n to build a basis of trust and confidence with customers. It is this development and nurturing of long-term relationship based on trust that is essential to sales and marketing success today. Unlike any other means of promotion, personal selling can work for a desired action by customers immediately. Here and now sales representative can place an order, commit to a purchasing plan for thee next quarter, decide on an in store promotion for the product and so forth. Personal selling makes it more difficult for the customer to delay or to forget a promise commitment in the future. It provides the opportunity for the sales person to get the decision that is wanted on the spot. All of the preceding pay offs of personal selling are important, but probably the most valuable is that sales representative personal contact with customers make it possible to customize sales presentation and to handle buyers problems and complaints on an individual basis. Suggestion and problem solutions that make no sense for one customer may be right on target for another. Only personal selling can deliver such customer-by-customer accommodation. In a board sense this is the service aspect of personal selling, to identify each customers needs and problems and to respond to them individually. This is the ‘value added’ or extra benefit that sales person can provide. This value added is often the difference between sales success and failure in today’s very competitive market. SummarySalespersons have proven to play an integral role in the sale of used cars in Jamaica (2001 Wedderburn – Mack D’s). It is however, up to the salespersons to make these services and benefits known to customers and potential customers when selling the product to them (2001 Mitchell – New Line). Some of the services and plans include; reasonable prices for vehicles, special financing plans, special features on cars servicing options and trade...
