Personal selling*

“Paid promotional technique involving a sales representative engaging directly with a prospective customer with the intention of making a sale.”

Prospecting*

“Developing a database of potential customers.”

Approach*

“The manner in which a salesperson contacts a potential customer.”

Closing*

“The stage in the personal selling process when the salesperson asks the prospect to buy the product.”

Support personnel*

“Sales staff members who facilitate selling but usually are not involved solely with making sales.”

Missionary salespeople*

“Support salespeople, usually employed by a manufacturer, who assist the producer’s customers in selling to their own customers.”

Trade salespeople*

“Salespeople primarily involved mainly in helping a producer’s customers promote a product.”

Technical salespeople*

“Support salespeople who give technical assistance to a firm’s current customers.”

Virtual selling*

“The collection of processes and tools that allow salespeople to remotely connect with customers through both real-time and asynchronous communications.”

Team selling*

“The use of a team of experts from all functional areas of a firm, led by a salesperson, to conduct the personal selling process.”

Relationship selling*

“The building of mutually beneficial long-term associations with a customer through regular communications over prolonged periods of time.”

Straight salary compensation plan*

“Paying salespeople a specific amount per time period, regardless of selling effort.”

Straight commission compensation plan*

“Paying salespeople according to the amount of their sales in a given time period.”

Combination compensation plan*

“Paying salespeople a fixed salary plus a commission based on sales volume.”