TABLE OF CONTENTS In many industries (including many kinds of engineering), promotional activity rarely produces actual business. That is not to say that it is useless; its job is to create interest. Turning that interest into an actual order is the job of sales; the work of salespeople is the only part of the marketing process that involves direct, individual, personal contact. So selling, and how it and the customer base are managed, deserve some attention here, bearing in mind too that the people doing the selling may vary: in an engineering consultancy, for instance, it may include members of the professional or management team. Also deserving a mention here is another personal element directly affecting marketing success: the style and effectiveness of customer service.
Now selling can sometimes have an unfortunate image. Think of your own instant judgement on, say, a double-glazing or insurance salesman. The first words that maybe come to mind are pushy , high-pressure or con man . Selling can be associated with pushing inappropriate goods on reluctant customers. Selling refrigerators to Eskimos is perhaps the kind of situation that springs to mind in those not directly involved in sales (though Eskimos do buy refrigerators they need them to keep food warm enough to cook without defrosting! but I digress).
The best that is, most effective selling is well described as helping people to buy . Much of it has advisory overtones and, if it is to be acceptable...
