Understanding

Selling &
Salespeople
 What’s My Job?
Preparation => understanding:

1. Selling, salespeople, sales

philosophies
2. Acquiring knowledge & info.
3. Prospecting/targeting
4. Sales goals, strategies, aids
5. People types
6. Customer purchasing behavior
 Selling to ‘Scary’ Larry
 Brandon is a salesperson for Agri
King who is about to call on Larry, a
prospective customer. Larry has
had some negative experiences with
a previous salesperson. What
advice do you have for Brandon in
order to get at least some of Larry’s
business?
 Amateur vs Professional
 Helen is about to begin her career
as a sales representative for Market
Tech. Her supervisor as stressed to
her the importance of being ‘a
professional’. What does this mean
to Helen? What is (or should be)
Helen’s main job goal?
 Sales Quiz

Q. What percent of all salespeople are

classified as ‘professional’ in typical
customer surveys?
a. 75%
b. 66%
c. 50%
d. 25%
e. 5%
Source: Non-Manipulative Selling (Prentice Hall, 1987,
p. 221)
Common ‘negative’
experiences with salespeople:

 Telemarketer

 Door-to-door salesperson

 Used car dealer

 ‘Negative’ Sales Quotes
Salesmanship: The art of selling someone
something that they don’t want, don’t
need, and certainly can’t afford. (Bob
Sagett, America’s Funniest Home Videos,
March 14, 1993)

Question: How can you tell if a salesperson

is lying?
Answer: His/her lips are moving.
Examples of ‘negative’
descriptions of salespeople:
Annoying Narrow-minded
Arm twister Never give up
Arrogant Phony
‘BS’er Pushy
Condescending Relentless
Dishonest Show off
Fake Smooth talker
Fast talker Sneaky
Greedy Telemarketer
Intimidating Tricky
Long-winded Unthoughtful
Manipulative Won’t take ‘no’
Negative perceptions about salespeople are often perpetrated by
cartoons, jokes, stories, etc. that criticize or make fun of
salespeople. Because of negative perceptions some people have
about salespeople, whether true or not, some companies have opted
to develop job titles for salespeople that don’t use the word ‘sales’.

 Examples include:
 CPS = crop production specialist
 LPS = livestock production specialist
 Agronomist
 Rep
 Account executive
 Customer relations specialist
 Territory manager
 Consultant
 Technical assistant
 District manager
 Marketing specialist
Preparing to become a successful,
professional salesperson starts with an
understanding of:

 What selling is.

 What a salesperson does.

 What it means to have a strong

commitment to being a caring person,
consultant, and problem solver.
Definitions of a “Professional”

1. (noun) a person practicing a

profession or engaged in a
specified occupation for pay (e.g
professional writer, professional
golfer)
2. (adjective) associated with the
high standards, quality, or status
of a profession
 Personal (‘Professional’)
Selling defined
 “The process of:
Developing customer relationships,
Discovering customer needs,
Matching appropriate products with
these needs, and communicating
benefits.”

Manning and Reece

Selling Today
Selling Philosophy of ‘Good’
Salespeople:
 Selling is problem solving
 Selling is a helping, caring activity
 A customer is a person to be served, not a prospect to be sold
 Treat people as human beings, not $ signs
 Unique products, relationships, cultures are important
 Be customer driven, not product driven
 Focus on customer needs
 The customer is the reason a salesperson exists
 Long-term success depends on pleasing others
 Selling is a ‘win-win’ activity
 A commitment to self improvement and life-long learning
essential for long-term success
 Adherence to a strict code of ethics emphasizing, among other
things, mutual trust, respect, and honesty is essential
Professional salespeople view themselves and their jobs in a
positive way, opposite of ‘consmanship’. Some examples of
‘positive’ descriptions of ‘good’ salespeople include:

Ambitious Determined Nice Smart

Articulate Easy going Open-minded Self improvement
Benefits Energetic Optimistic Self motivated
Calm Enthusiastic Organized Service
Charismatic Excited Outgoing Smooth
Clean cut Friendly People oriented Tactful
Commitment Genuine Persuasive Technical
Communicator Helpful Planner Trustworthy
Compassionate Honest Polite Understanding
Confident Integrity Positive Upbeat
Courteous Intelligent Prepared Well dressed
Creative Knowledgeable Problem solver Well trained
Customer service Likeable Professional
Dedicated Listener Quick on feet
Detail oriented Motivated Sensitive
“What Makes a Good Salesperson?”

1. Empathy = the ability to sense what

the customer is feeling.
2. Drive = the personal need and want
to make a sale (not merely for the
money); = a proper ego that is
enhanced by success while
somewhat weakened yet motivated
and not shattered by failure.
Harvard Business Review
July-August, 1964
Selling is a ‘process’ that:

 Facilitates the transfer of goods & services

 Persuades prospects to buy
 Occurs over various lengths of time
 Involves multiple steps (preparing, opening, presenting,
closing, servicing), although maybe not all on every call
 Is part of ‘marketing’ (promotion)
 Is customer (vs. product) driven
 Bridges the final 3 feet between the company and the
customer
 Aims to develop long-term, win-win relationships
 Strives for repeat business
 Is technically oriented
 Emphasizes service and value
Selling is ‘helping’ people:

 Solve problems
 Make more $
 Buy
 Meet their needs/goals
Selling is a ‘profession’
based on:

