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Selling style
Selling in most cases would involve an interaction between the seller and the buyer. Since the
buyer and seller interact there would invariably be some behavioural transactions taking place
between them. The way the seller has to behave would vary from situation to situation,
sometimes the behaviour of the seller may hamper the sale and sometimes it may help the
sale process. To ensure that the behavioural transactions contribute to the sale of the goods
and services, the sales force should be trained on how to behave. This chapter focuses on the
behavioural aspects of selling. The type of behaviour would also determine the type of
service orientation that the company should have towards its customers, so this chapter would
also deal with the service orientation that should compliment the selling activity.
Pharma industry is characterized by high competition where there are many brands for each
molecule. Due to this the time that a medical representative gets with a doctor is generally 4-
5 minutes. The medical representatives have to therefore utilize efficient selling techniques
and stand out from the crowd.
The medical representative would not be able to achieve a sale unless the initial 2-3 minutes
are used for creating the behavioural transaction, an equation with the ego state of the doctor.
Similarly, many persons would have experienced walking away from an outlet because they
may have been offended by the behaviour of the sales person. The salesperson’s mannerisms
could hurt the ego of the customer and hence the sale does not take place. That is, a sale is
going to take place only when the buyer and sellers’ behavioural states match. It is therefore
important for companies to understand the way the salesmen need to behave and train their
salesmen to behave accordingly (“people skills”). The McQuaig SystemTM identified four
dominant styles that are used during selling15. They are:
Dominance/ submissive
15
The McQuaig Institute of Executive Development Ltd., Toronto, Canada
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Sociability/Analytical thinking
Patience/Drive
Compliance/ Independence
This chapter studies the behavioural transactions for some products and develops a
framework for determining the selling style. The selling style would also determine the
service orientation of the company.
The main intention of the Company Sales Force would therefore be to motivate the Channel
Member to display their company’s products (the display of the brand by the retail sales
person would allow the brand to be considered for purchase). In order to achieve this, the
salesforce should use a wide variety of trade promotion tools. In addition, free gift, trade and
cash discounts are also provided. The primary behavioral factors of the Sales Force would be
to maintain good relations with channel members. This is very very important as the retailers’
(channel member) purchases are based on relative profitability of competing companies. As
profitability is an important aspect for channel members, the Sales force has to constantly
‘please’ them. The salesperson should therefore be submissive and accept the demands of the
channel partner; otherwise the channel partner would purchase jeans from another supplier
and still be able to satisfy the consumers.
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is not available in the supermarket. Therefore availability and display play an important role
for this segment.
Young, working men and women prefer instant food as a product and have it as an essential
shopping item on their shopping lists. Though they may look for convenience foods (such as
ready to eat foods) these customers may choose alternate food items in case the Aashirwad
brand of ready to eat food items are not available (picking behaviour). Again the availability
in the supermarket is important.
As availability in a supermarket is essential for the product to sell, the company would be
involved in trade selling and the behaviour by the company salespersons has to be submissive
as seen in the above case of non premium brand of jeans. However if the brand becomes
popular and the consumers are asking for the brand and the supermarkets are forced to stock
the brands, then the selling continues to be trade selling but the company salespersons needs
to change his style to dominance. If the salespersons do not change the style when the brand
becomes popular then the supermarkets would continue extracting extra benefit from the
company.
When the product is to be sold door to door, the type of selling should be of a “new product
selling” wherein the salesperson should be able to explain features and benefits to the
customer. The involvement of the customer would be low but the involvement of the
salesman should be high. He has to convince the customer to buy it. The salesperson should
have the drive. Table 4.2 summarises the selling style for the above situations.
Selling insurance
Life insurance products also involve a long-term commitment towards
saving. People are normally beset with doubts and uncertainties and will
present objections regarding the future returns. People may have lost money
through lapses or irregularity in their policies earlier. Such people may regard life insurance
as an unviable venture. Their dislike towards insurance prevents themselves from investing
further and discouraging others from buying.
So buying life insurance is a major decision and there is strong tendency to evade or postpone
the decision. The salesperson should therefore expect objections and appreciate them because
sincere objections indicate the prospect’s inner thoughts and problems. They offer a chance to
advance the meeting towards a successful sale. However, that is possible if the objections are
handled with logical reasoning. So, the selling style for insurance selling should be backed by
analytical thinking.
Again insurance is a very sensitive issue. People may dislike the idea of life insurance since it
is linked with ‘calamity’. Any sort of calamity is an unwelcome subject in every household
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across the world. The salesperson must therefore appeal to the customers’ gentler side,
address their emotions and feeling. The salesperson should tug at prospects’ heartstring since
selling insurance is an emotional act. The insurance salesperson should therefore exhibit
sociability also so that the customer can relate to the insurance agent.
