Schedule mock interviews on the Meeting Board, join the latest community discussions in our Consulting Q&A and find like-minded Interview Partners to connect and practice with!
Back to overview

Sales = Revenues?

Hello guys, I would like to know if the terms sales and revenues can be interchangeable. 

Not sales volume but just sales!

Thanks

5
800+
10
Be the first to answer!
Nobody has responded to this question yet.
Top answer
Agrim
Coach
on Oct 31, 2021
Top Awarded Coach | BCG Dubai Project Leader | Master Casing in only 3 Hours | 10y in Consulting | Free Intro Call

Excellent question!

Sales” is the revenue from selling products

Revenue” includes other items like interest income, capital gains etc.

However, in the context of a case interview and in most common cases, the two terms are used interchangeably.

on Nov 01, 2021
#1 Coach for Sessions (4.500+) | 1.500+ 5-Star Reviews | Proven Success: ➡ interviewoffers.com | Ex BCG | 10Y+ Coaching

Hi there,

In theory, sales revenue is a subset of revenues, as it includes revenues from selling goods or services only. 

As mentioned by Agrim and Pedro, you could generate revenues also in other ways (eg interest). In most cases, there won’t be other revenue streams and thus the two terms may be used interchangeably. You may still want to clarify it if in doubt.

In some cases, “sales” may also be used improperly to indicate “sales volume”, so if in doubt you may also clarify that.

Best,

Francesco

Ian
Coach
on Nov 01, 2021
Top US BCG / MBB Coach - 5,000 sessions |Tech, Platinion, Big 4 | 9/9 personal interviews passed | 95% candidate success

Hi there,

Sales and Revenues are pretty interchangeable in cases! If in doubt, you can just clarify if they mean revenues.

Pedro
Coach
on Oct 31, 2021
Bain | EY-Parthenon | Former Principal | 1.5h session | 30% discount 1st session

In a case, in general you can use them interchangeably.

You can have income coming from equity participations, as well as royaltees, interests, fees, money awarded through litigation… This is rarely a large source of revenues.
 

on Nov 02, 2021
McKinsey | NASA | top 10 FT MBA professor for consulting interviews | 6+ years of coaching

Hi!

While I agree with Agrim, I must say that the two terms are used interchangeably in case interviews.

Best,

Anto

Similar Questions
Consulting
Revenues Growth Cases | Toolkit
on May 22, 2020
Global
6
2.5k
Top answer by
Vlad
Coach
McKinsey / Accenture Alum / Got all BIG3 offers / Harvard Business School
20
6 Answers
2.5k Views
+3
Consulting
How do you estimate the 1 year annual sale of a small corner coffee shop?
on Nov 22, 2021
Global
4
3.3k
Top answer by
Andi
Coach
BCG 1st & Final Round interviewer | Personalized prep with >95% success rate | 7yrs coaching | Experienced Hires
36
4 Answers
3.3k Views
+1
Consulting
Growth startegy vs Revenue Growth
on Jul 01, 2018
Global
3
3.8k
Top answer by
Vlad
Coach
McKinsey / Accenture Alum / Got all BIG3 offers / Harvard Business School
12
3 Answers
3.8k Views
+1