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Marketing Communications
Personified Promotion
LIMITATIONS OF PERSONAL SELLING
• High cost of developing and operating a sales force.
• Difficulty in getting the caliber of people needed to do the job.
IMPORTANCE OF PERSONAL SELLING
Selling is the specialized business of assisting and persuading prospective customers to obtain goods
and services to the mutual satisfaction of both the buyers and the seller.
Personal selling is important because of private enterprises system which operates in various economies.
The private enterprises system is usually influenced by these elements.
- PRIVATE PROPERTY
The desire by entrepreneurs to make profits on services or products that they provide customers. - COMPETITION
The desire among entrepreneurs or businesses for buyers. It is competition-coupled with the
element of consumer freedom of choice – that makes selling essential functions of marketing.
Salesman must be able to differentiate between his own product and the competitors. This
provides an edge for him in selling his product. - SUPPLY AND DEMAND
The interaction of the forces of demand and supply in determining selling prices.
• DISTRIBUTION OF INCOME
This is a reflection of how the society uses its factors of production (i.e. natural resources,
labour, etc.) which affects wages earned for occupational skills or work output. Total income
package determines each individual’s disposable income and this has direct influence on
buying or consumption habits.
Selling is very important part of marketing; because of the nature of private enterprises system which
is becoming more dynamic as changes occur in the economic characteristics (i.e. change in products/
services, technology etc.). Salesperson must be able to identify changes, anticipate changes and devices
effective ways of meeting these changes. These changes can be met by scientific marketing techniques
and by creative salesmanship. (Stanley, 1977; Futrell, 1996)
FUNDAMENTALS OF SALES MANAGEMENT
Sales Management is concerned with the planning, administration and supervision of work assigned to
a Sales department.