Sales Management: Products and Services. Dr Jae K Shim

Чтение книги онлайн.

СКАЧАТЬ products is also higher and often represents a sizable investment -- particularly in the case of purchasing an automobile, furniture, or a major appliance. Consequently, the consumer plans these purchases more carefully and will usually compare or do considerable shopping before a final decision is made.

      Specialty goods are products which have very special and unique characteristics. The consumer generally will “go out of her way” to purchase such products, and usually is reluctant to accept substitutes. A certain blend of pipe tobacco, an exceptionally fine camera, pastry products which are made in a special way, and rare woods which are available only from a certain area of the country are examples of products which are classified as specialty goods. In summary, the salesperson should know the particular classification of her product and what effect its characteristics might have on influencing consumer behavior.

      

Indicate whether each of the following statements is true or false

      1.Most products are bought by consumers rather than sold by salespeople.

      2.Salespeople may use the same basic appeal to everyone because most people have the same needs.

      3.Researchers do not agree on how many basic buying motives there are.

      4.Consumer choice is influenced by other factors besides the sales talk.

       Answer

      1.True. Strictly speaking, salespeople do not sell products or services. Rather, the consumer buys them. Therefore, it is necessary to understand consumers and why they buy.

      2.False. People not only differ from one another, but the same person may react differently under different circumstances. Salespeople must vary their appeals according to the circumstances and needs of each customer.

      3.True. Although there is no general agreement about buying motives, it is believed that at least three are basic: physiological (needs of the body), psychological (such as pride and fear), and sociological (the need to belong).

      4.True. Consumer behavior is influenced by the product itself (design, color, size, price, package, and so on), by the type of product (convenience, shopping, or specialty good), and by the information provided by the salesperson.

Positive versus negative motives

      When the salesperson emphasizes benefits or satisfactions that will be obtained from buying the product, she is emphasizing the positive approach. On the other hand, if she refers to a problem which the consumer wants to eliminate or avoid, she is using a negative approach. In selling life insurance, the salesperson can emphasize the retirement benefits -- this would be positive motivation. Or, she could emphasize the negative approach by referring to the financial difficulties a widow would have if her husband died and were inadequately insured. In selling a tire, the salesperson can emphasize the positive by referring to its trouble-free qualities and the long mileage it will give. Or she can emphasize the negative by pointing out the dangers of traveling at high speed and having a blowout. The negative approach is based on problems and fears. Both approaches are effective, depending upon the product or service being sold and the consumer’s particular circumstances. However, recent research has revealed that a person generally responds more favorably to a positive appeal than to a negative one.

Basic versus acquired wants

      Motivation can also be analyzed from the standpoint of basic versus acquired wants. Almost everyone has the same basic wants, and they are generally uniform for all human beings. Psychologists differ as to the number of basic wants they identify, and the following ones are representative of those most frequently mentioned.

Love

      Each of us has a basic need to love and to be loved by others. The urge to appeal to the opposite sex plays a major role in our lives and influences our actions as consumers. A person also is concerned about the welfare of those she loves and usually assumes the responsibility for caring, protecting, and providing for them. Many parents not only provide a home for their children, but also labor to put them through college and even “help them out” in later life.

Food and shelter

      Food and shelter are absolute essentials for living. There is a great range of differences in these needs varying from a dish of rice to a sirloin steak and from a simple hut to a stately manor. Nonetheless, we need food to live and work, and shelter to protect us from the elements.

Safety and security

      A person wishes to avoid or eliminate anything that endangers or threatens her life. This basic urge manifests itself by her purchasing all forms of insurance, and in protecting herself and others through laws, support for police and fire protection, and other governmental services.

Achieve and accomplish

      Most people strive to achieve and be recognized for something. They desire to be proud of what they do or accomplish. Attention, praise, and prestige are important motivating factors in our lives. In all things she undertakes, a person basically wants to succeed rather than fail. She constantly seeks new challenges and is motivated by a strong desire to master them. Climbing a mountain, conquering space, breaking records, and fulfilling one’s ambitions are common examples of this basic want.

Approval and acceptance

      It is common for all of us to seek approval and acceptance by others. We generally try to avoid criticism and ridicule. Our need for approval, therefore, causes us to conform and imitate, rather than to deviate from social convention.

Leisure and relaxation

      In addition to working and achieving, a person also seeks rest, relaxation, pleasure, and fun. The increase in her leisure time and increased pressures of living have greatly influenced this need. Hundreds of recreational and vocational opportunities are available to her including golfing, fishing, hunting, surfing, skiing, reading, watching sports events, gardening, and many other activities.

Need for health and survival

      Maintaining good health is a major concern of a person, and she will normally do everything in her power to avoid death. She also seeks to be free from fear, frustration, and pain. Millions of dollars are spent each year to research to find cures for common diseases and to lengthen her life. To live a long and happy life is a wished goal of almost everyone.

      Acquired or learned wants are further refined, and therefore become secondary or selective wants that vary with the person’s background and cultural environment. Every individual has the basic need for play and recreation, but the specific form it takes will vary considerably. For example, one person may fulfill this want by staying at home and reading a book. Another may attend a baseball or football game, and still another may fulfill this want by going on a lion hunt in Africa. Hence, the basic wants are common to all people, but the acquired wants will be different.

Emotional versus rational motives

      As discussed in connection with product motives, consumer behavior can be viewed as being either emotional or economic or rational. Emotional motives are generally those which are based on feelings, are impulsive, and are not carefully planned in advance. Rational or economic motives, on the other hand, are more likely to be based on objective analysis and carefully planned. Examples of СКАЧАТЬ