PART III
LECTURE NOTES
CHAPTER 1
The Life, Times, and Career of the Professional Salesperson
LECTURE OUTLINE
I. WHAT IS SELLING?
A. Traditional definition of personal selling refers to the personal communication of
B. Personal selling today: In early 2000, corporate corruption contributed to the negative
image of all business professions.
1. Insurance salespeople, advertising practitioners and used car salespeople are
2. What about you? Take Dr. Futrell’s poll (//futrell-www.tamu.edu):
a. What does the general public think about salespeople?
b. What do you think about salespeople?
II. A NEW DEFINITION OF PERSONAL SELLING refers to the personal communication of
information to unselfishly persuade a prospective customer to buy something—a good, a
service, an idea or something else—which satisfies that individual’s needs.
A. Think of your grandmother. Would you mistreat your grandmother in a sales transaction?
III. THE GOLDEN RULE OF PERSONAL SELLING refers to the sales philosophy of
unselfishly treating others as you would like to be treated.
A. There are different views of the Golden Rule:
Positive form: “If you like to receive the best price, then offer the best price to your customers.”
2. The Golden Rule is all about trying to keep somebody else warm even if it
3. Salesperson differences can be explained by the individual’s level of
B. Everybody sells.
1. You develop communications techniques for getting your way in life.
IV. WHAT SALESPEOPLE ARE PAID TO DO
A. Salespeople need to sell something “today” to meet performance goals for:
1. Themselves.
V. WHY CHOOSE A SALES CAREER?
A. There are six major reasons for choosing a career in sales:
1. The opportunity to provide service to others.
2. The variety of jobs available.
B. Providing service means helping others.
1. A sales career provides the opportunity for service and an emotional purpose in
life gained from helping others.
a. For many, service is the number one reason for choosing a
C. Types of sales jobs:
1. Selling in retail – A retail salesperson sells goods or services to consumers for
Three common types of retail sellers:
In-store salespersons.
(1) Direct sellers who sell face-to-face away from a fixed location.
2. Selling for a wholesaler – Wholesalers buy products from manufacturers and
other wholesalers and sell to other organizations.
a. A wholesaler salesperson sells products to parties for:
(1) Resale.
b. Firms engaged in wholesaling are called wholesaling middlemen. They
vary greatly in:
(1) The products they sell.
3. Types of manufacturer’s sales representatives:
a. Account representatives – call on a large number of already established
b. A detail salesperson – concentrates on performing promotional activities
c. A sales engineer – sells products that call for technical know-how.
d. An industrial products salesperson (non-technical) sells tangible products
e. A service salesperson – sells intangible products such as financial
f. An order-getter – gets new and repeat business using creative sales
strategy and a well-executed sales presentation.
(1) An order-getter has two selling challenges:
(a) Must often create discontent with what the prospect already has
g. An order-taker – asks what the customer wants or waits for the customer
F. Opportunities for advancement are great.
1. Some companies promote salespeople to managerial positions very quickly.
For most companies the path to a sales management position begins with an
entry level position.
a. A sales personnel career path.
(1) Junior or trainee level.
(b) Become familiar with customer’s attitudes toward the company,
(2) Regular sales position.
(3) Senior sales positions or key account sales positions contact larger,
2. There are two career paths:
a. Permanent salespeople.
G. Rewards – The sky’s the limit!
1. Two types of rewards:
a. Non-financial (i.e. psychological income or intrinsic rewards).
b. Financial:
The opportunity to earn large salaries.
(1) Rewarded on basis of performance.
H. You can move quickly into management.
1. District sales manager.
a. First managerial level.
2. Compensation of sales managers.
a. A beginning sales job is the stepping stone to higher positions and higher
b. Both corporate and field sales managers receive higher salaries than
VI. IS A SALES CAREER RIGHT FOR YOU?
A. Seven questions to ask yourself:
1. What are my past accomplishments?
2. What are my future goals?
7. Am I willing to transfer to another city? Another state?
B. Once you have answered these questions, you should:
1. Determine the industries, types of products and services, and specific
C. A Sales Manager’s view of the recruit.
1. What are the applicants judged on?
a. Appearance
b. Communication skills
Maturity
VII. SUCCESS IN SELLING-WHAT DOES IT TAKE?
A. Think of success spelled with four s’s as in “ssuccess”.
1. S – Success begins with love.
a. The successful salesperson is an individual who loves selling.
2. S – Service to others – Salespeople love to help others fulfill their needs through
3. U – Use the Golden Rule of Selling.
a. Today’s salesperson needs to treat others as he would like to be treated.
4. C – Communication ability.
a. Good salespeople are good communicators. Great salespeople are great
5. C – Characteristics for the Job – It helps if you possess the personal
6. E – Excels at strategic thinking.
a. High performing salespeople tend to be strategic problem solvers for
7. S – Sales knowledge at the M.D. level.
a. Top salespeople have mastered the basic competencies of product
As goods and services become more complex, companies place more emphasis on the training of
salespeople.
b. Knowledge is power, but enthusiasm pulls the switch.
