Marketing Management, 16th Edition

Managing the Sale

Many of the principles of personal selling and negotiation are largely transaction oriented because their purpose is to close a specific sale. But in many cases, the company seeks not an immediate sale but rather a long-term supplier–customer relationship. Today’s customers prefer suppliers who can sell and deliver a coordinated set of products and services to many locations, who can quickly solve problems in different locations, and who can work closely with customer teams to improve products and processes.10

Salespeople working with key customers must do more than e-mail or call when they think customers might be ready to place orders. They should also get in touch at other times and make useful suggestions about the business ...