THE COMMUNICATION GAPS HINDERING SALESPERSON’S COMMUNICATION SUCCESS

The sale of products in physical stores has been greatly supported by the sale of products through live streaming on social media sites. Nowadays, prospective customers are exhibiting heightened scrutiny when making purchases. Therefore, this study aims to explore the communication factors that hinder the buying and selling process between salespeople and their potential customers, whether it's through physical or online channels. The study involved in-depth interviews with 14 students and graduates of Universiti Utara Malaysia. The interviews were conducted face-to-face, via phone calls on WhatsApp, and using the GMeet platform. The study revealed three main themes: interpersonal communication in relationship building, non-verbal communication, and product-related messages. There were nine sub-themes related to interpersonal communication failures in building relationships, which include unfriendliness, and inability to control emotions. As for non-verbal communication, six sub-themes revealed the salesperson's inadequacy in demonstrating communication skills, including immodest clothing, and failure to maintain appropriate distance. The last emerging theme was ineffective product-related messages, including insufficient business communication aids, and messages unrelated to sales products. The findings of this study can help salespeople improve their communication skills, ultimately enhancing their ability to connect with customers and achieve communication success in a sales context.