Do you consider salesmanship as a science or arts ?

Very often a question arises in our mind as to whether Salesmanship is a SCIENCE or it is an ART or it’s both ART and SCIENCE ? Is it a PROFESSION ? These expressions speak about the nature of salesmanship.

Alternatively, “Are Salesmen are born ?” or “Salesmen are made ?” is “Salesmen are born and made” ? Under such a dizzy situation, it pays to know the exact meaning of the words-‘Science’-‘Art’-and ‘Profession’. After mastering the meaning and coverage of the: words, it is easier to classify salesmanship into a particular category in terms of nature.

What is Science?

Science is the rich fund of knowledge and experience based on research and experiment having its own generalizations which are universally acceptable. Thus, science is a sytematise body of knowledge having principles that speak nothing but fact and truth. Science is a branch of knowledge founded on the laws of nature. These sciences are both ‘exact’ and ‘inexact Alternatively, they are also called as ‘physical’ and ‘social’ sciences.

The examples of ‘exact’ or ‘physical’ sciences are mathematics, physics, chemistry. The examples of ‘inexact’ sciences are sociology, psychology, economics and so on. In case of exact sciences the results are certain and unchanging and unfailing while in case of inexact science or social sciences the results are not always certain, unchanging and unfailing. They change wit the changing forces of time, place and person.

Is Salesmanship a Science?

It is a science. However, it is an inexact or social science. Salesman deals with the human beings and human mind. It is a social science because, a sale;—an succeeds in his approach under a given situation based on his social science of learning. Salesmanship is a highly specialize knowledge having its own rules and regulations, principles and postulations. Thus, we have certain guide-lines as to how to deal with a particular type of customer after sizing him up or her. There is good deal of knowledge that he has to of him products, his prospects ii particular all those spheres that influence these factors of personality, products and prospects.

Is Salesmanship an Art?

Speaking on these lines, salesmanship is an art where salesman is to have the gift of gab and the capacity to win the confidence of prospects. He must have the acumen of firing the imagination of prospects. He is an artist known for painting mental portraits with verbal brush and imaginative colours. If one goes by this criterion, a few persons can be very successful salesmen.

Is Salesmanship Both Science and Art?

Any person to succeed in any line, he has to master the science and marshall the art, in this highly practical and competitive world. It is because, one is expected to be not only perfect but is to be also exact. What’s more important today is not the biggest but the latest. Let us take the example of swimming Mr. Weakheart has shown great willingness to learn swimming. For that matter, he might have read very good literature on the nature of water —hard and soft—sweet or salty-the girth of water as to shallow or deep, different kinds of strokes, timings, control over respiratory system, the principles of buoyancy and so on. With all that perfect theoretical knowledge, he would not be an expert swimmer, unless he plunges into water and peddles the water for sustained buoyancy.

Salesmanship is no exception to this. It is both a science and an art. A success salesman has a command over his line of knowledge about the goods he is dealing in, prospects and the customer he meets and about self or his own personality. A salesman with the scientific knowledge of his line is sure to cut a sorry figure and crumbles not only himself makes his firm to doom.

It is the perfect knowledge that builds his confidence and venturing. Along with such preformed knowledge, he should have the marshalled art of persuading the customers, fir their imagination the knack of winning their goodwill. A skillful and creative salesmanship the out course of long-standing experience and specific training. The secret of success: salesmanship is the art of dealing with people for, people are delicate, unique and ever-changing. The customers are not inanimate things to be handled like a laboratory situation and material Salesman’s art is very much delicate, demanding and trying one.

Hence, he has to handle them with care and tact, skill and acumen, else he is sure misfire. Thus, salesmanship is both a science and an art. It is much complicated and intrinsic than exact  sciences and delicate than other forms of art. Prof. Benham is very right when he said “Salesmanship is like a coin, its one side is art and the other is science.”