1. Handout 11: Branding and sales
PowerPoint presentation
Unit 320 (B&A 59): Principles of business
Handout 11: Branding and sales

2. Function of sales
An organisation needs to sell its products/services in order to survive; the sales function persuades the customer to buy and closes the sale.

3. Roles of sales
Obtaining new accounts
Managing existing accounts
Persuading customers to buy
Processing orders
Directing sales activities
Training sales staff
Customer service
After-sales services

4. Travelling sales representatives
Sales strategies
Face to face
Telephone – telesales
Travelling sales representatives
Mailshots
Business to business (B2B)
The marketing function does the research and groundwork to ensure the organisation produces the right product at the right price and identifies the customers for the sales function to sell it to.

5. The seven-step sales process
Product knowledge
Prospecting
Approach
Needs assessment
Presentation
Close
Follow up
Product knowledge – not only knowing how the product/service works, but knowing the products features and the benefits they can offer the customer.
Prospecting – looking for customers, following up leads provided by marketing – warm calling, cold calling, observing customers’ cues.
The approach – making a good first impression on customers, trying to establish rapport.
The needs assessment – questioning the customer to establish their needs and expectations.
The presentation – of the right product for the customer and demonstrating how its features meets their needs.
The close – gaining commitment from the customer to buy.
Follow up – maintaining contact with your previous customers creates a relationship where the customer feels cared for and is more likely to buy again.

6. What is a brand?
Promise an organisation makes to its customers
Incorporates the organisation’s character and culture
When an organisation fulfils its brand’s promise, the brand can be said to have value.

7. Elements of a brand
Organisation name
Trademark logo
Tagline or slogan
Graphics
Shape used for eg packaging, or a shape element present in the product that creates a ‘family’ trait
Colours
Sounds, eg Intel’s four musical notes

8. The value to an organisation of creating a good brand
Positioning
Identity
Recognition – brand awareness
Customer loyalty
Positioning – when an organisation delivers the promise of its brand, it gains a reputation for it. Customers buy the brand because of their expectations based on its reputation eg for quality, value, luxury, durability, etc.
Identity – the brand is about more than the logo or trademark; it should incorporate the character of the organisation and its approach to the customer.
Recognition – customers recognise and recall the organisation on hearing their jingle, seeing a set of distinctive colours/shapes and feel secure. Many unknown organisations try to emulate an element of a well-known brand to try to cash in on this recognition.
Customer loyalty – strong branding keeps customers coming back. When an organisation consistently delivers its brand promise, customers will see no reason to go elsewhere.