A brand concept consists of the core ideas behind a company’s 

branding that pull

together its purpose and goals. A brand concept is all about how a brand makes
you feel, which becomes the base to build an entire brand and marketing
strategy. All of those things that immediately pop into your head about a
company make up its brand concept.

A brand name or trade name is a name (usually a proper noun) applied by a

manufacturer or organization to a particular product or service. While a brand
name is sometimes simply the name of the founders of a company, such as John
Deere or Johnson & Johnson. A brand name is a form of a signature that gives
credit to the creator of a particular work or service and sets it apart from those
created by others.

Brand loyalty is the positive association consumers attach to a particular product

or brand. Customers that exhibit brand loyalty are devoted to a product or
service, which is demonstrated by their repeat purchases despite competitor's
efforts to lure them away.

Brand image is the current view of the customers about a brand. It can be defined
as a unique bundle of associations within the minds of target customers. It
signifies what the brand presently stands for. It is a set of beliefs held about a
specific brand.

Brand association is when company traits are rooted in customers' minds. The
goal of brand association is to have a brand linked with positive attributes. Brand
association builds value and equity for a company brand. It ultimately makes
consumers aware of brand quality.

Sonic branding refers to the sounds or songs associated with a brand, product, or
service. The association isn’t created organically by fans, followers, or
consumers. Instead, it’s developed or adopted by the brand as part of an
intentional strategy that helps its audience associate those sounds with the
brand.

Brand voice is the way you talk to your customers and is defined by
your brand's style of communication. Your brand voice is directed to your target
audience, and it can have any style, as long as it feels true to your brand values
and persona—be it authoritative, playful, intellectual, ominous, kind or fun.

Brand recall is also known as unaided recall or spontaneous recall and refers to

the ability of the consumer to correctly generate a brand from memory when
prompted by a product category.

Brand recognition is the extent to which a consumer can correctly identify a

particular product or service just by viewing the product or service's logo, tag
line, packaging or advertising campaign. Brand recognition can also be triggered
via an audio cue, such as a jingle or theme song associated with a brand.
A company chooses a brand ambassador to be the "face" of the brand. Ideally, the
candidate is a tastemaker in their communities, and should plan to use already
established networks and relationships to market the brand via word-of-mouth
marketing tactics (i.e. referring friends, posting about the brand online, etc.).

Packaging Concept. The outer appearance of the product (the package) is the
first thing a potential customer will see, and so it can be a great marketing tool
for the product.

Physical Protection. The objects enclosed in the package may require protection
from, among other things, mechanical shock, vibration, electrostatic discharge,
compression, temperature, etc

Information transmission: Packages and labels communicate how to use,

transport, recycle, or dispose of the package or product. With pharmaceuticals,
food, medical, and chemical products, some types of information are required by
governments. Some packages and labels also are used for track and trace
purposes.

Convenience features such as easy opening, reclosability, portability and one-

handed use continue to drive food-packaging innovation for a range of processed
foods, including entrees, snacks and even foodservice products.

Barrier protection: A barrier from oxygen, water vapor, dust, etc., is often
required. Permeation is a critical factor in design. Some packages contain
desiccants or oxygen absorbency to help extend shelf life. Modified atmospheres
or controlled atmospheres are also maintained in some food packages. Keeping
the contents clean, fresh, sterile and safe for the intended shelf life is a primary
function.

The Promotion Mix is the integration of Advertising, Personal Selling,

Sales Promotion, Public Relations and Direct Marketing. The marketers need to
view the following questions in order to have a balanced blend of
these promotional tools.

Advertising, the techniques and practices used to bring products, services,

opinions, or causes to public notice for the purpose of persuading the public to
respond in a certain way toward what is advertised. Most advertising involves
promoting a good that is for sale, but similar methods are used to encourage
people to drive safely, to support various charities, or to vote for political
candidates, among many other examples. In many countries advertising is the
most important source of income for the media (e.g., newspapers, magazines,
or television stations) through which it is conducted. In the noncommunist world
advertising has become a large and important service industry.

Personal selling is where businesses use people (the "sales force") to sell the
product after meeting face-to-face with the customer. The sellers promote the
product through their attitude, appearance and specialist product knowledge.
They aim to inform and encourage the customer to buy, or at least trial the
product.

Sales promotion is the process of persuading a potential customer to buy the

product. Sales promotion is designed to be used as a short-term tactic to
boost sales – it is rarely suitable as a method of building long-term customer
loyalty. Some sales promotions are aimed at consumers.

Sponsorship is when a company commits money or resources to a nonprofit

event or program in exchange for specific promotional benefits. At its
core, sponsorship is an exchange of money for services.

Product placement, also known as embedded marketing, is a marketing

technique where references to specific brands or products are incorporated into
another work, such as a film or television program, with specific promotional
intent.

Digital marketing is any form of marketing products or services that involves

electronic devices. That's the reason it has been around for decades (because
electronics have) and why it doesn't necessarily have anything to do with
content marketing, Google ads, social media or retargeting.

SALES ISSUES AND PROBLEMS AFFECTING THE RETAILING BUSINESS

Consumers are Choosing Multichannel Buying Experiences
Customers Expect a Seamless Experience
To Attract Customer Loyalty, Retailers Need an Experience Which Stands Out
A Siloed Marketing Infrastructure Makes It Expensive and Unwieldy to get Your
Message Across.
So Many Technologies Exist to Drive Marketing and Sales, but They Don’t Seem
to Work Together

MANAGEMENT OF SALES FORCE

Sales Force Management (SFM) is a sub-system of marketing management. It is
Sales Management that translates the marketing plan into marketing
performance.
Actually sales force management does much more than serving as the muscle
behind marketing management.
Sales force management systems are information systems that help automate
some sales and sales force management functions. They are often found to be
combined with a marketing information system.

