Which one of the following is true about the role of sales force/personal selling?
Personal selling is interpersonal arm of promotion mix
Personal selling is the interpersonal arm of the promotion mix — option 2, Kotler’s exact phrase. Each of the other three states the opposite of a standard fact.
| Option | What it claims | The truth |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Consists largely of non-personal communication with large groups | That is advertising. Personal selling is person-to-person communication |
| 3 | Less effective than advertising in complex selling situations | More effective — complexity is precisely where a salesperson beats an advertisement, because he can probe, explain and answer objections |
| 4 | The sales force is not allowed to adjust the offer to each customer | Adaptation is its chief advantage; an advertisement cannot be varied for the individual buyer |
The three distinctive qualities of personal selling that justify its cost :
| Quality | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Personal confrontation | A live, immediate, interactive relationship in which each party observes the other and can adjust at once |
| Cultivation | Relationships can be built and deepened over time, from a selling relationship to a genuine partnership |
| Response | The buyer feels some obligation to respond, if only to say no — no advertisement compels that |
Where it is used. Personal selling is the most expensive element of the promotion mix per contact, so it is concentrated where its advantages pay: industrial and high-value markets, few and large buyers, technically complex products, and the later stages of the buying process — conviction, purchase and after-sale service. Advertising is more efficient in the earlier stages of awareness and interest and in consumer markets with many small buyers. The two are complements: advertising opens the door, the salesperson closes.
The dual role of the salesperson is worth adding: he carries the company to the customer, and he brings market intelligence — needs, complaints, competitors’ moves — back to the company.
Hence, the answer is option 2.
Similar Questions
The major advantage of the direct mail marketing is :
Match the items of the List-I with that of the List-II and suggest the correct code from the following:
List-I List-II i. Competitive Parity a. Variations in Advertising ii. Promotional Elasticity of Market b. Level advertising iii. Optimal promotional mix c. Advertising expenditure decision iv. Contra-cycle advertising d. Marginal equivalency of media outlay Codes:
Match the items of List-I with the items of List-II and select the code of correct matching:
List-I (Medium of Mass Communication) List-II (Limitations) a. Outdoor i. Relative high cost; increasing consumer resistance b. Yellow pages ii. Over production could lead to runaway costs c. Brochures iii. High competition; long ad purchase lead time; creative limitations d. Telephone iv. Limited audience selectivity; creative limitations Codes:
Statement-I: Direct marketing is a non-interactive marketing system.
Statement-II: Direct marketing uses one or more media to effect a measurable response or transaction at any location.
Select the correct code:
Use of mail, telephone and other non-personal contact tools to communicate with, or solicit a response from, specific customers and prospects is called:
Which of the following is not a deciding factor for the Advertising Budget out of the given options?
Indicate the correct code matching the items in List - I with those in List - II as follows:
List - I List - II a. Competitive parity in advertising i. Variations in advertising b. Promotional elasticity of product ii. Advertising scheduling c. Optimal promotion mix iii. Advertising expenditure d. Pulsing advertising iv. Marginal equivalence of advertising media outlay Given below are two statements : one is labelled as Assertion (A) and the other is labelled as Reason (R).
Assertion (A) : Generally, the customers consider the sales force as the representative of the company.
Reason (R) : Often, the company’s sale force works directly with the customers.
In the light of the above statements, choose the most appropriate answer from the options given below :
Identify the correct sequence of stages in the sales process :
A. Initial contact
B. Gather the sales Lead
C. Meeting objections and concerns
D. Qualifying the Lead
E. Sales presentation
Choose the correct answer from the options given below :
According to the ‘two-step flow’ concept, messages should be targeted to
Important Questions from Promotion decisions
The assumptions of rational decision making are:
(A) Preferences are not clear
(B) Preferences are not constant and stable
(C) Problem is clear and unambiguous
(D) No time or cost constraint exist
(E) Final choice will maximize pay off
Choose the correct answer from the options below:
Which one of the following is closest to the nature of decision making?
Match List - I with List - II :
List – I
(Decision making Bias)
List – II
(Explanation)
a
Anchoring Bias
i
Represents a case of selective perception
b
Escalation of commitment
ii
Refers to our staying with a decision even if there is clear evidence it’s wrong
c
Confirmation Bias
iii
Tendency to believe falsely, after the outcome is known
d
Hindsight Bias
iv
Tendency to fixate on initial information and fail to adequately adjust for subsequent information
Choose the correct option from those given below:
Which of the following will fall under the grievances relating to promotion category?
A. Supersession
B. Increments
C. Acting promotions
D. Seniority
E. Pay fixation
Choose the most appropriate answer from the options given below:
- ________ is a marketing term for any design to prompt an immediate response or encourage an immediate sale.
