Chapter 5
Global Selling Process, II
Sales Management:
A Global Perspective
Earl D. Honeycutt
John B. Ford
Antonis Simintiras
Introduction
• This chapter builds upon Chapter 4:
– Interpersonal communication process
– Sales negotiation process
– Initial steps of the global selling process
• Interpersonal communication and sales
negotiation processes interwoven into the
global selling process
Sales Process
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Finding customers
Preparing
Relationship building
Product offering
Offer clarification
Securing the purchase
Maintaining the relationship
Relationship Building
• Making a favorable impression and gaining
trust of potential customer
– Time required varies by culture
• Number of ways to meet client:
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Guaranteed introduction
Referral introduction
Personal introduction
Benefit introduction
Relationship Building
• Should know appropriate greeting and
phrases in customer’s language
– Business cards in English and customer’s
language
– Business cards have taken the place of personal
introductions in Japan
What is a Buying Center?
• One or more people in the B2B customer
firm that play different, but important, roles
in the buying process. They include:
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Initiators
Users
Influencers
Buyer
Gatekeeper
Salesperson must identify and interact correctly
with each group of clients playing specific roles
Product Offering
• Salesperson must select an appropriate method to
offer the product to the client
• This step normally includes one or more of the
following styles:
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Stimulus response
Mental States
Need satisfaction
Problem solving
Consultative selling
Stimulus Response
• Salesperson provides appropriate stimulus
through words and actions that will derive
desired response
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Utilized with canned sales presentations
Seen with low involvement products
Purchaser involvement limited
Often not flexible
Used for one-time interactions
Mental States
• Salesperson attempts to move customer
through the purchase stages (attention,
interest, desire, action)
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Presentation must be well-planned
Limited purchaser involvement
Hard to know what stage customer is in
Difficult when used across cultures
Not well received by professional purchasers
Selling Approaches
• Need satisfaction – meets and asks questions in an
effort to identify and satisfy a customer need
– Focuses on customer’s need(s)
• Problem solving – extension of Need Satisfaction
that includes study or team of experts
• Consultative selling – salesperson functions as a
consultant and may even recommend a
competitor’s product that best satisfies customer
need(s)
Buyer-Seller Meeting
• Meet with customer at appointed time
– Punctuality more important in some cultures
– Make favorable impression
• Sharing information through small talk
• Presenting gifts
• Begin meeting by restating last communication as
understood
– Insure customer’s goals understood
– No slick presentations
– Explain how the solution solves goals and needs
Offer Clarification
• Once presentation finished, expect
questions
– Clarify offer or ask for price concessions
– Remember that negotiations take place during
the entire process
– May request test data or testimonials from
satisfied customer
– View this step as normal negotiations
Securing the Purchase
• Simply asking the customer to purchase
– Difficult to manipulate buyer into purchase
– This is especially true in B2B interactions
• Best approach is the direct one
– Since our product addresses your need(s), shall
we agree to the purchase?
– Some countries, like China, seller may await
the buyer to raise issue of purchase
Maintaining the Relationship
• Final, but very important step in sales
process
– Satisfied customers purchase again and again
– Customer wants supplier they can trust and who
will be there when problems arise
– Customer satisfaction very important in Japan
– B2B firms track customer satisfaction levels
– Salesperson must have authority to keep
customer satisfied
Ethical Considerations
• Personal selling generates buyer complaints
– Salespersons believed to have low ethical
standards
– Some firms operate from a selling orientation
– Most complaints attributable to management
• Setting unrealistic sales goals/quotas
• Rewarding for sale even when questionable
behavior is involved
Role of Salesperson
• That of a boundary spanner
– Must bring buyer and seller together
– Initial positions often far apart
• Seller wants: highest price, standard
product, longest delivery, and no service
• Buyer wants: lowest price, custom product,
shortest delivery, and service contract
• Salesperson must mediate
Role Conflict
• Salesperson experiences role conflict when
two or more parties want her to comply
with their expectations
– Each party can reward or punish salesperson
• Sales manager can give or withhold raise
• Customer can order or withhold purchase
• Family can give or withhold love, approval
• Salesperson must attempt to satisfy
concerns of all parties – not an easy task!
Chapter 5 Summary
• The sales process is completed
– Approach must be modified based upon culture
of buyer
– No “tricks” to selling; just hard work!
• Salesperson may be viewed as being less
than ethical because of role played
• Role conflict can occur in B2B sales
• Ethical behavior always the best approach
Discussion Questions
• What is the benefit of the global salesperson
making informal sales presentations?
• What kinds of questions might the
prospective buyer have for the global
salesperson after the presentation?
• What is role conflict and how might it affect
the global selling process?