Industrial MarketingGroup-6

Areas of Sales Training and Promotion Methods

Areas of Sales Training

1. Company Knowledge

2. Product Knowledge

3. Industry & Market Trend Knowledge

4. Competitive Knowledge

5. Sales skill Knowledge

6. Human Relation Skills

7. Negotiation Skills

The emphasis given on each area depends upon the company and its

goals, its products involved, the marketing environment, and the

experience and previous training of sales personnel.

Company Knowledge

• It enhances salesperson’s knowledge about company’s policies.

• Helps to know whom to contact to get things done on behalf of

customers.

• It improvises ability of handling the paperwork. Eg. Writing

orders, preparing expense vouchers.

• Thoroughness, follow-through and willingness could be achieved

with proper company knowledge.

Product Knowledge

• It is the second most important attribute among buyer’s mind which

affects other attributes that buyers seek in sales people.

• It enhances the participation in a given buyer-seller interface and enables

them to use imagination by applying products to buyer’s needs.

• Helps to differentiate the product from the competitors. Eg. Product

features, exclusive benefits to customer.

• It gives a better knowledge about pricing strategy. Eg. FOB pricing

Industry & Market Trend Knowledge

• It helps to understand current business conditions and vendor market of

the specific industry.

• It enables to understand current trade practices. Eg. Reduction in

inventory levels in response to increased interest rates.

• It ensures the sales people are aware about specifics concerning buying

influencers.

• In turn it results in greater confidence among salespeople.

Competitive Knowledge• It helps to create knowledge about strengths, weaknesses, opportunities

and threats of the competitor

• Creates awareness about competitor’s marketing mix.

• Helps to make strategies to overcome competitive tactics.

• Combined with industry and market knowledge puts the salesperson in

best position to “keep the buyer informed”.

Role of Ethics

• Criticizing competitors should be limited.

• No right to defame competitors products.

• One of the top traits which a buyer wants to see among the

salespeople.

• Buyers frequently dislike overly critical salespeople.

Sales Skills Knowledge• Any type of selling skills start with planning, extend through closing the

sale, and end with good follow-up. Different type of selling styles:1. Technical: It requires the ability to solve customer problems through the

use of technical knowledge of the product.2. Consultative: It requires excellent writing and verbal communication

skills as well as analytical abilities because consultative selling often involves selling of services which requires decision making.

3. Negotiating: When a selling process involves the ability to maximize the benefits for both parties.

4. Systems: It is required to analyze information/business needs and make recommendations to fulfill those needs. Eg. redesigned operating procedures.

5. Team Selling: It involves the ability to work with functional experts to understand the specialized needs of a buying firm.

Human Relations Skills• Industrial Selling involves devoting considerable time in identifying

and building relationships with key influencers and decision makers.• The major difference between success and failure in the area of

selling depends on the salesperson’s ability to deal with different personalities of buyers.

• Many decisions taken by the influencers are based on personal perception of the situation and using logic to justify them.

• Hence, successful selling involves ability to relate to emotional needs of the customer.

Negotiating Skills• The importance of long term buyer-seller relationship and

increasing worldwide competition have diverted the fundamental goals of negotiation.

• The Japanese buyer-seller interface helps to explain this interface which states that a buyer should typically rely on one firm to supply all quantities of a particular input

• The idea is to deliver a quality product in a way that will minimize the buyer’s inventory.

• Hence the buyers and sellers interact in the same manner as divisions within a company interact i.e. to consider their mutual interests.

Promotion methods used by Industrial marketers to market their

products/services

Sales Promotion

• Generally communication channels aimed at specific industries and business audiences are used in Industrial Marketing.

• Objectives:– Gather business leads– Impressing and rewarding customers– Stimulate sales force to greater effort

Sales Promotion

• Methods:– Personal Selling– Trade shows (or exhibitions)– Catalogues– Promotional novelties (gifts)– Promotional mails– Seminars– Demonstrations

Personal Selling

• Very effective because many products must be customized to suit the requirements of the individual customer.

• Sales force are the company’s ears and eyes.• Sales persons are required to act as a business

consultant, so as to, identify requirements and provide the best suited products/services.

Personal Selling

• Roles of Sales Person:– Inform customers (create awareness)– Present the products– Influence the customer– Seek commitment– Help in making buying decisions– Effective customer service

Trade Shows

• Companies selling products to particular industry set up displays/stalls

Trade Shows

• Benefits:– Opportunities to introduce products to large

audience– Establish personal contact to new customers– Reaching industry members(decision makers), who

otherwise cannot be reached– Demonstrate products– Direct Sales– Evaluate Competitor’s products– Generate new sales leads

Seminars

• Audio-Visual presentations are made by the company’s technical experts.

• Creates favourable image and establishes contacts with members of buying centres.

• Beneficial for new product introductions.

Catalogues

• Information about suppliers product lines– Specifications, applications, performance,

illustrations• Helps salesforce in better demonstration of

the products and its features

Promotional Emails

• Companies send emails to purchasing authorities of the buying firm, to introduce their products.

• These emails contain company details, products and specifications, and contacts

Advertising

• Mass inform the customers.• Supports and supplements personal selling.• Usually advertising budgets are far less.• Creation of brand awareness, thus influencing

buying decisions.

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