Objectives of Personal Selling

 Increase volume of sales

 Increase sales revenue
 Prospect new customers
 Increase sale per customer

Advantages of Personal selling

 High degree of personal attention
 Customization
 Interactive
 Technical products
 Build long term relationships
Personal selling Skills
 Interpersonal skills
 Adaptability
 Self motivation
 Problem solving capability
 Product knowledge
 Customer Knowledge
 Presentation skills
5 Ps of Personal selling
 Preparation
 Prospecting
 Pre approach
 Presentation
 Post sale support
Main roles of the Sales Force
 Prospecting
 Communicating
 Selling Prospecting
 Servicing
 Information gathering
 Allocating
 Identifying prospective buyers of the
product/service.
 Individuals or institutions
Ways to identify Prospects

 Acquaintance references
 Cold calling
 Centre of influence method
 Personal observation method
 Direct mail or Telephone method
 Company records
 Newspapers
 Retailers
 Other methods (Trade fair and exhibitions)
Pre approach
 Know prospects likes and dislikes
 Needs, preferences, habits, behavior,
economic and social status etc

Important Tips
 Concentration on Prospects and not on suspects
 Get maximum possible information of the prospects
 No wastage of time and energy
Approach

Different methods
 Cashing on brand name or the company’s
reputation
 Customer benefit approach
 Premium approach
 Shock approach
 Approach of “Making Prospect feel
important”
Keys to successful approach

 Meet with prior important

 Punctuality
 Meet during slack hours
 Confidence, professionalism and complete
command over information
 Make prospect feel relaxed
 Effective presentation
 Neatly dressed
 Presentation and Demonstration
A good presentation may include:
 Conspicuous location
 Attractive package
 Explain features and price advantage
 Do not compare
 Focus on quality and variety
 Make the product appealing

Handling objections  Objections on Price

 Objections on quality
 Objection on payment
 Objection on after sale service
 Objection on timing to buy
 Selling and Buying styles
 Types of buyers
Innovators (Theory of diffusion)
Laggards
 Buyer personality Types(risk takers and
averse)
 B2B selling(centralized, tenders,
committee, bargaining power)

Closing Selling situations

  Developmental selling
Right opportunity
  Maintenance selling
Follow up
Selling Skills

 Communication skills
 Listening skills (attention stage, interpretation stage, stage of
remembrance, evaluation stage and response action stage)
 conflict management skills
 Negotiation skills
 Problem solving skills
 Theories of Personal Selling
AIDAS Theory
Attention, interest, Desire, Action and satisfaction
Seeking attention: conversation openers, sense of humor,
listening ability etc
Gaining interest: catalogues, sales portfolios, flipcharts and
other visual aids.
Desire: keep conversation running, answer to all objections.
Induce action: recognize closing signals
Customer satisfaction
T account close technique

 It is used by some salesperson to close the Sale by drawing a

large T on a piece of paper and wring assets and liabilities on the
right side of paper.
Behavioral equation theory

4 important elements
1)Drive : strong internal stimuli
 Innate drive
 Learned drive
2)Cues: weak stimuli that indicate when buyer
initiates purchase.
Triggering
Non Triggering
3)Response: Decision of the buyer
4)Reinforcement: Strengthen buyer tendency to come to a particular response

B= P*D*K*V
B=Response
P=Force of habit
K=incentive
V=intensity of all cues
K > then reinforcement takes place.
 Buyer Formula Theory
Focused on Buyer side
Mental process
Need/Problem Solution Purchase
Need/Problem Solution Purchase satisfaction

Solution has 2 parts:

Product/service
Trade name

Types of buying
 New task
 Modified rebuy
 Straight rebuy
 Sales Team Buying centre

•Purchase material executive

•Major accounts executive
•Operating manufacturing
•Technical support engineer executive
•Logistics executive •Logistics/ SC executive
•Information system executive •Materials manager
•Finance executive •Finance executive

Relationship Process