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| carpet cleaning equipment - Simple transactions are completed by clerks. sal_espeople are now used primarily where the products are complex and require detailed explanation, customized application, or careful negotiation over price and payment plan. But whether the sale involves an automobile or a customized computer network, personal selling involves much more than convincing the custo_mer of the product's benefits. The sal_esperson helps the custo_mer identify problems, works out a variety of solutions, assists the buyer in making deci_sions, and provides arrangements for long-term service. Persuasion is only part of the job. A much more important part is problem solving. Because the selling process has become much more complicated, most companies now provide extensive train_ing for the sal_es force. The average length of the initial train_ing program is four months. A train_ing program for new members of the sal_es force teaches them about such matters as company history, selling and presentation techniques, listening skills, the manufacture and use of the company's products, and the characteristics of both the industry and its custo_mers. Moreover, because the sal_es force plays such a critical role in the marketing process, most companies provide on-going train_ing for all members of the sal_es force to help them deepen their product knowledge and improve their interpersonal and negotiating skills. With the increasing complexity of business problems and products, effective sal_es solutions often require more knowledge than any one person can master. As a result many companies now use sal_es teams to service their largest and most complicated accounts. Such teams might include personnel from sal_es, marketing, manufacturing, finance, and technical support. The | purpose of sal_es promotion is to supplement and coordinate advertising and personal selling; this has become increasingly important in marketing. While advertising helps build brand image and long-term value, sal_es promotion builds sal_es volume. sal_es promotions are designed to persuade consumers to purchase immediately by providing special incentives such as cash rebates, prizes, extra product, or gifts. Promotions are an effective way to spur sal_es, but because they involve discount coupons and contests with valuable prizes, they are also expensive and so reduce profits. In the past, most advertising and promotional efforts were developed to acquire new custo_mers. But today, more and more advertising and promotional efforts are designed to retain current custo_mers and to increase the amount of money they spend with the company. Consumers see so much advertising that they have learned to ignore much of it. As a result, it has become more difficult to attract new custo_mers. Servicing existing custo_mers, however, is easier and less expensive. In fact, it is estimated that acquiring a new custo_mer costs five to eight times as much as keeping an existing one. To retain current custo_mers, some companies develop loyalty programs such as the frequent flyer programs used by many airlines. A marketer may also seek to retain custo_mers by learning a custo_mer's individual interests and then tailoring services to meet them. Amazon. com, for example, keeps a data_base of the types of books custo_mers have ordered in the past and then recommends new books to them based on their past selections. Such programs help companies retain custo_mers not only by providing a useful service, but also by making custo_mers feel appreciated. This is known as relationship building. |
