Stages In The Selling Process Marketing Essay

Stages In The Selling Process Marketing Essay A popular approach to understanding the stages of the selling process consists of the six steps diagrammed in Exhibit 2.8: (1) prospecting for customers, (2) opening the relation ­ship, (3) qualifying the prospect, (4) presenting the sales message, (5) closing the sale, and (6) servicing the account. Although the selling process involves only a few distinct steps, the specific activities in-volved at each step-and the way those activities are carried out-can vary greatly de-pending on the type of sales position, such as missionary versus trade salesperson, and on the firms overall selling and customer relationship strategy. Consequently, a firms sales program should incorporate account management policies to guide each salesperson and ensure that all selling efforts are consistent with the firms marketing and relationship strategy. We will examine the raÃ…Â £ionale and content of account management policies in more detail in Chapter 4. The following discussion of the stages in the selling process also mentions some of the more common account management policies used to direct sales representatives. Prospecting for Customers In many types of selling, prospecting for new customers is criticai. It can also be one of the most disheartening aspects of selling, especially for beginning salespeople. Prospecting ef ­forts are often met with rejection, and immediate payoffs are usually minimal. Neverthe-less, the ability to uncover potenÃ…Â £ial new customers often separates the successful from the unsuccessful salesperson. In some consumer goods businesses, prospecting for new customers simply involves cold canvassing-going from house to house knocking on doors. In most cases, though, the target market is more narrowly defined, and the salesperson must identify prospects within that target segment. Salespeople use a variety of information sources to identify relevant prospects, including trade association and industry directories, telephone directories, other salespeople, other customers, suppliers, nonsales employees of the firm, and social and professional contacts. Telemarketing is used by many firms to find prospects. Outbound telemarketing in ­volves calling potenÃ…Â £ial customers at their home or office, either to make a sale or to make an appointment for a field representative. Inbound telemarketing, where prospective cus-tomers call a toll-free number for more information, is also used to identify and qualify prospects. When prospects call for more information about a product or service, a repre ­sentative attempts to determine the extent of interest and whether the prospect meets the companys qualifications for new customers. If so, information about the caller is passed on to the appropriate salesperson or regional office. The Internet is also proving a useful technology for generating leads to potenÃ…Â £ial new customers. While an increasing number of firms are soliciting orders directly via a home page on the Internet, many-particularly those selling relatively complex goods or services-use their Internet sites primarily to provide technical product information to cus ­tomers or potenÃ…Â £ial customers. These firms can have their salespeople follow up on techni ­cal inquiries from potenÃ…Â £ial new accounts with a more tradiÃ…Â £ional sales call.15 A firms account management policies should address how much emphasis salespeople should give to prospecting for new customers versus prospecting and servicing existing ac ­counts. The appropriate policy depends on the selling and customer relationship strategy selected, the nature of its product, and the firms customers. If the firms strategy is trans-actional, if the product is in the introductory stage of its life cycle, if it is an infrequently purchased durable good, or if the typical customer does not require much service after the sale, sales reps should devote substanÃ…Â £ial time to prospecting for new customers. This is the case in industries such as insurance and residential construction. Such firms may design their compensation systems to reward their salespeople more heavily for making sales to new customers than for servicing old ones, as we shall see in Chapter 11. A company that desires strategic partnerships will assign a specific salesperson to each ac ­count. Firms with large market shares or those that sell frequently purchased nondurable products or products that require substanÃ…Â £ial service after the sale to guarantee customer sat-isfaction should adopt a policy that encourages sales reps to devote most of their efforts to ser ­vicing existing customers. Food manufacturers that sell products to retail supermarkets and firms that produce component parts and supplies for other manufacturers fall into this cate-gory. Some very large customers may require so much servicing that a sales rep is assigned to do nothing but cater to that customers needs. In such circumstances, firms have special-ized their sales positions so that some representatives service only existing accounts, while others spend all their time prospecting for and opening relationships with new customers. Opening the Relationship In the iniÃ…Â £ial approach to a prospective customer, the sales representative should try to open the relationship by accomplishing two things: (1) determine who within the organization is likely to have the greatest influence or authority to iniÃ…Â £iate the purchase process and who will ultimately purchase the product, and (2) generate enough interest within the firm to ob-tain the information needed to qualify the prospect as a worthwhile potenÃ…Â £ial customer. An organizational buying center often consists of individuals who play different roles in mak ­ing the purchase decision. Thus, it is important for the salesperson to identify the key deci-sion makers, their