Unit 1

Introduction to Sales Role of selling in Marketing

Selling is one of a number of tactical activities within marketing such as pricing and advertising. Co-
ordinating these is essential for effective marketing. Differences in importance depend on the
companies and industries involved. A successful sale depends on whether or not the product concerned
fulfils the customer requirements and results in satisfied customers.

Relationship with Marketing Research

Marketing research finds out what people want and why they want it. Information might result in changes in
the product. Such information is fed to the sales department and can be used by them to counter
competition. Cowan5 argues that in the past market research has often failed to identify significant changes
in markets or new innovatory products. Because of close contact with customers and markets however, the
sales force in particular can be used to provide market intelligence information that feeds
into the Marketing Inform

ation
System (MkIS) and helps shape marketing strategy.

Some companies focus on meeting customers’ needs, which is called implementing the marketing concept. In
contrast, implementing the selling concept involves doing whatever is necessary to increase sales. Despite the
fundamental differences between these two orientations, the ultimate objective of both the selling and marketing
concept is profit.
Marketing Concept

The marketing concept involves orienting your business to meet consumer needs. For example, a
company might identify a consumer need and then manufacture a product to meet that specific need.
Then, through a coordinated set of marketing activities — such as widespread distribution and attractive
pricing — the company creates access to its product. Consumers fulfill their need by buying the product,
resulting in a profit for the company.

Selling Concept

In contrast, the selling concept refers to orienting your business to sell as many products as possible.
For example, suppose a company manufactures a product for which there is no current consumer need. To make
a profit, the company must use aggressive tactics, such as heavy advertising and pushy sales strategies,
to convince consumers to buy the product. Achieving a high sales volume is how the company makes a profit.

Interaction

Although the marketing concept and the selling concept involve fundamentally different organizational
objectives, selling plays a role within the marketing concept, and marketing plays a role in the selling concept.
For example, a customer-oriented company still must make sales to customers — after all, its ultimate goal is to
use the sale to meet the customer’s needs. Similarly, marketing plays a role within a sales-oriented company.
For example, a company can increase its sales volume by using advertisements to bolster its reputation
for excellent customer service.

Considerations

Well-run companies that are focused primarily on customer satisfaction don’t need aggressive selling strategies.
Instead, such a company can rely on identifying a clear consumer need and then coordinating its
marketing strategies to ensure consumers have access to the desired product, according to the book “Marketing
Concepts and Cases.” Done correctly, the role of selling within the marketing concept is to help a
customer make a purchase, as opposed to persuading the customer to make a purchase.

Personal Selling
Personal selling can be termed as the oral presentation given by the salesperson to one or more than
one consumers face to face to sell the product or service. Personal selling is a highly peculiar form of
promotion. It is mostly two-way communication, which not only involves a particular individual but also social
behavior.

The intention is to deliver the right product to the right customers. Depending upon the complexity of product,
personal selling plays an important role. Industries manufacturing technical products like laptops, computers,
digital phone, gadgets, etc., likely depend on personal selling as compared to the other manufactures.

The reason behind this is to explain the features of the product, tackle the customer queries and provide the best
customer service. The competition in the market has increased today and therefore the importance of
the salesperson in the organization.

Salespersons are also called salesman or salesgirl or sales representative and their payment is made as
the commission to push the product in the market by motivating the customer through oral conversation.

The consumer wants all kinds of goods and services in the market but lack of interest keeps them away from
making decisions or purchasing products. This is where the salesman needs to act as a catalyst and explain the
product or service to the customer. He/she should motivate the customer by giving a presentation and he may
sometimes act as a consultant. This helps the consumer to make a decision.

In case of technical products, the salesperson plays a more vital role as compared to the promotions. It becomes
difficult for the customers to make decision while purchasing high value products with complex nature.
The salesperson helps the customers by making personal contact with them and making them understand the
quality and utility of the product.

