The evolution of sales person

There was a time when salespeople were called drummers or referred to as peddlers. The image was that of someone with a phony perpetual smile, a loud suit and penchant for slapping people on the back.

Things are different now. Gone are the days of the drummer. In the first place, the fair sex has become well-established as successful members of the sales community. No longer are the ladies relegated to clerk jobs in the dry goods store. Today, they compete with their male counterparts for the top spots as sales representatives or sales managers.

But this is not the only example of the evolution in the marketplace. Buyers insist on knowing more about what they purchase. How is it made? How will it solve the problem? Is it durable? For how long? What does it cost? How does it compare with competitive items?

Professionalism

In other words, the professional buyer wants to deal with a professional seller. There is no place in the modern scenario for the ill-trained representative, no matter how great a personality he or she may possess,

In modern merchandising, precision has taken the place of guesswork. Everything from quality to delivery time must be factual. The office staff needs accuracy, so do production people and certainly the people in sales must be equipped with facts rather than fiction if they are to deal Of course, in most instances, computers are the answer. They assemble and correlate information which is distributed to authorized personnel. Salespeople are provided with current facts about their products or services prepared for them by well-trained professional computer accurately and honestly with their customers and prospects. Periodically data is made available via printouts which provide information that arms the salesperson with facts essential to the buyer.

Intimidating Mounds Of Paper

Granted, these forbidding mounds of paper are intimidating to say the least. However, to ignore them or fail to keep current is to risk being unable to provide the service that the customer deserves. To take such unnecessary chances can result in lost orders and decreased sales.

Obviously, computers have not always been with us, but ingenuity has always been a vital part of selling. Back in the depths of the Great Depression when jobs were scarce and bread lines were long, there was a vacuum cleaner salesman who earned remarkable commissions to the amazement of his peers. Each morning Old Tom, as he was called, made a brief visit to the store where he picked up some samples and disappeared for the day, much to the consternation of the appliance department manager. Next day, he was back bright and early to drop off the cash from yesterday's sales (in those days credit cards had not been invented) and away he would go with a new batch of samples. Where was he selling all those sweepers? Everybody wondered.
The boss quizzed Old Tom who was evasive, because he had a good thing going and was reluctant to share it with his less ingenious associates.
Here is how his plan worked: The federal government had many programs back in those days - just as they do today. One was the Rural Electrification Program, which was designed to bring the miracles of electricity to rural areas where it had never previously been available. So, in his spare time, Old Tom would drive about on country roads looking for new utility poles. When he found them he had an untapped group of eager prospects just waiting to buy a vacuum cleaner. Old Tom was even more eager to accommodate them.
There was little or no help in those days to the likes of Old Tom, but he did not expect any. He was an entrepreneur who did his own thinking, planning and execution. Today things are different, but the same opportunities still await the salesperson who is willing to invest the time and energy that success demands.
"However, as is the case with most phases of progress, competition brought it about. "
The evolution in selling was a long time in its development. However, as is the case with most phases of progress, competition brought it about. In fact, as some farsighted firms saw the advantages of adding more efficiency to their selling programs, they gave buyers new and unusual information that was helpful to them. They liked it! As the trend continued the drummer became an endangered species.
The main product of the evolution of sales has been a change from an individual effort to one of teamwork. The salesperson is far better informed and equipped when facing the buyer thanks to the team providing the ammunition that builds sales. EXAMPLES:

* Market research aids him or her in planning. It specifies who the potential prospects are, where they are and what they are ready to buy.

* Quality control assures reliability and consistency in the product.

* People doing research and development provide up-to-date status on new items and improvements to old products or services.

* Production management keeps the sales department posted on manufacturing and delivery schedules and future availability.

* Add to this an aggressive advertising program, the details and timing of which are regularly called to the attention of the folks in sales.

The foregoing account of this behind-the-scenes activity is in no way evidence that the status of the front-line salesperson has been reduced in importance. In fact, quite the contrary is the case. Today's sales agent is better trained and more able to take advantage of the wealth of assistance provided by the other members of the team as never before. In fact, those in direct contact with the customer are vital members of a true All Star Team! Those individual stars like Old Tom have given way to equally talented people who now have the benefit of having the help of science and technology.

Old Tom would be fascinated with modern selling. He was a master back then, and he did his job his way - alone. He was a hard and conscientious worker, so who knows - perhaps he would be even more successful using today's sophisticated formula than he was decades ago as a loner. After all, he adapted to the changes he encountered in his era - maybe he could be as versatile now.

Old Tom was a whiz in his day.

                 Even then he was earning big pay!

                    Would he find it tough now?

                      Could he ever learn how

                    To sell in today's better way?

We'll never know, will we?

Robert Rohrer is a graduate of Wabash College and Westinghouse Sales and Advertising Institute. He is a retired sales executive and does freelance work for various sales and industrial publications.
Source: http://www.allbusiness.com/sales/sales-tracking-reporting/151266-1.html#ixzz1YOymXLjc