desires, and their relative influence. Selling organizations can formulate policies to guide sales reps in approaching prospec ­tive customers. When the firms product is inexpensive and routinely purchased, salespeo ­ple might be instructed to deal entirely with the purchasing department. For more technically complex and expensive products, the sales representative might be urged to identify and seek appointments with influencers and decision makers in various funcÃ…Â £ional departments and at several managerial levels. When the purchase decision is likely to be very complex, involving many people within the customers organization, the seller might adopt a policy of multilevel or team selling. Qualifying the Prospect Before salespeople attempt to set up an appointment for a major sales presentation or spend much time trying to establish a relationship with a prospective account, they should first qualify the prospect to determine if he or she qualifies as a worthwhile potenÃ…Â £ial customer. If the account does not qualify, the sales rep can spend the time better elsewhere. Qualification is difficult for some salespeople. It requires them to put aside their etemal optimism and make an objective, realistic judgment about the probability of making a prof-itable sale. As one authority points out, the qualification process involves finding the an-swers to three important questions: Does the prospect have a need for my product or service? Can I make the people responsible for buying so aware of that need that I can make a sale? Will the sale be profitable to my company?16 To answer such questions, the sales rep must learn about the prospects operations, the types of products it makes, its customers, its competitors, and the likely future demand for its products. Information also must be obtained concerning who the customers present sup-pliers are and whether any special relationships exist with those firms that would make it difficult for the prospect to change suppliers. Finally, the financial health and the credit rat-ing of the prospect should be checked. Because so many different types of information are needed, nonselling departments within the company-such as the credit and collections department-often are involved in the qualification process when large purchases are made. Frequently, however, credit de ­partments do not get involved until after the prospect has agreed to buy and filled out a credit application. In these situations, company policies should be formulated to guide the salespersons judgment concerning whether a specific prospect qualifies as a customer. These policies might speli out minimum acceptable standards for such things as the prospects annual dollar value of purchases in the product category or credit rating. Simi-larly, some firms specify a minimum order size to avoid dealing with very small customers and to improve the efficiency of their order-processing and shipping operations. Issues re-lated to prioritizing customers are discussed in Chapter 3. Presenting the Sales Message The sales presentation is the core of the selling process. The salesperson transmits informa ­tion about a product or service and attempts to persuade the prospect to become a customer. Making good presentations is a criticai aspect of the sales job. Unfortunately, many sales ­people do not perform this activity very well. Past studies have discovered that 40 percent of purchasing agents perceive the presentations they witness as less than good. In a recent sur-vey of purchasing executives, the following five presentation-related complaints were among the top 10 complaints the managers had about the salespeople with whom they deal: Running down competitors. Being too aggressive or abrasive. Having inadequate knowledge of competitors products or services. Having inadequate knowledge of the clients business or organization. Delivering poor presentations.17 One decision that must be made in preparing for an effective sales presentation concerns how many members of the buying firm should attend. Since more than one person is typically involved in making a purchase decision, should a sales presentation be given to all of them as a group? The answer depends on whether the members of the buying center have divergent attitudes and concerns, and whether those concerns can all be addressed effec-tively in a single presentation. If not, scheduling a series of one-to-one presentations with different members of the buying group might be more effective. In many cases, the best way to convince prospects of a products advantage is to demon ­strate it, particularly if the product is technically complex. Two rules should be followed in preparing an effective product demonstration. First, the demonstration should be carefully re-hearsed to reduce the possibility of even a minor malfunction. Second, the demonstration should be designed to give members of the buying center hands-on experience with the prod ­uct. For example, Xeroxs salespeople learn about their clients office operations so they can demonstrate their products actually doing the tasks they would do after they are purchased. Different firms have widely varying policies concerning how sales presentations should be organized, what selling points should be stressed, and how forcefully the presentation should be made. Door-to-door salespeople and telephone salespeople are often trained to deliver the same memorized, forceful presentation to every prospect. A person selling com ­puter systems may be trained in low-key selling, in which the salesperson primarily acts as a source of technical information and advice and does little pushing of the companys par ­ticular computers. The section later in this chapter on alternative selling approaches pro-vides additional insight on presentational approaches. Today, the proliferation of relationship selling has resulted in salespeople being