Objectives of Personal Selling

Personal selling contributes in achieving the long-term objectives for the organization.

To do the complete selling job when there are no other components in promotional mix
To provide service to the existing customers and try to maintain contacts with the present
customers
Identify and find new prospective customers
Promote the products to increase sales
Provide the information to the customers regarding the change in product line
Provide assistance to the customers to help in decision-making
Provide technical advice to customers for complex products
Gather the data in relation to market and provide it to company’s management

The reason behind setting personal selling objectives is to make decision on sales policies and personal selling
strategies, which helps in promoting the product. The objectives are set for long-term, as it becomes
the important element for qualitative personal selling objectives.

The objectives can also be quantitative if they are short-term and it could be adjusted from one promotional
period to another. The quantitative personal selling objective is related to sales volume objective. Hence, the
sales volume objective should also be explained.
The following are a few sales objectives:

 Capture and maintain a specific market share

 Increase sales volumes that help the organization to gain maximum
profit
 Reduce or keep the expenses provided for personal selling within limits
 Obtain the percentage of customers as per the set targets

Salesmanship and Sales Manager

In the words of Peterson and Wright, Salesmanship is the process whereby the seller
ascertains and activates the needs or wants of the buyer and satisfies these needs or wants to
the mutual continuous advantage of both the buyer and the seller.

According to the National Association of Marketing Teachers of America, “Salesmanship is

the ability to persuade people to buy goods or services at a profit to the seller and
with, benefit to the buyer”.

From these definitions, it is clear that salesmanship is not just handing over of goods to the
customers and taking the money for them. True salesmanship is not only an art of inducing
the consumers to buy goods, but also an art of guiding them to buy what they need. In short,
salesmanship is the process of persuading and assisting a prospective customer to buy
a commodity or service.
Features of Salesmanship

Salesmanship has several characteristic features. The main features of salesmanship are:

1.Salesmanship is personal selling and is the oldest form of selling.

2.It is the most important form of promotional mix.
3.It is the art of selling a product or service. It is all about selling a product by
presenting the product to the prospects in a convincing and persuasive manner
by which the prospect is induced to buy.
4.It involves direct and personal contact with the buyers.
5.It is a creative art. It creates new wants. A need may be already in existence. But it is
the job of a salesman to transform the needs into wants.
6.To be very effective, salesmanship also has to be carried on continuously to
perpetuate the demand created once.
7.Salesmanship basically aims at selling a product. It does not stop at that.
Actually it involves selling an idea or one’s point of view. For instance,
salesmanship, in the case of a paint manufacturing concern, is not just the sale of
paints, but the sale of an idea, color, shade beauty or durability.
8.It is an educative process. Salesmanship provides information about the
products, their special features and their utility.

Objectives of Salesmanship

The main objectives of salesmanship are

•To create demand for a new product.

•To maintain and also expand the demand for an existing product.
•To guide the buyers in the proper selection of goods.
•To build up goodwill or reputation for the seller.

Besides, the objective of salesmanship could be long-term or short-term objectives.

According to Still and Cundiff, the objectives of salesmanship could be quantitative or

qualitative. The quantitative objective would be emphasizing on the achievement of
short- term company objectives whereas qualitative objectives are based on achieving
long-term objectives of the company.

Qualitative or Long-term Objectives of Salesmanship

•To undertake to do the entire selling activity.

•To serve the existing accounts in terms of their orders, stock position,
requirement, schedule of supply, level of performance and collection of
payments.
•To generate new enquiries and new prospects.
•To convert some of the new prospects into long-term customers.
5. To regularly inform customers about product characteristics, technical
upgradation and company’s commitment to quality consciousness.
6. To coordinate with distribution channel members to improve sales and
market-share.
7. To collect information from markets, customers, suppliers, distribution
channel members and consultants for use by company management.

