How does the importance of factors that influence direct selling vary according to product type?

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I would like to thank my supervisor for supporting me throughout my project and giving his valuable suggestions. Finally thanks to all my friends and family for their utmost support and inspiration.

DECLARATION

I, (Your name), would like to declare that all contents included in this dissertation stand for my individual work without any aid, & this dissertation has not been submitted for any examination at academic as well as professional level previously. It also represents my own views & not essentially the ones associated with university.

Signed __________________ Date _________________

ABSTRACT

The current research on factors that influence direct selling for different products indicates that there are 3 levels of selling order taking, order supporting, and order creating. The most difficult and challenging level is order creating which is inherent to industrial/commercial sales or business to business selling. Ordering creating implies the need to create a demand for products or services in the marketplace. More often than not, this can be achieved through direct selling activities driven by a personal selling process. In order to accomplish this kind of relationship with customers, honesty is required above all else. Honesty leads to trust, which forms the basis of the relationship, as trust encourages the development of cooperation between the buyer and seller. The bottom line is that buyers tend to buy from sellers that they trust. It logically follows that ethical salespeople are better at focusing on customer needs, building relationships, and making more sales over the long term than salespeople who are less ethical.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTII

DECLARATIONIII

ABSTRACTIV

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION1

Background1

Company information1

Conceptual framework2

Significance of the Study3

Statement of the Problem3

Purpose and Rationale for the Study4

Aims and objective of the study4

Research questions5

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW6

Marketing Paradigm Shift6

New vs. Traditional7

Five phases of direct selling8

The Nature of Sales10

Sales Training and Customer Orientation12

Adaptive Selling Behaviour13

Cognitive Moral Development14

Ethical Sales Behavior and CMD15

Boundary Spanners17

Salesperson Autonomy19

Salesperson Demographics20

Sales Ethics and Gender20

Listening Behaviour21

CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY24

Research design24

Approach of the research24

Data collection25

Interviews25

Resources26

Confidentiality26

Validity26

Research Limitations27

CHAPTER 4: DISCUSSION29

Interpreting the results of interview29

Overview34

The Sales Process34

Prospecting and Qualifying36

Needs Identification37

Proposals and Quotations38

Gaining Commitment and Closing39

Interpreting the Results40

International Sales42

Sales Training42

CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION44

Sales Performance45

The Profile of a Sales Performer46

Sales and Personality Type Preferences48

REFERENCES54

APPENDICES57

Interview questionnaire57

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

Background

This study is about the importance of factors that influence direct selling varies according to product type. The salesman or saleswoman serves as the key human contact between a firm and its existing or potential clients. A buyer is more likely to continue doing business with a salesperson that practices direct-selling behaviours. Adaptability is the salespersons' ability to adapt their communication style to the customer (Heimback 2008, 746-757).

Service orientation is salespersons' willingness to engage in non selling tasks. Professionalism of salesperson includes specialized training, association memberships, community involvement, and codes of ethics. Past marketing studies and the resulting theories put into practice have usually focused on buyer-seller exchanges as single transactions or discrete exchanges. Hollis (2008) urged that more emphasis be placed on the ongoing relationships that result from these ...