Traditional methods of personal selling include a
planned presentation to one or more prospective buyers
for the purpose of making a sale. Whether it takes place
face-to-face or over the phone, personal selling attempts
to persuade the buyer to accept a point of view. For example,
a car salesperson may try to persuade a car buyer
that a particular model is superior to a competing model
in certain features, such as gas mileage. Once the buyer
is somewhat convinced, the salesperson may attempt to
elicit some action from the buyer, such as a test-drive or
a purchase. Frequently, in this traditional view of personal
selling, the objectives of the salesperson are at the expense
of the buyer, creating a win-lose outcome.