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Introduction
• Personal selling should be an extension of the
marketing concept.
• This means that the salesperson should identify
customer needs and help customer by selecting
from such products that best fit the customer’s
requirements.
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The customer-oriented selling is:
• To help customers to make satisfactory
purchase decisions.
• Helping customers to evaluate their needs and
offering products that will satisfy those needs.
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How salesperson should satisfy customers
needs?
• Describing products accurately in detail.
• Avoiding misleading approaches.
• Avoiding the use of high-pressure sales
techniques.
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High pressure techniques: Overstating performance facts, lying to clients, or making
unreasonable promises are all high-pressure sales techniques.

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• In order to adopt customer oriented
selling, companies need to develop a
culture that should understanding
customers and creating value for them.
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• It includes that customer are satisfied with
salesperson behavior for behaving
ethically.
• In addition, companies should include
ethics in sales training courses for their
sales teams.
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In order to develop personal selling skills, it is useful to:
• Develop complete knowledge of company’s products and
and customers.
• Having good communication skills.
• Expertise to solve problems.
• Capable to understand and satisfy the buyer’s needs.
• Ability in ensuring the reliable and intime delivery of orders.
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Opening
• Buyers expect salespeople to be well-organized in their
personal appearance and behavior.
• Untidy hair and a sloppy (careless) manner of dress can ruin
the appearance.
• Salespeople should open with a smile, a firm handshake
and if they are not well known to the buyer, introduce
themselves and the company they represent.
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• Common courtesies should be followed. For
example, they should wait for the buyer to
indicate that they can sit down or, at least,
ask the buyer if they may sit down.
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• Opening remarks are important since they
set the tone for the rest of the sales
interview.
• Normally they should be business-related;
they should ensure the buyer that the
salesperson is not wasting his time.
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• Attention to detail is important, such as
holding one’s briefcase in the left hand so
that the right can be used for the handshake,
removes the possibility of an awkward
moment when a briefcase is transferred from
right to left as the buyer extends their hand
in greeting.
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• Incase the buyer is well known and is willing to
talk about social matters, the salesperson will
obviously follow.
• This can develop close rapport with the buyer,
but the salesperson must be aware of the
reason for being there and not be diverted from
talking business.
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Opening remarks might be:
• Industrial salesperson: We have helped several
companies in your kind of business to achieve
huge savings by using our stock control
procedures. What methods do you use at
present to control stock?
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Retail salesperson:
• “I think you are interested in our stereo
equipment. What kind of system do you have in
mind” ?
• The use of the internet can help to create
favorable first impressions and can help in
developing knowledge about the customers
company and industry.
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Need & Problem Identification
• Most salespeople have a range of products to sell. A car
salesperson has many models from small economy cars
to super luxury top-of-the-line models.
• The computer salesperson will have several systems to
suit the needs and resources of different customers.
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The seller’s first objective will be to discover the needs
of the customer.
• Before a car salesperson can sell a car, they need to
understand the customer’s circumstances such as:
What size of car is required? Is the customer looking for high
fuel economy or performance? With a boot (sedan) or a
hatchback model? What kind of price range is being
considered?
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• Having obtained this information, the
salesperson is able to sell the model best
suited to the needs of the buyer.
• Similarly, a computer salesperson may carry
out a survey of customer requirements
prior to suggesting an appropriate
computer model.
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• In order to encourage the buyer to discuss
their needs, salespeople tend to use ‘open
ended’ rather than ‘close ended’ questions.
• An open question is one that requires more
than a one-word or one-phrase answer.
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The Presentation & Demonstration
• Once the needs of the buyer have been
identified, the presentation follows according
the need of the customer.
• Having fully discussed what the customer
wants, the salesperson knows which product
benefits to highlight.
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• The term ‘presentation’ should not
mislead the salesperson into
believing that they alone should
do all the talking.
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• Salesperson should also ask questions to
confirm what kind of benefits the buyer is
looking for.
• After explaining a benefit, it is healthy practice
to ask the buyer, ‘Is this the kind of thing you
are looking for?’
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• In many sales situations there is risk for the
buyer, no matter what benefits the
salesperson discusses, the buyer may be
reluctant to change from the present
supplier due to certain reasons.
• With the new firm delivery may not be
timely or the new model may be unreliable.
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• Sometimes the buyer does not offer much
resistance, but somehow does not buy; a likely
reason is that the buyer plays safe, sticking to
the present supplier in order to reduce the risk
should problems occur.
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In such situation how, can a salesperson reduce
risk?
There are four major ways to reduce the risk:
(a) Reference selling.
(b) Demonstrations or Display.
(c) Guarantees.
(d) Trial orders.
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Details

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Reference Selling
• Reference selling involves the use of satisfied
customers to convince the buyer of the
efficiency of the product.
• A list of satisfied customers, should be
prepared by the salesperson before meeting
the buyer.
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• Letters from satisfied customers should also
be kept and used in the sales presentation in
order to build confidence.
• This technique can be highly effective in
selling, while shifting a buyer to
salesperson’s products.
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Demonstrations
• Chinese proverb: “Tell me and I’ll forget; show me
and I may remember; involve me and I’ll
understand”.
