Studies and Scientific Researches. Economics Edition, Special issue, June 2016 http://sceco.ub.

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PERSONAL SELLING IN MARKETING

Ioana Olariu
„Vasile Alecsandri” University of Bacău, Faculty of Economic Sciences
[email protected]

Abstract
Personal selling is a major element in the marketing communication program of a business
firm. This article describes in a theoretical way the scope and significance of personal selling
in marketing, it outlines the stages of the selling process. Personal selling is the most effective
marketing communication tool because it allows salespeople to adapt their presentation to
each potential or current client. They use their knowledge of the customer’s buying process to
choose effective sales strategies. An effective sales presentation is usually the most important
element of a sales job. Most well-managed companies want their salespeople to go through the
following sequence in making a presentation: locating and qualifying prospects, a pre-
approach, the presentation itself, closing the sale and follow-up. Finding the best prospects
may be the key step in this sequence, but the close may be the hardest part.

Keywords
selling; presentation; follow-up; communication; evaluation

JEL Classification
M41

Introduction
Personal selling is direct person-to-person communication (either face to face or by
phone) from a seller to a buyer, for the purpose of making a sale. There can be one or
more sellers or buyers in a personal selling process. The heart of the personal selling
program is the sales presentation. In one sense, there are many different ways to go
about making a sale, since every salesperson will approach this objective in his or her
own unique manner. On the other hand, after many decades of experience with sales
force management, modern corporations have found that sales presentations are
usually most effective when salespeople go through a procedure or process consisting
of several steps (prospecting, pre-approach, presentation, the close, and follow-up).
There are many different kinds of selling jobs. Not all personal selling will go through
all these steps in making a sale. The major advantage of the sales process is to focus
attention on the fact that it is not enough to simply locate some prospect and deliver
an enthusiastic sales pitch. This is the old-fashioned approach to selling. Sales
managers in today’s modern corporations know the importance of locating the very
best prospects and of preparing carefully in advance before delivering a sales pitch.
This is particularly true for the creative and persuasive types of selling usually
required for the more expensive products and services. Personal selling is the tool of
interpersonal relationships within the promotional mix. This implies a two-way
communication between sales personal and individual customers.
Personal selling may be more effective than advertising in more complex situations.
Sales employees can ask their customers more detail to learn more about their
problems, and then adjust marketing offer and its presentation to match the specific
needs of each client. The role of personal selling varies from one firm to another.
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Sales process consists of several stages that the employees have to master perfectly.
These action steps focus on a specific objective: to attract new customers and solicit
orders from them. However, most sales employees spend most of their working time
striving to retain existing customers and build long-term relationships with customers.

Finding the best prospects

It may be the case that the most important part of the entire selling process is simply
locating the most promising prospects. Even an excellent sales presentation will fail
when it is delivered to a person or a company that has no real need for the product or
service, cannot afford to buy it, or is very satisfied with its present long-term supplier.
A successful sales presentation always starts with locating prospects who have a clear
need for the product or service, have adequate financial resources to pay, would buy a
large enough quantity to result in a profitable sale and have the authority to make a
decision or a strong recommendation.
The process of reviewing all these criteria for each prospect is known as qualifying
the prospect. If any one of these elements is missing, it is normally not worth the
salesperson’s time to get an appointment and deliver a sales pitch. There are many
sources for locating good prospects. Referrals are often among the best sources for
qualified leads. These referrals can come from present satisfied customers, from other
business contacts, or from social friends. Most of these people are willing to give
good referrals, because they know the salesperson personally. Also, they usually
know some useful information about the prospect. Other sources for good referrals
include dealers and suppliers.
Sometimes a great deal of help can be secured from within the company. Sales
managers have usually a great deal of experience with the marketplace, and they can
often suggest where good leads can be found. Also, company files can sometimes
give data about previous customers that might be useful for another sales call. The
first step in completing the sales process is prospection - identifying potential
qualified customers, namely those potential buyers that are compatible with the
company's offer. The approach of potential clients is crucial to the success of sales.
Prospecting is the stage of the sales process, where the sales employee identifies
qualified potential customers. Often, sales employee must address many potential
buyers, just to get a few transactions. Even if the company provides them tracks
prospecting, sales employees must know how to find them alone.
Sales employees must also know how to preselect or to qualify the potential buyers.
They may be qualified by studying several types of information: financial capacity,
volume of business, special needs, location and possibilities of increasing turnover.

