From: Vinay Raykar <vinay [EMAIL PROTECTED]>
E-commerce, if at all may displace persons where they are found to be
obstacles or hindrances. Human touch will certainly be above all!
----------
> From: S. Lerner <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> To: [EMAIL PROTECTED];
[EMAIL PROTECTED];
[EMAIL PROTECTED]@dijkstra.uwaterloo.ca
> Subject: FW Death of the salesperson? (fwd)
> Date: Tuesday, March 30, 1999 4:52 PM
>
> CHANGING ROLE FOR SALES PEOPLE
> The growth of e-commerce is changing the role of the sales force. While
> human salespeople provide an interactivity that can't be matched by a Web
> site, they're also tremendously expensive compared to electronic
> channels. According to one analyst, electronically conducted
> sales of commodity products will "butcher the field sales force... Even
with
> expensive items, such as buying company cars, I'd rather go to a Web site
> and compare lifetime running costs, look at financing options and then
press
> a button to order, rather than talking to all the dealers." But at the
> other end of the spectrum, the human touch will remain essential: "Would
you
> buy knowledge-intensive services such as management consultancy without
> sitting across the table and understanding who you are buying from? In
> these sorts of areas, I can't see the sales force being replaced. But
the
> numbers will be tiny in comparison" Dell Computer, which has built its
> business on telephone and Internet sales, is now setting up customized
Web
> sites for servicing corporate customers, adding a personal touch.
> E-commerce will create a cost-effective channel for supporting existing
> customers, allowing the expensive human sales force to concentrate on
> developing strategic customer relationships. "The direct sales force
will
> create the new relationship, whereas the ongoing relationship will be
more
> operational, via net-based links."
> (Nuala Moran, "Is This the Death of the Salesman?" Financial
> Times 24 Mar 99) http://www.ft.com/
>
>
>
>
