Personal selling consist of individual, personal communication i.e. face to face communication of information from the seller to prospective buyer. Personal selling is person-to-person communication in which the receiver provides immediate feedback to the source message through words gestures, expressions e.t.c such instant feedback allows the source to make instantaneous changes in encoding to adopt message to the receiver i.e if a sales person detects that a prospective buyer dislikes the features or the price of a products he or she can stress the advantages and benefits of the product’s feature to justify the price or even show the customers some other products which may be substituted, supplementary or complementary. Unlike advertising, personal selling focuses on communication and encouraging exchange and it also provide the human touch that is lacking in advertising.
Personal selling enable marketers to tailor their presentation to fit the needs, wants, motives and behaviour of individuals customers to a particular sales approach, personal selling often results to particular purchase. The need for personal selling increases with the complexity of products and services for these reasons, manufacturer like to promote their goods and services through personal selling.
Personal selling is seen as an effective tool used by organizations to receive the desired response from its customers and prospects. Effective personal selling will include effective communication. Educating customers, problem solving, stimulating and or motivating and ultimately soliciting of favourable response. Personal selling has become necessary in today’s organizational operations due to the nature of the economy, which is becoming highly competitive. The effective implementation of personal selling may go a long way to assist organizations in achieving their overall sales objectives and goals.
1.1Â Â Â BACKGROUND OF THE SUBJECT MATTER
Personal selling is simply to make a sale on individual’s basis. Sales person serves as the link between the selling and buying system. Today, sales persons are required to have more education and technical training than their predecessors. Sales people have many resources at their at their disposal and are better equipped to develop long term relationship with buyers. They are backed by a team of specialists, including market researchers, financial experts and engineers. Salesman of today they are very good diagnosticians of customers needs and they are also problems consultants who make well considered recommendations. They (sale people) are at home to all facets of a prospective customers business that will in any way relate to the goods and services to be sold.
- HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF UNILEVER
Unilever is a company engaged in the manufacturing and marketing at detergents, soaps, creams, toothpaste, squash drinks, edible oil and fats, tea and coffee. Unilever Nigeria Plc formerly Lever Brother Nigeria Plc RC 113) was established in April 1923 as Lever Brother (West Africa). Limited in 1955. It changed to Lever Brothers Nigeria Plc in 1973 and subsequently to Unilever Nigeria Plc in 2000. Lipton of Nigeria limited was merged with the company on the 31st of July 1985. In compliance with the Nigeria Enterprises promotion act of 1972, forty percent (40%) of the company equity capital was sold to Nigeria citizens and institutions by Unilever (common wealth holding Limited). This percentage was increased to 60% in 1978, spread over 31,000 individuals and institutional Nigerian share-holders. The balance of 40% is currently hold by Unilever (Common Wealth Holdings) Limited. The company started with the production of bar soaps using local palm oil, this has now extended to international brands such as Lux, Astral and Asepso soaps.
