BUS 221- Monday Class (9:30-11:30)

SD-2 (CRN- 94821)

Case 1.
‘What My Sales Professor Did Not Prepare Me For in my Sales Class at my
Business School’

Group No. 2

Group Details:
Name Mobile No. E-mail ID
Rachel Singh Khaseria 6280869026 RachelSingh.Khaseria@student.ufv.ca
Vaani Chadha 9416494294 Vaani.Chadha@student.ufv.ca
Shubhkarman Singh 8725982229 ShubhkarmanSingh.Kang@student.ufv.ca
Chirag Singh Jeji 9779778623 ChiragSingh.JejiShergill@student.ufv.ca

Date Due: 14th September 2020

Date Submitted: 14th September 2020

TABLE OF CONTENTS

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT...................................................................................3
CERTIFICATE OF ORIGINALITY................................................................4
SUMMARY............................................................................................................5
QUESTIONS & ANSWERS..............................................................................7
ORIGINAL RESEARCH.................................................................................11
RELATIONSHIP TO CONCEPTS................................................................12
REFERENCES....................................................................................................13

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 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

We would like to express our special thanks of gratitude to our teacher, Dr.
Shyam Vyas, who gave us the golden opportunity to do this wonderful project on
the topic “What My Sales Professor Did Not Prepare Me For in my Sales Class at
my Business School” which also helped us in doing a lot of Research and We
came to know about so many new things. I am really thankful to them.

Many people, especially our classmates and team members itself, have provided
us with valuable suggestions which gave us an inspiration to improve our
assignment. We thank all the people for their help directly and indirectly to
complete our assignment.

We would also like to thank Mr. Kamaljit Rajput, the Area Sales Manager at
Shree Renuka Sugars Ltd., for taking out his precious time and agreeing to us for
giving a small interview regarding our topic.

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 CERTIFICATE OF ORIGINALITY

This is to certify that:

 We have used our own words only.
 We have not copied.
 We have not plagiarized.
 We have cited all sources from where quoted or adapted.

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 SUMMARY

The given case studies the discontent of Rick Lester, a salesman, with his current
job. He discovered numerous reasons to do selling, but only some hardships and
problems in pursuing a sales career.

Rick majored in athletics and cheerleading in his high school as he was an average
student. He went to Northwest Mississippi Junior College by accepting partial
athletic scholarship. There he had satisfactory grades in most of the subjects
except math. The primary reason to select a major in business was the non-
requirement of mathematical and statistical subjects as he had no interest in
them.

After completing his B.S. degree in marketing, he chose to work with Nabisco
because they offered many benefits and was a renowned company. He lacked the
practical knowledge required for the job. He wished to have paid attention when
he heard Mr. Brown make the calls during his training period. There was a lot that
he wasn’t completely aware of such as the company’s policies relating to product
return, refunds and warranties.

Once he was stuck in rain, so he asked Nabisco Division Sales Office for a solution.
They told him to “buy a raincoat” which embarrassed and disheartened him. Also,
the job of a salesperson was viewed upon as a low-profile job by Rick’s wife, as
she told her friends that her husband was in public relations. This made him feel
more depressed as he presumed that she wasn’t comfortable with his job title.

He realized that selling was not as easy as it seemed to be. It was physically
demanding as he was required to carry a bag weighed 38 pounds which contained
advertising material. He also had transport merchandise which involved a lot of
lifting. Many times, his clothes were also damaged. Finally, he had to prepare a
daily report about the sales that he made and about daily targets being met.

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The biggest challenge was to keep track of moves made by their competition and
knowing about people over which he had no control. Lately Nabisco faced heavy
loss of sales as their competition offered an irresistible offer. This loss of sales
leaves a negative mark on a salesperson’s report.

In the university, there were professors available at all times to help him but in his
job, Mr. Brown had 45 sales persons in his team. He was not always around to
help. He thought of leaving his job and join a bank where he would not have to
deal with rude customers.

He felt hopeless attributed to reasons such as competition which was not within
his absolute control but which affected his reports seriously. All these reasons had
influenced Rick to consider leaving his current job and to look for new
opportunities.

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 QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

Ques 1. Should Rick Lester “resign”? Is selling “for everybody & anybody”? Is
“training” necessary for all sales people? Why?
Ans. In my opinion Rick Lester should not resign as no job is easy and every job
requires a certain level of sacrifice. Moreover, Rick has only started to work
and he will only improve with time and with time he will gain experience
and become better at his job which could lead to promotions and higher
salary. Rick also thinks of working in a bank which would not be possible
given his poor calculus skills.
Selling is not for everybody and anybody as a salesperson requires a
particular skill set which cannot be acquired by everyone. Moreover, if a
person is expecting a lazy happy job, he cannot become a salesperson as it
is a very hectic job and requires a lot of hard work.
Yes, training is necessary for all salespeople as it has many benefits (Starr,
2020):1
 It helps improve communication skills of an employee which helps him to
interact better and make better connection with the customer.
 Training employees also benefits the organization as selling brings money in
and trained employee make more sales which generate more revenue.
 Training also helps employees adjust and learn the right approach to sales.
 Sales person also reflect the company and training helps improve
employees which in turn improves company’s image.

Ques 2. What are the key success factors that may ensure success in a sales job?
Is selling an easy job or a tough one? Why do you say so?

