This thesis is a description of the sales process for Toolox, the newest of four products produced by SSAB Oxelösund. Toolox is a tool steel, sold using eleven external dealers throughout Europe. Each dealer carries a wide range of steel grades for different uses. To increase sales volumes SSAB want to have the right support for their dealers. In this thesis the organizations and individuals who influence in the buying decision are identified as well as their buying behavior and the information that is needed in the sales situations. The requirements on the tool steel derive not only from the toolmaker itself but also from end users of a product further down the product chain. The study indicates that communication of benefits along the chain difficult because is not well integrated. The decision of what steel to buy is often made by the tool designer and these are influenced by a number of other individuals. It is also found that risk aversion and conservatism are barriers for product introductions.

The traditional issue selling process refers to strategic actions taken at a subsidiary in order to gain attention from the HQ. This study aims to broaden the theories on issue selling to also cover internal issue selling, which refers to the individual level of issue selling within a subsidiary. Further is attention and initiative taking worth investigating when studying issue selling, whereas these underlying constructs of issue selling are highlighted in the paper. For this specific study we have performed a case study with L’Oréal Sweden to investigate how the individuals are selling issues within the subsidiary. This micro-level focus of the issue selling process have the potential to contribute to an understanding of the process and the underlying constructs of issue selling on a macro perspective. The findings of this study indicate a tendency that issue selling exists on a subsidiary level. Thereby it could be argued that ideas and initiatives raised by the individuals within a subsidiary have the potential to generate in strategic and organizational improvements on a macro perspective for the MNC.

Bakalauro baigiamajame darbe nagrinėtas asmeninio pardavimo technikos, pardavėjų savybių įtaka asmeninio pardavimo efektyvumui bei asmeninio pardavimo orientacijos. Šio darbo teorinėje dalyje atskleista asmeninio pardavimo samprata bei asmeninio pardavimo požiūrio kitimas, kuris lėmė skirtingas asmeninio pardavimo orientacijas. Tyrimo objektas: Asmeninio pardavimo technikos, procesas bei orientacija. Tyrimo tikslas: Ištirti asmeninio pardavimo technikas, procesą, bei orientacijas, taikomas padavėjų, viešojo maitinimo paslaugas teikiančiose įmonėse Šiaulių mieste. Darbo problemą apibūdina toks klausimas: Kaip reiškiasi asmeninis pardavimas viešojo maitinimo paslaugas teikiančiose įmonėse proceso bei naudojamų technikų kontekste? Tyrimui atlikti naudoti 2 kokybinių tyrimų metodai – stebėjimas bei giluminis interviu. Tyrimo metu nustatyta kaip asmeninio pardavimo technikas, proceso etapus bei asmeninio pardavimo orientaciją naudoja padavėjai viešojo maitinimo įstaigose, identifikuotos priemonės, kuriomis maitinimo įstaigos skatina asmeninio pardavimo naudojimą savo vadovaujamose įmonėse. / Bachelor's paper examined the personal selling techniques, seller’s characteristics influence made on the effectiveness of personal selling and personal marketing orientation. Theoretical part of this work revealed the concept of personal selling and personal marketing approach to evolution, which led to different orientations of personal selling. The object: the personal selling techniques, process and orientation. The study objective: to investigate the personal selling techniques, processes, and orientations, applied by the waiters in the businesses providing catering services in the city of Šiauliai. The paper describes the problem the following question: how personal selling is reflected in the businesses providing catering services in the context of process and services used? There were two qualitative research methods used - observation and depth interviews. The study showed how personal selling techniques, process and personal selling orientation is used by waiters in catering facilities, identified measures to encourage caterers' use their personal marketing in the companies that they lead.

