The Seller’s Profile and Training
Seller’s Profile
The seller, through their knowledge, experience, and information, prepares, develops, and completes sales contracts with prospective or actual purchasers. They utilize ethical strategies and tactics, negotiating and creating value for both the buyers and the company they represent. This definition highlights the seller’s role in selling, acquiring, and retaining customers.
Defining the Seller’s Profile
The seller’s profile encompasses the qualities and skills that contribute to business and professional success. This includes:
- Image: Physical features (age, sex, health, personal appearance, verbal expression) play a role. Age and sex can be relevant depending on the type of business (e.g., selling music might be better suited to a younger person). Personal appearance should inspire confidence, often achieved through appropriate attire, sometimes dictated by company rules. Fluency and a broad vocabulary enhance customer relationships and contribute to a positive impression.
- Skills: Character, intelligence, personality, communication, persuasion, and negotiation skills are crucial. A seller needs emotional control to manage stress and maintain composure. Intelligence and personality are reflected in customer understanding, self-confidence, and motivation. Communication, persuasion, and negotiation skills, combined with customer knowledge, personal initiative, and an entrepreneurial spirit, enable efficient task execution.
- Knowledge: A seller must possess a thorough understanding of their business, product or service, appropriate sales techniques, and work organization.
Recruitment and Training
Preparation for Recruitment
Evaluating a sales position involves considering business needs, required functions and knowledge, experience requirements, and responsibility levels. Candidate assessment includes professional, personal, and psychological profiles. While qualifications are important, potential can be nurtured through training, allowing candidates to develop necessary skills even if they don’t initially possess them.
This initial stage also analyzes compensation (fixed salary, commissions, etc.), payment dates, incentives, promotions, and insurance benefits.
Training Plan – 4 Basic Qualities
The training plan should focus on developing these four essential qualities:
- Patience
- Consistency
- Common Sense
- Honesty
Selection Interview
The interview process should aim to:
- Establish a relaxed atmosphere by explaining the interview structure, providing a general job description, encouraging questions, and suggesting note-taking.
- Obtain accurate and concrete data.
- Seek feedback from the applicant regarding job activities and interactions.
- Assess the applicant’s mental agility through response speed.
- Identify potential phobias that might hinder teamwork.
- Avoid judging based on appearances.
- Postpone the decision and inform the candidate about the response timeline.
- Politely conclude the interview if the candidate appears unsuitable.
- Express gratitude for the candidate’s time.
Formal Training
Formal training typically covers four key areas:
- Product Awareness: In-depth knowledge of the technical and commercial aspects of the company’s products.
- Sales Skills: Understanding the sales process, including customer identification, differentiating between consumers and buyers, recognizing potential purchases, understanding consumer needs, and stimulating those needs to align with offered products.
- Company Knowledge: Familiarity with the company’s history, growth, structure, organization, departments, administrative procedures, commission systems, expense justification, etc.
- Work Organization: Planning trips, visits, and utilizing company methods to optimize time and costs.
The Need for Training
Rapid market expansion, technological advancements, and intense competition necessitate continuous training and development for the sales team. Training should encompass both theoretical and practical aspects, preparing individuals to effectively perform their roles and adapt to change.
Focus and Content of Training
Training aims to equip sellers with the necessary knowledge, application of sales functions, and adaptability to change. It should be viewed as an ongoing process of continuous improvement. Indirect techniques, such as job analysis, identifying obstacles to achieving objectives, customer complaints, absenteeism, job rotation, internal conflicts, etc., can help identify training needs.
Training content should focus on essential sales knowledge, including information about the company, product, price, sales objectives, customers, service, general strategies, relationship building, and persuasion techniques. Sellers need to learn effective communication, customer identification, need assessment, negotiation, and sales reporting. They should also develop skills in providing service, maintaining post-sale relationships, securing repeat business, understanding market dynamics, and providing feedback to the company. Patience, perseverance, common sense, and honesty are crucial attributes to cultivate.
Training Methods and Location
Training can be delivered through various methods, including utilizing internal staff for knowledge transfer about the company and product. The training location can be the company’s premises, external venues like hotels or classrooms for theoretical sessions, and real-world settings for practical experience with actual customers.
Timing of Training
Training should be conducted whenever a need is identified, such as when sales strategies change or new products are introduced. Continuous training ensures the sales team remains adaptable and effective in a dynamic market environment.