Sales Management: Products and Services. Dr Jae K Shim

on appearance has been erroneous and based on individual prejudice. Salespersons vary in height, weight, and physical looks. To be successful, one does not have to be tall; to be trusted, one does not have to have blue eyes. More important than inherited physical traits are the actions the salesperson takes to keep neat, well groomed, and well dressed. Although successful salespeople will vary considerably in height, weight, and physical looks, almost all of them will be neat and properly dressed.

Good health

      Good health is the most precious gift a person can possess. The salesperson should watch her diet, exercise regularly, rest a sufficient numbers of hours, and be careful not to abuse her body. Such care will prolong her life and also help her to be a more effective and productive salesperson.

Poise and composure

      The person who has poise and composure is well controlled and well mannered. She does not “fly off the handle” and is able to “keep her cool” in trying situations. She is also tactful, and has an air about her that instills confidence and respect in those who observe her. Hence, poise and composure are qualities necessary not only to be an effective leader but to be an effective salesperson as well.

Sincerity and honesty

      Sincerity means taking a genuine interest in serving the buyer. This is a quality that all prospects look for and attempt to measure in the salesperson. If the buyer feels that the salesperson is insincere, he will lack confidence in what the salesperson says or does. Accordingly, it will be extremely difficult, if not impossible, for the salesperson to convince the prospect that he should buy her product or service. Sincerity must be real and genuine. It cannot be faked, for prospects can consciously or unconsciously feel it. Honesty is closely related with sincerity and requires that the salesperson be truthful in what she says and does for the customer. It means being upright in your activities as a salesperson and selling as you would like to be sold.

Developing necessary qualifications

      Some qualifications are easier to develop or teach than others. For example, a salesperson can learn about her product, can be taught how to dress well, can learn proper grammar, and how to speak effectively. However, developing such qualifications as creativity, sincerity, being a self-starter, and determination and persistence are extremely difficult to teach, and in some cases, even impossible to teach. These latter qualifications present more serious problems for sales managers, and continued training is necessary to develop or improve them.

      

Indicate whether each of the following statements is true or false

      1.The salesperson should worry about her problems

      2.The most successful salespeople are sensitive to the feelings and interests of others.

      3.Most customers are sold on the first sales call.

      4.Most salespeople are carefully supervised and have set schedules and duties.

      5.Successful salespeople learn one sales presentation and perfect it, and have little need to adapt to different buyers.

      6.The necessary qualifications and characteristics for becoming a successful salesperson can all be taught to any individual.

       Answer

      1.False. The “right mental attitude” is to minimize worry and to concentrate on the positive aspects of solving problems.

      2.True. Salespeople who have empathy, or the ability to analyze how others are reacting to what they are saying or doing, have a tremendous advantage in attempting to convince prospects of the merits of products and services.

      3.False. It often requires several repeat calls before a sale is achieved, and in some cases the call-sales ratio may be as great as 5 to 1 or even higher.

      4.False. Salespeople generally have a great deal of freedom and are not closely supervised. This means that they must supervise themselves and have a high degree of personal initiative.

      5.False. All buyers tend to be different, and each sales situation requires a somewhat different approach. Salespeople must be creative, which means that they must be alert and look for new approaches to solving problems. Selling is an art of adapting to varying circumstances.

      5.False. Some of them can, but others like creativity, sincerity, being a selfstarter, and so on, are extremely difficult to teach, and in some cases, even impossible to teach.

       CHAPTER 3

       Selling as a Career

      Selling offers many career opportunities, for there are many different types and levels of selling. A person can sell a product or a service; she can sell to wholesalers, retailers, or ultimate consumers; and the product or service she sells can be technical or nontechnical. Methods for paying the salesperson are also more varied than in many other types of jobs. She can be paid on a straight commission basis, a straight salary, or a combination of these two methods with many variations. In many selling jobs, earnings are unlimited and geared to the ability of the individual. In general, salespeople will receive significantly higher salaries than other business workers, particularly after they have become established and built up a clientele.

      Another very important advantage of selling is that it is one of the main roads for promotion or advancement within the company. This is generally true because selling is the only business function which generates direct revenue and profits. Accounting, finance, production/operations, general management, personnel administration, and other related business activities are all expense operations. However, nothing happens until the product or service is sold; and the success or failure of all these business activities are measured by what happens in selling. This is why it receives major attention and is the hub or pivot point of all business activity. Note: Selling is the most important function in business. Everything else (that is, accounting, finance, operations, and the like) is secondary. In a nutshell, you have to have money to count.

      Work in selling is varied, challenging, and interesting. There is continuous contact with many different types of people, and each sales situation is uniquely different. No two customers are the same, and most products and services are constantly changed and improved to meet the varying demands of the marketplace. Almost every day there are new challenges and opportunities which make the work of the salesperson very dynamic and interesting. She also gains considerable pride and personal satisfaction in representing a reputable company and in helping customers solve their problems.

      A career in selling also provides considerable freedom and independence in comparison with many other types of jobs in business. A field salesperson does not automatically begin each day at 8 A.M. and end it at 5 P.M. Nor does she punch a time clock and work under the daily supervision of a boss. On the contrary, as discussed in Chapter 2, in many types of selling the salesperson has complete freedom in determining when she will work, where she will work, how long, whom she will call on, and what she will do. Of course, she must periodically report to a sales manager, and her performance is carefully evaluated. She is generally rewarded in proportion to her abilities.

      Finally, a successful salesperson has a skill which is highly transferable and is in constant demand. If she can sell one product or service well, with a little training she is generally capable of selling other products or services. The need for selling is universal; for although buyers will vary, they still buy many of the same products and services regardless of where they live.

Disadvantages of selling

      As with all types of work, selling has some disadvantages. Many people dislike the high degree of persistence and personal discipline which is necessary for success in