Reflecting on the success of Vivek Gupta, the IBM salesman, chapter nineteen, discusses personal selling and sales management strategies. Over the years, personal selling has become a lucrative career since salespersons often add value to a product or the selling process (Grewal & Levy, 2011).
In the concept of value addition, this chapter identifies the elements of information and advice, simplified buying, and relationship building. Under information and advice, personal sellers are in the best position to explain and present a product to a customer, in the most accurate and professional manner. On the other hand, the element of simplified buying encompasses the activities of personal sellers that are aimed at saving time during the buying process, such as the proper arrangement of products in a store. In addition, the element of relationship-building involves the use of the sales language to win trust and loyalty among customers (Grewal & Levy, 2011).
The process of personal selling is summarized in the chapter as consisting of five steps. These steps are generating and qualifying leads, developing a pre-approach strategy, actual presentation, closing the sale, and carrying out a follow-up. These stages begin with identifying a lead in the targeted market, after which the personal seller creates an ideal customer approach strategy. When this is properly balanced, it is easy to ‘close the sale’ and later carry out after-sales follow-up (Grewal & Levy, 2011).
It is important to develop appropriate strategies for managing a sales force in a company. The management process should begin with the recruitment of a dynamic team. This may be followed by training and motivational strategies in the form of financial and non-financial rewards to inspire optimal performance. The chapter concludes by defining the scope of personal selling ethics as revolving around promoting a healthy relationship between the salesperson and the customer. It is possible to carry out ethical product marketing and sales by presenting accurate information to customers (Grewal & Levy, 2011).
The scope of personal selling consists of a complete communication channel between the customer and the seller through modes such as video conferencing, face-to-face, and the internet, among others. Personal selling may be active in the business-to-business transaction and business-to-customer.
Properly designed marketing and product distribution management system facilitates the success and sustainability in marketing since it operates within stipulated strategies for effective personal selling. To increase credibility and maintain professionalism, the product selling channels should encompass processes and features that flawlessly facilitate healthy and lifetime relationships between the seller and its clients. This can be achieved through motivating the salesperson through financial and other forms of rewards. Since the salesperson forms the link between the company and a customer, a well-trained salesperson may complete the formula for sustainable product selling.
Perceptions are unique ways through which consumers internalize and interpret information about a product. The perception could be in relation to price, quality, and quantity. The emotional perspective of consumer behavior represents an effective view of consumer behavior. For example, emotions are caused by exposure to a particular stimulus, such as the persuasive language of a salesperson. Emotion is positively related to consumer attitude. This is the general evaluation that consumers engage in before deciding to purchase a product. When a salesperson presents accurate information about a product, which appeals to prejudice and the ideals of a customer, it is easy to create a sustainable relationship between the customer and the product.
Reference
Grewal, D., & Levy, M. (2011). Marketing (3rd ed.). London, UK: McGraw-Hill Education. Web.