Great Lakes - PGDM & PGPM Admissions 2026
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Choosing between an MBA in Marketing or Sales? can be slightly tricky as candidates often get confused between the two. The two specializations being closely related to each other can create a sense of confusion. But an MBA in marketing is different from an MBA in Sales. Each has its own unique skill set and learning curve. Candidates from both specializations contribute differently to the success of an organization. To be able to choose between the two candidates should understand the impact of factors like career opportunities, job roles, pay scale, and work-life balance.
An MBA in marketing is significantly different from an MBA in sales. Both might seem to be related but focus on different aspects of business. The candidates can refer to the different points discussed below to understand the key differences between the two. Understanding the impact of each of these factors on the overall career can help in deciding which specialization to choose for pursuing an MBA.
The skillset after an MBA in marketing is somewhat similar to that of sales but only a few. There are major skills that a candidate gets equipped with after an MBA in either marketing or sales. The skillset that one gets equipped with for both these MBA specializations are listed in the table given below.
Admissions Open | Globally Recognized by AACSB (US) & AMBA (UK) | 17.8 LPA Avg. CTC for PGPM 2025
Ranked No. 3 Business School in India and no.35 in world by Financial Times MiM 2025 Ranking | Highest CTC: INR 89 LPA
MBA Marketing Skills | MBA Sales Skills |
Market Research | Sales Strategy |
Consumer Behaviour Analysis | Client Relationship Management |
Brand Management | Sales Forecasting |
Digital Marketing | Team Leadership |
Strategic Marketing | Negotiation |
Event Marketing | Cold Calling/E-mail |
Communication Strategies |
Both an MBA in marketing and an MBA in sales have widespread career opportunities in various industries as sales and marketing are the requirements of possibly every business that exists on the planet. The marketing department deals with an outreach of the products and services offered by the organization whereas the sales department is responsible for closing in the sale of the products and services offered to the potential customers or clients. The different potential career roles for sales and marketing are given in the table below.
MBA Marketing Career Roles | MBA Sales Career Roles |
Marketing Manager | Account Executive |
Brand Manager | Sales Manager |
Market Research Analyst | Business Development Associate |
Product Manager | Sales Direct |
Chief Marketing Officer | Vice President Sales |
Marketing Executive | Sales Professional |
Digital Marketer | |
Product Marketing Manager |
The industry trends for both marketing and sales appear to be on a positive note. The marketing roles often involve working with broader strategies and can be more varied across different industries and sectors. Sales roles are crucial for organizations to derive revenue and often involve more direct client engagement and sales strategy. The marketing and sales industry keeps on evolving in the ways the consumption of goods and services changes. With growing consumer demands companies are always on the lookout for talented candidates for marketing and sales roles. Candidates need to keep themselves updated with trends and strategies.
Candidates need to realize long-term goals associated with their careers. Knowing it helps decide what specialization should be pursued for an MBA. Marketing requires candidates to stay on top of trends, get creative, and never miss out on opportunities. Therefore, candidates with a creative outlook are more likely to deal with marketing in the long run. However, something like sales can have great incentives associated but comes with great pressure to meet set targets and tight deadlines. To establish a long-term career in sales candidate must be extraordinarily good at handling pressure and meeting targets. Candidates can also seek advice from professionals in both fields to understand the long-term consequences of each work field.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
An MBA in marketing is different from an MBA in Sales. Each has its own unique skill set and learning curve. Candidates from both specializations contribute differently to the success of an organization.
The marketing department deals with an outreach of the products and services offered by the organization whereas the sales department is responsible for closing in the sale of the products and services offered to the potential customers or clients.
Both the specializations pay well. Marketing roles have good overall compensation. The sales role has great incentives associated with them. The more a candidate does well in a sales role more is the incentive achieved.
A job related to product marketing can be considered best after an MBA in marketing. The job involves the candidate being responsible for the overall effective marketing of a product being released by the company.
On Question asked by student community
You can get the previous year's CUSAT CAT papers in pdf format sample papers from careers360 article. Follow the link given below from careers360 to get the the CUSAT CAT previous years question papers.
Link- https://engineering.careers360.com/articles/cusat-cat-sample-papers
Hello,
Since the CAT application form correction window is closed, you must contact the CAT help desk immediately to explain the situation, as you can't edit a wrong date of birth after submission. If it's a major error like date of birth, you may need to go to the exam center with proof and the correct admit card, although getting it corrected before the exam date is the most important first step.
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Hi there,
You have to apply separately for each symbiosis college, like SIBM Pune, as they as not automatically included. The CAT form automatically includes many IIMs, but the SNAP exam is a separate test that is given for admission to Symbiosis Institute, which requires its own separate application and fee.
Hope it helps!!!
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Hello,
To get admitted to the Institute of Management Studies (IMS), BHU, for an MBA in 2026, you must clear the CAT entrance exam. For that you need to fill out the application form of the CAT in August 2026, which you can get on the Official CAT website
I hope it will clear your query!!
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