The Selling Process

Establishes a relationship with the customer. One of the first things the salesperson needs to do is to use the initial contact with the customer to establish a relationship that will lead to a sale. This can be done by learning as much as possible about the customer in advance through prospecting, putting the customer at ease, gaining the customer's confidence, and creating a favorable image of the business. The other alternatives are all later steps in the selling process.

An early step in the selling process is when the salesperson

Questions or concerns raised by the customer after being shown a product. Objections can be handled or overcome by providing a review or additional product information. Objections are normal occurrences in the sales process. The salesperson should not incorrectly assume they indicate a lost sale. The point at which the customer makes a favorable buying decision is the close.

An effective salesperson must be able to handle customer objections, which are

Discover the customer's needs. Only by discovering the needs of the customer through questioning and listening will the salesperson be in a position to recommend a good or service that will meet those needs. This process may indicate the customer's mood, but that is not its purpose. The method of follow-up depends upon the selling situation. Feature-benefit selling is convincing customers that a good or service has the features that will provide the benefits they are looking for.

It is important for the salesperson to establish communication with a customer in order to

Prospecting. Prospecting is the process of identifying and locating potential clients. It enables sales representatives to tailor their sales calls to the prospects' needs. The approach is the initial contact with the customer. Reaching closure is the phase of the selling process in which the salesperson addresses customer objections and asks the customer to buy. Follow-up includes all the activities that occur after a sale to ensure customer satisfaction.

Obtaining business and personal information about potential clients is part of the __________ phase of the selling process.

Nature of the product. Factors leading to differences in the use of the selling process include the nature of the product. Large, expensive items may require more time and effort to sell. Tangible items that customers can see and handle may be easier to sell than intangible items. The mood of the salesperson, the season of the year, and the availability of credit are not factors affecting differences in the use of the selling process.

One factor leading to differences in the ways salespeople use the selling process is the

Repeat sales. Reaffirming the buyer-seller relationship through effective follow-up serves to nurture and maintain this relationship after the initial sale. This reaffirmation often leads to repeat sales because the customer is satisfied with the service. Initial contact is the approach. Discovering needs and reaching closure take place before reaffirming the buyer-seller relationship.

Reaffirming the buyer-seller relationship is a step in the selling process that often leads to

Adjust the approach to fit the customer. The salesperson needs to assess the customer's personality to fit the approach to the customer. The customer's needs and attitude should be noted by the salesperson, but it is not his/her responsibility to change them. Parts of the selling process may be adjusted to fit the selling situation, but they would not be bypassed.

Sizing up a customer's personality helps a salesperson to

Close. When customers are moved to the point where they are convinced the product meets their needs and they wish to purchase it, salespeople need to complete the paperwork and close the sale. Approach is the beginning of a sale when the customer and salesperson first communicate. Objection is a point of difference between a customer and a salesperson that may prevent a sale. Follow-up is reaffirming the buyer-seller relationship by being attentive to the customer after the sale.

The logical completion of an effective sales presentation is the

Customer. The salesperson's job in the selling process is to consider the needs and wants of the customer at all phases of selling, from approaching the customer to reaffirming the buyer-seller relationship after the sale. The product offered should be capable of meeting the customer's needs or wants. The producer helps to begin the selling process by creating products that can be sold.

The selling process begins and ends with the

Establish relationships with customers, discover client needs, prescribe solutions to needs, reach closure, reaffirm buyer-seller relationships. During the initial contact, a salesperson establishes a relationship with the customer and then spends time discovering the customer's needs. Once the needs are identified, the salesperson prescribes solutions to those needs and reaches closure on the sale. Finally, the salesperson reaffirms the buyer-seller relationship in order to make the customer feel confident with the purchase decision.

Which of the following presents the phases of the selling process in the correct sequence: