Sales or Marketing. Who's better?

It's a debate which perhaps will bring out the most vocal arguement. Does working as a marketer help, if he or she has spent ample time in sales? Well, almost every sales person whom I have spoken to or met eventually endeavours to land a marketing responsibility. But that doesn't mean that they take sales as a chore to be done with as fast as possible. Infact it was refreshing to see executives fresh out of B-school liking what the work they were doing upcountry, far away from air conditioned cabins and power point presentations.
Off course, they dream to be there in future, but for now, the learnings they are acquiring from market visits, negotiating with the trade and getting a grip on what works and what doesn't out there. So that when the same people move to don the marketing coat, they know exactly what it takes to create a market or compete with others. In short, a stint in sales helps one remain connected with the grind of the real world.