Sales versus marketing = comedians versus actors

Sales people are the comedians of the business world; marketing executives are the actors.

We could hypothesise that there are parallels between the types of professionals attracted to sales compared to marketing folk.

By way of analogy, here are 10 theoretical differences between comedians and actors.

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1. Comedians are adults, actors are children.
2. Comedians steal their own material.
3. Comedians are self-employed, actors are self-unemployed.
4. Comedians never retire, actors have superannuation.
5. Comedians work the audience, actors work to please the director.
6. Comedians go on tour, actors go on holiday.
7. Comedians remember stuff, actors memorise stuff.
8. Comedians are entrepreneurs, actors are entrepreneurial.
9. Comedians give their agents 10 percent … agents give their actors 90 percent.
10. Comedians seek approval from audiences. Actors seek approval from –
    • directors
    • casting agents
    • theatrical agents
    • critics
    • journalists
    • reporters
    • other actors in work
    • other actors who are ‘resting’
    • other actors who are ‘retired’
    • other actors who went to less prestigious acting schools
    • other actors who went to more prestigious acting schools
    • other actors who didn’t go to any acting school
    • wannabe actors
    • comedians
    • raconteurs
    • buskers
    • musicians –
      • rock ‘n’ roll
      • jazz
      • pop
      • orchestral –
        • symphony
        • chamber
      • opera singers
    • visual artists –
      • painters
      • photographers
      • sculptors
      • performance artists
      • multimedia artists
    • writers
      • novelists
      • novella writers
      • short story writers
      • playwrights
      • film scriptwriters
      • poets
      • advertising copywriters
    • community artists
    • backstage staff
    • front-of-house staff
    • random members of the general public
    • wait staff
    • baristas
    • bar staff
    • gym staff – personal trainers and motivators
    • pool staff – swimming instructors and cleaners
    • cycle club peleton members
    • running buddies
    • family
    • friends
    • enemies
    • dead people, and
    • people yet to be born.

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Rodney Marks

I’m an Australian comedian, hoax speaker and corporate impostor. I mainly present comic hoaxes at business events. If you like these blogs, you’ll like my live comedy. If you don’t like these blogs, you still might like my live comedy.

Add comedian.com.au to your bookmarks, and one day: book Marks. I don’t do cheap jokes, and I’m freer than you think. I’m comical not anatomical, economical not astronomical.

For more info – and to contact me directly – see my LinkedIn profile, and website: www.comedian.com.au. I’m based in Sydney and travel widely.