Critical success factors in personal selling of computer based products

Abstract

Commercialization of new high-tech products is often the costliest stage of the entire product development process. Yet even when the process is well managed, the risk of failure remains high. New high- tech products usually have just one shot at the market. Get it wrong and the consequences are invariably fatal. And though the launch strategy is critical, this stage is largely neglected in the business press and academic literature on high-tech marketing, innovation and new product development. Furthermore, marketing of high technology products and innovations are never to be the same as marketing of the traditional products and services. Marketers have to deal with customers’ fear, uncertainty, and doubt about how to use and attain the full benefits of using the product. Therefore it needs a different marketing consideration, which is able to deal with uncertainty, fear and doubt. One of the promotional methods that seem able to accommodate these needs is personal selling.