Because of the word "personal" in personal selling, some folks assume that it HAS to be done "face to face".

Unfortunately that's a misunderstanding of the word "personal" in that context.

Personal doesn't just include "face to face", but any other context where you clearly intend, and the customer clearly perceives that HE or SHE is the SOLE FOCUS of your attention.

If you are "face to face" but you are also trying to engage 3 other people in a business conversation, then we can't truly say we have effective personal selling going on anymore.

The rationale is the same no matter which medium you use.

If you are using WhatsApp and other text based media, and the context clearly shows that a personal focused conversation is going on, then you are doing personal selling.

It's not about being personal in a physical sense, but being devoted to one person at a time.

A blanket email or WhatsApp message isn't "impersonal" because it's not "face to face". It is impersonal because it's addressed to everyone and no one in particular.

Personal selling is targeted and personalised communication all the way whether over the phone, face to face, email, SMS, WhatsApp, or virtual reality (when the time comes for that).

Given all that we have explored so far, it's obvious that it's easiest to show focused personalised attention when we're either face to face or using the telephone.

It's just much harder to fake personal attention in those contexts.

It's easy to copy and paste messaging and mask the fact that you're blanket messaging 500 people all at once.

These are the reasons why I espouse my personal preference on my podcast for "face to face" or "over the phone" for the most impactful sense of having personalised conversations.

But remember these are NOT the only mediums available to you.

So long as you remember and hold to heart that you are supposed to be engaging in conversations all the time, you'll be fine.

If you're interested in these sorts of debates, subscribe for free to the show SALES FOR THE NIGERIAN BUSINESS PERSON PODCAST on SPOTIFY/ GOOGLE/ APPLE ITUNES/ POCKET CASTS/ OVERCAST or any podcast player of your choice.

Remember also to connect with me on LinkedIn because I really love hearing from you guys. The name to search for in either app is TAVERSHIMA AYEDE. The name of the show is Sales for the Nigerian Business Person Podcast.

Don't bother looking for me on Instagram and TikTok because I hardly spend any time on them these days.

The old videos are still up though just in case you're curious.

I'll catch you guys in the next post.