The emergence of Web-technologies has had a great influence on personal selling. There are numerous examples of how social media and web-based portals have impacted personal selling.
For instance, in the past, personal sellers had to constantly communicate with their clients, and, while the relationships between the seller and the customer probably could be friendly in many cases, the sellers would still have to constantly offer the new products, which would simply become annoying for the client. With the use of social networks, however, personal sellers can keep in touch with their clients and offer products without being annoying (“Personal Selling Gets Modern,” n.d.).
Another example of the change that is a consequence of the social media emergence is the possibility for personal sellers to better find clients interested in their product. Personal observations about how people tend to create posts about their areas of interest; thus, personal sellers can more easily and effectually identify their potential customers and establish contact with them. Social media also allow for easier management of client contacts than using a telephone or personal communication only would require, and permit personal sellers to promote their products via their current clients as well (“The Impact of Technology,” n.d.).
Also, social media propose to their users a variety of apps and tools which can also be used for establishing contact between a personal seller and the client. This has benefitted not only personal sellers working with clients, but also personal sellers working with businesses (Moore, Hopkins, & Raymond, 2013). In particular, B2B personal sellers might specifically target organizations that may be interested in their products, and use apps permitting for personal communication or online calls to reach their clients (Moore et al., 2013).
Thus, the innovative Web-technologies have brought numerous benefits for those practicing personal selling, considerably simplifying their tasks and allowing for more easily promoting their products.
References
The impact of technology and social media on sales relationships. (n.d.). Web.
Moore, J. N., Hopkins, C. D., & Raymond, M. A. (2013). Utilization of relationship-oriented social media in the selling process: A comparison of consumer (B2C) and industrial (B2B) salespeople. Journal of Internet Commerce, 12(1), 48-75. Web.
Personal selling gets modern with Social Media. (n.d.). Web.