Program : MBA

Semester : III
Subject Code : MK0010
Subject Name : Sales, Distribution and
Supply Chain Management
Unit Number : 2
Unit Title : Understanding Personal Selling
and Sales Force Management
Lecture Number : 2
Lecture Title : Understanding Personal Selling
and Sales Force Management

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Unit-2 Understanding Personal Selling and
Sales Force Management

Understanding Personal Selling and

Sales Force Management

Objectives :

● identify the various personal selling approaches

● state the theories of entrepreneurship

● explain personal selling process

● describe how entrepreneurship has evolved over the years in India

● explain the importance of sales planning

In this session, we will discuss about personal selling and sales

force management. Personal selling has been identified as an
important tool and part of the promotional mix of an organization.

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 Unit-2 Understanding Personal Selling and
Sales Force Management

Lecture Outline

Introduction
Approaches to Personal Selling
Process to Personal Selling
Automation in Personal Selling
Organization Design and Staffing
Sales Planning
Time and Territory Management
Summary
Check Your Learning
Activity

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Unit-2 Understanding Personal Selling and
Sales Force Management

Introduction

● The sales manager, as a part of the sales management team,

needs to possess certain core competencies through which he is
able to discharge the roles and responsibilities of a sales manager.

● The task of personal selling, per se, has become more difficult,
thanks to increasing competition along with the increasing impact
of technological advances.

● The process of personal selling involves direct face-to-face

interaction between the seller and the prospective buyer with the
objective of selling a product or service.

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Unit-2 Understanding Personal Selling and
Sales Force Management

Approaches to Personal Selling

Three common approaches are:

● Stimulus response:This has been the traditional approach to selling. This

seller-oriented approach is based on the philosophy that once a stimulus, in
the form of product features and benefits are provided, it would generate a
response in the form of customer assent for purchase.

● Need satisfaction: This approach is suitable when the seller is able to offer
multiple products which can be tailored to meet the buyer's needs. The
need satisfaction approach is based on understanding the customer's needs.

● Problem solving: In this approach, the seller first interacts with the
customer to understand his needs as the first step. He then advises on the
various product solutions available and goes about detailing the
advantages\disadvantages of various solutions to ascertain the best one.

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Unit-2 Understanding Personal Selling and
Sales Force Management

Process to Personal Selling

● Sales processes differ across products as well as approaches and

strategies followed by an organization.

● However, to evolve the most suitable process for a particular

product or service, it is important to understand the various steps
involved in the personal selling process.These are:
−Prospecting
−Pre-Approach
−Gain Interview/Approach
−Presentation
−Handling Objections
−Closing the Sale
−Post-Sales Service

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Unit-2 Understanding Personal Selling and
Sales Force Management

Automation in Personal Selling

The varied ways by which automation have impacted personal selling are the

following:

● Ease of communication and reach

● Customer data and inputs provision

● Tracking and recording for customer support and assurance

● Enabling skill development of sales force

● Prospecting and Relationship building

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Unit-2 Understanding Personal Selling and
Sales Force Management

Organization Design and Staffing

● Organization design: This can be defined narrowly, as the

process of reshaping organization structure and roles, or it can
more effectively be defined as the alignment of structure, process,
rewards, metrics and talent with the strategy of the business.

● Staffing: After an organizational design has been finalized, the

next step to find the people/employees with the right expertise,
knowledge and abilities to fit in that structure.

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Unit-2 Understanding Personal Selling and
Sales Force Management

Sales Planning

● The first step of sales management is sales planning. It is an

important step in charting and assuring a path towards meeting
the sales goals.

● Importance of Sales Planning:

−To make organizational plans operational
−To chart the right course in a changing environment
−To set Achievable goals
−To motivate sales force
−To enable control

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Unit-2 Understanding Personal Selling and
Sales Force Management

Time and Territory Management

● Time and territory management are the most valuable asset for a
salesperson.

● Importance of Time Management: The key to managing time

better relates to proper planning of activities by the salesperson.

● Importance of Territory Management: Defining a territory is

an important task of the sales manager and impacts the
efficiency, cost and customer service aspects of sales calls.

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Unit-2 Understanding Personal Selling and
Sales Force Management

Summary

• Time and territory management are the two important

constituents that determine the success of the salesperson.

• Products such as laptops, personal digital assistants (PDA),

Radiofrequency Identification (RFID), memory devices have
increasingly impacted the personal selling process.

• Sales processes differ across products as well as approaches and

strategies followed by an organization.

• Personal selling approaches are of three types: Stimulus-

response, Need satisfaction and Problem-solving.

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Unit-2 Understanding Personal Selling and
Sales Force Management

Check Your Learning

1. What do you mean by Automation?

Ans: Automation is basically refers to the incorporation or usage of equipment
and systems, which helps to substitute physical or manual work.
2. Discuss the importance of Time and Territory management.
Ans: Importance of Time Management: The key to managing time better
relates to proper planning of activities by the salesperson.
Importance of Territory Management: Defining a territory is an important
task of the sales manager and impacts the efficiency, cost and customer
service aspects of sales calls.
3. Explain personal selling process.
Ans: The process of personal selling involves the direct face to-face interaction
between the seller and the prospective buyer with the objective of selling a
product or service.

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Unit-2 Understanding Personal Selling and
Sales Force Management

Activity

● What do you think are some of the new trends in pharmaceutical

business in India and how can they impact sales in territories?

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