Advances in communication and computer technologies

Advances in communication and computer technologies have made possible the mobile and home sales
office. Some salespeople now equip minivans with a fully functional desk, swivel chair, light,
multifunctional printer, fax machine, mobile phone, and a satellite dish. Jeff Brown, an agent manager
with U.S. Cellular, uses such a mobile office. He says, “If I arrive at a prospect's office and they can't see
me right away, then I can go outside to work in my office until they're ready to see me.” 38
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Home offices are now common. Hewlett-Packard is a case in point. The company shifted its U.S.
salesforce into home offices, closed several regional sales offices, and saved millions of dollars in staff
salaries and office rent. A fully equipped home office for each salesperson includes a notebook
computer, fax/copier, cellular phone, two phone lines, and office furniture.
Perhaps the greatest impact on salesforce communication is the application of Internet technology.
Today, salespeople are using their company's intranet for a variety of purposes. At HP Enterprise
Services, a professional services firm, salespeople access its intranet to download client material,
marketing content, account information, technical papers, and competitive profiles. In addition, HP
Enterprise Services offers 7,000 training classes that salespeople can take anytime and anywhere.
Salesforce automation is clearly changing how selling is done and how salespeople are managed. Its
numerous applications promise to boost selling productivity, improve customer relationships, and
decrease selling cost.
learning review

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20-8. What are the three types of selling objectives?
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20-9. What three factors are used to structure sales organizations?
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20-10. How does emotional intelligence tie to adaptive selling?
LEARNING OBJECTIVES REVIEW

LO 20-1 Discuss the nature and scope of personal selling and sales management in marketing.
Personal selling involves the two-way flow of communication between a buyer and seller, often in a face-
to-face encounter, designed to influence a person's or group's purchase decision. Sales management
involves planning the selling program and implementing and controlling the personal selling effort of the
firm. The scope of selling and sales management is apparent in three ways. First, virtually every
occupation that involves customer contact has an element of personal selling. Second, selling plays a
significant role in a company's overall marketing effort. Salespeople occupy a boundary position between
buyers and sellers; they are the company to many buyers and account for a major cost of marketing in a
variety of industries; and they can create value for customers. Finally, through relationship and
partnership selling, salespeople play a central role in tailoring solutions to customer problems as a
means to customer value creation.