
Seven personal selling strategies
- 1. Present the product's benefits A product's benefits are often its most persuasive selling point. ...
- 2. Demonstrate the product In some cases, demonstrating the product is a persuasive technique. ...
- 3. Encourage a conversation ...
- 4. Act as a consultant ...
- 5. Emphasize customer satisfaction ...
- 6. Tell a story ...
- 7. Respond to consumer behavior ...
What is personal selling and how does it work?
Rather than listing all the benefits of a product, personal selling can focus on exactly why the customer might purchase the product. This might mean addressing particular features and time- or cost-saving benefits.
When is personal selling effective?
Market situation: Personal selling is effective when a firm serves a small number of large-size buyers or a small/local market. Also, it can be used effectively when an indirect channel of distribution is used for selling to agents or middlemen.
What are the different personal selling strategies?
Personal selling strategies can vary depending on the product you sell as well as the type of customer with which you interact. Rather than relying on a single method, consider combining strategies for a comprehensive plan. Here is a list of seven personal selling strategies: 1. Present the product's benefits
What are the strengths of personal selling?
A final strength of personal selling is the multiple tasks that the sales force can perform. For example, in addition to selling, a salesperson can collect payments, service or repair products, return products, and collect product and marketing information.

Is personal selling most effective?
Personal selling is more effective than advertising when the customer base is small and widespread. Small because the sales force cannot reach every individual and widespread so that multiple salesmen can cover different areas and sell their products or services to people of that area.
How does personal selling help sell products?
Description: Personal selling is a face-to-face selling technique by which a salesperson uses his or her interpersonal skills to persuade a customer in buying a particular product. The salesperson tries to highlight various features of the product to convince the customer that it will only add value.
How personal selling is helpful to the society?
(i) Converts Latest Demand: Personal selling converts most recent demand into effectual demand. It is through this cycle that the economic activity in the society is fostered, leading to more jobs, more incomes and more products and services. That is how economic growth is influenced by personal selling.
Is personal selling more effective than advertising?
Advertising and publicity are among mass communication tools. They do not cater individual needs. Personal selling focuses on personal problems of customers. It is comparatively more effective and result-oriented.
What is personal selling advantages and disadvantages?
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.
What is the most important purpose of personal selling?
The purpose of personal selling is to bring the right products into contact with the right customers, and to make certain that ownership transfers take place. Personal selling creates product awareness, stimulates interest, develops brand preferences, negotiates price etc.
How selling can benefits our economy and our society?
Selling adds to national income. It increases larger production, higher per capita income, and more job opportunities. All these factors add to national income.
What are the benefits of marketing to consumers sellers and society?
Marketing drives a consumer economy by fueling marketing decisions. It creates a sustainable cycle by enabling companies to provide necessary services and products while creating jobs to allow more people to purchase additional goods and services.
How does marketing functions of selling has impact on society?
Marketing drives a consumer economy, promoting goods and services and targeting consumers most likely to become buyers. Higher sales for a business that employs successful marketing strategies translate into expansion, job creation, higher tax revenue for governments and, eventually, overall economic growth.
What do you mean by personal selling explain its importance?
Personal selling is a sales method where the seller convinces the customer to purchase a particular product/service face to face. The salesperson aims to emphasize various product features to prove their value and encourage the customer to buy it.
1. Who is the ‘Sales Force’ Team?
For rigorous selling techniques, the company forms a distinct selling team who are equipped with efficient knowledge about the selling strategies t...
2. What are Mass Communication Tools?
Advertising and Publicity is the most popular form of mass communication tools, which engages the mass of people in buying the product they intend...
3. What is a Demonstration?
A demonstration is the reason or proof, or the explanation or making clear by the use of examples or experiments with the product by the salesperso...
4. Why is Personal Selling Important?
Personal selling is an important marketing tool that helps small businesses, particularly those that sell complex or high-value products and servic...
5. What is the process involved in personal selling?
The process involved in personal selling includes the process of prospecting and evaluating while also preparing approach and presentation skills.1...
6. How to overcome objections and close the sale when the personal selling process is used?
There is a high possibility of getting objections right from the start itself. However, it is the quality of the seller that determines whether he...
7. What are the objectives involved in personal selling?
There are a variety of objectives that are involved in personal selling and can be provided as follows:1. Attracting Potential Customers:The main o...
