Personal selling is accomplished by communicating with a potential buyer(s) in person. The purpose of such contact is to sell a product or service. What sets personal selling apart from other methods is the salesperson conducts business with the customer without intervening technology or third party, such as a broker.
We’re bombarded with advertisements almost every waking hour. Most services over the Internet require advertising revenue. Search engines, entertainment outlets, blogs, sports and news sources, all integrate advertisements within their content. Much of our social media has become a vast sea of self-promotions, services & products for sale. It seems the more technology we use, the less personal it has become.
I’m including this sales video from Ford Motors. It dates back to the 1950’s. It shows the lost art of personal sales. Aside from the dated appearance, the basic ideas behind this video(1), haven’t changed. What has changed is the medium. What we see here, there’s very few ideas on this topic that are new. Clothing styles change, language phrasing is different, but meeting people in a friendly manner, getting to know what they want, then selling them on their own ideas, are still fundamental to a successful sale.
That video may seem out of date, however here’s a recent article about what some people have come to the conclusion about the relative value of social media.
Does quitting social media make you happier?
Larger value items, such as cars, trucks, real estate, jewelry, usually require personal interaction, but as trends go, we’ve become greater users of online shopping. We’ve also found greater acceptance of meeting friends and future spouses through online contact. In the end, personal contact is still required.
How to Find New Customers and Increase Sales
There are numerous ideas and articles on selling. Eventually there’s going to be a human component to the sale. If you want to be effective, expand sales, it’s best to master the recommended interpersonal skills.
SHAMELESS SELF PROMOTION MOMENT
I work for people interested in achieving and believing they can grow.
I work with you to help expand your Internet presence.
- Identify market strengths
- Outline and highlight your message
- Phrase and engage your audience
- Link your message to the market
- Select your social communication tools
- Train staff to effectively use social media
- Follow up with staff using these tools
Contact me if you would like more information. 
1 – Those familiar with the old TV show, “Leave it to Beaver”, will recognize the actor, Hugh Beaumont. He played the “Beaver’s father”, in the 1950’s & ’60’s TV show.
Mike's Place in Cyberspace 