Principles of marketing: Lecture 36

MGT301
Principles of Marketing
Lecture­36



Summary
of  
Lecture­35


Personal Selling


Personal selling is the personal 
communication of information to persuade 
somebody to buy something.


Basic Sales Tasks


The two types of personal selling3




The customers come to the salespeople.
– Mostly involves retail­store selling.
– Most salespeople fall into this category.
The salespeople go to the customers.

– Usually represent producers or wholesaling 
middlemen and sell to business users.
– Some outside selling is relying more on 
telemarketing.


Contributions of Personal 
Selling to Marketing


Producing
Producing
Sales
Sales
Revenue
Revenue

Meeting
Meeting
Buyer
Buyer
Expectations
Expectations

Providing
Providing
Marketplace
Marketplace
Information
Information

Salesperson
An individual acting for a company by performing one or more of 
the following activities:
 Prospecting,
 Communicating,
 Serving, and
 Information gathering.




 Salespeople



 Sales representatives



 Account executives



 Sales consultants



 Sales engineers



 Agents



 District managers



 Marketing representatives



 Account development reps



 Etc.


Today’s Topics
Sales Force Management
The Role of the Sales Force


Personal Selling is effective because salespeople 
can:
– probe customers to learn more about their 

problems,
– adjust the marketing offer to fit the special needs 
of each customer,
– negotiate terms of sale,
– build long­term personal relationships with key 
decision makers.


The Sales Force serves as a critical link between a 
company and its customers since they:
–  represent the company to customers, and
–  represent customers to the company.


Steps in the Selling Process
Step
Step 1.
1. Prospecting
Prospecting and
and
Qualifying
Qualifying
Step
Step 2.
2. Preapproach
Preapproach

Identifying and Screening For 
Qualified Potential 
Customers.

Learning As Much As 
Possible About a Prospective 
Customer Before Making a 
Sales Call.

Step
Step3.
3. Approach
Approach
Step
Step4.
4. Presentation/
Presentation/
Demonstration
Demonstration

Knowing How to Meet the 
Buyer to Get the Relationship 
Off to a Good Start.
Telling the Product “Story” to 
the Buyer, and Showing the 
Product Benefits.


Step
Step 5.
5. Handling
Handling Objections
Objections

Seeking Out, Clarifying, 
and Overcoming 
Customer Objections to 
Buying.

Step
Step 6.
6. Closing
Closing

Asking the Customer 
for the Order.

Step
Step 7.
7. Follow-Up
Follow-Up

Following Up After the 
Sale to Ensure 
Customer Satisfaction 
and Repeat Business.


Managing the Sales force


Designing
Designing Sales
Sales force

force Strategy
Strategy and
and Structure
Structure
Recruiting
Recruiting and
and Selecting
Selecting Salespeople
Salespeople
Training
Training Salespeople
Salespeople
Compensating
Compensating Salespeople
Salespeople
Supervising
Supervising Salespeople
Salespeople
Evaluating
Evaluating Salespeople
Salespeople


Designing sales force strategy 
and structure


Types of Sales Force Structure


 Territorial Sales force structure



 Product Sales force structure



 Customer Sales force structure



 Complex Sales force structure


Sales
Sales Force
Force Size
Size
Other
Other Sales
Sales Force
Force Strategy
Strategy and
and Structure
Structure Issues
Issues

Who
How

WhoWill
WillBe
Be Involved
Involvedin
in the
the
HowWill
WillSales
Salesand
andSales
Sales
Selling
Support
SellingEffort?
Effort?
SupportPeople
PeopleWork
WorkTogether?
Together?
Outside
OutsideSales
SalesForce
Force
Inside
InsideSales
SalesForce
Force

Team
TeamSelling

Selling


Other Sales Force Strategy and 
Structure Issues
Outside Sales 
Outside Sales 
Force
Force
Travel to Call on 
Travel to Call on 
Customers
Customers

Sells to Major
Sells to Major
Accounts
Accounts

Finds Major
Finds Major
New 
New 
Prospects
Prospects

Inside Sales
Inside Sales
Force
Force

Conduct Business From Their 
Conduct Business From Their 
Offices Via Phone or Buyer Visits
Offices Via Phone or Buyer Visits
Tele­
Tele­
Technical
Technical
Marketing
Sales
Marketing
Sales
Support
Support Assistants
Or
Or
Assistants
People
People
Internet
Internet


Recruiting and Selecting 
Salespeople


Some
SomeCharacteristics
Characteristics

of
ofSalespeople
Salespeople

Recruiting
RecruitingProcedures
Procedures

Salesperson
SalespersonSelection
Selection
Process
Process

••Enthusiasm
Enthusiasmand
andSelfSelfConfidence
Confidence
••Persistence
Persistence
••Initiative
Initiative
••Job
JobCommitment
Commitment
••Current
CurrentSalespeople
Salespeople
••Employment
EmploymentAgencies

Agencies
••Classified
ClassifiedAds
Ads
••College
CollegeCampuses
Campuses
••Sales
SalesAptitude
Aptitude
••Analytical
Analytical&&Organizational
Organizational
Skills
Skills
••Personality
PersonalityTraits
Traits
••Other
OtherCharacteristics
Characteristics


Selecting Salespeople
Sales
Sales Aptitude
Aptitude

Other
OtherCharacteristics

Characteristics

Selection
Process
Usually
Evaluates
a Person’s

Analytical
Analyticaland
and
Organizational
OrganizationalSkills
Skills

Personality
Personality Traits
Traits