A lot of firms have turned to a self-service or online system for selling. In these instances, personal selling is avoided. But that is not always a good idea. Here are just a few instances where personal selling is imperative.
- Many consumers like shopping for items such as clothing (to try items on and better comparison shop in person).
- Advanced consumer electronics and major appliances.
- Items that are not purchased frequently and may be expensive, such as houses, jewelry, and cars.
So, in cases where personal selling is utilized, what steps should be followed? Here is an infographic on the selling process from HubSpot. [Although some of the following steps are more applicable to outside salespeople, many of them also apply to inside/in-store salespeople.]
I work in retail and I do personal selling all the time. lot of customers still like personal selling because they feel like someone is paying attention to them and taking care of their needs. A lot of customers also like to try on the clothes and make sure they fit so they don’t have to return them. I don’t like online shopping because sometimes depending on the clothes and the fit will depend on what size you will need. A lot of people still enjoy the personal shopping especially during the holidays if they are buying something large and very valuable.
Working at Banana Republic over the summer, I’ve found many of these tips to be true, and wish that I had them before I started working there. Identifying the needs of your customer is key to a successful sales pitch, and will make the customer feel more at home. Constant adaption to the environment around you is also key, since once you deal with a difficult customer you learn from it and will be able to handle the next situation even more efficiently.
We are always talking about how convenient and easy to shop online. It is time to look back to a traditional way. It contains more human interactive and customer services. I have several friends work in retail stores. They told me this is exactly how it works. People may not like a jacket when doing online shopping, but when they actually visit the store and have an actual touch on the jacket, thing may turn around. It is all about feeling and experiencing, and this is the charming place that cannot be replaced by online shopping.
I agree that certain things require personal selling but the majority of purchases do not. If someone were to be buying a hour or jewelry I agree that there should be an expert to assist them. On regular purchases I think people are moving away from going to a store and buying something. Instead, they are becoming more comfortable with shopping online and getting things delivered to their doorstep. Retailers are working with the customers more by providing free shipping and free returns in order to persuade consumers to oder online.
I completely agree with this post. technology is really forcing all different kind of selling channels to self-service or online systems. This is becoming an epidemic, because people believe that technology is the way to go in order not stay stay behind on the market. When people purchase a product, they experience a lot of different feelings. Those feelings come from touching a physical product, trying it on, seeing it personally. When they don’t have that experience then is not likely that they product will be purchased. The era of technology is pushing people to turn into online and self-service selling, which is not a good idea. The world experience changes thru time. At some point people will get bored of buying products and services online and will end up wanting to go to the physical store to see, touch and have a personal experience. What is really going on right now is because people in the world adapts to changes, we humans do that by instinct. In conclusion, we should be doing what makes us happy, what makes feel better. That takes character, and we all should get it.
This post was very interesting in the way that it talks about what is the right way to sell the product. What this post is trying to say is that even though a lot of firms have turned to a self-service or an online system for selling which that is not always a good idea. I do agree that personal selling is a better way of selling a product because one on one interaction is a better way of selling than looking something on a computer screen.
I haven’t had much experience when it comes to personally selling products to consumers. I did however work for T-Mobile for about 6 months and i did take a lot away from it since it was mostly based on sales of the products and services that each representative sold in a very competitive manner. Goals and incentives to meet goals helped push the representatives. Every individual i learned has individual needs and wants. Lets face it, a consumer doesnt walk into a phone store not interested in buying anything. Once they are in, the rest is up to the sales staff. Once you find their needs and eliminate doubts, they become more interested and also see your personality and ideas that help justify their purchase. These steps are a great indication of how effective a sales person can maximize their knowledge and further increase their sales and quotas!
In my opinion, personal selling is much more effective than online shopping. It gives individuals to view the product in person and decide if they like it then and there, instead of buying it online, not liking it, and having to ship it back. A similar argument goes when shopping for clothing; personally, I like trying clothes on at a store, because otherwise, if the article of clothing does not fit I don’t like having to go all the way back just to return it.
I worked at Abercrombie and Fitch, and I had to do personal selling. I disliked it so much.I feel that if consumers need help, then they will ask for help. I don’t have to grill them and follow them around in order for them, to make a purchase. I know that when workers come up to me, warmly greet me, and tell me if I need help to feel free to ask them, I feel much more comfortable, rather them ask me repeatedly if there is something I am looking for. Usually when this happens, I walk out of the store right away. My attitude is not too far off from what everyday consumers feel as well. I witnessed this as a retailer on the floor. A lot of the times, when I would go up to customers, they automatically walked out. I believe this is because when workers do this and ask me questions I feel pressured to buy something. This actually happened to me in Victoria’s Secret the other day. I had my own opinion about the article of clothing, and the worker had hers. I felt so overwhelmed by her personal selling that I ended up telling her that I was just going to come back another day and I left the store completely.
This article is very informative in looking at different ways that companies sell products. On top of that, it is very useful for ourselves to know how people look at purchasing. Like the article says, the product depends on the type of selling the company uses. If it’s an expensive product, or something that people like to try out, or on, of course they are going to want to do this transaction person to person, but not in other circumstances where convenience is more important to the consumer. If the cases where personal selling is used, we can read the different steps and realize how to utilize it to our best advantage.
If a customer wants help with their shopping experience then they will look for it. The customer will go to a store if they want attention and assistance when shopping, but that is not as popular of an option as it used to be. Most people would like to avoid the lines and crowds so they choose to shop online, which is the easier route to go.
I agree with this post as i believe being able to personally sell can be extremely helpful when trying to sell clothes for example. If someone is trying something on or if you see that they really like the way something looks or find out something about them from talking to them you can use these steps to help convince them customer to make a purchase they may not have online.
I like personal selling sometimes because it makes you feel important and that someone is willing to help you find what you need especially when I’m shopping for heels, makeup or jewelry. But what I don’t like, is when I’m being followed around and the sales associate is constantly asking me if I need help with something. I rather come to you with a question then you come to me because then I feel pressured to buy something or look for something specifically when I maybe I just want to browse around first.