is the two-way flow of communication between a buyer and a
seller that is designed to influence the buyer’s purchase decision. Personal selling
can take place in various settings: face-to-face, video teleconferencing, on the telephone, or over the Internet. Although consumers don’t often interact with professional sales people, personal selling represents an important component of many
IMC programs, especially in business-to-business (B2B) settings.
The cost of communicating directly with a potential customer is quite high
compared with other forms of promotion, but it is simply the best and most efficient way to sell certain products and services. Customers can buy many products
and services without the help of a salesperson, but salespeople simplify the buying process by providing information and services that save customers time and
effort. In many cases, sales representatives add significant value, which makes the
added expense of employing them worthwhile. We devote Chapter 20 to personal
selling and sales management