Quantitative or Short-term Objectives of Salesmanship

The quantitative objectives or short-term selling objectives are important for the
company’s current operations. These objectives could be:-

1. To obtain orders and execute them to the satisfaction of customers.

2. To meet the sales target.
3. To maintain present accounts and add new customers.
4. To maintain market share and competitive edge.
5. To achieve sales volume and satisfy company’s product mix norms.
6. To submit sales reports regularly as per company’s policies.

The qualitative and quantitative objectives vary from one company to another and
would largely depend upon the company’s standing in the market.

Sales Manager

The topline objective of a sales manager is to meet company revenue targets

through the activities of their sales representatives. In other words, they harness the
power of their direct reports, driving sales force productivity and extracting the
best performance from each individual employee.

A sales manager achieves this objective through a mix of approaches. For example they:

Are responsible for motivating and advising their reps to improve their performance, as
well as hiring and training new sales representatives.

Achieve their objectives through effective planning, setting sales goals, analyzing
data on past performance, and projecting future performance.

Ensure that the sales department works cross functionally with executives from
other departments. For example, they collaborate with marketing to generate new lead
sources and expand the target customer base, or with product and research teams to
make sure customer needs are met.

A sales manager simultaneously plays three key roles:

 People manager: Recruit, build and nurture a team.

 Customer manager: Strategically foster customer engagement.
 Business manager: Steer the business.

Characteristics of a top Sales Manager

A successful sales manager’s characteristics, skills, and aptitudes are different from those
of a successful sales representative. In fact, most sales reps make bad managers.
The key characteristics of a sales manager focus less on selling ability and
more about the interpersonal skills that enable leadership.

Rather than “doing it themselves,” they teach and coach others how to do it,
enabling the sales efforts of others. They develop their own leadership, hiring, and
training skills while ensuring their team is using the correct selling behaviors and
activities to meet their revenue objectives.

Typical characteristics, skills, and traits of a sales manager include:

 Communication skills: they listen first and speak second. They don’t
chastise in public or private. They are aware of the message they transmit to
their team, how it’s delivered, and how it’s perceived.
 Integrity and trust: they never ask their reps to do something immoral,
illegal, or something that goes against a company’s core values.
 Ability to build relationships with peers, cross-functional counterparts, and
upper management: They are committed to helping others be successful.
 Empathy and ability to understand customer viewpoint and customer service
 Ability to unite a team under a shared vision and know what motivates each
member.
 Analytical skills: They use data-driven reports to spur sales coaching
sessions and empower reps to take ownership of their opportunity pipelines. They
understand pricing, margins, and discounting impacts.
 The ability to prioritize and effectively manage time.

Types of Sales Personnel

If you run a business in which sales are a key aspect of profitability, you need to hire staff
that has the requisite personality and skill to drive success. There are many different
types of salespeople and some are better than others at closing deals. The most
successful types of salespeople are the ones that understand how to use their talents
to connect with customers and clients. To build your business and watch it grow, you
must understand the basic types of salespeople so you can hire the ones that can
positively impact your company.

Types of Sales personnel

1. The Caretaker Salesperson

The caretaker is one of the most common types of salesperson that you can hire. Also known
as transactional salespeople, these are employees that are often passive and are content to find
a comfort zone that they rarely ever leave. They are often known as order-takers
because rather than hunting for a potential sale, they wait for the sale to come to them.
Caretakers are the types of salesman that are risk-averse, which means that they don’t
want to take the chance on a prospective customer rejecting their sales pitch. They will often
provide small businesses with competent, steady performance because they are adept at
positioning themselves in the right place at the right time to get a sale. If you run a
retail business in which the primary job of your sales staff is to help buyers find the products
they are already looking for, you should hire a caretaker.

2.The Professional Salesperson

Another one of the most popular types of salesperson is the professional or the
relational sales personality. The professional has strong analytical skills and is able to reason
his way through problems. The professional develops good customer/client relationships by
building a rapport and connecting with customers and clients by understanding their wants
and needs. With these types of salesperson, the goal is to establish a bond that is
based on fulfilling expectations. Professional salespeople often get sales because buyers trust
them to deliver on what they’ve promised. Professionals are the types of salesman that
excel in advertising companies or any type of sales companies in which servicing existing
accounts is important.

