The Evolution of Selling: a Study of Historic and Contemporary Sales Methods and Attitudes
The evolution of selling: a study of historic and contemporary sales methods and attitudes
Selling as an offer of exchange of goods for other items or money exists and accompanies the world’s economy since the very beginning of a human existence. As long as there has been something to sell there have been salespeople taking care of those who might be willing to buy. This occupation requires selling skills as well as specific abilities and characteristics to uncover the needs of potential buyers and cater to those needs (D.Jobber, G.Lancaster, 2009, p.5). This is why selling is rather a complex process using a wide range of techniques and methods (D.Jobber, G.Lancaster, 2009, p.5), which has changed over the years, and because of the influential events. The greatest impacts on evolution of selling can be dated back to late 19 century when the post Industrial Revolution and later on post 1st and 2nd World Wars periods took place. However, it is the post 2nd World War period that is considered to be a start of the biggest changes in selling.
Starting from the early form of salespeople called peddlers, who were going around from house to house selling different objects that they carried with them, it is worth mentioning that their origin is from the basic need of a man to exchange goods and communication (DSA, 2012). Slight growth of the family businesses was the beginning of the simple trade era, when the households produced enough goods to satisfy their own needs, and the surplus could be traded on the market with other households (Gale Cengage, 2001). The meaning of selling was secondary as the producers were focused mainly on production and orders (M.Strader, A.Wysocki, 2012).
However, after the Industrial Revolution, there were businesses that had the main production role, so that they became the main suppliers of goods (Gale Cengage, 2001). The Production Era fuelled for example by Henry Ford, thanks to his assembly lines,
Selling as an offer of exchange of goods for other items or money exists and accompanies the world’s economy since the very beginning of a human existence. As long as there has been something to sell there have been salespeople taking care of those who might be willing to buy. This occupation requires selling skills as well as specific abilities and characteristics to uncover the needs of potential buyers and cater to those needs (D.Jobber, G.Lancaster, 2009, p.5). This is why selling is rather a complex process using a wide range of techniques and methods (D.Jobber, G.Lancaster, 2009, p.5), which has changed over the years, and because of the influential events. The greatest impacts on evolution of selling can be dated back to late 19 century when the post Industrial Revolution and later on post 1st and 2nd World Wars periods took place. However, it is the post 2nd World War period that is considered to be a start of the biggest changes in selling.
Starting from the early form of salespeople called peddlers, who were going around from house to house selling different objects that they carried with them, it is worth mentioning that their origin is from the basic need of a man to exchange goods and communication (DSA, 2012). Slight growth of the family businesses was the beginning of the simple trade era, when the households produced enough goods to satisfy their own needs, and the surplus could be traded on the market with other households (Gale Cengage, 2001). The meaning of selling was secondary as the producers were focused mainly on production and orders (M.Strader, A.Wysocki, 2012).
However, after the Industrial Revolution, there were businesses that had the main production role, so that they became the main suppliers of goods (Gale Cengage, 2001). The Production Era fuelled for example by Henry Ford, thanks to his assembly lines,
References: • D.Jobber, G.Lancaster (2009) Selling and Sales Management. 8th ed. : Pearson Prentice Hall • DSA Direct Selling Association (2012) History of Direct Selling. [WWW] Available from: http://www.directselling411.com/about-direct-selling/history-of-direct-selling [Accessed 12/11/12]. • Gale Cengage (2001) Encyclopedia of Business and Finance. New York: Macmillan. [WWW] Available from: http://www.enotes.com/marketing-historical-perspectives-reference/marketing-historical-perspectives [Accessed 12/11/12] • M.Strader, A.Wysocki (2012) A Brief History of the Sales Environment. [WWW] University of Florida. Available from: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/sn001 [Accessed 12/11/12] • Manning, Reece, Ahearne (2011) Selling Today. Pearson International 12th Edition. : Pearson Prentice Hall • Net MBA Business Knowledge Center (2010) The Marketing Concept. [WWW] Internet Center for Management and Business Administration, Inc. Available from: http://www.netmba.com/marketing/concept [Accessed 12/11/12] • Tony Hughes (2012) The Evolution of Selling. [WWW] RSVP Selling. Available from: http://rsvpselling.com/content/evolution-selling [Accessed 12/11/12]