(A CASE STUDY OF JAMIL MOTORS)
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ABSTRACT
The study examines the impact of personal selling on the sales of capital equipment. The research design used descriptive and survey method of data collection in an attempt to empirically examine the impact of personal selling on the sales of capital equipment. The sample size of this study is convenient sampling techniques of 100 respondents which comprise of both the senior and junior staffs of Jamil Motors. Therefore the sample size for this study is 100. Findings revealed that there is a significant impact of personal selling strategies in the marketing of capital goods in Jamil motors. Based on the findings of the study, summary, conclusion and recommendations was made that Marketing managers should organize seminars and workshops about marketing communication so that they are able to sell their products well and compete well in the diverse market. These will enable them to expand their coverage and realize increase in sales of the products, there is need for firms to use personal selling to promote their products since it has a greater influence on sales, revenues and market share grow as the best customers are swept into the firm, building loyal customers, positive word of mouth and referrals this can only be achieved by adopting effective personal selling strategies.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
Personal selling is simply to make a sale on individual’s basis. Sales person serves as the link between the selling and buying system (Kotler, 2013). Today, sales persons are required to have more education and technical training than their predecessors. Sales people have many resources at their at 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 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.
Adebesi, (2006). defined personal selling as a process of conversing the sale of a company’s products or service by sales man or woman, it is a dynamic process involving direct contact between the seller of a product or service and the prospective buyers through oral or face to face or telephone discussion or written mail exchange of ideas through opinion.
Discussing the importance of selling Adirika (1993) defined selling as the process of including a prospective customer to act favourably on an idea advantage to the buyer and commercial significant to the seller.
Every marketing manager ought to have sales persons beside him that have a thorough knowledge of what personal selling is all about in order to bring about a good level of profit to the company. The increasing prominent of identifying them as the focus of a firm’s existence has made it imperative for marketing organization to go for more sales persons.
Personal selling are a branch of marketing that is also broad which is expedient for continued existence of every marketing company.
Most marketing organization today does not take into consideration the impact of personal selling. It has to do with person-to-person communication of which an immediate feedback is provided to the audience. To achieve and gain more customers personal selling needs to be strategically planned to be effective in today highly competitive market place.
To generate sales and profits, the benefits of products have to be communicated to customers. In marketing, this is commonly known as “promotion”. However promotion is not only conducted for these factors but for others such as to build brand loyalty, to remind and reassure costumers, to launch a new product and to defend market share by responding to competitors’ campaigns with their own advertising (Kotler, 2013). The organization has to convey the message about the product on offer to its consumers. This helps in sustaining a perennial demand for the product and in suitable positioning among the target audience (Adebesi, 2006). It is very important for organisations to carry out personal selling for every product in order to be drawn the attention of the market and its benefit identified. The aim of an organization’s personal selling strategy is to bring existing and potential customers to a state of relative awareness of the organization’s product and to a state of adoption.
According to Orji 2010 indistrial products are any product that is bought by an organization’s purchasing agent or by middle men in order to make some other with a view to resell them, or to undertake some other exchange related activities.
Industrial products are no sold to final consumer for ultimate consumption. They are goods sold primarily for use in producing other goods or rendering services or running of a business.
Many people have carried out researches to find out if personal selling has influence on sales. For instance, Akinyi (2011) carried out a research and found out that indeed personal selling had effect on sales which turned out to be different from the findings of Musyoki (2009) who found out that there is no significant difference effect on sales. However, the difference may have been caused by geographical difference as Akinyi carried out her research in rural setting while Musyoki carried out research in town setting. Akinyi’s finding was also the same as Kivuva, (2003) that, those products which are on personal selling tend to have more demand than those which do not. Due to different findings which may have been caused by use of different organizations and geographical differences, the researcher needs to find out if personal selling can have influence on sale of capital equipment in Jamil Motors Port Harcourt. According to Akinyi, firms therefore need to persuade customers to buy their products and maintain such customers. In selecting appropriate method to apply the groups must consider the target audience, the stage of the products life cycle, characteristics of the products, decision stages of the products and the channel of distribution (Kotler, 2013).
