Sales and Marketing Workshop w/ Professor Furst

Today AMA hears from Dr. Mary Beth Furst, a UMD Professor in Marketing and Faculty Director of the Strategic Design Fellows Program. She starts by defining advertising, noting that many people assume “is the same as marketing”, but she quickly clarifies that this isn’t true and “marketing way more than just advertising.”

When it comes to promotion, “there are five different ways you can get your stuff out,” Furst explains. They consist of:

1. Advertising

2. PR

3. Sales

4. Direct and digital (social media)

5. And finally, today’s main focus: personal sales

What’s your image of a sales person?

Furst begins by clarifying that personal selling isn’t just about making sales, it’s about building customer relationships. While it may seem that it’s just someone in a cubicle with a script, the job mainly revolves around “trying to figure out what your potential customer needs and if there’s a way you can match what you offer to what they need.” She reinforces her expertise by drawing on her background at Pfizer where she “sold drugs” at the popular pharmaceutical company.

“We see what we look for, and we look for what we know” –Goethe

Furst then redirects the conversation toward perspective, showing a picture of a horse and noting that its spots formed the word “horse.” “Once you see it, now you can’t unsee it,” she says, and that’s exactly how sales works. This is called confirmation bias.

DISC

As the final part of the workshop, Furst presents a shorthand personality test meant to “show you what your comfortable place is in a conversation.” “If you know where you are,” she explains, “you are better able to understand how you might filter things and not see someone else’s perspective.” The categories are as follows:

• D’s (Dominant) are very action oriented and controlling

• I’s (Influence) tend to be optimistic and impulsive

• C’s (Conscientiousness) want precision and should be the final editor and proofreader

• The S (Steadiness) is the team player but can also be indecisive

Furst categorizes herself as a D (Dominant), with qualities of a C (Conscientiousness) as well. However, she explains that “the more you are with other people and you have to adapt, the more you go towards the middle.” She adds, “I’ve been in sales for 18 years and teaching for almost 20, so I am much more towards the middle than I was before.”

Click here to take the test!

Thank you, Dr. Furst for leading such an engaging meeting and teaching the AMA about sales!

-Ashley Morrison