Thus, the insurance salesperson’s selling style should have both analytical thinking and
sociability.
When the decision process is picking, as in the case of petrol, the consumer’s involvement in
the decision process is low and the buyer would also not want the seller to be involved in the
decision. Whereas when the buyer is in variety seeking or habitual process, then the buyer’s
involvement in the decision process is high but they would not want the seller to be involved
in their decision process (as in the case of textiles). In a subcontracted process, the buyers’
involvement in the decision process would be low as the buyer is not knowledgeable (as in
the case of lubricants), whereas the buyer would expect a high involvement of the seller in
the decision process. In a problem solving situation, the buyer would be highly involved in
the buying process and would also expect the seller to be involved in the decision process
(industrial buying). Refer table 4.3 for involvement of the buyer and the involvement of the
seller required during the buying process.
Table 4.3: Involvement of the buyer and the involvement of seller in the buying process
Involvement of the end consumer in the decision process
Low High
Low Involvement Picking / Variety seeking, habit
of the salesperson Impulse buying
required during
decision process Example: Petrol Example: Textiles
High Sub contracted decision Problem solving. New
Involvement of the Consumer not knowledgeable Business selling
salesperson about product/ brands. Risk high
required during High involvement in decision
decision process process.
Buyer knowledgeable
The involvement of the consumer in the decision process and the involvement of the
salesperson required during the decision process would determine the selling style the
company sales force has to adopt for different situations (table 4.4).
When the buying process is picking (involvement of the buyer and the seller in the decision
process is low), the company has to focus on trade schemes as seen in the generalized
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framework for selling strategy. As it is essential for the company to have its product in the
retail outlet (trade selling), it has to accept the terms of the retailer and the selling style would
be to play the “Salesman (I am) not OK, Retailer (U) are OK” role (acceptance role).
Buyer: Habitual
Salesman (I am) OK
Retailer (U) are notOK
Drive
Again when the consumers are involved in the purchase but do not want the sellers
involvement in the decision process (variety seeking behaviour), then the salesmans’ role is to
ensure that the brand is available in the shop and it is displayed. The selling would be trade
selling and the selling style required would be “Salesman (I am) not OK, Retailer (U) are
OK” role (acceptance role). Whereas, when the behaviour becomes a habit (the buyers
involvement is high and the involvement of the seller required in the decision process is low),
the selling would continue to be trade selling but the salesperson should display drive. That
is, the behaviour has to be modified to Salesman (I am) am OK, retailer (U) are not OK.
In a missionary selling, wherein the seller has knowledge and the buyer does not have
knowledge, the salesman has to project himself/ herself as knowledgeable and therefore play
a dominating role. This would mean a “Salesman (I am) OK, buyer (U) are not OK” role. In
case the salesman acts submissive, then the sale would not take place as the buyer is looking
to the salesman because he/she considers the salesman to be knowledgeable and therefore
would allow the salesperson to dominate during the decision process. In case the salesman
does not play a dominant role than it would dilute the credibility of the salesperson and the
buyer may start doubting the knowledge of the salesperson. The buyer may then prefer
another seller who is considered more credible (knowledgeable). As in the case of a doctor-
patient relationship, a doctor has to dominate otherwise; the patient would question the
doctor’s credibility.
A new business selling where the buyer and seller are involved in the decision-making, the
seller has to have analytical ability. The buyer would expect the seller to be equally
knowledgeable and therefore the behaviour has to be “Salesman (I am ) OK, buyer (U) are
OK”.
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The selling style would be successful only if it is supported by an appropriate service
orientation.
Service towards building a relationship (pre sale service)- referred as “Pre” in subsequent
tables would include:
Maintaining communication with the clients to better understand their needs and their
concerns; seeking to build trust
Working to build and maintain long-term relationships with clients
Service
orientation
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Providing the right service at the right time is what is important for a
sale to take place/ be successful. Providing the right service(s) is the
service orientation that the companies should adopt.
Providing the wrong type of service would affect the sales in the long
term. Muldoon (2003) states that Catalogue selling requires more
emphasis on post sale service not so much on service “at the point of
sale” (delivery and payment, which they have been emphasizing). She
states that catalogue marketers should emphasize on how items can be
returned rather than on concentrating on sale. This, she says, will help
assure the first time buyers that there is no obstacle to purchase and
thereby increase sale.
To convert the above selling styles and service orientations to the framework developed for
the selling strategy we need to integrate the two by identifying quadrants where the
involvement of buyers would be low/ high and the involvement of salesperson required
during the decision process would be low/ high.