3.The Closer Salesperson

Closers are the type of salesman that you often see parodied in used car commercials on TV.
They are distinguished by qualities such as persistence, brashness, and a healthy dose of self-
confidence. They are often referred to as “born salespeople,” because their mindset is
to always be closing a deal, even if the prospective buyer is reluctant to buy. Closers are
always finding ways to encourage, coerce, or push customers toward the goal of closing a
deal. They are not concerned as much about building future relationships as they are about
finalizing the deal that’s in front of them. Closers often have outgoing personalities
that can sometimes border on being too aggressive. They don’t take “no” for an answer and
they’re able to offer incentives and enticements in situations in which customers need that
final push to close a deal.

4.The Consultant Salesperson

Consultants bring the qualities of a closer with the personal connection often found in
professionals. They are well-rounded salespeople who know how to close a deal and build
relationships at the same time. They aren’t afraid to solve problems for their customers and to
go the extra mile with incentives in pursuit of a long-term relationship. They are skilled at
tailoring their sales pitch to each customer’s needs and they are active listeners who
are patient when the need requires, but they can also be aggressive with customers who are on
the cusp of saying “yes” to a deal.

Characteristics of a Successful Salesman

More than a job, successful selling is a result of skill and practice. Like all other skills, great
selling techniques cannot be acquired in a day. The most successful salespeople work
incessantly toward improvement, practice regularly, and grow incrementally with each
experience. Acquiring killer sales skills requires time and dedication. This post outlines the
characteristics that, when developed, can turn a good salesperson into a great salesperson

10 Essential Characteristics of Highly Successful Salesman

1.Upbeat

Hearing negative responses on a regular basis can be extremely disheartening. Unfortunately,

there’s no way around this in sales. But for successful people, “no” does not mean the end.

“No” in sales doesn’t always mean no permanently, it just means no for right now.

Successful salespeople are those who have emerged stronger out of the most difficult
of situations. They face them with a positive attitude; learning from them and always
seeing light at the end of the tunnel.

2.Passionate

Passion is not just working towards meeting a specific quota for a successful
salesperson. Truly passionate salespeople are those who work towards higher goals like
excellence and building long-lasting relationships.

The best salespeople are passionate about making a change in people’s lives and work
towards it every single day. They know that every part of the sales process is important and
do not make the mistake of not taking closing seriously. They are passionate about growing in
their careers, making sure they always give their A game.

3.Ingenious

The most successful salespeople are creative and think about unique ways to solve problems
for their clients. They come up with novel ideas when most people form the same
conclusions.

Top performing salespeople have the ability to look at things differently. Their
brilliant analytical skills enable them to offer different solutions that others normally don’t
see. They are resourceful and make the best out of what they have.

4.Empathetic

Empathy and compassion are prerequisites to great customer service. Empathetic salespeople
listen intently to what actually affects people and provide them the complete liberty to
express their concerns.
They try to understand people by putting themselves in other’s shoes from a neutral
perspective, without letting judgment or an ulterior motive guide them. This helps
them understand people better and interact accordingly.

5.Accountable

Highly effective salespeople know how to take full responsibility for their own actions and do
not blame other people or external influences that can affect results.

They take complete ownership over their work and ways to do it and do it with full dignity
and respect. They hold nobody but themselves accountable for whatever results may arise,
both positive and negative.

6.Well Prepared

Impressing clients and making them buy a product is no cake walk. It requires a tremendous
amount of research, confidence and flawless execution of pitches.

Effective team members use all their resources and time to find out what exactly they
are going to pitch to different clients and tailor their presentations accordingly.

