Personal selling can be termed as the oral presentation given by the salesperson to one or more than one consumers face to face to sell the product or service. Personal selling is a highly peculiar form of promotion. It is mostly two-way communication, which not only involves a particular individual but also social behaviour.
The intention is to deliver the right product to the right customers. Depending upon the complexity of the product, personal selling plays an important role. Industries manufacturing technical products like laptops, computers, digital phones, gadgets, etc., likely depend on personal selling as compared to the other manufacturers.
The reason behind this is to explain the features of the product, tackle the customer queries and provide the best customer service. The competition in the market has increased today and therefore the importance of the salesperson in the organization.
Salespersons are also called salesmen or sales girls or sales representatives and their payment is made as a commission to push the product in the market by motivating the customer through oral conversation.
Consumer wants all kinds of goods and services in the market but a lack of interest keeps them away from making decisions or purchasing products. This is where the salesman needs to act as a catalyst and explain the product or service to the customer. He/she should motivate the customer by giving a presentation and he may sometimes act as a consultant. This helps the consumer to make a decision.
In the case of technical products, the salesperson plays a more vital role as compared to the promotions. It becomes difficult for customers to make decisions while purchasing high-value products with a complex nature. The salesperson helps the customers by making personal contact with them and making them understand the quality and utility of the product.
Objectives of Personal Selling
Personal selling contributes to achieving the long-term objectives of the organization.
The following are some of the objectives of personal selling
To do the complete selling job when there are no other components in the promotional mix
To provide service to the existing customers and try to maintain contact with the present customers
Identify and find new prospective customers
Promote the products to increase sales
Provide information to the customers regarding the change in the product line
Provide assistance to the customers to help in decision-making
Provide technical advice to customers for complex products
Gather the data about the market and provide it to the company’s management
The reason behind setting personal selling objectives is to make decisions on sales policies and personal selling strategies, which helps in promoting the product. The objectives are set for the long-term, as it becomes an important element for qualitative personal selling objectives.
The objectives can also be quantitative if they are short-term and they could be adjusted from one promotional period to another. The quantitative personal selling objective is related to the sales volume objective. Hence, the sales volume objective should also be explained.
The following are a few sales objectives
Capture and maintain a specific market share
Increase sales volumes that help the organization gain maximum profit
Reduce or keep the expenses provided for personal selling within limits
Obtain the percentage of customers as per the set targets
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