Key Thoughts Trust is crucial to developing successful relationships with customers. Build trust by being competent, compatible, candid, customer-oriented, and dependable. You must have the initiative and motivation to learn about your company, your customers, and the markets in which you and they compete. Professional salespeople, by definition, must be ethical or they are not professional.

Q. 1. What is Trust?

What is Trust?

Why is Trust Important? A fundamental competitive strategy of a growing number of organizations is to build long-term mutually beneficial relationships with their customers. The ability of those organizations’ salespeople to earn their customers’ trust is essential to the success of that strategy.

Q. 2. How does a salesperson earn trust?

How to Earn Trust Trust Expertise Customer Orientation Dependability Candor Compatibility

Expertise The ability, knowledge, and resources to meet customer expectations. Expertise must translate into observable results and contribution for the buyer.

Predictability of a person’s actions. Dependability Predictability of a person’s actions. The salesperson must also demonstrate an ability to handle confidential information.

Candor Honesty of the spoken word. It means being upfront with others, especially with regard to issues/factors that may impact those others. It takes only one misleading event to lose all credibility.

Customer Orientation The act of salespeople placing as much emphasis on the customer’s interests as their own. Salespeople with a customer orientation advise rather than “sell”.

Compatibility A salesperson’s commonalities with other individuals. Customers generally like to deal with salespeople whom they can feel a bond.

Readiness to Earn Trust

Knowledge Bases Help Build Trust and Relationships Training Companies provide extensive training to prepare salespeople for the field.

Training Enhancing Customer Relationships Industry History Company History and Policies Enhancing Customer Relationships Developing Customer Relationships Initiating Customer Relationships Selling Techniques Product, Price, Channels, Promotions Market Competitive Knowledge

Q. 3. What are the knowledge bases that help build trust and relationships?

Industry Knowledge Knowledge Need: the dynamics, structure, culture, and forces that affect the industry or industries in which they work. Benefit: ability to 1) develop and execute effective selling strategies, and 2) be viewed as a market information resource.

Company Knowledge Knowledge Need: understand their company’s culture, mission, goals, policies, and procedures. Benefit: ability to effectively and accurately represent the company when interacting (e.g., negotiating) with its prospective and current customers.

Product Knowledge Knowledge Need: a thorough understanding of their product offerings and the various sources of value they provide Benefit: be perceived (by the customer) as experts and capable of accurately matching solutions to the needs of the customer

Service Knowledge Knowledge Need: understand their company’s service capabilities, including limitations, fees, time-frames, and the value they add Benefit: ability to match their company’s service capabilities to the needs of their customers

Service Knowledge Areas

Promotion and Price Knowledge Knowledge Need: understand the details of, and how to manage, promotional programs and the pricing policies of their products Benefit: ability to 1) facilitate their customers’ participation in promotional programs and 2) effectively negotiate terms

Market and Customer Knowledge Knowledge Needs: understand the markets they serve and their customers, including needs, personalities, and communication styles. Benefit: ability to 1) develop and implement effective selling strategies, and 2) clearly communicate relevant solutions.

Competitor Knowledge Knowledge Need: their competitors and respective market offers and how they are perceived in the market. Benefit: to position their products against those of their competitors’.

Technology Knowledge Knowledge Need: understand how utilize sales technology hardware and software (e.g., internet, CRM, laptops, smart phones) Benefit: to leverage technology to me more competitive . . . work smarter not harder

Technology in the Sales Effort

Q. 4. What is Ethics?

Ethics Ethics refers to right and wrong conduct of individuals and institutions of which they are a part.

Ethics Ethics refers to right and wrong conduct of individuals and institutions of which they are a part. Clearly Wrong Clearly Right Ethical Decisions Ethical Dilemma

What is Ethics? “…that behavior which is the ‘right’ thing to do, given the circumstances” Four principles: Honesty Integrity Fairness Concern for others

Image of Salespeople

Unethical Behavior

Advice for Salespeople

Q. 5. What are the three most important unethical practices that bring about a negative image of salespeople?

Categories of Unethical Behavior

Non-Customer-Oriented Behavior

Methods for Ethical Decision Making Teleology – morality of decision based on the consequence (Consequentialism) Egoism (self-interest) Utilitarianism (greatest good for greatest number) Deontology – morality of decision based on intentions (Categorical Imperatives) Relativism – morality of decision based on individual and past experience Absolutes – morality is the same for everyone

Q. 6. How must companies deal with sales ethics?

Dealing with Sales Ethics Training Specific guidelines in all areas Method for reporting unethical behavior Must be aware of all international laws

Q. 7. What are the five common ethical traps?

Five Common Ethical Traps The False Necessity trap The Doctrine-of-relative-filth trap The Rationalization trap The Self-deception trap The Ends-justify-the-means trap

Q. 8. What are the tools for doing the right thing?

Doing the right thing! Is the action you are considering legal? How would you see the problem if you were on the opposite side? What are alternate solutions? Can you discuss the problem with someone whose advice you can trust? How would you feel if your family, friends, employer, or coworkers learned of your actions?