential job opportunities, professional skills, new technologies and events. With a potential customer, it's likely you talk about a product's features, the benefits of a service or the history and mission of the organization.

9. Recommendations

When you're selling a product or service, it's important to recommend that particular product, service and business to consumers. Your advice centers around the value a certain organization can provide. To help people in your professional network, you may recommend various products and services from a variety of companies. In these situations, your focus is to share information and provide specific tips to your colleagues.

10. Benefits

Networking can allow you to form lasting friendships. Professionally, it can also enable you to find employment opportunities and even make sales. The primary benefit of selling is the exchange of resources and the earning of profits. By being a good salesperson, you may also be able to connect with customers and build your professional network that way.

11. Skills

While networking and selling involve many of the same skills like good communication, certain abilities can help you excel at one over the other. When you're networking, it's helpful to practice interpersonal skills like friendliness, empathy and patience. It's also beneficial to stay organized so you can remember opportunities and connect professionals together. When you're selling, it's important to have excellent public-speaking skills so you can persuade consumers to make purchases.