Chapter 21 Flashcards
Personal Selling
·the two-way flow of communication b/w a buyer & seller, often in a face-to-face encounter, designed to influence a person’s/group’s purchase decision
› Highly human-intensive activity despite the use of technology
Sales Management
involves planning the selling program & implementing/evaluating the personal selling effort of the firm
› Tasks involved: setting objectives, organizing the salesforce; recruiting, selecting, training, & compensating salespeople; & evaluating the performance of individual salespeople
Three Ways the Scope of Selling & Sales Management is Apparent:
- Every occupation that involves customer contact has an element of personal selling
- Selling plays a significant role in a company’s overall marketing effort
- Through relationship selling, salespeople play a central role in tailoring solutions to customer problems as a means to customer value creation
Three Major Roles Personal Selling Plays in a Firm’s Overall Marketing Effort:
- Salespeople are the critical link b/w the firm & its customers
- Requires that salespeople match company interests w/ customer needs to satisfy both parties in the exchange process - Salespeople are the company in a consumer’s eyes
- They represent what a company is or attempts to be & are often the only personal contact a customer has w/ the comp - Personal Selling may play a dominant role in a firm’s marketing program
- This situation typically arises when a firm uses a push marketing strategy
Ways Salespeople Can Create Customer Value
- By being close to the customer, salespeople can identify creative solutions to customer problems
- By easing the customer buying process
- By salespeople who follow through after the sale
Customer Value Creation is made possible by
relationship selling
Relationship Selling
the practice of building ties to customers based on a salesperson’s attention & commitment to customer needs over time
› Involves mutual respect & trust among buyers/sellers
› Focuses on creating long-term customers & long-run customer value
What Relationship Selling does
-Listens
-Expresses genuine concern
-Keeps promises
-Uses knowledge to meet customer needs
Three Types of Personal Selling
- Order Taking
- Order Getting
- Customer Sales Support Activities
Order Taker
processes routine orders or reorders for products that were already sold by the company
- Primary responsibility is to preserve an ongoing relationship w/ existing customers & maintain sales
- Do little selling & engage in modest problem solving w/ customers
- Arises in STRAIGHT REBUY SITUATIONS
2 Types of Order Takers
- outside order takers
- inside order takers
Outside Order Takers
visit customers & replenish inventory stocks of resellers, such as retailers/wholesalers.
-Often provide assistance in arranging displays
Ex: Frito-Lay salespeople call on supermarkets, convenience stores, & other establishments to ensure that the company’s line of snack products is in adequate supply
Inside Order Takers
answer simple questions, take orders, & complete transactions w/ customers
- Often employed by comps that use inbound telemarketing
Ex: Retail clerks, sales clerks, order clerks
Inbound Telemarketing
the use of toll-free telephone numbers that customers can call to obtain information about products or services and make purchases
Order Getter
sells in a conventional sense & identifies prospective customers, provides customers w/ info, persuades customers to buy, closes sales, & follows up on customers’ use of a product/serv
- Involves high degree of creativity/customer empathy & is typically required for selling complex/technical products w/ many options, so considerable product knowledge & sales training are necessary
- In modified rebuy or new buy purchases, order getter acts as a problem solver who identifies how a particular product may satisfy a customer’s need
- Can be inside ( an automobile salesperson) or outside (an IBM salesperson)
Outbound Telemarketing
the practice of using the telephone rather than personal visits to contact current & prospective customers
Virtual Selling
Collection of processes and technologies by which salespeople engage with customers remotely with both synchronous and asynchronous communications.
Customer Sales Support Personnel
augment the selling effort of order getters by performing a variety of services
Two Types of Customer Sales Support Personnel
- Missionary Salespeople
- Sales Engineers
Missionary Salespeople
do not directly solicit orders but rather concentrate on performing promotional activities & introducing new products
Ex: Used in pharmaceutical industry, where they encourage physicians to prescribe a firm’s product. Actual sales a made through wholesalers or directly to pharmacists who fill prescriptions
Sales Engineers
specialize in identifying, analyzing, & solving customer problems. Bring the know-how & technical expertise to the selling situation but often do not actually sell products/servs
Ex: Popular in selling business products such as chemicals & heavy equipment
Cross-Functional Team Selling
the practice of using an entire team of professionals in selling to & servicing major customers
- Is used when specialized knowledge is needed to satisfy the different interests of individuals in a customer’s buying center
Two Forms of Selling Teams
- Conference Selling
- Seminar Selling
Conference Selling
a salesperson and other company resource people meet with buyers to discuss problems and opportunities