Personal Selling Skills

Chapter 8
Personal Selling
Skills
Personal selling skills
- Selling should be an extension of the marketing
concept. This implies that for long-term survival it is
in the best interest of salesperson and his/her company
to identify customer needs and aid customer decision
making by selecting form the product range those
products which best fit the customers’ requirements.
-Customer-oriented selling has been defined as : the
degree to which salespeople practice the marketing
concept by trying to help their customers make
purchase decision that satisfy customer needs.
Characteristics
- Customer-Orientated selling is characterized by:
1- the desire to help customers make satisfactory purchase decisions.
2- helping customers assess their needs.
3- offering products that satisfy those needs.
4- describing products accurately.
5- avoiding deceptive or manipulative influence tactics.
6- avoiding the use of high pressure sales techniques. ( customers do not like
to be sold, they like to buy.)
In order to foster customer- Orientated selling,
companies need to develop a corporate culture that
places understanding customers and creating value for
them central to their philosophy, and to use evaluation
procedures that include :
1- measurement of support given to customers.
2- customer satisfaction with salesperson interactions.
3- the degree to which salesperson are perceived by
customers to behave ethically.
Figure 8.1 The personal selling process
- These phases do not have to occur in the order shown.
-Objections may be raised during presentation or during
negotiation and a trial close may be attempted at any
point during the presentation if buyer interest is high.
Furthermore, negotiation may or may not take place or
may occur during any of the stages.
-According to Moncerif and Marshall, the evolved selling
process assumes that salesperson typically will perform
the various steps of the process in some form, but the
steps do not occur for each call. Rather, they occur over
time, accomplished by multiple people within the selling
firm, and not necessarily in any given sequence.
The opening
Buyers expect business people to be businesslike in their
personal appearance and behavior.
Further, the salesperson who does not respect the fact that the
buyer is likely to be a busy person, with many demands on his
or her time, may cause irritation on the part of the buyer.
Salespeople should open with a smile, a handshake and, in
situation where they are not well known to the buyer,
introduce themselves and the company they represent.
Common courtesies should be followed.
Opening remarks are important since they set the tone for the
rest of the sales interview. Normally they should be business
related since this is the purpose of the visit; they should show
the buyer that the salesperson is not about to waste time.
When the buyer’s remarks indicates a willingness to talk about
a more social matter, the salesperson will obviously follow. This
can generate a close rapport with the buyer, but the
salesperson must be aware of the reason for being there.
The cardinal sin which retail salespeople commit is to open with
“can I help you?” which invites the response “no thank you. I’m
just looking.
Need and problem
identification
Most salespeople have a range of products to sell..

The seller’s first objective should be to discover the
problems and needs of the customer.
Before a salesperson can sell a car he/she needs to
understand the customer’s circumstances. What size of car
is required?, is the consumer looking for high fuel economy
or performance?, what kind of price ranges is being
considered?. Having obtained these information the
salesperson is in a position to sell the model which best
suits the needs of the buyer.
A closed question, on the other hand, invites a one-word or one-
phrase answer. These can be used to obtain purely factual
information, but excessive use can hinder rapport.
1- would you tell me the name of the equipment you
currently use?
Salespeople should avoid the temptation of making a sales
presentation without finding out the needs of their customers. It
is too easy to start a sales presentation in the same rigid way.
The Presentation and Demonstration
Once the problem and needs of the buyer have been identified, the
presentation follows as a natural consequence.
The first question to be addressed is presentation of what?, the
preceding section should has enabled the salesperson to choose
the most appropriate product(s). Also, having fully discussed what
the customer wants, the salesperson knows which product benefits
to stress.
A given product may have a range of potential features which
confer benefits to customers, but different customers place
different priorities on them. In short, having identified the needs
and problems of the buyer, the presentation provides the
opportunity for the salesperson to convince the buyer that they can
supply the solution.
It is important to recognize that buyers purchase
benefits and they are only interested in product
features as much as they provide the benefits the
customer is looking for.
Benefits should be analyzed at two levels:
1- those benefits which can be obtained by purchase
of a particular type of products.
2- and those that can be obtained by purchasing that
product from a particular supplier
The danger of selling features rather than benefits is
particularly important in industrial selling because of highly
technical nature of many industries products, and the
tendency to employ sales engineers rather than salespeople.
A simple method of relating features and benefits in a sales
presentation is to link them by using the following phrases:
- which means that.
- which results in.
- which enables you to.
Asking question as apart of presentation serves two
functions.
First, it checks that the salesperson has understood the
kinds of benefits the buyer is looking for. After explaining
a benefit it is good to ask the buyer “is this the kind of
thing you are looking for?
Second, asking questions establishes whether the buyer
has understood what the salesperson has said.
A major obstacle to understanding is the use of Jargon.
Many sales situation involve risk to the buyer. No matter what
benefits the sales person discuss, the buyer may be reluctant
to change from the present supplier or model because to do
so may cause unforeseen problems.
Assurances from the salesperson are unlikely to be totally
convincing or enough to conclude the sale.
The salesperson accurately identifies customer needs and
relate product benefits to those needs. The buyer does not
resist, but somehow does not buy; a likely reason is that the
buyer play safe, sticking to the present supplier in order to
lessen the risk.
The question now is, how can a salesperson reduce risk?
Well, a salesperson can reduce the buyer perceived risk by using four
major ways:
1- reference selling:
- During the preparation stage a list of satisfied customers, arranged by
product type, should be drawn up.
- Letters from satisfied customers should be also be kept and used in the
sales presentation in order to build confidence.
- This technique can be highly effective in selling, moving the buyer from
being merely interested in the product to being convinced that it is the
solution to his or her problem.
2-Demonstrations:
“Tell me and I will forget, show me and I may remember, involve me and I will
understand” Chinese proverb.
- Demonstration also reduces risk because it proves the benefits of the product.
- It is advisable to divide the demonstration into two stages:
- 1- the first stage involves a brief description of the features and benefits of the
product and an explanation of how it works.
- 2- the second stage entails the actual demonstration itself.
- The reason behind this two-stages approach is that it is often very difficult for the
viewers of the demonstration itself to understand the principles of how a product
works while at the same time watching it work.
-Once the equipment works, the buyer can be encouraged to use it under
the salesperson supervision.
-pre-demonstration:
1- make the process as brief as possible, but not so brief as not to be able to
fulfill the sales objective of obtaining an order. The salesperson must judge
the individual circumstances and tailor the demonstration accordingly.
Some buyer will require lengthier or more technical demonstration.
2- make the process as simple as possible, bearing in mind that some
potential purchasers will be less technically minded than others.
3- rehearse the approach to likely objections with colleagues. Work out how
such objection can be addressed and overcome through the demonstration.
4- know the product’s selling points and prepared to advance these during
the course of the demonstration. These selling points must be presented in
terms of benefits to the customer.
CONDUCTING THE
DEMONSTRATION
1- commence with a concise statement of what is to be done or

