Salesmanship OOU-BED 159 Notes PDF

**COURSE TITLE: Introduction to Salesmanship** **COURSE CODE: 00U-BED-159** **CREDIT UNIT: 2 Units** **COURSE STATUS: Elective** **Course Outlines:** 1.1 Meaning, Nature, Scope and Importance of Salesmanship 1.2 Types of Salesmen 1.3 Qualities of a Good Salesman (Knowledge of Product, Knowled...

**COURSE TITLE: Introduction to Salesmanship** **COURSE CODE: 00U-BED-159** **CREDIT UNIT: 2 Units** **COURSE STATUS: Elective** **Course Outlines:** 1.1 Meaning, Nature, Scope and Importance of Salesmanship 1.2 Types of Salesmen 1.3 Qualities of a Good Salesman (Knowledge of Product, Knowledge of customers) 1.4 7P's of Successful Salemanship 1.6 Recruitment and Selection of Salesmen 1.8 Remuneration of Salemen **2. Fundamentals of Salesmanship** 2.3 Types of Customers and How to Deal With Them: Method of Sizing Up of Customers and Classificattion of Customers 2.5 Overcoming Objections and Closing the Sales **3 Sales Management Factors Affecting Sales** +-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+ | | vi. Introduction | +===================================+===================================+ | | i. Meaning and definition of | | | salesmanship | +-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+ | | ii. Nature : Art or Science or | | | Profession | +-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+ | | iii. Importance and Utility | +-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+ | | iv. Scope of Salesmanship | +-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+ | | v. Limitations of Salesmanship | | | | | | **INTRODUCTION** | | | | | | In the primitive era, there was | | | hardly any sale or salesmanship. | | | The needs of the people were | | | limited. They were used to | | | procure their needs by | | | themselves. Gradually, people | | | tried to settle in villages. | | | Cows, buffaloes, sheep etc. were | | | domesticated, agriculture | | | developed to raise the economic | | | living of the people. Ultimately, | | | people became self-sufficient and | | | thought about disposal of the | | | surplus of goods. So the **'local | | | pedlar'** emerged as the salesman | | | of first order. | | | | | | With the growth of civilisation a | | | new form of salesman called | | | 'chapman' emerged. Chapmen were | | | specilised kind of pedlars who | | | were used to collect items of | | | handicrafts and to sell them to | | | middle and upper class people. | | | Then the concept of 'shop' or | | | workshop came. The shopkeepers | | | used to sell their products in | | | the shop. But the selling was | | | confined to small area or | | | locality. Gradually, the need of | | | various products became | | | widespread and the **'commercial | | | adventures'** emerge. They, | | | through warehouses at different | | | towns, were able to sell their | | | products at far off places. | | | | | | **'Bagmen'** were just like | | | modern salesmen. Bagman is a | | | salesman who travels on a horse | | | back from one place to another | | | with samples of merchandise in | | | search of prospective customers. | | | Now-a-days the '**modern | | | salesmen'** travel by buses, | | | cars, trains and planes from one | | | place to another to create and | | | maintain the demand for their | | | goods and services. | | | | | | The industrial revolution in 18th | | | century brought the concept of | | | mass production, mass | | | distribution or marketing. A wide | | | gap emerged between producers and | | | customers. To reduce this gap the | | | role of salesmanship and | | | publicity gained immense | | | importance. | | | | | | Sales are the main revenue source | | | of any business and can be | | | regarded as life blood of a | | | business. The very purpose of | | | production or business is to | | | sell. The success of any business | | | depends upon an effective and | | | successful salesmanship. Let us | | | now discuss the meaning of | | | salesman and salesmanship. | | | | | | **1.2 MEANING AND DEFINITION OF | | | SALESMANSHIP :** | | | | | | A salesman is a person who has | | | the skill and ability to convince | | | others about the proposal of | | | goods and services, so that the | | | latter may be induced to purchase | | | the goods and services. His | | | concise effort to induce a | | | prospective buyer results in a | | | successful sale. This skill and | | | ability of a salesman is called | | | salesmanship. Let us take some | | | definitions of salesmanship. | | | | | | Prof. Stephnson defines | | | salesmanship as ''the concise | | | efforts on the part of seller to | | | induce a prospective buyer to | | | purchase something that he latter | | | had not really decided to buy, | | | even if he had thought of it | | | favourably''. It consists of | | | persuading people to buy what you | | | have for sale, in making them | | | want it, in helping to make up | | | their minds.'' | | | | | | According to C.A. Paderson | | | ''Salesmanship is the process | | | whereby a seller ascertains and | | | activates the needs or wants of | | | the buyer and satisfies these | | | needs or wants to the mutual | | | continuous advantage of both | | | buyer and the seller.'' | | | | | | National Association of Marketing | | | Teachers of America defined | | | salesmanship as ''The ability to | | | persuade people to buy goods and | | | services at a profit to the | | | seller and benefit to the | | | buyers.'' | | | | | | From the above definitions, the | | | meaning of salesmanship is very | | | clear. Salesmanship is nothing | | | but the art of persuading the | | | prospective buyers to buy a | | | firm's products and services. It | | | is the oral presentation in a | | | conversation with one or more | | | prospects for the purpose of | | | making a sale. | | | | | | **Features / Characteristics / | | | Essentials of salesmanship)** | | | | | | **Services to producers and | | | consumers:** | | | | | | The salesman takes the goods of | | | the producer and sells it to its | | | consumers. This simple and useful | | | task of salesman provides | | | services both to the producer and | | | the consumers. The salesman acts | | | as a friend, philosopher and | | | guide to the customer in making | | | decisions regarding purchase of | | | goods. He tries to fulfil the | | | demand of the customers to their | | | best satisfaction. He presents an | | | idea or offering of a proposition | | | for the benefit of customers. | | | | | | 2. **Arts of persuasion, not | | | compulsion :** | | | | | | Salesmanship is the art of | | | winning the hearts of consumers | | | to dispose the firm's goods and | | | services. The salesman through | | | his tact, motivates the customers | | | to buy goods and never forces | | | them to buy goods. The salesman | | | has to create a favourable | | | atmosphere in the mind of the | | | buyer by presenting the positive | | | aspects of the product to be | | | sold. It is an inducement to | | | accept something and an attempt | | | to convince. It is an attempt to | | | create an urge or desire with | | | another to have what other has to | | | offer. Thus it is an attempt to | | | sell. | | | | | | 3. **No exploitation :** | | | | | | In good salesmanship, there is no | | | scope for exploiting innocent | | | customers. Cheating, fraudulent | | | practices or undue advantages of | | | customers affect the customers | | | adversely. The customers lose | | | their confidence and trust on the | | | salesman as well as on the | | | organisation. The prices charged | | | should be commensurate with the | | | quantity and quality of goods and | | | services. Salesman does not | | | encourage haggling or bargaining. | | | | | | 4. **Oral communication :** | | | | | | Salesmanship is a process of | | | direct oral communication between | | | the salesman and the customers. | | | This two-way communication | | | enables the exchange of views and | | | opinions, answers to queries, | | | clarification of doubts and | | | guiding the decision-making of | | | the customers. The clarity and | | | influence of such communication | | | makes the salesman successful in | | | selling. It is a presentation of | | | an idea or offering of a | | | proposition. | | | | | | 5. **Educative process :** | | | | | | Through