Nomadic marketing

Author: Feng Qi
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-06-01
Features:
(1) Who is suitable for sales?
With the rapid development of China's economy and its swift integration into the wave of economic globalization, all Chinese enterprises are facing unprecedented opportunities and challenges. At the same time, the importance of marketing has reached an unparalleled level, and the quality and capabilities of sales personnel are even more critical. Cultivating and building a sales team that can thrive and win in the business world has become a core requirement for modern enterprises. Here, I attempt to summarize the skills and qualities that sales personnel should possess under the current circumstances.
1. A positive mindset and full enthusiasm
Whether a college graduate from any major or a professional from another industry, to enter the marketing field and treat it as a career, there must be a prerequisite: a passion for marketing and a willingness to dedicate oneself to it wholeheartedly. At the same time, one should have a general understanding of sales work—it is not only about fully utilizing marketing thinking but also a physically demanding and tough job with strong practicality. This is very different from roles like executive assistant or secretary. After understanding these aspects, one can enter this industry with a positive mindset and full enthusiasm, capable of regulating oneself with high emotional intelligence after encountering difficulties and setbacks, and maintaining perseverance without giving up easily. For example, when facing the same situation, two different people may have different perspectives. Let’s set aside the old cliché of American company employees having entirely different views on the market potential of "people in Africa not wearing shoes." Even in our own experience, when we are hungry and see a steamed bun in the cupboard at home, an optimistic person might think, "Oh, there’s still one left. Luckily, I won’t starve." Meanwhile, a pessimistic person might feel, "My life is truly hard—only one is left." This shows the importance of mindset in doing things, especially in the sales industry with a high failure rate, where a positive attitude is even more crucial. Only with a good mindset can one have the potential to excel, deepen their expertise, and achieve growth or success in this field. This is the basic quality and intrinsic motivation for sales personnel to adapt to the sales job. Only on this foundation can one talk about dedication to one’s job and diligence in duty.
2. Strong communication and written expression skills
A salesperson’s communication skills are as important as a driver’s hands—they are one of the main pillars of their survival. Whether dealing with distributors or end-users, communication is indispensable at all times. This includes negotiations for inventory, managing key accounts (KA), promotional negotiations, price setting and maintenance, handling channel conflicts, addressing customer complaints, as well as reporting to superiors and applying for promotions. Good communication is the primary weapon for sales personnel to expand markets and overcome challenges. At the same time, sales personnel should also have strong written expression skills. Many sales representatives may have excellent verbal communication skills, speaking fluently when applying for promotions or reporting on work, but when it comes to writing application proposals, they often make spelling mistakes and their writing lacks coherence, which can affect their superiors’ approval of the proposals or documents. Most marketing managers who have risen from the grassroots level have strong verbal and written expression skills, and many have a deep understanding of form design.
P12-13