Salesmanship as ingredient of marketing

Yes, I agree. Salesmanship is an important ingredient of marketing.

Salesmanship is the ability to persuade people to buy goods or services through personal contact, presenting the benefits in a convincing way. Marketing is the wider process, covering research, product, price, promotion and distribution. Salesmanship is the personal selling element of promotion, and the final step that turns marketing efforts into actual sales.

Reasons

1. Converts interest into sales: Advertising creates awareness, but a salesperson closes the deal.
2. Personal contact and persuasion: Can answer questions, remove doubts and demonstrate the product, useful for complex products such as insurance, software and vehicles.
3. Two-way feedback: The salesperson brings customer opinions and complaints back to management, helping product improvement.
4. Builds relationships and goodwill: Repeat customers and loyalty come from good service.
5. Creates demand: Introduces new products to the market, for example mobile service agents of Nepal Telecom or Ncell.
6. Helps both parties: Customers get advice, and the firm gets revenue.
7. Competitive advantage: When products are similar, good selling skills make the difference.
8. Supports other marketing mix elements: Distribution and after-sales service work through salespeople.

However, salesmanship alone is not marketing. Without a good product, fair price and proper distribution, selling skill cannot sustain a business. Hence it is an essential ingredient but not the whole.