The pre-approach
Once a good prospect is identified, inexperienced salespeople are usually very
anxious to set up an early appointment and deliver their best sales pitch. But
experienced salespeople know how important it is to set the stage by learning as much
as possible about the prospective customer first. This is called pre-approach. It is
based on the principle of the marketing concept that stresses customer orientation. In
general, the more a salesperson knows about the prospect, the better are the chances
of making a sale.
The salesperson should attempt to get advance information about such points as how
big is the company, what is its financial position and credit rating, what special needs
or problems does it have, how might the company’s products or services satisfy these
special needs, who will get involved in making the buying decision, what type of
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motivation or appeal is most likely to be effective, and what are the buyers personal
characteristics and outside interests? Some of this information is available from
published secondary sources; other parts might be obtained by telephone calls to
business acquaintances or other suppliers to the company.
Before proceeding to approach a potential customer, sales employee must find out as
much information about the organization and on those in charge of procurement
within the organization (characteristics of their styles and buying). Sales employee
can obtain this information from several sources: standard reports, published or
online, about the organization's work, discussions with friends and acquaintances and
others. Further, sales employee must set the objectives of the visit, which can be
qualification of potential client, obtain information or even place a sale. Another task
is to choose the best method of approach, which can be personal visit, a telephone
conversation or a letter.
Optimal scheduling approach should be carefully considered, because many potential
customers are busy during certain periods of time. Sales representative must prepare
well an overall sales strategy for the potential client. Therefore, preparation approach
is the stage in the sales process where the sales employee gathers information about a
potential customer prior to the sale visit.

The approach
Establish a meeting with the potential client can be difficult, even harrowing for
inexperienced salesperson. Although the sale should not rely solely on the application
of processes, this requires certain ability for the agent to reach the most appropriate
people to receive and understand the message conveyed. What matters to creating a
long term relationship with the customer relies on how an agent acts. The request for
a meeting is the most important process to establish a working relationship, but letters
of presentation and references data by third parties may also have a crucial role. For
the transaction to take place, the agent must know how to create a relationship of
communion with the client, using what it has in common with him and his own
experience. If sales are higher or products are new, so the risk is higher for the
customer, it is vital for staff to appear credible.
Companies known to have a certain advantage in this phase, so that agencies related
to lesser-known companies must do twice as much effort to overcome fears buyer. In
approach step, sales employee should know how to present themselves before the
prospective buyer and proceeds under auspicious relationship with it. At this stage the
utmost importance in terms of sales outside the employee's phrases with this open
discussion and comments on the words of the interlocutor. Opening the discussion
must be done with positive phrases, such as to gain customer goodwill from the
outset. Then they can follow some well-chosen questions to learn more about
customer needs, material or displaying a sample presentation times, to attract the
attention and curiosity of the buyer. As in all other phases of the sale, it is crucial that
the sales employee listen carefully to what the customer says.
The approach is the stage of the sales process where sales employee gets acquainted
with the customer first.

