DIFFERENT TYPES OF SALESMAN

Account Management/Account Manager

Account management is a post-sales role that focuses on nurturing client

relationships. Account managers have two primary objectives: retain clients' business and
grow those opportunities.

They accomplish these objectives by learning what their clients' goals are and helping
their clients achieve them.

Unlike a traditional sales role, which is short-term and focuses on landing the client,
the account manager acts as a long-term liaison and, hopefully, a trusted consultant for the
client.

In other words, sales is transactional and account management is relational.  

The account manager is the point of contact for the assigned accounts (i.e., clients)
and the liaison between the clients and the sales and customer service teams. This role is all
about communication and relationships.

Ideally, the same account manager will stay with a client account for the duration of
the client’s tenure with the company. 

Account Management may include:

1. Business to Business Selling- These salespeople sell products for business use with
an emphasis on follow-up sales. In many cases, business-to-business salespeople
have many different items available for sale

Initially the business to business sale may result to buying only a few products, but,
through proper handling of accounts and communication with clients, the buyer may
purchase more while the relationship between two parties exist

2. Trade Selling- Sales professionals working for consumer product companies

normally do not sell to the final user (i.e., consumer). Instead their role is focused on
first getting distributors, such as wholesalers and retailers, to handle their products
and once this is accomplished, helping distributors to sell their products to by
offering ideas for product advertising, in-store display and sales promotions

In other words, trade selling aims at increasing demand for products through supply
chain partners such as wholesalers, retailers, or at the distributor level rather than at
the individual customer level.

Trade selling and B2B marketing are sometimes used interchangeably

Wholesalers:  Wholesalers sell goods in bulk to the retailers and businesses at

cheaper rates. 

Retailers: When buyers buy a product and sell it to the final customers for their
consumption, and not for any resale, this is known as Retail. The retailers are the
mediator between wholesaler and customers. They purchase goods from the
wholesaler and sell them to the ultimate customers in small quantity.
 Distributor: Distributors work with manufacturers The distributor is the
manufacture’s direct point of contact for prospective buyers of certain products.
Wholesalers buy a large quantity of products directly from distributors. Retailer buy
small quantities of an item from a distributor or a wholesaler..

Order Takers

Sales teams are diverse groups of people who contribute unique skills to a company.
Using a variety of techniques can help you improve your sales skills, and choosing the right
technique can depend on your selling style, product and industry.

An order taker is a salesperson who assists a customer they've already decided to

make a purchase. An order taker doesn't pursue clients. Instead, they're responsible for
answering questions, recording the specifics of the client's order, placing the order with the
manufacturer and following up to make sure the client received the product and feels satisfied
with their purchase.

Examples of order takers are:

1. Retail sales associate- Many retail sales associates work at a store's cash register,
taking orders to check customers out and answering questions as they arise. In a
nonaggressive selling atmosphere, a retail associate waits for the customer to walk
into a store and select a product.
2. Hosts- A host at a restaurant or shop focuses on enhancing the customer experience,
rather than selling products. For example, at a restaurant, they may help customers
make a reservation, find a table or place an order.

In other words, if we are going to differentiate an order taker from an order getter,
we can say that:

Order takers focus on assisting a customer who has already decided to make a
purchase. They engage in the final steps of the sales process, including:

1. Recording order details: what the client wants, how much they're paying and how
the company can deliver the product.
2. Checking a customer out: Order takers who work in retail help customers complete
their purchases by entering the order into the inventory system and collecting
payment at a cash register. These professionals also print receipts for the customer
in case they may want to return the product.
3. Resolving customer issues: If the order taker works in customer service, they may
answer customer questions and provide assistance with their orders. They may also
answer the phone and answer the questions of potential customers.

On the other hand, order getters:

4. Serve as a liaison:  Order getters help clients or customers communicate with a

company, so they may maintain consistent contact and respond to ongoing
inquiries. 
5. Upselling: An order getter may be responsible for updating customers about new
products to increase their existing order or subscription. 
6. Negotiating: Order getters are responsible for negotiating with their clients, and to
do this effectively they may offer discounts like free shipping to encourage the
client to make a purchase faster.

Some examples of Order Takers are:

 1. Retail Clerks:  is responsible for conducting customer transactions in a particular
department or an entire store. Your job duties in this position include providing
customer service and helping shoppers, keeping the store clean, and greeting
customers. The job trains you as you go. You need strong communications skills
and the ability to remain polite. This position can lead to a career in management
once you have enough experience.
2. Industrial Distributor: Industrial distributors, which are independent companies,
act as intermediaries. They buy industrial products in bulk from a manufacturer and
supply them to businesses that then use them for production or manufacturing. The
distributor deals with a producer or business market instead of a consumer market.

Industrial goods are materials used in the production of other goods, while

consumer goods are finished products that are sold to and used by consumers.

3. Customer Service: Customer service is the assistance that is provided to customers

before, during, and after the purchase of a product or service. This may involve
answering questions, resolving concerns, or troubleshooting problems.

