Developing a Personal Selling Philosophy Part I

CHAPTER

Learning Objectives
To Understand:
The definition of personal selling The three prescriptions for a personal selling philosophy The emergence of relationship selling in the Age of Information The rewarding aspects of a sales career

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Learning Objectives
To Understand:
Different employment settings in selling today How personal selling skills:
Have become one of the master skills in the Information Age Contribute to knowledge workers work.

The four major sources of sales training

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Personal Selling: A Definition

Person-to-person communication with a prospect Personal selling is a process of:
Developing relationships Discovering needs Matching products with needs Communicating benefits

A process that adds value

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Personal Selling: A Philosophy

Involves three prescriptions:
Adopt the marketing concept Value personal selling Assume the role of problem solver or partner

These are part of the Strategic/Consultative Selling Model

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Personal Selling
Stages of a sales call:
The approach Needs discovery Presentation Negotiation of buyer concerns The close

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Shift in Emphasis: The Information Age

FIGURE

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Shift in Emphasis: The Information Age

Four major developments:
1. Major advances: Information technology and electronic commerce; social media 2. Strategic resource is information

3. Business defined by customer relationships

4. Sales process depends on adding value

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Considerations: Future in Personal Selling

Wide range of employment opportunities Wide range of tasks = Need variety of skills Freedom to manage time and activities Above average financial and psychic income Opportunities for advancement Opportunities for women

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Employment Settings in Selling Today

Inside salespeople
Inbound
Outbound

Outside salespeople
Both inside and outside salespeople often work closely together

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Selling Through Channels

Salespeople selling to consumers = B2C or business-to-consumer sales Salespeople selling to businesses = B2B or business-to-business sales

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Career Opportunities: Service Channel

Involves both B2C and B2B sales About 80% of US labor force is employed in service sector Examples of service channel careers:
Hotel, motel, convention center Telecom services Financial sales Media sales Real estate Insurance Business services
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Career Opportunities: Business Goods Channel

Involves both inside and outside sales Examples of business goods channel careers:
Industrial salespeople Sales engineer or application engineer Field salespeople Missionary salespeople

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Career Opportunities: Consumer Goods Channel

B2C sales Includes both retail sales and direct selling Abound in a number of product areas Examples of consumer sales careers:
Automotive sales Jewelry sales Clothing sales Computer sales Any sales position that sells directly to the consumer
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Learning to Sell: Four Sources

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

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Knowledge Workers in the Information Economy

Knowledge workers = Work effort is centered around creating, using, sharing, and applying knowledge. Examples of knowledge workers include:
Managerial personnel Professionals (accountants, consultants, lawyers, architects, engineers, etc.) Entrepreneurs Marketing personnel and customer service reps

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Learning to Sell: Corporate-Based Training

Many firms have established programs
Millions spent in training each year Salespeople among most intensively trained employees Training for consultative selling = Few months to a year Some web-based training used

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Learning to Sell: Commercial Vendors

Sales Performance International
www.spisales.com

Achieve Global
www.achieveglobal.com

Integrity Systems, Inc.

www.integritysystems.com

Wilson Learning Worldwide

www.wilsonlearning.com

Huthwaite, Inc.
www.huthwaite.com

Dale Carnegie Institute, Inc.

www.dalecarnegie.com

Miller Heiman, Inc.

www.millerheiman.com

Richardson E Learning
www.richardson.com

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Learning to Sell: Certification Programs

Many salespeople are returning to the classroom to earn certification in sales or a sales-related area.

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Learning to Sell: Colleges & Universities

Many community colleges and undergraduate business schools offer sales training.
Sales training is an important part of MBA programs. The University Sales Center Alliance was established in 2002 to advance the sales profession.
www.universitysalescenteralliance.org

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