| dc.description.abstract | Today‟s dynamic business environment is continuously changing because of
globalization, regulatory changes, increasing intensity of competition, increasingly
demanding customers, new information technology, and mergers and acquisitions. This
has resulted in markets that can be characterized as increasingly turbulent and volatile and
has caused many organizations to seek competitive capabilities that enable them to
exceed customers‟ expectations and enhance market and financial performance. Firms are
increasingly adopting personal selling in order to reduce costs, increase market share and
sales, and build solid customer relations. When competition is keen and the consumers
are faced with brand choice in the market, it becomes imperative for the retailers to
understand the major factors that can attract the attention of buyers to their outlets. These
then form the basis for personal selling in order to increase the sales and ultimately the
performance of the outlet. The objective of the study was to establish the influence of
personal selling strategies and performance of pharmaceutical firms in Nairobi, Kenya.
The study used descriptive cross sectional survey research design. The population of the
study consisted of all the pharmaceutical firms operating within Nairobi. The study used
primary data which was collected using self-administered questionnaires. The data
collected was analyzed using statistical package for social sciences and presented in
tables and charts. The study found out that the pharmaceutical firms were using personal
selling strategy to market their products and it resulted in improved performance in terms
of greater volume of sales, faster movement of drugs, improved profit margin,
pharmaceutical firm education and sponsorship of events and increased financial
performance. Canned strategy of personal selling resulted in sales people providing
stimuli sought by the buyers until decision is arrived, provides the details that meet
customer need spelled out in the script and that it enables salespeople to keep track of
buyers‟ mental state. System personal selling strategy to market their products and this
enabled the firms to sell products as a package rather than selling them separately or
independently, creates a situation for both buyer and seller and customers were
increasingly looking for a systems‟ solution rather than the buying of an individual
product. | en_US |