 Scientific skills, even though it is not

an ‘exact’ science
 Knowledge about selling
principles/theories
 A code of ethics
 Psychological & sociological aspects
of human behavior
 What do salespeople do?
1) They Sell:

 Products/services
 Solutions
 Information
 Ideas
 Service
 Their company
 Themselves
Why Do Salespeople Sell?
1. Old fashion, Non Professional, ‘Negative’
Reason
= to increase sales volume to increase
company profits or personal sales
commissions regardless of customer
benefits
2. Modern, Professional, ‘Positive’ Reason
= to meet customer needs, solve
customer problems, and increase
customer satisfaction
2) They work with people:
 Solve problems
 Represent the company
 Communicate (benefits?) with customers
 Develop relationships, partnerships, alliances
 Discover needs
 Gather information
 Educate customers
 Catalyze change
 Help people buy
 Serve customers
 Treat people with respect
3) They Manage:

 Their time
 Their territory
 Their records
 Their stress
 “Seed Selling Is More Than Taking
Orders”
 Examples:
1. Recommend seeds that fit a farmer’s operation.
2. Plant and manage test plots.
3. Collect and share information with customers on
fertility, planting depth and rates, chemicals,
crop diseases, cultivation, and yields.
4. Soil testing.
5. Financial consulting.
6. Provide ‘service’ to customers.

Joyce Vogelman, Iowa Farmer Today

April 8, 1995, p. 3-4
Rewards of being a
professional salesperson:
 Freedom (own boss)
 Job variety
 Challenge
 Tangible accomplishments
 Recognition/awards
 Financial compensation
 Opportunities for advancement
 On ‘cutting’ edge
 Personal relationships
 Satisfaction from helping others
 Job security
 Entertaining customers
 Travel
Negative aspects of being a
professional salesperson:

 Long hours (physically exhausting)

 Isolation (often work alone)
 Mentally depressing
 Rejections
 Complaints

 Stress
 Sales Quotes: Course Introduction

The foundation of good selling is the desire to help people.

Professional agricultural salespeople typically view themselves

as problem solvers and selling as problem solving.

People tend to respond better to being treated as human beings

than as dollar signs. (Sales Upbeat, Feb., 2, 1995)

The high-pressure salesperson is as outmoded today as the

horse and buggy. To be a top seller, today’s sales
representative must have genuine character, sincerity of
purpose, honesty, straightforwardness, and a desire to be of
service. (Sales Upbeat, Dec. 8, 1994)

Selling is not an ‘exact’ science.

Sales Quotes: Course Introduction

Selling is more than taking orders. (Iowa Farmer Today,

April 8, 1995)

Forget about the sales you hope to make and concentrate on

the service you want to render. The moment people’s
attention is centered on service to others, they become
more dynamic, more forceful and harder to resist. How
can you resist someone who is trying to help you solve a
problem? . . . Start out each morning with the thought, ‘I
want to help as many people as possible today,’ instead of
‘I want to make as many sales as possible today . . . ‘
(Harry Bullis, former Chairman of the Board, General Mills)

The object of a salesperson is not to make sales, but to make

customers.
Sales Quotes: Course Introduction

A salesperson is no longer a vendor out to sell a product, but

rather a consultant out to help their customer’s business.
(adapted from Consultative Selling by Mack Hanan)

There is no such thing as ‘soft sell’ and ‘hard sell’, there is

only ‘smart sell’ and ‘stupid sell’. (Charles Brower,
American Advertising)

Selling should be a friendly act. It is something we do WITH

and FOR people, not TO them. (Jim Cathcart,
‘Relationship Selling’, 1990)

People don’t care what you know until they know that you
care. (Jim Cathcart, ‘Relationship Selling’, 1990)
Sales Quotes: Course Introduction

Natural talent, intelligence, a wonderful education – none of

these guarantees success. Something else is needed: the
sensitivity to understand what other people want and the
willingness to give it to them. Worldly success depends on
pleasing others. No one is going to win fame, recognition,
or advancement just because he or she thinks it’s
deserved. Someone else has to think so too. (John
Luther)

No matter what you ultimately do in life, the sales tools you

acquire along the way will help you achieve your goals.
(Andrew Carnegie)

Everyone lives by selling something. (Robert Louis

Stevenson)
Sales Quotes: Course Introduction

Selling involves a person helping another person. The

salesperson often works with prospects or customers to
examine their needs, provide information, suggest a
product to meet their needs, and provide after-the-sale
service to ensure long-term satisfaction. (Charles Futurell,
ABC’s of Relationship Selling, 1997)

You are involved in selling when you want someone to do

something. (Charles Futrell, ABC’s of Relationship Selling,
1997)

In today’s competitive environment, where good

interpersonal skills are so valued, the lack of selling
capability can put anyone at a disadvantage. (Charles
Futrell, ABC’s of Relationship Selling, 1997)
Sales Quotes: Course Introduction

Our most important policy is caring. (Farm Bureau Financial

Services, 1999)

If nobody sells, a terrible thing happens – NOTHING!

“An amateur keeps trying to get it right. A professional keeps

working so as to never be wrong.” (TV ad, MNF, 9/11/06)

“We don’t push products, we push solutions.” Rob Meade,

GROWMARK
Sales Quotes: Course Introduction

“Life is pretty much a selling job. Whether we succeed or fail

is largely a matter of how well we motivate the human
beings with whom we deal to buy us and what we have to
offer.” Zig Ziglar, Top Performance