Core Concepts of Marketing by John Burnett - HTML preview

CHAPTER 8

COMMUNICATING TO MASS MARKETS

Prospecting

Preapproach

Planning the presentation

Delivering the presentation

Handling objections

Closing

Follow-up

FIGURE 8.7

The sell ing process: steps inv olved

Prospecting

P rospecting is defined as the seller's search fo r, and identification of,

quaE

potential buyers of the product or service. Prospecting can be thought of as a two-

stage

(1)

the individuals and/or the organizations that might be prospects,

and (2) screening

prospects against evaluative qualifying criteria. Potential prospects

that compare favorably

the evaluative criteria can then be classified as qualified prospects.

Preapproach

After the prospect has been qualified, the salesperson continues to

gather information about the prospect. This process is called the preapproach. The preapproach can be defined as obtaining as much relevant information as possible regarding the

prospect prior to making a sales presentation. The knowledge gai ned during the preapproach

allows the tailoring of the sales presentation to the particular prospect. In many cases, sales-

people make a

call on the prospect for the purpose of conducting the preap-

proach. This is perfectly acceptable, and most professional buyers understand that such a

call may be

before a

presentation can be made.

Planning the Presentation

Regardless of the sales situation, some planning should

be done before the sales presentation is attempted. The amount of planning that will be nec-

essary and the nature of the planning depend on many factors, including: (1) the objective

or objectives of the presentation, (2) how much knowledge the salesperson has regarding

the buyer, buyer needs, and the buying situation, (3) the type of presentation to be planned

and delivered, and (4) the invol vement of other people assisting the salesperson in the sales

presentation . Careful planning offers advantages for both the salesperson and the buyer. By

carefully planning the presentation, salespeople can: (1) focu s on important cus tomer needs

and communicate the relevant benefits to the buyer, (2) address potential problem areas prior

to the sales presentation, and (3) enjoy self-confidence, which generally increases with the

amount of planning done by the salesperson. In planning the presentation, the salesperson

must select the relevant parts of their knowledge base and integrate the selected parts into

a unified sales message. For any given sales situation, some of the facts concerning the sales-

person's company, product, and market will be irrelevant. The challenge to the salesperson

is in the task of distill ing relevant facts fro m th e total knowledge base. The key question

SALES PROMOTION AND PU BLIC RELATIONS

217

here is, "What informatio:l will the Jrospect require before they will choose to buy my

offering?"

Delivering the Presentation

All sales presentations are not designed to secure an

immediate sale. Whether the objective

an immediate sale or a future sale, the chances of

getting a positive response from a prospect are increased when the salesperson: (1) makes

the presentation in the proper climate, (2) establishes credibility with the prospect, (3) ensures clarity of content in the presentation, and (4) controls the presentation within reasorable

bounds.

Handling Objections

Duri;lg the course of the sales presentation, the salesperson

can expect the prospect to object to one or more points made by the salesperson. Sales objections raised by the prospect can be defined as statements or questions by the prospect which can indicate an unwillingness to buy. Salespeople can learn to handle customer's objections

by becoming aware of the reasons

objections. The

customers incltde

objections to prices , products, service, the company, time, or competition. The reasons for

objections include that customers have gotten into the habit of raising objections, customers

have a desire fo r more information , and customers have no need for the product or service

being marketed. Salespeople can overcome objections by following certain guidelines includ-

ing viewing objections as selling tools, being aware of the

of their product;. and

creating a list of possible objections and the best

to those objections.

Closing

To a large degree, the evaluation of salespeoples' performance is

on

their ability to close sales. Certainly, other factors are considered in evaluating perform-

ance, but the bottom line for most salespeople is

ability to consistently

prof-

itable sales volume. Individuals who perform as salespeople occupy a unique role: they are

the only individuals in their companies who bring revenue into the company.

There may be several opportunities to attempt to close during a presentation, or oppor-

tunity may knock only once. In fact, sometimes opportunities to close may not present them-

selves at all and the salesperson must create an opportunity to close. Situations where a

closing attempt is logical include:

1. When a presentation has been completed without any objectives from the prospect.

2. When the presentation has been completed and all objections and questions have

been answered.

MARKETING CAPSULE

•

1. Personal selling involves the direct presentation of a prod-

3. The selling process includes the following steps:

uct or service idea to a customer or potential customer by

a. Prospecting

a representative of the company or organization.

b. Preapproach

2. There are various types of selling: inside order taker. deliv-

c. Planning for presentation

ery salesperson, route-merchandi se salesperson, mission-

d. Delivering the presentation

ary salesperson, technical salesperson, creative salesperson

e. Handling objectives

of langibles, creative salesperson of intangibles, indirect

f. Closing

salesperson, salesperson engaged in multiple

g. Follow-up

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