Observation

Only a few of the candidates who attempted the question performed satisfactorily well. Hence, most of the candidates could not satisfactorily explain personal selling processes and state uses of an invoice. The solutions to the poorly answered question are given below

• Personal Selling involves face-to-face selling in which one person who is the salesman tries to convince the customer to buy his product. The salesman uses his marketing skill to convince the buyer to patronize him.

                        OR
Personal selling involves interpersonal communication of information between the buyer and the seller for the purpose of selling a product or service.

• Uses of an invoice
• It serves as evidence of sales made.
• It serves as a document of title to the buyer.
• It is used for record purposes.
• It can also be used for documentation purpose.
• It can also be useful to buyer for future purchase purpose.
• It can be used as a source document.
• It may also serve as receipt when stamped on the face as paid.

(c)        Processes of personal selling

a)         PROSPECTING: In the context of sale, prospecting mean searching for customer. It also means identifying prospects and also profiling them for ease of identification by sales people.

b)        PRE-APPROACH: This involves compiling information about the prospects before meeting with them. Such information enables the sales people plan their sales interview and also avoid mistakes that may disrupt the sales process.

c)        APPROACH: This is a follow up to the pre-approach stage. It involves the buyer and the seller meeting face to face for the first time. The information gathered during the pre-approach stage help the sales man to break the resistance that he may encounter at the approach stage.
d)       SALES PRESENTATION: This means presenting the sales talk to the prospect. It involves creating desire in the mind of the prospect through presentation of success stories of the product in the market.

e)       HANDLING OBJECTIONS: After the sales presentation, the prospect may likely raise objection in the area of price, quality and competitors’ brand. Such objections need to be addressed by the sales man.

f)        CLOSING OF SALES: After countering objections, the two parties need to agree on terms of sales in the area of price, quality, quantity and time of delivery.

g)       FOLLOW UP: This involves monitoring the customer after sales has been made to find out where they are having problem and how such problem could be resolved. Such monitoring could be done through telephone call.