18
Personal Selling
McGraw-Hill/Irwin
Copyright © 2009 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Personal Selling
Determining the Role of Personal Selling
What information must be exchanged
between firm and potential customer?
What are the alternative ways to carry out
these communications objectives?
How effective is each alternative in carrying
out the needed exchange?
How cost effective is each alternative?
If Sales Force is a Major Part of IMC
Product or
Service
• Complex
goods or
services
• Major
purchase
decisions
• Personal
demonstration
required
Price
• Final price
negotiable
• Price provides
adequate
margin
Channels
• Channel short
and direct
• Training
needed by
intermediaries
• Selling needed
to push product
through
• Intermediaries
can provide
personal selling
Advertising
• Media do not
provide an
effective link
• Information
cannot be
provided by
media
• Sparse market
reduces
advertising
economies
Stages of Personal Selling Evolution
Provider
Selling activity limited to
order-taking and delivery
Persuader
Attempting to persuade customer
to buy
Prospector
Seeking out buyers perceived to
have a need
Problem-solver
Buyers identify problems to be
met by goods
Procreator
Seller determines buyer needs
and fulfills them
New Roles for Salespeople
Surveying
Mapmaking
Fire Starting
Guiding
Customer Relationship Management
Relationship Marketing:
The organization’s effort to
develop a long-term, costeffective link with individual
customers for mutual benefit.
SAP Software Assists CRM
Keeping a Customer
Types of Sales Jobs
Assesses situation, determines needs
Creative
Selling
Presents capability of satisfying needs
Gets order
Order
Taking
Missionary
Sales
This role is much more casual
Often involves straight rebuying
Essentially a support role
May not actually take the order
Personal Selling Responsibilities
Locating prospective customers
Determining customers’ needs and wants
Recommending a way to satisfy them
Demonstrating product capabilities
Closing the sale
Following up and servicing the account
Sales People Have Many Duties
Test Your Knowledge
With the evolution of personal selling, an individual
salesperson's job requirements may include:
A) Determining customers' needs and wants
B) Demonstrating the capabilities of the firm
C) Following up and servicing the account
D) Locating prospective customers
E) All of the above
Traits of Effective Salespeople
1. Ego strength: a healthy self-esteem that
allows one to bounce back from rejection.
2. Sense of urgency: wanting to get it done
now.
3. Ego drive: a combination of
competitiveness and self esteem.
4. Assertiveness: the ability to be firm, lead
the sales process, and get one’s point
across confidently.
5. Risk-taking: willing to innovate and take a
chance.
Traits of Effective Salespeople
6. Sociable: outgoing, friendly, talkative, and
interested in others.
7. Abstract reasoning: ability to understand
concepts and ideas.
8. Skepticism: a slight lack of trust and
suspicion of others.
9. Creativity: the ability to think differently.
10. Empathy: the ability to place oneself in
someone else’s shoes.
Traits Buyers Like and Dislike
Desirable Traits
1. Knowledgeable
2. Empathizes
3. Well organized
4. Prompt
5. Follows through
6. Has solutions
7. Punctual
8. Hard working
9. Energetic
10. Honest
Objectionable Traits
1. Unprepared
2. Uninformed
3. Aggressive
4. Undependable
5. No follow through
6. Presumptive
7. Walk-ins
8. Gabbers
9. Problem avoiders
10. No personal respect
Pros and Cons of Personal Selling
Advantages
Disadvantages
Two-way interaction
with prospect
Messages may be
inconsistent
Message can be
tailored to recipient
Possible managementsales force conflict
Prospect isn't likely
to be distracted
Cost is often
extremely high
Seller involved in purchase
decision
Reach may be
very limited
Source of research
information
Potential ethical problems
Personal Selling + Other Tools
Advertising
Public Relations
Personal
Selling
Direct Marketing
Sales Promotion
The Internet
Personal Selling + Advertising
Test Your Knowledge
By servicing an account and by cooperating and
empathizing with clients, salespersons are engaging in
_____ activities on behalf of their firm.
A) Sales promotion
B) Advertising
C) Public relations
D) Direct marketing
E) Telemarketing
Personal Selling + PR
Rep is often best source of PR
Representative of the organization
Involved in community
Creates goodwill
Personal Selling + Direct Marketing
Personal Selling + Sales Promotion
Reseller
Sales
Promotion
Targets
Consumer
Sales Force
Personal Selling + the Internet
Evaluating the Personal Selling Effort
Characteristics Affecting Performance
The courage
to change
The strength
of the field
manager
A clear link
between
company
culture &
value to sales
strategies
Rigorous
management
processes
that drive
performance
Consistent
training that
leads to
consistent
execution
Evaluating Personal Selling
Provides good
marketing
intelligence?
Are follow-up
activities
conducted well?
Are promo
programs being
implemented?
Are
communications
objectives met?
Test Your Knowledge
The ability of the sales force to feed back information
regarding competitive programs and customer
reactions contributes to the promotional program by
fulfilling which evaluative criterion?
A) Attainment of communications objectives
B) Program implementation
C) Follow-up activities
D) Providing market intelligence
E) None of the above
Quantitative Measures of Sales Results
Orders
Sales Volume
Margins
Quantitative
Measures
Customer Accounts
Sales Calls
Selling Expenses
Customer Service
Qualitative Measures of Sales Results
Selling Skills
Sales Related
Activities