单选题
How can an organization's sales operation be improved? One of the keys to becoming more effective is to first determine the type of "selling process" which needs to be used. In other words, the role the salesperson must play has to be identified. There are three different processes sales staff can adopt: narrative, suggestive and consultative. The narrative approach depends on the salesperson moving quickly into a standardized presentation. Every buyer receives the same presentation. Emphasis is on highlighting benefits and how the product or service can help the buyer. This is an effective approach if the buying motive for all customers is basically the same. This process is well suited where there are a great number of prospects to be called on. The suggestive approach depends on the seller being in a position to offer alternative recommendations. This is quite different from the narrative approach as the presentation is tailored to the individual customer. Here, the salesperson must initiate some discussion in order to get the buyer in a positive flame of mind. An example of this process would be a restaurant wine steward who has checked with the waiter what food the customer has ordered and then opens by saying that either "this or that" particular wine would go best with the food ordered. This is an excellent approach where one doesn't have much time with the customer but is able to acquire some basic information and then offer a particular recommendation. This process is well suited for products and services. However, it does require the salesperson to acquire basic information from the customer before moving on to the presentation. The consultative approach requires the salesperson to have a thorough understanding of the customer and what the customer is trying to achieve. The role of the salesperson is to become an adviser or consultant and he must acquire a great deal of information from the customer. With this information the salesperson can plan what to offer the customer. In this case, the salesperson must tailor the presentation to highlight how the salesperson's product or service can be of help. This approach will usually require a number of sales calls as the buying process may be complex. The consultative approach requires a wide variety of skills, including probing, listening, analysis, creativity and persuasiveness. The other two approaches typically require fewer skills. Hiring, training, motivating and rewarding salespeople need to be linked to the type of sales process being used and this is where the problem starts. Many organizations which should be using a consultative approach use a narrative approach. They use standardized methods and do not tailor presentations to individual customers. You see this in many industries. When this is the case, price becomes a key criterion for the customer. A key issue in developing a professional sales organization is in first establishing the sales process. When that decision has been made, all other sales decisions, including hiring, training and rewards can be linked to it.
单选题
How would you describe the writer's style? A. Persuasive. B. Critical. C. Personal. D. Argumentative.
单选题
In paragraph 4 the main point is to A. provide an example of the suggestive approach. B. describe the advantages of the suggestive approach. C. assess the suggestive approach. D. compare the suggestive and the narrative approaches.
单选题
According to the passage which of the approaches is the most complicated? A. The narrative approach. B. The suggestive approach. C. No significant difference. D. The consultative approach.
单选题
According to the writer, too many organizations A. are content with a consultative approach. B. are content with a narrative approach. C. adapt their sales presentations unnecessarily. D. are content with individual approaches to individual companies.