called on to give more formal presentations to multiple members of a client organization. For ex ­ample, often selling firms may give quarterly or annual account review presentations to clients. These presentations typically involve the buying team and selling team as well as members of management from both sides. A firms policy on sales presentations should be consistent with its other policies for managing accounts. To formulate intelligent sales pre ­sentation policies, a sales manager must know about alternative presentation methods and their relative advantages and limitations. Space limitations of this chapter make it difficult to present a lengthy discussion of such issues. The interested student is urged to examine a personal selling textbook where a variety of sales presentation methods are discussed and evaluated in more detail. Closing the Sale Closing the sale refers to obtaining a final agreement to purchase. All the salespersons efforts are wasted unless the client signs on the dotted line; yet this is where many salespeople fail. It is natural for buyers to try to delay making purchase decisions. But as the time it takes the salesperson to close the sale increases, the profit to be made from the sale may go down, and the risk of losing the sale increases. Consequently, the salespersons task is to facilitate the client making a timely final decision. Often, this may best be accomplished by simply asking for an order. May I write that order up for you? and When do you want it delivered? are common closings. Another closing tactic is to ask the client to choose between two alterna ­tive decisions, such as, Will that be cash or charge? or Did you want the blue one or the red one? In B2B buying and selling, organizational buyers and other decision makers have had extensive training in buying and selling techniques and can identify manipulative closing techniques, so care should be used in selecting a natural way to ask for the sale. Servicing the Account The salespersons job is not finished when the sale is made. Many types of service and as-sistance must be provided to customers after a sale to ensure their satisfaction and repeat business. Excellent service after the sale bolsters customer loyalty and fosters long-term relationships with customers. But this is another area in which some salespeople do not perform well. One consultant estimates that when a customer stops buying from a com-pany, about 60 percent of the time its because the customer thinks the selling firms sales ­people developed an indifferent attitude after the product was delivered.18 The salesperson should follow up each sale to make sure no problems exist with delivery schedules, quality of goods, or customer billing. In addition, often the salesperson or members of a sales team supervise the installation of equipment, train the customers employees in its use, and ensure proper maintenance in order to reduce problems that may lead to customer dissatisfaction. This kind of postsale service can pay great dividends for both the salesperson and the selling firm, leading to the sale of other, related products and services.19 For instance, in many capital equipment lines, service contracts, along with supplies and replacement parts, account for greater dollar sales revenue and higher profit margins than the original equip ­ment. A firms selling and customer relationship strategy should dictate what type of postsale or ongoing service should occur. To truly understand the selling process, why successful salespeople do what they do, and how to most effectively manage their efforts, it is important to also understand how B2B customers make purchase decisions. After all, in relationship selling, the focus by the sales ­person and his or her entire organization is aimed at fulfilling customer needs and solving customer problems. Therefore, the next sections shift the focus of our discussion from the selling side to the buying side to examine the participants in the B2B buying process, the stages of this buying process exhibited by many organizations, and finally the nature of organizational buying situations.

What is the good life?

The article I have selected to summarize for this assignment is titled as ‘The Secret to Happiness’ by David Myers . This article discusses about the beauty and secret to a happy good life. It discusses the goodness of life from different aspects. It suggests that people from different genre ought to think differently about the curve of life and its happiness. According to a survey materialism brings much content and happiness in an individual’s life and a greater amount of people wish they were rich, which proves that money brings happiness to most. Thus suggesting that the source of good life recedes before an individual as he wishes to pursue. The article by David Myers speaks about the twentieth century with reference to people, their lives, and what made them a happier individual: the more rich a person is the more content he is in his life compared to the person who is poor and cannot fulfill his needs. Moreover, a survey was done with different classes of people which included the rich and poor, the young and the old, the children and adults and all were asked to tell their happiest period of life that they would never forget. More than 75% of the answers were materialistic happiness that is they were the most happy when they bought a new car, or a new home, when they found a new job. These were few answers that bought them life lasting satisfaction. Furthermore, writer uses a term known as buyer’s remorse used to describe the let down which occurred purchasing something that doesn’t provide satisfaction was expected off. Therefore, the secret to happiness for long lasting satisfaction is materialism. Though, many may not agree to the fact but it is true that materialism has held its importance in our life that much