• Demonstrations also reduce risk because
they prove the benefits of the product, just
like a car salespeople will allow customers to
test drive cars.
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Guarantees
• Guarantees of product reliability and after-
sales service, including delivery supported
by penalty clauses can build confidence
towards the salesperson’s claims and
reducing the buyers’ fear in case something
go wrong.
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Trial orders
• The final strategy for risk reduction is for
salespeople to encourage trial orders, even though
they may be uneconomical for the company.
• Buyers who normally purchase supplies from one
supplier may realize that change in supplier might
involves unnecessary risk.
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• It may be one of the ways for a new supplier to
break through this barrier, that is to secure a
small order which can prove the company’s
capability to provide consistently high-quality
products.
• The confidence may lead to a higher percentage
of the customer’s business in the longer term.
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Dealing with Objections
• Objections are the concerns or questions raised
by the buyer.
• Some objections are an due to confusion, doubt
or disagreement.
• Objections should not always be viewed with
disappointment by salespeople.
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• Objections highlight the issues that are
important to the buyer.
• For example, when training salespeople,
Ford motors makes it a point that
customers’ objections are indications to
what is really going on their minds.
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• The salesperson can guide buyers to the
firm’s website where frequently asked
questions and references may be found.
• This may improve the chances of a
successful sale.
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Listen attentively and do not interrupt
• The correct method is to listen carefully,
attentively and respectfully.
• The buyer will appreciate it that the
salesperson is serious to understand and
resolve the problem.
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Agree and counter
• The salesperson first agrees that what the
buyer is saying is sensible and reasonable, then
putting forward an alternative point of view.
• By this way it will not create irritation and will
help develop sense of agreement rather than
conflict.
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For example:
Buyer: The problem with your tractor is that it
costs more than your competition.
Salesperson: Yes, the initial cost of the tractor is a
little higher than competitors’ models, but over
the lifetime of the machine, our tractor is far more
economical and efficient.
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There are also other professional approaches:
‘I can appreciate your concern that the
machine is more expensive than the
competition.
However, I would like to share with you
that….. ’
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‘Customer XYZ made the same comment a
year ago. I can assure you that he is highly
delighted with his decision to purchase
because the cost savings over the lifetime
the machine is more to offset the initial
difference.’
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The use of the reference selling technique can be
a powerful to counter to objection. For example,
salespeople of media space in newspapers that
are given away free to the public often face the
following objection:
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Buyer (car dealer): Your newspaper is given away free.
Most of the people throw it away without even reading it.
Salesperson: I can understand your concern. However, a
lot of people do read it to find out about second-hand
cars available in the market.
Mr. John of Super Motors has been advertising with us
for two years and he is delighted with the results.
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The straight denial
• This method must be handled with a great deal of
care since the danger is that it will result in the kind
of hostility that the salesperson is trying to avoid.
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For example:
Buyer: I expect that this upholstery (covers of the
car seats) will be difficult to clean.
Salesperson: No, Mr. Buyer, absolutely not.
This material is made from a newly developed
synthetic fiber that resists stains and allows
marks to be removed simply by using soap,
water and a clean cloth.
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Question and objection
• Sometimes an objection is raised which is so
general and is difficult to respond.
For example, a customer might say they do
not like the appearance of the product, or
that the product is not of good quality.
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• In this situation the salesperson should
question the nature of the objection in
order to clarify the problem.
Sometimes this results in a major objection
being minimized which can easily be dealt
with.
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Example
Buyer: I’m sorry but I don’t like the look of that car.
Salesperson: Could you tell me exactly what it is that you
don’t like in the look of the car?
Buyer: I don’t like the design on the seat covers.
Salesperson: Well, in fact this model can be supplied in a
number of different upholstery designs. Let us have a look
at the catalogue to see if there is a pattern of your liking?
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Negotiation
• Sellers may negotiate price, credit terms
and delivery times lines etc.
• The deal in the process will depend on
the negotiating skills of the respective
parties.
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Closing The Sales
• Some salespeople believe that an
effective presentation should lead the
buyer to ask for the product straightaway
without the seller needing to close the
sale.
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• Sometimes salespeople are reluctant to
close a sale? because most people fear
rejection.
• Some buyers will certainly respond
negatively but be resilient (quick to recover)
and trust your selling skills.
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Example
Closing the sales may be as following :
‘Well, Mr. Smith, we have agreed that the ZDXL4 car
model meets your requirements of low noise, high
productivity and driver comfort at a cost which you
can afford.
May I go ahead and place an order for this model?
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The concession close
The salesperson should keep one concession in
hand to use as the final push toward agreement:
‘If you are willing to place an order now, I’m
willing to offer an extra 2.5 per cent discount.’
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Follow-Up
• The follow-up call can also be used to
provide reassurance that the purchase
was the right one.
• Sometimes many customers are not sure
that they have made the right choice.
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Follow-Up (cont.)
• Traditionally it was done with a telephone call, a
letter thanking and asking if the product was
meeting expectations.
• Or the salesperson ‘dropping by’ to see any
problems.
• Today, email is frequently used, particularly in
business-to-business situations for follow-up.
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