Ch.17 Personal Selling And Sales Management

There are many forms of promotion that a company can use, one of the most effective forms being personal selling. Personal selling consists of a personal interaction between the seller and the prospective buyer. In the early 20th century, beauty products were mainly sold through door to door sales presentations , which is one of the first ways Maybelline was able to reach their target market. Today, beauty products are only sold this way by companies such as Avon, and individuals who buy wholesale products and attempt to sell them to people they know. The best and most used form of personal selling today, is relationship/consultative selling, which companies mainly execute through highly interactive and trained sales representatives in their store locations. Sales representatives are a big influence on customer's decision-making and their purchases.
A good sales representative is friendly, knowledgable, reassuring, and especially convincing. Most consumers are more compelled to making a purchase when they feel like they are getting a second opinion, they are being taken care of, and they feel like they are important to the company. One of the most important aspects of this type of personal selling is allowing consumers to try on the products, which allows them to be more sure of the purchase they are making, and to experience the benefits the products provide.

Unfortunately, Maybelline does not have any physical stores, which significantly minimizes their personal selling ability. Having a physical store location would be very beneficial to Maybelline and would highly increase sales. Maybelline has the ability to create a beautiful, fun, and colorful store atmosphere which would undoubtedly bring in loyal and new customers alike. One of the biggest problems women have when purchasing beauty products, is the great uncertainty of not knowing whether or not they will really like the product, or more importantly, if the product will fit their unique needs. I have stood in front of the Maybelline section of the drugstore many times staring at a sealed product that I would like to buy, and wishing I could just rip off the packaging and try on the product. When this happens, I usually walk away without that product. A Maybelline store where prospective customers can try on products, have their makeup done by makeup artists (similar to MAC and Sephora stores), interact with sales representatives, and be surrounded by other women who love makeup, will increase the long-term relationships between Maybelline and its consumers, and will increase sales significantly.

One approach that Maybelline takes at personal selling is holding events at which they set up makeup booths, and interact with customers.The photo above, was taken at a "Pretty In Pink" Beauty Fair hosted by Cosmopolitan Magazine and the Robinson's Department Store. At events like these, Maybelline booths are set up with a variety of products, and staffed by professional makeup artists who give prospective customers free makeovers, and share beauty tips. Maybelline also hosts their own events at which they can interact with customers, especially during Mercedes Benz Fashion Week. 

                   

             

Another big way in which Maybelline uses personal selling to reach their target market is by social networks and their own website. Social networks such as Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram significantly help to create and maintain relationships with their customers. These media outlets also play a big role in sales, because they allow Maybelline to perform needs assessments, in which they determine what are the needs of their target market and what are the benefits they seek. Social media outlets are also largely used as a follow-up tool, through which Maybelline personnel, can directly ask consumers to share their thoughts on a specific product. This is different from reviews written on other sites, because customers can feel like they are directly voicing their opinions, and like they are interacting directly with Maybelline. On the official Maybelline Website and on their Youtube Channel, Maybelline representatives post video tutorials for their products, which is a great way to interact with consumers through technology and the internet. These video tutorials teach women how to create different trendy looks using Maybelline products. 

The following video is a tutorial posted to both Maybelline.com and Youtube. In this tutorial, a professional makeup artist from Maybelline New York, Julianne Kay demonstrates how to get a natural look that can "highlight your features, without overdoing it".