Professional Selling

Assignment Instructions
This project will be composed of a Paper Submission and a Video Submission (Presentation).
• The Paper will be valued at 15%
• The Video/Presentation will be valued at 10%
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Background:
The selling process (See Exhibit 6-1) has as its core, the sales presentation, but it includes a number of other steps as well. The presentation is the culmination of a significant amount of preparatory work by the salesperson.
This project will take the “selling process,” from prospecting through to the follow-up stage, and will highlight the techniques used by the professional salesperson to achieve his or her goal.
You will assume the role of the salesperson to both do the planning and to design a sales presentation.
Unlike an actual sales call, here you are guaranteed to make the sale. However, the customer will raise several objections that you will deal with in the course of your presentation. This is actually a good technique to “build” your project as dealing with objections ensures that you explain the FAB’s and that two-way communication is taking place.
Even though you can choose your buyer, you need to give them instructions as to the basic attitude toward you and your proposition. In general, the attitude should be to appear not to want to buy but does buy; must give a minimum of two objections and two times to say “will not buy”
As a salesperson you will take on the role of trying to sell a product. You will choose a buyer to who you will attempt to sell your product.
• You must create and turn in for grading, an original, typed, double-spaced assignment paper. The paper will include several items, as outlined below. The paper will not be returned to you, so you should keep a copy.

• You must also prepare, execute and record a Prospecting Call/Meeting, a Sales Presentation, and a Follow-up Call/Meeting – that you will forward to your instructor for grading. These videos should be submitted on either a Cd-Rom disk, a DVD disk, or SD media card. The total video should be a minimum of 15 minutes in length.
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The Paper should contain:
• A Cover Sheet

• The “Calling Card” – you will create a business card for yourself. (On page(s) of its own – with title)

• A Customer Analysis. (On page(s) of its own – with title) (1) description of the customer – the individual- you are calling on, (2) internet road map and direction, (3) internet weather.

• Your Sales Calls Objectives (On page(s) of its own – with title)

• A “Customer Profile and Planning Sheet” (see chapter 7) containing: (On page(s) of its own – with title)

o Name of the company

o Address of company

o Type of business

o Name of buyer

o People who will influence the buying decision or aid in using or seeing your product

o Buying hours and best time to see buyer

o Receptionists name

o Buyer’s personality type (see chapter 3)

o Buyer’s important buying needs

• A Competitive Analysis. (On page(s) of its own – with title)

• The Customer Benefit Plan (FABs). (On page(s) of its own – with title)

• A Marketing Plan. (On page(s) of its own – with title)

• A Business Proposition, including “Profit Forecaster.” (On page(s) of its own – with title)

• A Suggested Order. (On page(s) of its own – with title)

• A Copy of your Visuals that you will use in your presentation. (On page(s) of its own – with title)

• The Script – containing buyer and seller dialogue, should be divided into three parts:

1. The Prospecting Script
2. The Sales Presentation Script
 Approach
 Product
 Marketing Plan
 Business Proposition
 Suggested Purchase Order
 Close
 Exit
 NOTE: Ensure that your presentation offers multiple trial closes, objection responses, and the meeting of these objections.
3. The Follow-Up Script
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The Class Presentation should contain:
• A Prospecting Call or Meeting that results in a Sales Presentation Meeting.
• The Sales Presentation. This must be a face-to-face meeting.
• A Follow-Up Call or Meeting.
The Presentation will be made to the class and a Presentation Rubric Valued at 10% will be used as a guide for this presentation.
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Assignment Notes:
• The key to making a good grade is to incorporate the selling techniques from the text. For example, creative demonstrations are a must; techniques to overcome objections are essential; the use of questions is extremely important; and you cannot make the grade without great visuals.

• One very important thing that I am looking for is for you to tie together the buyer’s needs uncovered in the pre-approach to the approach and the SELL sequences. This should ultimately form your presentation, handling of objections, and closes.
Other Points to Remember:
• Ensure that you have included a Cover Page for your paper.

• A Table of Contents would add to the presentation of your assignment (optional).

• The paper must be typed (12 size font and double-spaced).

• Provide the appearance, mannerism, and attitude adhered to by a professional; salesperson during your presentation.

• In your script, Title the selling techniques that you are using at different stages, i.e. objection #1, objection #2.

• Clearly label the sections of your script.

