Marketing: Personal Selling

• Face-to-face selling in which a seller attempts to persuade a buyer to make a purchase.
• It aims to persuade the customer and push the product by emphasizing it’s uses and advantages
• It involves two way communication unlike the case with other forms of promotion such as advertising
• Personal selling staff engage in a number of activities including:
• Obtaining orders on behalf of customers
• Offering advice and guidance concerning the product to customers
• Demonstrating use of the product
• Showing off samples
• Merchandising
• Merchandising activities may include display techniques, free samples, on-the-spot demonstration, pricing, shelf talkers, special offers, and other point-of-sale methods
• Handling customer complaints
• Delivering to customers
• Collecting payment
• Establishing creditworthiness of customers
• Maintaining stock levels
• Training sales staff of the client business e.g. beauty product makers training the retailer’s employees
• Disseminating information about the product e.g. new and improved version on the way
• Giving talks and presentations
• Staffing exhibitions

To access more topics go to the O Level Business Notes