Read this article to learn about the Definition, Features, and Importance of personal selling.

Meaning of Personal Selling-

What is Personal Selling?

Personal Selling is also known as the door to door selling which is face to face communication between the buyer and the seller. In simple words, It is an art of persuasion in which the salesperson tries to win the confidence of the customer and also tries to know the importance of marketing strategies.

However, personal selling has become consultative selling where the seller has become. It is face to face communication between buyers and sellers.

This selling also helps to interact with the seller and the customer and at the same time tries to know the queries and the benefits of the product through the customers.

Definition of Personal Selling-

Some basic definitions are given below:

1. A famous writer Philip Kotler says, “Personal selling is a type of personal or local presentation by the firm’s sales force for the motive of making sales and building customer relationship.”

2. A famous writer W.J.Stanton says, “Personal selling involves individual personal communication in contrast to mass relatively impersonal communication of sales promotion, advertising, and other promotional tools.”

3. A famous writer Cundiff and Still, “Personal selling is kind as a method of communication. It includes not only individual but social behavior each of the individual in face contrast salesperson a prospect influence the others.”

Features of Personal Selling-

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The features of personal selling define the particular characteristics which are related to personal selling. It includes various points such as:-

1.Face to Face Interaction-

This is the first features of personal selling and it means that there is face to face interaction between buyers and sellers. The seller tries to understand the needs of the buyers and provide the product matching the customer needs.

Through this feature, the salesman helps to tries to persuade the customers for a particular product and make a healthy relationship between them.

2. Two Way Dialogue:-

This is the second features of personal selling and it means that there is a two-way dialogue between the customers and the sellers in personal selling. The customer will respond in case he has certain objections while the seller will respond with an appropriate solution to customer problems.

A salesman always thinks that whenever I talk to a customer, I can completely satisfy the customer for my product so that my customer gives me a positive response to my product. So this is the reason that two-way dialogue is a very effective feature for any selling procedure.

3. Immediate Feedback-

This is the third most important merit or features of personal selling as compared to other forms of promotion is that various immediate feedback of consumers that will help the salesman to act accordingly.

In this feature, the seller is always trying to receive the feedback of the consumers because a consumer is the only person who can tell us well about our product whether it is his goodness or the badness.

4. Art of Persuasion-

This is the fourth features of personal selling and it means that in personal selling, salesperson persuades the customers to buy the product he convinced the customer and win his confidence so that sales are achieved.

In any company or real life, a good salesman is considered to be a person who should influence or satisfy a customer to his product so that the customer is induced to buy and use the particular product.

5. Flexible-

This is the fifth features of personal selling and it means that the nature of the product will be varied, personal selling will be also depending upon the consumer preferences. For Example– Personal selling styles will be different for industrial products.

If personal selling technique is not flexible, then it will fail to persuade the customer towards our product or service.

6. Satisfaction:

This is the sixth and unique feature or characteristic of personal selling that due to the effective communication between the seller and the targeted buyer a seance of satisfaction takes place in them that the products are either sold or the information is acquired from the targeted buyer about the modification and changes of the products and services.

Importance of Personal Selling-

The importance of personal selling in marketing includes various points for determining the selling procedure:-

1.Goal-Oriented Activity-

This is the first importance of personal selling and it means that the ultimate objective of personal selling activity is that all the sales activities right from prospecting, pre-approach, approach, presentation and demonstration, handling objections, closing, follow-up are attained in a synchronous manner and ultimate objective of revenue generation is possible.

It is very important for any object to be goal and objective because it explains the nature or purpose of that thing. Similarly, personal selling also has an objective that in some way I have to execute sales and earn the profit.

2. Consultative Selling-

This is the second importance of personal selling and it means that this selling has become consultative selling. Nowadays, salespersons have become consultants who guide customers to purchase decisions. Through this strategy, the salesman improves the communication pattern, relationship strategies, and also improve the trust of their products.

For Example– Relationship Manager helping the customer to buy an insurance policy.

3. Win-Win Approach-

This is the third importance of personal selling and it means that this selling results in a “win-win” approach or philosophy. A salesman provides the right product to the customer, customer needs are fulfilled he gets desired satisfaction while on the other hand salesman sells his product and his sales targets are attained.

Through this strategy, the company or salesman improves trustworthy relations, cordial relations, and other social relations with the customers because if your customer won then did you mean that you also won…

4. Helps in Relationship Building-

This is the fourth importance of personal selling and it means that this selling not only helps in identifying the prospects but it also helps in building the relationship with the customers through continuous follow-up activities from the company side.

This importance is very essential for the salesperson because, without a relationship-building strategy, no one salesman or company can achieve the customer’s trust and power. Through this, the salesman achieve these things like:-

• Customer Trusts,
• Relations,
• Customers Action,
• Goal or object,
• and then profit.

5. Winning the Confidence of Customer-

This is the fifth importance of personal selling and it means that this selling is an art of winning the confidence of the customer and inducing him/her to buy the product. This concept helps the salesman to develop or change the ‘official customers‘ into the ‘target or permanent customers‘.

This is the last or most important point of personal selling because confidence is known as an assurance about handling something such as work, family, social events, and so on.

Objectives of Personal Selling-

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The objectives of personal selling include various points such as:-

1. To persuade the customers-

The personal selling is an art of persuasion in this salesperson persuade and insist on the customer to buy the product. This objective plays a very perfect role for any personal seller.

2. To Increase sales-

The ultimate objective of personal selling is to increase the sales of a particular company so that maximum revenue can be generated by the company.

3. To build long term relationship-

Personal selling only helps to acquire the customers but also to grow and retain the customers.

4. To meet the specific needs of the people-

Personal selling can help in meeting the specific need of the customer. For Example– Beauty and health-related products which require personal selling to match customize needs.

5. To maintain regular communication with the customers-

Personal selling involves two-way dialogues between the buyers and sellers and a buyer can share his thoughts about a particular purchase with the salesperson keeping in mind the taste and preference of the consumer salesman (an offer the product an ensure communication is maintained with the customer throughout the lifetime of the company.