Personal selling is the most costly method of communication . However, the effectiveness of personal selling, due to its advantages in flexibility and control, justifies its high cost. Through these relationships the firms provide superior value to their customers. They are the primary link between the buying and selling firms. Salespeople's performance has considerable effect on the value customers get from the relationship and the customer's interest in continuing the relationship.
Customers often have greater loyalty to salespeople than to the firms employing the salespeople.
When firms focus on developing partnering relationships, salespeople become relationship managers. They are responsible for identifying opportunities for creating value and organizing the resources of their companies to make sure these opportunities are exploited. The activities of salespeople depend on the type of selling job they choose. The responsibilities of salespeople selling financial services for General Electric differ greatly from those of salespeople selling pharmaceuticals for Merck or paper products for James River. But certain basic activities are common to all types of selling.