The focus of the study was to examine the extent to which pharmacies in Indiana are currently selling cigarettes and alcohol, the current opinions of pharmacists, to compare findings with the previous 1996 Indiana study and to determine pharmacists' familiarity with available public health resources. A survey questionnaire was designed based on previous studies. It was reviewed by a jury of experts and subsequently administered to the randomly selected pharmacies in Indiana. Of those pharmacies that were included in the study, 74.4% were returned. Collected data were analyzed and compared to findings from 1996 using descriptivestatistical methods.Findings revealed that fewer pharmacies sold cigarettes in 2001 (58.1%) than in 1996 (63.7%). Alcohol sales continued at 206 (43.7%) of pharmacies currently selling alcoholic beverages, which is relatively the same level as in 1996, 202 (41.9%) of pharmacies. There is an increasing trend in pharmacists that believe pharmacies should be selling neither cigarettes (+7.2%) nor alcohol (+4.7). Most pharmacists' (64%) agree that they play asignificant role in health promotion/disease prevention to the public, yet only 42.6% involve themselves with publichealth promotion activities. The capability of pharmacists to refer people to outside resources for educational needsis limited. Over three-fourths of pharmacists are either completely unfamiliar with or have no opinion about thethree most well-funded public health programs in the state of Indiana. / Department of Physiology and Health Science

Background: The result of our interactive information society is that sales business has shifted from a tactical to a strategical focus, thus companies have had to adapt to this change. The evolution of sales shows that companies have gone from one static model to another, which is discarded by the new concept ‘insight selling’ claiming that it through insights is possible to be forceful in the, these days, rough sales climate. Purpose: The purpose of the report is to form an understanding of how insight sales affect a sales process. Research question: How does insight selling affect the B2B sales process? Methodology: Process mapping through interviews in combination with organizational documents. Findings: Insight selling affects the sales process by a clearer research mindset and a change in communication in relation to the customer.

A la croisée des travaux menés en marketing relationnel et en sociologie économique, le concept de l'encastrement social de la relation marchande a été relativement peu traité en sciences de gestion. En vente, il présente un intérêt majeur dans la mesure où il tire son origine d'un processus social dynamique courant, basé à la fois sur la recommandation et la création d'un lien social plus personnel avec le client. Cette thèse porte sur les implications de l'ancrage social de la relation client sur la performance du vendeur. Elle s'intéresse à une population de vendeurs particuliers : les vendeuses par réunion à domicile. Il ressort de nos enquêtes que l'encastrement des échanges marchands au sein d'une structure de relations sociales pré-existantes facilite la conversion d'un client basique en client fidèle qui prescrit le vendeur et les produits auprès de son réseau relationnel. / Between marketing and economic sociology works, social embeddedness of market exchanges has been relatively little studied in management science. In sales research, it is of great interest to the extent that it originates from a dynamic social process based on both recommendation and creation of personal social ties with customers. This dissertation focuses on the consequences of social embeddedness of customer relationship on salesperson performance. Our field study focuses on particular salespersons : direct sellers by home party. It appears that social embeddedness of market exchanges within a structure of pre-existing social relationships facilitates the conversion of basic customer into an advocate who recommend the salesperson and products in its relational network.

The thesis deals with direct sales and its use in small business. Specifically, the sales of Internet service of regional ISP. The aim of this work is to demonstrate that direct selling is the way how to obtain new customers for the company JHComp in a competitive market, the market where the company itself has been long time active. To this end, the project plans the sale and subsequently leads to implementing the plan. The theoretical part deals with the concept of "direct sale" within the meaning of "person to person", settles the concept into a spectrum of marketing tools, informs about the history and highlights the facts. It also deals with the theory of marketing plan design and implementation of a plan. The practical part finally results in the assessment of executed sales and the entire project as a contribution to the company. Further proposes the use in the future.

