Personal selling, sales promotion and public relations

Personal selling is an oral, face-to-face presentation to one or more prospective buyers. It is flexible (the message is adjusted to each buyer), gives direct feedback, and has little wastage of effort. It matters to business (it creates demand and wins customers), to customers (it informs and advises them), and to society (it creates jobs).

Sales promotion means short-term incentives to buy now: a rebate, a discount, a refund, product combinations (a free item with the product), a quantity gift (more for the same price), a lucky draw, free samples, and contests.

• Merits: it attracts attention; it helps launch new products; it works well together with other tools (synergy).
• Limits: too much of it suggests the firm is in crisis (it cannot sell its product otherwise), and it can spoil the product's image.

Public relations manages the company's image with the public. Its tools: press relations (press releases), product publicity, corporate communication, lobbying (dealing with ministers and officials about laws and policies), and counselling management on public issues.

Publicity is news about the firm or its product in the media that the firm does not pay for, with no identified sponsor. That makes it more credible than advertising, but the firm cannot control what is said.