How Essential Disciplinary Literacy Skills Are To A Salesman.

Communication skills in the Salesman profession

Communication skills are learned in class while doing rhetoric practices as they are very much applicable in our lives after class especially in our profession. If we look at a profession of a salesman which is my interest, communication skills are much used in the field in order to convince and persuade a customer to purchase a commodity on sale. These skills are applied in class practically as they are used by lecturers, tutors and even fellow students, therefore you need to be keen and give full concentration to the rhetoric practices applied in the classroom. This can be achieved by putting the skills into practice whenever communicating with people depending on the situation.

Insights On Literacy Skills

Salesman profession involves marketing commodities and then sales of the commodities. Therefore, you should mind the kind of language you use to the customer as it should be friendly as much as possible.

Confidence through inquiry

As a salesman in a job market, I am first required to inquire about the commodity so that I am able to explain to the customer about that commodity. Suppose I am newly employed to the field and I do not know about the commodity that is, size, taste, number, and price. I should be confident enough to inquire the information about the commodity from the boss since this helps me build confidence to persuade the customer. You can only build confidence while in a class by engaging on a one on one conversation with your lecturers, tutors, and classmates especially by asking questions where you do not understand. When asking questions, be polite and nice so as to motivate the person who is to answer you. While listening to or holding a conversation with a classmate and teachers always have a direct eye contact as it will help you build more confidence to always inquire (Saravanan, 2005).

Convincing the customer

After getting the information about the commodity, I am required to market the commodity so that I can sell it to the customers interested. In this case, I am required to make as many sales as I can and some effort is required in the same. Once a person is interested, I need to convince that person about the commodity by introducing the commodity through description, then give a sample of the commodity to the customer for satisfaction and finally inform the customer about the advantages of the commodity. While communicating with the customer I usually am relaxed, friendly, and always maintain an eye contact with the customer to show my confidence in the commodity. You can always build these skills during class lessons by explaining answers to the asked questions to lecturers and fellow classmates.

Understanding the customer and answering questions

Having given a description of the commodity, I am required to be open-minded and also give priority to the customer by asking personal questions concerning the commodity and also giving views on pricing and quantity of the commodity. I should also listen to the customer on the views, show them my interest in their views and then answer the questions they ask appropriately as well. Practice on these can be easily made while in class by listening to other students arguments on the answers they give in class, showing them that you understand their arguments but if they are out of question try to get them back to the line of reasoning and if they continue asking questions give them a better explanation by also adding examples on the same so as to give clarity to the answer (Brophy, 1998).

Respecting the customer's decisions

After engaging the customer in understanding the commodity and the customer feels exhausted with the information, he or she is required to make a decision on whether to buy or not. I am required to show respect by giving the customer time to make a decision and calmly wait for the response. I should respect any response that comes from the customer may it be positive or negative, it should be respected. Respecting the decisions made by other people in your class will help you in the future especially in the profession. This is by accepting fellow student's responses towards your ideas and respecting the lecturer's decision. Do not argue back or give back a negative response (Salesman Interview, 2018).

Patiently scheduling future sales

If the customer tells out that he or she is not at a position to purchase a product right away, that should not disappoint me as a salesperson, instead, I am supposed to make a date with him or her on the best time for him or her. That requires me to be patient with the customer and not rude to them. By showing rudeness of forcing a customer on an item, it can lead to the customer developing insecurity issues with salesmen or even fear of being robbed and this should not be the case. The act of patience can be practiced in class whereby if a lecturer is late for class, as students, you should always remain calm and wait for him or her to get to class instead of creating unnecessary commotion (Salesman Interview, 2018).

Ensuring customer satisfaction and feedback

When selling the commodity to the customer I always give the customer a choice to make on the commodity so that he or she is left satisfied with the commodity. I am friendly so that the customer is satisfied enough to buy some other product in a later day and also to ensure he or she is fully okay with the commodity before I leave. After leaving I do also confirm whether the product is still in good condition by making a phone call to the customer with an aim of getting a feedback and I should always thank the customers after they purchase any commodities. You can practice getting feedback from your lecturer about the topic of discussions you would like to conduct or even your behavior in class after every lesson.

Dealing with different customer characters

Customers have different characters and I should be at a position to deal with each and every type of character when it comes to sales and marketing. In this case, I am required to be fluent in speaking so that the customer who requires me to be fluent will be at a position to listen to me. You can always achieve this while in class by ensuring that you always speak fluently to your classmates and your lecturer. Practice on the pronunciation and making correct sentences also.

Utilizing non-verbal communication

In order to meet the target of customers, sometimes I am are required to use non-verbal communication to deliver a particular message. I do this by putting some posters marketing my commodity by giving details that are necessary and providing my contacts on the same. Verbal communication can be practiced in a class by using gestures while calling or referring to a particular person. You can always raise up your hand when questions are asked by the lecturer so that you are identified through your hand.

Being loud enough to be heard

While communicating with your customer, I am always as loud enough so that he or she does not keep pardoning me to repeat or so that they don't strain while trying to listen to me. Being louder is advantageous because even the neighboring person can get the information and be persuaded. You can practice this while in class by ensuring that whenever you are saying something in class you are loud enough to be heard by everyone present in class.

Keeping records for accountability

Keeping records of the sales I make every time is crucial in sales and marketing to ensure that I am at a position to encounter for whatever I sell, and also to keep a record of contacts of my customer. A record can stand in place of an explanation or accountancy of particular items. Practice can be done while class by keeping the record of the students of your class or also by keeping the record of the books you use in your class (Brophy, 1998).

Giving and receiving feedback

Feedback giving after the everyday activity of a salesman is required. This is all about the sales that have been made successfully, the views of a customer on the commodity especially on the quantity and the pricing. Giving feedback helps improve the commodity and also standardize the price of the commodity in order to increase sales and earn a profit. I am also required to ask for a feedback on how to improve the sales. I also inquire about how my fellow colleagues have managed to achieve their sales so as to compare them with mine. Giving feedback is a skill that you can practice in class by ensuring that you give feedback to the lecturer on how the continuous assessment test was. Make sure you pledge more assessment test from him or her and get a feedback on the same (Saud, 2018)

Conclusion

Disciplinary literacy skills are highly demanded by our profession daily and you ought to practice these skills while doing your studies in school. In order for the students to develop the skills they need for their success in schools and the workforce, the lecturers are also required to instruct them appropriately. Literacy skills are achievable, it only depends on the discipline put towards it.

References

Brophy, Jere. "Educating teachers about managing classrooms and students." Teaching and            teacher Education 4.1 (1988): 1-18.

Saravanan,Vanithamani.”Thinking Schools, Learning Nations implementation of Curriculum Review in singapore.”Educational Research for Policy and Practice, Vol.4, no.2, 2005, pp.97-113.

Saud, Suhair, Halife Kodaz, and İsmail Babaoğlu. "Solving Travelling Salesman Problem by Using Optimization Algorithms." KnE Social Sciences

3.1 (2018): 17-32.

Salesman Interview, 2018.Word docx