The Selling Process

It is difficult to manage something without a solid understanding of what it is you’re trying to manage. Unfortunately many people have a number of misconceptions about the selling process, the activities carried out by salespeople, and the personal characteristics necessary for a successful performance. To complicate matters even more, various selling roles can involve very different tasks and require different skills and abilities from the people who do them. The role of sales force should evolve from simple order taking to building long term customer relationships with retailers, for instance, the firm’s salespeople need to develop superior interpersonal skills, the ability to work effectively as members of cross-functional teams, greater knowledge of each market and competitive situation, and the technical and marketing skills necessary to collect and interpret large amounts of sales and cost data related to the product categories in each store they call upon.

Selling process begins with an examination of how organizational buyers make purchase decisions and how salespeople can facilitate and influence those decisions. It covers a variety of activities, tasks, and decisions involved in different types of selling situations.

My Consultancy–Asif J. Mir – Management Consultant–transforms organizations where people have the freedom to be creative, a place that brings out the best in everybody–an open, fair place where people have a sense that what they do matters. For details please visit www.asifjmir.com, and my Lectures.

 

Primitive Organizations

Primitive organizations exhibit all the classic features of any start-up. Energy and anticipation are usually high and the right startup can almost run on pure adrenalin.

Primitive organizations naturally perform the things that other types of organizations have to work hard to achieve. Formal structure and communication is not yet necessary, as enthusiasm and team spirit can carry the organization along.

In the early stages most primitive organizations manage to operate under one working culture and build effective internal and external relationships. This state of affairs can’t last, however, as primitive organizations are naturally transient. When the initial honeymoon period passes, the culture of the organization will change of its own accord.

All that is up for debate is how much it will change, how fast it will change and whether that change will be managed or if nature will be allowed to take its own course.

As is the case with all organizations, primitive organizations face the choice of managing their culture from the word go, or leaving it to chance. Unfortunately too many organizations rely on the natural spirit associated with being a primitive startup and de-prioritize cultural investment, choosing to concentrate on what they see as operational necessities.

To a point this is understandable, but this attitude reflects some common misconceptions.

• An organization’s honeymoon period or primitive stage can be incredibly short, which catches a lot of organizations out – and once the damage is done, it’s done. Remedial work is always harder and significantly more draining and time-consuming than positive effort.
• Proactive cultural and relationship management right from the start can be achieved at minimal cost in terms of time and money, and will deliver benefit for years to come. It is worth remembering that managing a working culture does not mean over-engineering it: in fact, it should mean quite the opposite. Good practice from day one is what creates long-term amazing relationships and long-term success.

My Consultancy–Asif J. Mir – Management Consultant–transforms organizations where people have the freedom to be creative, a place that brings out the best in everybody–an open, fair place where people have a sense that what they do matters. For details please visit www.asifjmir.com, and my Lectures.