Understanding
Selling &
Salespeople
What’s My Job?
Preparation => understanding:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Selling, salespeople, sales
philosophies
Acquiring knowledge & info.
Prospecting/targeting
Sales goals, strategies, aids
People types
Customer purchasing behavior
Selling to ‘Scary’ Larry
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Brandon is a salesperson for Agri
King who is about to call on Larry, a
prospective customer. Larry has had
some negative experiences with a
previous salesperson. What advice
do you have for Brandon in order to
get at least some of Larry’s
business?
Amateur vs Professional
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Helen is about to begin her career
as a sales representative for Market
Tech. Her supervisor as stressed to
her the importance of being ‘a
professional’. What does this mean
to Helen? What is (or should be)
Helen’s main job goal?
Sales Quiz
Q.
What percent of all salespeople are
classified as ‘professional’ in typical
customer surveys?
a. 75%
b. 66%
c. 50%
d. 25%
e. 5%
Source: Non-Manipulative Selling (Prentice Hall, 1987,
p. 221)
Common ‘negative’
experiences with salespeople:
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Telemarketer
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Door-to-door salesperson
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Used car dealer
‘Negative’ Sales Quotes
Salesmanship: The art of selling someone
something that they don’t want, don’t
need, and certainly can’t afford. (Bob
Sagett, America’s Funniest Home Videos,
March 14, 1993)
Question: How can you tell if a salesperson
is lying?
Answer: His/her lips are moving.
Examples of ‘negative’
descriptions of salespeople:
Annoying
Arm twister
Arrogant
‘BS’er
Condescending
Dishonest
Fake
Fast talker
Greedy
Intimidating
Long-winded
Manipulative
Narrow-minded
Never give up
Phony
Pushy
Relentless
Show off
Smooth talker
Sneaky
Telemarketer
Tricky
Unthoughtful
Won’t take ‘no’
Negative perceptions about salespeople are often perpetrated by
cartoons, jokes, stories, etc. that criticize or make fun of
salespeople. Because of negative perceptions some people have
about salespeople, whether true or not, some companies have opted
to develop job titles for salespeople that don’t use the word ‘sales’.
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Examples include:
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CPS = crop production specialist
LPS = livestock production specialist
Agronomist
Rep
Account executive
Customer relations specialist
Territory manager
Consultant
Technical assistant
District manager
Marketing specialist
Preparing to become a successful,
professional salesperson starts with an
understanding of:
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What selling is.
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What a salesperson does.
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What it means to have a strong
commitment to being a caring person,
consultant, and problem solver.
Definitions of a “Professional”
1.
2.
(noun) a person practicing a
profession or engaged in a
specified occupation for pay (e.g
professional writer, professional
golfer)
(adjective) associated with the
high standards, quality, or status of
a profession
Personal (‘Professional’)
Selling defined
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“The process of:
Developing customer relationships,
Discovering customer needs,
Matching appropriate products with
these needs, and communicating
benefits.”
Manning and Reece
Selling Today
Selling Philosophy of ‘Good’
Salespeople:
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Selling is problem solving
Selling is a helping, caring activity
A customer is a person to be served, not a prospect to be sold
Treat people as human beings, not $ signs
Unique products, relationships, cultures are important
Be customer driven, not product driven
Focus on customer needs
The customer is the reason a salesperson exists
Long-term success depends on pleasing others
Selling is a ‘win-win’ activity
A commitment to self improvement and life-long learning
essential for long-term success
Adherence to a strict code of ethics emphasizing, among other
things, mutual trust, respect, and honesty is essential
Professional salespeople view themselves and their jobs in a
positive way, opposite of ‘consmanship’. Some examples of
‘positive’ descriptions of ‘good’ salespeople include:
Ambitious
Articulate
Benefits
Calm
Charismatic
Clean cut
Commitment
Communicator
Compassionate
Confident
Courteous
Creative
Customer service
Dedicated
Detail oriented
Determined
Easy going
Energetic
Enthusiastic
Excited
Friendly
Genuine
Helpful
Honest
Integrity
Intelligent
Knowledgeable
Likeable
Listener
Motivated
Nice
Open-minded
Optimistic
Organized
Outgoing
People oriented
Persuasive
Planner
Polite
Positive
Prepared
Problem solver
Professional
Quick on feet
Sensitive
Smart
Self improvement
Self motivated
Service
Smooth
Tactful
Technical
Trustworthy
Understanding
Upbeat
Well dressed
Well trained
“What Makes a Good Salesperson?”
1.
2.
Empathy = the ability to sense what
the customer is feeling.
Drive = the personal need and want
to make a sale (not merely for the
money); = a proper ego that is
enhanced by success while
somewhat weakened yet motivated
and not shattered by failure.
Harvard Business Review
July-August, 1964
Selling is a ‘process’ that:
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Facilitates the transfer of goods & services
Persuades prospects to buy
Occurs over various lengths of time
Involves multiple steps (preparing, opening, presenting,
closing, servicing), although maybe not all on every call
Is part of ‘marketing’ (promotion)
Is customer (vs. product) driven
Bridges the final 3 feet between the company and the
customer
Aims to develop long-term, win-win relationships
Strives for repeat business
Is technically oriented
Emphasizes service and value
Selling is ‘helping’ people:
 Solve
problems
 Make more $
 Buy
 Meet their needs/goals
Selling is a ‘profession’
based on:
Scientific skills, even though it is not
an ‘exact’ science
 Knowledge about selling
principles/theories
 A code of ethics
 Psychological & sociological aspects
of human behavior
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 What
do salespeople do?
