Selling has, of late, become "sales target-driven" rather than being "customer-driven". Organizations, today, are mostly inclined towards raking in money in the short-term. Lavish commissions, gifts and bonuses are showered on "Top Performing Sales Reps", even though they might have indulged in "over-selling" just to win that "gift". Non-performing sales reps, on the other hand, are pressurized to somehow sell and bring in revenues. But how far will such techniques help? Some employees perform extremely well in some situations and not in others. So what affects the productivity of the sales force? This article analyzes all these aspects.

Selling is the art of providing goods to people who need it in exchange for money. It can be considered both an art and a science. It requires relationship building, confidence building and convincing skills. In this sense, it can be considered an art. On the other hand, there is a definite procedural approach to prospecting and sourcing business which gives it a scientific touch.

This is the first line of contact of any company with its prospective customers. In a perfectly competitive market with homogenous products and similar brands, customers buy based on trust on the salesperson rather than product quality. Moreover many prospects are not knowledgeable about every product. Prospective customers expect sales representatives to understand their needs and suggest the appropriate product. But the sales representative does not always suggest the "right" product to his customer. What are the consequences of the sales rep's actions and what are the factors affecting his performance? Why does a sales rep fail in one organization, but do extremely well in another? These are the questions we seek to answer.

Marketing Mastermind Magazine, Relationship Building, Confidence Building, Strategic Reasons, Information Technology, IT, Motivation, DemotivationSales Production Goals, Special Incentive Schemes, Organizational Objectives, Unique Selling Points,USPs, Annual Incentive Scheme.