Industrial Marketing

Group-6
Areas of Sales Training and
Promotion Methods
Areas of Sales Training
1. Company Knowledge
2. Product Knowledge
3. Industry & Market Trend Knowledge
4. Competitive Knowledge
5. Sales skill Knowledge
6. Human Relation Skills
7. Negotiation Skills
The emphasis given on each area depends upon the company and its
goals, its products involved, the marketing environment, and the
experience and previous training of sales personnel.
Company Knowledge
It enhances salespersons knowledge about companys policies.
Helps to know whom to contact to get things done on behalf of
customers.
It improvises ability of handling the paperwork. Eg. Writing
orders, preparing expense vouchers.
Thoroughness, follow-through and willingness could be achieved
with proper company knowledge.
Product Knowledge
It is the second most important attribute among buyers mind which
affects other attributes that buyers seek in sales people.
It enhances the participation in a given buyer-seller interface and enables
them to use imagination by applying products to buyers needs.
Helps to differentiate the product from the competitors. Eg. Product
features, exclusive benefits to customer.
It gives a better knowledge about pricing strategy. Eg. FOB pricing
Industry & Market Trend
Knowledge
It helps to understand current business conditions and vendor market
of the specific industry.
It enables to understand current trade practices. Eg. Reduction in
inventory levels in response to increased interest rates.
It ensures the sales people are aware about specifics concerning buying
influencers.
In turn it results in greater confidence among salespeople.

Competitive Knowledge
It helps to create knowledge about strengths, weaknesses, opportunities
and threats of the competitor
Creates awareness about competitors marketing mix.
Helps to make strategies to overcome competitive tactics.
Combined with industry and market knowledge puts the salesperson in
best position to keep the buyer informed.
Role of Ethics
Criticizing competitors should be limited.
No right to defame competitors products.
One of the top traits which a buyer wants to see among the
salespeople.
Buyers frequently dislike overly critical salespeople.
Sales Skills Knowledge
Any type of selling skills start with planning, extend through closing the
sale, and end with good follow-up.
Different type of selling styles:
1. Technical: It requires the ability to solve customer problems through the
use of technical knowledge of the product.
2. Consultative: It requires excellent writing and verbal communication
skills as well as analytical abilities because consultative selling often
involves selling of services which requires decision making.
3. Negotiating: When a selling process involves the ability to maximize the
benefits for both parties.
4. Systems: It is required to analyze information/business needs and make
recommendations to fulfill those needs. Eg. redesigned operating
procedures.
5. Team Selling: It involves the ability to work with functional experts to
understand the specialized needs of a buying firm.

Human Relations Skills
Industrial Selling involves devoting considerable time in identifying
and building relationships with key influencers and decision makers.
The major difference between success and failure in the area of
selling depends on the salespersons ability to deal with different
personalities of buyers.
Many decisions taken by the influencers are based on personal
perception of the situation and using logic to justify them.
Hence, successful selling involves ability to relate to emotional
needs of the customer.
Negotiating Skills
The importance of long term buyer-seller relationship and
increasing worldwide competition have diverted the fundamental
goals of negotiation.
The Japanese buyer-seller interface helps to explain this interface
which states that a buyer should typically rely on one firm to supply
all quantities of a particular input
The idea is to deliver a quality product in a way that will minimize
the buyers inventory.
Hence the buyers and sellers interact in the same manner as
divisions within a company interact i.e. to consider their mutual
interests.

Promotion methods used by
Industrial marketers to market their
products/services
Sales Promotion
Generally communication channels aimed at
specific industries and business audiences are
used in Industrial Marketing.

Objectives:
Gather business leads
Impressing and rewarding customers
Stimulate sales force to greater effort
Sales Promotion
Methods:
Personal Selling
Trade shows (or exhibitions)
Catalogues
Promotional novelties (gifts)
Promotional mails
Seminars
Demonstrations
Personal Selling
Very effective because many products must be
customized to suit the requirements of the
individual customer.
Sales force are the companys ears and eyes.
Sales persons are required to act as a business
consultant, so as to, identify requirements and
provide the best suited products/services.
Personal Selling
Roles of Sales Person:
Inform customers (create awareness)
Present the products
Influence the customer
Seek commitment
Help in making buying decisions
Effective customer service

Trade Shows
Companies selling products to particular
industry set up displays/stalls

Trade Shows
Benefits:
Opportunities to introduce products to large
audience
Establish personal contact to new customers
Reaching industry members(decision makers),
who otherwise cannot be reached
Demonstrate products
Direct Sales
Evaluate Competitors products
Generate new sales leads

Seminars
Audio-Visual presentations are made by the
companys technical experts.
Creates favourable image and establishes
contacts with members of buying centres.
Beneficial for new product introductions.


Catalogues
Information about suppliers product lines
Specifications, applications, performance,
illustrations
Helps salesforce in better demonstration of
the products and its features

Promotional Emails
Companies send emails to purchasing
authorities of the buying firm, to introduce
their products.
These emails contain company details,
products and specifications, and contacts
Advertising
Mass inform the customers.
Supports and supplements personal selling.
Usually advertising budgets are far less.
Creation of brand awareness, thus influencing
buying decisions.





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