IS SALESMANSHIP AN ART OR A SCIENCE?

To qualify as a science in the strictest sense, salesmanship would have to make greater use than it does of the “scientific method.” This method proceeds in definite stages: first, data is gathered through observation; second, hypotheses are formulated through inductive reasoning; and third, the hypotheses are tested through further observation and controlled experiment. In science, the several variables involved in the experiment can be controlled, and the experiment will always produce the same result under the same conditions no matter when, where or by whom performed. For example, chemistry is a science in this sense because all the variables such as compounds, weight, and temperatures can be controlled with exact preciseness. Consequently, an experiment can be conducted today, tomorrow, next year, or even a hundred years from now and the same results can be obtained.

However, in selling, the several variables affecting the sale, such as customer behavior, competitive activity, the weather, and general economic conditions, cannot be controlled. Furthermore, each customer is different from all others in some way. Hence, each sales situation is uniquely different, and the salesperson`s approach must be varied according to the specific circumstance that prevails in each case. For these reasons, selling is not a science and will remain an art as long as there are varying circumstances and individual differences. But, this does not mean that the salesperson can be careless and lackadaisical in her approach to selling. On the contrary, the varied and ever-changing circumstances make it all the more necessary for her to be alert and well organized.

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