1) They Sell:
Products/services
 Solutions
 Information
 Ideas
 Service
 Their company
 Themselves
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Why Do Salespeople Sell?
1.
2.
Old fashion, Non Professional, ‘Negative’
Reason
= to increase sales volume to increase
company profits or personal sales
commissions regardless of customer
benefits
Modern, Professional, ‘Positive’ Reason
= to meet customer needs, solve
customer problems, and increase
customer satisfaction
2) They work with people:
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Solve problems
Represent the company
Communicate (benefits?) with customers
Develop relationships, partnerships, alliances
Discover needs
Gather information
Educate customers
Catalyze change
Help people buy
Serve customers
Treat people with respect
3) They Manage:
 Their
time
 Their territory
 Their records
 Their stress
“Seed Selling Is More Than Taking
Orders”
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1.
2.
3.
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6.
Examples:
Recommend seeds that fit a farmer’s operation.
Plant and manage test plots.
Collect and share information with customers on
fertility, planting depth and rates, chemicals,
crop diseases, cultivation, and yields.
Soil testing.
Financial consulting.
Provide ‘service’ to customers.
Joyce Vogelman, Iowa Farmer Today
April 8, 1995, p. 3-4
Rewards of being a
professional salesperson:
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Freedom (own boss)
Job variety
Challenge
Tangible accomplishments
Recognition/awards
Financial compensation
Opportunities for advancement
On ‘cutting’ edge
Personal relationships
Satisfaction from helping others
Job security
Entertaining customers
Travel
Negative aspects of being a
professional salesperson:
Long hours (physically exhausting)
 Isolation (often work alone)
 Mentally depressing
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Rejections
 Complaints
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Stress
Sales Quotes: Course Introduction
The foundation of good selling is the desire to help people.
Professional agricultural salespeople typically view themselves
as problem solvers and selling as problem solving.
People tend to respond better to being treated as human beings
than as dollar signs. (Sales Upbeat, Feb., 2, 1995)
The high-pressure salesperson is as outmoded today as the
horse and buggy. To be a top seller, today’s sales
representative must have genuine character, sincerity of
purpose, honesty, straightforwardness, and a desire to be of
service. (Sales Upbeat, Dec. 8, 1994)
Selling is not an ‘exact’ science.
Sales Quotes: Course Introduction
Selling is more than taking orders. (Iowa Farmer Today, April
8, 1995)
Forget about the sales you hope to make and concentrate on
the service you want to render. The moment people’s
attention is centered on service to others, they become
more dynamic, more forceful and harder to resist. How
can you resist someone who is trying to help you solve a
problem? . . . Start out each morning with the thought, ‘I
want to help as many people as possible today,’ instead of
‘I want to make as many sales as possible today . . . ‘
(Harry Bullis, former Chairman of the Board, General Mills)
The object of a salesperson is not to make sales, but to make
customers.
Sales Quotes: Course Introduction
A salesperson is no longer a vendor out to sell a product, but
rather a consultant out to help their customer’s business.
(adapted from Consultative Selling by Mack Hanan)
There is no such thing as ‘soft sell’ and ‘hard sell’, there is
only ‘smart sell’ and ‘stupid sell’. (Charles Brower,
American Advertising)
Selling should be a friendly act. It is something we do WITH
and FOR people, not TO them. (Jim Cathcart,
‘Relationship Selling’, 1990)
People don’t care what you know until they know that you
care. (Jim Cathcart, ‘Relationship Selling’, 1990)
Sales Quotes: Course Introduction
Natural talent, intelligence, a wonderful education – none of
these guarantees success. Something else is needed: the
sensitivity to understand what other people want and the
willingness to give it to them. Worldly success depends on
pleasing others. No one is going to win fame, recognition,
or advancement just because he or she thinks it’s
deserved. Someone else has to think so too. (John
Luther)
No matter what you ultimately do in life, the sales tools you
acquire along the way will help you achieve your goals.
(Andrew Carnegie)
Everyone lives by selling something. (Robert Louis
Stevenson)
Sales Quotes: Course Introduction
Selling involves a person helping another person. The
salesperson often works with prospects or customers to
examine their needs, provide information, suggest a
product to meet their needs, and provide after-the-sale
service to ensure long-term satisfaction. (Charles Futurell,
ABC’s of Relationship Selling, 1997)
You are involved in selling when you want someone to do
something. (Charles Futrell, ABC’s of Relationship Selling,
1997)
In today’s competitive environment, where good
interpersonal skills are so valued, the lack of selling
capability can put anyone at a disadvantage. (Charles
Futrell, ABC’s of Relationship Selling, 1997)
Sales Quotes: Course Introduction
Our most important policy is caring. (Farm Bureau Financial
Services, 1999)
If nobody sells, a terrible thing happens – NOTHING!
“An amateur keeps trying to get it right. A professional keeps
working so as to never be wrong.” (TV ad, MNF, 9/11/06)
“We don’t push products, we push solutions.” Rob Meade,
GROWMARK
Sales Quotes: Course Introduction
“Life is pretty much a selling job. Whether we succeed or fail
is largely a matter of how well we motivate the human
beings with whom we deal to buy us and what we have to
offer.” Zig Ziglar, Top Performance