Advertisement and salesmanship are the two legs of business. Salesmanship is the art of selling goods. Good salesman are indispensable for modern business.
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The function of a salesman is two fold. On the one hand, he helps the customer in making his choice between the different goods. Every customer is not expected to know the minor details of various goods. A good salesman helps him by explaining the comparative advantages of different things. Thus he helps the purchaser to get full return for his money. On the other hand, he has to look after his own, or his employer’s interest also. Through his personal qualities, he helps in pushing up the sales of the business.
To be a successful salesman, a man must have certain qualities. Some of the essential qualities of a god salesman are given below:
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When a customer visits a shop, he should be treated politely and courteously. It is the first essential quality of a good salesman. A good salesman should always make his customer feel at home in his shop. He must be so sympathetic and friendly to the customer that he is inclined to pay a visit to his shop every time he feels the need of something which is available there. He must have charming and pleasing manners and should always behave in a gentlemanly way.
Salesmanship consists in making the customers willing to purchase that article which the salesman wants to sell him rather than one for which he came there. For this, he must have great patience. He must have some knowledge of the psychology of customers. Everybody wants to purchase the best and the cheapest article. He makes a number of inquiries with this end in view. A good salesman never lets any customer go unsatisfied from the shop. He does not mind it in the least, if the customer goes away without buying anything from him after giving him the trouble of showing a dozen things and thus wasting his time. Instead, he sends him away with a smile on his face. This enables him to win over a new customer for future purchase.
Salesmanship means that the person on the sales-counter is quick and prompt in answering the queries of customers. They should not be kept waiting. For this reason, the salesman must have a thorough knowledge of the various goods in his shop. A man who has to consult a long price list can never be a successful salesman. So a full and complete knowledge of his business is very essential for a good salesman.
A salesman must be very active and smart looking. He should have attractive personality. He must be careful about his dress. A lazy and shabbily dressed person cannot impress others. So the salesman must appear very attractive. He should work like a magnet to attract customers towards him.
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It is through the art of salesmanship that many a business enjoy a roaring sale within no time. It drives out old business firms from the market. So a good salesman pushes up the sales of the business.
Business runs on its goodwill. The building of goodwill depends upon the salesman. A bad salesman spoils the old established goodwill. A good one, through his art of salesmanship, promotes it.
In other countries, this art is much advanced. But unfortunately, in our country, we do not have a sufficient number of good salesman. Courses on this all important side of business should be introduced in our colleges and universities. Young men should be trained in this art. This will result in the growth of business in our country.