Search

Anyone in sales will tell you that social networks are critical. The more contacts you have, the more leads you'll generate, and, ultimately, the more sales you'll make. But that's a vast oversimplification. Different configurations of networks produce different results, and the salesperson who develops a nuanced understanding of social networks will outshine competitors. The salesperson's job changes over the course of the selling process. Different abilities are required in each stage of the sale: identifying prospects, gaining buy-in from potential customers, creating solutions, and closing the deal. Success in the first stage, for instance, depends on the salesperson acquiring precise and timely information about opportunities from contacts in the marketplace. Closing the deal requires the salesperson to mobilize contacts from prior sales to act as references. Managers often view sales networks only in terms of direct contacts. But someone who knows lots of people doesn't necessarily have an effective network because networks often pay off most handsomely through indirect contacts. Moreover, the density of the connections in a network is important. Do a salesperson's contacts know all the same people, or are their associates widely dispersed? Sparse networks are better, for example, at generating unique information. Managers can use three levers--sales force structure, compensation, and skills development--to encourage salespeople to adopt a network-based view and make the best possible use of social webs. For example, the sales force can be restructured to decouple lead generation from other tasks because some people are very good at building diverse ties but not so good at maintaining other kinds of networks. Companies that take steps of this kind to help their sales teams build better networks will reap tremendous advantages. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article offers forecasts regarding employment opportunities in the United States after the end of World War II. It is suggested that specialty selling organizations may provide job opportunities, with particular focus given to the selling of life insurances, subscription books, and vacuum cleaners. The impact of salesmanship on American society and its potential appeal to former military personnel are also referenced. INSET: Jobs--Careers--Small Business Openings.

The article discusses salesmen and their role in the economy of the United States as of July 1944. The author comments on the qualities necessary for people practicing that profession. The contribution of salesmanship to the emergency of U.S. industrial power, the importance of inter-organizational contacts for the development of a business enterprise, and the role of salesmen for the post-World War II economic development of the U.S. are also mentioned.

The article presents the author's suggestions on how sales personnel could improve their sales process. He advises that salesmen must act that their customers are their real boss and that they must not make any excuses. He mentions that salesmen must provide ideas to their clients that they would purchase themselves. He also cites the need to be loyal, to send a thank-you note for each customer after the sale, and to introduce their customers to one another.

The article offers the authors insights on the 10 characteristics that a high performing sales person should possessed. He notes that the sales person should have positive, consistent, and perpetual attitude in facing the obstacles, the competition and the economy. He cites that he must also possess the ability in being creative in order to present ideas that the customer would prefer. He notes that the sales person should have an unyielding personal values and ethics in order to be successful.

The article offers guidelines on how to boost the sales of a certain company. It notes that a salesperson must not focus on the buyer's motive alone when buying things but he must also move the customer by offering something beyond their expectation. It also notes that when a salesperson does his job well, he will gain referrals coming from his customers that he served.

The article offers sales tips for salespeople to establish and maintain their business relationships with customers. It states that selling is all about offering the right product at the right time and place, along with a reasonable price. It cites the tips that work well which includes letting the customer do the talking as possible, respecting customer's time, and closing a sales call with style and purpose.

The article focuses on the second part of the three-part series of the topic on selling techniques in the U.S. It states that there are four things that a seller must do to be successful and it includes identifying a customer problem, taking a position as a manger of a problem-solving system and accepts single-source responsibility for its performance. Also, a seller must quantifies a profit-improvement solution to the problem and proposes a partnership in terms of using the system for solution.

The article offers the author's view on the selling strategy involving knowledge, interest and discussion (KID). He mentions the focus of printers on marketing services, social media and digital printing as well as notes the error of a salesperson in excessively discussing his or her product. He also points out the significance of conversation in selling is also presented.

The article presents suggestions to enable salespeople to approach higher demographic customers in Great Britain. Jason Boucher suggests the Transactional Analysis and Neuro Linguistic Programming to understand human interaction and rapport. Rahul Sinha advises to implement an intensive training course on the basics of selling, including making positioning calls. Jane Tredgett recommends running a facilitated session, defining the concerns and specifics, then come up with potential solutions.

The article discusses the difference between the past and today's sales world. It is stated that in the sales world before, people enjoyed three major advantages. Patience is one of the advantages of the past. Another is that sales day has an ending as when the day is over, people go home and left the work behind. There are nothing to bring home and no cellphones and e-mails to check. Lastly, in the past people have vastly superior communication skills. It is stated that today's sales people have awful grammar and writing skills as compared to the people in the past.