Personal selling has become very important in today’s competitive world of the internet and social media. Applying personal selling techniques seems necessary in the sale and promotion of the consumer products like publications, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and home appliances. It helps them to amplify the sale and the company’s revenue.
Many customers also expect and prefer a personal selling approach from customers. Some of the companies have a strong market position is due to the personal selling approach. Here sales staff personally approach every customer and persuade them to buy company’s product.
The important thing to keep in mind is that personal selling not only helps you to increase the sale of the product, but it also allows you to make them permanent customers. The sales staff should make new customers every time so that the company’s network grows over time. Studies have shown that the customers tend to believe the salesperson rather than the marketing ads.
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Advantages of Personal Selling
Here is the importance and advantages of personal selling are as follows;
Better Image
If customers have misinterpreted the company’s messages and it resulted in the form of jeopardizing the company’s image. The sales staff could clarify the company’s message and represent a better image of the company. If the sales staff are offering a well-detailed message, then it would improve the company’s sales and revenue.
Reward
If you’re hiring salesmen for personalized selling, then it would reward in many ways like in terms of the company’s better image, salesmen, and customers. They would help you to achieve sales targets, and the company would be able to maintain market share and profitability. The satisfaction of customers is higher in personal selling.
Customer Confidence
If the sales personals have good presentation and communication skills, then they win customers’ confidence by clarifying all types of misunderstandings, objections, questions, and doubts. Their presentation offers would increase their faith in the company.
Flexibility
If the company provides sufficient training to the sales personals, then they can adjust and mold their marketing message differently for various customers. When the problem, objective, and nature of the customer change, so does their marketing message.
Individual Service
One of the most important things salesmen could offer is personalized service. For instance, if the customers are looking for some type of assistance, and the salesmen are there to guide and help them out, then it would increase their satisfaction level.
Quick Feedback
The main benefit of personal selling is the immediate feedback after delivering the company’s promotional message. However, experienced sales personals know whether the customer is showing interest or not at the end of every personal face-to-face marketing.
Complementing Professional Tools
When we talk about personal selling, then it comprises many promotional tools like publicity, sales promotion, and supportive advertisement. The marketing and advertisement campaign only spread awareness, whereas the personal selling approach emphasizes the marketing message.
This way, it covers all the flaws of the marketing and promotional campaigns. When you integrate both marketing and promotional campaign with personal selling, then the result is phenomenal.
Detailed Demonstration
It’s possible to include all the product/service detail in the few minutes of marketing/promotional advertisement. Especially the TV ads have many limitations. However, sales personals have the option to offer a detailed message to the customers, and how the product helps customers. The tech products usually require more sales.
Personal Attention
Publicity and advertisement are great examples of mass media tools, and they help you to spread the message across the masses. Some customers are looking for precise information, and the salesmen could only answer such questions with detail if required. However, if the salesmen don’t know the answer, then they look for the information to offer valid information. This technique has a deep impact on customers.
Two Way Communications
TV ads are one-way communication, whereas personal selling is two-way communication. You ask something to the salesman, and he/she would answer it to you with the required information. If customers have doubts and questions about the product, then they can directly talk with the salesperson and ask his/her views. It won’t be possible in any other type of marketing message.
Disadvantages of Personal Selling
Some of the main drawbacks and disadvantages of personal selling as it might not be the best promotional method for some of the organizations
High Turnover
When we talk about the job of sales personals, then the turnover rate is very high in personal selling. When salesmen quit their job, then they leave the company in the middle of nowhere. However, the company ends up having no representative to answer the questions of customers. It takes a lot of time for the company to hire and train new people.
Training Cost
When it comes to the training of the sales staff, then it is very costly. Some of the training expenses are; calls and mobile phone charges, health care, salaries of trainees, trainers of salesmen, training equipment, meals, stay in the hotels, and travel expenses. Along with these costs, it also comprises many fixed and variable costs.
High Cost-per-Action
Cost-per-action means the promotional cost that the company spends to evaluate the performance of its employees. It comprises of followings costs; telecommunication, office supplies, travel expenses, spending on entertainment, product guide literature, supportive material, bonuses, commission, salaries, and other compensations.
Negative Image of Salesmen
One of the biggest flaws of personal selling is a negative perception of the sales personals. Some of the salesmen follow the aggressive tone, and the others have the low, and it annoys customers. However, their negative attitude would cost the company in the form of low sales and a negative reputation of the company.
