MANAGING SALES AND

DISTRIBUTION
BE-MBA Spring Semester Term 2
(March – May 2021)

Harjot Singh, LM TSM, TIET

4/1/2021
Overview of Personal
Selling

2
Learning Objectives

1. Describe the evolution of personal selling from

ancient times to the modern era
2. Explain the contributions of personal selling to
society, business firms, and customers
3. Distinguish between transaction-focused
traditional selling and trust-based relationship
selling
Learning Objectives

4. Discuss five alternative approaches to selling

5. Describe the three primary roles fulfilled by
consultative salespeople
6. Understand the sales process as a series of
interrelated steps
Personal Selling – Defined

Personal selling refers to personal

communication with a an audience
through paid personnel of an
organization or its agents in
such a way that the audience
perceives the communicator’s
organization as being the source
of the message.
Evolution of Personal Selling
Peddlers selling door Selling function became
to door . . . served as more structured
intermediaries

1800s 1900s 2000s

st
As we beginPost-Industrial
the 21 century, selling
Industrial War continues
and to develop,
Modern
becomingRevolution
Revolution more professional and more relational
Depression Era

Selling function became

Business organizations
more professional
employed salespeople
Contributions of Personal Selling:
Salespeople and Society

• Salespeople help stimulate the

economy
• Salespeople help with the
diffusion of innovation
Contributions of Personal Selling:
Salespeople and the Employing Firm
• Salespeople generate revenue
• Salespeople provide market research
and customer feedback
• Salespeople become future leaders in
the organization
Contributions of Personal Selling:
Salespeople and the Customer

• Salespeople provide solutions to problems

• Salespeople provide expertise and serve as
information resources
• Salespeople serve as advocates for the
customer when dealing with the selling
organization
 10

OBJECTIVES OF PERSONAL
SELLING
• TO DO ENTIRE SELLING…WHEN THERE ARE NO
OTHER ELEMENTS OF PROMOTION MIX

• OBTAIN NEW CUSTOMERS

• SERVICE EXISTING CUSTOMERS

 11

OBJECTIVES OF PERSONAL
SELLING (Continued)
• DEVELOPING CUSTOMERS’ COOPERATION IN
STOCKING AND PROMOTING

• KEEP CUSTOMERS INFORMED OF CHANGES, IF ANY

• ASSIST CUSTOMERS IN SELLING

 12

OBJECTIVES OF PERSONAL
SELLING (Continued)
• TECHNICAL ADVICE AND ASSISTANCE TO
CUSTOMERS

• TRAINING OF SALES PERSONNEL

• ADVICE TO CHANNEL

• COLLECT AND REPORT MARKET INFORMATION

 Transaction-Focused vs.
Relationship Focused
Transaction-Focused
• Short term thinking
• Making the sale has
priority over most other
considerations
• Interaction between buyer
and seller is competitive
• Salesperson is self-interest
oriented
Relationship-Focused
• Long term thinking
• Developing the
relationship takes priority
over getting the sale
• Interaction between buyer
and seller is collaborative.
• Salesperson is customer-
oriented
References
• Still, R. R. ; E W Cundiff & N A P Govoni, Sales
Management – Decisions, Strategies and Cases,
Prentice Hall of India (2017).
• Google Images

14
SUGGESTIONS FOR TELECOM SERVICE PROVIDERS

• Telecom service providers need to put greater focus on

pre-paid consumers to prevent them from availing MNP
and churning.

• Telecom service providers need to focus more on the

functional dimension of service quality rather than the
technical dimension of service quality.

Thank You
• Service providers need to make greater efforts to retain
those customers who have been on the network for a
longer time and who have been contributing more to the
top line or bottom line.