Fundamentals of Selling 13th Edition by Charles Futrell

Exercise 6

A major issue in an organization's relationship marketing program is the role of the sales force. Firms use salespeople in many ways. However, these four basic questions are guidelines that define the role of the sales force:
Is the sales force the best marketing tool, compared to advertising and other sales promotion methods, in terms of cost and results
The answers to these questions come largely from an analysis of competition, the target markets, and the firm's product offerings. This helps determine (1) sales force objectives, (2) the level of resources-such as personnel and money-allocated to sales force activities, and (3) the importance of personal selling in the marketing mix.
When selling business to business, IBM, for example, used a variety of marketing and sales activities for the introduction of one of their new midsized computers. As shown in Exhibit, IBM used its direct sales force to develop a proposal, demonstrate the equipment, and close the sale. It used other marketing methods for the various sales tasks shown across the top of Exhibit. Other sellers may use the marketing methods in a different way, depending on the answers to the above four questions.
EXHIBIT
Examples of various marketing and sales methods used to sell midsized computers, business to business.