They do NOT go on and on about products and services but offer something of value through
a conversational approach, which is jargon-free.

7.Tech-Savvy

The most successful salespeople are always ahead of the game for a reason – they invest their
time in educating themselves.

Winning salespeople keep themselves updated on latest market trends, products, technology,
and competition in their niche.

They also use all kinds of sales tools to participate in professional development and
stay motivated.

They keep a variety of tools handy that can help them learn about things that help
them perform better.

8.Highly Engaged

Highly successful salespeople are engaged and love being a part of the organization
they represent. They love their job and the people they work with. Because they believe
in the product and feel motivated, they sell with the utmost conviction.
On the contrary, their organization also invests in them, which helps them retain these
superstars. They participate actively in assessments, surveys and training programs, look up
to their leaders and reap the benefits of the resources available to them.

9.Goal-Oriented

The ability to set (and stick to) personal and professional goals is definitely a
common characteristic of the most successful salespeople.

Top sales pros know exactly what they want to accomplish (and by when) so they will plan
around these targets accordingly.

This requires focus and setting ambitious, but achievable goals. As a result, the salesperson
must be extremely persistent and hardworking.

Successful salespeople get goals that help them grow as an individual and as a professional.
They have long-term goals which require patience and practice.

10.Relationship Driven

The most effective salespeople know how to deal with a variety of clients, and being versatile
with each type.

There will undoubtedly be wins and losses. However, the most successful salespeople never
say goodbye to clients. They reach out to the ones who have said no in the past, and they are
also available to assist those they have sold to.

The best salespeople know the importance of building trust and ensuring satisfaction. They
also know these things can take time, which is why they follow up with prospects and clients
regularly over time, not only when they’re critical to a deal.

Theories of Selling
Selling is a key element of a company’s promotional mix. It is one-on-one interaction
between a salesperson and a prospect. In the early 21st century relationship-oriented
consultative style approach to personal selling, salespeople get to know prospects, find out
their needs and make honest recommendations about product or service solutions. A number
of theories help sellers better understand the role they play in selling to customers.

1. Maslow’s Hierarchy

One of the foundational need theories in psychology is Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs.

Abraham Maslow introduced his five levels of human need in a 1943 paper. He indicated that
people have five basic needs, which they address in order of priority. Physiological needs are
first, followed by safety and security, social belonging, self-esteem and self-
actualization. This theory has huge value in selling in that salespeople get to know
prospects and ask questions to discover their needs in a buying situation. Realizing where
people are coming from on the Maslow pyramid is a part of a seller’s emotional intelligence.
For instance, car buyers may be most concerned with basic survival or security and
want an economic, dependable vehicle. Others buy cars for social or esteem reasons.

2.Buyer Resolution Theory

The buyer resolution theory, also known as the 5 W’s, provides a simple framework
of questions salespeople must address to get a prospect to buy. The questions are “Why
should I buy?”, “What should I buy?”, “Who should I buy from?”, “What’s a fair price?”, and
“When is a good time to buy?” These questions also relate to the five common categories of
buyer concern. In essence, if a salesperson can effectively answer all of these
questions in an optimal way for a prospect, he should be able to close a sale.

3.Consumer Decision-Making Process

The consumer decision-making process is the common steps buyers go through en route to a
purchase. The process begins with need recognition, which is the through that triggers
a buyer to consider a purchase. He then moves to information search and development
of a consideration set. After evaluating options on critical criteria, he purchases what he
believes is the best value solution. After experience the product or services, he
assesses the value relative to expectations. Understanding this systematic approach buyers
use, sellers can help from the beginning by suggesting needs or desires buyers may not even
recognize yet. During the information search, a seller needs to present his solution as a good
value. During and after purchase, customer service for an ongoing relationship becomes key.

