Module 001 – Nature of Salesmanship, its Nature and Rewards

Everybody likes to earn big income, but not everybody likes to sell. This is really a dilemma in today’s
struggle for decent living. We want to eat plenty of good and nutritious foods, we want to look our best
when we wear expensive clothes, shoes and accessories, we want to live in completely furnished home
with all the conveniences, we want various forms of recreation and relaxation. In short, we need a big
sum of money to spend for all these. But we do not like to sell! And Personal selling is a dynamic force
that affects everyday lives. Billions of pesos worth of goods and services are sold each year through
personal billing. Current trends in development suggest that personal selling will play an even more
important role in industry and economy in the future than it does today. What is personal selling?
Richard T. Hise, author of Effective Salesmanship, defines personal selling as the employment of men
and women who determined the needs of potential buyers and attempt to persuade.

At the end of this module, you will be able to:

1. Know the meaning of Salesmanship.

2. Understand the importance of personal selling.

3. Appreciate the benefits of being a salesman.

4. Explain the difference between selling and salesmanship.

Meaning of Salesmanship

Some well-known authors define the word salesmanship as the act of persuading another to respond
and favorably to a product, service or idea. Others view salesmanship as the process of persuading and
convincing a prospect to accept a product or a service as one that offers satisfaction to human needs
and wants. In other words, to be a salesman is a noble mission of helping people satisfy their daily needs
and wants.

Importance of Personal Selling

Salesmanship is also personal selling. It involves a face-to-face communication between a prospect and
a salesman. It is magnetizing and hypnotizing to be personally convincing a prospect to act favorably to
product, service or idea.
Advantages of Being a Salesman over Being an Office Worker

1. Unlimited earning opportunities

2. More chances for promotion and growth

3. Less employment requirements

4. Less tensions and intrigues

5. More fun and adventures

6. More incentives and fringe rewards

7. Offers of awards and rewards

8. Opportunities to travel and meet people

9. Less working hours

10. Working without strict supervision

Unlimited Earnings Opportunities

The Prudential Life Group of Companies has four basic product lines to offer its prospective clients.
These are educational plan, pension plan, life plan, and travel plan.

These are the important aspects of this definition personnel selling:

1. Selling does not only involve men it also involves women who find selling a rewarding career.

2. A salesman determines the needs of the buyer and accordingly to offers him the goods and services.

3. The word “attempt” must be given consideration. Selling as a career can be very frustrating.

4. Persuasion in selling. Discovery of the buyers needs is not enough the more important thing is for the
salesman to convince them.

5. Satisfy their needs. Buyers who have positive experience with the product will surely buy the same
product the next time around

6. A salesman either sells products like washing machine, refrigerator, television sets, shampoos, soaps,
typewriter or services

7. Professionalism is observed.

Salesman are widely used by big manufacturing firms, wholesalers, and retailers in selling their products.
There is no doubt that personal selling techniques will be more sophisticated in order to sell this new
product in this highly competitive market. Direct mail selling display and sales promotion strategies, like
trading stamps, contests, raffles, discount, buy one take one ticket offer are also considered means of
selling.

The function of non personal selling of pre selling is to communicate a message to groups of people it is
one way rather than two way conversation. Every human being has something to sell and almost
everybody is engaged to selling. We do services for other people for which we are or we may be
engaged in the actual selling of goods. Advertising agencies sell service to their costumer television
networks or station sell time to their clients. All the services are called intangibles.

Skilled workers are also engaged in selling. Like for example television repairmen they sell their valued
skills. This pertains to barkers, farmers and artist. Student also sell while in school they sell ideas. In
some cases student also sell subscription to school papers and advertising spaces.

History of Salesmanship in the Philippines

History says that the Philippines had trade relations with foreign countries like Japan, Siam, Cambodia,
Borneo, Sumatra, Java and China. A Spanish document of 1586 noted that the Filipinos were “keen
traders” and have traded with china for many years before the colonization of Spain.

When Yung Lo (1402-1424) became the emperor of china he sent a large fleet containing sixty vessels of
merchandise to the Philippines under the command of admiral Cheng Ho. Different types of
commodities were sold to the natives who paid their debts after one year. The Chinese traders were
very much impressed and satisfied with the natives for their honesty and prompt payment of their
obligations.