that it has become a secret of happiness. My Evaluation: What is a good life? A mother says that a good life is to see her children prosper; a father says that a good life is when he’d be able to be the strong man who could support his family; a student would say that a good life is to attain and be a top graded student; a beggar would say that it would be when he’d be able to get bread for his living; a prisoner would say that a good life is when he’ll be a freeman and when a lover is asked the same question as to what is a good life, he would say that a good life is to just have a glimpse of his love of life. Therefore a good life may be different to different people but all we need to do is to be practical and study carefully the options that we are given and choosing the best option among them. A good life is one that is spent in a high pursuit; a life where the energy of love is given most importance than any energy of matter. Thus, to spit away the hatred through the entrance of forgiveness, revealed through love would transform life into a life that is called a good life. A good life can never be spent around until the scent of love and charm may not be imbued in all, with all the strength and passion. We can harness the energy of the winds, the seas, and the sun. But the day a man learns the energy of love, that will be as important as the discovery of fire; and then one will realize what is meant by a good life. A good life is a life of a soldier. The pride and the passion with which a soldier walks with the soul content can’t actually be put to words. The soldier-walks upright and passes his nights waking only because the other million people there are sleeping only because that one soldier wakes and in the war zone hugs all the bullets as his medals. He is happy with all what life has given to him. His firm belief is that the truth or secret of happiness is serving his nation, defending its honor, safeguarding people and sacrificing his life for what he holds most dear to his heart which is his motherland. Thus, he lives and dies as a person with good life. But there also live people who have everything they have in life, everything they want, the women they love, the children, the career, the kind of freedom that is the envy of all friends, the travel, the honors, the pleasure and the praise. But then even their lives are missing something. These are the people who turn into the true hunters of a good life. They are always in search of what the true meaning of happiness is and this pursuit takes up most of their lives. The constant hunger or the dissatisfaction, despite of having everything they require, in them doesn’t let them rest and forces them to go beyond the normal realms to find the thing that will provide them with contentment, satisfaction and happiness. Thus a good life is the beginning of learning about the three most important things in life. First, as soon as people decide to confront a problem, they realize that they are far more capable then they thought they were. Second, all energy and all the knowledge came from the same unknown source that we usually call the God. All one has to do is to believe in the paths, to honor what one wishes to do and to honor that energy. To connect up with it every day, to allow oneself to be guided by the signs and to learn by doing and not by thinking about doing is what is important for the person. And third may lie on the observation that a good life is considered to be worse due to the sufferings we face. One should always remember that no one is alone in their troubles; there is always someone else thinking, rejoicing or suffering in the same way and that gives us strength to confront the challenge before us, to fight by moving the heavens and the earth to make a good life. A good life is always confronted by sufferings but in order to turn out those sufferings one must learn that if there is suffering then its best to accept it, because it won’t go away just because you pretend it’s not there. If there is joy then it is best to accept it too, even though you are afraid it might end one day. Some people can only relate life through sacrifice and renunciation. Some people can only feel part of humanity when they think they are happy and leading a good life. But a good life is good when a person is self satisfied. Nothing in the world can replace this one factor which is the only key to a better life. A good life may further be best analyzed by this Mongolian myth in which there are two characters. A doe and a wild dog that come together, two beings are very different natures: in the wild, the dog would normally kill the deer for food. In the Mongolian myth they both understand that they each need the qualities of the other if they are to survive in a hostile world and that they should, therefore join forces. To do this they must first learn to love. And in order to love they must cease to be who they are, otherwise they will never be able to live together. With the passing of time, the wild dog comes to accept that his instinct, always focused on the struggle to survive, now serves a grater purpose; finding someone who he can rebuild the world, who he can pass his life which is termed as not life itself as alone but rather a good life. Thus in all accordance life is what we choose to be, whether alone or with people we love, happy or unhappy, satisfied or unsatisfied. The key to it is to decide what we actually want and with that self actualization comes the true essence and meaning of happiness.

The Nice Guy

