From the desk of

Dr Shyam Vyas , Ph.D.

Bus 221 Professional Selling Due in Week –
starting 28th Sept., 2020
Group Case # 3

Know & Develop a Relationship with Buyer - Top – Line MP3 Players – is it
really the fault of the salesperson – or is the company management also to
blame?

Assume you and your group members are on the professional selling team of a
successful brand of MP3 Players.
Identify the major players (competitors), markets and consumer segments in which
you can help your company make strong headway. Do a “situational analysis” and
evolve what might be your possible selling strategy.

As a salesperson for Top-Line MP3 Players, you have been asked to research
customer’s attitudes & beliefs towards two or three major / your brand of MP3
players.

With this information, you will determine whether your company has the correct
product line, and suggest selling points for the company’s salespeople when
discussing MP3 players with customers who come into the local retail stores/ order
from those stores.

You decide to hold an open house on Sunday in one of your typical stores located in
an upper-income neighbourhood / an upscale mall ! You advertise your special prices
for the day to attract patrons and possible buyers. During the open house you ask
everyone to be seated, thank them for coming, and ask them to discuss their attitudes
towards your company’s MP3 players.

Some people felt that MP3 players should be stopped for without considering brands;
once a brand is selected, they go to the stores that carry the particular brand and buy
from the store with the best (lowest) price. Most people had collected information on
MP3s from personal sources (such as friends), commercial sources (such as
advertising, salesperson, and product brochure/ literature), and public (independent)
source (such as Consumer Reports).
Sixty percent had narrowed their choice to MP3 players from Samsung, Sanyo and
Top-Line, and 90% of these stated they look for three things: price, quality and style.
Many customers report many problems they faced – like the lack of product
knowledge by sales persons they connect with. “Often the sales persons do not even
know of the basics of what the product is - like the duration of the warranty period and
details as regards sales promotion schemes (that have ironically been heavily
advertised in national and local newspapers), and on the relevant brand’s website !
He / she gives a real poor impression and does not appear well trained to sell the MP 3
brands ! It appears sales personnel at store level as well as at company level are more
interested in “selling the brand in stock” – and which offers the best margin at the
given time. This is a practice that customers do not appear to appreciate, and it turns
them off ! They would rather that the seller “listen” to them, understand them and
their requirement a bit better, and give them more time and relevant and irrefutable
information to reduce their perceived risk as regards contemplated brands being
considered by them for purchase – rather than rush through the motions of a sales call!
Company sales professionals typically call on purchase agents from different
middlemen retailers and chain retail buyers located in their territories – but a high
turnover among sales professionals means they don’t have much of a continuing
relationship – at least at the personal level, and don’t get to know the buyers in a
personal way. Often enough even the large (organizational) buyers are not recognized,
or known to the sales person, and he/she has no real time to get to know the buyer
because he/she is in a rush to complete the quantum of sales call he/she must make in
the territory ! Apparently sales supervisors and managers are banking rather much on
quantitative theory of sales and missing the point and the benefits of establishing a
relationship with buyers !

Questions & Issues for discussion:

________________________________________________________________

1. Given this information on why people buy MP3 players, what should
salespeople be instructed to do a) when a customer enters their store? b) when
they go calling on a potentially large buyer (bulk buyer) in their territory ?

2. If you were a salesperson representing Top-Line MP3 players and calling on

purchasing agents from different retail chains, briefly describe what you might
do if faced with the following type of buyer personalities:
(a) Driver
(b) Amiable
(c) Expressive
(d) Analytical

3. How important is the relationship the professional sales person develops after
the customer has been sold ? State specifically - What would your group do as
a member of a responsible selling team for an MP3 player brand in your area /
region ( eg. Chandigarh (tri-cities) area) to identify, cater, and build a
relationship with customers in this area ?
______________________________________________________________end of Bus 221 case 3 due in Wk starting 28th Sept, 2020