The document discusses personal selling communication. It defines personal selling as communicating with potential buyers face-to-face to sell a product or service. Personal selling is effective for high-value products that require demonstrations, like encyclopedias or technical equipment. The document also discusses using seller's agents, who work on commission, to reduce costs for small businesses. It notes personal selling requires training and ethics to build trust and avoid hard sell tactics.

1. Mr. Atif Shabbir
Course: Business Communication &
Professional speech. .
Class : BBA-IV Semester
Credit Hours ( 3)

2. Personal selling communication
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3. Learn about the communication used
in personal selling.
Key Learning Objective
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4. Personal selling is the process of communicating with a
potential buyer (or buyers) face-to-face with the purpose
of selling a product or service. The main thing that sets
personal selling apart from other methods of selling is that
the salesperson conducts business with the customer in
person. Though personal selling is more likely to be
effective with certain types of products or services, it has
important applications for nearly all kinds of small
businesses. In fact, most of history's successful
entrepreneurs have been skilled salespeople, able to
represent and promote their companies and products in
the marketplace.
Personal selling communication
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5. Personal selling is one part of a company's promotion mix, along with
advertising, sales promotion, and public relations. Advertising is any
form of paid sales presentation that is not done face-to-face.
Television and radio commercials, newspaper and magazine
advertisements, and direct mail inserts are well-known forms of
advertising. Sales promotion is the use of incentives—such as
coupons, discounts, rebates, contests, or special displays—to entice a
customer to buy a product or service. Public relations is the act of
building up a company's image in the eyes of the community in the
hopes of translating the feelings of goodwill into sales. An example of
public relations might include a company sponsoring a charity event.
Personal selling communication
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6. A small business may choose to use any or all of
the promotion mix elements in selling its
products. Deciding how to allocate resources for
each component involves a number of factors.
Some of the things entrepreneurs should consider
when deciding on the ideal promotion mix include
the type of product or service, the value of the
product or service, and the budget allotted for
marketing.
Personal selling communication
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7. In general, if a product has a high unit value and requires a
demonstration of its benefits, it is well suited for personal sales. For
example, an encyclopedia is a high-priced item and most people do not
feel they need one. After a demonstration, however, most people agree it
would be a useful item to have. Therefore, encyclopedias are well suited
to a promotion mix that emphasizes personal selling. Highly technical
products, such as computers and copiers, are also primarily sold
through personal sales methods. Products that involve a trade-in, like
automobiles, are usually handled through personal selling to help
facilitate the trade-in process. Finally, a company that cannot afford a
mass-advertising campaign might consider personal selling as an
alternative to advertising. Since sales force compensation is largely
based on actual sales, personal selling may require less money up front
than other parts of the promotion mix.
WHEN TO USE PERSONAL SELLING
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8. SELLERS' AGENTS
One method that many small manufacturers and wholesalers use to
reduce the costs of personal selling—which can be the most critical
aspect of the promotion mix for these types of businesses—is to hire
an experienced selling agent. Selling agents are independent
salespeople who work under contract with one or more companies
and are usually paid a straight commission on sales. Hiring a selling
agent allows a small business to save the time and money it would
have to invest in recruiting and training an in-house sales force. In
addition, an agent with experience in selling similar products may
provide readymade customers and quick entry into a sales territory.
Selling agents are particularly helpful for businesses whose products
experience seasonal or fluctuating sales, since they are only paid for
the sales they make.
WHEN TO USE PERSONAL SELLING
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9. The main disadvantages of selling agents are that
they usually work for several different firms, so
they are unable to devote 100 percent of their
attention to any one client, and that it may be
difficult to retain the customers gained in this way
once the relationship with the agent is severed. It
is also difficult to control the selling methods used
by agents, and they may not be able to provide the
service that some customers require.
WHEN TO USE PERSONAL SELLING
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10. A sales engineer might be found in technical industries
such as computers and copiers. Sales engineers provide
technical support, explain the product, and help adapt the
product to the customer's needs. Finally, a creative
salesperson may attempt to sell goods (such as vacuum
cleaners or encyclopedias), but more often represents
ideas, such as services (insurance) or causes (charities).
These salespeople usually deal with customers who are
unaware of their need for the service or product, so they
must possess the most developed selling skills of all the
types of salespeople.
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11. Personal selling involves specific steps, requires training and
experience, and employs some highly talented people. Unfortunately,
personal selling is also commonly perceived as being a less than
reputable field of work. Unethical salespeople, aggressive or hard sell
tactics, and misleading sales pitches have made many buyers wary of
personal sellers. Fortunately, much has been done to address this
issue. Selling associations such as the Direct Selling Association have
adopted codes of ethics that dictate standards of behavior that all
members are to follow. Most organizations with personal sales forces
also adopt their own codes of ethics that provide guidelines regarding
the type of sales pitch that can be made, and the hours during which a
sales call may be made. Many companies also prohibit the use of
misleading information or pressure tactics to make a sale.
ISLAM
Lecture Summary
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12. Personal selling.
Seller agent.
Customer relations.
Key Terms
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