Sales Process: Meaning & Process of Indoor & Outdoor Sales

Selling Process

The essence of the selling process is a sales communication between a salesperson and a prospect through which the salesperson endeavors to convert the prospect into a customer. The process of personal selling involves the following:

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Meaning of Indoor Sales

The act of selling goods by establishing a stall or shop at a certain place is called indoor sale and the person operating such act is called Indoor salesperson. Such type of salesperson does not go to customer’s house rather than stays at his / her shop and sells goods to customers. Similarly, customers also visit the shops to buy or purchase the goods and satisfy their needs. Supermarket, departmental store, wholesaler, retailers, etc. are Indoor salesperson.

Process of Indoor Sales

The indoor selling has different process in it. The act of fulfilling the wants and desire of customer is a challenging job for the indoor salespersons because it is different in characters and motives of customers. So, the indoor salespersons should adopt certain ways or methods, in the way of selling goods, which satisfies the needs and desires of all types of customers. For this, it is necessary for the Indoor salesperson to have good salesmanship.To make selling effective Indoor salespersons should go through various process or steps, which are as follows:

• Drawing attention:

Drawing attention is the first process of indoor sales.Indoor salespersons should attract the attention of customers towards his stop to have effective selling. To attract the attention of customers, indoor salespersons should select a suitable place and building. Attractive signboard should be kept. To get the attention of customers salespersons should do better advertisement.

• Reception:

After drawing the attention of customers indoor salespersons should be aware of a receptor. When a customer enters the shop he/she should be properly welcomed because “the first impression is the last impression”. Salespersons should provide a sitting place to customers and hot/ cold drinks are provided according to the weather.

• Inquiry:

After providing well reception to customers, salespersons should try to know about wants and desires of customers in a polite manner. Salespersons should ask the types, color, etc. of the product which they desire. In doing so, a salesperson shouldn’t ask unnecessary questions which touch their sentiments.

• Demonstration of goods:

After completing the inquiry process, salespersons have to show the different goods according to their wishes. In doing so, salespersons should inform customers about the characteristics, uses, advantages and disadvantages of goods. While competing for goods and tell them about the positive and negative sides of both goods this is the effective way to meet the objectives.

• Meeting objection:

After having a demonstration of goods, customers may doubt about price, quality, and durability of a product. The salespersons should remove all these doubts of the customers. In doing so, if they doubt on price then salespersons should show the quality certificates, should provide a guarantee for durability etc.

• Selection of goods:

After having all kinds of information and objectives, customers can begin to select the goods. In the process of selection, salespersons shouldn’t force them to buy goods. Instead of that, salespersons should help them to select goods according to their purchasing power and desire. Salespersons should also provide them enough time to select the goods.

• Additional sales:

When customers finally select the goods and then come to the process of buying.If the customers pay for the goods, the salesperson should request them to buy other goods related to their selection while preparing a bill. This type of request should be made according to the purchasing power and purchasing behavior of the customer.

• Seeing off with praise:

When customers fulfill their wants and desires as well as purchase the additional goods then the selling process ends. After these things, salespersons should say goodbye to the customers and their choices. Then salespersons should say goodbye to the customer because satisfaction of the customer is the asset of the business.

Meaning of Outdoor Sales

An act of selling goods by moving door to door or place to place finding customers is called outdoor sales and a person operating such act is called an outdoor salesperson. In another word, if a person sells his/ her goods not by establishing a stall but by moving door to door and searching customers is called outdoor salespersons. Such types of salespersons go to the houses or offices of customers. These salespersons go to the different parts of the nation to search customers, to promote the goods by showing samples, to arouse the interest of the customers towards goods and create demand and finally to sell goods. This outdoor salespersons job is more challenging than an indoor salesperson.

Process of Outdoor Sales

The process of outdoor sale involves the following:

• Prospecting of customer:

Prospecting of the customer is the first process of outdoor sales. Sales process of outdoor sale begins with the search of potential customers. So, first of all, outdoor salesperson finds the potential customers. Outdoor salespersons find the customer through the sources like family and friends, businessmen, business organization, newspaper, telephone, service organization, advertisement, etc.

• Pre- approach:

When the outdoor salesperson receives the name and address of its potential customers then he/ she should try to get more information about those people. As more information the salespersons gets, it is useful to get success in his profession. Such information is important because salesperson acts according to the information he gets. Salespersons should get the following information about its potential customers before he meets them.

- Age of customers
- Sex
- Hobbies
- Political norms
- Motive of purchase
- Friends
- Habit
- Education

• Approaching:

Before calling on the prospects, the salespersons should try to get information about their nature and behavior. He should try to ascertain what products or brands they are using. This information will help in approaching the potent. The salesperson must not lose the credibility that will be needed later in the sales presentation. The salesperson must introduce himself and his products to the potential customer before he does anything else.

• Presentation:

The presentation is the most important stage of selling process. It is the stage where salesperson introduces customers with his goods. During the presentation, salespersons should give all information about the goods, its benefits and what types of customers can get satisfaction from it. A presentation is an essential process in the selling process.

• Attracting attention:

After the presentation, salespersons should have to attract the attention of customers. In the case of potential customers, it is very hard to get attention because sometimes they are too busy. In such situation, salespersons have to tell about their benefits and ask them to buy the goods. The salesperson must attract the attention of the customers regarding the goods.

• Arousing Interest:

After attracting the attention of customers, salespersons have to arouse interest. If salespersons become successful to attract the attention of potential customers then he/she can easily arouse interest on the product. They are human interest, new interest and novelty interests. The salesperson should try to arouse interest among potential customer according to the interest on goods.

• Arousing desire:

When the customers have interest towards goods then, the salesperson should try to arouse desire on them. Without having the desire they are not going to buy goods. To arouse desire salespersons should provide some suggestions. To arouse desire, the salesperson should do some exhibition of products.

• Creating conviction by handling objection:

After arousing desire,a salesperson should convince the consumers. When the customers believe that all the pieces of information provided by salespersons are true and the products fulfill their wants and desires then only it creates belief in customers. Therefore, to gain the belief of customers salesperson should provide the right information to the questions asked by customers.

• The close or receive order:

When all the suspects and problems of customers are solved then they believe upon goods and services. Then, a salesperson should stop selling process. In this stage, the customer decides whether he will buy it or not. It is the second last process of outdoor sales.

• Departure and follow up:

It is the last process of outdoor sales. Either the potential customers give an order or not salespersons have to depart from him. After departure also salespersons should regularly be in contact with them. If they have bought the goods or they have given orders, then salespersons should provide them a sales services.

References:

Koirala, Dr. Kundan Dutta. Elementary Marketing. Kathmandu: Buddha Academic Publishers and Distributors Pvt. Ltd, 2014.

Thapa, Gopal, Dipendra K. Neupane and Dilli Raj Mishra. Introduction to Marketing. Kathmandu: Asmita Books Publishers and Distributors (P) Ltd., 2014.