salesmanship the | | | customers get knowledge about the | | | goods and about the marketing of | | | goods. It informs the customers | | | about the new products, the | | | price, utility, special features | | | of the products and their | | | competing products. So, | | | salesmanship educates the | | | customers adequately about the | | | product and enables them to take | | | right decisions. It is a process | | | of ascertaining and activating | | | the want of others. | | | | | | 6. **Mutual benefit :** | | | | | | The salesman acts as the link | | | between the seller and buyers. | | | The seller, with the help of | | | salesmanship, maintains and | | | extends the sales and thereby | | | earns a steady income. On the | | | other hand the buyers, being well | | | guided by the salesman, get their | | | desirable goods and derive | | | adequate satisfaction. Therefore | | | it is an attempt by salesman to | | | arrive at a common point of view | | | with another. | | | | | | 7. **Permanent customers | | | relationship :** | | | | | | To maintain the sales, the | | | salesman tries his best to win | | | the confidence and trust of the | | | customers. By regular supply of | | | goods and services to customers | | | to their best satisfaction, the | | | salesman develops a permanent and | | | favourable relationship with the | | | customers. He always considers | | | that the customer is always | | | right. | | | | | | 8. **Universal applicability :** | | | | | | The features of salesmanship have | | | universal applicability. The fact | | | lies in making the customers | | | accept you, your ideas and the | | | products with a satisfied mind. | | | Good salesmanship standardises | | | norms for salesmen. | | | | | | **1.3 NATURE OF SALESMANSHIP** | | | | | | Nature of salesmanship explains | | | whether it is an art or science | | | or a profession. It tries to | | | debate whether salesmen are born | | | or made. Let us discuss these | | | various aspects of the nature of | | | salesmanship. | | | | | | **a) Salesmanship is an art.** | | | | | | Art is the act of doing the | | | things in the light of knowledge | | | and skill. Art may be defined as | | | ''a branch of learning in which | | | human skill, knowledge, | | | imagination and practice have an | | | important role to play''. It is | | | the internal expression of one's | | | feeling, talent, ideas and values | | | to accomplish a desired goal. It | | | needs skillful application of | | | knowledge, imagination and | | | practice. The various fields of | | | art are singing, painting, | | | writing, acting etc. Art | | | differentiates the application or | | | implementation of one's skill for | | | the achievement of better | | | results. | | | | | | Salesmanship is an art of selling | | | goods or services or ideas. It is | | | the skill and capacity of the | | | salesman to win the trust and | | | confidence of the prospective | | | buyers. It is the art within a | | | salesman which develops him to be | | | a successful salesman. By virtue | | | of this gifted quality the | | | salesman becomes more successful | | | than others. It is the artistic | | | quality of the salesman which | | | enables the salesman to | | | understand the mind of the | | | customers easily. The salesman's | | | artistic mind reads the choice, | | | taste, preference, style, | | | behaviour of the customers | | | accurately and draws the | | | attention of the prospects to the | | | goods and services favourably. | | | Salesman is an artist who paints | | | mental pictures with a verbal | | | brush. | | | | | | Though salesmanship is an art, it | | | needs to be improved and up dated | | | by scientific training and | | | experience. The art of selling, | | | if inherent with a salesman, can | | | be taken as an added quality for | | | successful salesmanship. | | | Salesmanship as an art can be | | | developed to some extent by | | | persistent efforts. Through | | | practice and trials, art can be | | | perfected. | | | | | | **b) Salesmanship is a science.** | | | | | | Science is a systematic body of | | | knowledge. It is well established | | | and universally accepted body of | | | truth and facts. It is well | | | guided by definite set of | | | principles. The laws and | | | processes are well set by | | | research and experiments and are | | | not ordinarily changeable. There | | | are exact sciences like Physics, | | | Chemistry and Botany and also | | | inexact sciences like Psychology, | | | Sociology, Anthropology etc. | | | Unlike exact sciences, the | | | inexact sciences change with | | | changing situations. The inexact | | | sciences come under social | | | sciences. Salesmanship is a | | | social science which changes | | | along with change in | | | civilization. | | | | | | Salesmanship is a science based | | | on human psychology. It has a | | | body of standardised guidances to | | | deal with the customers. There | | | are also enough guidelines for | | | knowledge against personality, | | | product and prospects. | | | | | | In spite of so many guiding | | | factors for dealing with | | | potential buyers, there is no | | | guarantee that a particular | | | solution may work successfully as | | | the situation changes. Perfect | | | theoretical knowledge may not | | | successfully work in the case of | | | salesmanship. | | | | | | But a salesman with perfect | | | knowledge and with a skillful art | | | of persuading customers can | | | easily win the hearts of | | | customers. So, we can say that | | | salesmanship is both an art and | | | science, rather it is more an art | | | than science. | | | | | | **c) Salesmanship is a | | | profession.** | | | | | | Profession can be defined as an | | | occupation which requires a | | | specialised knowledge and skill | | | to practise. Profession is an | | | employment requiring some degree | | | of skill and training, but it is | | | not mechanical by nature. The | | | practices made by doctors, | | | lawyers, etc. are examples of | | | profession. The important | | | characteristics of a profession | | | can be stated below : | | | | | | i. It is a specialised body of | | | knowledge. | | | | | | ii. It requires a prolonged | | | preparation to acquire such | | | knowledge. | | | | | | iii. It needs an approved course, | | | award of a degree from a | | | prescribed institute like | | | that of National Institute of | | | Sales and scheduled training. | | | | | | iv. It has an established code of | | | conduct and ethics. | | | | | | v. Well-formulated standards are | | | set to be followed by its | | | members. | | | | | | vi. Service to others is given | | | priority over self-interest. | | | | | | vii. It is not mechanical and | | | hence no fixed remuneration | | | or reward is set for the job. | | | | | | The above criteria are adequately | | | found in medical, legal and | | | accounting professions. The | | | doctors, lawyers and chartered | | | accountants acquire specialised | | | course of knowledge and training | | | and practise within the stated | | | code of conduct. In most of the | | | countries salesmen do not undergo | | | such specialised courses of study | | | and training. They are exposed to | | | specialised course of study and | | | training only in some advanced | | | countries. | | | | | | But the fundaments of selling | | | namely, his personality, his | | | knowledge of products and | | | markets, his involvement with | | | marketing strategies, has given | | | the salesmen a professional | | | platform. The professional | | | approach to read the mind of | | | customers, assess their needs and | | | to persuade them to buy the goods | | | and services, can bring | | | salesmanship to a profession. In | | | India professionalisation of | | | salesmanship is not yet | | | full-fledged but moving in the | | | right direction to achieve the | | | status very soon. The National | | | Institute of Sales is the pioneer | | | in the field in trying to make | | | salesmanship a profession. | | | | | | **SCOPE OF SALESMANSHIP** | | | | | | In the ancient days, salesmanship | | | was confined to the simple tasks | | | of selling goods and services at | | | the counter or at the local | | | market. But now-a-days the | | | meaning and area of coverage of | | | the term salesmanship has widened | | | significantly. The scope of | | | salesmanship means the coverage | | | of the subject or the wide range | | | of the subject matters. The | | | present scope of salesmanship has | | | multiplied to a great extent. The | | | factors responsible for such wide | | | improvement of the scope of | | | salesmanship can be enumerated as | | | below : | | | | | | 1. Industrial revolution | | | | | | 2. Huge advertisement and | | | publicity | | | | | | 3. Development of science and | | | technology | | | | | | 4. Large scale production | | | | | | 5. Stiff competition | | | | | | 6. Improvement in transportation | | | and communication facilities | | | | | | 7. Remarkable change in taste | | | and fashion of the customers. | | | | | | 8. Growth of distribution and | | | marketing facilities. | | | | | | Salesmanship has widened its | | | coverage in various aspects. Now | | | it is concerned with sale of all | | | kinds of goods, i.e. industrial | | | goods, agricultural goods and | | | consumers' goods. It also covers | | | the services such as banking, | | | insurance, transportation, | | | teaching, medical, legal and | | | other personal services. | | | | | | The area of sales may be local, | | | national or international. These | | | may based on demand or on created | | | demand through advertising and | | | publicity. Thus the need for | | | creative and competitive | | | salesmanship has increased. | | | | | | The coverage of salesmanship has | | | also extended to development of | | | sales personality, product | | | knowledge, and knowledge about | | | the customers. It also covers the | | | policies and strategies relating | | | to recruitment and training of | | | sales force; motivation, | | | co-ordination and control of the | | | sales force. Presently a great | | | attention is given to sales | | | promotion, remuneration, | | | allocation of sales territory, | | | fixation of sales quota and | | | organisation and management of | | | sales department. | | | | | | Thus the scope of salesmanship | | | has become very vast and offers | | | wide range of development in | | | future. | | | | | | **IMPORTANCE AND UTILITY OF | | | SALESMANSHIP** | | | | | | Salesmanship is a highly | | | specialised job. The role of | | | salesmen, in the modern world of | | | business, trade and commerce, is | | | gaining much importance. It is | | | the art of selling which reduces | | | gap between the manufacturers and | | | the distantly situated ultimate | | | customers. It helps in | | | multiplying the business. The | | | importance of salesmanship are as | | | follows : | | | | | | 1. **Essential part of commerce | | | :** | | | | | | Selling is the most indispensable | | | wing of marketing. It helps the | | | manufacturer to earn revenue by | | | expediting the flow of goods and | | | services and enables the cycle of | | | production and distribution | | | rotate smoothly. It provides link | | | between the producers and | | | consumers through salesmen. The | | | creative salesman not only | | | extends market for existing | | | products but also creates market | | | for the new products. | | | | | | 2. **Services to customers :** | | | | | | A customer gets his desired goods | | | and services from the salesmen. | | | The salesmen also give adequate | | | information about the goods and | | | services and guide the customers | | | to take wise decisions. The | | | customers get product knowledge | | | and other services from the | | | salesmen and derive satisfaction | | | from their spending. | | | | | | 3. **Helps the producers** | | | | | | The salesmen help the producers | | | by selling their products in the | | | market at the earliest | | | opportunity to earn revenue. The | | | producers multiply their profit | | | when the sales volume is high and | | | turnover is quicker. No producer | | | can survive without adequate the | | | support or the services of | | | effective salesmen. Manufacturers | | | can know about the demand for | | | goods from salesmen. | | | | | | 4. **Benefits the salesman** | | | | | | Salesmanship provides adequate | | | experience to salesman. A | | | salesman with experience and | | | skill increases the business of | | | the employer. In return the | | | employer gives more remuneration | | | and promotional benefits to the | | | salesman. So the salesman gains | | | training and pecuniary benefits | | | in this job. Travelling Salesmen | | | get the advantage of visiting a | | | number of places of commercial | | | and industrial importance. | | | | | | 5. **Importance to the state** | | | | | | Salesmanship helps in increasing | | | sales volume. When the volume of | | | sales increases the state | | | government earns more revenue by | | | way of taxes such as excise, | | | sales tax and income tax. The | | | state government gets easy supply | | | of essential commodities. | | | Salesmanship makes the | | | distribution of goods and | | | services smooth and regular which | | | avoids distribution crisis. | | | | | | 6. **Importance to Nation** | | | | | | The economic development and | | | growth of a country depends upon | | | the development of industry, | | | trade and commerce. Salesmanship | | | plays a vital role in the | | | development of industry, trade | | | and commerce. Hence salesmanship | | | is regarded a great force in the | | | national economic development. | | | Thus in the modern competitive | | | world, creative salesmanship is | | | of great national importance. | | | | | | 7. **International importance** | | | | | | The rapid globalisation has | | | raised the importance of salesman | | | in the international market. In a | | | global market, the domestic goods | | | enter the world market and | | | salesmen play a vital role in | | | pushing domestic goods to the | | | markets in different countries of | | | the world. | | | | | | 8. **Creates business** | | | | | | Salesmen helps the business unit | | | for the survival and growth of | | | their business. They create | | | demand, attract customers, | | | increase sales and profits and | | | promote goodwill. Creative | | | salesmanship helps to survive in | | | a situation of keen competition. | | | | | | 9. **Importance to society** | | | | | | The increase in sales volume | | | results in increase in business | | | as a whole. This results in | | | enhancement of national income, | | | per capita income, employment | | | opportunities, living standard of | | | the people of the society. This | | | also gives way for rapid | | | industrialisation and cultural | | | exchange between societies. | | | | | | 10. **Market evaluation** | | | | | | Salesmen helps in obtaining | | | timely feedback on consumer | | | behaviour, marketing decisions | | | and managerial decisions. These | | | information help the organisation | | | to evaluate the marketing efforts | | | and enable them to introduce | | | suitable new strategies without | | | any delay and difficulty. Utility | | | of salesmanship to consumers, | | | producers, salesmen society and | | | the government can be known from | | | its importance discussed above. | | | | | | **LIMITATIONS OF SALESMANSHIP** | | | | | | To-day's salesmanship is | | | challenging and professional. It | | | is a dynamic power in the field | | | of business which generates | | | revenue in the economy. | | | Consequent to the growth of the | | | scope of salesmanship, the | | | disadvantages or limitations | | | concerning salesmanship are also | | | increasing. Some of the important | | | limitations of salesmanship are | | | discussed below. | | | | | | 1. **Expensive :** | | | | | | As the job of salesman is | | | becoming rigorous and | | | professional, the cost involved | | | in salesmanship is increasing. | | | The training, promotion and | | | incentive to sales force requires | | | a lot of spending of money. Hence | | | salesmanship has become an | | | expensive job. | | | | | | 2. **Difficult Job :** | | | | | | Salesmanship is very difficult | | | and tiring job. The salesman has | | | to deal with many customers of | | | adverse attitude. He needs a lot | | | of patience, tact and confidence | | | to face such untoward situation. | | | | | | 3. **Fraudulent practice :** | | | | | | Fraudulent practices like | | | cheating and misrepresenting are | | | frequently seen in our economy. | | | Loyal, honest and sincere | | | salesmen are not found | | | everywhere. Due to such | | | fraudulent practices the innocent | | | customers are exploited. | | | | | | 4. **Misleading advertising :** | | | | | | The success of salesmanship | | | depends heavily on publicity and | | | advertising. When advertising | | | information is exaggerated, | | | misleading, the customers get | | | biased. Sometimes due to the poor | | | and misleading advertising, the | | | selling is affected adversely. | | | | | | 5. **Administrative problems :** | | | | | | As the sales force is increasing, | | | the firm has to face challenges | | | in the area of manpower | | | management. These challenges | | | involve a lot of administrative | | | problems. | +-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+ SALESMANSHIP Salesmanship is the level of skill one has in convincing people to buy or in persuading people to do something. It is the art of winning over the buyer's confidence so that a permanent goodwill may be built in his mind. Salesmanship is one of the skills used in personal selling. It is seller-initiated effort that provides prospective buyers with information and motivates or persuades them to make favourable buying decisions. TYPES OF SALESMANSHIP Salesmanship can be classified under the following categories: (i) Order taking salesmanship (ii) Traditional salesmanship (iii) Modern salesmanship (iv) Creative salesmanship (v) Competitive salesmanship (vi) Counter salesmanship (vii) Travelling salesmanship i. Order-taking salesmanship : In earlier days there was limited production and no competition to sell. The buyer used to take his own decision to buy. The order-taking salesman makes no creative effort but takes the order from buyers for supply of goods. ii. Traditional salesmanship : Traditional salesmanship is also an older practice where the seller does not take interest in the quality, price etc. He may quote different prices for same product to different customers. Most of the goods are sold in small general stores. iii. Modern salesmanship : Consequent upon industrial revolution, transport and communication facilities improved. Over production of goods brought competition in the market and the role of salesman to maintain and improve sales became significant. Advanced sales policies, advertising policies, market policies supplemented the role of salesman. Therefore, modern salesmanship is much improved skill of salesman. iv. Creative salesmanship : Creative salesmanship is the art of educating the public and converting their desire into demand. Such a salesman is also called the pioneer salesman. It kills the consumer's resistence and hesitation and wins their approval. It is the art of creating a sale when there is least willingness to buy and creating the desire to buy, overcoming the buying resistence. Modern salesmanship is creative in nature. It educates, persuades and creates the desire in the minds of prospects and converts needs into wants. It covers activities that results in searching new market, maintaining and strengthening existing demand. v. Competitive Salesmanship: Competitive salesmanship is the art of increasing sales under existing conditions. It aims at increasing sales so as to survive in the competitive market. To improve the performance the competitive salesman adopts various tactics such as reducing the selling price, offering discounts, liberalising credit terms, offering better sales service etc. Improvement in sales and disposal of stocks are overemphasized under competitive salesmanship. vi. **Counter salesmanship \\** Counter means a table in a shop across which goods are delivered to the customers and payments are received there. Counter salesmanship is the act of presenting and delivering goods to the customers in exchange of money or money's worth. The salesman does not move from door to door, but the customers come to him at the counter to buy the goods. So counter salesmanship is neither creative nor competitive in a nature. It is simply a routine device to hand over goods to customers. vii. **Travelling salesmanship** Travelling salesmanship is outdoor salesmanship. The travelling salesman moves from place to place to locate customers. The job of travelling salesman is very hard as he always moves from head or branch office to the customer's doors in his assigned sales territory. Travelling salesmanship is creative in nature for which travelling salesmen get higher remuneration. The distinctions between counter salesmanship and travelling salesmanship are discussed below: **SALESMAN** Selling is a challenging, rewarding and a professional job. A person who accepts the job of selling is known as a salesman. Salesman is a person who sells goods or services by virtue of his own competency. He is a very important person in the modern sales force. The salesman plays a very important role between production and consumption. His job is directly or indirectly helpful to manufacturers, wholesalers, retailers and also to the ultimate consumers. 4. **TYPES OF SALESMEN** On the basis of organisation and goods and services rendered, the salesmen may be classified into different types as follows : **(A) On the basis of organisation :** Salesmen may be classified according to the organisation they serve, in the following manner : **SALES ORGANISATION** -   -     1. **Manufacturer's Salesman :** In a manufacturer's organisation, three types of salesmen are found, namely, pioneer salesmen, dealer servicing salesmen and merchandising salesmen. ***i. Pioneer salesmen :*** Pioneer salesmen introduce new products of the manufacturer in the market. They convince the distributors, wholesalers, retailers to try the new products or product range. They are creative in nature. They take initiative in selling and create market for the new products with the help of their tactful, imaginative and aggressive efforts. They arrive at new sales areas well before the advertising compaigns.. i. ***Dealer Servicing Salesmen :*** The dealer-servicing salesmen collect orders from distributors, wholesalers, retailers and extend services to them. Their main job is to assure that the dealers are kept satisfied with regular supply of goods. They remain in regular touch with the dealers and perform more or less a routine type work. Their main work is rendering service. ii. ***Merchandising salesmen :*** Manufacturers employ merchandising salesmen for expansion and promotion of sales. These salesmen collect information regarding changing market conditions and give suggestions to the wholesalers, retailers etc. to promote their sales. They make a regular visits to the dealers and offer guidelines for improving location and layout, credit facilities and other components for sales promotion. 2. **Wholesaler's salesmen :** Wholesalers are the link between the manufacturers and retailers. Wholesaler's salesmen act as representatives of the wholesalers and frequently attend to the retailers. They convince the retailer and persuade them to stock the products of the wholesalers. They also guide their wholesalers and supply credit information about retailers and dealers. The vision, tact, honesty and industry of such salesmen pay rich dividend to wholesalers. 