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Low Picking Habit
Involvement of the Consumer indifferent to Risk of purchase is high
salesperson required the brand Brand decision dominates
during decision
process Service: Increase value Service: Reduce dissonance
proposition to the trade. Increase Post sale service
Variety Seeking
Risk of purchase is low
Increase Value at the time of
purchase (At service)
High Sub contracted decision Problem solving
Involvement of the Consumer not Risk high
salesperson required knowledgeable about High involvement in decision
during decision product/ brands. process.
process Trust/ relationship Buyer knowledgeable
building is important New Business selling
4.6 Integrating selling strategy with selling style and service orientation
When there are low differences between the brands then the involvement of salesperson
required in the consumers’ decision process would be LOW, however, when the differences
are high then involvement of salesperson required in the consumers’ decision process could
be high if uncertainty of untried brands is high (tables 4.6). In case the uncertainity of untried
brand is low then the involvement of salesperson would be low.
Similarly, when the uncertainty of untried brands is low and there are no differences between
the brands then the involvement of end consumer in the decision process would be low. When
the differences between the brands are high and the uncertainty with untried brands is high,
the involvement of consumer in the decision process could be low, if the consumer is not
knowledgeable about the product category. Otherwise in the other situations the consumers’
involvement in the decision process would be high (table 4.7).
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Low differences Involvement of the end Involvement of the end consumer
between brands consumer in the decision in the decision process- High
process-Low
Involvement of salesperson-low Involvement of salesperson-low
High differences Involvement of the end Involvement of the end consumer
between brands consumer in the decision in the decision process- high if the
process- high consumer is knowledgeable.
Involvement low if the buyers are
not knowledgeable.
Involvement of salesperson-low Involvement of salesperson-High
Now integrating tables 4.4 and 4.5 into the selling strategy framework (table 4.7) we derive
the selling style (table 4.8) and the service orientation (table 4.9) for the company.
Product categories having low differences between brands and low uncertainty of untried
brands would involve trade selling, where the retailer would play a dominant role and the
company salesperson has to have an acceptance selling style. The service orientation would
be to enhance the value to the retailer.
Categories having high differences between brands coupled with low uncertainty with untried
brands would also require an acceptance selling style, however, the service orientation would
be to enhance the value to the customer.
Categories with low differences and high uncertainty would require the company salesperson
to have a dominant selling style. However, for this selling style to be successful in the long
run, the company should ensure customer loyalty by reducing post sale dissonance.
The selling style and service orientation for categories with high differences and high
uncertainty between untried brands would depend on the knowledge of the buyer. If the buyer
is knowledgeable, then the company salespersons should adopt an analytical (problem
solving) selling style and provide a total service (pre-at and post sale services). If the buyer is
not knowledgeable then the company salesperson has to adopt a dominant selling style and
the predominant service would be the pre sale service (relationship building).
Table 4.8 Generalized Framework - Selling style for company sales force
Product Low uncertainty of untried brands High uncertainty of untried
characteristics brands
Low differences Trade selling High advertising support.
between brands Trade schemes Salesman (I am) OK
Salesman (I am) not OK Retailer (U) are not OK
Retailer (U) are OK Dominance
Acceptance
High differences Trade selling Selling solutions (if consumers’
between brands Salesman (I am) not OK knowledgeable)
Retailer (U) are OK Salesman (I am) OK
Acceptance Buyer (U) are OK
Analytical thinking
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Salesman (I am) OK
Buyer (U) are not OK
Dominance
If consumer is not
knowledgeable: Relationship.
Service: “Pre” sale
Based on the selling style and the service orientation the companies should train their
salespersons.
The selling strategy, selling style and the service orientation would also determine the type of
person required for the job and the effort that the salesperson has to be put for selling. Based
on this, the operational decisions (recruitment, territory planning, target setting and
motivational aspects) can be made.
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High It must be reckoned that in
Involvement of the case of the big corporations
salesperson required even as the ones with whom
during decision process SAIL has long standing
relations the involvement of
both SAIL’s marketing team
and the customers is very
high in terms of the ongoing
customer relationship
network that both the sides
want to maintain at every
stage of the purchase. As
regards the new potential
buyers in this category The
SAIL team engages in
scanning demand, informing
the buyers of the company’s
range of products and brands
and soliciting enquiries. It is
almost like new business
selling in this case. But
typically in both the cases the
selling style has to be ‘ I’m
OK, You’re OK’ as these big
buyers are also fully
knowledgeable about the
products. In case of the non
target customers too as he is
looking for comparisons of
price, quality and availability
and at TMT as a problem
solving tool his involvement
is high. The expected
involvement of the dealer too
is accordingly high as he is
expected to supply all this
information. The equation is
therefore again ‘I’m ok,
You’re OK’.
Service orientation: Total
Service (Pre- build
relationship,
At- increase proper delivery
schedule and Post- handling
customer complaints)
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