The presentation
On the basis of all the above information, the salesperson can develop a sales
presentation that shows a good understanding of the prospect’s needs. It can also
show how the company’s products can answer those needs better than competitors’
products. When the salesperson arrives to deliver the pitch, it is important to be well
dressed and to start off right. The early moments of a presentation are extremely
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important. The salesperson must have an interesting opening statement and should
move quickly to the main points of the presentation. It is important to remember that
most buyers are very busy people, and they do not want to wait while the salesperson
gets his or her act together. Often, a lengthy written proposal is required also, which
can be studied by the prospect after the presentation. Many sales presentations follow
the AIDA approach: attention, interest, desire and action. The opening statement
should contain a grabber to get the attention of the buyer. This is followed by a
discussion of the product or service characteristics, to provide the information needed
by the buyer to develop interest in the product. Desire can be generated by showing
exactly how the product can solve problems, reduce costs, reduce maintenance needs,
or provide other benefits. Action is generated by getting the buyer’s signature on a
contract or by getting a clear understanding that a sale has taken place. What
distinguishes good salespeople is the skill to ask questions. However, agencies often
attach much importance to neglect oral presentations and business proposals are made
in writing, all prices or tracing letters, which technically can be considered also as
part of the presentation.
It is essential that agencies to ensure that they have correctly identified all the buyer
needs, the solution offered and that, where possible, even surpassed these
expectations, rather than be limited to meet them. Moreover, when there are the right
conditions for use visual aids, it can make the buyer to give more credit to the
salesperson, product or his company. Agencies with more experience deemed
prefabricated presentations, templates are much less important than the carefully
structured and tailored to each client. So far, the seller has listened, understood
customer needs, trying to figure out what kind of personality is, what is more
sensitive, how it can be tackled. Hence, he chose a strategy, the ones prepared before,
or has built on the spot, new one. Now is the time to implement it, to prove that the
product meets the requirements of its client and convince him to buy. In the
introductory phase of the sales process, sales employee tells the buyer "the story of"
the product, showing them what benefits it can bring and how it can solve their
problems.
The current understanding regarding the practice of marketing is to a much greater
extent compatible with the view that the main quality of sales employee is to solve the
client's problems, and less talent of delight buyer with nice words or persuade through
a pushy sales effort. Buyers today want solutions to their problems, not friendly
smiles; wants results, not extravagant praise. They want employees to listen to their
sales requirements, to understand their needs and respond to them with appropriate
products and services. This approach focuses on meeting the needs of sales requires
the employee to have good listening skills and problem solving.
Therefore, the presentation stage of the sales process is when the employee tells the
buyer "the story of the product", highlighting its advantages for the customer.

Countering objections
The buyer will try to shirk or to raise objections to the commercial presentation and
must understand that this is the human nature. Again, experienced salespeople will
say that the objections should be regarded as being welcomed, because they confirm
the interest of the buyer on the product or service, providing questions which are
expressed such as a disclose of the real customer needs. Top agents know how to
distinguish between different types of objections. Some are nothing but questions the
client asks for clarification and they are always welcome. There are also expressing
concerns and real objections. Agencies must listen carefully to questions, to ensure
that both parties understand better what the real problems are and agree with clients a

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way to solve them. Attention to these questions increases confidence in agent and lays
the foundation for future interactions with him.
Objections are a natural customer defense reflex. Most times, the act of selling is
perceived by the customer as a confrontation of conflicting interests, and the
objections are its most powerful weapons.
Beginners sellers are afraid of objections, while experienced consider them true
incentives, data sources, signals from customers that allow them to focus their
arguments in the right direction; on the contrary they fear most of silent clients,
impenetrable ones. Customers will almost always have objections during the
presentation, when they are asked to launch a command. The problem may have been
real or just psychological and, in many cases, objections will not be formulated as
such, but will remain unspoken.
At the stage of overcoming objections, sales employee should apply a positive
approach to bring out unspoken objections, to ask the buyer to clarify any objections,
to see these objections as best deals to provide more information and transform them
into buying reasons. All sales professionals need specialized training to acquire good
skills for resolving objections.
Overcoming objections is the stage in the sales process where the sales employee
detects, clarifies and resolves the objections raised by the customer in respect of
purchases.

