Answer: ‘personal
communication of information to unselfishly persuade a prospective customer to buy
a product, service, idea to satisfy needs’.
2.
What are the three types of sales support structures?
Answer: self-support, core team support and external support.
3.
what are the major roles of a salesperson?
Answer: sales role, marketing role and customer relationship role.
4.
True or False: A sales role is meant to achieve long-term results using aggressive techniques?
Answer: False.
A sales role is meant to achieve SHORT-TERM results using aggressive techniques.
5.
What are at least two reasons for becoming a salesperson?
Answer: ■ the opportunity to serve others by helping them;
■ the variety of sales jobs available;
■ freedom and independence;
■ the challenges that a sales career offers;
■ opportunities for advancement; and
■ financial and non-financial rewards
MNM3703 – Sales Management
Summary Notes
Chapter 1 – Sales Career and the Selling Process
Overview of personal selling
- Personal selling has become a more professional job of identifying customers’ needs, giving them
advice and building long-term relationships with them to ensure repeat business.
- Changes in personal selling that have contributed to selling becoming a profession have been triggered
by:
extensive development of products and services,
the population increase,
technological improvements.
- Marketing and selling are not synonymous. Selling is one of many marketing components.
- Selling can be defined as the ‘personal communication of information to unselfishly persuade a
prospective customer to buy a product, service, idea to satisfy needs.
- A professional salesperson can be defined as a specialist in the art of influence; comprehensively well-
informed about at least one product category or service industry; familiar with human behaviour; be
able to implement self-management; a motivated and well-organized self-starter; a decent, flexible,
enthusiastic, and even-tempered individual capable of dealing with a wide variety of complicated and
knowledgeable people.
- There are three types of sales support structures that help customers and the salesperson at any stage
of the selling process:
self-support (salespeople are responsible for all sales-related activities themselves);
core team support (cross-functional selling teams under supervision of the sales manager);
external support (external, centralised department that provides support outside the chain of
command)
Roles of the Salesperson
- Although salespeople may have identical job titles and responsibilities, they view their roles differently.
The three major roles of salespeople are:
The sales role – to stimulate demand and persuade customers that they need a product or
service. Meant to achieve short-term results by using aggressive selling techniques.
The marketing role – meets the needs of both customers and the business by developing and
applying sales strategies in the selling process, with emphasis on problem-solving. Needs of the
customer are considered, while the salesperson’s primary objective is to close the sale.
, The customer relationship (partnering) role – builds and maintains relationships with customers
by being customer-oriented, to create value and develop solutions to maximize profit for both
parties. Develops long-term relationships.
The major differences between the customer relationship role and the other roles are the focus
on interpersonal communications and the salesperson’s objective of building and maintaining
the relationship with the customer instead of maximizing profits over the short term. A further
unique aspect of the customer relationship role is the shift in emphasis from the individual
salesperson to the selling team.
Drivers of change in sales management and selling
- Customer needs have changed, giving rise to an adaptation of the sales role to these new needs.
Salespeople have had to change from solution sellers to client consultants and partners, with the
emphasis of the selling role on customer relations management (CRM).
- Changes in the selling role of the salesperson influence the sales manager’s task, in that the sales
manager must:
create a customer-driven culture within the sales team.
find and employ salespeople with skills and abilities that fit the changed sales role.
train and develop the right skills.
implement formal selling processes.
ensure that the sales force can leverage the right technology at the right time in the selling
process.
and integrate the other business functions with sales.
- To compete in today’s selling environment, the sales manager must reinvent the sales organisation by
concentrating on these critical drivers:
building long-term relationships with customers.
developing a sales organisation structure that is adaptable to all the customers’ needs.
creating a feeling of job ownership and commitment in salespeople.
shifting sales management style from commanding to coaching.
leveraging technology for success.
integrating salesperson performance evaluation.
being aware of the drivers of change in selling.
Selling as a career
- The major reasons for choosing sales as a career are:
the opportunity to serve others by helping them
the variety of sales jobs available
freedom and independence
the challenge that a sales job offers
opportunity for advancement
financial and non-financial rewards (salaries, commissions, bonuses, incentive prizes, company
vehicles, etc.)
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through EFT, credit card or Stuvia-credit for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying this summary from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller moonwalker944. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy this summary for R50,00. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