You might be setting sales force objectives that focus on:

 Increasing sales and profit 
 Increasing customer numbers
 Increasing upsells and cross-sells
 Increasing sales rep productivity
 Cutting the time sales reps spend on non-sales tasks
 Enhancing your sales processes
Common sales force structures are as follows:-
  Territorial structure is used where every sales representative is
assigned specific geographical area. This structure is preferred for
building relationships with locals.
 Product structure is used for complex and un- related product portfolio.
Here the sales people are directly associated with research and
development of the products.
 Market structure is used if the companies are operating different
industry or market segments. Every sales force specializes in a definite
market and helps push a product efficiently across the given market.
However, the disadvantage would arise if customers are located over a
wide geographical area.
 Complex structure is used when companies are in business of selling
complex product to different customer across a large geographical area.
Here sales force structure is a combination of other structures discussed.

General steps in the salesperson selection process include

(1) initial screening,
(2) reference checking,
(3) in-depth interviewing,
(4) employment testing,
(5) follow-up interviewing, and
(6) making the selection.

DESIGNING SALES FORCE STRATEGY AND STRUCTURE

Courses. The typical course format, either in person or online, is a great way to

transfer your sales knowledge to teammates.
In-person workshops. Short in-person workshops break up the work day and
are a good way to build excitement surrounding your ongoing sales training. 
Hiring outside consultants. An experienced consultant can add a lot of value
based on a wealth of experience, valuable market information, and the ability to
customize your sales tools. It can also help you get buy-in by bringing in an
expert.
Conferences. Conferences allow employees to learn from proven leaders and get
a pulse on what’s trending in your market.
Internal team testing. Sometimes the best way to learn is by being thrown into
the deep end. Conducting an audit of past sales cycles, both successful and
unsuccessful, is a great way to train a salesperson by using real-world
applications.
Field training feedback is key. Most talent development happens in the field.
However, the analysis and feedback a salesperson receives after a call are what
resonates. If you emphasize listening to clients and understanding client needs in
a real sales situation and then provide specific feedback (good and bad), you'll
impact a person's ability to sell.
1.    Case Study
The case study is a proven method for training and is known to effectively boost
learner motivation. However, when learners lack access to the resources
necessary to completing a case study or if the project become a challenge, their
motivation and learning will be hindered.
This method is suitable for situations when the trainees have the core knowledge
but can still benefit from training. Because this method comes with lower costs,
it’s also one of the more popular methods in different disciplines like law,
counseling, and medicine.
2.    Games-Based Training
Games have been used for many educational purposes, including training. Using
games for education is affordable, competitive, and motivational, especially in
the digital era, in which many applicants and employees are highly involved with
technology.
One of the disadvantages of this method is the inability to determine the
components in a game that will contribute to the training itself. Trainers can’t
really make sure that every learning concept will be accepted by the trainees
through game playing.
Still, game-based training teaches students to compete in environments like
business, sports, or law.
3.    Internship
Internships are great for both sides. Employers can benefit from the help of
employees, while employees can benefit from the guidance of and training by
employers.
4.    Job Rotation
Job rotation can do a lot in terms of employee motivation and commitment. This
method gives people chances to further develop and work toward a promotion
and engenders satisfaction and cooperation.
5.    Job Shadowing
Job shadowing serves to generate employees’ engagement and interest. 6.   
Lecture
Lectures are often dreaded and ridiculed, but they are the most commonly used
training techniques.
7.    Mentoring and Apprenticeship
Trainees can truly benefit from such a personalized learning structure, boost the
mentor-trainee relationship, and facilitate their future career.
8.    Programmed Instruction
Programmed instruction doesn’t work without self-discipline, so it is most
effective in cases when some straying from the program isn’t detrimental to the
company’s success.
9.    Role-Modeling
This is the counterpart of the lecture training method—one that promotes
practice on lifelike models. It’s often used in cases when employees need some
practice after they see a lecture or a demonstration.
10. Role-Play
With role-playing, trainees can practice what they’ve learned in a personalized
and simulated situation. They can still fail, but with good content and safe role-
playing, there won’t be any serious consequences.
11. Simulation
Simulation becomes more affordable every day. As such, it’s commonly used for
training that is considered costly or dangerous if performed in a real
environment. This is a safe way to practice what would otherwise be risky.
12. Stimulus-Based Training
Stimulus-based training is a bit unconventional, but it’s becoming more popular
as time passes. It’s a widely applied method that might make trainees a bit
uncomfortable but can also enable them to acquire thorough knowledge faster
than the other methods of training described here.
13. Team Training
Team training has a big and important goal: to connect a team. As such, it doesn’t
focus on trainees as individuals like the previously discussed methods; rather,
this method is used to connect team members and make them more engaged in
their training and work.

Compensation is made in three ways:

a) Direct Salary
b) Direct Commission
c) Combined Plans

SUPERVISING AND MOTIVATING SALES REPRESENTATIVES

Supervising Sales Force
a) Directing the sales force
b) Identify customer targets and set call norms
c) Develop prospect targets
d) Use sales time efficiently

Motivating Sales Force

a) Organizational Climate
b) Sales Quota
c) Positive Incentives
d) Honors
e) Trips
f) Merchandise / Cash
g) Awards

EVALUATION OF SALES REPRESENTATIVES

a. Sources of Information
b. Call Reports
c. Sales Reports
d. Work Plan
e. Expense Reports