3. **Retailer's salesmen :** Retailers are middlemen between wholesalers and ultimate consumers. The retailer's salesmen try to sell the retailer's goods to the ultimate consumers. There are two types of retailer's salesmen, such as : iii. Indoor or Counter salesmen and iv. Outdoor or Travelling salesmen ***(i) Indoor or Counter salesmen :*** Counter salesmen work inside the shop and sell goods to the customers across the counter. They deal with a variety of goods and guide the customers in the selection of goods. They approach the customer promptly and courteously and help them to select goods of their choice. They usually do not argue with customers but tactfully create additional sales by reading the customers' additional needs. ***(ii)Outdoor or Travelling salesmen :*** Travelling salesmen always move from one place to another in search of potential customers. They are also called outdoor salesmen. They move from door to door to meet the potential customers and cater to their needs. They work under the instructions of their area or branch manager. They are hard-working as they have to withstand extreme climatic conditions and to stay away from their homes. Generally travelling salesmen possess sound health; they know about time and territory management and they are very loyal to their sales organisations. Because of the nature of work, travelling salesmen are paid better remuneration. **(B) On the basis of goods sold :** i. Staple salesmen \(ii) Specialty salesmen A staple salesmen is one who deals in necessaries of life such as food, clothes, shoes, grocery, stationery etc. Staple goods are needed by consumers for regular consumption and hence the sale of such goods faces keen competition. Staple salesmen should be very prompt and vigilant to reduce sales resistence. They have to put great deal of effort to retain cordial relationship with the customers. They should have thorough and latest knowledge about the products. A specialty salesman is one who specialises in selling goods such as television sets, refrigerators, computers, cars etc. Specialty goods are non-consumable, durable and not frequently purchased. Specialty salesmen should be creative, hard-working and skillful They convince the potential buyers about the goods through demonstration and educate them about the techniques of operation. These salesmen are paid better remuneration. New types of goods, new branded goods are usually sold by specialty salesmen. **(C) On the basis of services rendered :** Salesmen render valuable services to the customers. On the basis of services rendered they may be classified into the following five categories : i. Industrial salesmen ii. Service salesmen iii. House to House salesmen iv. Missionary salesmen v. Exporter's salesman ***(i) Industrial salesmen :*** Industrial salesmen sells machines, tools and equipments to manufacturers, industrial concerns, offices and business houses. They possess high degree of technical knowledge about the operations of their products and are capable of solving the problems of the buyers. They are tactful, persistent, persuasive and professional in their approach. Their job is more challenging and very important for the business. They are usually paid salary along with commission. ii. ***Service salesmen :*** Service salesmen sell only services. They do not sell tangible products. The service salesmen specialise in selling insurance, shares and other securities, advertising, travelling, services, computer services, consultancy services, reservation services, courier services, door delivery services etc. Their jobs are increasing due to development in life style of people. Such type of salesmen should be very honest, amicable and prompt in rendering service. When the customers get prompt and better services from such salesmen, the demand for the services increases and the salesmen are rewarded with good remuneration. ***House to House salesmen :*** These salesmen move from door to door and sell cheaper products like utensils, cosmetics, vegetables, toys etc. He can be a peddler carrying pack of goods on his back or he can be a hawker carrying the goods on an animal pulled cart or a hand cart or rickshaw or cycle etc. These salesmen shout or sing slogans to draw the attention of the prospective buyers. They know local language, taste and tradition and are very patient and polite in dealing with the local people. iii. ***Missionary salesmen :*** Missionary salesmen are engaged in developing new customers and new sales territories for new products. When the manufacturers or wholesalers want to introduce a new product in an existing market or in a new market, they appoint missionary salesmen. These salesmen are pioneer and promoter of the business and are adequately trained and experienced. They help the dealers to make store displays, train the salesmen of the retailer, wholesalers and also prepare advertisements for retailers. iv. ***Exporter's salesmen*** Exporter's salesmen sell goods in foreign markets or in foreign countries. They act as an intermediary agent and represent the domestic country and sell qualitative goods outside the country. They are usually familiar with foreign languages and foreign exchange rules and regulations. For their special knowledge and nature of job, they get higher remuneration. **FUNDAMENTALS OF SALESMANSHIP :** Salesmanship is a challenging profession. The cumulative effect of a multiplicity of factors is responsible for the successful working of this profession. We may term these factors as components or fundamentals of salesmanship. So it is essential that the fundamentals of success of salesmanship should be given due importance. The fundamentals of salesmanship are the three P's namely : PERSONALITY, PRODUCT and PEOPLE. **3.2 MEANING OF SALES PERSONALITY :** Personality is the most powerful element to establish good human relations. It is the magnetic force which attracts and influences others. In the field of sales and marketing, it is essential to influence the prospects by the salesman's personality. The success of the salesmen leads to the success of the business organisation. Sales personality is the aggregate of physical, mental, social and character qualities of a salesman which build up his personal ability to impress his customers. It is the general impression which he creates before others. According to H.W. Merton ''Personality is that personal distinction or dynamic force which is felt by everyone who comes within its radius''. The physique and features of a salesman together influence the impressions of customers to a great extent. Sales personality includes all the qualities of a good salesman. These may be expressed as traits, qualities, characteristics, aptitudes, attitudes or activities which build up an effective salesman. In a business organisation, the importance of sales personality is immense. The success of a salesman depends to a large extent on his ability to impress his customers. The importance of sales personality can be stated below : i. It helps to attract prospective customers. ii. It helps to make and hold friends. iii. It helps to multiply the sphere of sales activity. iv. It enables the salesman to be successful and prosperous. v. It develops the ability to influence others and thereby social prestige is gained. vi. It enables the salesman to adjust with the environment. **3.3 QUALITIES OF A GOOD SALESMAN :** To be a successful salesman, a salesman should have a wide range qualities. The sales personality is developed by acquiring such qualities. These qualities or traits can be categorised under the following four broad heads. hurts and have a patience that never tires.'' To be a successful salesman, one needs to develop the positive qualities or traits and avoid the negative qualities or traits. Let us now discuss these positive qualities or traits of a good salesman. The qualities as stated above are : I. Physical qualities or traits that get one into service and make highly successful. II. Mental / Psychological qualities or traits that get one into service and make highly successful. III. Social qualities or traits, that make one socially acceptable. (IV) Character qualities or traits, that keep one in the service. I. **PHYSICAL QUALITIES :** Physical qualities like sound health, good posture, impressive appearance, pleasant voice are to some extent inherent with the salesman. But these qualities can be improved to a large extent by appropriate training and care. Sound health, good posture, impressive appearance, pleasant voice, good health are some of the physical qualities. These are discussed below. a. ***Sound Health :*** Sound health implies that the salesman should possess full vigor of body and should be free from diseases. The job of salesmanship requires stamina, smartness and endurance, so sound or robust physique of the salesman make the job of salesmanship more effective. Nevertheless, if the salesmen are deficient of adequate physical energy, they can develop these qualities by proper dieting, exercise, rest and periodic medical consultance. Good physical condition also ensures a proper mental attitude and a good