Distinction Between Selling and Salesmanship

A large segment of society believes that selling and salesmanship are one and the same. This concept
not quite correct. Salesmanship is the art of convincing and persuading people to buy the product, while
selling is just transferring the title in goods service. A minimum of sales talent is required if the product
or service offered comparatively unexpensive when prospect is well aware of the products merit. Thus it
is the special problems involve in certain selling situations that necessitate the salesman personal touch
and justify his pay.

Selling is Services Your Prospect

Selling is not a solitary activity. It is a conscious relationship between the buyer and the seller. The
salesman effort is useless if he is not able to make a sale. In other words he is not able to serve his
prospective client. The salesman provides his prospective client with the latest market information.

A salesman is of service to his company if:

1. He presents the company in the area entrusted to him

2. He increase and generates more profit for the company

3. He manages his time

4. He submits his reports correct on the time

5. He adheres to company policies and method

6. He works in harmony with his superior

Forms of Selling

Personal selling or direct selling is a direct face to face interaction between the buyer and the seller. A
salesman can entertain the questions and objections of his buyers upon their needs.

Non Personal Selling this is selling through the aid of some media like advertising, window displays,
samplings, and others forms of promotion.

The professional salesman’s creed

1. I will place costumer and company interest self interest

2. I will be constantly alert to the concept that successful selling must bring mutual and continuous
benefits

3. I will maintain an optimistic and positive attitude

4. I will maintain loyalty to my company

5. I will do everything possible to support the free enterprise system

6. I will continue develop new knowledge

7. I will make every effort possible to utilize efficiently my total capacities

8. I will never violate the trust and confidence of my costumers

9. I will maintain honestly and integrity 10. In all of my personal activities I will attempt to do what is
right

Career Opportunities in Selling

We have learned what personal selling is and how it relates to the marketing operations in business. We
quite aware of the types of activities that sales personnel need to perform.

The manufacturer’s Sales People

A factory owner may solve his sales problems by making arrangements to dispose his entire product to
some individuals.

a. The Pioneer Products Sales People these are the individuals whose function to secure outlets for a
new product to wholesalers distributors and dealers

b. The Dealer Servicing Sales Product they contact retailers or wholesalers frequent intervals thus
preventing his established group of outlets from an out of stock situation

c. The Merchandising Sales People they differ from the pioneer products man and the dealer servicing
man in such away that their chief duty is to promote sales

The Wholesalers Sales People

This refers to an individual who acts as the intermediary between the manufacturer and the retailers or
industrial users and carry thousands of unrelated lines of merchandise in a warehouse where they are
quickly available to dealers

The Retailers Sales People

Retailer sales people are costumers of producers and wholesalers

The Specialty Sales People

This type of sale necessities ingenuity initiative perseverance and considerable selling skills.
Classification of specialty this type of sales handles products such as vacuum cleaners. Industrial good
specialties they sell products like cash register office machines industrial machine and they are trained
to render service as well as to make sales. Sales engineer the job demands for a considerable technical
knowledge most of them hold engineering degrees but a greater percentage learned their lesson on the
job

Salesmanship Not by Salesmen

Selling is not only confined to people who are called salesmen.

1. Politicians he persuade his constituents to vote for him 2. Priests, Ministers they convince the whole
congregation for continued financial 3. Doctors, Lawyers, teachers secretaries they sell they expertise 4.
A lover offering his love and affection to his sweetheart 5. Organization for a cause Philippine National
Red Cross, Philippine Cancer Society, Community Chest

The Three Basic Compensation Plans

1. Straight salary plan it is considered to be the simplest compensation plan the salesman receive a fix
amount of regular intervals which represents the total payments for their services

2. Straight commission plan Other companies based their computation on the sales

3. Combination salary and incentive plan almost all sales compensation plans are the combination of
salary plus commission plan. But he gets a large percentage on commission.

Fringe Benefits

They range from 25 to 40 percent of the total sales compensation packages. Big companies furnish
salesmen special bonus as an incentive for them to for them to be aware of other companies product
and to remain loyal to the company.