S.No. | Advertising | Personal Selling |
1. | Advertising is an impersonal form of communication | Personal selling is a personal form of communication. |
2. | Advertising involves transmission of standardised messages, i.e., the same message is sent. | In personal selling, the sales talk is adjusted keeping view of the customer's background and needs. |
3. | Advertising is inflexible as the message can’ t be adjusted to the needs of the buyer. | Personal selling is highly flexible. as the message can be adjusted. |
4. | It reaches masses, i.e., a large number of people can be approached. | Only a limited number of people can be contacted because of time and cost considerations. |
5. | In advertising the cost per person reached is very low. | The cost per person is quite high in the case of personal selling. |
6. | Advertising can cover the market in a short time. | Personal selling efforts take a lot of time to cover the entire market. |
7. | Advertising makes use of mass media such television, radio, newspaper, and magazines. | Personal selling makes use of sales staff, which has limited reach. |
8. | Advertising lacks direct feedback. Marketing research efforts are needed to judge customers’ reactions to advertising | Personal selling provides direct and immediate feedback. Sales persons come to know about the customers’ reactions immediately |
9. | Advertising is more useful in creating and building interest of the consumers in the firm's products. | Personal selling plays an important role at the awareness stage of decision making. |
10. | Advertising is more useful in marketing to the ultimate consumers who are large in numbers. | Personal selling is more useful in selling products to the industrial buyers or to intermediaries such as dealers and retailers who are relatively few in number. |