WHAT IS CAMBACEO? CHARACTERISTICS, ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES - DUDAS - 2025

The cambaceo is the name given to one of the oldest sales strategies, in which a person is engaged in offering a product or service directly to each of your potential buyers or customers. It is, in other words, the “face to face” or “door to door” sales system.

The seller is generally the own producer or manufacturer of some good or service, although it can also be a professional seller hired for this purpose. For example, a representative of an insurance company visits potential clients at their offices to try to sell them their services.

The cambaceo system as it was conceived in its beginnings, has been falling into disuse, since it originated as a way to bring products closer to those consumers geographically far from urban areas and formally established markets.

However, cambaceo is still a current form of sale and, in some cases, very successful. Such is the case of catalog sales of beauty products or articles for the home, the so-called “multilevel sales” that employ salespeople who are increasing in scale as they recruit more people to multiply sales.

Also, the traditional “door-to-door” vendors that continue to exist, especially in rural areas without internet access and without a wide range of goods and services available.

Cambaceo main characteristics

-About products and services to people geographically far from shopping centers or to those who, for some reason, cannot move to these centers.

-It offers a relatively small quantity and variety of products or services.

-The goods are offered directly or shown through catalogs with photographs; in this case, the customer selects the products to their liking and the seller delivers them on a next visit.

-It allows the commercial transaction of goods and services to those people who are not included in the formal financial system, that is, those who do not have credit cards, bank accounts, etc.

-Generally it does not have advertising in mass media and it uses domestic and rudimentary marketing.

-By not being immersed in the formal commercial system, the cambaceo offers better prices, since it does not have additional costs such as advertising, distribution and payment of taxes that make products more expensive.

-Thanks to the direct dealings with the consumer, the cambaceo allows payment facilities adapted to the possibilities of each client.

Advantages of cambaceo

-The seller has the possibility to meet his client directly, without intermediaries, and interact with him as many times and as long as necessary in his place of residence or work.

-This face-to-face contact gives the merchant first-hand knowledge of their consumer, which is a very valuable tool for the development of their products.

-For the client, this direct and personal contact also guarantees sufficient and adequate information before acquiring the product, assuring him that it will be exactly what he expects and wants from it.

-Allows a thorough and particular evaluation of the advantages and disadvantages of the product or service it offers.

-It makes it easier to make the changes or adjustments that are necessary to better satisfy the needs of the consumer.

-Establish a relationship of trust and knowledge that is not possible through other forms of more massive sales.

-It allows commercial transactions to people who are not included in the banking system.

-This direct contact and intimate knowledge of the client allows the seller to grant domestic loans, payments in installments at a convenience and generally without interest, as well as other benefits, to people who could not always obtain it in the formal market.

-All this is achieved based on a relationship of trust and moral commitment.

-By omitting many steps in the commercial chain, the product reaches the hands of the consumer with less costs, more economical.

-The latter also means less expenses for the producer.

Disadvantages of cambaceo

-The producer or seller has a limited range of action, defined by the ability to reach geographic scope.

-The client has few or limited options to choose from, compared to those offered by the large markets.

-They do not have access to advertising in mass media, therefore they have little or no capacity to compete with large brands or formal establishments.

-The commercial relationship depends on very few people, which makes the maintenance of this relationship fragile at both ends, that is, whether the buyer disappears or the seller disappears.

-In an increasingly insecure world, it is also increasingly difficult to get a customer to open the doors of their home to an unknown seller.

The cambaceo today

We have previously said that cambaceo is an ancient commercial practice and that, as it was conceived in its beginnings, it has fallen into disuse due to the appearance of technology.

But, rather than weakening, the cambaceo has mutated, becoming stronger thanks to these new tools offered by the modern world.

It is a fact that the door-to-door sale of that old seller of milk, brooms and utensils is increasingly unthinkable in large cities.

But it is enough to look at the attitude of politicians in times close to elections to discover a new mode of change.

The "stamping" or house-to-house visit of the candidates is clearly a direct sale in which promises are offered and votes are requested as a form of payment.

On the other hand, it is increasingly common to see how businesses of all types and sizes offer their products or services through the online platform. And this is done by large established businesses, as well as by the small producer or the independent artisan.

It is a new form of cambaceo in which the seller - no longer flesh and blood, but a seller at last - continues to knock on the door of each house to virtually offer their merchandise. The buzzer now is online advertising.

Thanks to the constant optimization of technological resources, the offer to the consumer has been expanded, it has been enriched in terms of its characteristics, specifications and information, as well as the geographical range to which the producer can reach has been extended almost unlimitedly.

The well-known E-Commerce is nothing more than a “digital exchange” that has become a very useful tool for:

• Launch new products and run promotions
• Request "tests" or product tests to key consumers
• Create brand loyalty: the consumer identifies with a product that they consider made to measure and with a brand that speaks directly to them
• Minimize costs by being able to reach exactly the key audience
• Generate greater profitability.

Seen from this angle, the cambaceo, far from dying, has managed to adapt to changes and new realities like few others. It is more alive than ever and it is here to stay.

References

1. Cambaceo. Recovered from es.wikipedia.org
2. What is Cambaceo? Recovered from cambaceo.jimdo.com
3. Abraham Geifman (2012) The cambaceo as a commercial weapon. Recovered from merca20.com
4. Abraham Geifman (2016). Digital Marketing with Salsa. Editorial Innovation Lagares. Mexico.
5. Sales strategies from marketing. Recovered from gestiopolis.com.