The Internet and personal selling.

Predictions the Internet will cause the imminent demise of personal selling litter the landscape in management literature. None of those we have seen has a solid theoretical or conceptual foundation.

In most instances, bits and pieces of research that seem relevant to making one's case

The tendency of these "futurists" is to see the Internet annihilating systematically a spectrum of existing business methodologies and professions. This is so even when a profession such as personal selling is hardy, vigorous and progressive.

This article explores this propensity. Also, it presents the thesis the Internet is a powerful "utility-like" tool marketers should use as an adjunct to personal selling to deliver more professional, efficient and relevant shopping experiences.

The following forecasts are typical of the changes envisioned by those who see the Internet as revolutionizing, with blazing speed, the retail sector of our economy.

Banking experts saw the dawn of a new era in payment and selling mechanisms in the early 1970s. "The Checkless Society," they maintained, had arrived. Much of their fervor probably was fueled by development of "magnetic ink character recognition" which showed electronic technology could improve the speed and efficiency of check clearance. Impetus to the "end of payment by checks" movement was provided by Internet advances. The Internet, bankers were certain, would enable consumers to make payments electronically and shop from home. Greensheet, a leading financial services publication, truncated such speculation. It reported research conducted in 1998 found: "The use of paper checks will continue to grow for at least another 25 years." Further: "There is no basis for anticipating a "Checkless Society," even by the year 2050, as predicted in the 1970's." Greensheet's conclusion appears sound. Americans wrote more than 68 billion checks in 2001 according to Bank Technology News. This staggering number was writte n in spite of an estimate by the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis that the cost to move a check through the banking system is 80 cents. Included are the costs of paper, printing and mailing.