ABSTRACT
The role of selling is continuing to change and evolve in response to dramatic moves in the way buyers and sellers interact. Individual knowledge, skills and abilities are still required, perhaps more than ever, but teamwork and technology are also vital ingredients in an effective organizational response to the needs and demands of customers. The sales force have always been ambassadors for their firm, but in a turbulent business environment, the information and persuasion role of salespeople is being absorbed into their relationship role. Salespeople must take responsibility for creating, developing and maintaining profitable relationships with their customers. This being so, the paramount need is to focus on how to win, develop and retain customers to achieve the marketing and sales objectives of the firm. This puts the spotlight once again on the role of selling in the marketing mix and on the management of sales operations. Sales operations are the revenue generation engine of the organization and thus have a direct impact on the success of the firm. In this chapter, we consider how selling is changing and evolving. We examine the strategic nature of sales and the new role of salespeople and re-define the sales encounter in different exchange situations. We then address some of the key issues in managing the sales force as they relate to marketing.
