Understanding

1

• Understanding
• Selling
• Salespeople

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1. Selling, salespeople, sales philosophies2.
Acquiring knowledge info.3. Prospecting/targeti
ng4. Sales goals, strategies, aids5. People
types6. Customer purchasing behavior
Whats My Job?Preparation gt understanding
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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
  Larrys business?

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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) Helens main job goal?

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Sales Quiz

• 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)

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Common negative experiences with salespeople

• Telemarketer
• Door-to-door salesperson
• Used car dealer

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Negative Sales Quotes

• Salesmanship The art of selling someone
  something that they dont want, dont need, and
  certainly cant afford. (Bob Sagett, Americas
  Funniest Home Videos, March 14, 1993)
• Question How can you tell if a salesperson is
  lying?
• Answer His/her lips are moving.

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Examples of negative descriptions of
salespeople

• Annoying
• Arm twister
• Arrogant
• BSer
• Condescending
• Dishonest
• Fake
• Fast talker
• Greedy
• Intimidating
• Long-winded
• Manipulative

Narrow-minded Never give up Phony Pushy Relentless
Show off Smooth talker Sneaky Telemarketer Tricky
Unthoughtful Wont take no
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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 dont 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

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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.

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Definitions of a Professional

• (noun) a person practicing a profession or
  engaged in a specified occupation for pay (e.g
  professional writer, professional golfer)
• (adjective) associated with the high standards,
  quality, or status of a profession

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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

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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

14
Professional salespeople view themselves and
their jobs in a positive way, opposite of
consmanship. Some examples of positive
descriptions of good salespeople include

• Ambitious
• Articulate
• Benefits
• Calm
• Charismatic
• Clean cut
• Commitment
• Communicator
• Compassionate
• Confident
• Courteous
• Creative
• Customer service
• Dedicated
• Detail oriented

Determined Easy going Energetic Enthusiastic Excit
ed Friendly Genuine Helpful Honest Integrity Intel
ligent Knowledgeable Likeable Listener Motivated
Nice Open-minded Optimistic Organized Outgoing Peo
ple oriented Persuasive Planner Polite Positive Pr
epared Problem solver Professional Quick on
feet Sensitive
Smart Self improvement Self motivated Service Smoo
th Tactful Technical Trustworthy Understanding Upb
eat Well dressed Well trained
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What Makes a Good Salesperson?

• Empathy the ability to sense what the customer
  is feeling.
• 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

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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

17
Selling is helping people

• Solve problems
• Make more
• Buy
• Meet their needs/goals

18
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

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• What do salespeople do?

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1) They Sell

• Products/services
• Solutions
• Information
• Ideas
• Service
• Their company
• Themselves

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Why Do Salespeople Sell?

• Old fashion, Non Professional, Negative Reason
• to increase sales volume to increase company
  profits or personal sales commissions regardless
  of customer benefits
• Modern, Professional, Positive Reason
• to meet customer needs, solve customer
  problems, and increase customer satisfaction

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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

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3) They Manage

• Their time
• Their territory
• Their records
• Their stress

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Seed Selling Is More Than Taking Orders

• Examples
• Recommend seeds that fit a farmers operation.
• Plant and manage test plots.
• Collect and share information with customers on
  fertility, planting depth and rates, chemicals,
  crop diseases, cultivation, and yields.
• Soil testing.
• Financial consulting.
• Provide service to customers.
• Joyce Vogelman, Iowa Farmer Today
• April 8, 1995, p. 3-4

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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

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Negative aspects of being a professional
salesperson

• Long hours (physically exhausting)
• Isolation (often work alone)
• Mentally depressing
• Rejections
• Complaints
• Stress

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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, todays 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.

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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 peoples 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.

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Sales Quotes Course Introduction

• A salesperson is no longer a vendor out to sell a
  product, but rather a consultant out to help
  their customers 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 dont care what you know until they know
  that you care. (Jim Cathcart, Relationship
  Selling, 1990)

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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 its 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)

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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, ABCs of Relationship Selling, 1997)
• You are involved in selling when you want someone
  to do something. (Charles Futrell, ABCs of
  Relationship Selling, 1997)
• In todays competitive environment, where good
  interpersonal skills are so valued, the lack of
  selling capability can put anyone at a
  disadvantage. (Charles Futrell, ABCs of
  Relationship Selling, 1997)

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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 dont push products, we push solutions. Rob
  Meade, GROWMARK

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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