personal appearance to attract customers. b. ***Good Posture :*** Posture means the position of body when he stands, sits or moves. When a salesman stands erect with upright and balanced body, he looks confident and elegant. Good posture of salesman not only gives confidence to the salesman himself, but also impresses the customers and the owner. Good posture is an attracting element of personality and hence it is useful for the business and the salesman. c. ***Impressive appearance :*** The first impression lasts long. Good appearance of the salesman impresses the customers favourably. It builds confidence of salesman so as to present himself favourably to the prospective customers. Good appearance includes cleanliness, grooming and neat clothing. A good salesman should have a smiling face with clean shaving, hair, and nails well-cut. His dress should be clean and simple and his shoes should be well polished. A good appearance has also a psychological effect on himself. d. ***Pleasant voice :*** Voice is the expression of the salesman's feeling. His voice should be clear, fluent, pleasant and forceful so that the customers may like to interact with him. On the other hand, if the salesman's voice is course and not clear, then the customer can not understand him properly. Further, the salesman should be able to express himself in different languages, suitable to the different customers. A fine and well modulated voice becomes very effective in dealing with ladies and educated people. e. ***Good breath :*** Good breath implies that the salesman should not have bad odor from defective teeth, swollen gums or stomach disorder. As the salesman comes in contact with the customer, he must have a good breath. If he has slight bad and offensive breath, he should take immediate step to remove such defects. Offensive breath repels the customers and hence oral hygiene is of utmost importance for him. II. **MENTAL / PSYCHOLOGICAL QUALITIES :** Besides physical soundness, the salesman should be mentally sound and sharp. With the help of his mental sharpness, he can accurately understand the customer's needs, their buying motives and successfully close a sale. Dull, absent minded salesmen can not properly understand the customer's buying motives and hence prove unsuccessful in their job. So the mental qualities of a salesman has significant role in the selling process. Self confidence, alertness, memory, accuracy, imagination, observation, resourcefulness, initiative, enthusiasm are some of the important mental qualities. These are discussed below : a. ***Self - confidence :*** Self-confidence is the belief in oneself with regard to his knowledge and capabilities which the salesman should possess and cultivate. Adequate knowledge in the job and experience, raises the confidence level and enables the salesman to meet the unusual and abnormal situations with much ease. Due to high confidence level, the salesman is not perturbed by any situations and always well composed to face the customers. He can develop self-confidence through proper training and experience, and by avoiding mannerisms. b. ***Alertness :*** Alertness is the quick response of mind which requires the presence of mind as to what to say, how to say, when to say etc. Alertness is the mental power or readiness of mind to take quick and correct decisions. A salesman with an alert mind can serve to the best satisfaction of the customers. Alertness consists of keen power of observation and common sense to take quick decision. It helps him to size-up the customers and to deal with them properly. c. ***Memory :*** Memory is another important drive of a salesman. A salesman with a sharp memory can recognise the customers, recall his past interviews and foresee their requirements. A good salesman should keep a record of important points for future references. He can develop exceptional memory by going through such notes during his leisure. By virtue of good memory of the salesman the gap between salesman and the customers is minimised and better relation between them is developed. It is very closely connected with observation. d. ***Accuracy :*** The salesman should be very much accurate in his presentation. He should give up-todate, reliable and convincing information to the customers because most of the customers believe in such information. If his statements are wrong or misleading, the customers will lose their faith in him. Hence inaccurate statements may lead to loss of sale as well as loss of goodwill. While meeting objections of customers he has to convince them by stating facts and advantages of the products. e. ***Imagination :*** Imagination is needed to enable the salesman to see problems through the eyes of the prospects and to devise means for solving them. Salesman's imagination is his mental capability to visualize the problems and attitude of the customers. It makes him to see things in a wider perspectives. It helps to read the minds of the customers and enables the salesman to guide them to take right decisions. Proper imagination enables the salesman to understand the customer's problem correctly and extend useful suggestions to them to make wise decisions. Development of this quality helps him to become customer-minded. A salesman with proper imagination educates the customers. f. ***Observation :*** Observation means the keen interest of the salesman to know about things happening around him. This mental quality makes the salesman to observe minutely the changes that are taking place with regard to tastes, preferences, politics, technology, economy etc. The salesman also keenly observes the tastes, preferences etc. of products of rivals. This quality helps the salesman to persuade the customers for a good purchase. Salesman with keen observation immediately spots the important problems of customers, keeps them in mind and applies his knowledge and ability in solving them. He adapts himself to changing conditions. g. ***Resourcefulness :*** A resourceful salesman is creative in nature and has sufficient alternatives to solve problems of the customers. He makes various approaches to solve the problems or to remove the resistance of the customers. Adequate knowledge and creative attitude makes the salesman resourceful. Becoming resourceful requires a good foresight and a thorough knowledge of goods, the customers and their buying motives. h. ***Initiative :*** Initiative is the instinct or interest of salesman which enables him to work readily without waiting for instructions from any body. The salesman's interest to know the secrets of trade and his creative nature develops initiative within him. By virtue of proper initiative, a salesman works uninterruptedly and can sell more products both to regular and new customers. New salesmen have to be guided by senior salesmen or sales manager, but gradually they must become independent to be successful. He should initiate sales talk rather than waiting for customers to speak. i. ***Enthusiasm :*** Salesman's enthusiasm is the inspiration or the zeal or the curiosity to work. It encourages the salesman to work harder in a pleasant manner. The salesman should be prepared to give himself completely to the assigned job. j. ***Cheerfulness :*** It is a state of mind. Psychologically people want to associate themselves with cheerful persons, so that they will also be cheerful. A cheerful and happy salesman receives customers in a receptive frame of mind and makes an effective sale. III. **SOCIAL QUALITIES** Salesman as a social animal deals with men and women of the society. So, the salesman's social behaviour has a direct impact on the customers. The social qualities of a salesman includes the courtesy, empathy, tact, cooperation, manners etc. which he has to show in his job. These social traits are discussed below : a. ***Sociability or Ability to meet public :*** The salesman should be an extrovert and should have a great liking for people. The quality of readily mixing with others and making friendship with them, irrespective of caste, sex and age, makes the salesman sociable. He becomes the friend, philosopher and guide to his customers and gains a high social adoptability. On the other hand an introvert self centered person can not be a good salesman. A sociable