Field marketing services (Sales)
There are two types of sales activity defined in terms of time:
1. Strategic/contract
The provision of sales resources for a prolonged period to achieve long term objectives.
Effectively the contracting out of sales activity where the client company has no desire to carry the central infrastructure necessary to maintain a field sales resource.
2. Tactical
The provision of sales resource to achieve short term objectives.
A combination of both can be used together to cover seasonal variances. Tactical can also be used intermittently where regular activity is required but with intervals between activities.
There are two types of sales activity defined by customer:
Business to business - Visiting businesses to obtain sales, and distribution of products and services. This activity is not restricted to product sales but includes utilities, telecoms, security, insurance and other services.
Business to consumer - Selling direct to the end user. A significant amount of this activity is conducted face to face in consumers’ homes. The use of the activity has been adopted especially by telecom and utility companies to discuss product features and benefits directly with the consumer in their home or place of work.
As well as selling on a face to face basis in consumers’ homes, there is a significant amount of sales activity conducted in public places. This activity is covered more specifically in the Demonstrating and Sampling Section.
Contracting out sales resource will enable a cost-benefit analysis to be conducted, thus making field marketing very accountable.
Additionally, the flexibility to react quickly to organisational needs at short notice, or to switch activities geographically or demographically is facilitated by the ability to call on a field marketing database of sales resources.
The extensive knowledge of a field marketing professional, enables client business plans to be executed and objectives achieved using a flexible and skillful resource.
