What is personal sales? This is a very common form of sales often applied at retail stores. Let's learn more about the concept and role of personal sales with Viindoo in the following article.
What is personal sales? Personal sales example
Personal sales is the process by which a seller convinces a buyer to choose his or her product. Personal sales is the process of direct interaction, information exchange and communication between a potential customer and a business. The main purpose of this is to directly influence the purchase decisions of customers.
We can see the personal sales process in every retail store of business. For example, the salesperson at TH True Milk store will research customers' needs and recommend products that match those needs. Besides, if the customer has any questions about the product, the consultant will directly answer. This will reduce customer confusion and drive purchase decision.
What is personal sales?
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The Importance of personal sales
Personal sales is applied in businesses and organizations thanks to its practical benefits:
- Businesses can easily communicate with the customers, hence knowing their needs, desires and the problems they are facing. At the same time, you can collect customer reviews of your products to improve and develop better products.
- Incentives for intermediaries to increase purchases and make greater efforts in displaying products and services are created.
- Connectivity between businesses and customers is strengthened.
- Personal sales will provide detailed information related to products to customers to avoid any hiccups in the process of buying, selling and using products.
The role of personal sales
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What are the pros and cons of personal sales?
Any form of sales will have its pros and cons, as does personal sales.
Advantages
The advantages of personal sales are:
- Two-way interaction: Personal sales is a two-way interaction process between the seller and the buyer. During this process the seller can easily identify individual problems and provide timely resolution.
- Flexibility in message transmission: The exchange of information back and forth during the sales process helps the seller to adjust the message to match the customer's concern. From there, the seller can join hands to develop the products that suit the needs of the buyer.
- Focus on customers: The process of interaction, direct communication between the seller and the customer can avoid possible interference. As a result, customers can focus more on the information of the product.
- Impact on the purchase decision: The seller is the person who directly advises the customer, so the seller's advice has a great impact on the customer's purchase decision.
- In-depth information about customers: Sales can easily collect information about customer needs, product feedback, competitors through the information exchange process when consulting products.
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Disadvantages
Some of the disadvantages of personal sales include:
- Inconsistent messages: Each salesperson has a different way of conveying messages, which can lead to inconsistencies.
- Conflict among salespeople: Every successful sale of a product, the employee receives a profit. Therefore, this can lead to competition and conflicts among the employees. It can even affect the business operations of stores and businesses.
- Cost: The cost of hiring and operating a sales team is quite high.
- Difficulty in controlling: Some negative situations may occur such as employees hiding revenue, selling products at higher prices than prescribed, disclosing customer information to competitors, etc.
Personal sales also has some disadvantages
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Effective personal sales process
Step 1 - Research and establish relationships with customers
To sell products, salespeople need to know:
- Information related to products and businesses.
- Information about products and businesses that need to be understood: Product features, support policies, differences between their products and other businesses’, etc.
If the process of exchanging information about the product takes place successfully, it will become easier to establish a relationship with the customer.
In addition, sales staff need to establish relationships with customers through the process of exchanging and collecting information about:
- Sex
- Age
- Income
- Products and services needed
- Factors that influences purchase decision
- Shopping address
- Payment method
The first step is to understand the customer's needs
Step 2 - Establish trust with customers
To build trust with customers, businesses need to provide customers with reliable information regarding suppliers and product quality. The salesperson should:
- Give out names of reputable organizations and individuals that have trusted and used the products of the enterprise.
- Strengthen trust with good reviews from previous customers who have used the product.
- Give evidence that specific numbers clearly show the development of the product.
- Offer special features that only your product has and compare it to competitors' products.
In particular, letting customers experience and evaluate products is the best way to build trust.
Step 3 - Research customer needs
Every employee in the sales process needs to note and remember the needs and preferences of each customer to build a customer-related information database. This information will be stored and used as a resource when customers come to buy products next time.
Step 4 - Product Introduction
After understanding the needs of the customer, the salesperson skillfully introduces the product features that match the needs of the customer to convince them. A professional salesperson needs to be tactful, keep a calm and gentle attitude when responding to customers' questions or criticisms about the product.
Introduce products that match customer needs
Step 5 - Sales and closing orders
Ending the product introduction step is the closing step. Employees need to choose the right time to close the sales process. They need to point out the information about promotions to boost sales.
Convince customers to buy and close orders
Step 6 - Monitor and evaluate customer satisfaction
The sales process doesn't just end at the sale, but beyond. After selling to customers, the next step of customer care is an important factor for customers to return to buy. Staff can ask customers about the experience when using the product, and support them if there is a problem.
Building a sustainable relationship with customers is a measure to help businesses build reputation and brand. In addition, this is also a way for customers to be loyal to the brand of the business.
Survey of customer satisfaction after each product
What's the difference between Personal Sales and Direct Marketing?
Personal sales and direct marketing are two forms of selling that are often confused with each other. In the following table, we will distinguish these two forms:
Aspects |
Personal sales | Direct Marketing |
How to approach customers |
Salespeople are the ones who directly convey the message |
Communication through radio, television, internet, social networks, etc. |
Cost |
Costs vary from low to high |
High cost due to training and paying employees |
Advantages |
|
|
| Defect |
|
|
FAQs
What is personal sales strategy?
Personal selling strategies involve meeting with the customer for a face-to-face interaction that serves to inform and persuade them into making a purchase. By directly meeting with the customer, the salesperson confirms the product's benefits by emphasizing details like price, characteristics or current market demand.
What are the 4 types of personal selling?
- Transactional selling.
- Solution selling.
- Consultative selling.
- Provocative selling.
What are the characteristics of personal selling?
1. Personal Form
2. Development of Relationship
3. Oral Conversation
4. Quick solution of Queries
5. Receipt of Additional Information
6. Real Sale
How effective is personal selling?
It allows building rapport. Since personal selling is an interactive sales strategy, it helps gain customer trust faster than any other sales approach. It's essential for some products/services.
The article has provided information to answer the question What is personal sales?, advantages and disadvantages and effective personal sales process. Hope readers have had more useful knowledge from this article of Viindoo.
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