Industrial Marketing Management 34 (2005) 13 – 22 The evolution of the seven steps of selling William C. Moncrief a,1, Greg W. Marshallb,* b a M.J. Neeley School of Business, Texas Christian University, TCU Box 298530, Fort Worth, TX 76129, United States Crummer Graduate School of Business, Rollins College, 1000 Holt Avenue-2722, Winter Park, FL 32789-4499, United States Received 15 January 2003; received in revised form 5 April 2004; accepted 5 June 2004 Available online 11 November 2004 Abstract The traditional seven steps of selling is perhaps the oldest paradigm in the sales discipline. The seven steps model has served as a basic framework in sales training, personal selling textbooks, and teaching personal selling classes. Very little has changed in this framework since the turn of the 20th century. This article reviews the traditional seven steps of selling, examines transformative factors that have led to changes in each step, and presents an evolved seven steps process. While the traditional seven steps reflected a selling orientation on the part of a firm, the evolved selling process reflects more of a customer orientation in that the focus is on relationship selling—that is, securing, building, and maintaining long-term relationships with profitable customers. D 2004 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Keywords: Selling; Selling activities; Selling function; Selling process; Selling steps 1. Introduction The profession of selling has a rich history that traces its roots back to the ancient world, gained prominence in the early 20th century, and continues to evolve as we move into the beginnings of the 21st century (Hawes, Anne, & Midmier, 2004; Powers, Koehler, & Martin, 1998; Powers, Martin, & Daniel, 1987). Review of these historical perspectives reveals distinct differences in the importance of selling to the overall economy and to the development of both the marketing and sales disciplines, particularly in light of changes in economic conditions (Wotruba, 1991). Business in the 20th century progressed through various eras popularly portrayed as beginning with the production era, followed by the sales era, and the marketing era (Dawson, 1970). Selling or the philosophy of selling is depicted as different in each of these eras, resulting in changes in the salesperson and the sales discipline through the three evolutionary stages. * Corresponding author. Tel.: +1 407 691 1150; fax: +1 407 691 1151. E-mail addresses:
[email protected] (W.C. Moncrief)8
[email protected] (G.W. Marshall). 1 Tel.: +1 817 257 6185; fax: +1 817 257 6049. 0019-8501/$ - see front matter D 2004 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.indmarman.2004.06.001 Throughout modern sell