The distinctions are as follows:

1. Sales Objective

Creative salesmanship is to create new sales by breaking new ice and increases the existing sales in addition to maintaining it. In other words, creative salesmanship creates extends and maintains the demand. On the other hand, the basic arms of competitive salesmanship are to increase the sales under existing conditions. It may not be really worried about creating new sales and maintaining the sales so generated.

2. Approach to Sales

A creative salesmanship warrants the use of latest ideas which are quite novel and unique which are tried and tried in different and original ways by the salesman. Creativity is within the salesman that stems from his deep thinking and fertile imagination. It is creating something out of nothing. It is his vision and conviction that make him greatest because, he is latest. On the other hand, competitive salesmanship is a routine type of work employing usual or existing or traditional tactics concerning lowering the prices and granting credit on extra liberal terms.

3. The Results

Creative salesmanship breaks the new ice, educates the customer, wins their minds and lays a solid foundation for present and future sales. Though aim is to increase the sales, the sales may not increase immediately but the favourable impression is created. It does the work of customer building or sales-building on which he can encase at any time in future. On the other hand, in case of competitive salesmanship, results are quick sales, sales might increase but in due course of time and firm will have to goods without sales. His master might be forced to accept the linkage effects of credit sales namely, bad-debts and collection problems.

4. The Option of start

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Though both creative and competitive salesmanship aim at increasing the sales for his master, a salesman has to be first a creative salesman and then a competitive salesman. The basic requirement is to create the demand by creating sales and then comes the question of increasing and maintaining the tempo or turnover. Thus, a successful salesman will have to commence as a creative salesman. It is creative salesmanship that paves the way for competitive salesmanship. If he starts as competitive salesman, he can not be a creative salesman. The process of demand escalation is such that first it is to be created and then it is to be competed away.

5. The Coverage

The words ‘creative’ and ‘competitive’ have different degrees of coverage. The term ‘creative’ is more comprehensive than that of “competitive” and covers competitive salesmanship within its fold. On the other hand, competitive salesmanship does not mean creative salesmanship as it has nothing special about it. In other words, all competitive salesmanship is not creative but all creative salesmanship is competitive. That is, creative salesman can be competitive salesman but a competitive salesman can not be creative salesman in the sense.