1. Overview of Personal Selling
Module One
Overview of Personal Selling

2. Learning Objectives
1. Describe the evolution of personal selling from ancient times to the modern era.
2. Explain the contributions of personal selling to society, business firms, and customers.
3. Distinguish between transaction-focused traditional selling and trust-based relationship selling.

3. Learning Objectives 4. Discuss five alternative approaches to selling.
5. Describe the three primary roles fulfilled by consultative salespeople
6. Understand the sales process as a series of interrelated steps.

4. Key Thoughts Selling has been around since there were goods to trade.
The role of the salesperson has evolved becoming more professional.
Salespeople play an important role in creating and maintaining a strong economy.
Salespeople are solution providers.
Sales is a process focusing on initiating, developing, and enhancing customer relationships.

5. Personal Selling – Defined
Personal selling is an organizational function that creates, communicates, and delivers value to customers and manages customer relationships in ways that benefit both the organization and its stakeholders.

6. Evolution of Personal Selling
Peddlers selling door to door served as intermediaries
Selling function became more structured
As we begin the 21st century, selling continues to develop,
becoming more professional and more relational
Industrial Revolution
Post-Industrial Revolution
War and Depression
Modern Era
1800s
1900s
2000s
Business organizations employed salespeople
Selling function became more professional

7. Contributions of Personal Selling: Salespeople and Society
Salespeople help stimulate the economy
Salespeople help with the diffusion of innovation

8. Contributions of Personal Selling: Salespeople and the Employing Firm
Salespeople generate revenue
Salespeople provide market research and customer feedback
Salespeople become future leaders in the organization

9. Contributions of Personal Selling: Salespeople and the Customer
Salespeople provide solutions to problems
Salespeople provide expertise and serve as information resources
Salespeople serve as advocates for the customer when dealing with the selling organization

10. Transaction-Focused vs. Relationship Focused
Short term thinking
Making the sale has priority over most other considerations
Interaction between buyer and seller is competitive
Salesperson is self-interest oriented
Long term thinking
Developing the relationship takes priority over getting the sale
Interaction between buyer and seller is collaborative.
Salesperson is customer-oriented

11. Classification of Personal Selling Approaches
Stimulus Response Selling
Mental States Selling
Need Satisfaction Selling
Problem Solving Selling

12. Stimulus Response Selling
Salesperson
Provides
Stimuli
Buyer
Responses
Sought
Continue Process until Purchase Decision
Simple in design; assumes conditioned response improves likelihood of success; a risky and unreliable strategy.

13. Mental States Selling Attention Interest Conviction Desire Action
Assumes buyer can be led through mental states; promotes one-way communication; a risky and unreliable strategy.

14. Need Satisfaction Selling
Uncover and Confirm Buyer Needs
Present Offering to Satisfy Buyer Needs
Continue Selling until Purchase Decision
Interact with buyer to determine existing needs; present solutions to needs; solutions limited to seller’s products.

15. Problem Solving Selling
Define
Problem
Generate
Alternative
Solutions
Evaluate
Alternative
Solutions
Continue
Selling
until
Purchase
Decision
Interact with buyer to determine existing and potential needs; present multiple solutions not limited to seller’s products.

16. Consultative Selling
Business Consultant
The process of helping customers reach their strategic goals by using the products, service, and expertise of the selling organization.
Strategic Orchestrator
Long-term Ally

17. The Sales Process: An Overview
Selling Foundations
Selling Strategy
Initiating Customer
Relationships
Developing Customer
Relationships
Enhancing Customer Relationships

18. The Sales Process: Selling Foundations
In order to be successful in today’s global business environment, salespeople must have a solid relationship building foundation. They must:
Be Trustworthy
Behave Ethically
Understand Buyer Behavior
Possess Excellent Communication Skills

19. The Sales Process: Selling Strategy
In order to be successful in today’s global business environment, salespeople must also think and act strategically. The must develop strategies for:
Each Sales Call
Each Customer
Their Sales Territories
Each strategy is related to the other

20. Enhancing Customer Relationships
The Sales Process
Initiating Customer
Relationships
Developing Customer
Relationships
Enhancing Customer Relationships
Sales Presentation Delivery
Earning Customer Commitment
Prospecting
Preapproach
Presentation Planning
Approaching the Customer
Adding Value through Follow-up, Self-leadership, and Teamwork

21. Module One – Appendix
Sales Careers

22. Characteristics of Sales Careers
Job Security
Advancement Opportunities
Immediate Feedback
Prestige
Job Variety
Independence
Compensation

23. Job Security
Selling skills are readily transferable from industry to industry….and the need for good salespeople will never go away.
Accordingly, good salespeople have opportunities within and across industries.

24. Advancement Opportunities
Salespeople are familiar with the market, the customers, and the products. In addition, good salespeople have great interpersonal skills.
These attributes help to make salespeople good candidates for leadership in the organization.
Note: Not all salespeople make good leaders….some salespeople have trouble making the adjustment positions involving a lot of administrative work (e.g., management positions).

25. Immediate Feedback & Prestige
Customer responses to the salesperson’s efforts are typically immediate…providing the salesperson performance feedback and the opportunity to adjust “on the fly.”
The role of the professional salesperson is not well known by the general public and is eclipsed by negative stereo types but that is slowly changing.

26. Job Variety and Independence
Professional selling is rarely the same from day-to-day. The word “routine” doesn’t apply.
Usually, salespeople are accountable for attaining certain goals…how they get there is up to them. There is no “time-clock” and no taskmaster.

27. Compensation
Good salespeople usually earn an income well above the national average. Many salespeople earn six figure incomes (or higher).
Income is most often tied directly to performance.

28. Sales Support Promote or Otherwise Support a “Pull-Through” Strategy
Missionary Salespeople
Detailers
Support the Salesperson’s Efforts
Technical Support
Installation

29. Other Defining Characteristics
The primary focus of the selling activities
Generate new accounts
Maintain existing accounts
Combination
Where the selling conducted
Inside
Outside
How the selling conducted
Telephone
Field

30. Characteristics of Successful Salespeople
Empathy
Ego Drive
Ego Strength
Motivation
Ethical Behavior
Interpersonal Communication Skills