SELLING AND DIRECT MARKETING

Objectives:
 The role of the sales force.
 The effective relationship between selling and marketing mix.
 The basis of managing the sales effort.
 The effectiveness of the range of direct marketing options.
 An effective direct marketing programme.

Personal selling
-Personal selling is the representation of products and associated persuasive
communication to potential clients,employed by the supplying organization

-It is the most direct and longest established means of promotion within the
promotional mix

-All organizations have employees with responsibility for contacting and dealing
directly with customers and potential customers with a view to inform the public bout
the company s product
-The following are groups whose activities impact upon the effectiveness of the sales
force
i. Top management-who can be increasingly involved in the selling
process,Particularly with big orders or key accounts
ii. Technical sales personnel-who supply technical information and service to the
customer before during or after the sale of the product
iii. Customer service representatives-who provide installation,maintenance and
other services to the customers
iv. Office staff-includes sales analysts ,administrators and secretarial staff

The tasks in the selling process

-These positions may be classified as follows:
Deliverer-where the sales person job is predominantly to deliver the product
Order taker- where the sales person passively takes orders from the customer
Missionary -where sales person is not expected or permitted to take an order but is
expected to build good will or educate the customer in the use of the product
Demand creators-where the sales person has to stimulate demand and creatively sell
tangible or intangible products

Activities of sales persons tasks

Prospecting-gathering additional prospective customers in addition to sale leads
generated by the company on his behalf.
Selling-approaching the customer presenting answering objection and closing the sale
Communicating-communicating information to existing and potential customers
about the company s products and services can take up a major proportion of the sales
persons time.
Servicing-a sales person may provide various services to the customer such as
consulting about their problems, rendering technical assistance arranging finance and
expediting.
Information gathering-the sales person can be useful of marketing intelligence due
to the links with the end customers.
Allocating -the salesperson may assist in evaluating customer profitability and
creditworthiness and may also have to control the allocation of products to customers
in times of product shortages.

Advantages of personal selling

 Personal selling contributes to a relatively high level of customer attention since
in face to face situation it is difficult for a potential buyer to avoid a sales persona
message
 Personal selling enables the sales person to customize the message to the
customers specific interests and needs
 The two way communication nature of personal selling allows immediate
feedback from the customer so that the effectiveness of the message can be
ascertained
 Personal selling allows a larger amount of technical and complex information that
could be communicated using other promotional methods
 In personal selling there is a greater ability to demonstrate a products
functionality and performance characteristics

Communicating with major purchasing influences

Preparing action
-The sales person job begins before meeting the buyer.they have to be have carefully
prepared before the sales interview
-This preparation includes finding out as much about the buyer as possible,both in
terms of personal characteristics and the history of the trading relationship between
the parties and also the specific requirements of the buyer and how the product being
sold meets those requirements.

The opening
First impression are important so it is essential for the sale person to open the sale
meeting in a professional way
This take two main forms
First:sales person is expected to be business like in personal appearance and
behaviour
Secondly:the opening remarks set the tone of the whole interview

Customer need and problem identification

-The objective that a seller has to accomplish is to ascertain the circumstances of the
customer.
-This enables the salesperson to be in a position to highlight the product benefits that
best meet the needs of the buyer.
-The sales person should therefore use open rather than closed questions to get the
buyer to discuss his/her needs and problems

Presentation and demonstration

This stage emphasizes the importance of benefits to the customer.
We can classify benefits into three categories:
i. Standard benefits-are those which arise from the features of the company and its
services.
ii. Company benefits-arises from links between the buyer and the seller
The buyer needs to have confidence in the selling company and will therefore be
concerned about the company s reputation,quality of staff and its willingness and
ability to provide what it promises.
iii. Differential benefits-relates to the offer of the seller relative to competing
product offering.

Ways a buyer can reduce risk of purchasing products not needs

a) Reference selling
Involves the use of satisfied customers in order to convince the buyer of the
effectiveness of the product.
b) Demonstrations-it reduces the buyers perceived risk because they prove the
benefits of the product stated orally by the salesperson.
c) Guarantees- product reliability ,after sales service and delivery can build
confidence in the sales persons claims and lessens the cost yo the buyer should
something go wrong
d) Trial orders
This allows sellers to demonstrate their capabilities to satisfy requirements at
minimal risk
e) Sales or return-this allows the buyer to send the product back if it does not come
up to expectations

Dealing with objectives

We can classify objections into two main types
Fundamental
standard
Fundamental objectives-occur when the buyer fails to see the need for the product or
service on offer.
Standard objections-occurs when the buyer recognizes the need for the product but
wishes to delay making a positive decision.

Negotiation
This is conferring with another with the view to compromising or agreeing on some
issue

Closing the sale

The sale is closed only when the buyer makes a firm commitment to place an order
and the whole sales interview should be regarded as a process leading to a close.
DIRECT ,MARKETING
The planned recording,analysis and tracking of customer behaviour to develop
relational marketing strategies.
This is an interactive system of marketing which uses one or more advertising media
to effect a measurable response and/or transaction at any location

It is worth studying theses definition:

Response-direct marketing is about getting people to send in coupons or make
telephone calls in response to invitation and offers
Interactive-it is a two way process,involving the supplier and he customer
Relationship-it is many instances an on-going process of selling again and again to the
same customers.
Recording and analysis -response data is collected and analyzed so that the most
cost effective procedures may be arrived at.
Strategy-direct marketing should not be seen merely as a quick fix or a promotional
device

Components
Direct marketing encompasses a wide range of media distribution opportunities which
include the following:
i. Television
ii. Radio
iii. Direct mail
iv. Direct response advertising
v. Telemarketing
vi. Statement stuffers
vii. Inserts
viii. Take-ones
ix. Door to door
x. Mail order
xi. Computerized home

Direct mail
Direct mail has a number of strengths as a direct response medium
a. The advertiser can target down to the level of the individual.
b. The communication can be personalized.
c. The medium is good for reinforcing interest.
d. The opportunity to use different creative formats is unlimited.
e. Its less visible to your competitors.

Disadvantages/weaknesses
1) Most does not offer sound or movement..
2) Concern over the negative association with junk mail and the need for individuals
to exercise their right to privacy.
3) Its is a very expensive per capita basis- examples expenses on printing colored
magazine brochures.