Final answer:
Personal selling is a potent marketing tool that facilitates direct customer engagement and customized sales tactics, contributing to a strong national reputation and sustainable success in a perfectly competitive market.
Step-by-step explanation:
The effectiveness of personal selling in promoting a business product can be significant, as it allows businesses to directly engage with potential customers and tailor their sales approach to individual needs. Companies that manage to ensure the consistency of their product and safeguard their brand integrity can build a strong national reputation, as exemplified by the development of national brands like Coca-Cola and Crisco. Personal selling also plays an important role in a perfectly competitive market, where differentiation is key.
In such markets, an aggressive advertising campaign might increase sales in the short term, but building relationships through personal selling can lead to more sustainable success. Ultimately, combining personal selling with other marketing strategies, as suggested by the historical context of national brand development and professional marketing programs like those created at Wharton School, can result in better or less expensive products for consumers, increased profits for businesses, and higher income for employees.