Be a good salesperson it’s fine, find a job in sales that corresponds your needs and abilities is better!
Each company has its own way of approaching consumers and communicating with them. It depends on the product to be sold, type of company, price, company policy, but especially on the type of customer. The first thing to determine is whether the sale is to a end consumer or to a business. The former involves B2C, while the latter is B2B.
B2C (Business to Consumer) is for the mass market. We are all consumers, so this is the type of sale that we are the most familiar with. When we want to buy a camera, get information about a car or book a trip, we are dealing with a B2C sales representative.
B2B (Business to Business), on the other hand, involves only company-to-company business exchanges. It can take place between a wholesaler and a distributor who sells directly to the end consumer.
Because the requirements are different, the approaches are too. Here are the main characteristics of B2B and B2C sales:
| B to B | B to C | |
| Customer volume | Restricted clientele | Large, diversified clientele |
| Reason for purchase | B2B buyers buy for their company, are are therefore accountable. | B2C consumers buy for themselves or their family, for pleasure. |
| Buyer behaviour | B2B buyers make reasoned purchases, using professional procedures. Product positioning must be very clear, with the sales arguments down pat and a focus on specific added value for the company. |
In B2C, consumers can yield to impulse buying, or buy something they’ve fallen in love with. The emotional component is important. You have to be able to get people to buy for fun, present the product attractively, stage it appropriately and use sales arguments that appeal to emotions. |
| Buying process | The B2B buying process is complex: first, it has to comply with business management practices (payment timelines, order approval, logistics, support and reporting) and second, the buying decision involves many players and requires internal decision-making processes that can be very long. | For the mass market, the buying process is simple because the act of buying is often the decision of a single person. |
| Means | B2B buyers do not spend their own, but their company’s money, so do not see the expense in the same light. | Price is one of the main criteria for end consumers, since it is their own money they are spending. |
| Relationship | Since B2B customers are fewer in number, representatives forge closer and more personalized links with them. Relational aspects are more important than emotional factors, and loyalty is crucial. | Relationships are more limited, with representatives often never seeing a particular customer again. |
| Products | B2B products are often complex, since they have to meet many requirements and involve a large number of people. It can also involve wholesaling. | Products are sold at the retail level. They involve all types, from very simple to very complex. |