• Provide a sales demonstration of major benefit in your presentation. Simply showing your product is not a major benefit demonstration.

• Do not read from a script during your video presentation.

• Double-check the grammar, spelling, etc. in your final paper submission.

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MR1600 Student Grading Checklist Sales Simulation Term Project Paper – 15%
Paper Components Value Assigned
Customer Analysis 5
Sales Call Objective 5
Customer Profile & Planning Sheet 3
Sales Situation 3
Plan Your Approach 3
Competitive Analysis
5
Customer Benefit Plan:

Features 3
Advantages 3

Benefits 3
Marketing Plan
5
Business Proposition 3

Suggested Order 3

Script 3
The Sales Presentation Script 3

Product using sell sequences 5
Marketing Plan using sell sequences
5
Follow-up Script
2
References 1

Appendix – Sales Presentation Script and PowerPoint Slides 2
Appendix – Detailed Price List
2
Appendix – Suggested Order Listing 2
Internet Road Map and Weather Map 1
Student Score above #/70 points
E.g. A student earning 62 points out of 70 total points: 62/70 points x 15% = 13.3% Final Grade #/15%

Example
Example of Maxwell House Coffee Sales Presentation Dialogue
APPROACH using SPIN (Name of your approach)
Buyer: Hello, I’m Ms. Arrona
Seller: Hello, I’m Melissa Albin, it’s nice to meet you. I appreciate you seeing me this afternoon.
Buyer: Please have a seat
Seller: Thank-you. Here let me give you one of my business cards. I understand that you are responsible for the fountain, juice, coffee, and water categories in the Stop n Go convenience stores. Is that correct?
Buyer: Yes, I buy for over 900 stores, and it can get pretty hectic
Seller: I can imagine. So how many of those Stop n Go’s currently have self-service setups? (SPIN-situation)
Buyer: There are 650 stores
Seller: As the Coffee buyer, I now you must keep a close watch on coffee self-service sales. Have you noticed any trends recently? (SPIN-situation)
Buyer: Yes, actually our coffee sales have been showing slight decreases over the least few months
Seller: Is that normal to be showing decreases this time of year? (SPIN-problem)
Buyer: No, coffee sales usually remain pretty consistent over the year with slight increases when the weather turns cold. Coffee drinkers usually purchase coffee year round keeping our sales at a constant rate.
Seller: So, your decreasing sales have obviously led to smaller profit. (SPIN-implication)
Buyer: Yes. I was just going over that (looking at computer printout). We are down about $150 per store in almost all of our stores.
Seller: Do you ever receive customer complaints on the quality of coffee Stop n Go sells?
Buyer: Yes, unfortunately we do receive such complaints mainly on the taste. It is difficult to keep a constant watch over our employees, or even provide the proper training on how to prepare the coffee.
Seller: In other words, not only are you losing coffee sales, but also sales of related products customers would have purchased. (SPIN-problem and implication)
Buyer: Yes!
Seller: Ms. Arrona, would you be interested in a coffee program providing you with a great tasting coffee to your customers, plus excellent profits to you? (SPIN-need payoff)
Buyer: Yes, I’m always interested in increasing our sales

PRODUCT USING SELL SEQUENCES
Seller: As you may know, Maxwell House has been selling coffee for one-hundred years. The “good to the last drop” slogan is synonymous with a superior cup of coffee (metaphor). Over 23 million Americans purchase Maxwell House for consumption in their homes (feature). Maxwell House Coffee holds the number one position and Maxwell House Decaffeinated holds the number 2 position in the decaf market (feature). These figures are based on a recent survey published by the American Council of Coffee Producers (proof statement).
What this means is brand imagery and an increased customer base. People love our coffee (advantage).
The Maxwell House name conveys the message to your customers that you care about consistent quality and reflects favorably on your operation. The real benefit to you is increased customer satisfaction and confidence which leads to greater sales and profits (benefits). And that’s what you’re interested in right? (trial close)
Buyer: You bet!

