SUBJECT: Professional Salesmanship QUESTION: Hi! I have a report. And these are my report, (below) can someone explain this further to me and provide some example? Please make it in a simplest way as much as possible, please. Because I am a little bit confused. Thank you! 1. Industry History Salespeople may be asked what they know about their company and industry. Every industry and company has a history. The personal computer industry has a short history of 20 years, fax technology even shorter. Other industries have been around for centuries. Some industries change so quickly, such as the pharmaceutical industry through multiple mergers, that it is critical for the salesperson to know his or her industry to keep physicians informed on new companies, drugs, and procedures. Many buyers are too busy to stay informed and count on their salespeople to help them make sound decisions. 2. Market and Customer Knowledge Market and customer knowledge is critical to the success of today's salesperson. Some companies today, because of their size, send their salesforce out to call on all customer types. Larger companies typically break their customers into distinct markets. Computer manufacturers may break out their customer types by markets (i.e., salespeople sell to a particular line of business). For instance, the salesperson may only sell to manufacturers, wholesalers, financial institutions, government, education, or medical companies. This allows the salesperson to become an expert in a line of business. For a salesperson to be effective, the salesperson must learn what the client needs, what benefits the client is seeking, and how the salesperson's products satisfy the buyers' specific needs. Buyers are not interested in factual knowledge unless it relates to fulfilling their specific needs. Having the salesforce learn one line of business well allows the salesperson to concentrate on the needs of a specific market. The salesperson can become an expert in one line of business more quickly than if he or she had to know how the entire marketplace used the salesperson's products.

Information about customers is gathered over time and from very different sources. A salesperson can use trade associations, credit agencies, trade magazines, trade directories, newspapers, and the World Wide Web as valuable resources. The AT&T Toll-free Internet Directory has directories on people, business, and Web sites. Using the Web to

m/ake an initial search on a company can tell a salesperson about what products a company makes, what markets they serve, and so on. A salesperson must use his or her time wisely when gathering information. Jon Young, national account manager for Ontario Systems Corporation, (see ''Professional Selling in the 21st Century: Do What You Say You Are Going to Do!'') states, ''I have to know what I am talking aboutbut, equally important, my customers and prospects have to trust what I am saying.''