Even after creating an impeccable product and performing outstanding market research, one may encounter challenges when trying to sell the said product to the target buyers. The issue of sales management is particularly complicated due to the personal factors shaping customers’ attitudes toward a product or service that a company strives to promote. Grewal and Levy (2020) stipulate that the use of personal selling allows adding extra value to a product or service, which is a reasonable claim, yet it puts additional pressure on a business. Since establishing a personal rapport with each customer is impossible, organizations need to compromise, using a template approach for subscribed customers. As a result, personalizing the message becomes excessively hard.
As a rule, the personal selling process is split into six steps. These are the stages of generating quality leads, designing an approach, presenting sales and managing barriers, closing the sale, and conducting a follow-up (Grewal & Levy, 2020). In this context, the understanding of the sales force is indispensable. To direct the sales force in the right way and maximize its efficacy, one should analyze its structure, recruit people capable of managing sales, train and motivate them, and conduct an evaluation of their performance. The proposed course of action will allow one to develop a consistent sales management strategy. Furthermore, one must comply with the ethics of sales management to reinforce the rapport with buyers. Namely, the issue of personal data safety, as well as the task of maintaining honesty and integrity, must be addressed accordingly. For instance, when being asked about competitors and the quality of a product, one might find it tempting to describe the rivals’ product as inferior, yet it is essential to answer honestly and directly.
Reference
Grewal, D., & Levy, M. (2020). Marketing (7th ed.). McGraw-Hill Education.