UNIT-I PERSONAL SELLING PROCESS

Attributes of a good salesperson – knowledge, skills and attitude – overall

personality- The psychology of persuasion

https://youtu.be/NCuznQ5o9g8
The most successful salespeople think and act differently than average sales persons. What
are the qualities of a good sales person?
(a) ATTITUDES
1. Confidence
Not all prospective customers will want to buy what you’re selling. To deal with rejections
you'll need a high level of confidence, positivity and tenacity. Having this unwavering faith
in yourself and the product you're pitching, is vital.
Chet Patel, chief commercial officer, BT Global says the best sales people remain self-
assured. 'You need to be able to transfer belief in yourself and your product to the customer if
you're going to be successful,' he says.
2. Resilience
Each sale can be full of obstacles, so you must have the belief to overcome any challenges
thrown your way. 'You may have put a lot of time and effort into trying to land a deal, but it
didn't work out.'
Do not be disappointed. Move on. 'You have to be resilient and dust yourself off, and believe
that you will land the next one.'
3. Patience
Having patience is giving the client their space, while at the same time being proactive to
help them solve their issues. It's not being aggressive, but assertive. Some clients need a little
more handling than others to close a sale. A good sales representative knows this and takes
all the time needed.

4. Initiative
Taking matters into their own hands is the mark of the real professional. If there’s a product
or services that needs to be sold, you have to be the first to take up the challenge.
When you use your initiative you do things without being asked, solve problems that others
may not have noticed needed solving, and go out of your way to continue learning and
growing.
(B) SKILLS
https://youtu.be/QQQe1aDy4fE
5. Empathy
 It’s always important to be able to put yourself in someone else’s shoes especially as a
salesperson. When you’re able to understand what people might be thinking or how they
might be feeling, you’re able to guide conversations in a productive way. You can a better
idea of when you can push ahead or when you need to hold back a bit.
6. Active listening
Listening is important to understand the needs and expectations of prospective customers. A
good sales person will not go on talking about his product and benefits. He will first know
what the customer needs, and tailor makes his presentation to create interest in his product
and the good will of organisation. A major part of active listening is to treat others with the
respect and attention you'd like to receive in a conversation, so they feel their requirements
are understood, and will be adhered to.'
7. Rapport building
Building a strong rapport with customers is important, as you've got to convince them that
you're the best person to sell them a product. There's no better time to show these skills than
in your job interview, as this is the ultimate sale. You're selling your talents but, even more
importantly, you're selling your personality, a trust and belief in you.
8. Emotional intelligence (EI)
https://youtu.be/PfZk_8VfI1M
You should remain cool, emotionally stable, despite arguments or rejections. EI allows you
to understand how others are feeling and manage both your emotions and their emotions
toward you. There are four abilities that encompass emotional intelligence:
o Perceiving emotions – the ability to detect and decipher emotions in faces, voices,
etc., including your own emotions.
o Using emotions – the ability to harness emotions to facilitate various cognitive
activities, such as thinking and problem-solving.
o Understanding emotions – the ability to comprehend emotion language and to
appreciate complicated relationships.
o Managing emotions – the ability to regulate emotions in both ourselves and in others.
9. Communication
Salespeople spend the majority of their day communicating – so it’s important to be
an effective communicator. From sending emails to holding meetings, making phone calls
and answering live chat, there are many ways in which a salesperson needs to communicate
in any given day, which makes this all the more crucial. As an effective communicator, you
should be able to keep your audience in mind at all times and adjust accordingly. For
example, you shouldn’t be speaking to your fellow sales colleagues the same way you would
speak to a customer, because they have different needs from you and different goals in mind.
10. Time management
https://youtu.be/PtK-yEXGU9w
Time-management skills are highly beneficial for all sales representatives. The better you're
able to manage your time, the more time you'll have to speak to other clients and hopefully
make additional sales. Not only will your sales grow, but your productivity will, too.
Be prompt and keep up appointments. Do not waste time of clients, by making long speeches.
Save their time and your time.
(C) KNOWLEDGE
https://youtu.be/lSodR5WKsFA...seven most essential qualities a sales person needs
11. Product knowledge
A good sales person must have intimate knowledge of the products they're selling. Customers
are bound to ask you various questions. It's important to gather as much information as you
can about every aspect of the product—from its benefits to its weaknesses. This will help you
deliver a strong pitch to clients and customers alike and hopefully lead to a sale.
Understanding the product and its uses will also help you gain the trust of your clients and
customers.
12. Industry knowledge
A sales person 'll need to be a good researcher with the ability to glean accurate information
about competitors, market trends, current vendors and various potential clients. The
information and knowledge you gather will help you make better decisions when it comes to
selling your company's various products.

