4/30/2020 Types of Salespersons | Management Study HQ

Types of Salespersons
Order Takers
Order takers are not expected to persuade customers to buy the company’s products or
increase their quantity of purchase. They are supposed to book customer orders and pass on
the information to relevant people in the company. They are expected to be accurate. They are
also expected to·have information about when the order that has been booked will be
delivered to customers.

Customers will often enquire about the delivery date from them and they should have
answers. Order takers are also being prompted to at least prod customers to buy certain other
products of the company besides the ones that they are already are buying or increase their
quantities of purchase.

Inside Order Takers

Retail sales assistants are typical inside order takers. The customer has full freedom to choose
products without the presence or in uence of a salesperson. The salesperson’s task is
transactional. He receives payments and passes over the goods to the customers.

Delivery Salespeople
Delivery salespeople are primarily concerned with delivering the product. There is little
attempt to persuade customers to increase the order. Changes in order size are customer
driven. Though delivery salespeople do not try to in uence demand, winning and losing an
order is heavily dependent on reliability of delivery.

Outside Order Takers

Salespersons visits the customer, but they primarily respond to customer requests rather than
actively seek to persuade them. They are being replaced by the more cost-e cient
telemarketing teams who call customers and book their orders.

Order Creators
The prime objective of order getters is to convince customers to buy the company’s products.
At some stage in the order-getting process the salesperson should understand customer
requirements and convince him that his company’s products serve his requirements best.
Some salespersons get too excited about persuading the customers to buy the company’s
products.

Customers feel embarrassed and angry when a salesperson becomes very insistent though
the customer has made it clear that he does not want the product. A salesperson should avoid
such situations and should gracefully back o when the customer does not seem interested in
the product. If salespersons do not take this precaution, the tribe of salespersons would be
collectively shunned by customers.

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Missionary Salespeople
In some industries/ notably pharmaceuticals and building industry, the sales task is not to
close the sale but to persuade the customer to specify the seller’s products. Medical
representatives calling on doctors cannot make a direct sale since the doctor does not buy
drugs but prescribes them for patients. Architects also act as speci ers rather than buyers. In
these situations, the selling task is to educate and build goodwill for the company.

Order Getters
Order getters are in typical selling jobs where the major objective is to persuade the customer
to make a direct purchase. These are frontline sales people who are supported by technical
support sales people and merchandisers

New Business Salespeople: The selling tasks are to win new businesses by identifying and
selling to prospects. These salespersons should maintain good relations with current
customers who can provide them leads. They should also be prepared to make a lot of cold
calls and visits.

Organizational Salespeople: They maintain close long-term·relationships with

organizational customers. These salespersons should be very sensitive to customers’
problems on a day-to-day basis. They have to act as mediators between the customer and
the functional departments of their own company. The selling job may involve team selling
where sales people are supported by product and nancial specialists.

Consumer Salespeople: They sell products and services such as cars, insurance to
individual customers. These salespeople have to be sensitive to customers’ time and they
should not be insistent even when customers have declined to buy. Sensing that a customer
does not the want the product is as important as sensing that he may want the company’s
product. A consumer salesperson should be always wary of putting o the customers by
being too persistent. Exemplary behavior is imperative for consumer salespersons.

Technical Support Sales People: Where a product is highly technical and the negotiations
are complex, a salesperson may be supported by product and nancial specialists who can
provide the detailed technical and nancial information required by customers. This may be
on-going as part of a key account team or as temporary basis with the specialist being
called into the selling situation whenever required.

Merchandisers: They provide sales support in retail and wholesaling selling. Sales to
individual outlets are supported by merchandisers who give advice on display, implement
sales promotions, check stock levels, and maintain contact with store managers.

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Sonia Kukreja
I am a mother of a lovely kid, and an avid fan technology, computing and management related topics. I
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