Class 8 & 9 MGT

Selling orientation

Focus on pushing products whether or not they fit customer needs.

Marketing orientation

Understanding customer needs and offering solutions that match them.

Sales knowledge

Expertise about the product, customers, and industry used to guide selling decisions.

Personal selling

Two-way communication between salesperson and buyer to understand needs and offer solutions.

Order taker

Salesperson who handles routine orders and maintains existing relationships.

Order getter

Salesperson who finds prospects, explains products, and sells complex solutions.

Missionary salespeople

Salespeople who promote new products but do not take orders, often in pharma.

Sales engineers

Technical experts who diagnose customer problems and design solutions.

Team selling

Using a group from different departments to serve large or complex customers.

Prospecting

Searching for leads, identifying prospects, and qualifying potential buyers.

Lead

Someone who might become a customer.

Prospect

Someone who wants or needs the product.

Qualified prospect

Someone who wants the product, can afford it, and has authority to buy.

Pre-approach

Researching the prospect and planning how to contact and present.

Approach

First contact with the buyer to get attention and build initial interest.

Stimulus-response presentation

Presentation style that repeats different appeals until one works.

Formula/AIDA presentation

Scripted presentation that follows Attention, Interest, Desire, Action.

Need-satisfaction presentation

Presentation style that asks questions, diagnoses needs, and tailors the solution.

Adaptive selling

Changing selling style based on the customer and situation.

Consultative selling

Acting as an advisor and solving complex customer problems in depth.

Handling objections

Responding to customer concerns by postponing, acknowledging, converting, neutralizing, or denying.

Trial close

Testing the buyer’s readiness by asking about a detail such as color or delivery date.

Assumptive close

Acting as if the buyer has already decided to purchase.

Urgency close

Encouraging a quick decision by stressing time limits or deadlines.

Final close

Directly asking the buyer for the order.

Follow-up

Checking after the sale to ensure delivery, solve problems, and build loyalty.

Build or outsource salesforce

Decision between hiring your own salespeople or using independent agents.

Geographic structure

Organizing the salesforce by territory or region.

Customer-based structure

Organizing the salesforce by customer type or segment.

Product-based structure

Organizing the salesforce by specific product lines.

Workload method

Formula-based method for deciding how many salespeople are needed.

Good salesperson

Person with strong communication, emotional intelligence, and industry knowledge.

Emotional intelligence in selling

Ability to read emotions, build trust, and manage relationships in sales.

Straight salary

Pay plan where the salesperson earns a fixed salary only.

Straight commission

Pay plan where income is based entirely on sales made.

Combination compensation plan

Pay plan that mixes salary with commission or bonuses.

Non-monetary rewards

Non-cash incentives such as trips, awards, or public recognition.

Evaluation metrics

Measures used to judge salesperson performance, both numeric and behavioral.

Quantitative metrics

Numeric performance indicators like sales volume or number of new accounts.

Behavioral metrics

Performance measures based on skills and behavior, like communication and product knowledge.

Marketing channel

Path a product takes from producer to consumer through intermediaries.

Time utility

Making products available when customers want them.

Place utility

Making products available where customers want them.

Form utility

Enhancing or transforming a product so it is ready for the consumer.

Possession utility

Making it easier for customers to buy, through payment and delivery options.

Franchising

Contract where a franchisee runs a business using a franchisor’s brand and system.

Intensive distribution

Placing a product in as many outlets as possible.

Selective distribution

Using a limited number of outlets in a region.

Exclusive distribution

Using only one or very few retailers in a territory.

Channel conflict

Disagreements among firms in the same marketing channel.

Vertical conflict

Conflict between different levels in the channel, such as manufacturer and retailer.

Horizontal conflict

Conflict between firms at the same level, such as competing retailers.

Retailing

Selling, renting, or providing products or services directly to consumers for personal use.

Independent retailer

Single-store business owned by one person or a small group.

Corporate chain

Multiple stores under common ownership and centralized management.

Contractual system

Independently owned stores that join together under a contract, such as franchises or co-ops.

Self-service retail

Retail format where customers perform most tasks themselves.

Limited-service retail

Retail format with some sales assistance but mostly self-service.

Full-service retail

Retail format with high levels of personal assistance and service.

Product depth

Large number of variations within a single product category.

Product breadth

Wide range of different product categories offered by a store.

Specialty store

Retailer with deep assortment in a narrow product category.

Department store

Retailer with broad product lines across many categories.

Scrambled merchandising

Strategy where a store carries many unrelated product categories.

Show-rooming

Customers inspect products in-store but then buy them online.

Store design

Use of layout and sensory elements to influence shopper behavior.

Malls

Large enclosed shopping centers with many stores and shared common areas.

Strip centers

Row of stores with parking directly in front, usually along a street.

Power centers

Large outdoor centers featuring several big-box or category-killer stores.

Sales per square foot

Retail metric that measures sales relative to store floor space.

Same-store growth percentage

Metric comparing sales growth in existing stores over time.

Marketplace

Physical environment where buyers and sellers meet face-to-face.

Marketspace

Online environment where buyers and sellers exchange information and value digitally.

Customer value in marketspace

Value created online by on-demand information, two-way communication, and customization.

Choiceboard

Online tool that lets customers design products by choosing features, price options, and delivery.

Collaborative filtering

System that recommends products based on the behavior and preferences of similar users.

Permission marketing

Marketing approach based on earning the customer’s consent before sending messages.

Opt-in

When users agree to receive marketing messages.

Opt-out

When users stop or change the marketing messages they receive.

Click-and-Mortar

Consumers who research online but prefer to buy in physical stores.

Hunter-Gatherers

Mostly families who collect lots of information and compare many sites before buying.

Brand Loyalists

Heavy online buyers who strongly prefer certain brands and enjoy shopping.

Time-Sensitive Materialists

Consumers who shop online mainly to save time and increase convenience.

Hooked, Online, and Single

Young, often affluent consumers who rely heavily on online shopping and entertainment.

E-bivalent Newbies

New or inexperienced internet users who browse online but rarely buy.

Products needing information, not inspection

Items that can be judged from information alone, like books or electronics specs.

Digitally delivered products

Items that can be delivered online, such as software, music, or e-books.

Unique or collectible items

Products that are rare or hard to find locally, often bought online.

Routine convenience items online

Routine purchases, like groceries or household goods, bought online for convenience.

Standardized goods online

Products that are similar across sellers and easy to compare on price.

Why consumers buy online

Main reasons: convenience, choice, customization, communication, cost, control, and cookies.

Cookies in marketing

Small data files that track behavior and preferences to personalize online experiences.

Viral marketing

Designing content or features so customers naturally share them with others.

Cross-channel shopper

Consumer who researches in one channel, such as online, but buys in another, such as in-store.

Multichannel marketing

Coordinating multiple channels so customers can move smoothly between online and offline shopping.

Transactional website

Website designed primarily to complete sales and turn visitors into buyers.

Promotional website

Website designed to build interest, engage users, and support offline sales.

Strategy pillar

Long-term plan for how a firm will compete in the market.

Execution pillar

How well a firm carries out its strategy in daily operations.

Culture pillar

Shared values and norms that guide how people in a firm behave.