THE EFFECTIVENESS OF

PERSONAL SELLING IN THE

MARKETING OF CAPITAL GOODS

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CONTENTS PAGE

Cover page

Title

Certification

Dedication

Acknowledgement

Abstract

Table of content

CHAPTER ONE

1.0 Introduction

1.1 Background of the study

1.2 Statement of the problem

1.3 Objectives of the study

1.4 Formulation of hypotheses

1.5 Significance of the study

1.6 Scope of the study

1.7 Definition of terms

CHAPTER TWO

2.0 Literature review

2.1 An overview of personal selling

2.2 An overview of personal selling process

2.3 Objectives of personal selling

2.4 Types of personal selling

2.5 Evaluation of personal selling

2.6 An overview of capital goods

2.7 The effective of personal selling in the marketing of capital goods

2.8 The effectiveness of personal selling in the marketing of ANAMMCO

products

CHAPTER THREE

3.0 Research methodology

3.1 Sources of data

3.2 Population of the study

3.3 Sample size

3.4 Sample technique

3.5 Method of data collection

3.6 Method of distributing questionnaire

3.7 Structuring the instruments

3.8 Method of data analysis & interpretation

3.9 Limitation of study

CHAPTER FOUR

4.0 Presentation, Analysis and Interpretation of Data

4.1 Data analysis and interpretation

4.2 Testing of hypotheses

CHAPTER FIVE

5.0 Summary of findings, recommendations and conclusion

5.1 Summary of findings

5.2 Recommendations

5.3 Conclusion

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

For over a decade and half now, which specialize in the production of

quality Mercedes Benz products like: Benz vehicles such as tippers, lorries,

tankers, jeeps and a lot a host of others has for the nation of fears been keeping

the nation on a regular speed.

Utilizing considerable ideal components these vehicles are built as

nothing but replica of the household Mercedes Benz tradition of excellent and

durability.

At its inception, MB ANAMMCO was nothing but a mere motor

assembling plant, which was initially planned to produce trucks for the

Nigerian market. But today, the prevailing situation with the company situation

with the company has changed drastically from a mere assembling plant to a

manufacturing company. The plant has diversified its product range to include

the full range vehicle for the rapid commercial vehicle for the rapid

industrialization of the country. It not only produces trucks such as L800,

L1418, and ACTROS, but has gone a step further in design, fabrication

manufacturing production and sales of buses and other utility vehicle.

Part of its product range include MBO 800, MBO 1418, MBO 1721,

MBO 400 Marcopolo/Busscar, fire fighting vehicles Ambulances, Mobile

Clinics, Refuse Collectors and other various specialized types of vehicle.

Unstressed by the evergreen availability of genuine spare parts and

efficiently of their sales services which is a major trait of any personal selling

effort, MB ANAMMCO has not only been keeping the nation a motion but has

also been baron with regard to the incessant strife towards developing the path

to establishing an indigenous auto industry.

The company is a joint venture between the federal government of

Nigeria and Daimler Chrysler AG. It is a franchising one, which was

commissioned on July 8, 1980 and started its official production in January

1981 having been mandated by the original owner of the Mercedes Benz

trademark.

At its preamble, Mercedes Bens ANAMMCO was established with its

cooperate headquarters at Emene industrial layout PMB 2523 in Enugu state.

However, the aforementioned company having attained the peak in the

field of manufacturing as well as the provision of after sales services in the

motor industry had decided to spread its sales offices over almost all states in

Nigeria. Primarily as a result of increase in the demand for its products and

thus positive experience is due mainly to the dissemination of words of mouths

to others who have not detected the wonders in the company’s products

especially in the areas of efficiency, durability, prestige, comfort and a host of

others.

This words of mouth confession being made by both current as well as

previous patronized of the firms product is a partial brain behind the

company’s elevation in production capacity in previous years and this also

created rooms for the absorption of more workers in the divergent department,

thus helped to reduce the high rate of social menace that would have associated

the situation of mass unemployment.

Thus certain individuals particularly the enlightened have been thanking

ANAMCO for its laudable act in the continued improvement into our economy

through its previous but high productive attainment bin the previous years.

However, the senior assistant manager in charge of franchise and

marketing development has not failed to give credence to the various

promotional techniques in ensuring the previous attainment. According to him,,

the use of promotional tools are indispensable in the marketing of capital

(industrial) foods. This is apparent as users of such products are seeking both

current information as well as the provision of after sales services and those

terms related to the purchase and application of industrial (capital) goods.

However, the aforementioned company which either had attained the

peak in the motor manufacturing industry has started experiencing a dwindling

ground in its sales volume and market share. This current situation has thrown

the management of the aforementioned company into chaos as a reliable

percentage of their market shares have been captured by other competitions in

the same industry.

