Selling for entrepreneurs Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Selling for entrepreneurs - Essay Example Personal selling is the personal presentation of products and services by the firm’s sales force for the purpose of making sales and building customer relationships (Kotler & Armstrong, 2004). Thus, personal selling is a tool used in the marketing communications mix and is regarded as the most effective at certain stages of buying process, particularly in building up buyer’s preferences, convictions as well as actions. This strategy is seen as most effective given that it involves personal interaction between two or more people so each person is better positioned to observe the other person’s needs. The effective salesperson needs to keep the interests of the customers at heart in order to build a long term relationship. As such, this sales report seeks to analyse the significance of personal selling in the operations of Forty Travel and Tourism Agency (FTTA). It also seeks to suggest a sales strategy proposal for the growth of business by about 30 per cent. The sales report is divided into different categories which include the following: the organisation’s short history, analysis of the organisation’s key players, overview of resources (people, premises, equipment, financial strength, intangibles, description of the products/services offered as well analysing the market structure. The last part of the report will outline a sales brief for the organisation and the strategies that can be implemented in order for it to gain a competitive advantage. History of the company Forty Travel and Tourism Agency (FTTA) was established on 18 February 2001 in Fujairah, United Arab Emirates (UAE) by Intekhab Jamal. The company has two offices at present and it specifically deals with offering services related to travelling and tourism. This can be categorised as a small to medium enterprise (SME) by virtue of its size compared to the other actors in the same industry. Like any other SME of this nature, FTTA operates on a small scale and it particularly targets individual travellers in its operations and much of the business is conducted through personal interaction with the customers though the company also uses other tools such as the internet and phones. Intekhab who is The President and the founder of FTTA is the major player in the company though he often consults with the branch managers. He established this business with the main aim of satisfying the private and individual segments of customers in the travel and tourism industry that were not fully covered by the large commercial organisations. Intekhab is a very creative and energetic person and he possesses great communication skills. The founder of this organisation has a strong background in marketing and the core business of the company is to market travel and tourism services such as flight and hotel bookings. FTTA is comprised of 19 employees and the Head office is located in the city of Fujaira. It also has another office at the Airport of Fujaira and t his office works as a Call Centre which is operational for 24 hours. The organisation has 17 computers, five printers, three copiers, three fax machines and six landline telephones. However, like any other organisation, FTTA was not spared from the negative impacts of the global financial crisis that gripped the whole world about two years ago. On a positive note, the company’s net profits began to increase gradually from the beginning of 2010. The company has a strong brand image that has been developed over time through networking and communication skills possessed by the employees. The organisation is primarily concerned with quality processes and procedures in a bid to create good reputation since this is seen as the major source of gaining a competitive advantage in this particular industry. FTTA is a travel company which is mainly concerned with offering intangible services such transport and hotel bookings to different people who will be travelling for business, leisur e or study. The company offers services that include boat cruises, hotel bookings, car rentals, travel