The Impact of Effective Personal Selling Strategies on the Marketing of Industrial Products
CHAPTER ONE
OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
The objective of this study is to examine the impact, benefits and problem of personal selling strategies of industrial products of Asaba Aluminum Company and Jemok Water Asaba.
The specific purposes are as follows:
- To determine the effectiveness of personal selling strategies in the marketing of industrial products.
- To evaluate an insight into the use of personal selling on the sale of industrial products.
- To assess the condition for training industrial salesmen.
- To examine the level of the motivation given by industrial producers in Asaba metropolis.
CHAPTER TWO
REVIEW OF LITERATURE
INTRODUCTION
Our focus in this chapter is to critically examine relevant literature that would assist in explaining the research problem and furthermore recognize the efforts of scholars who had previously contributed immensely to similar research. The chapter intends to deepen the understanding of the study and close the perceived gaps.
Precisely, the chapter will be considered in three sub-headings:
- Conceptual Framework
- Theoretical Framework
- Empirical framework
CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK
PERSONAL SELLLING
Personal selling can be described as a flexible interaction between the sales person and the individual industrial buyers for the purpose of making sale and purchases. Personal selling is also defined as interpersonal, face to face interaction for the purpose of creating, modifying, exploiting or maintaining a mutually beneficial exchange relationship with others (Roseann, et al., 2008). It is a promotional technique aimed at selling effort involving persuasive face to face discussion between the sales personnel and the prospective buyers for the purpose of making sales. In a person to person communication process in contracts with other forms of promotions, undoubtedly, personal selling is the most persuasive and effective form of all the promotional system (Martins, 1996). As good as it may be, it equally attracts the largest share of the communication promotion budget. This results from the fact that the cost of reaching one person through personal selling is relatively higher than is the case with other promotional system especially advertising. The high cost of personal selling notwithstanding, it is favoured than other mode of promotions (Hutt and Speh, 1992).
It is more effective especially where a limited number of individual are the target market. It allows for practical display or demonstration of the company’s product with on-the-spot response of the potential buyers. Though advertising and other promotional system create awareness for a company’s product, they may not be potent enough to motivate sales, hence reliance on personal selling (Greening, 1993). Sales people assist in sensitizing and influencing industrial buyers to service old account and obtain new ones. Personal selling is having flexibility of system it provides one to one contact between the buyers and sellers. It Identify specific sales prospects the first step in the selling process is prospecting identifying qualified potential industrial buyers. Approaching the right potential industrial buyers is crucial to selling success.
Direct contact with the potential buyers provides opportunity to demonstrate the product and to industrial buyers and to answer the queries and questions of the industrial buyers. The salesperson describes the product features but concentrates on presenting industrial buyers benefits. Using a need-satisfaction approach, the salesperson starts with a search for the industrial buyers’ needs by getting the industrial buyers to do most of the talking (White, 1997). During demonstration there can be certain objections raised by the industrial buyers, which can be overcome at very same time. Industrial buyers almost always have objections during the presentation or when asked to place an order. The problem can be either logical or psychological, and objections are often unspoken. In handling objections, the salesperson should use a positive approach, seek out hidden objections, asks the buyer to clarify any objections, take objections as opportunities to provide more information, and turn the objections into reasons for buying. Every salesperson needs training in the skills of handling objections.
CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
INTRODUCTION
In this chapter, we described the research procedure for this study. A research methodology is a research process adopted or employed to systematically and scientifically present the results of a study to the research audience viz. a vis, the study beneficiaries.
RESEARCH DESIGN
Research designs are perceived to be an overall strategy adopted by the researcher whereby different components of the study are integrated in a logical manner to effectively address a research problem. In this study, the researcher employed the survey research design. This is due to the nature of the study whereby the opinion and views of people are sampled. According to Singleton & Straits, (2009), Survey research can use quantitative research strategies (e.g., using questionnaires with numerically rated items), qualitative research strategies (e.g., using open-ended questions), or both strategies (i.e., mixed methods). As it is often used to describe and explore human behaviour, surveys are therefore frequently used in social and psychological research.
POPULATION OF THE STUDY
According to Udoyen (2019), a study population is a group of elements or individuals as the case may be, who share similar characteristics. These similar features can include location, gender, age, sex or specific interest. The emphasis on study population is that it constitute of individuals or elements that are homogeneous in description.
This study was carried out on the the impact of effective personal selling strategies on the marketing of industrial products, using Asaba aluminium company and Jemork water Asaba, Delta State as a case study. Staff of Asaba aluminium company and staff of Jemork water form the population of the study.
CHAPTER FOUR
DATA PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS
INTRODUCTION
This chapter presents the analysis of data derived through the questionnaire and key informant interview administered on the respondents in the study area. The analysis and interpretation were derived from the findings of the study. The data analysis depicts the simple frequency and percentage of the respondents as well as interpretation of the information gathered. A total of eighty (80) questionnaires were administered to respondents of which only seventy-seven (77) were returned and validated. This was due to irregular, incomplete and inappropriate responses to some questionnaire. For this study a total of 77 was validated for the analysis.
From the responses obtained as expressed in the table above, 45.45% of the respondents said yes, 25.97% said no. While 28.57% of the respondent were undecided .
CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
SUMMARY
In this study, our focus was on the impact of effective personal selling strategies on the marketing of industrial products using Asaba aluminium company and Jemork water as a case study. The study specifically was aimed at highlighting the effectiveness of personal selling strategies in the marketing of industrial products. The study also evaluate an insight into the use of personal selling on the sale of industrial products. The study further assess the condition for training industrial salesmen. Lastly, the study examine the level of the motivation given by industrial producers in Asaba metropolis. A total of 77 responses were validated from the enrolled participants where all respondent are drawn from staff of Asaba aluminium and staff of Jemork water.
CONCLUSION
Based on the finding of this study, the following conclusions were made:
- Personal selling strategies is effective in the marketing of industrial products.
- There is an insight into the use of personal selling on the sale of industrial products.
- There are training for industrial salesmen.
- The level of the motivation given by industrial producers in Asaba metropolis is high.
RECOMMENDATION
Based on the responses obtained, the researcher proffers the following recommendations:
- Organizations should make use of personal selling in order to affect the sales volume of industrial goods.
- The sales of industrial goods appreciate when personal selling is employed by organizations.
- There is a need for organizations to manage their sales force in order to allow for personal selling to make an effect on the sales value of the organization.
- Organizations should endeavor to strictly follow the personal selling process so as to ensure that prospective industrial buyers are convinced and properly served in order for them to make purchase.
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