8. S – Stamina for the challenge.
a. Today’s salesperson needs to be physically, mentally and spiritually
b. The increased feeling of well-being gained from exercise transmits itself
c. People’s faith may direct everything they do on the job, ranging from
VIII. Back to CHARACTERISTICS FOR THE JOB. A salesperson can choose to be like the
traditional salesperson we all do not care for, or he or she can be like the salesperson who is
truly people oriented.
B. Patience, Kindness and Morally Ethical.
1. Let the customer decide when to buy instead of pressuring for a quick decision.
C. Faithful, Fair, and Self-Controlled.
1. The salesperson will spend the time necessary to help, not just to make the sale
2. Self-control should be exhibited in closing a sale – Is consideration only given to
3. Self-control involves discipline.
a. Often the biggest challenge to success is not out there in the sales
Do success characteristics describe you?
1. Only your self-imposed limitations can hold you back.
IX. RELATIONSHIP SELLING.
A. The salesperson of today is a pro.
1. Relationship selling – the process of professionally providing information for
2. Four main elements (ABC’s) in the customer relationship process used by
salespeople to build relationships are:
a. Analyze customer needs.
b. Present product Benefits.
B. Sales jobs are different from other jobs in several ways.
1. Since salespeople represent their company, opinions of a company and its
2. The outside salesperson typically operates with little direct supervision and
3. Salespeople probably need more tact, diplomacy, and social poise.
4. Salespeople are authorized to spend company funds on entertainment,
X. WHAT DOES A PROFESSIONAL SALESPERSON DO?
A. A Territory Manager plans, organizes, and executes activities that increase the sales and
B. A territorial manager performs nine functions:
1. Creates new customers.
Locate people and/or organizations that have the potential to buy their products
a. Needs the ability to close the sale.
2. Sells more to current customers.
3. Builds long-term relationships with customers – Earning the opportunity to sell
4. Provides solutions to customers’ problems – Shows how these problems can be
5. Provides service to customers such as:
a. Handling complaints.
b. Returning damaged merchandise.
c. Providing samples.
6. Helps customers resell products to their customers.
a. Contacts both wholesale customers (distributors) and their retail
b. Develops promotional programs for retail customers such as:
(1) Advertising materials.
7. Helps customers use products after purchase – Help the customer obtain full
8. Builds goodwill with customers – Develops a personal, friendly, business
9. Provides company with market information such as:
Competitor’s activities.
a. Customers’ reactions to new products.
b. Complaints about products and policies.
XI. REFLECT BACK – Review these nine functions to see what they mean and if you could do any
or all of them. Carefully think about the second and third functions. To be successful, a
XII. THE FUTURE FOR SALESPEOPLE.
A. Learning selling skills.
1. Both an art and a science.
Requires practice.
2. Conceptual skills – ability to see selling process as a whole and relationships
3. Human skills – ability to work with and through others.
B. Preparing for the 21st Century – Changes are occurring which will require salespeople to
be knowledgeable in new areas such as:
1. International dealings.
2. Sales force’s reflecting customer diversity.
XIII. THE PLAN OF YOUR TEXTBOOK.
B. Major topics include:
The role of the sales force in the firm’s marketing efforts.
1. The social, ethical, and legal issues in selling.
2. Why people and organizations buy what they do.
3. Verbal and non-verbal communications.
XIV. BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS THROUGH THE SALES PROCESS
A. The sales process refers to a logical, sequential series of actions that can greatly increase
the chances of making a sale.
B. Ten steps in the selling process:
1. Prospecting
2. Preapproach
3. Approach
CHAPTER I APPENDIX
The Golden Rule of Personal Selling as Told by a Salesperson
I. THE GOLDEN RULE OF SELLING
A. Base your sales philosophy on unselfishly treating others as you would like to be treated.
II. OTHERS INCLUDE COMPETITORS
A. The Golden Rule of Selling especially applies to your relationship with competitors.
III. SALES IS YOUR CALLING TO SERVE
A. Your occupation is not work – it’s what you do. It defines who you are.
IV. TO SERVE YOU NEED KNOWLEDGE
A. Being knowledgeable on products and selling skills allows you to provide a high level of
V. CUSTOMERS NOTICE INTEGRITY
A. Your customers trust that you are looking out for their best interest because you are a
VI. PERSONAL GAIN IS NOT YOUR GOAL
A. You are never concerned about sales goals, only customers.
VII. OTHERS COME FIRST
A. Build up a reputation as a volunteer in your community.
VIII. THE GOLDEN RULE IS NOT
A. Corruptible It Is Not
B. Self-Serving It Is Not
Comprehensive It Is Not
C. Easy To Follow It Is Not
IX. THE GREAT HARVEST LAW OF SALES
A. How you treat others will often determine how you will be treated.
B. Small acts of kindness towards someone over time often results in returns greater than
C. Golden Rule Paradox
1. By placing customers first, you often will see increases in sales, greater
X. THE COMMON DENOMINATOR OF SALES SUCCESS
A. The common denominator (trait) of successful salespeople
1. Unselfishly and sacrificially “caring” for prospects, and others, by placing their
XI. THE FRUITS OF THE SELLING SPIRIT
A. Applying the Golden Rule to work and life results in a fruitful life.