Case Analysis: The Nice Guy Introduction This case study begins with Paul Kennedy on a slow morning commute in Cleveland. During his drive, he’s worried about his wife and family, his boss, his associate, a stranger in a nearby vehicle, and even about the state of the Cleveland Browns. He is also excited about his plans to expand Daner Associates into the European market and his impending promotion to CEO. But when Paul meets with his boss, Larry, that afternoon, he discovers that he has been misreading signals. Larry is actually considering Paul for the number two role in the company and considering promoting another Daner executive, George, into the CEO position. Background Paul has been with Daner Associates for ten years. He believes that he is being groomed for to take over the CEO position when Larry retires. Thus, Paul is understandably shocked when he discovers that Larry thinks of him as the number two guy, and is considering promoting George to CEO instead. Paul thinks that George lacks the polish and experience to be effective in the CEO position. Problem Statement Paul needs to demonstrate to Larry that he has what it takes to be the next CEO: A strong leader with effective communication, people relationship and management skills. Analysis and Issues Paul does not have to become a complete jerk, like George, to get the CEO position. He does, however, need to do a thorough self-assessment to identify his strengths and weaknesses, chose a path that is in his own best interest, then clearly and consistently state his personal and managerial views. Paul has clear advantages over his rival, George, in terms of experience and length of time with the company. His employees like him and trust him to lead them. He possesses most of the elements of an effective CEO, but Larry thinks that Paul is too nice to be effective as CEO. Paul needs to exploit the advantages he has and stop letting his niceness get in the way of his own business success. If Paul wants the top job, he needs to prove that he can be effective in managing his relationships with others, including his relationship with Larry, where he has allowed communications to break down to where he and Larry were on completely different wavelengths on his promotion to CEO. In his interactions with Larry, it seems that Paul has been hearing only what he wants to hear. Paul has apparently misread Larry’s intentions, resulting in misaligned expectations. Paul and Larry have very different leadership styles and attitudes on people management. This disparity in their styles is a core part of their communications issues. Paul’s self-referent criteria have prevented him from effectively listening to what Larry has been telling him about his leadership skills and potential to be promoted to CEO. It seems that George has an advantage over Paul in being able to relate easily to Larry. Larry and George have a similar philosophy on people management, which gives George an advantage on effective communications with Larry. Larry immediately empathizes with George’s perspective, because it is similar to his own. This puts the onus on Paul to get outside of his own frame of reference to examine himself from Larry’s perspective. The nice-guy disorder is having a negative effect on Paul’s ability to make choices. His decision-making ability is impaired when he gives away his power to others, including George and Larry, denying his own goals and desires. When he feels strongly about an issue, as he does in the case of breaking into the biotech industry, he needs to build his case, avoid the analysis paralysis that comes with over-analyzing the data, and present his case with confidence and the good judgment that has come with ten years of experience. It is that type of conviction in his ideas and opinions that will earn respect from both Larry and George. Paul prefers to hold back his opinions rather than speaking his mind in many situations to avoid confrontations. Overly nice guys, like Paul, tend to avoid situations where they disagree with someone or need to confront someone about poor job performance. Paul chooses to remain silent on issues in order to avoid judgment or spare the feelings of others. Paul allows his concern for others to lead him to prioritize their needs over his own work responsibilities and career. He also has a tendency to look the other way when managerial issues arise, as they have with his associate, Lisa. Because he wants to be a nice guy, and he feels bad about Lisa’s personal situation, Paul has been excessively lenient with her and continues to avoid confronting her about the decline in her work performance. Speaking his mind consistently and effectively will be one of the most challenging skills Paul will have to master. Recommendations In order to be an effective leader and CEO, Paul needs to become much more self-aware. Like many â€Å"nice guys,† Paul does not have a high level of self-awareness, which thwarts his ability to reach higher levels of effectiveness. He must become aware of how his choices are holding him back. He needs to develop an honest self-awareness that will enable him to deal constructively with his weaknesses and fully benefit from his strengths. Since Larry has been Paul’s boss for ten years, he probably knows Paul’s strengths and weaknesses better than Paul knows himself. Paul needs to muster up the confidence to ask Larry for his constructive criticism. In this way, Paul will tap into Larry’s insight to help identify and minimize his weaknesses and identify and employ his strengths in order to maximize his effectiveness as a leader. Paul needs to drop his defensive attitude in order to hear and really listen to Larry’s advice, understand it as he never has before, and then take immediate action on that on that advice. Paul needs to start thinking of confrontation as an effective communication tool that will enable him to solve problems as quickly as possible. He must realize that his leniency with Lisa has reached a point where it compromises his ability to deliver on his business commitments. His reticence to speak frankly with her to resolve the work issues is ultimately harming both of them. Paul needs to address the issues in an honest and open conversation with