salesman initiates talks, mentions selling points and feels happy in being admist many persons. b. ***Speech :*** Speech is a communicating skill. It is the art of expressing oneself. A salesman through his persuasive and pleasant speech, can easily convert a prospective buyer into a purchaser. This oral communication has a great impact in creating and maintaining sales in a business concern. Speech can be improved and can be made fluent, pleasant and effective through practice. The quality of speech can be further supplemented by developing command over English, Hindi and other regional languages. Faulty speech due to stammering, low pitch etc., may adversely affect sales personality. Salesmanship is said to be an oral communication. The talk of the salesman should be meaningful, logical, interesting and convincing. c. ***Tact or Skill :*** Tact is the art of speaking and doing things accurately without hurting others. It is the mental awareness of the salesman to tackle all kinds of situations. Tact helps the salesman to overcome objections and obstacles in sales programmes. A tactful salesman delivers appropriate words and actions in such a manner that the delicate situations are very easily dealt with. Tact or social intelligence is almost wholly acquired. d. ***Empathy*** Empathy is the ability to imagine and share the feelings of others. A good salesman should always try to probe into the thoughts and instincts of his customers. On the other hand his failure to understand the feelings of others may give rise to communication gap, difference of opinion and arguments etc. Empathy helps the salesman to be customers minded. e. ***Courtesy*** Courtesy means polity and modest behaviour. A good salesman treats the customers with respect and appreciation. Words like 'welcome', 'thank you' and actions like opening the door, offering a chair or a glass of water wins the hearts of customers. A courteous salesman wins the hearts of other and thereby attracts them towards his business unit. This trait is such an intangible asset which costs nothing but pays a lot. Salesman should practise some courtesy rule like not to be late for appointment, be polite to customers or receptionist, never losing his temper etc. f. ***Co-operation*** Co-operation is the collective action for mutual benefit. A salesman must co-operate with his fellow salesmen, his superiors, his juniors and the general public. The co-operative attitude develops the spirit of team-work and harmony. Personal differences on the part of salesman adversely affect the interest of the organisation. In order to cooperate, a salesman should be loyal to his organisation, loyal to his customers and loyal to his fellow-workers. g. ***Patience and tolerance*** A salesman has to face a large variety of customers with different characters and attitudes. He has to be patient in dealing with such people. He should not lose temper, but he should tolerate any unpleasant remark or situation. A good salesman remains calm and composed and easily tolerates the irritating remarks from others. Therefore patience and tolerance not only develops sales personality but also brings good business to the organisation. The salesman should have a patience that never tires. h. ***Good manners*** Good manners are the habits which recognise the salesman as an educated, civilised and cultured person. His polite and good behaviour in talking, walking and sitting constitute good manners. His good and gentle behaviour easily impress customers and builds up a good sales personality. If the salesman is unable to show good manners to customers, then he loses his sales personality and irritates most of the customers, resulting in losing sales. Manners not only make a man but they also mark him out. Mannerisms are bad manners, which must be avoided by salesman. i. ***Humour and sympathy*** Humour and sympathy are two important elements of a sales personality. These elements make the atmosphere friendly and minimise tension and seriousness. As the salesman tries to be friendly and sympathetic to the customers, the customers get attracted and reciprocate him with friendly attitude. IV. **CHARACTER QUALITIES** Moral qualities are character qualities. The qualities like honesty, integrity, loyalty, sincerity etc. are character qualities. These qualities add value to the sales personality and bring completeness to sales personality. The character qualities are described below : a. ***Honesty*** Honesty means speaking the truth and remaining impartial. The honest salesman should not cheat customers, rather he should be frank and truthful to them. If the salesman tries to exaggerate facts or cheats his customers, or sells duplicate goods, charges more than reasonable prices, the customers lose faith in him. The salesman should believe that 'honesty is the best policy', specially in salesmanship. A salesman should be honest in his dealings and statements and keep his promise so that permanent goodwill with the customers can be founded. Fruits of honesty are more lasting and more enjoyable. b. ***Integrity*** Integrity is the sum of the uprightness of character, moral soundness, good manners, honesty, fulfillment of promises and strength of character. There is no substitute for this quality. A salesman with high integrity creates a good impression upon his employer, fellow salesmen and customers. In selling, integrity includes doing nothing that is against the interest of the customers or the sales organisation. c. ***Loyalty*** A good salesman should be loyal to the organisation, and its products, his customers and his fellow workers. Loyalty means the willingness to obey, cooperate and work as per the desire of the organisation, customers and colleagues. The salesman should keep the objectives of his organisation above his personal goals. A loyal salesman works within his framework to be affected adversely. Such moral trait brings a good sales personality to the salesman and develops reliability on the part of the employer. A sincere salesman tries to present his ideas, product in a genuine and dependable manner. He is very sincere and convincing in performing his job to customers, superiors and also to juniors. He attempts to perform his job without any negligence. Sincerity pays high dividend in the long-run. e. ***Courage*** Courage means the guts to face challenging situations. The challenging situations may be a new venture, difficult venture or unpleasant situations. A good salesman must have enough courage to tackle such unpleasant situations. f. ***Determination, Industriousness, persistence and enthusiasm*** Determination means the will or firmness to stick to the assigned task. Patience and perseverance are the essential elements of determination. A strongly determined salesman works calmly and patiently and achieves difficult targets successfully. Industriousness means the ability to work hard. It indicates persistent work to achieve a desired goal. Persistence means to try and try again until one achieves his goal, and enthusiasm means the zeal. A good salesman must have all the above qualities to be a good salesman. g. ***Maturity*** Maturity means a balanced social adoptability. A matured salesman is not perplexed by adverse situations. He accepts bad and good situation gracefully. His decisions are not whimsical but quite balanced whereby he can easily avoid unpleasant situations. **IMPROVING SALES PERSONALITY** A salesman may be born with some good qualities which add to his sales personality. The nature of sales personality depends to some extent on heredity and environment. But the physical, mental, social and character qualities can be made better and the sales personality can be improved to a significant extent. Proper environment and training can improve the sales personality. Some of the ways to improve sales personality are discussed below : 1. Regular exercise and medical checkup can improve health, posture, appearance etc. 2. Parlours can improve appearance, voice and also can remove bad breath. 3. Training and exposure to the job sharpens one's working capabilities. 4. The salesman follows and learns many things from the senior fellow salesmen. 5. The can undertake spoken language courses. 