In this epoch of competitory market, typical merchandise features entirely can non vouch the long term sustainability of the organisation, because new merchandises with improved characteristics are introduced continually by rivals to carry through the of all time altering demands of the consumers ( Kotler, 1972, p. 46 ) . New ways are required to be identified and introduced to market the merchandises with focal point on making long term profitable relationships with clients ( Afuwale, 2009 ) . Transaction and exchange based selling remained predominant for longer period of clip, but now it is non compatible with this altering universe because many research workers like ( Morgan and Hunt 1994 ; Kohn 1986 ; Williamson 1975 ; Heide and John 1992 ; Williamson 1985 ) believe that it creates the struggles, self involvement, competition and higher cost for the sellers. On the other manus relationship selling and experiential selling switch the competition and struggles into common coaction and mutuality and it besides enhances the selling productiveness by acquiring efficiency and effectivity in the selling activities ( Sheth and Sisodia 1995 ) . Relationship and experiential selling are emerging techniques, these are thought to be effectual to make long term profitable relationship, trade name trueness, and to increase mean lifetime value ( Sheth and Parvatiyar 1994 ) . Consumers are human existences with emotional and rational features and they are concerned with accomplishing value through enjoyable experiences while using/consuming the merchandise or service. In this survey it has been found that experiential selling is the harmonising force to relationship selling and these techniques are really much helpful for making trust, committedness, trueness, positive word of oral cavity and high value between the clients and houses ( Shaz, 2008 ; Afuwale, 2009 ; Tsai, 2008 ) .
Relationship selling consists of determination, edifice, managing, bettering, changing and executing of relationships with clients in order to maximise the value creative activity for the clients every bit good as for houses in footings of net incomes ( Sheth and Parvatiyar, 1995 ) . Current popularity of the relationship selling is the metempsychosis of the selling activities of the pre-industrial epoch, because at that clip makers and the clients meet straight in the minutess and developing emotional bonds with each other ( Nevett, T, and Nevett, L. , 1987 ; Pryor, F.L, 1977, Walle, A. , 1987 ) . Now yearss the development of relationship selling construct is besides non wholly a new facet, because if we would see earlier than 1990 ‘s, relationship orientation of the selling is much prominent ( Bartels 1962 ) .
Right from the start of the industrial epoch to till early 1990s, the intent of selling was to make successful exchange between clients and companies. But different Research surveies of 1990 ‘s proved that the cost of geting a new client is six times more than to keep an bing one ( Sheth and Parvatiyar, 1995 ) . Due to these researches, houses become more witting about the cognition of the clients. Firms try to heighten the trueness of the clients to better its selling activities and suit the monetary values, merchandises and services in conformity to peculiar type of clients ( Sheth and Parvatiyar, 1995 ) . So the construct of selling is changed now due to its orientation from dealing based to relationship based selling ( Kotler 1990 ; Webster 1992 ) . Now relationship selling is considered really of import facet in the mainstream selling.
Nature, range and background of EM
In today ‘s universe, Numberss of apathetic consumers are turning twenty-four hours by twenty-four hours. It is challenge for the sellers to happen out such type of ways, so that they can acquire the audience attracted towards them and in this manner finally capture the consumers. In recent times experiential selling has become one of the best tools to react this kind of challenge ( Sheth and Parvatiyar, 1995 ) . In experiential selling the word experiential is derived from experience, which is holding its inception from “ exprientia ” , which means to prove and happen out something new. ( Keller, 2003 ) . Experiential selling is about taking the psyche of a merchandise and using it into experience which motivates the clients toward the offering. In-spite of watching the offerings of a company through different promotional tools, consumers feel about the offering as a portion of it ( Pine, B.J and Gilmore, J.H. , 1999 ) . Harmonizing to Pine and Gilmore ( 1999, p,2 ) , experiential selling can be viewed as, when a consumer purchases a service, he gets the set of intangibles, but when he purchases an experience, he bears the cost to hold joyful clip in unforgettable events that a company arranges to indulge him in an emotional manner. The experiential position of selling is different from the ingestion doctrine and the truth of experience plays a major function in consumer life now a twenty-four hours ( Fournier, 1998 ) .
There are figure of applications of experiential selling, and these all applications have one end that permits consumers to see the trade name through all senses ( Hein, 2007 ) . Experiential selling concerns efficaciously in many state of affairss to increase the gross revenues of the worsening trade name, to distinct a merchandise from its rivals, to heighten invention credence and besides to heighten the trueness of the clients ( H.Schmitt, 1999 ) . Harmonizing to the study of marketing bureau of New York consumers feel that, experiential selling is a major tool that leads the clients to the ultimate purchase ( Chang, 2006 ) . Bernard Schmitt ( 2000 ) says, consumers want that merchandise, communicating and selling activities that can astonish and impact their senses and emotions. So they want the offering of the company to supply them an experience. So other than the confidence of goods and service quality some companies besides promised to supply experience in order to acquire trueness and longer term relationship from the clients ( Rasmussen, 2000 ) .