According to an insider, this nauseating experience is accounted for by a

number of recent developments. Some of these developments are:

The incessant increase in the number of companies currently involved in

the manufacturing and sales of different cars, trucks etc and besides the

increase and efficient application of the divergent promotional tools.

In accordance with his contention, previously, there were relatively few

firms in the motor industry and thus tends to reduce the level of competition

among the few producers; he further stipulated that under such situation a

particular firm will generate a reliable volume with a minimum promotional

effort of ANAMMCO as at the said era.

He buttered his points by revealing that increase in the number of

companies constituting a particular industry is synonymous to increase in

technological developments and innovations as well as extreme competitions

coupled with efficient utilization of the promotional strategies.

Before this experience of related sales volume and profitability, the

management of the company has been adopting both advertising, publicity

sales promotion and personal selling in relating as well as persuading both

current and potential customers to indulge in the constant application of the

company’s products.

However, the management of ANAMMCO is not skeptical regarding the

wonders of personal selling in the marketing of capital goods and that this

promotol could only justify its wonders in capital goods marketing, only when

it is effective. To this end, the management is interested in knowing if its sales

force is effective or otherwise. This is the core of this study.

1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

Selling has been a standard business activity for thousands of years. The

earliest peddlers were traders who had some type of ownership interest in the

goods they sold after manufacturing or importing them. In many cases, these

people viewed selling as a secondary activity.

Selling later became a separate business function. The peddlers of the

18th century sold to the farmers and settlers of the vast North American

continent. In the 19th century, sales people called drummers sold to both

consumers and marketing intermediaries. These early sellers sometimes used

questionable sales practices and technique, and they carried undesirable

reputations for themselves and their firms.

But selling is far different from what it was in its early years. Far from

the fast-talking, joke telling, backslapping caritures in some novels and comic

strips, today’s sales person is usually a professional. Professor Ingram and

Laforge (1995 defined sales professionalism as, a “a customer-oriented

approach that employs truthful, non manipulative tactics to satisfy the long

term needs of both the customer and the selling firm”. Professional sales

people are problem solvers, focusing on satisfying the needs of customers

before, during and after the sale. They are armed with knowledge about their

firm’s goods or services, those of competitors and their customers businesses.

Personal selling today is a vital, vibrant dynamic process. It is an

interpersonal persuasion process designed to influence certain persons

decisions it is an important ingredient available to the executive responsible for

determining the promotional mix. It involves face-to-face experience between

the seller on his/her representative and the prospective customers as the case

may be. The effectiveness of personal selling as a major promotional tools in

the industrial (capital) goods industry cannot be over emphasized. Sales forces

accomplish this objective in a number of ways.

According to Ropers, (1992 P 40) management, personal selling has

become one of the vital promotional tools in marketing. He further buttressed

the above all the theorists’ planners must have had their moment and the

predicaments associated with production, finance and labour have been

resolved then someone has to go out and knock at someone’s door and sell.

This revelation is apparently acceptable because a product cannot be

produced at Enugu and is not available in a place like Lagos where such

product is highly needed. This is the significance behind the notion of sales

contention that, the sale people for prospecting, the should investigate into the

needs of consumers as well as filling them with satisfaction and optimize profit

objective.

A critical analysis of the aforementioned statement highlight the

importance’s of the effectiveness of personal selling on the marketing of

capital goods. A product may be of extremely high grade but has no utility it

gets to the hands of prospective buyers; and the most appropriate state for

passing products from manufacturing arena to the hands of potential buyers

happens to be through personal selling. It is pertinent to recognize at this

moment that personal selling is nothing but a Herculean task.

This is so as the sale-person has little or no time for rest primarily

because he/she indulges at home works and at certain times involves himself in

some sale calls that, may never result into sales.

A sales philosopher called “stake holders alignment” says that people

attempts to become partners with their customers. He continued by saying that

sale people should have more of business mentality and contemplate more on

the customers profit needs.

How someone sells is an offspring of what is being sold. To this regard,

good sales person should be able to identify correctly the persuasive message

that is precise in a given sales situation.

MB ANAMMCO is a global and also a franchising company whose

headquarter is in Germany with its subsidiary manufacturing plant located at

Emene industrial layout here in Enugu state. As the company began to

experience increase in productivity sales volumes, it states opening sales

branches in different states of the country. It has been a leading firm in the

motor industry with transparent image.

However, in recent times the company stated experiencing a reduction in

its market share and this is willing but a problem and if not taking care of will

affect the companies past glory.

1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEMS

Anambra motor manufacturing company has started experiencing a

reduction in its sales volumes in recent times.

This low sales volume is as result of a keen competition that exists in the

industry.

Thos situation is a direct opposite of what the company used to witness

in the previous years.

The reason for the new low sales volumes leading to other serious

problems like reduced profitability, low market share, reduction in the rate of

promotion as well as that of employment is still unknown to the management

of the company.

However, the company’s management is seriously questioning the

effectiveness of the sales force other problems like.

