Intro to Personal Selling

Personal Selling in the Age of Information

• Value can be added to information by collecting, organizing, clarifying, and presenting it in a convincing manner.
• Selling skills are transferable skills.

Knowledge Workers and Personal Selling Skills

• Customer service representatives, professionals, entrepreneurs, and managerial personnel benefit from personal selling skills.

Future of Personal Selling

• Old stereotypes portray selling as deceitful, but ethical sales practices are vital for success.

Pervasiveness of Sales

• 500 of the largest sales forces in America employ 17.5 million salespeople.
• These companies recruit 500,000 college graduates.
• The number of sales positions is increasing in industrialized countries.
• There are numerous selling career options available.
• Most occupations involve some form of selling.

Career Opportunities in Sales

• Many firms actively recruit sales personnel.
• Over 80% of marketing graduates start their careers in sales, according to a recent U.S. study.
• Universities are increasing sales courses.
• Sales jobs are in demand in almost every market.
• Sales careers offer flexibility and freedom.
• Sales can be financially rewarding.
• Qualities of autonomy, rewards linked to personal effort, and opportunity to interact with a wide variety of people make sales appealing.
• A sales career can involve working from home or in virtual offices.

Types of Sales Roles

• Inside sales representatives perform sale activities from the employee's location via emails or telephones.
• They support field sales reps and involve high touch transactions over the phone and emails
• They give presentations, demos, and other functions like traditional sales reps.
• Sales representatives engage in entry-level customer or business-to-business sale positions and can advance to roles such as sales manager, sales director, accounts executive, sales analyst, or sales support.

Types of Sales Positions

• Field Sales Reps
• New Business Sales Reps
• Sales Engineers (high-tech sales)
• Detailed Salesperson

How Salespeople Spend an Average 46-Hour Work Week

• 14 hours are spent on face-to-face selling
• 8 hours on waiting or traveling
• 12 hours on telephone sales
• 7 hours on administrative tasks
• 5 hours on service calls.

Rewards of Selling Careers

• Above average income and "psychic" income
• Opportunities for advancement
• Opportunities for women and minorities

Executive and Sales Force Compensation

Women and Minorities in Sales

• There are growing opportunities for both women and minorities.
• More women are pursuing sales careers.
• Companies recognize the need for a more diverse sales force.

Employment Settings in Selling Today

• Selling a service
• Selling for a retailer
• Selling for a wholesaler
• Selling for a manufacturer

Selling a Service

• Selling financial services
• Selling radio, television, and Internet advertising.
• Selling newspaper advertising
• Hotel, motel, and convention center services
• Real estate
• Insurance
• Banking
• Business services

Retail Selling

• Product categories requiring a high degree of personal selling:
• Automobiles
• Musical instruments
• Photographic equipment
• Fashion apparel
• Major appliances
• Recreational vehicles
• Television and radio receivers
• Furniture/decorating supplies
• Tires and related accessories
• Computers

Wholesale Selling

• Inside salesperson relies heavily on phone orders, are more office-based, use the internet for support, and growing popularity as a cost-saving move.
• Outside salesperson are on-the-road with varying duties, must be familiar with many products, know details of customer's operation, and serve as a consultant to the customer.

Manufacturer Selling

• Field salesperson gains new customers and increases sales for existing customers.
• Detail salesperson assists clients with marketing, collects data, and is not compensated on the amount sold.
• Sales engineer knows technical details and must identify, analyze, and solve customer problems.
• Inside salesperson takes orders and supports field staff.

Telemarketing Sales Channel

• Telemarketing is a channel in which the sales process is conducted by telephone.
• It serves two purposes: sales and service.
• It is used for inside sales and backup for outside sales
• Sometimes it is used to maintain contact with smaller customers
• It is also used to find and qualify prospects

Salespeople: Born or Made?

• The relationship between personality and performance is negligible.
• Positive attitude, high motivation, confidence, and belief have a significant impact on long-term sales success.
• Positive attributes can be established and improved through training, experience, and personal discipline.
• The principles of selling can be learned and applied by people whose personal characteristics are quite different.

Four Sources of Sales Training

• Corporate-sponsored training
• Training provided by commercial vendors
• Certification programs
• College and university courses

Corporate-Sponsored Training

• Many firms have established programs.
• Millions are spent on training each year.
• Salespeople are among the most intensively trained employees.
• Training for consultative selling may last from a few months to a year.
• Some Web-based training is used.