Effects of Personal Selling on Sales: A Case of Women Groups in Imenti North District, Meru County, Kenya

As firms increase in number, modern marketing calls for more than just producing the products, pricing them and making them accessible to the target market, in addition, they must also communicate to present and potential consumers and the general public. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of personal selling on sales of agricultural products produced by women groups. The population of the study comprised of 100 women groups registered with the Ministry of Sports, Culture and Social Services by December 2012 in Imenti North District in Meru County Kenya engaging in agricultural activities to generate income. Simple random sampling technique was used to determine the sample size of 79. One official from each of these groups was picked as the respondent. Primary data was collected using structured questionnaires which were administered personally. Data was presented by use of frequency tables then analyzed using descriptive statistical techniques such as frequencies and percentages. Categorical data analysis methods were used to aggregate the influence of promotion elements on sales. Chi Square test was used to test the hypotheses. Personal selling was found to be widely used promotion method by women groups where they largely target women. Personal selling was found to have influence on sales of agricultural products produced by women groups.