Sales
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- This article is about the commerical activity. For the commune in France, see Sales, Haute-Savoie.
Sales, or the activity of selling, forms an integral part of commercial activity. Mastering sales is considered by many as some sort of persuading "art". On the contrary, the methodological approach of selling, refers to it as a systematic process of repetitive and measurable milestones, by which a salesperson relate his offering enabling the buyer to visualize how to achieve his goal in an economic way. Selling is a practical implementation of marketing, it often forms a separate grouping in a corporate structure, employing separate specialist operatives known as salesmen (singular: salesman or salesperson).
The successful questioning to understand a customers goal, the further creation of a valuable solution by communicating the necessary information that encourages a buyer to achieve his goal at an economic cost is the responsibility of the sales person or the sales engine (e.g. internet, vending machine etc).
The primary function of professional sales is to generate and close leads, educate prospects, fill needs and satisfy wants of consumers appropriately, and therefore turn prospective customers into actual ones.
From a marketing point of view, selling is one of the methods of promotion used by marketers. Other promotional techniques include advertising, sales promotion, publicity, and public relations.
Various sales strategies exist, such as tit-for-tat which is best if ongoing dealings and interactions are expected. This insight is behind so-called consultative sales process which are used by Saturn to sell cars, as well as for some direct Business-to-Business sales.
Several types of sales exist including direct, consultative, and complex sales. Complex sales varies from other types in that the customer plays a more pro-active role, often requiring proposal response to their Request for Proposal (RFP).
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Forms
Modes of selling include:
- Direct Sales - involving face-to-face contact
- retail or consumer
- door-to-door or travelling salesman
- business-to-business
- Indirect - human-mediated but with direct contact
- telemarketing or telesales
- mail-order
- Electronic
- web B2B, B2C
- EDI
- Agency-based
- consignment
- multi-level marketing
- sales agents (real estate, manufacturing)
Types of sales include:
- Direct Sales
- Consultative Sales
- Complex Sales
See also
Compare
External links
- SearchCRM.com (http://searchcrm.techtarget.com/) Original daily news, webcasts, expert advice, white papers and more resources on sales effectiveness.
- Increase Sales With Cube Management (http://www.cubemanagement.com/)