Lisa; otherwise her work may continue to suffer, leaving him with only unpleasant options for dealing with it. Conclusion/Summary Paul has become overly focused on trying to be helpful and nice to others, resulting in an imbalance that has diminished his effectiveness as a leader. When Larry told him that he was not the first choice for CEO, presenting Paul with the evidence that things were not going as he thought, Paul continued to look externally to blame George for the misunderstanding. Paul needs to take a good, hard look inward to grasp an understanding of the connection between his nice-guy behavior and its negative consequences, and then accept that he must alter those behaviors in order to achieve his business success targets. As he becomes aware of his shortcomings, he will be able to find ways to eliminate them through training, mentoring, and by surrounding himself with people who have complementary skills. While identifying and minimizing his weaknesses through self discovery, Paul also needs to identify and emphasize his strengths. He cannot allow his nice-guy, self-sacrificing tendencies to lead him down the path to a job that is not in alignment with his talents and goals. Essentially, Paul needs to find a balance between his natural tendency toward niceness and an appropriate level of assertiveness. References Edelman, R. C. , Hiltabiddle, T. R. , & Manz, C. C. (2008). Nice Guys Can Get the Corner Office: Eight Strategies for Winning in Business Without Being a JERK. New York, NY: Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

The History of How Shoes Are Made

In most early civilizations, sandals were the most common footwear, however, a few early cultures had more substantial shoes. But shoes in ancient—and even not so ancient—civilizations had some major design differences than their modern-day counterparts. In fact, as late as the 1850s, most shoes were constructed on absolutely straight lasts (foot-shaped forms on which shoes were constructed and repaired), which meant that the right and the left shoes were pretty much the same. On the upside, that would make them interchangeable. On the downside, they were likely a lot less comfortable. Shoes in the BC In Mesopotamia, circa 1600 to 1200 BC, mountain people living on the border of Iran wore a type of soft shoes made of wraparound leather that was similar to a moccasin. Egyptians began making shoes from woven reeds as early as 1550 BC. Worn as overshoes, they were boat-shaped and had straps constructed of long, thin reeds covered by wider strips of the same material. Shoes in this style were still being made as late as the 19th century. Meanwhile, in China, shoes made from layers of hemp, circa the final century BC, were made in a process similar to quilting and featured decorative as well as functional stitching. Circa 43-450 AD Roman sandals are believed to be the first footwear specifically designed to fit the foot. Constructed with cork soles and leather straps or lacing, sandals were the same for men and women. Some military sandals known as caligae used hobnails to reinforce the soles. The imprints and patterns they left behind could be read as messages. Circa 937 AD Foot binding was a practice introduced in the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD) that became increasingly popular in China during the Song dynasty (960-1279 AD). Starting at age 5 to 8, the bones in girls feet were broken and then tightly wrapped to prevent growth. The ideal for womens feet was modeled after the lotus blossom and was decreed to be no more than three to four inches in length. Girls with tiny, highly arched feet were prized as prime marriage material—but the crippling practice left many of them barely able to walk. These tiny feet were adorned with dainty shoes constructed of silk or cotton and richly embroidered. Chinese women of the upper classes were often buried with many pairs of such shoes. While several bans were imposed on the practice (the first by Emperor Chun Chi of the Manchu dynasty in 1645 and the second by Emperor K’ang Hsi in 1662), foot-binding remained a common practice in China into the early 20th century. 12th Century Pointy-tipped Poulianes (â€Å"shoes  in the Polish fashion†) became popular in the middle ages and continued to come and go until the early 15th century. Circa 1350 to 1450 Pattens were overshoes worn to protect them from the elements and filthy street conditions. They were similar in function to more modern galoshes, except that pattens were made in the same shape as the shoes they were fitted over. 1450 to 1550 During the Renaissance, shoe fashions evolved from vertical lines favored by Gothic styles to become more horizontal. Nowhere was this more evident than in the toe shape. The richer and more powerful the wearer, the more extreme and broad the squared toe became. However, while squared toed shoes were prevalent, during this time, round-toed shoes began to emerge. Round-toed shoes were considered a more practical choice for children, however, even some adult shoes of the Tudor period featured the round profile. 17th Century During the mid-17th century, shoe fashions for men were mostly square-toed, however, it was at this time that the fork toe design debuted. Chopines, backless shoes or slippers featuring high platform soles, became popular throughout Renaissance Europe thanks to a revival in ancient Greek culture. The most notable examples from the period come from Spain (where the platforms were sometimes constructed from cork) and Italy. Men, as well as women, wore slip-on indoor slides known as mules, which were available in a variety of materials and colors and featured a slightly flared heel. In 1660, with the restoration of Charles II to the throne of France, fashions from the French courts grew in popularity across the Channel. Red heels, a style allegedly created for Charles himself, came into vogue and remained there well into the next century. 