This dissertation research explores the factors that influence direct selling agents' sales performance and job satisfaction. In the direct selling channels, the agents not only sell the products to customers. They may concurrently perform a "distributor" role as a stand-alone entity composed of their own sales network. This dissertation research features two essays. The first essay investigates how direct selling agents' perceptions of control and sense of belonging relate to PO. This essay further explores how PO influences job performance and job satisfaction. Results suggest that perception of control and sense of belonging fuel PO. Furthermore, leader-member exchange mediates the relationship between PO and sales performance, as well as PO and job satisfaction in direct selling networks. The second essay introduces a new construct (relational incongruity) and discusses how complex sales environments and direct selling agents' organizational structures influence the relational incongruity in their organization and its ensuring effect on sales performance and job satisfaction. The results indicate that organizational complexity is positively related to relational incongruity. However, customer complexity has a negative impact on relational incongruity. Relational incongruity in direct selling agents' organizations has negative effects on job satisfaction but has no effects on sales performance. Epistemic curiosity undermines the negative effect of relational incongruity on job satisfaction but negatively influences independent distributors' sales performance.

Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2002. / Some digitised pages may appear illegible due to the condition of the original hard copy. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: A few years ago, pharmaceuticalcompanies were more inclined to look at business from the inside out. The principal focus was on the company's goals, and identifying and selling to customers were the method of achieving those goals. However,today the customer is king and therefore the focus is shifting to accommodatethis change. The road to success - or failure - is now an expressway, and companies must be ready to accelerate,tum, or stop quickly. Flexibilityand manoeuvrabilitymean a great deal in an increasinglycompetitivemarketplace(Gabe & Goldberg, 1999). What makes a sales team effective in today's competitive global market? What are the key drivers of success in pharmaceutical sales team effectiveness? The most prominent trend in the US market is customer focus, and the most prominent issue is the recruitment and retention of top performers. Today's focus on relationship building may have occurred in part because companies found that their relationships were less than ideal. Nearly 60% of US pharmaceutical companies use customersatisfaction results, among other measurements, to determine the effectiveness of their sales force. A sales force that can make the transition from selling the product to selling the solution - which is the essence of customer focus - has a better chance of earning customer confidence and "partnering" (Gabe & Goldberg, 1999). To isolate factors that make a pharmaceutical sales representative effective is not easy. The best pharmaceutical representatives have excellent selling skills and behaviours, exhibit consistent performance, build networks, contribute to their teams, focus on the most profitable accounts, open new accounts, and win customer loyalty. How does one identify top pharmaceutical salespeople? Look for the representatives with the ability to learn continuously from experience, to take full responsibility for professional development, to size up each situation, and to apply the most effective skills for that encounter. Most often, they will be the ones using consultative and adaptive selling dialogue techniques (Snader, 2002). According to the study, it was evident that the following effectiveness criteria or selling task characteristics have a definite impact on sales force effectiveness and in turn should be part of every salesperson's capabilities: territory management, objection handling, business planning, adaptive selling, customer focus, knowledge, service, selling skills and training. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: In die verlede was farmaseutiese maatskappye geneig om hul besigheid van binne na buite te ontleed. Die belangrikste fokuspunt was die maatskappy se doelwit en die identifisering van, en verkope aan hul kliënte die middel tot die doelom hierdie doelwitte te bereik. Vandag, daarenteen kraai die kliënt koning en die fokuspunt het verskuif om by hierdie verandering aan te pas. Die verskil tussen die sukses en mislukking van 'n maatskappy sal afhang van die buigsaamheid en stuurbaarheid van die maatskappy om gereed te wees vir enige aksie in hierdie toenemend mededingende mark (Gabe & Goldberg, 1999). Wat maak 'n verkoopspan doeltreffend in vandag se mededingende globale mark? Wat is die sleutel eienskappe wat sukses sal waarborg vir 'n farmaseutiese verkoopspan? Die belangrikste neiging in die Amerikaanse mark is kliënte-fokus en die mees prominente kwessie is die werwing en behoud van die top presteerders. Die fokusverskuiwing na die verhouding tussen die verkoopsverteenwoordiger en die kliënt het plaasgevind nadat maatskappye besef het hulle het nie ideale verhoudings met hulle kliënte nie. Nagenoeg 60% van alle Amerikaanse farmaseutiese maatskappye gebruik onder andere ook resultate van kliënte-tevredenheid vraelyste as 'n maatstaf om die doeltreffendheid van hulle verkoopspan te bepaal. 'n Verkoopspan wat in plaas van 'n produk verkoop eerder aan die kliënt 'n oplossing vir sy spesifieke probleem bied - wat die kern van 'n kliënt-gefokusde benadering is - skep vertroue by die kliënt en lei tot 'n suksesvolle vennootskap tussen die partye (Gabe & Goldberg, 1999). Dit is baie moeilik om eienskappe te identifiseer wat 'n farmaseutiese verteenwoordiger se doeltreffendheid verseker. Die beste farmaseutiese verkoopsverteenwoordigers gebruik uitstekende verkoopstegnieke, bou netwerke, is goeie spanlede, fokus op die mees winsgewendste kliënte, wen nuwe kliënte en die lojaliteit van hulle kliënte. Hoe word top farmaseutiese verkoopspersone dan geïdentifiseer? Kyk uit vir die verteenwoordiger wat die vermoeë het om te leer uit ondervinding, wat volle verantwoordelikheid neem vir sy persoonlike ontwikkeling, wat elke situasie ontleed en dan die toepaslike vaardighede gebruik vir die spesifieke situasie. Meestal sal dit die verteenwoordigers wees wat konsulterende en adaptiewe dialoogtegnieke gebruik (Snader, 2002). Volgens die studie was dit duidelik dat die volgende kriteria vir doeltreffende verkope of verkoopseienskappe 'n defnitiewe impak het op 'n verkoopsspan se doeltreffendheid en dus deel moet uitmaak van elke verkoopspersoon se vermoë: Areabestuur, die hantering van objeksies, besigheidsbeplanning, 'n adaptiewe verkoopstyl, 'n kliënt gefokusde benadering, kennis, diens en opleiding.

