Module One

Overview of Personal Selling

 Learning Objectives

1. Describe the evolution of personal selling

from ancient times to the modern era.
2. Explain the contributions of personal
selling to society, business firms, and
customers.
3. Distinguish between transaction-focused
traditional selling and trust-based
relationship selling.

Sales Management: Module 2: Ingram LaForge Avila

Analysis and Decision Making Overview of Personal Selling Schwepker Jr. Williams
 Learning Objectives

4. Discuss five alternative approaches to

selling.
5. Describe the three primary roles fulfilled
by consultative salespeople
6. Understand the sales process as a
series of interrelated steps.

Sales Management: Module 2: Ingram LaForge Avila

Analysis and Decision Making Overview of Personal Selling Schwepker Jr. Williams
 • Personal Selling
• interpersonal interactions to initiate , develop
and enhance customer relationships
• Trust based relationship selling
• earning customer trust resulting in creation,
communication and delivery of customer value
• Customer value
• customer perception of what they get for what
they give up
Sales Management: Module 2: Ingram LaForge Avila
Analysis and Decision Making Overview of Personal Selling Schwepker Jr. Williams
 Setting the Stage

UPS Builds Trust and Long-Term

Customer Relationships

1. What does Carl Strenger, a UPS Vice

President, mean by a “consultative
discussion” with the customer?
2. When teaming up with UPS Capital
sales personnel, what is the focus of the
overall sales strategy?

Sales Management: Module 2: Ingram LaForge Avila

Analysis and Decision Making Overview of Personal Selling Schwepker Jr. Williams
 Personal Selling – Defined

Personal selling refers to personal

communication with a an audience
through paid personnel of an
organization or its agents in
such a way that the audience
perceives the communicator’s
organization as being the source
of the message.

Sales Management: Module 2: Ingram LaForge Avila

Analysis and Decision Making Overview of Personal Selling Schwepker Jr. Williams
 Evolution of Personal Selling

Peddlers selling door Selling function

to door . . . served became more
as intermediaries structured

1800s 1900s 2000s

As we begin Post-Industrial
Industrial the 21st century, selling continues toModern
War and develop,
becomingRevolution
Revolution more professional and more relational
Depression Era

Selling function
Business organizations
became more
employed salespeople
professional

Sales Management: Module 2: Ingram LaForge Avila

Analysis and Decision Making Overview of Personal Selling Schwepker Jr. Williams
 Contributions of Personal Selling:
Salespeople and Society

• Salespeople help
stimulate the economy

• Salespeople help with the

diffusion of innovation

Sales Management: Module 2: Ingram LaForge Avila

Analysis and Decision Making Overview of Personal Selling Schwepker Jr. Williams
 Contributions of Personal Selling:
Salespeople and the Employing Firm

• Salespeople generate revenue

• Salespeople provide market
research and customer feedback
• Salespeople become future
leaders in the organization

Sales Management: Module 2: Ingram LaForge Avila

Analysis and Decision Making Overview of Personal Selling Schwepker Jr. Williams
 Contributions of Personal Selling:
Salespeople and the Customer

• Salespeople provide solutions to

problems
• Salespeople provide expertise and
serve as information resources
• Salespeople serve as advocates for
the customer when dealing with the
selling organization

Sales Management: Module 2: Ingram LaForge Avila

Analysis and Decision Making Overview of Personal Selling Schwepker Jr. Williams
 Transaction-Focused vs.
Relationship Focused

Transaction-Focused Relationship-Focused
• Short term thinking • Long term thinking
• Making the sale has • Developing the
priority over most relationship takes
other considerations priority over getting
• Interaction between the sale
buyer and seller is • Interaction between
competitive buyer and seller is
• Salesperson is self- collaborative.
interest oriented • Salesperson is
customer-oriented

Sales Management: Module 2: Ingram LaForge Avila

Analysis and Decision Making Overview of Personal Selling Schwepker Jr. Williams
 • Importance of sales dialogue

• Importance of Team work

• Using technology to improve sales productivity

Sales Management: Module 2: Ingram LaForge Avila

Analysis and Decision Making Overview of Personal Selling Schwepker Jr. Williams
 Classification of
Personal Selling Approaches

• Stimulus Response Selling

• Mental States Selling
• Need Satisfaction Selling
• Problem Solving Selling

Sales Management: Module 2: Ingram LaForge Avila

Analysis and Decision Making Overview of Personal Selling Schwepker Jr. Williams
 Stimulus Response Selling

Continue
Salesperson Buyer
Process until
Provides Responses
Purchase
Stimuli Sought
Decision

Sales Management: Module 2: Ingram LaForge Avila

Analysis and Decision Making Overview of Personal Selling Schwepker Jr. Williams
 Mental States Selling

Attention Interest Conviction Desire Action

Sales Management: Module 2: Ingram LaForge Avila

Analysis and Decision Making Overview of Personal Selling Schwepker Jr. Williams
 Need Satisfaction Selling

Present Continue
Uncover and
Offering to Selling until
Confirm
Satisfy Purchase
Buyer Needs
Buyer Needs Decision

Sales Management: Module 2: Ingram LaForge Avila

Analysis and Decision Making Overview of Personal Selling Schwepker Jr. Williams
 Problem Solving Selling

Continue
Generate Evaluate Selling
Define
Alternative Alternative until
Problem
Solutions Solutions Purchase
Decision

Sales Management: Module 2: Ingram LaForge Avila

Analysis and Decision Making Overview of Personal Selling Schwepker Jr. Williams
 Consultative Selling

Business Consultant

The process of helping

customers reach their
strategic goals by using Strategic Orchestrator
the products, service,
and expertise of the
selling organization.
Long-term Ally

Sales Management: Module 2: Ingram LaForge Avila

Analysis and Decision Making Overview of Personal Selling Schwepker Jr. Williams
 The Sales Process: An Overview

Selling
Foundations
Initiating Developing Enhancing
Customer Customer Customer
Relationships Relationships Relationships
Selling
Strategy

Sales Management: Module 2: Ingram LaForge Avila

Analysis and Decision Making Overview of Personal Selling Schwepker Jr. Williams
 The Sales Process: Selling Foundations
In order to be successful in today’s global business
environment, salespeople must have a solid
relationship building foundation. They must:

Be Trustworthy

Behave Ethically

Understand Buyer Behavior

Possess Excellent Communication Skills

Sales Management: Module 2: Ingram LaForge Avila

Analysis and Decision Making Overview of Personal Selling Schwepker Jr. Williams
 The Sales Process: Selling Strategy
In order to be successful in today’s global business
environment, salespeople must also think and act
strategically. The must develop strategies for:

Each Sales Call

Each Customer

Their Sales Territories

Each strategy is
related to the other

Sales Management: Module 2: Ingram LaForge Avila

Analysis and Decision Making Overview of Personal Selling Schwepker Jr. Williams
 The Sales Process

• Sales Presentation Delivery

• Earning Customer Commitment

Initiating Developing Enhancing

Customer Customer Customer
Relationships Relationships Relationships

• Prospecting
• Preapproach Adding Value
• Presentation Planning through Follow-up,
• Approaching the Customer Self-leadership, and
Teamwork

Sales Management: Module 2: Ingram LaForge Avila

Analysis and Decision Making Overview of Personal Selling Schwepker Jr. Williams