Topics
salesforce, sales role, relationships, people mix, 7P’s
Review the activity below or download the PDF student worksheet
- Student Worksheet: What is the Role of a Salesperson
- Instructor Solutions (Members Only): What is the Role of a Salesperson? = Solutions
Student Discussion Task
For this activity, assume that you have just been appointed as a salesperson for a company that distributes ‘accounting software’ (that is, targeted at small to medium sized companies).
On your first day in the role, your new sales manager tells you that he wants you ‘on-the-road’ selling in four weeks time. That means you now have a month to get yourself ready.
Your task is to identify what particular things would you do/learn in order to be ready as a salesperson. To help you, a few headings have been provided below.
As a new salesperson, you would probably need to know/have:
- How to Identify and Reach Prospects
- How to Present to Prospects
- Sales Tools You Might Need
- Things to Know about the Software
- Things to Know about Your Firm
- How to Finalize and Follow-up Sales
- How to Organize Implementation and Training
- How to Act/Think Like a Salesperson
- Other Tasks?
Student Discussion Questions
- Outline your plan to fully prepare yourself for this role
- How long do you think it would take, if you were experienced, to prepare yourself for visiting prospects?
- How does the role of the salesperson fit with the overall marketing function?
Related Activities
- Managing Salespeople
- Your Perception of a Salesperson
- Salespeople Incentive Schemes
- Creating Customer Journey Maps (Student Tool and Tasks)
External Information
- The Role Professional Salespeople Play (Book Chapter)