8. What are the challenges faced during the process of personal selling?
The following challenges are faced during the process of personal selling:1. Dyadic Selling:Dyadic selling means personal selling that involves two...
9. Why is it important to learn about Personal Selling?
Personal Selling - is an important concept that is needed not only for your board exams but also in your daily life. You might have seen sellers co...
What are the advantages of personal selling?
Advantages of Personal Selling 1 This is a two-way communication where the selling agent gets instant feedback from the prospective buyer about their intention to buy. 2 This is an interactive form of selling, which helps in building trust with the customer. While selling high-value products like cars, it is important that the customer trusts the product and thus personal selling is needed. 3 Personal Selling is a persuasive form of selling as in this type of sale the customers come face to face with the salesperson where it is not easy to dismiss them, there is an effort of the customer to listen to them. 4 Direct selling helps in reaching the audience concentratedly.
What is a salesperson's job?
It is a promotional activity by which the salesperson uses his or her skills and abilities to persuade people to buy the product thereby in an attempt to make a sale. Here, the salesperson tries to highlight the features of the product to convince the customer that the product will hold benefits in the long term.
What is personal selling?
Personal selling is where businesses use the sales force to sell the product after meeting the customer face-to-face. The sellers advertise these products through their skills such as attitude, appearance, and specialist product knowledge. The salesperson informs and encourages the customer to buy or at least try the product.
What is demonstration in sales?
A demonstration is the reason or proof, or the explanation or making clear by the use of examples or experiments with the product by the salesperson . Demonstration means 'to clearly show' the benefits of the product by showing the public how to use it, this is done in personal selling. Q4.
Why is personal selling important?
The following points explain the importance of personal selling: 1. Two-Way Communication: This is the best tool for personal selling. Salesmen can provide necessary information to customers about the company's offer , and also can collect feedback from customers .
What is the sales force?
Thus, the team which focuses only on the selling department of the company and attempts to finish the selling stock is called the ‘ Sales Force’ team.
Is advertising a mass communication tool?
Advertising and publicity are among mass communication tools, and thus personal selling is concentrated and is focused on one individual, this will result in ineffective results.
Why Is Personal Selling Important?
Personal selling is incredibly important because of its unique, old-fashioned, and proven approach to selling.
How to get your salespeople to thrive?
2. Foster a good selling culture among your salespeople. If you want your salespeople to thrive, you’ll need to foster a culture that helps them thrive and keeps them motivated with things like: Tools: Make sure your salespeople have all the tools they need to succeed.
Why does personal selling increase costs?
Personal selling increases costs because you need multiple salespeople occupied for a longer time with individual customers. The salespeople must also be properly trained and have the proper tools and budget to succeed at personal selling.
What are the skills needed to sell?
The best skills to succeed at personal selling are listening skills, to help your salespeople know your prospects’ pain points; interpersonal skills, to help them establish a relationship with the customer; and problem-solving skills, to help them navigate among the obstacles your prospects may have .
What is direct marketing?
Direct marketing involves direct emails and other messages with your prospects, whereas personal selling communication happens exclusively face to face.
What are the pros and cons of personal selling?
Pros of personal selling: Personal selling has many advantages, like: Better communication: Since personal selling is all about selling face to face, you can easily talk to the prospect, convey more information, and hear what they want and what they don’t want.
Why is it important to hold your salespeople accountable?
Your managers and team leaders are in charge of the success of your salespeople. That’s why it’s very important to hold them accountable for their performance.
What is personal selling?
Personal selling is when a salesperson meets a potential buyer or buyers face-to-face with the aim of selling a product or service. The most traditional form of sales, many salespeople are lured to the industry by the adrenaline rush of high-stakes personal selling; picture those whisky-swilling Mad Men, or the ultra-driven salesmen of Glengarry Glen Ross.
What percentage of buyers state that providing primary research data that’s relevant to their business is the best way for reps?
Sixty-nine percent of buyers state that providing primary research data that’s relevant to their business is the best way for reps to add value. Furthermore, 95% of customers choose to buy from providers that offer relevant content at every stage of the buying process.
Why do sales reps add value in meetings?
