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McGraw-Hill/Irwin

Copyright © 2007 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All
rights reserved.

Chapter

1
The Life, Times, and Career of
the Professional Salesperson


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Chapter

1


Main Topics

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 What Is the Purpose of Business?
 Essentials of a Firm’s Marketing Effort
 What Is Selling?
 Personal Selling Today
 A New Definition of Personal Selling



What Is the Purpose of Business?
 To increase the general well-being of
humankind through the sale of goods and
services
 According to the American Marketing
Association, “Marketing is defined as the
process of planning and executing the
conception, pricing, promotion, and
distribution of goods services, and ideas to
create exchanges that satisfy individual and
organizational objectives.”
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Marketing Concept
 The customers’ want-satisfaction is the
economic and social justification for a firm’s
existence.
 All company activities should be devoted to
determining customers’ wants and then
satisfying them, while still making a profit.

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Essentials of a Firm’s Marketing Effort
 Ability to determine the needs of customers
 Ability to create and maintain an effective


Price: It’s Important to Success
 The corporate marketing department sets
each product’s initial price
 Normal price
 Possible special discount prices

 Price refers to the value or worth of a
product.

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Place: It Has to Be Available
 The marketing manager also determines
the best method of distributing the product.
 Place or Distribution refers to the channel
structure used to transfer products from an
organization to its customers.

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Promotion: You Have to Tell People About It

 Promotion
Personal Selling
Non-Personal Selling
 Advertising
 Publicity

 Ideas
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A New Definition of Personal Selling
 Personal Selling
 Refers to the personal communication of information
 To unselfishly persuade a prospective customer to
buy something – good, service, idea – which
satisfies that individual’s needs

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Think of Your Grandmother
 Would you treat her in a selfish manner?
 Would you sell her something just to make a
sale?

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The Golden Rule of Personal Selling
 Refers to the sales philosophy of unselfishly
treating others as you would like to be treated
 Reciprocity is not expected.
 Example – children whose cat had recently
delivered a litter of kittens
 Girl – “They love each other so much that they’re trying



Exhibit 1-3a: Self & Customer Service
Progress

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Exhibit 1-3b: Self & Customer Service
Progress

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Everybody Sells!
 Each of us develops communication techniques
for trying to get our way in life.
 You are involved in selling when you want
someone to do something.
 You use persuasion skills to persuade someone to
act.

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What Salespeople are Paid to Do
 Salespeople are paid to sell – that is their job.
 Performance goals are set for:
 Themselves – in order to serve others, earn a living
and keep their jobs
 Their Employers – so the companies will survive