Need of the hour -49
Salesmanship
-J.P.Bharathi
Salesmanship, it’s not a new term nor its one man’s skills. It’s not also a skill attained by educated or university certificate holders.
Now, shall we say that salesmanship skills are also innate skills of every person. Yes! We find kids convincing parents, wife convincing husband vice-versa, friends convincing peers, also any living beings convincing others. So it’s an art which is intime with every personality and grows along with us if we develop such skills. It’s all a matter of willingness, zeal to conduct and effort put in towards achieving our targets.
Selling skills and Negotiation techniques are an integral part of the Sales cycle.
Salesmanship can be witnessed even with kids when they negotiate for a Lays wafers packet or a toy they see in a retail outlet. Think of the technique they use to convince the Mom or dad Salesmanship can be seen in the street kids selling balloons or a bubble gun at signal crossroads. Who taught them the skills? Did they undergo any training? The definite answer to this is the natural instinct to succeed. The street kid uses product display and ‘try & buy’ techniques to the target segment who is tugged along with his parents on a bike or a car. The salesperson is conscious of his limited time window of typically 90 seconds to 180 seconds when the signal shows Red and then the kid moves on to the other side where vehicles wait for their turn to move. So, precise time management skill is followed without which he would loose a potential sale.
We have indeed seen old persons selling extra-long ball-pens for a mere ₹10 and many motorists buy for sake of helping that old man or woman who may be able to have a simple meal by noon after selling a score of them. I have myself purchased few such pens at a traffic signal, which i then gave them off to my team members as goodies for their daily performance. What is it that prompts someone to buy? Passion, compassion or compulsion?
Negotiations happen at home too when you want to decide a weekend getaway with your loved ones. The place to visit, what snacks to carry, number of days, place to stay etc. Generally, group discussions happen and end up with a win-win situation which would satisfy all family members. Do negotiations happen when you want to choose your life partner? Think of the varying parameters you would consider and arrive at a conclusion by giving weightage to each aspect. It is a process of negotiation within you and the family members.
As a matter of fact, Selling and Negotiation are seen in every aspect of our daily life. For selling products and/or services, we all go through a training process for effective salesmanship. Sales is a very dynamic processand every client is a different situation – ‘one formula for all’ rule would work in very few situations.
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