These days, it’s drummed into sales reps that they must add value in meetings, demonstrating that they’ll continue to provide useful assistance should the client sign on the dotted line. Doing this successfully demonstrates that you know what you’re talking about, and also that you care about working with the company long-term to help them achieve their goals, thereby building trust.
Why is active listening important in sales?
Active listening is of course vital for sales reps – not just in the meeting, but ahead of it. Note down every piece of information you receive via call or email and use this to your advantage in the meeting to prove you understand the business’s real needs. And practice active listening outside of meetings – when your mind is racing, it’s not as easy as it sounds.
How to be a positive sales rep?
Buyers don’t want to work with pushy salespeople. For buyers, a positive sales experience involves a sales representative who: 1 listens to their needs 2 is invested in the success of their business 3 provides relevant information
How many prospects remember stories?
An important stat to remember when crafting your pitch: following a presentation, 63% of prospects remember stories, but just 5% remember statistics. Storytelling hooks in prospects significantly more than a bunch of dry numbers.
Why is attending a sales meeting important?
Attending a sales meeting is a prime way to combat this issue by showing you care enough to invest time and money in your prospect on good faith. Fifty-eight percent of buyers state that sales meetings are not valuable, and that there should be a greater focus on the value businesses can deliver to them.
What are Personal Selling Strategies?
Personal selling strategy comprises face-to-face meetings with customers and convincing them into buying the product. When the salesman meets the customer directly face to face, then one discusses and affirms the current market demand, characteristics, price details, and benefits of the product.
What are the Important Benefits of Personal Selling Strategies?
The focus of Your Buyers Needs. Instead of outlining all the benefits of the product, the personalized salesman would offer the specific benefits that customers are looking for and making to buy the product. Those features could be cost, time-saving, or something else.
5 Effective Personal Selling Strategies
Personal selling strategies are different for different types of products/services and the type of customer that the salesman communicates with. Instead of relying on a single strategy, they should employ various strategies in combination to develop a comprehensive plan. Some of the main personal selling strategies are as follows;
Tips for Developing Personal Selling Strategy
Some of the main tips of using the personal selling strategy are as follows;
What is the difference between Ho3 and H3?
Ho3: Personal selling activities of ANAMMCO does not head to increased customers patronage of their goods. H3: Personal selling activities of ANAMMCO leads to increased customers patronage of their goods. Ho4: Personal selling activities of ANAMMCO impacts negatively on the profit of the organization.
What is personal selling?
Personal selling today is a vital, vibrant dynamic process. It is an interpersonal persuasion process designed to influence certain persons decisions it is an important ingredient available to the executive responsible for determining the promotional mix.
Why are promotional tools important?
According to him,, the use of promotional tools are indispensable in the marketing of capital (industrial) foods. This is apparent as users of such products are seeking both current information as well as the provision of after sales services and those terms related to the purchase and application of industrial (capital) goods.
What is a professional salesperson?
Professional sales people are problem solvers, focusing on satisfying the needs of customers before, during and after the sale. They are armed with knowledge about their firm’s goods or services, those of competitors and their customers businesses. Personal selling today is a vital, vibrant dynamic process.
Why is the company's experience positive?
Primarily as a result of increase in the demand for its products and thus positive experience is due mainly to the dissemination of words of mouths to others who have not detected the wonders in the company’s products especially in the areas of efficiency, durability, prestige, comfort and a host of others.
When did Mercedes start making?
It is a franchising one, which was commissioned on July 8, 1980 and started its official production in January 1981 having been mandated by the original owner of the Mercedes Benz trademark.
Is personal selling a Herculean task?
It is pertinent to recognize at this moment that personal selling is nothing but a Herculean task. This is so as the sale-person has little or no time for rest primarily because he/she indulges at home works and at certain times involves himself in some sale calls that, may never result into sales.
How does telemarketing reduce costs?
Telemarketing and online communication can further reduce costs by serving as an actual selling vehicle. Both technologies can deliver sales messages, respond to questions , take payment, and follow up. A second disadvantage of personal selling is the problem of finding and retaining high-quality people. Experienced salespeople sometimes realize ...
What is personal selling?
Personal selling uses in-person interaction to sell products and services. This type of communication is carried out by sales representatives, who are the personal connection between a buyer and a company or a company’s products or services. Salespeople not only inform potential customers about a company’s product or services, ...
How many people took advantage of Audi screensaver?
