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- Salesman redirects to here. For the 1969 movie, see Salesman (1969 movie).
Sales, or the activity of selling, forms an integral part of commercial activity. Mastering sales is considered by many as some sort of persuading "art". On the contrary, the methodological approach of selling refers to it as a systematic process of repetitive and measurable milestones, by which a salesperson relate his offering enabling the buyer to visualize how to achieve his goal in an economic way.
`Selling' has long suffered from a tarnished image. It is,indeed, true that dubious selling practices may occasionally result in a sale if the customer is particularly gullible. But it is arguable that, even then, only good marketing (which encompasses a far wider range of skills, with an almost diametrically opposed motivation) 'will lead the customer to buy again from the same company '. Organizations seldom profit from single purchases made by first-time customers. Normally they rely on repeat business to generate the profit that they need.//futureobservatory.dyndns.org/5430.htm
Selling is a practical implementation of marketing; it often forms a separate grouping in a corporate structure, employing separate specialist operatives known as salesmen (singular: salesman or salesperson).
The successful questioning to understand a customer's goal, the further creation of a valuable solution by communicating the necessary information that encourages a buyer to achieve his goal at an economic cost is the responsibility of the sales person or the sales engine (e.g. internet, vending machine etc).
The primary function of professional sales is to generate and close leads, educate prospects, fill needs and satisfy wants of consumers appropriately, and therefore turn prospective customers into actual ones.
From a marketing point of view, selling is one of the methods of promotion used by marketers. Other promotional techniques include advertising, sales promotion, publicity, and public relations.
Various sales strategies exist, such as tit-for-tat which is best if ongoing dealings and interactions are expected. This insight is behind so-called consultative sales process which are used by Saturn to sell cars, as well as for some direct Business-to-Business sales.
Several types of sales exist including direct, consultative, and complex sales. Complex sales varies from other types in that the customer plays a more pro-active role, often requiring proposal response to their Request for Proposal (RFP).
Forms
Modes of selling include:
- Direct Sales - involving face-to-face contact
- retail or consumer
- door-to-door or travelling salesman
- party plan
- Industrial/Professional Sales - selling from one business to another
- Indirect - human-mediated but with indirect contact
- telemarketing or telesales
- mail-order
- Electronic
- Agency-based
- consignment
- multi-level marketing
- sales agents (real estate, manufacturing)
Types of sales include:
- Transaction sales
- Consultative sales
- Complex sales
Critique of selling
In capitalist apologetics, the purpose of selling is to help a customer realize his or her goals in an economic fashion. This assumption neglects the fact that buyer and seller do not have the same interests. Even if the organization can be supposed to recognize that its sustainability depends on the maintenance of a healthy symbiosis with repeat customers, (a considerable leap into idealism), the salesperson by no means necessarily shares that goal. She has probably taken the sales job out of the need to come up with some money. Sales personnel shift jobs frequently.
Take for example the purchasing of a car: a consumer may have a set of cars in mind (called an evoked set) that she feels match her needs, wants and budget. She may seek the advice of a salesperson given that a salesperson can help her realize the right car given those criteria. This can be a socially useful function; salespeople have specialized knowledge of products that can help consumers make an informed decision. However, a salesperson may also talk a consumer into purchasing a more expensive or perhaps larger car then she needs or can afford. In this context, the salesperson may have usefully helped the customer re-evaluate her needs, thereby establishing a new set of appropriate choices among which included the newer or large car. This again would be a helpful and useful service provided by the salesperson. However, it is sometimes the case that customers purchase a product or service that was not initially intended and remains an inappropriate purchase after the fact. On the other hand, the consumer in this scenario can be held partially responsible for the inappropriate purchase; indeed, "A fool and his money are soon parted." (P.T. Barnum, English proverbs)
This dysfunctional behaviour is encouraged by:
- incentives of salespeople to increase their total number of sales, especially where retailers keep track of sales or offer commission-based salaries
- incentives from the manufactures of products or the companies of service providers to salespeople to sell their products where other similar products offered by competitors are offered
- the incentive to sell a customer a product that is in need of being cleared out, despite the fact that a customer may be better to wait for the new product
See also
- Marketing
- Pre-sales
- Promotion
- Contract of sale
- List of Marketing Topics
- Sales techniques
- Vendor-independent solutions provider
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"Sales"