OVERALL PERSONALITY OF SALESMAN

https://youtu.be/k4L1NCqWU0I
Steve W. Martin interviewed 1000s of salespeople, administering personality tests and
comparing the results of high-performing sales people to their low and average counterparts.
His findings are as follows:
Qualities that top-salespeople possess:
● Modesty - About 91% of top salespeople had medium to high scores of modesty and
humility. A good salesperson is team-oriented and wants to do what's best for the
account.
● Conscientiousness - 85% of top salespeople had high levels of conscientiousness.
That is, they feel a strong sense of duty and responsibility toward their work.
● Goal-oriented - 84% of top salespeople scored high in achievement orientation. They
want to set, work toward, and achieve goals, which they view as a top measure of
their success.
● Curiosity - 82% of top salespeople had extremely high levels of curiosity. They are
driven by a need to know and understand the world around them.
Qualities that top salespeople lack:
● Lack of gregariousness - Top-performing salespeople scored 30% lower on
gregariousness than their below-average counterparts. Martin theorizes that too much
friendliness between salesperson and client leads to a salesperson being unable to
assert dominance in the relationship.
 ● Lack of discouragement - Less than 10% of top salespeople identified as having high
levels of discouragement. This translates into competitiveness and a drive to
continually improve performance.
● Lack of self-consciousness - Less than 5% of top salespeople had high levels of self-
consciousness. This is a vital trait for cold-calling and making tough calls on
accounts.

PSYCHOLOGY OF PERSUASION
Persuasion is the act of influencing someone to do something or to change their mind. For
example, good salespeople use persuasion to get people to buy things; children use
persuasion to get permission from parents to do certain things.
Six "weapons of influence"
Dr. Robert Cialdini, in detail explained in his book, “Influence: The Psychology of
Persuasion”, the psychology of why people say "yes"—and how to apply these
understandings. He identified the following six weapons of influence.

1. Reciprocation: Humans tend to reciprocate in social interaction. We react to respect

with respect and hostility with hostility. Smiling staff get more tips. People tend to
return a favour. Thus, the pervasiveness of free samples in marketing. In B2B
marketing. Corporate gifts, are helpful in getting attention of prospective buyers.

2. Commitment and Consistency: If people commit, verbally or in writing, to an idea

or goal, they are more likely to honour it. Even if the original incentive or motivation
is removed after they have already agreed, they will continue to honour the
agreement. For example, in car sales, suddenly raising the price at the last moment
works because the buyer has already decided to buy.

3. Social Proof: Social proof is the idea that people copy the actions of others to help
inform their own actions. Some of the most common types of social proof are online
reviews or recommendations from friends, family, and influencers. Rather than trust
the biased opinions of the brand itself, buyers consult the experiences of other buyers.
Social proof typically comes from various forms of user-generated content (UGC),
which is any content mentioning a product/brand coming from someone other than the
brand.

4. Authority: People will tend to obey authority figures, even if they are asked to
perform objectionable acts. A brand or business organisation has to become
authority to gain customers and dominate competition. It positions you above others
and opens doors, which is the most important responsibility of any business
owner/CEO: to acquire and retain customers. To develop that authority, one can adopt
the following methods.
o Branding. Building brand involves creating uniqueness by making public your
personal mission, your philosophy, your journey and your community. Well-known
leaders are very clear about who they are.
o Content marketing. Content marketing is the means through which you build your
omnipresence. You need to commit to creating a significant amount of high-quality
content written specifically for your target audience. It can come in multiple forms:
white papers, articles, blog posts, webinars, podcasts or, like Charlie Epstein, a book.
As you create appreciable content, you create a legion of fans who are excited to
consume what you create.
o Referral marketing. Client referrals are the most common and are an outcome of
great service. In fact, 85 percent of small businesses get customers through word of
mouth, according to one survey.
o Lead generation. It’s far easier to generate leads when you’re seen as an authority.
As an authority, you can tell people what they need, and they’ll believe you. If you
come at them looking and acting like a salesperson, they’ll ditch you faster than a
toupee in a windstorm.
o PR and marketing. American humourist Will Rogers once said, “All I know is what I
read in the papers.” People don’t believe what you say about yourself, but generally,
they will believe what the media says about you. Let media talk about you.
o Speaking. Speaking, is the best way to enforce your authority position and generate
high-quality leads. If what you say is competent and professional, you will connect
with a subset of the audience as though you were lovers at first sight.
o Events. Events are where loyal tribes of customers come together. Holding annual
events is one of the best ways to upsell, build additional loyalty and expose more
people to your work.

