DUTIES OF EXPORTING SALESMEN
The major duty of exporting salesmen is to obtain orders for his home country products from customers in the oversea countries. And, these embraces the following viz:
They should be capable of meeting oversea customers when they visit say Britain.
They must also visit the buying office of the customers’ or merchant houses.
And, they must attend exhibition or trade shows when in oversea countries.
HOW SALESMEN FULFIL COMPANY NEEDS OVERSEA.
As soon as exporting salesmen are in overseas countries they are expected to fulfill their company needs in the following ways:
That ability of good communication of ideas and convictions should formed the pivot of their objectives (need).
They should be disciplinarians and having that ability self-reliance and able to take decision on their own.
They should be knowledgeable about their mother (Company’s system of production and marketing processes.
Also previous knowledge of the company policies ;and the actual product are relevant in this regard-
PERSONAL QUALITIES OF EXPORTING SALESMEN.
Once the strategy required by the company has been sorted the next step is the personal qualities of the salesmen to be employed. They varies depending on the marketing policies pursued by such company.
Export salesmen should posses that quality of and strength. Ability of taking self-consulting his mother company is significant.
They should be able to withstand any criticism that may confront them.
Exporting salesmen should be honest enthusiastically (interested in their company produces.
BASIC EXPORTING KNOWLEDGE
Salesmen in this class must be acquainted with the knowledge below:
Exporting salesmen should be given the necessary understanding of exporting administration, the documents involved, shipping, and insurance of the products.
They should be taught the spoken aspect of different languages, especially the countries he covers.
OVERSEAS JOURNEY – PLANNING
Many staff in different companies regard oversea’s business trip as an “enjoyment trips”, where as “t is the most tedious and brain storming journey. The decision of sending salesmen overseas is matured after duly considering the likely expectation of results to be achieved.
The reasons for the journey must be clearly defined and must also aim at satisfying the strategy laid down.
After Speculating the possible decision to take, the next target is to send sales personnel to check the feeding of the market and Information needed, and the best way of solving the problems identified. The journey will be unsuccessful, if the export sales manager or salesmen failed to familiarize themselves with the customers’ records and problems confronting them overseas. The journey purposes must be discussed with other departments in the organization and see if they have any particular needs .as design, production etc. agencies should not be appointed rather than meeting the agents and forming a personal assessment of them.
FUNCTIONS OF EXPORT SALES OFFICE
The additional functions of exporting sales office, apart from that of ordinary sales office functions, are discussed below.
The nature of their job is mainly the arrangement of the necessary shipping and dispatch of the goods-Arranging customers and currency exchange clearance.
Making available all necessary documentation shipment.
BUYER’S NEEDS
Buyers buy products for two significant reasons and these are as follows:
(a) The products should capable of yielding profit.
(b) The products should capable of matching the rule stipulated. But, many organizations ignore these solid facts without creating the interest of the consumers (buyer’s) in the product, most especially when the buyer’s are new in the business. When this is not fulfilled, the buyer’s will have less confidence and make sales difficult. It is therefore the duty of every salesman to recognize this human factors which are commonly found in industrial buying decision.
The information and evidence below are necessary to buyer’s take off.
Buyers should be fed with previous people who have used the product successfully.
Buyers must also be fed with test report of the product and, how the psychologists tested the product in the laboratories.
The method of the research techniques used is also relevant at this point.
Samples or test pieces should be given to their prospective buyers.
Buyers should also be aware of up-to-date costs accurate analysis and the steps take.
When all said and done are followed systematically, the enthusiastic buyers have course to smile, and this will definitely enhance the morale of the company.
CONSUMER PROTECTION
At a time, the protection of legal practitioners to those who buy and sell goods was summed up with this inscription “CAVEAT EMTOR” meaning let the buyer beware. Therefore, it was unanimously agreed upon that the buyer is often far from being in an equal bargaining position with the seller, and some protections of consumers right are necessary.
The consumers are protected in the following number of ways:
There is the protection provided by the consumers own common sense and the fact that, bad products will surely fail no matter what tactics are proclaimed or resorted to in an attempt to sell. In this wise, the consumer’s will refuse to buy from a particular shop or outlet.
Educational institution may conduct research publish reports and then make it available for the consumers.
Consumers Co-Operative: These are formed by consumers themselves and finance by the members only. Their objectives include raising and maintaining high standard of goods and services. This is not profit making bodies.
The consumers’ welfare department protects the consumption of goods and services.
Ministry of housing for instance protects regulation connecting the construction of building which are carried out by town planning officers.
Consumer can seek redress in the court of law.
Labels are usually attached to many goods. The combination of the ingredients that makes this products are thereby stated. The consumer can therefore have a pre knowledge of this product by reading the label before consuming it.