4.Dominant Buying Motives

Two comparisons of buying motives offer insight into where a particular prospect is coming
from in a buying scenario. Emotional versus rational buying motives is a comparison
of purchases driven by emotion and sentiment or rational thought processes. Patronage versus
product motivation is an assessment of a buyer’s interest in a product or in buying from a
given firm. Knowing whether a buyer is more emotionally or rationally involved helps
salespeople organization their persuasive efforts. In general, though, emotional appeals tend
to carry more weight even with rational buyers. While sellers want to sell quality products,
they also want to develop relationships with buyers to encourage long-term relationships and
patronage motivations.

Evolution of Sales Management, Scope

and Importance
When it comes to sales management, you’re likely to come across two kinds of managers.
The first one notices the market declining and decides to manage that over everything else. In
this scenario, the only result you can possibly expect is a decline in sales as well.

The second type of manager is the kind who decides to leverage the decline and increase the
brand’s market share. This is a bold manager with vision who knows how the game is played.
Managers of this kind have no problems achieving results even in the most
challenging scenario.

But, if you were to dig deeper, you would find that these managers follow a pattern; a pattern
that is broken down into 4 stages, with the 4th one being the most evolved stage. In this blog,
we are going to explore these 4 stages even further.

Stage: One

This is the stage at which most companies begin their journey and it can be best described as
being chaotic or without rules. There is no structure in place and the sales team is
simply commanded to go make a sale. Needless to say, such a scenario can lead to
all kinds of problems and conflicts.

That’s when the person running the business decides to introduce some sense of a structure by
hiring a sales manager.

Stage: Two
In stage 2, we start to see a system in place or something that’s close enough to an actual
system. The sales manager, at this stage, functions as though he/she were conducting
a survey. He/she tries to make the sales team feel valued and comfortable.

The sales team is provided with everything they need, which is fine as long as the sales team
can continue contributing to the brand’s growth.

However, all good things come to an end and the cracks start to appear. A common problem
that plagues stage 2 is self-interest. When all their needs are met easily, salespeople,
especially the ones higher on the success ladder, tend to develop an attitude of “I’m
only supposed to sell. That’s my job”.

In other words, stage 2 becomes toxic. The manager is forced to deal with complaints
of unfairness and other issues such as low productivity.

This is when a stronger sales manager is called in; someone who won’t hesitate to
fire salespeople who aren’t contributing and someone who can restore order. That brings
us to stage 3.

Stage: Three
The stage 3 managers begin to standardize the system and show the door to non-performers.
The profits go up and prices are raised. The stage 3 manager functions as a CFO cum owner.
This person is invested in expanding the business and doing what’s best for it.

However, this is the trickiest stage as many companies tend to fall into a false sense
of comfort assuming that there isn’t much else to do. In other words, they don’t strive for
stage
4.That brings us to the question of what stage 4 looks like.

Stage: Four
Stage 4 is when the hired manager is a proper businessman capable of transforming the team.
He/she can identify the non-performers and work towards motivating them. A stage 3
manager only hires and fires; a stage 4 manager transforms. They can play with the cards that
they’ve been dealt.

There are 3 key changes that the stage 4 manager does. He/she establishes a do or die culture
while celebrating the entire sales team, establishes a selling process, and provides the tools
needed for the team to do what’s necessary.

The scope of sales management is very important and drives the whole sales system.
In nutshell the 3 key factors of sales management are:

1. Sales Operation: This will include identification and allocation of territory to

the sales team. Measuring and monitoring their performance. Motivating and
leading by example to help them close deals and hit their targets and put
incentives in their pocket.
2. Sales Strategies: This has got all to do with product positioning, price
decisions and running promotions. Knowing when to discontinue a product and
also know the activities of the competitors.
3. Sales Analysis: Evaluating and understand product movement, which
product is bringing in the most revenue and which is unmoving. Also
measuring forecast versus actual will help a sales personnel to understand
and take corrective measures. To know who is the top 3 sales performing personnels
can give us an judgement of the manouvers we need to make in
the team to reach our fixed targets.