5. Liking: The liking principle is one of the key principles of marketing psychology and
principles of persuasion. According to the liking principle, we are more likely to be
persuaded by people we like and those we want to be like. Put differently: the more
you like someone the more likely you are to say yes to them. If you’re selling
clothing, jewellery, or accessories, one quick way to create a connection to your
customer is to show your stuff on people they will identify with and like.

6. Scarcity: Perceived scarcity will generate demand. This principle can be commonly
used in two broad methods:

o Limited-number - Item is in short supply and won’t be available once it runs out.
o Deadline (Limited-time) - Item is only available during that time period. For
example, saying offers are available for a "limited time only" encourages sales.
SELLING SCENARIOS: How to influence?
Being able to read people and identify consumer personality type is an important skill for
sales people to possess. The sooner you can identify the type of person you are trying to sell
to, the sooner you will be able to adjust your sales approach and strategy.

1.  Analytical
Analytical consumers are those interested in receiving facts and data to support a claim. They
want to develop a deep knowledge of your business before they consider what you have to
offer them. When making decisions, these methodical individuals focus more on their logical
thinking than their emotional feelings.
How to sell to them: To sell to analytical customers, offer them information about what your
company can provide them. Be specific in your pitch by including statistics to support your
facts. Analytical customers may ask more questions and take longer to decide than other
consumers.

2. Assertive or Driver
Assertive, or competitive, customers are goal-oriented. This type of buyer likes to be in
control and may speak more clearly than others. Because they are decisive, they may choose
whether to buy from you fairly quickly. They want a lot of information and are focused on
achieving specific goals and objectives. Sometimes they can present as aggressive, even
when they don’t mean to be.
How to sell to them: Assertive consumers appreciate professional salespeople who come to
the meeting prepared with business metrics to support your claims. They do not like having
their time wasted, so get to the point, have a plan, and differentiate from competitors. Since
they tend to be impatient, explain your pitch right away.
3. Amiable
An amiable individual values honesty. He cares about building trust with a business before
conducting business. They want to first see if a company pays attention to their interests and
meets their expectations. This type of buyer is usually calm and laid back. They prefer a step-
by-step process rather than you providing everything up front. They take more time to make
decisions.
How to sell to them:  When interacting with amiable buyers, establishing trust and rapport is
essential. First, focus on making them feel valued. One way to do this is by asking them
questions to find out their interests and previous experience with your products. Provide them
information adopting a step-by-step process. Communicate how your product has helped
others and provide testimonials.
4. Expressive
 This personality type can be impulsive and doesn’t like getting bogged down in the details.
They focus on experiences rather than on product details. For instance, they may share
opinions when you share information with them instead of asking questions. They tend to be
open and energetic. They are open to establishing long term partnerships.
How to sell to them: Sell them by offering case studies that demonstrate your product’s track
record of success. Share about the outcome that can experience from your product and what
you can do for them. Also share stories and your experiences to help them create their own
opinion.
5. Spontaneous
Spontaneous consumers are fun individuals that enjoy doing interesting things. They tend to
be enthusiastic and creative in their decisions. This kind of buyer also is typically sociable
and eccentric.
How to sell to them: Spontaneous customers respond well to salespeople who express
excitement about their products. Let them know what your organization's big picture is and
how you can help them interact with others. They tend to make decisions quickly but lose
interest quickly so it's important to catch their attention right away to create a deal.
6. Skeptic
Sceptical consumers ask a lot of questions to gain an understanding before making any
purchases. These types of clients are critical thinkers and take some time to convince.
How to sell to them: To generate business with a skeptic, make sure to address any of their
concerns and questions. Establish credibility by showing testimonials from other customers,
sharing information from supporting case studies, conducting demonstration of product, and
offering warranties and guarantees. Focus on follow up and after sales service. Be available
to them and do what you committed to create trust.