2.Give the summary of the text Personal Selling

Personal selling is a direct person-to-person presentation of the product to the potential consumer¹. It is the oldest promotional technique, going back to the earliest enterpriser who hawked² his wares in the bazaar. Many business people believe it is still the most effective way to sell a commodity. The steady barrage³ of advertising may "soften up the beaches," but for most large items—cars, appli­ances, clothes, furniture, and even specialized industrial products—the sale is made by personal selling. So important is the process that about one out of every eighteen working Americans is employed in direct sales. In general, per­sonal selling falls into two broad categories: retail selling and business sell­ing.

Much retail selling is carried on by door-to-door selling, where a salesper­son sells to the consumer in the consumer's home. Avon and Mary Kay (cos­metics), Shaklee (health food supplements), Amway (household products), and Tupperware are the best known firms that depend entirely on door-to-door sell­ing. Insurance salespersons and financial planners also sell in the home, but usually on a selective, by-appointment basis. There is currently much debate among promotion experts as to the future of in-home sales. Tupperware has recently reported noticeable declines in its Tupperware party sales. Some spe­cialists on consumer behavior believe this reflects important changes in the American family. With husband and wife both working, Tupperware kitchen products are less in demand. More singles means relatively fewer families and diminished demand for many Tupperware products. This trend, however, has not been evident in other home sales fields and in-home selling will probably continue as an important retail sales device.

Two variations on door-to-door sales are telephone selling and video sell­ing. The former has been around a long time and is a favorite device of mag­azine publishers, insurance companies, and others who find telephone sales an inexpensive way to get into many front doors. Video selling is a new device whereby a customer may be informed about and may order goods and services through a combined TV-phone installation. The customer, who pays for the TV-phone connection, has access to a number of sellers and can view products and place orders from his or her home or office. Thus far, financial institutions have shown the most interest in this sales innovation.

Business Selling. Business selling is selling goods and services to industrial customers, government agencies, and nonprofit organizations. The object is the same as retail selling—sell the product—but the techniques are different. Most business buyers are much more knowledgeable about the cost, uses, and technical requirements of the products they buy. Samples and free trial⁴ periods generally replace demonstrations. The "missionary work" of creating long-term goodwill for the salesperson's product is often more important than an imme­diate sale. To a considerable extent, modern business selling is a matter of consulting with a potential customer and finding out that firm's needs and prob­lems before presenting a particular product to the potential buyer. Business selling is usually much lower keyed⁵ than most creative retail sales activities.