Top 6 Types of Salespersons & Functions

Hello Everyone, In this article we are going to discuss the types of salespersons & functions in an Organisation.

In each Sector, the Type, Role, and responsibility of the salesperson Differs. Here we will break down each Category & help you easily Understand.

TYPES OF SALESMAN

1. ORDER GETTERS

The most common function associated with selling is that of a salesman who is actively involved in using their abilities to gain orders from clients.

These positions can be further subdivided into the following categories:-

• New Business Development

The primary goal of a sales role is to discover new clients, which is a difficult but potentially rewarding task.

Sales positions in this area are frequently in highly competitive sectors, but they pay well for those who succeed.

The fundamental difference between both jobs is that once a sale is completed, new business salesmen pass customers on to others in the company who manage account maintenance.

• Business Equipment Sales

These salespeople are frequently found in businesses where the majority of a company’s revenues originate from the selling of supplies and services that follow the original purchase of equipment.

The major goal of business equipment salesmen is to persuade customers to acquire the main equipment, which requires supply and servicing to work.

In the photocopier sector, for example, certain salespeople exclusively search for new accounts, and after a photocopier sale is completed, the account is passed on to other salespeople who handle maintenance and supply goods sales.

• Telemarketing

Product sales over the phone, whether intended for businesses or consumers, fall within this category.

While regulations in the United States prohibit unsolicited phone sales, the practice is nonetheless common in the corporate world.

• Consumer Selling

Certain businesses are highly active in their employment of salespeople to attract new customers.

Retailers selling high-priced consumer goods such as furniture, electronics, and clothing; housing products such as real estate, security services, and building replacement products (e.g., windows); and in-home product sellers such as those selling door-to-door and products sold at “home parties” events such as cosmetics, kitchenware, and decorative products are among them.

• Account Management

Most salespeople are responsible for not only obtaining the first purchase but also for developing and maintaining long-term relationships with clients.

Account management salespeople may be found in a wide variety of sectors. From the first sale to follow-up account service, their tasks include all areas of client relationship building.

• Business-to-Business Selling

These salespeople specialize in business-to-business sales and follow-up sales. Rather than a single product, B2B salespeople frequently have a variety of things available for sale (i.e., a broad and/or deep product range).

While the initial transaction may only result in the buyer acquiring a few things, as the buyer-seller relationship develops, the consumer has the opportunity to purchase many more products.

• Trade Selling

Salespeople who work for consumer goods firms almost never sell to the end user (i.e., consumer).

Instead, their concentration is on training distributors, such as wholesalers and retailers, to handle their items, and then assisting distributors in selling their products by providing product advertising, in-store display, and sales incentives.

2. ORDER TAKERS

Selling does not necessarily necessitate the employment of techniques aimed at persuading clients to make a purchase.

In reality, the majority of people who work in sales are considered order-takers rather than order-getters.

Salespeople in this position typically help consumers with purchases in a less forceful manner than order takers.

Order takers are compensated less than order givers, as one might assume. The following people work as order takers:

• Retail Clerks

While some retail salespeople are active in new business sales, the great majority of retail personnel are involved in order-taking responsibilities, which include anything from pointing clients to items to processing customer payments.

• Industrial Distributor Clerks

Customers will be served by clerks in industrial buying circumstances, such as building product distributors.

• Customer Service

Non-face-to-face orders are also taken by customer service professionals.

This is often done over the phone, although contemporary technology allows these tasks to be conducted by electronic means such as online chat.

3. ORDER INFLUENCES

Some salesmen don’t participate in any direct selling at all.

That is, they do not sell directly to the individual who will buy their goods.

Instead, these salespeople concentrate on selling activities that target individuals who have the power to influence the eventual customer’s buying decisions.

The missionary salesman is a prime example of an order influencer.

• Missionary

Customers make purchases based on the advice or requirements of others, hence these salespeople are utilized in businesses where customers make purchases based on the advice or requirements of others.

Pharmaceuticals, where salespeople, known as product retailers, discuss products with doctors (influencers) who then write prescriptions for their patients (final customers), and higher education, where salespeople call on college professors (influencers) who make requirements to students (final customer) for specific textbooks, are two industries where missionary selling is common.

• Sales support

The last category of people who work in sales mostly assists other salespeople in their sales efforts.

• Technical Specialists

When selling technical items, especially in commercial markets, salespeople may need to enlist the help of others to complete the transaction.

This is especially true when the purchasing party is a buying center.

When it comes to company sales, numerous personnel from many departments may be engaged in the decision-making process.

If the buying center contains technical professionals like scientists and engineers, a salesman may request aid from members of their own technical team to answer particular queries.

• Office Support

Salespeople may also get help from their company’s office employees with things like developing promotional materials, setting up sales appointments, identifying sales leads, providing meeting space, and preparing trade show exhibits.

THE PROCESS OF SELLING

Prospecting is the process of locating potential purchasers in a certain location. After that, he must acquire the required information about the consumer, such as his ability to pay, his choices and preferences, and so on.

Following that, in the pre-approach action, he approaches the client to grab his attention, welcome him, and give his presentation, which includes informing the consumer about the goods, their attributes, pricing, and how to utilize them if necessary.

Then he responds to the customer’s questions, persuades him to make his final decision, and concludes the transaction by accepting and thanking him for his order.

Finally, he ensures that things are delivered and that essential after-sales care is provided.

 

FUNCTIONS OF A SALESPERSON

A salesman is a critical link between an organization and its customers, society, distributors, retailers, and others. The following is a list of the many roles that a salesperson can play.

Diagnostic

This entails a salesperson exploring and determining the root of an issue, such as why a consumer frequently switches brands or why a customer is devoted to one brand.

Analyst

A salesman looks for connections between client demands and market developments.

For instance, a farmer prefers a motorbike over a scooter, thus a marketer must segment the rural middle class for different sorts of bikes.

Information Provider

A salesperson may also be a smart agent. He informs management of any noteworthy developments in his zone, such as a competitor’s strategic shift, etc.

Strategist

A salesman who is at the head of the sales organization may command the sales organization’s time and route plans.

For example, a salesman may make a statement about a pricing adjustment in his region at a time when it will profit him the most.

A salesperson’s responsibility is also to develop a plan for selling to a hostile consumer.

Tactician

In the sense that he (or she) develops techniques to win over customers or improve distribution/retailer satisfaction, he is a tactician.

A tactic is a short-term action plan that is part of a long-term notion called a strategy.

Change Agent

In his region, a salesman serves as a Change Agent. Because it is he who introduces new product ideas and influences lifestyles and consumption patterns by making new products and services available in the territory

He also persuades managers to accept and recommend them to other salespeople, he is the one who introduces new product ideas and influences lifestyles and consumption patterns.

As a result, salespeople owe a great deal to contemporary society, as they are the ones who assist in improving people’s lifestyles and quality of life.

Stimulus-response theory, Product-Oriented Selling, and Need-Satisfaction Theory are the selling processes or theories on which salespeople rely.

Other Functions Performed by a Sales Person:

(a) Line functions:

• Achieves a certain level of sales volume
• Responsible for growing the company’s market share.
• The organization’s profitability is the responsibility of this person.
• Customer service is a priority for her.

(b) Staff functions:

• Assistance with warehousing is available in command.
• Assists the Department of Transportation.
• Assists the Production Department with product expertise as well as information on individual clients.

(c) Line and staff functions:

• Assists the General Sales Manager with sales forecasting, market research, and competition information.
• Assists Corporate Management with product creation, diversification, and market and competition knowledge.

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