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The Power of Selling

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Chapter 2 The Power to Choose Your Path: Careers

in Sales

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Video Case

• The video, What it Takes to be Successful in Sales, features Paul Blake, vice president of Sales at Greater Media Philadelphia

• In the video he shares his thoughts on what it takes to be a great salesperson and what he looks for when he’s hiring new salespeople

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Video Ride-along Discussion Questions

• Is there any difference between a “good” salesperson and a “great” salesperson? Discuss.

• As a customer, recall a purchase situation where the selling approach adopted by the salesperson was excellent, which made the buying experience ineffable. List a few traits of this salesperson.

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Chapter Objectives

• Discuss the characteristics required to be successful in a career in sales.

• Understand what you can expect from a career in sales.• Understand the different types of selling channels and selling

environments. • Learn how to position your education and experience to create a

resume and cover letter to get the job you want.

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Traits Required for a Successful Career in Sales

• Character and the ability to build trust• Ability to connect• Listening skills• Ability to ask the right questions• Willingness to learn• Drive to succeed

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Traits Required for a Successful Career in Sales

• Resilience and a positive attitude• Willingness to take risks• Ability to ask for an order • Independence and discipline • Flexibility• Passion

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Career in Sales

• The role of a salesperson – To create value • If you are considering investing your career in the

selling profession, know what’s in it for you (WII-FM)• On any given day, a salesperson might work on

multiple activities• Sales is a “pay-for-performance” profession

Item number: 77005422

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Types of Selling Channels

Item number: 77006563

sells washers and dryers

B2BB2C

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Figure 2.12 - Business-to-Business Versus Business-to-Consumer Selling Characteristics

Insert Figure

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Types of B2B and B2C Selling

• Transactional selling: Efficiently matches the customer’s needs in an operational manner and no personal relationship is formed

– Occurs in both B2B and B2C situations• Consultative selling: There is long-term or ongoing relationship

between the seller and the buyer, and the salesperson provides ideas or solutions to the customer based on customer needs

– Occurs in both B2B and B2C situations

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Types of B2B and B2C Selling

• Adaptive selling: A salesperson adapts or changes behavior during a customer communication to positively impact the outcome

– Occurs in both B2B and B2C situations• Strategic alliance: Buyers and sellers working together to create

opportunities for both companies that wouldn’t exist without the relationship

– Occurs in B2B situations

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Types of B2B and B2C Selling

• The video Transactional Versus Relational Sales features a consultant from Rockstar Consulting - a personal development company, that provides business and life coaching, sales training, and skill-development services

• The speaker in the video discusses two different styles of selling - transactional selling and relational selling

Source: rockstar-consulting.com

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Types of B2B and B2C Selling

• Can you list a few pros and cons of transactional and relational selling apart from the ones discussed in the video?

• Which category would most of the salespeople you come across in daily purchase situations fall under - transactional selling or relational selling?

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Types of Selling Positions

• Inside salesperson: A salesperson who performs selling functions such as providing information, taking orders, and following up using communication methods such as telephone, e-mail, text, or fax, but does not actually meet with the customer face-to-face

• Outside salesperson: A salesperson who meets face-to-face with customers and performs a variety of sales functions

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Table 2.1 - Types of B2B and B2C Sales Positions

Insert Table

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Direct Selling

• The sale of a consumer product or service away from a fixed retail location

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Direct Selling

• Independent business owners (IBO)– A direct sales person who distributes a company’s products or services

and earns income based on the sales

• Multilevel marketing (MLM)– A selling system in which independent business owners invite other

people to become IBOs and earn incentives based on their sales of the product or service

• Pyramid schemes – A process that involves the exchange of money simply for recruiting

people to participate in a multi-level selling business without the benefits of sales

– This business practice is not sustainable and is illegal in many states

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Types of Selling Environment

• Learn about the current trends in direct selling• The video showcases the growth of direct marketing which

provides secondary income to most of its consultants while also providing a sense of job security

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Other Selling Environments

• Entrepreneurial selling– A business started by an individual – Being an entrepreneur can be exhilarating, invigorating, exciting,

challenging, time-consuming, and frustrating

• Global selling– Selling in countries outside the U.S. – Presents additional levels of challenges including cultural, political,

legal, demographic, and economic

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Other Selling Environments

• Non-profit selling– Fund-raising and the development of endowments are the lifeblood of

non-profit organizations – Selling is the engine of non-profit organizations

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Selling U

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Five Steps for a Resume That Stands Out

• Step 1: Define your three brand points that make you unique and provide value to a prospective employer

• Step 2: Choose your resume format and font• Step 3: Choose your headings and put the most important ones

first• Step 4: Write your bullet points• Step 5: Review, check spelling, proofread, repeat

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Resume Formatting

• See how easy it is to format your resume using a table in Word• The video demonstrates how to make a resume very professional

and very easy for the reader to see what makes you special• The sample used here is Rakeem S. Bateman’s resume; it appears

in the Selling U section of this chapter (Figure 2.8 - Standard Resume Incorporating Effective Headings)

Source: Flat World Knowledge

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Three Steps for a Cover Letter That Gets Noticed

Understand the elements of a cover letter

Start with your three brand points

Write your cover letter

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Figure 2.6 - Standard Resume

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Figure 2.6 - Standard Resume

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Figure 2.6 - Standard Resume

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Figure 2.7 - Standard Resume Incorporating Brand Points

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Figure 2.7 - Standard Resume Incorporating Brand Points

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Figure 2.7 - Standard Resume Incorporating Brand Points

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Figure 2.9 - Effective Cover Letter

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Figure 2.9 - Effective Cover Letter

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Figure 2.9 - Effective Cover Letter

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Figure 2.10 - Elements of a Cover Letter

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Figure 2.10 - Elements of a Cover Letter

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Figure 2.10 - Elements of a Cover Letter

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Figure 2.10 - Elements of a Cover Letter

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Figure 2.11 - Sample Cover Letter

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Figure 2.11 - Sample Cover Letter

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Figure 2.12 - Sample Resume

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Figure 2.12 - Sample Resume

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Figure 2.12 - Sample Resume

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Summary

• A good salesperson does more than sell; he builds a relationship and trust with the customer and offers solutions

• Companies sell to customers in business-to-business (B2B) or business-to-consumer (B2C) channels

• Your resume and cover letter are your “advertising” for your personal brand