Suppose you are a salesperson working for a manufacturer of business machinery. While gathering precall information you learn that a prospect you're preparing to call on is actually a member of a buying team. Which of the following best represents what you should do next?
A) Identify the decision maker and focus your selling efforts on that individual.
B) Identify the purchasing agent and focus your selling efforts on that individual.
C) Identify the role of each member of the buying team and the amount of influence each exerts.
D) Create a written sales proposal and give them to your contact so that he/she can pass them out to the other buying team members.
E) Both a and b are correct because the decision maker is usually the purchasing agent.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Identifying the role of each member of the buying team and the amount of influence each exerts will allow the salesperson to tailor their approach and message to each individual, increasing the chances of success. Focusing solely on the decision maker or purchasing agent may result in overlooking other important influencers in the buying process. Option D assumes that the contact will have the authority to distribute the proposal, which may not be the case. Option E is also not accurate as the decision maker and purchasing agent may be different individuals.

Suppose You Are a Salesperson Working for a Manufacturer of Business