EM and RM complement each other
Harmonizing to Kotler ( 2002 ) experiential selling can be defined as designing and developing peculiar message for the peculiar mark market about a specific event or experience and see an of import tool of the relationship selling. The chief intent of Relationship selling is really much similar with the experiential selling, as relationship selling attempt to affect and incorporate the clients, supplies and other stakeholders in the selling activities to make strong trade name name and organisational development and create long term relationship with a positive experience about merchandise and service ( McKenna, 1991 ; Shani and Chalasani, 1991 ; Sheth and Parvatiyar, 1995 ) . Harmonizing to Schultz ( 2005 ) , for strong trade name name sellers are non every bit much responsible as the clients and their observation, recommendation and preservation sing the trade name. The favourable observation, preservation and recommendation can merely be achieve though by developing long term relationship with the clients and besides supplying them experience of the merchandise for observation, preservation and recommendation in order to bring forth positive word of oral cavity, trade name trueness and sustainable relationship with the clients ( Shaz, 2008 ) .
Experiential selling non merely has a great impact on the clients in edifice relationship for a longer period of clip but besides of import for short term addition in the sale ( Sneath et al, 2005 ) . Purpose of both experiential selling and relationship is to make the long term committedness, trust, cooperation and mutuality between the clients and organisation ( Williamson, 1979 ; Anderson and Weitz, 1992 ) . Both experiential and relationship selling are used really much in B 2 B trade shows and selling activities, the intent of both is to make the client trueness and profitableness ( Oliver 1999 ; Payne and Rickard 1997 ; Reichheld and Sasser 1990 ) , better personal communicating ( Gremler and Brown 1994 ; Zeithaml and Bitner 1996 ) . Commitment and trust are the other major factors which encourage relationship selling to utilize experiential selling for the better consequences and public presentations ( Geyskens et al. 1996 ; Moorman, Zaltman, and Deshpande 1992 ; Sollner 1994 ) . Another similar thing which makes the experiential selling an of import portion of the relationship selling is that it provides the chance to sellers to do one to one interaction and acquire in deepness acquisition of clients demands and wants and besides to acquire true information about the clients outlooks and the degree of contentment which is derived from the merchandise experience ( Afuwale, 2009 ) . The success and effectivity of the experiential selling depends upon the successful event selling and it is depended on relationship selling. For the successful event selling, sellers need to hold a clear information and information about the clients who are take parting in the event which is besides necessary for the relationship selling ( Palmer, 2002 ) . Thus truly good event planning and direction need good relationship direction, identifying and acquiring feedback from the optimum clients and so follow up in the experiential selling can be achieved through relationship selling ( Pressey & A ; Mathews, 2000 ) .
Experiential selling schemes
Harmonizing to Schmitt ( 1999 ) there are five types of client schemes to supply the experience to clients and develop long term relationship with them.
First one is sense selling ; it focuses on the five senses which are vision, hearing, smelling, gustatory sensation and touch. It is really used to supply pleasance, exhilaration, satisfaction and development of long term relationship with the client. Second scheme for the experiential selling is feel selling, clients have some interior feeling and emotions and in the feel selling consumers are encouraged to take part automatically in the procedure and show their feeling which is really much helpful for creative activity of long term relationship. Following scheme is think selling, it helps the sellers to make the cognitive thought and work out the jobs of the consumers in advanced manner. It encourages the clients to believe sing the merchandise or service and supply utile information for his demands and wants and their fulfilment and in this manner it becomes a beginning of long term relationship. Fourth scheme of experiential selling is act selling ; physical experience, life manner and interactions are tactics which are used to model the long term behaviour about any merchandise and service. And the concluding is Relate selling which posses the features of all above schemes. Relate selling demands of self betterment of personal desire and depending on ego betterment and developing societal web and development longer term relationship.
It has become hard for the sellers to make and retain the clients by utilizing the mass and dealing oriented selling. There is consistent alteration in the demands and wants of the clients and competition among the different merchandise and services is besides increasing twenty-four hours by twenty-four hours. So in this state of affairs, negative word of oral cavity or any bad intelligence about the trade name or company can pulverize its reputation and it may confront immense losingss. Trade names can minimise this hazard and besides they can increase the sale, profitableness, trueness, trust and positive word of worth by developing the long term relationship with them and supplying them see about your merchandise and service. The importance of the relationship selling in the mainstream selling is increasing continuously and experiential selling is considered as an effectual tool to heighten it. Without good experience no merchandise or service can be sustained in the market. So it is really of import for establishing a new trade name every bit good as for established trade name to utilize experiential selling and supply them good experience about your merchandise and service which may make positive word of oral cavity, trueness and long term relationship with the clients. Finally If, intelligently applied experiential selling can go an of import tool of relationship selling for developing long term relationship with the clients.