Most people are aware of Arthur Miller’s very successful Pulitzer Prize–winning stage and screenplay, and its title “The Death of a Salesman.” The reality of personal selling today is that there is a “Rebirth of the Salesperson.” Between 2000 and today, when many thought the computer and Internet were causing a reduction in the need for salespeople, the number of selling jobs increased. Selling is the second-largest employment category in the United States (government jobs are the largest) and research indicates there will be two million more salespeople added to the U.S. sales force by 2020. One out of every nine people in the United States is employed in selling, a number that has remained constant for many years. According to Neil Rackham, author of the best-selling SPIN Selling and Rethinking the Sales Force, “personal selling today employs more people than any other business function—more than accounting, engineering and law put together.”1

This ratio of salespeople to the total number in the workforce is true for many developed countries. In less developed countries such as China and Brazil, as their economies grow wealthier, the need for salespeople will increase substantially. One study done by McKinsey and Company projects that India’s growing pharmaceutical industry will triple its cadre of drug representatives to 300,000 by 2020.2

Personal selling occurs when a company representative interacts directly with a customer or prospective customer to present information about a product or service.3 It is a process of developing relationships, discovering needs, matching the appropriate products with these needs, and communicating benefits through informing, reminding, or persuading. The term product should be broadly interpreted to encompass information, services, ideas, and issues. Increasingly, personal selling is viewed as a process that adds value. In an ideal situation, the salesperson builds a mutually rewarding relationship, diagnoses the customer’s needs, and custom fits the product to meet these needs. Having knowledge of these customer needs will lead to higher customer satisfaction and willingness to purchase a product.4

Preparation for a career in personal selling begins with the development of a personal philosophy or set of beliefs that provides guidance. To some degree, this philosophy is like the rudder that steers a ship. Without a rudder, the ship’s direction is unpredictable. Without a personal philosophy, the salesperson’s behavior also is unpredictable.

The development of a personal selling philosophy involves three prescriptions: adopt the marketing concept, value personal selling, and assume the role of a problem solver or partner in helping customers make informed and intelligent buying decisions (Figure 1.1). These three prescriptions for success in personal selling are presented here as part of the Strategic/Consultative–Selling Model. This model is expanded in future chapters to include additional strategic steps in the selling process. Chapter 2 will illustrate how the marketing concept has produced an evolving set of improvements to the sales process, moving it from peddling to value-added partnering.