For these buyers, salespeople must rely on persuasive communication skills that help assist and even persuade a buyer to place an order. There are several stages involved in the process and a salesman has to understand all the stages in the process to make the process more effective:-. In some cases, a sales lead can be qualified by the seller prior to making first contact. ii. The salesperson assists the buyer to place order. For instance, salespeople may receive a list of sales leads based on inquiries through the company’s website. Luke Arthur has been writing professionally since 2004 on a number of different subjects. The personal selling process is a 7 step approach: prospecting, pre-approach, approach, presentation, meeting objections, closing the sale, and follow-up. To overcome resistance, salespeople are trained to make sure they clearly understand the prospect’s concern. For certain sales positions, locating leads may not be a major task undertaken by the sales force as these activities are handled by others in company. iii. Certain products cannot be sold without demonstration. He should properly greet the buyer and give a good start to the conversation. This part of the process is a numbers game, and the sales representative has to contact many people. The first step in personal selling is to identify the potential buyer. Direct Close – It is a simple technique and is most appropriate if the buyer is showing strong positive buying motives. The next step to prospecting and qualifying is pre-approach. In this approach the intention is to not only contact the prospect but to also give a sales presentation during this first contact period. Personal selling is a form of selling that many companies rely on heavily to promote and move their products. The salesperson will use their research skills to learn about such issues as: b. After the product or service has been delivered, the sales representative follows up with the customer to find out if they are pleased. Thus, the close is the most important part of the selling process since all the efforts and presentation comes down to this moment. A salesman should go by the AIDA approach-The demonstration should get the customers Attention, hold their Interest, build-up the Desire for the product and end in purchase Action. After a sale is closed, it should be properly followed. The salesperson gives a summary of the major points of the presentation and directly asks for the order. he might ask the potential customer questions about financial terms, desired colours, or sizes, delivery arrangements, or the quantity to be purchased. Part of this discussion may include a demonstration of the product. The first step of the selling process, prospecting and qualifying, involves searching for potential customers and deciding whether … A potential customer or “prospect” is first identified as sales lead, which simply means the salesperson has obtained information to suggest that someone exhibits key characteristics that lend them to being a prospect. Access Prospect’s Needs – Taking what is learned from the prospect’s response to questions, the salesperson can determine the prospect’s needs. The activities involved in the selling process vary from salesman to salesman and also with selling situations. Content Guidelines 2. ‘Repeat contact’ is another common approach, when making the contact; the salesman mentions a prior meeting. For this purpose, the salesmen should overcome all the objections. There are many reasons for this including: i. While account maintenance is listed as the final activity in the selling process, it really amounts to the beginning of the next sale and, thus, the beginning of a buyer-seller relationship. It is a method of compromise because both salesman and prospects “bend” a little. Prospecting and Qualifying: The process of prospecting is very crucial in selling any kind of products as this involves the process … The profile is often based on the profile of previous customers. The first step in the sales process is the fact that the sales person has to know every single details about the product he is trying to sale to consumer. During this step, the sales representative takes a minute or two to try to get to know the prospect. D. have the salesperson … iii. There are several stages involved in the process and a salesman has to understand all the stages in the process to make the process more effective. This stage involves collecting information about the prospective buyers who have been identified in the previous stage. Identifying the Prospective Buyer (Prospecting and Qualifying): The first stage of personal selling process involves identifying potential customers. Salespeople can attempt to gather this information through several sources including- corporate research reports, information on the prospect’s website, conversations with non-competitive salespeople who have dealt with the prospect, website forums where industry information is discussed, and by asking questions when setting up sales meetings. The sales rep should focus on the features and benefits of the product or service during this part of the process. The salesman cannot call on any buyer at random for different types of goods. Gaining Background Information – The salesperson will use questioning skills to learn about the prospect and the prospect’s company and industry. This step is the climax of the selling process in which the salesman asks the prospect to buy the product or products. v. Alternative Close – This technique provides the customers with alternatives with regard to the product like a black or red colour one or payment in cash or on credit basis. After developing the prospect list, a salesman evaluates each prospect to determine whether the prospect is able, willing, and authorized to buy the product. With some information about the prospect in-hand, the salesperson must then move to make initial contact. Such an understanding of the prospective customers before approaching them puts the salesmen in a much stronger position to deal with the prospective customers. The salesmen have to give a patient hearing to the complaints and grouses of the customers and solve all the doubts. With this step in the process, sales representatives look for new customers that they can potentially sell their products to. The first stage of personal selling process involves identifying potential customers. Promotions – The method uses free gifts to encourage prospect to provide contact information or attend a sales meeting. It is effective only when the salesman is skilled in applying this technique. The personal selling process involves seven steps that a salesperson must go through with most sales. vi. Such referrals may come at no cost to the salesperson or, to encourage referrals, salespeople may offer payment for referrals. After identifying the prospect the sales person qualifies the prospects on the basis of their financial ability, needs, taste and preferences. Closing the sale is the point when the seller asks the prospect to agree to make the purchase. A comprehensive sales process encompasses all major customer interactions from prospecting to selling … The salesperson narrates the features of the product, explains the benefit and the worth of the product in terms of money. Following Up. Show transcribed image … A sales process is a set of repeatable steps that your sales team takes to convert prospects into customers. iv. The initial step of selling process starts with prospecting or searching for potential customers. It is a method of compromise because both salesman and prospects “bend” a little. At this stage the salesperson provides detailed information about the product and benefits of the product. The selling process is the series of steps followed by a salesperson while selling a product. Making the Presentation 5. Gift Close – The salesperson may provide an added incentive on immediate purchase. iii. The main goal of the first step in the personal-selling process is to A. identify a firm's key decision makers. If the sales representative can answer the questions and overcome any objections successfully, the barriers for a successful sale will be removed. This can involve writing up an invoice and providing any final information to the customer. A better approach for most salespeople is to contact a prospect to set up an appointment in advance of the sales meeting. Customer may raise objection with regard to price, delivery schedule; product or company characteristics, etc. Approaching the Consumer 3. With this step in the process, sales representatives look for new customers that they can potentially sell their products to. In most cases, the resistance is expressed verbally (e.g., “I don’t see how this can help us.”) but other times the resistance presents itself in a non-verbal fashion (e.g., prospect facial expression shows puzzlement). If you perform each step correctly, the last step (getting referrals) leads you back to the first … After getting the order, the salesmen still have to be in touch with the customers to ensure that the goods are supplied properly and the goods have reached the customers. The prospects reactions to such questions usually indicate how close the prospect indirectly respond that they will buy the product without having to state those sometimes difficult words “I’ll like it”. At this stage the salesperson should properly approach the prospects. One type of approach is based on referrals; the salesman approaches the prospects and explains that an acquaintance as associate or a relative has suggested the call. This ensures customer satisfaction and repeat purchase. They admit to each other that they both are right, but there is the other side of the problem to consider also. Find the prospects or the potential customers 2. The stages in personal selling are briefly explained below. The salesman may employ a “trial close” by asking questions that assume the prospect will buy the product, e.g. Preparing for the Sale 4. Objection Close – If an objection is the major hurdle in the way of making sales, the salesperson should try to gain a commitment from the buyer that if the objection is removed he will buy the product. Demonstration may also be given about the product so that the prospect gets more involved. 1. Effective prospecting requires a … There are many sources from which potential customers can be found: observation, social contacts, trade shows, commercially-available databases, commercially-available mail list and cold calling. The level and nature of after-sale follow-up will often depend on the product sold. ii. 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