18th Century In the 18th century, shoes for upper-class women, such as salon mules, initially took shape as boudoir fashion but evolved into day and even dancewear. The erotically charged footwear was favored by Madame de Pompadour, mistress of Louis XV of France, who was in huge part responsible for the trend. Unfortunately, elegant shoes of the day were constructed of materials such as silk that rendered them inappropriate for outdoor use and as a result, pattens  (also known as clogs) made a big comeback, especially in big cities, such as London, that had yet to deal with the unsanitary conditions of its streets. Fast Facts: Shoe Laces Prior to shoestrings, shoes were commonly fastened with buckles.Modern shoestrings, which employed strings laced through shoe holes and then tied, were invented in England in 1790 (first recorded date, March 27).An aglet (from the Latin word for needle) is a small plastic or fiber tube used to bind the end of a shoelace, or similar cord, to prevent fraying and to allow the lace to be passed through an eyelet or another opening. In the 1780s, a fascination with all things â€Å"Oriental† led to the introduction of shoes with upturned toes known as Kampskatcha slippers. (While billed as an homage to Chinese fashion, they more closely resembled Juttis, the upturned slippers worn by affluent female members of the court of the Mughal Empire.) From the 1780s through the 1790s, the height of heels gradually decreased. With the approach of the French Revolution (1787-99), excess was seen with increasing disdain, and less became more. 19th Century Styles In 1817, the Duke of Wellington commissioned the boots that would become synonymous with his name. Streamlined and free of ornamentation, â€Å"Wellies† became all the rage. The rubberized version, still popular today, was introduced in the 1850s by the North British Rubber Company. In the following decade, the family shoemaking firm of C J Clark Ltd was founded and remains one of Englands leading shoe manufacturers. Prior to 1830, there was no difference between right and left shoes. French shoemakers came up with the idea of placing little labels on the insoles of shoes: â€Å"Gauche† for the left, and â€Å"Droit† for the right. While the shoes were still both straight in shape, since the French style was considered the height of fashion, other countries were quick to emulate the trend. In 1837 by J. Sparkes Hall patented the elastic side boot, which allowed them to be put on and taken off much more easily than those that required buttons or laces. Hall actually presented a pair of them to Queen Victoria, and the style remained popular through the end of the 1850s. By the 1860s, flat, squared-toed shoes featuring side lacing were de rigeur. This left the front of the shoes free for decoration. Rosettes were a popular embellishment of the day for women’s shoes. In the mid- to late-1800s unassembled shoes made with flat sheets of woven straw were produced in Italy and sold across Europe and in America to be put together as shoemakers saw fit. In the mid-1870s, the Manchu people of China (who did not practice foot binding) favored platform shoes that were the precursors to 20th-century fashion styles. Hoof-shaped pedestals afforded increased balance. Women’s shoes were taller and more intricately decorated than those for men. 19th Century Innovations in Shoe Manufacturing 1830s: Plimsolls, canvas-topped shoes with rubber soles, first manufactured by the Liverpool Rubber Company, make their debut as beachwear.June 15, 1844: Inventor and manufacturing engineer Charles Goodyear receives a patent for vulcanized rubber, a chemical process that uses heat to meld rubber to fabric or other components for a sturdier, more permanent bond.1858: Lyman Reed Blake, an American inventor receives a patent for the specialized sewing machine he developed that stitches the soles of shoes to the uppers.January 24, 1871: Charles Goodyear Jrs patents the Goodyear Welt, a machine for sewing boots and shoes.1883: Jan Ernst Matzeliger patents an automatic method for lasting shoes that paves the way for the mass production of affordable shoes.January 24, 1899: Irish-American Humphrey OSullivan patents the first rubber heel for shoes. Later, Elijah McCoy (best known for developing a lubricating system for railroad steam engines that did not require trains to stop) invents an im proved rubber heel. Keds, Converse, and the Evolution of Sneakers In 1892, nine small rubber manufacturing companies consolidated to form the U.S. Rubber Company. Among them was the Goodyear Metallic Rubber Shoe Company, organized in the 1840s in Naugatuck, Connecticut, the first licensee of Charles Goodyears vulcanization process. While Plimsolls had been on the scene for nearly six decades, vulcanization was a game-changer for rubber-soled canvas shoes. From 1892 to 1913, the rubber footwear divisions of U.S. Rubber were manufacturing their products under 30 different brand names but the company decided to consolidate their brands under a single name. The initial favorite was Peds, from the Latin for foot, but another company already owned that trademark. By 1916, the choice had come down to two final alternatives: ​Veds  or Keds. The k sound won out and Keds were born. The same year, Keds introduced their Champion Sneaker for Women. Keds were first mass-marketed as canvas-top sneakers in 1917. Henry Nelson McKinney, a copywriter who worked for the N. W. Ayer Son Advertising Agency, coined the word sneaker to connote the quiet, stealthy nature of rubber-soled shoes. Other shoes, with the exception of moccasins, were noisy while sneakers were practically silent. (The Keds brand was acquired by the Stride Rite Corporation in 1979, which was in turn purchased by Wolverine World Wide in 2012). 