Closing the sale

For most salespeople, the most difficult AIDA stage is “action”, usually referred to as
the close. All the effort and preparation come down to this one moment. If the
salesperson asks for the signature or agreement and the buyer does not respond, there
is a terrible sense of failure or defeat. In order to avoid the risk of asking for the order
and getting a refusal, some salespeople will continue talking about the product’s
merits or about the customer’s needs. This is often referred to as talking the sale to
death. One strategy that has helped many salespeople is called the assumptive close.
By assuming the sale is already made, the salesperson can more easily avoid a direct
refusal that might come from asking for the order. This approach also helps to close
the presentation on a very positive note. The salesperson has to face a goal and
achieve it because it is absolutely necessary for the continuation and development of
economic relations. In some cases, agencies offer customers additional features and
benefits which do not need, losing business because of this, because they didn’t ask
them to take a concrete decision.
The effective dosage of efforts means jointly agreeing the objectives pursued either
side that can carry on that relationship to new activities. After successfully overcome
the objections raised by the potential customer, sales employee will now try to
conclude the sale. Sales professionals must know how to recognize the signs -
gestures, comments and questions - which signals show that the potential customer is
ready to make an order. Salesperson has several techniques on closing the sale: may
request an order, may summarize the main points of the agreement, may offer to help
the buyer in writing the order, and may ask him if what model does he want or can
determine that if he doesn’t order at the time, the customer will lose out. Sales
representative can offer the buyer specific reasons for closing the sale, such as lower
prices or additional products delivered for free.
Therefore, the conclusion is the stage of the sales process where the sales employee
asks the customer to make an order.

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Follow-up
After a successful close, there is sometimes still a great deal of work to be done.
Delivery dates and locations must be decided upon. Sometimes the customer will ask
for minor modifications in the product or service, to suit his or her own company’s
particular needs. These modifications must be worked out with the designers or
production people of the salesperson’s company. If a new piece of equipment is being
delivered, the customer’s own employees must be trained to operate it properly and
safely. The salesperson is responsible for seeing that all of these and other details are
worked out smoothly and quickly. Even after delivery has been accomplished, the
salesperson will stay in close touch with the new customer. For a customer-oriented
activity, it is very important to know what happens after the sale. Most buyers are
unhappy when promises are not fulfilled and the sales agent is not acting as he told
would do. In the current environment, such an omission is fatal for how the agency
intends to develop relationships and ability to comply with everything promised, even
to make an extra effort to delight the customer; this is the essence of what it means to
do business.
The last stage of the sales process - returning later or post-sales - is necessary if the
employee wants to ensure customer satisfaction and repeat orders in the future.
Immediately after closing, sales employee must complete the information given to the
customer with details about the delivery time, conditions of purchase and other issues.
Then he must plan customer return visit after receiving the initial order, to ensure that
they fulfill all the promises in terms of installation, training and service. That visit
will reveal any problems in the meantime, will convince the sincere interest of the
buyer and salesperson will diminish any concern arising after completion of the sale.
Therefore, the return post-sale is the last stage of the sales process, the sales employee
visits the customer again, to ensure that he is satisfied and will continue to buy in the
future.

Conclusions
By its nature, any sale is a single act. However, synthesizing the experience clearly
shows that major vendors all have a common structure and sales that travel a rational
scheme, the same irrespective of who, what and who sells. This consistency comes
from the fact that a sale is first an interpersonal act, between the selling and the
buying and, only then, a relationship between two companies; or, from this point of
view, people are the same.
General scheme of selling is: researching the market; prospecting (defining and
locating potential customers), identification (finding names and addresses) and
contacting them, usually by telephone to obtain an appointment; meeting preparation:
gathering information about the interlocutor, choose overall strategy, preparation of
documentation; meeting customer at his premises or at the vendor; evaluation part,
verification of information: decision-making power, financial resources; discovering
customer needs: to study its problems, their reformulation favorable terms for the
seller; presentation and demonstration; answering objections; summaries of the
agreements reached and trying to get a commitment from the client; price discussion;
customer purchase decision; negotiation terms of the sale; completion (signing the
contract); monitoring and evaluation results, conclusions; resolve customer
complaints.
This order of the phases of the sale is almost always respected, even if it skips one or
more phases. Vendors are beginning to intervene somewhere between prospecting and
meeting preparation, time depending on type of company or the size of its strategies
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etc. In general, the company is larger and more rigorously organized, the less they
participate in exploration itself.

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