1. Considering the Personal Style Inventory, I have observed that I am an extrovert. My strength as a salesperson is that I tend to interact with other people and I possess good communication skills. I can easily communicate with clients. However, the disadvantage includes that I tend to be impatient with the routine possesses less independence.
2. I believe that I can work effectively as a retail pharmacist. I know how to deal with different types of people and possess knowledge about medicines. In the retail outlet, I believe I can pursue the desired goals of being an effective salesperson.
However, I would be less suited to working as a sales development rep (SDR). I think I cannot work comfortably as an inside sales person. My extrovert personality encourages me to work in the retail sector.
3. The first salesperson was a sales engineer. He was well-suited and dressed nicely. He gave all the answers and his reaction was quite surprising as he did not previously attempt such PSI questions. His personality was revealed to be an extrovert. The 2nd salesperson was not dressed well and he seemed to be in a rush. He refused to answer the questions and therefore excluded. The 3rd salesperson was a sales development rep (SDR) and answered the questions. His personality was revealed to be a senser. He seemed practical and was dressed in a suit. The 4th
salesperson was quite attractive and dressed nicely. He answered all the PSI questions. He reacted differently than others to the questions. He was a sales manager in a firm. His personality was revealed to be perceiver (judging).
4. The characteristics required for becoming a good salesperson are:
Should be enthusiastic and motivated about any new sale
Should possess competitiveness and ability to outperform others
Should have sufficient self-confidence for closing the sale
Must be able to form network and get involved in the community to increase sales
Should listen to customers for satisfying every requirement
5. Human relations possess the capability to make the whole business work. It can boost the sales significantly within the desired time. Salespersons must be aware of how to make human relations and gain the trust of clients. The human relations skill can be incorporated into daily life. It can be considered a valuable asset to a salesperson as human relations help to enhance sales effectiveness by building customer relationships. It includes politeness, listening, and flattery, which can eventually help to boost the performance as a salesperson. The element of listening helps to build the trust of others as client’s requirements are listened carefully and met.
6. I worked as a retail pharmacist for a considerable time period. In the retail sector, my positive experience includes that I gained sufficient knowledge regarding how to deal with different types of customers and how to gain their trust. Another potential advantage was that in case of my absence, other co-worker was present to provide the required product to the customer. However, the negative experience includes that I faced problems in dealing with aggressive customers, who tend to get furious on the unavailability of a medicine or other product. Another potential problem was that I also had to work on weekends for long hours, greeting all types of customers and not getting sufficient break.
7. For enhancing conversational ability, I should express my emotions more, utilize the best words that attract the customer. I observed that I need to meet people having different backgrounds and culture. As a salesperson, it would boost my confidence and help me to improve communication skills up to a certain degree. Another method involves taking part in different training sessions that focus on improving conversational ability. In this way, I would be able to speak fluently without hesitation and would close the sale comfortably.
8. Marketing Techniques in Supermarkets
Free Samples
Lines at Check Stands
Slow Music: It freshens the mood
Marketing Techniques on Television
Publicity Stunt
Jingles and Slogans
Attractive Visuals
High Volume
Marketing Techniques in E-Mail
Provision of Different Offers
Email Campaigns
Transactional Marketing
The average spenders generally make an informed decision and respond to persuasion. Whereas the spendthrifts are ready to spend all the money they have, hence they can be quite easy to deal with. The tightwads can be quite difficult to deal with since they do not spend much and love to save.
9. The thinking buyer tends to be logical in thinking. He/she would condemn a salesperson immediately who tends to exaggerate a lot without a definite point. Contrarily, the buyer belonging to the category of ‘feeling’ would require sufficient facts and would not hesitate to respond to the appeal of the salesperson. The ‘intuitive’ buyers are of the view that they possess some extra sense. They tend to have an interest in the unusual and new. They can be sometimes hard to deal with due to different demands and needs.
10. The first difficult buyer is of ‘complaining’ type. This type of buyer tends to complain a lot on small things. In order to overcome, it is necessary to listen politely and resolve the problem without any panic. Moreover, exceptional communication skills are required to handle such customer. The second type is ‘Mr. Know-it-all’. They tend to be highly rude and critical. The strategy to deal with them includes that give them sufficient credit for concepts and having knowledge about the business. Present the required ideas in a way that is non-threatening and make the deal. The third type is the ‘bully’. This type of client can be aggressive, quick to anger, abusive and arrogant. The way to deal is through raising the intensity level, assure the customer to behave without bullying, apologizing for the problem and closing the sale.
11. Customers tend to order product based on motivation or need. I would attempt to explore the interest or motivation of the buyer and look for the solution. It is noteworthy to consider that the motivation of buyer tends to be based on condition or circumstances. The customers generally desire to buy an affordable and convenient solution. I would strongly focus on what drives the motivation factor of the buyer and would present the product accordingly. Considering the example of pharmacy, if the desired medication is not there, then I would immediately come up with the alternate and would tell the benefits to comply with the buyer’s motivation.
12. It becomes difficult for salespersons to close the sale due to certain reasons. One of the evident reasons involves that a strong association was not built with the buyer. Considering an example, if a customer requires a specific medicine, then not providing him with the required information may make you unsuccessful in closing the deal. Another potential reason can be that the salesperson is unable to qualify the buyer. An example can be not having enough knowledge about the product (e.g medicine). The consumer would lose confidence in the salesperson in such a situation. The third reason includes that the salesperson did not get successful in uncovering the possible reason of purchasing the product. This inability generally leads to failure and eventually frustrates the buyer.