proved.
2- show how potential purchasers can participate in the
demonstration process.
3- make the demonstration as interesting and as satisfying as
possible.
4- show the potential purchaser how the products features can
fulfill his her need or solve his or her problem.
5- attempt to translate such needs into a desire to purchase.
6- do not leave the purchaser until he/she is completely satisfied with
the demonstration. Such satisfaction will help justify ultimate
expenditure and will also reduce the severity and incidence of any
complaints that might arise after purchasing.
7- summaries the main points by re-emphasizing the purchasing
benefits that have been put forward during the demonstration.
8- the objective of a demonstration should be: a- to enable the
salesperson to obtain a sale immediately b- to pave the way to future
negotiations
9- depending on the objective above, in case of (a) ask for the order
now, or in case of (b) arrange further communication in the form of a
meeting, telephone call, letter, and additional demonstration to other
members of the buying center.
Advantages of demonstrations
1- demonstrations are useful ancillary in the selling process (they add realism to the
sales routine)
2-such demonstrations enable the salesperson to maximize the “u” benefits to
potential purchasers.
3- customers’ objections can be more easily overcome if they can be persuaded to
take part in the demonstration process.
4- purchasing inhibitions are more quickly overcome and buyer declare their
purchasing interest sooner than in face to face selling.
5- once customer has participated in a demonstration there is less likelihood of
customer remorse. By taking a part in the demonstration and tacitly accepting its
results, the purchaser has bought the product not been sold it.
3- Guarantees:
Guarantees of product reliability, after sale services, and delivery
supported by penalty clauses can build confidence toward the
salesperson’s claims and lessen the costs that the buyer will incur in
case if something went wrong.
4- trial orders:
It is the final strategy for risk reduction, even though they may be
uneconomic in company terms and in terms of salespeople's time
in the short term when faced with straight rebuy.
Dealing with objections
What are objections ?
Objections are concerns or questions raised by the buyer.
Objection are either an expression of:
1- confusion, doubts or
2- disagreement with statements or information presented by the
sales person.
Objections should not always be viewed with dismay by
salespeople. Many objections may simply expression of interest by
the buyer.
As salespeople, we should understand that objections highlights
the issues which are important to the buyer. See ford example.
The effective approach for dealing with objections
involves two areas:
1- the preparation of convincing answers.
2- and the development of a range of techniques for
answering objections in a manner which permits the
acceptance of these answers without loss of face on
the part of the buyer.
negotiations
Sellers may negotiate price, credit terms, delivery times, trade-in

values and other aspects of the commercial transaction.
The deal that is arrived at will be dependent upon the balance of
power and the negotiation skills of the respective parties.
The importance of preparation has already been discussed
In the previous chapter. The buyer’s needs, the competition which
the supplier faces and knowledge about the buyer’s business and
the pressure upon him or her should be estimated.
Closing the Sale
The skills and techniques discussed so far are not in themselves sufficient
for consistent sales success.
A final ingredient is necessary to complete the mix is the ability to close the
sale.
Some salespeople believe that an effective presentation should lead the
buyer to ask for the product without the seller needing to close the sale.
However, usually it will be necessary for the salesperson to take the
initiative. This is because no matter how well the salesperson identifies
buyer needs, matches product benefits to them and overcome objections,
there is likely to be some doubt still present in the buyer’s mind.
Follow-up
This final stage in sales process is necessary to ensure that the
customer is satisfied with the purchase and no problems with
factors such as delivery, installation, product use and training
have arisen.
Salespeople may put off the follow up call because it does not
result in an immediate order. However, for most companies
repeat business is the hallmark of success and the follow up can
play a major role by showing that the salesperson really cares
about the customer.
The follow-up call can also be used to provide reassurance that
the purchase was the right one. Many customers suffer from
cognitive dissonance.

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Chapter 8

Most salespeople have a range of products to sell..

1- commence with a concise statement of what is to be done or

Sellers may negotiate price, credit terms, delivery times, trade-in

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