Importance

Sales management facilitates the directions of activities and functions which are involved in
the distribution of goods and services. According to Philip Kotler, “Marketing management is
the analysis, planning implementation and control of programmes designed to bring
about desired exchanges with target markets for the purpose of achieving organisational
objectives.

It relies heavily on designing the organisations’ offering in terms of the target markets needs
and desires and using effective pricing, communication and distribution to inform, motivate
and service the market.”
Sales or marketing management is concerned with the chalking out of a definite programme,
after careful analysis and forecasting of the market situations and the ultimate execution of
these plans to achieve the objectives of the organisation. Further their sales plans to a greater
extent rest upon the requirements and motives of the consumers in the market aimed at.

To achieve this objective the organisation has to give heed to the right pricing,
effective advertising and sales promotion, discerning distribution and stimulating the
consumer’s through the best services. To sum up, marketing management may be defined as
the process of management of marketing programmes for accomplishing organisational
goals and objectives. It involves planning, implementation and control of marketing
programmes or campaigns.

Functions:

(i)Sales research and planning.

(ii)Demand creation.

(iii)Sales costs and budget.

(iv)Price fixations.

(v)Development of products.

(vi)Establishing sales territories.

(vii)Co-ordination of sales.

These functions differ from company to company according to their size and the nature of
their products.

Importance of Sales Management:

Sales management has gained importance to meet increasing competition and the need
for improved methods of distribution to reduce cost and to increase profits. Sales management
today is the most important function in a commercial and business enterprise.

The following are the other factors showing importance of the sales management:

(i)Introduction of new products in the market.

(ii)Increasing the production of existing products.

(iii)Reducing cost of sales and distribution.

(iv)Export market.

(v)Development in the means and communication of transportation within and outside the
country.

(vi)Rise in per capita income and demand for more goods by the consumers.

Process of Effective Selling

Steps in Sales Process

Experts have suggested a five-staged formula known as A-l-D-A-S for effective selling
process. However, this formula is more closely related to sales presentation (only one step in
selling process), and not the entire selling process.

The formula has been briefly discussed here:

(I) ‘A’ – Attention calls for drawing attention or attracting of prospect. Salesman should try to
adjust his talk with the needs of prospect or should talk according to the interest of
potential buyers.

(ii)‘I’ – Interest calls for making the customer interested in products. Salesman should do all
possible efforts to arouse customer’s interest in product.

(iii)‘D’ – Desire calls for arousing and increasing desire for product. Customer can ask for
more information. Salesman must handle problems, doubts, and objections with
patience. Here, buyer can be prepared to buy the product.

(iv)‘A’ – Action calls for getting positive action of customer in terms of placing order. Here,
the prospect becomes the actual buyer.

(v)‘S’ – Satisfaction calls for taking necessary post-sales steps to satisfy the buyer.

1. Presales Preparations

Presale (before sales) is the step of getting ready to serve customers. A wise sales
person must be well-prepared or well-equipped to treat the customers effectively. He must be
aware of prospects to be served in terms of their buying motives and buying behaviour.

He must know about the company’s products, pricing policies, promotional efforts,
and distribution network. Similarly, he must have complete detail about the company’s
history, goodwill and reputation, achievements, objectives, and general policies.
In the same way, he must be familiar with competitors’ offers and overall marketing
environment. In short, he must prepare himself to deal with customers successfully. It is like
the homework before the examination.

2.Prospecting

Prospecting means finding or locating the potential customers. A prospect is a probable buyer
with unmet needs, ability to pay, and willingness to buy.

Sources:

There are a number of sources to locate prospects, such as:

 Present customers
 Other salesmen
 Company’s present employees
 Use of telephone directories
 Directories of professional and other associations
 Customer database prepared by companies or other professional agencies
 Other relevant sources.

3.Pre-approach
Once the prospect is located, now, salesman has to collect necessary detail about him. Such
detail helps him prepare his plan for sales presentation. Salesman collects
adequate information about customer’s nature, needs, problems, personal habits, preferences,
and other aspects of behaviour.

