Personal selling is an important element of promotion mix and an effective promotional tool. Personal Selling offers the following compensation. Despite the above advantages, personal selling suffers from several disadvantages. Firstly personal selling is the costliest method of promotion. Secondly, it can cover only limited number customers at a time.
Importance of personal selling:
(i) It is a flexible tool: Personal selling involves individual and personal communication as compared to the mass and impersonal communication of advertising and sales promotion.
(ii) It results in actual sale : Advertising and sales promotion techniques can only attract attention and arouse desire. By themselves they cannot create actual sale. Personal selling in most cases leads to actual sale.
(iii) It educates customers : Salesmanship is not simply a tool of convincing people to buy certain products. It assists customers in satisfying their wants. A salesman provides: information, education and guidance to customers.
(iv) Sales promotion: Sales promotion is one of the four aspects of promotional mix. (The other three parts of the promotional mix are advertising, personal selling, and publicity/public relations.) Media and non-media marketing communication are employed for a per-determined, limited time to increase consumer demand, stimulate market demand or improve product availability. Examples include:
* contests
* point of purchase displays
* rebates
* free travel, such as free flights
Sales promotions can be directed at either the customer, sales staff, or distribution channel members (such as retailers). Sales promotions targeted at the consumer are called consumer sales promotions. Sales promotions targeted at retailers and wholesale are called trade sales promotions. Some sale promotions, particularly ones with unusual methods, are considered gimmick by many.
