Personal Selling: Building Customer Relationships and Partnerships

In line with students' current career goals, Personal Selling focuses exclusively on professional business-to-business selling rather than retail selling. Early introduction of the Personal Selling Process (PSP) engages students from the beginning, with tools for converting prospects into customers. The authors' latest research on customer loyalty and relationship marketing further distinguishes Personal Selling from other titles, which focus less on these pressing issues. Strategies for achieving long-term customer loyalty underscore how attracting, cultivating, and retaining satisfied customers leads to higher profitability for salespeople and their organizations.

Clear, conversational writing allows students to easily understand the authors' research and analysis of the field. The Second Edition includes an updated discussion of technology tools and services that facilitate sales. Chapter 2 explores the behavioral, technological, and managerial forces affecting personal selling today, and discusses numerous inexorable changes within each. In addition to new examples and photos, a new feature follows an actual sales professional through the various aspects of his job.

• New! Revised and reorganized, Chapter 3?now titled "Ethics and Legal Considerations in Personal Selling"?covers ethical issues that arise when dealing with prospects and customers, co-workers, and the company. Unlike other personal selling texts, the chapter also discusses sexual harassment in the workplace.
• New! For the Second Edition, the authors have enhanced the text's real-world focus by incorporating current research, examples, and cases from actual companies.
• New! New Personal Profiles focus on salespeople from diverse backgrounds, demonstrating that there is no stereotypical profile of a successful salesperson. Five of the profiles are new to this edition and include interviews with representatives from Beiersdorf, DHL, and Samsung. In addition, a specific salesperson is profiled in the core chapters to illustrate the personal selling process.
• New! To increase the text's visual appeal, the Second Edition features a colorful, contemporary design and new photographs in every chapter, as well as five new icons that signal the following pedagogical features: On the Frontlines, It's Up to You, From the Command Post, Keeping Up Online, and enhanced online content.
• Updated! The impact of technology requires today's sales professional to be more tech savvy than ever. Chapter 2, "The Dynamic Personal Selling Environment," focuses on the empowerment of salespeople who use the latest technology in order to achieve customer satisfaction and loyalty. With respect to the Internet, the text covers the use of blogs, pod-casting, screen sharing, video conferencing, and personalized e-mails in the sales process.
• All chapters conclude with a set of key terms, chapter review questions, topics for thought and class discussion, new role-play exercises, new Internet research exercises, projects for personal growth, and a case. An additional case is found online.

I. Overview of Personal Selling 1. Introduction to Personal Selling: It's a Great Career! Marketing and Personal Selling: Changing with the Times Personal Selling: A Fresh Look How Customer Oriented Are You? What Is a Customer? What Is a Product? Diverse Roles of the Professional Salesperson What Does a Professional Salesperson Do? Using Technology to Sell Better Benefits of Professional Personal Selling as a Career Careers for Different Types of Individuals 2. Adjusting to the Dynamic Personal Selling Environment Megatrends Affecting Personal Selling Adapting to Megatrends Professional Salespeople as Customer Relationship Managers 3. Ethical and Legal Considerations in Personal Selling What Are Ethics? Ethical Concerns of Salespeople Determine Your Level of Moral and Ethical Standards The Company's Ethical Eyes and Ears in the Field Behaving Ethically, Every Day AMA Code of Ethics Going Beyond Ethics: Laws Affecting Business-to-Business Personal Selling Ethics and Regulation in International Sales II. The Personal Selling Process 4. Prospecting and Qualifying Filling the Salesperson's "Pot of Gold" Stages in the Personal Selling Process The Importance of Prospecting Prospecting for Leads Jason Smyczynski: Manufacturers' Sales Representative Example of Direct Mail The Prospecting Plan Prospects: The Salesperson's Pot of Gold Qualifying: How a Lead Becomes a Prospect 5. Planning the Sales Call: Steps to a Successful Approach Importance of Planning the Sales Call Planning for the Sales Call: Seven Steps to Preapproach Success Initial Call Reluctance--Sales "Stage Fright" Interaction with the Receptionist Approaching the Prospect Greeting the Prospect Improving One's Self-Image 6. Sales Presentation and Demonstration: The Pivotal Exchange The First Sales Call and the Sales Presentation Planning the Sales Presentation General Guidelines for Effective Sales Presentations Sales Presentations to Groups Presentation Planning Checklist Group Presentation Example Sales Presentation Strategies Adaptive Versus Canned Sales Presentations How Adamptive Are You? Written Presentations Selling the Long-Term Relationship 7. Negotiating Sales Resistance and Objections for "Win-Win" What Are Buyer Objections and Resistance? Planning for Objections Different Forms of Objections Identifying and Dealing with the Prospect's Key Objection Negotiating with Prospects and Customers Specific Techniques for Negotiating Buyer Objections A Major Nemesis: Price Resistance 8. Confirming and Closing the Sale: Start of the Long-Term Relationship Closing and Confirming the Sale Avoiding the Close The Trial Close Principles of Persuasion in Closing Closing Techniques Letting Customers Close the Sale Silence Can Be Golden in Closing Closing Mistakes How Do You Handle Sales Rejection? Immediate Post-Sale Activities 9. Following Up and Servicing the Account: Building Strategic Partnerships By Keeping Customers Satisfied and Loyal The Nature of Buyer-Seller interactions What Is Customer Service? Importance of Customer Satisfaction Customer Follow-Up Strategies Closing with the Customer Service Team Keeping Up with Rising Customer Service Expectations Customer Service Questionnaire Evaluating Customer Service III. Understanding and Communicating with Customers 10. Understanding and Negotiating with Organizational Buyers What Organizational Buyers Want from Salespeople Industrial Markets Resellers Government Markets Not-for-Profit Markets Negotiating Styles of Organizational Buyers Business Orientation of Organizational Buyers International Negotiations 11. Strategic Understanding of Your Company, Products, Competition, and Markets Strategic Understanding of Your Company Strategic Understanding of Your Products Strategic Understanding of Your Competition Strategic Understanding of Your Markets 12. Communicating Effectively with Diverse Customers What Is Communication? Developing Communication Skills Are You an Effective Communicator? Communication Styles What's Your Communication Stlye? Communication and Trust Building IV. Achieving Success in Personal Selling 13. Managing Your Time and Your Territory Self-Management Effectiveness And Efficiency Sales Activities Setting Priorities Account And Territory Management Working Smarter 14. Starting Your Personal Selling Career Your Career in Sales What Companies Look for in New Salespeople How Companies Screen You for a Sales Job Selling Yourself to a Prospective Employer Your Early Sales Career