The purpose of this research is to examine the contempor ary role of the sales person in a marketing organization. Thefindings of this research are presented in discussions related to (1) the significance of the sales function, (2) the role of sales within the marketing function, (3) factors required for successful personal selling, and (4) effectively managing a sales force.
THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE SALES FUNCTION
The sales function in profit oriented organizations pro vides one of the largest opportunities for employment in the economy. The sales function, thus, is of great significance to both the national economy, and the millions of individuals who depend upon their performance as sales persons to earn their living. Further, effective sales programs are as essential to the success of individual profit oriented organizations as they are to the economy and the individuals engaged in selling.
The importance of the sales effort to both the general economy and to profit oriented enterprises is well accepted. Further, it is obvious that the ability to conduct successfulselling activities determines, to a great extent, the career success of individuals engaging in sales as a vocation.
Nevertheless, a general knowledge of the elements which are essential for a successful sales call is not widely possessed by either sales persons or sales managers.1
THE ROLE OF SALES IN THE MARKETING FUNCTION
The role of marketing in contemporary societies is to enable organizations to "identify unfulfilled human needs, con vert them into business opportunities, and create satisfaction for others and profit for themselves."2 There are several dif ferent concepts upon which the process of marketing may be based. First, there is the product concept, which assumes that "consumers will favor those products that offer the most quality for the price, and therefore the organization should devote its energy to improving ...