<p>  </p> <p>In the first chapter, we developed a dynamic equilibrium model of multiple stocks with extrapolators under the framework of Barberis, Greenwood, Jin, and Shleifer (2015a). Our model builds on the fact that extrapolative investors assign different relative weights of recent versus distant past return when forming their beliefs. We find that stock price increases in its own past performance measure, and is additionally associated with the past performance measure of the other stock if their dividends are correlated. The stock with higher relative weight have higher stock price, higher stock volatility, and lower risk premium. Both the own stock’s and the other stock’s past performance measure negatively predicts future stock price changes. </p> <p><br></p> <p>The second chapter includes Adem Atmaz, Stefano Cassella, and Huseyin Gulen as co-authors. In this chapter, we document considerable cross-sectional variation in survey expectations about aggregate stock market returns. While most investors are extrapolators who expect higher returns after a good market performance, some are contrarians who expect lower returns after a good performance. More notably, compared to extrapolators, contrarians have less persistent expectations that are corrected more quickly. Accordingly, we develop a dynamic equilibrium model accounting for these differences in expectations and find that the equilibrium stock price exhibits short-term momentum and long-term reversal as in the data. Furthermore, we test the key predictions of the model linking the shortterm momentum to observable differences between extrapolators and contrarians and find supportive evidence for our mechanism. </p> <p><br></p> <p>The third chapter includes Adem Atmaz and Suleyman Basak as co-authors. In this chapter, we develop a dynamic model of costly stock short-selling and lending market and obtain implications simultaneously supporting many empirical regularities. In our model, investors’ belief disagreement leads to lenders and short-sellers, who pay shorting fees to borrow stocks from lenders. Our main novel results are as follows. Short interest predicts future stock returns negatively and has a stronger predictive power than the corresponding dividend-price ratio. Higher short-selling risk can be associated with lower stock returns and less short-selling activity. Stock volatility is increased under costly short-selling. An application to the GameStop episode yields implications consistent with observed patterns. </p>