Sales Promotion

Sales promotion is the most important element of the promotion mix It is not to be confused with promotion – a broader term – of which sales promotion is a part. Sales promotion is defined as those promotional activities other than advertising, personal selling and publicity, that stimulate consumer purchasing and dealer effectiveness. Such activities as games, contests, demonstrations, trade shows, exhibitions, and similar efforts are designed to help in promotional strategy. Useful novelties, such as calendars, match books, key rings, product samples, premiums tied to consumer purchases may be given to customers to remind them of the advertisers’ names, services, and products. Dealer or trade promotion includes instructing retailers in effective means of selling products, providing materials for window or counter displays, and keeping merchants informed of promotional tactics and strategies.

The use of sales promotion cannot solve the problems resulting from poor product performance or inadequate distribution. It also cannot take the place of advertising and personal selling. It has to be a part of the total promotion and must be planned in that light.

Personal Selling

Personal selling is the process during which the seller assures, activates and satisfies the needs or wants of the buyer to the mutual, continuous benefit of the buyer and the seller. It involves voice-to-voice contact. It may be a one-to-one situation, or it may be one individual attempting to persuade a group. It may be a face-to-face contact or it may be done over the telephone.

Personal selling is the major ingredient in the promotion mixes of many firms. Insurance companies, for example, rely heavily on personal selling as a promotion tool because most insurance programmes must be tailored for each individual or family.

Personal selling has the starring role in industrial marketing. Industrial products are often expensive and complex, requiring detailed explanation and demonstrations for buyers.

Comprehension

1. Say whether the following statements are true (T) or false (F). Explain your viewpoint.

1) There is no difference between PR and publicity.

2) Both large and small firms invest money in different cultural events.

3) Publicity uses a variety of forms.

4) Negative publicity plays a positive role in PR.

5) Promotion and sales promotion are considered to be synonymous.

6) Sales promotion is important because it encourages people to buy goods.

7) Customers are often given different trifles such as calendars, key-rings and so on to remember the brand’s name.

8) Unsatisfactory work of producers and dealers can be improved with the help of sales

promotion.

9) Both buyers and sellers get advantages from personal selling.

10) Insurance companies avoid using personal selling.

2. Give characteristics of each promotional tool.

Language study

1. Match the following words from the text with their synonyms and antonyms from the box:

public, improve, include, particular, profit, negative, useful, properly, effectiveness, purchase, customers, personal.

mutual income dealers concrete sell involve ineffectiveness perfect

improperly social useless private positive worsen helpful exclude

unsatisfactory adequately general efficiency loss buy consumers individual

2. Find the words that go together according to the text.

1. public a) activities

2. annual b) media

3. civic c) tools

4. humanitarian d) conference

5. broadcast e) mix

6. promotional f) purchasing

7. news g) relations

8. promotion h) distribution

9. consumer i) events

10. inadequate j) report

3. Make your own sentences with word combinations from the previous task

4. Put in the missing prepositions.

1. Publications are made to get publicity … a company.

2. Unfounded rumours that find their way … various publications destroy a company’s image.

3. Useful novelties remind customers … products.

4. Trade promotion informs merchants … promotional strategies.

5. Instructing retailers … is a part of trade promotion.

6. Many problems result … unsatisfactory work of producers.

7. The process of personal selling contributes … the mutual benefit of buyers and sellers.

8. Some dealers do not like to meet people face-to-face and prefer contacts … the telephone.

9. Many companies often rely … personal selling.

10. An insurance programme is sure to be successful if it is tailored … each individual or family.