After displaying the screensaver option on its Web site, Audi sent an email to owners and prospects offering them the opportunity to download it. More than 10,000 people took advantage of the offer. Audi then began to maintain a continuous dialog with the adopters by sending them newsletters and updates.
Why are salespeople the best resources?
In fact, salespeople are often the best resources when it comes to disseminating positive word-of-mouth product information. High cost is the primary disadvantage of personal selling. With increased competition, higher travel and lodging costs, and higher salaries, the cost per sales contract continues to rise.
What does it mean to be honest with a seller?
The seller should give honest responses to any questions or objections the buyer has and show that he cares more about meeting the buyer’s needs than making the sale. Attending to these aspects of personal selling contributes to a strong, trusting relationship between buyer and seller. [1]
What are the weaknesses of personal selling?
Another weakness of personal selling is message inconsistency. Many salespeople view themselves as independent from the organization, so they design their own sales techniques, use their own message strategies, and engage in questionable ploys to generate sales.
How can companies reduce sales costs?
Companies can also reduce sales costs by using complementary techniques, such as telemarketing, direct mail, toll-free numbers for interested customers, and online communication with qualified prospects. Telemarketing and online communication can further reduce costs by serving as an actual selling vehicle.
What is Personal selling?
Personal selling is a face-to-face technique where a sales representative approaches a potential customer or the lead personally to sell a product or service. This technique is more common in the B2B arena, but it doesn’t mean B2C companies don’t incorporate personal selling in their overall selling strategies.
Why is it important to follow up after a sale?
After-Sales Service/Follow-Up. It is equally important to stay in touch with the customer after making the sale. A salesperson should inquire about the product and its functionality or if the prospect needs any assistance. A regular follow-up helps in building confidence and a long-term relationship with the customer.
Why is personal selling important in B2B?
Personal selling becomes more important in the B2B industry because you need to convince another business. Statistically, companies lose 69 percent of their B2B customers just because of indifference or failure to show enough empathy and value.
Why is two way communication important in marketing?
Unlike mass marketing it allows the companies to create two-way communication that helps the salespersons to adjust according to the customer’s response and get regular feedback.
What is a face to face meeting?
It is a form of selling where both buyer and the seller meet each other face-to-face.
What do the buyer and seller talk about in a face to face meeting?
Both buyer and seller converse orally in this face-to-face meeting. Both parties talk about the features and benefits of the product or service.
Why is selling in person important?
The main purpose is to sell the product or service and not just inform the potential client.
How does telemarketing reduce costs?
Telemarketing and online communication can further reduce costs by serving as an actual selling vehicle. Both technologies can deliver sales messages, respond to questions , take payment, and follow up. A second disadvantage of personal selling is the problem of finding and retaining high-quality people. Experienced salespeople sometimes realize ...
How did Audi help its sales force?
As a result of several coordinated communication methods (TV advertising, email, downloadable screensaver, newsletters, and product information) and presumably a well-designed customer relationship management (CRM) system, Audi helped its sales force be more effective (by freeing it up to focus on sales and by connecting it with more prospective customers), which, turn, meant higher profits.
What is personal selling?
Personal selling uses in-person interaction to sell products and services. This type of communication is carried out by sales representatives, who are the personal connection between a buyer and a company or a company’s products or services. Salespeople not only inform potential customers about a company’s product or services, ...
Why are salespeople the best resources?
In fact, salespeople are often the best resources when it comes to disseminating positive word-of-mouth product information. High cost is the primary disadvantage of personal selling. With increased competition, higher travel and lodging costs, and higher salaries, the cost per sales contract continues to rise.
What does it mean to be honest with a seller?
The seller should give honest responses to any questions or objections the buyer has and show that he cares more about meeting the buyer’s needs than making the sale. Attending to these aspects of personal selling contributes to a strong, trusting relationship between buyer and seller.
What are the weaknesses of personal selling?
Another weakness of personal selling is message inconsistency. Many salespeople view themselves as independent from the organization, so they design their own sales techniques, use their own message strategies, and engage in questionable ploys to generate sales.
How can companies reduce sales costs?
Companies can also reduce sales costs by using complementary techniques, such as telemarketing, direct mail, toll-free numbers for interested customers, and online communication with qualified prospects. Telemarketing and online communication can further reduce costs by serving as an actual selling vehicle.