1917 was a banner year for basketball shoes. Converse All Stars, the first shoe specifically designed for the game, were introduced. Soon after, Chuck Taylor, an iconic player of the day, became the brand ambassador. The design has remained pretty much the same over the years, and remain firmly ensconced in the cultural landscape today.   Early 20th Century Styles As at the close of the 19th century, low-heeled shoes began to fall increasingly out of favor and as the new century dawned, higher heels made a huge resurgence. However, not everyone was willing to suffer for fashion. In 1906, Chicago-based podiatrist William Mathias  Scholl  launched his eponymous brand of corrective footwear, Dr. Scholl’s. By the 1910s, morality and fashion were increasingly at odds. Nice girls were expected to play by a stringent set of rules, including those instituted with regard to the heel height of women’s shoes. Anything over three inches was considered â€Å"indecent.† Spectator shoes, the two-toned Oxfords commonly worn by British patrons of sporting events gained huge popularity among the well to do in England at the close of WWI. In America, however, spectators became part of the counterculture instead. By the ’40s, spectators often accompanied Zoot suits, the over-the-top outfits sported by African American and Hispanic men in defiance of the fashion status quo. One of the most innovative shoe designers of the 20th century, Salvatore Ferragamo, rose to fame in the 1930s. In addition to experimenting with unusual materials including kangaroo, crocodile, and fish skin, Ferragamo drew on historic inspiration for his shoes. His cork wedge sandals—often imitated and reimagined—are considered one of the most important shoe designs of the 20th century. Meanwhile, in Norway, a designer named Nils Gregoriusson Tveranger was looking to create a shoe that was truly comfortable and fashionable. His unisex innovation, a slip-on shoe called the Aurland moccasin was inspired by Native American moccasins and slip-ons favored by Norwegian fishermen. The shoes took off, both in Europe and in America. Not long after, the Spaulding family based in New Hampshire launched a similar shoe called The Loafer, which would eventually become the generic term for this slip-on style. In 1934, G. H. Bass debuted his Weejuns (a play on the word â€Å"Norwegian† as a nod to the homeland of the original designer). Weejuns had a distinctive strip of leather across the saddle featuring a cutout design. Kids who wore them started putting pennies or dimes into the slot, and the shoes became known as—you guessed it—Penny Loafers. The boat (or deck) shoe was invented by American boater Paul Sperry in 1935. After watching how his dog was able to maintain stability on ice, Sperry was inspired to cut grooves into the soles of his shoes and a brand was born. Post World War II the Latter Half of the 20th Century WWII was the crucible for a number of shoe trends. Doc Martens, combining comfortable air-cushioned soles with durable uppers were invented by Dr. Klaus Maertens in 1947. In 1949, Brothel creepers, the brainchild of British shoemaker George Cox, transformed the sole of an army boot into a thick exaggerated wedge made their debut. Loafers had long been considered a shoe of the hoi polloi in America but when the style was reinvented in 1953 by the House of Gucci, it became the shoe of choice for formal occasions for affluent fashion enthusiasts of both genders and remained so through the 1980s. Stiletto heels (whose name was a nod to a Sicilian fighting blade) became increasingly popular in the 1950s as the curvy female hourglass figure came back into vogue. Designer Roger Vivier of the House Dior is credited as having the most influence on shoes of this style from the period. While they’ve existed for more than 6,000 years in some form or other, the Y-shaped rubber sandals known as flip-flops became pretty much ubiquitous in the 1960s. The Birkenstock family have been making shoes since 1774, however, it wasn’t until 1964 when Karl Birkenstock transformed the arch support inserts for his shoes into soles for sandals that the company became a household name. During the 1970s disco craze, platform shoes became hot, hot, hot. Taking a leaf from Salvatore Ferragamo’s designs from four decades earlier, men and women hit the dance floor in outrageously high shoes.  One of the most popular brands of the era was Candie’s, a clothing brand that launched in 1978. Ugg boots debut in 1978. Uggs were originally made of sheepskin and worn by Australian surfers to warm up their feet after being in the water. In 1978, after Brian Smith imported Uggs to California under the label UGG Australia, the brand took off and has remained a fashion staple ever since but knockoffs in a variety of synthetic and cheaper materials have flooded the market. With the 1980s came a fitness craze that changed the shape of footwear. Designers such as Reebok increasingly took branding and specialization to heart in hopes of raising both profile and profits. The most successful athletic brand to cash in on this trend is Nike’s Air Jordan, which encompasses basketball shoes and athletic and casual style clothing. The brand was created for five-time NBA MVP Michael Jordan.  Designed for Nike by Peter Moore,  Tinker Hatfield, and Bruce Kilgore, the original Air Jordan sneakers were produced in 1984 and were solely for Jordan’s use, but were released to the public later that year. The brand continues to thrive in the 2000s. Vintage Air Jordans, especially those with some special personal connection to Michael Jordan, have sold for exorbitant prices (the highest recorded as of 2018 was in excess of $100,000). Sources â€Å"Timeline: A History of Shoes†. Victoria Albert Museumâ€Å"History of the Penny Loafer†. Tricker’s EnglandAcedera, Shane. â€Å"The Most Expensive Air Jordans†. SportOne. May 18, 2018Cartwright, Mark. â€Å"Foot Binding†. Ancient History Encyclopedia. September 27, 2017