- Is the ratio of sales expenses to sales volumes high or low?

- Is the ration of sales to sales calls high on low?

- Does the company not budget enough for sales reps, these and other

issues will form the task of this research work.

1.3 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

Whatever the nature and structure of an organization is personal selling

activities needs to be inculcated. Personal selling has over he years been seen

as the bedrock of a company’s success which helps to generate more funds for

company’s operation.

It is therefore one aim of the researcher in this study, which was

conducted in Anambra motor manufacturing company ANAMMCO Enugu to

focus on the finding on the following activities.

(1) To know the effectiveness of personal selling in the creation of

awareness.

(2) To study how ANAMMCO product demonstration awakens the

customers interests.

(3) To know if the rate of company’s sales expenses to sales volume is

high or low

(4) To study the performance of ANAMMCO sales persons and how

their performance affects the company’s profit.

1.4 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

Whatever the nature and structure of an organization is, personal selling

activities need to be menlcated. Personal selling has over the years been has

over the years been seen as the bedrock of a company’s success which helps to

generate more funds for company’s operation.

It is therefore the aim of the researcher in this study which of the was

conducted in Anambra Motor manufacturing company ANAMMCO Enugu to

focus on the following activities.

i. To know the effectiveness of persona selling in the creation of

awareness

ii. To study how ANAMMCO product demonstration awakens

the customers interest.

iii. To know if the customers patronage is high a low relation to

personal selling activities ANAMMCO

iv. To know if the ratio of the company’s sales expenses to sales

volume is high or low.

v. To study the performance of ANAMMCO sales persons and

how their performance affects the company’ profit.

1.4 FORMULATION OF HYPOTHESES

This study is meant to know the effectiveness of personal selling in the

marketing of capital goods of Anambra Motor Manufacturing company

ANAMMCO. The following hypotheses are therefore formed for this study

Ho: Personal selling activities of ANAMMCO do not create awareness of

their product

Hi: Personal selling activities also in the marketing of ANAMMCO products

do not awaken the customers interests.

H2: Personal selling activities adopted in the marketing of ANAMMCO

products awaken the customer interest.

Ho3: Personal selling activities of ANAMMCO does not head to increased

customers patronage of their goods.

H3: Personal selling activities of ANAMMCO leads to increased customers

patronage of their goods

Ho4: Personal selling activities of ANAMMCO impacts negatively on the

profit of the organization

H4: Personal selling activities of ANAMMCO does impacts negatively on

the profit of the organization

1.5 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

According to Brown S. (1991:169) “it is a company is to continue

answering its customers patronage, then it has no other alternative than the

maintenance of a clear cut competitive advantage and managing the marketing

mix in a manner that will ensure continuous customers satisfaction”.

Mercedes Benz Anammco has been and will continue to strive holder in

the area of cooperate and social responsibilities says the public relation

manager MB ANAMMCO Enugu.

To this end the significant of this study are as follows:

(i) To help the MB ANAMMCO management to overcome the problems

of low sales volume as well as make use of the recommendations to

tackle other problems.

(ii) It is also the primarily view of the researcher that both current and

potential researchers will find this work relevant with regard to

directing and facilitating the bearing and solution of their problem in

relation to this study

(iii) The study will also be of paramount importance to other companies

in the same industry with ANAMMCO in their strife to surmount low

sales volumes and low profitability.

(iv) This study also will help the researcher to gain more experiences to

be a field sales person.

1.6 SCOPE OF THE STUDY

These study aught to have taken a wider dimension to make it more

elaborate. However, because the researcher of this study is a student and do not

have enough time and resources, to study the whole ANAMMCO branches and

customers in the country, the scope was restricted to the findings in Enugu

metropolis.

1.7 DEFINITION OFTERMS

(a) ANAMMCO:

Anambra Motor Manufacturing Company

(b) M.B

Mercedes Benz

© Capital/ Industrial Goods:-

Goods/Products intended to be used for further production (Odoh

2003:2)

(d) Promotools:-

All short term devices utilized in boosting sales (Adirika, Ebue, Nnolin

1996: 143)

(e) Sales Force Size:-

Number of sales representative in a company (Adirika, Ebue, Nnolin

1996:143)

(f) Trade Ins:-

Allowances given for a used item. When a customer purchases a new

item. (Boone & Kuntz 1995:721)

(g) Cognition Dissonance:-

Post – purchase anxiety that results when an in balance exists among an

individuals cognitions (knowledge beliefs, and attitudes). (Boone &

Kurtz 1995: 272)

(h) Push Strategy:-

Promotional effort by a seller to members of the distribution channel

goods and service, thereby pushing it through the marketing channel

(Boone & Kurtz 1995:582)

(i) Sales Quota:-

Level expected sales on profits for a territory, product, customer or sales

person against which actual results are compared (Boone & Kurtz

1995:663)

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