MARKETING PLAN USING SELL SEQUENCES
(The seller has mixed a cup of coffee for the buyer to sample – demonstration)
Buyer: Um, it tastes really good, and it has a very rich flavor
Seller: Maxwell House provides an extensive package when you purchase our product (feature). The first phase of the package is a comprehensive training package for your employees. You mentioned not having adequate time or resources to properly train your employees, correct? (trial close)
Buyer: Yes, that’s correct
Seller: The training program established by Maxwell House will include the following: (features)
• 1. A preventive maintenance video
• 2. Operations guide to proper brewing techniques-stressing the importance of always maintaining a fresh pot of coffee
• 3. Regional training seminars
• 4. Store maintenance checks including an incentive reward program for your employees
The advantage of this program is that your employees understand how to brew a perfect cup of coffee every time, and it ensures consistent quality (advantage). The real benefit is that it will prevent losing customers when they purchase a poor cup of coffee (benefit). See what I mean (trial close)?

BUSINESS PROPOSITION USING SELL SEQUENCE
Seller: Each case of Maxwell House is only $66.67.
Buyer: (interrupting) Wait a minute! That’s over $10.00 more than the price that our current supplier is giving.
Seller: Yes (yes, but acknowledges viewpoint) but we have a quantity discount. When you sign a three-year contract, I can lower that price to only $60.00 a case which is a savings of 10 percent on each case. (feature) Now my product is only $5.00 over your current price per case (advantage) and that additional $5.00 includes a national advertising campaign, a training program for your employees, and P.O.S. kits. (benefits) That’s a lot of benefits for only an extra few dollars a store, don’t you agree? (trial close)
Buyer: Yes
CLOSE
Seller: Ms. Arrona, you liked the national brand recognition Maxwell House offered as well as the comprehensive training program, the P.O.S. kits, and the national ad campaign, right? (close #1, summary of benefits)
Buyer: Yes, but I’ve had no real problems with my current supplier. (source objection)
Seller: I know how you feel (acknowledged viewpoint). Often we are satisfied with something because we have no chance to compare it with something better. I’ve studied your current supplier, and due mostly to their size, they are not able to offer the competitive services that Maxwell House is able to offer, such as the national promotional campaign. (direct denial) Is this service important to you? (trial close)
Buyer: Yes, I do see the benefits in a joint ad campaign
Seller: Why don’t we plan to have the product in the stores on January 1st and the national ad campaign rolling by March 1st (close #2 – assumptive close)
Buyer: I think I’ll wait and put off a decision until my current coffee contract runs out at the end of the month (stalling objection)
Seller: I understand how you feel. Another account of mine felt the same way but she found that after reviewing our total program of products and services she would be better off buying now. That way we could begin immediately with the training program, while your current contract runs out. How do you feel about that? (feel, felt, found objection handling technique, trial close)
Buyer: That is a valid point

CONTINUES SELLING
The seller eventually sells the product to the buyer

IF DOES NOT BUY
Buyer: It probably is a good opportunity but I can’t justify such in increase in spending during this recession. As I said, we are trying to keep our spending to a minimum. I’m sorry.
Seller: I understand, but will you do one thing for me?
Buyer: Yes, what is it?
Seller: I’m going to leave this sales material, as well as the coffee samples here for you to look over and sample. When you feel you are ready to incorporate Maxwell House into its coffee self service sales will you give me a call?
Buyer: Yes, I’d be glad to
Seller: Thank you, and again I appreciate your seeing me this afternoon. I hope yu have a nice afternoon.

Customer Profile and Planning Sheet

1. Name: ____________________________________________________________________

Address: __________________________________________________________________

2. Type of business:___________________________________________________________

Name of Buyer:_____________________________________________________________

3. People who influence buying decision or aid in
using or selling our product:___________________________________________________

4. Buying hours and best time to see buyer:________________________________________

5. Receptionist’s name:_________________________________________________________

6. Buyer’s profile:______________________________________________________________

7. Buyer’s personality style:_____________________________________________________

8. Sales call objective:_________________________________________________________

9. What are customer’s important buying needs:____________________________________

10. Sales presentation:__________________________________________________________

a. Sales approach: _________________________________________________________
b. Features, advantages, benefits: _____________________________________________
c. Method of demonstrating FAB: ______________________________________________
d. How to relate benefits to customer’s needs: ___________________________________
e. Trail close to use: ________________________________________________________
f. Anticipated objections: ____________________________________________________
g. Trial close to use: ________________________________________________________
h. How to close this customer: ________________________________________________
i. Hard or soft close: _________________________________________________________

11. Sales made – product use/promotional plan agreed on: _____________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

12. Post-sales call comments (reason did/did not buy; what to do on next call;
follow-up promised):__________________________________________________________