6. Patience and tolerance can be developed within the salesman by working with senior friends and through experience. 7. Self-improvement can be done through self-assessment programmes. 8. Proper supervision and training can also improve good behaviour, honesty and integrity of a salesman. By eliminating or avoiding negative qualities, sales personality can be improved. On the whole, sales personality can be improved through proper training and regular assessment. Therefore, we can say that most of the salesmen are made rather than born. SELLING PROCESS =============== **7.1 INTRODUCTION** Knowledge of the product, knowledge of customers and their buying motives are no doubt, important for successful selling, but the salesman must remember that the entire buying process is a mind game. Understanding the sequence of actions and reactions that take place in the mind of the customer before making the final decision to buy, is still more important which the salesman cannot afford to ignore. He must know well the intricacies of the mind game or the psychological process behind buying. The ultimate objective of a salesman is to make the buyer buy. To achieve this objective the salesman must take a series of logical steps like inform, stimulate, persuade convince and move the buyer to act. All these activities undertaken by the salesman are called selling process from buyers point of view. Selling and buying are just like two sides of a coin- one side is represented by the sellers and the other side by buyers. One cannot stand without the other. Therefore, 'Selling process' can be viewed from two different angles-one from the buyers and other from the sellers angles. Below we have discussed selling process from buyers' point of view. **7.2 SELLING PROCESS FROM THE BUYERS POINT OF VIEW** **Psychology in selling: selling as a mental process--** Goods are sold in the market not because salesman sell them, but because the buyer buys them. Thus buying is the cause and selling is the 'effect' and not the vice versa. Buyer is the epicenter of all selling activities. His needs, wants, likes, dislikes, ability, interest etc. prevail over the market and he pulls the final shot in any selling contract. The role of a salesman is just like that of a facilitator who assist the buyer in his buying. Customer or the buyer being the KING, his desire, likes and dislikes rule supreme, and it is the salesman's duty to attend to all his whims and fancies. Therefore, it can be said that selling is simply a buying process and everything revolves round the buyer. Psychology of the buyer is the most important factor in any selling effort. His interest, wants, satisfaction-all are subject matters of psychology. It is the buyers mind that takes the final decision whether to buy or not ? After knowing about the product's features, advantages and benefits to be derived from product, from the salesman, the buyer's mind moves through a sequence of psychological activities to reach the final decision. Therefore, it has been said that 'sales takes place in the mind of the customer, not in the shop. It is a mental process rather than a physical process. Therefore sales effort must be designed and directed at influencing the customer's mind, then only it can become successful. **Stages in selling process :** The mental process of selling involves certain stages. These stages are in a logical sequence starting from identification of the need to its actual satisfaction. A pictorial presentation of the stages can be made as follows : **[Action]** **[Conviction]** This process is known as AIDCA process, where 'A' stands for attention, 'I' for interest. 'D' for Desire, 'C' for Conviction and 'A' for Action. The mind of the customer moves from one stage to another in a sequential order to arrive at the buying decision. The salesman must frame or organise his sales talk in such a manner that he draws the attention of the prospect, develops his interest in product, creates a desire to have the product convince him that the product will fullfil the need and finally make the prospect buy the product. Thus the sales presentation must match the mental process of the prospect. **Attention :** Drawing attention is the 1st stage in the selling process. The prospective buyer must be made aware of the existence of the product. What the salesman is offering must come to the notice of the prospect first. There are different techniques used for drawing attention of the would be buyers like advertising, window displays, allowing the prospect to hold and handle the product, providing complementary samples, giving the names of other celebrity users etc. **Interest :** The second logical stage in the, selling process is creating prospect's interest in the product. The salesman can arouse the interest of the prospect by telling him the important features of the product, its utility and uniqueness. Demonstration of the product is considered to be a very effective method of awakening customer's interest. The salesman while talking with the prospect can also identify his buying motives and can make an appeal to them for increasing the customers interest in the product. Customers should be encouraged to ask questions clarify their doubts, if any. **Desire :** Arousal of the desire to possess or enjoy the product follows the arousal of interest. Once interest in the product is created the salesman, by highlighting the important selling points of the product, must convince the prospect that the product is worth possessing or is a desirable thing. For this purpose he must clear all the doubts of the customer and prepare the customers mind longing for the product. **Conviction :** At this stage the customer is convinced that what the salesman is offering are going to satisfy his wants and he must have it or possess it. This stage is achieved when all the confusion, doubts and objections in his mind relating to the product are cleared. By providing guarantees warranties, buying back promises the salesman can also win the confidence of the buyer and help him in reaching the conviction stage. **Action :** The final stage in the selling process is securing action, which means help making an would be buyer, the real buyer. For this purpose the salesman again has to emphasise on the product's utility, comparative advantages, after sale services like door delivery, repairs etc. and keep the customer obsessed with the idea of having the product and hasten the final deal. **7.2.1 Selling process from the Seller's point of view :** 1. Prospecting 2. Pre-approach 3. Approach 4. Presentation & Demonstration 5. Meeting of objections 6. Closing of sale **7.3 PROSPECTING** In marketing terminology the word prospect refers to a person or unit that has the potential to buy a product or service offered by the salesman. Prospecting is the method of finding out potential buyers or would-be customers. It is the first step in the selling process and involves searching and identifying the probable buyers. We call a probable prospect a prospect when the following conditions are satisfied: I. The probable prospect has a need for the product or service offered. II. The probable prospect has the ability to buy the product or service. **Importance of Prospecting :** As a geologist prospects for oil, gas or minerals under the earths crust a salesman must prospects for potential buyers in the market. Prospecting is considered as key to success in both the cases. In a competitive market the salesman cannot sit and wait for the customers, he must find them out and make them come to his shop. The significance of effective prospecting can be well understood from the following points: The objective of every business house is to increase sales. For increasing sales the number of buyers must increase. To increase number of buyers the salesman must tag in more prospects. More prospects and more buyers help the business to grow and salesman to prosper. In course of business, every business house lose some customers, how hard they may try to retain them all. To replace such loss of customers in due course, the salesman must always be in search of new prospects. For maintaining and extending the demand for the firm's product, continuous prospecting is essential. Change in business environment like demography-income- purchasing power,