Chapter 16
Personal Selling and
Customer Service
Personal Selling
Often the single largest operating expense
1 out of 10 in the labour force is in sales work
Increasing professionalism
Good selling means helping the customer to buy
Represent both organisation and customer
Market information
Planning strategy and allocating effort
Basic sales tasks
Supporting
Order
Taking
Order
Getting
Sales job may involve
a blend of sales tasks
Supporting Salespeople
MISSIONARY SALESPEOPLE
Supporting salespeople who work for producers, calling on their intermediaries and the intermediaries' customers
TECHNICAL SPECIALISTS
Supporting salespeople who provide technical assistance to order-oriented salespeople
Telemarketing
Using the telephone to "call" on customers or prospects
Rapidly growing in popularity
Reduces travel time and expense
Especially useful for small accounts of less expensive products
Often used to identify good prospects
Typically uses a prepared sales presentation
Sales Territory
Bases for setting sales territories
Geographic areas
Customer types
Account size
Products to be sold
Any combination of the above
a geographic area that is the responsibility of one or more salespeople.
Salespeople Selection and Training
A written job description lays the ground work—by specifying what tasks the salesperson needs to be able to do
Commonly used selection tools are best when used in combination:
multiple interviews with several different people
personnel and psychological tests
background checks
Initial and on-going training can help both experienced and inexperienced salespeople
company policies and practices
product information
selling techniques (and customer knowledge)
Sales Compensation depends on desire for:
Control
Incentive
Flexibility
Simplicity
Selling Compensation Alternatives
Straight commission
Combination plan
Straight salary
Sales volume
Total
selling
expense
Key Steps in
Personal Selling Process
Prospecting
Follow-up After
the Sales Call
Select Target Customer
Plan Sales Presentation
- prepared presentation
- need satisfaction approach
- selling formula approach
Make Sales Presentation
- create interest
- meet objections
- arouse desire
Close Sale
(get action)
Follow-up After
the Sale
Set Effort Priorities
Sales Presentations
The salesperson's effort to make a sale should be carefully planned
Three basic approaches
prepared ("canned") sales presentation
consultative selling approach
selling formula approach
Need-satisfaction
approach to sales
presentations
Prepared
approach
to sales
presentations
Selling-formula
approach to sales
presentations
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The GAPs Model of Service Quality
Product and service
Products and service
delivery
Product and service
Customer-driven product
and service designs
and standards
Company perceptions of
customer expectations
External communications
to customers
CUSTOMER
COMPANY
Gap 1
Gap 2
Gap 3
Gap 5
Gap 4
Actions taken by Consumers in response to Product Dissatisfaction
Dissatisfaction
occurs
Take action
Take no action
Take some form
of private action
Take some form
of direct action
Take some form
of public action
Stop buying
that product/
brand/store
Warn friends
about product/
brand/store
Complain to
manufacturer/
retailer
Seek redress
from business
Take legal
action to
obtain redress
Complain to
private or
governmental
agencies
Relationship Marketing
Places particular emphasis on long-term customer satisfaction
Involves focused selection of specific customers and prospects
Comprises strategies to build and develop long-lasting and profitable relationships with these customers
Recognises that many sales situations require more than just a single business transaction