Three Important Qualities of Customer Service

Three important qualities of customer service are promptness,

professionalism, and empathy. Customer concerns should be handled in a timely
manner so that the customer does not become more frustrated by being forced to
wait. Professionalism ensures that customers are treated with respect and that the
company is represented to the customer in a good light. Empathy demonstrates
understanding and sensitivity to the customer's concern.

Order Influencers

The primary example of an order influencer is the missionary salesperson. Missionary

salespeople are used in industries where customers make purchases based on the advice or
requirements of others. Two industries in which missionary selling is commonly found are
pharmaceuticals, where salespeople, known as product detailers, discuss products with
doctors (influencers) who then write prescriptions for their patients (final customer ) and
higher education, where salespeople call on college professors (influencers) who make
requirements to students (final customer) for specific textbooks

Sales Support

A final group involved in selling mostly assist with the selling activities of other sales
professionals. These include:

1. Technical Specialist: When dealing with the sale of technical products, particularly
in business markets, salespeople may need to draw on the expertise of others to
assist with the process. This is particularly the case when the buying party consists
of a buying center. In business selling many people from different functional areas
may be involved in the purchase decision. If this buying center includes technical
people, such as scientists and engineers, a salesperson may seek assistance from
members of their own technical staff, who can help address specific questions.
2. Office Support: Salespeople also may receive assistance from their company’s
office staff in the form of creating promotional materials; setting up sales
appointments, finding sales leads, arranging meeting space or organizing trade show
exhibits.
Types of Salesman for Selling Products

1. Creative Salesman: As the name suggests, the creative salesman is a person who
creates the demand for the product by using his Creative Thinking

“To create” means “to cause to come into existence”, “to produce out of nothing”,
“to originate”. Of these three meanings, the second meaning has much relevance “to
produce out of nothing” is exactly what a salesman is to do when he calls on
someone unexpectedly and creates a sales. Creative salesmanship means creating
the sales, that is creating the desire in the mind of a prospect and converting that
desire into demand.

It is basically killing the consumer resistance or hesitation and winning their

approval. It is the process of converting their ‘needs’ into ‘wants’. It is not just
satisfying the current or existing needs but creating new wants for better standard of
living and improved quality of life in face of changing and rising aspirations of
civilized society.

2. Service Salesman: Such salesman specializes in selling Intangible products or

services like insurance, shares, advertising space or traveling arrangement, etc. The
people who need such services are of special class and they need special services.
The salesman also needs special training and abilities.
3. Details Salesman: The names ‘detail selling’ and detail salesman’ are the
contributions of the drug industry. The drug industry produces the products first and
then creates a demand.

The job of the detail salesman is not to contact the consumers directly. But they call
on the physician who is the agency, instrumental in selling the product, because the
customers do not purchase the goods at their own, but purchase only on the
prescription of the physician. The salesman has to convince the physician about the
formula, uses, dosage, research, and testing results, etc. in detail. Most of the
medical representatives come under this category.

4. Manufacturer’s Salesman: Manufacturer’s salesman is a salesmen who are

appointed, controlled, and paid by the manufacturers. They supplement the selling
efforts of wholesalers and retailers and also to supply first-hand information to the
manufacturer about the markets.

The manufacturer's salesman could be of three types:

a. Pioneer salesman: He is primarily concerned with the sale of the new product.
He is very competent and creative in his job.
b. Dealer Serving Salesman: He supplies goods of his manufacturer to various
dealers. He also imparts training to the salesmen of the dealers.
c. Speciality Salesman: He sells the manufacturer’s products directly to the
consumers. He usually undertakes costly items like washing machines, televisions
and calculators etc. He tells the consumers about the use of the product by giving
practical demonstration. He should be expert and well trained in his job.
5. Wholesaler’s Salesman: Such a salesman is appointed, controlled, and paid by the
wholesaler. He supplies the goods of the wholesaler to the scattered retailers and
thus makes contracts with retailers.His job is comparatively easy as the retailers are
more responsible for increasing sales. Even then, he is to introduce new goods and
assure a market for retailers.
6. Retailer’s Salesman: The salesman who works at the shop of the retailer is the
retailer’s salesman. His area of operation is limited within the four walls of the shop.
He sells the goods only at the counter of the shop. Therefore, he is sometimes called
a counter salesman. He attends the customers who come to the shop.
7. Outdoor Salesman: An outdoor salesman. An outdoor salesman may be a person
who moves out from place to place to sell the product. He is generally known as a
travelling salesman. His job is to create customers and demand, and also take orders.
He converts a prospect into customers. He is a creative salesman.
8. Staple Salesman: Staple salesmen are those who are employed in selling staple
goods. ‘Staple’ goods are nose which are needed by consumers for regular
consumption and the demand for these goods is steady and inelastic
9. Exporter’s Salesman: Foreign trade is quite difficult due to differences in
nationality, trade rules, currency, and above all the market for the product. These
salesmen work in the field of export and provide goods to distributors who are
located in foreign countries and ensure that the distributors get the goods in a
prompt manner.

They take responsibility for the shipment of the goods. Further, they have good
knowledge of the import duties, shipping tariffs, consular declaration, freight, and
the rules of the foreign countries in which they work.