1.2 Statement of the Problem
Most times, most companies are it large or small does not realize that personal selling is part of the marketing team and the continuous existence of any organization.
It was absolved that this problem is worsened by the fact that some of the sales persons are half back and lack the ability to express their sales properly not only that it was observed that most sales persons lack the ability to possessing self confidence. Also it was observed that the sales people are not good listeners. The sales people do not allow the customers to talk with them.It was observed that sale persons do not listener to customer’s complaints. They do not consider the customer analysis and the handling of objection are ignored. Jamil Motors is not an exception the company, which started very well, is now faced with competition that is fierce and cut throut coupled with the income of the customers of Jamil Motors, thus no doubt have impacted negatively on sales of the company. This research work is focused on the marketing of industrial product by personal selling specifically Jamil Motors.
1.3 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
The main objective of the study is examining the impact of personal selling on the sales of capital equipments. The specific objectives are as follows:
1 To examine the extent to which the impact of personal selling on the marketing of capital equipments?
2 To examine the personal selling strategies adopted in the marketing of capital equipments?
3 To determine the extent to which the personal selling strategy adopted in the marketing of capital equipment create awareness for the product.
1.4 RESEARCH QUESTION
- To what extent is the impact of personal selling on the marketing of capital equipments?
- What are the personal selling strategies adopted in the marketing of capital equipments?
- To what extent does the personal selling strategy adopted in the marketing of capital equipment create awareness for the product?
1.5 Research Hypotheses
H01: There is no significant impact of personal selling strategies in the marketing of capital goods in Jamil motors.
H02:There is no significant impact of the personal selling strategies adopted in the marketing of capital equipments.
H03: there is no is no relationship between the personal selling strategy adopted in the marketing of capital equipment and the awareness of the product.
1.6 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
The researcher considers the study very significant on the following bases.
The consumers and customers of Jamil Motors will benefit from the study since the recommendations will help the company serve them better.
Furthermore, the significance of this study is that it will help researchers to understand and be able to differentiate between the ordinary sales person and the professional sales person and to other research as a topic for continual research work in the field of study.
The finding of the study will enable the industries specifically Jamil Motors to solve their sales problem and correct whatever mistakes they have made or are still making in line with their business operations.
From the result of the findings individuals or firms prospecting to go into industrial product production or investment who are interested in investing their money in industrial production will have additional information on personal selling as a channel for sales of industrial product.
1.7 SCOPE AND DELIMITATION OF THE STUDY
The area of this study covers the impact of personal selling on the sales of capital equipment. All firms e firm in Port Harcourt could have been covered but for time and cost constraints. So the researcher limits the study to Jamil Motors.
1.8 LIMITATION OF THE STUDY
The study is limited to the following limitations:
The level of frankness in response to questions by the respondents is quite doubtful.
Finance: Accessing fund for the research work as difficult and this to a great extent limited the quality of research activity.
Time: The time allocated to the research work was not sufficient to give room for further intensive work on the field of study.
Organization Policy: Policies of the organization limited the level of information received. The personnel of the firms were not willing to give information, stating that it was against the organization’s policy.
1.9 DEFINITION OF TERMS
Some terms used in the study are defined for purpose of understanding.
INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTS
This is a products destined to be sold for the purpose of output for further production of other goods and services.
INDUSTRIAL MARKETING
This is the marketing of industrial products and services to industrial users.
MARKET POTENTIAL
This is the maximum sales potential for all sellers of a product or service over a fixed period.
PERSONAL SELLING
This is just a direct personal contact with present and prospective customers for the purpose of selling customer need to goods and services.
SELLING
This is the act of persuading prospective buyers to buy goods and services from which they can derive suitable benefits thereby increasing their total satisfaction.