Salesman’s sales talk and sales presentation must be consistent with the nature of prospect. In
brief, a salesman must know everything about the potential buyer to whom he has to meet in
the near future.

4.Approach
Now, a sales representative has to seek advance appointment/permission for personal meet.
Sometimes, he can use phone or send business (visiting) card to take advance appointment. In
many cases, salesman can directly meet prospect without advance permission. Approaching
method depends on type of prospects.

Anyway, this is the step where a salesman comes in a direct (and face-to face) contact with
potential customer. At the time of the first meet, he has to greet him in an appropriate manner
and has to briefly introduce himself.

Immediately, he must initiate brief talk and adjust with the situation. The first contact is very
critical. Salesman must be able to attract the prospect’s attention and get him interested in the
product. Note that he must not directly jump to sales talk.
5. Sales Presentation

This steps calls for a formal presentation of product. It includes sales talk and demonstration.
Salesman should describe the offer in a suitable language, show the product, and, if
needed, demonstrate it. In case of edible product, he may offer sample to taste. Sales
presentation is closely related to buying process.

In this step, a salesman must get attention of customer and make him interested in
the product. Salesman can do it through a lively and interesting sales talk as well as a
systematic demonstration of product or offering samples to use and taste. Visual device can
be used for sales demonstration. He can produce authentic evidences to prove the product’s
superiority. All queries must be adequately solved.

6. Handling Objections and Complaints

Once a salesman completes his sales presentation, normally, customer raises objections and
place complaints. Salesman may confront objections during his presentation, too.
Objections and complaints show that customer is interested in the products, and is more
likely to place an order.

Salesman must always welcome objections, interpret them clearly, and remove
tactfully. Unless the objections and complains are satisfactorily answered, the sales cannot
take place. Genuine objections should be interpreted correctly and removed tactfully.

Prospects must be convinced about benefits, superior performance, and strong aspects of the
product. A great deal of expertise, experience, skills, and patience are important qualities to
face buyer’s objections and complaints successfully.

5. Closing Sales

Closing of sales refers to completing sales procedure. It concerns with purchase decision. The
close can be defined as: An act of actually getting the prospect’s assent. It is the climax, or
the desired outcome of the entire sales process. Sales process ends with getting
orders. A successful salesman must close the sales. An alert salesman must find out the
right moment to get customer’s consent, it is called the reaction moment. Salesman must
not wait for customer to ask for product, initiative must come from salesman.

6. Post-sales Actions

It is known as follow-up actions. Virtually, sales process ends with getting the order
from buyers. But, getting order is not the ultimate goal of salesmanship, the transaction
must take place. The step involves two actions – one is, completing of selling
formalities and, the second is, taking other post-sales actions.

Salesman writes order, arranges for dispatch and delivery of the product, and decides on the
mode of payment. Sometimes, the product is handed over immediately or is
delivered thereafter. Bill and guarantee card are issued. Sometimes, he provides extra
guidance for proper and safe use of product. In short, all selling formalities are completed.
Once product is delivered and sales formalities are completed, it doesn’t mean that
sales process has ended forever. Delivery of product to customer is not the end, but an event.
The event must be repeated. Salesman-customer relationship doesn’t end with one
transaction, but is the beginning of long-term relationship.

Customers repeat orders only if they are satisfied with products and post-sales
services. Customers’ future response depends on salesman’s post-sales behaviour and
services. Therefore, salesman must undertake necessary actions to ensure maximum
customer satisfaction and to avoid unexpected behaviour of buyers.

Salesman must remain in live contact with customer to know whether he is satisfied.
If customer is not fully satisfied, the salesman must find our reasons or problems and must try
to provide satisfactory solution. Even, dissatisfied customers can be prepared to try/buy the
product again with suitable follow-up actions.