1
Retrieved from https://smallbiztrends.com/2017/08/what-makes-a-good-salesperson.html

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Ans. There are many factors that determine the success of a sales person
(Andrea, 2017):2
 Patience: Patience is one of the most important factors as a sales person
will be turned down a lot before making a sale and some consumers may
not even be bothered to hear the proposal. A successful sales person
doesn’t let this demotivate him and works harder to make a sale.
 Facing rejection: Salespersons who can face rejection and make the next
sale with the same enthusiasm are considered successful as they don’t let a
few rejections stop them from becoming successful.
 Knowledge of the product: A successful sales person is always well
informed about the product he is selling.
 Communication: Having great verbal skills can help salespersons achieve
success. A salesperson with good communication skills can bring in a lot of
consumers which increase the number of sales made.
 Sense of urgency: A successful sales person does not wait for the consumer
to come to him. A successful sales person sets and achieves different goals.
Selling is a tough job as it requires a salesperson to make a lot of sacrifices
and work hard to get deals done. A sales person has to be adaptable as a
lot of time they have to adapt to consumers schedule to make a sale.

Ques 3. What can firms do to increase salesperson status and self-esteem?

Ans. In order to increase a salesperson status and self-esteem, the firms should
demonstrate how valuable the salesperson is to the business. By giving
them a purpose and letting them know that you believe and rely on them,
they may be encouraged to fulfill their target goals faster than expected.
Periodic, incremental rewards and incentives may help sales personnel
achieve their greater targets by encouraging them to reach the goals in the
short run. Additionally, awarding quarterly bonuses may also increase low
performers' productivity. Firms can also hold frequent meetings with the

2
Retrieved from https://rx-forsuccess.com/5-benefits-sales-training-program-can-business/

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 sales team to encourage them, remind them the importance of their
product offerings, address areas that need improvement and offer possible
solutions (Pozin,2015).3

Ques 4. How can firms reduce high turnover among new sales professionals?
Ans. Firms should concentrate on recruitment and training by determining if
they have a strong potential to sell. In order to achieve this, a number of
checks and reviews can be carried out so that the company can choose the
right employee to work in sales, and then employees should not abandon
their jobs because of mistaken assumptions and skills. After placement, the
organization can offer more support to newly recruited sales workers so
that they do not suffer a breakdown while operating in the real workplace.

Ques 5. How should Mr. Brown handle this situation? What should he say to
Rick? What would you do if you were the boss at Nabisco Sales Division?
Ans. Mr. Brown, in the given case, should have encouraged Rick and boost his
morale so that he could work better. He should have inspired him by giving
constant feedback and guidance rather than simply ignoring. By evaluating
his performance, he could guide him on the areas he needed to improve.
Also, Mr. Brown should tell him that he has confidence in Rick and that he
should keep trying and should not let down his morale. He must tell him
that without failure there is no success.4
If I was to be the boss at Nabisco Sales Division, I would encourage my
employees by offering them with various incentives and rewards so that
they put in some extra effort in their work. Also, I would keep a regular
check on the employee’s morale to recognize whenever there is a need to
boost their confidence. Moreover, I would propose some Employee
Development sessions to enhance the salesforce into being more effective,
responsive and engaged (Cooper, 2018).5
3
Retrieved from https://www.inc.com/ilya-pozin/14-highly-effective-ways-to-motivate-employees.html
4
Referred from Case Study
5
Retrieved from https://www.pipedrive.com/en/blog/morale-boost-sales-team

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Ques 6. What could Rick’s Sales Professor have done to better prepare students
in their sales classes?
Ans. Rick's Sales Professor should have provided them with realistic role-playing
situation that Rick had faced on a realistic job every single day. The ideal
professor was expected to warn them of the daily struggle, regret and low
status they would face at work. Textbooks need to cover both good and
bad sales content. The professor should have encouraged students to take
part in sales internships in order to find out about personal and
professional challenges. Experienced sales workers should also be invited to
share their expertise with students in the classroom.

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 ORIGINAL RESEARCH

As a part of our original research, we have conducted a short online interview

with Mr. Kamaljit Rajput, the Area Sales Manager of Shree Renuka Sugars Ltd. He
helped us provide with his insights on how important it is to increase the
salesperson’s status and self-esteem, as selling may be a tiring job.

Starting with, he shared his experience and difficulties that he faced as a fresher
in the field. According to him, convincing customers to buy the products was the
most challenging. But he was guided that successful execution is incomplete
without proper planning. So, by proper planning, he started to see the results
coming in. With time, he realized that sales aren’t about selling, it’s about
establishing value for customers.

Additionally, he told us that a good salesforce will bring a set of outcomes to the

firm which cannot be substituted with alternative marketing tactics. He also
suggested that holding regular meetings, keeping a constant check on their
performance, training and guiding them in the right direction would really help
them to improve their performance which in turn helps in improving the
company’s image.

He concluded by saying that to be a successful salesperson, one needs to

recognize the buyers need and desire instead of just to sell the product. He ended
by quoting, “Make a customer, not a sale and the customer will bring the sales to
you”.

Business Card of Mr. Kamaljit

Singh Rajput.
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 RELATIONSHIP TO CONCEPTS

 The Customer is always right/Self-control of a sales person: In the given

case, Rick had to deal with rude customers many times who infuriated him,
but as a salesperson he had to control himself. Had he lost his cool and
fought with his client, he may have won the argument but lost a valuable
customer.

 A Sales person should be a good listener: Rick perceived selling to be a

piece of cake didn’t bother to listen to his senior Mr. Brown during his
training. He later regretted for his actions and to have paid attention. Even
while approaching customers a sales person needs to listen to the
requirements of the consumer.

 Change is the biggest challenge of selling: Rick knew that his performance
will depend on the situation and people which he could not control. People
are attracted towards good offers and can change easily. Changes made by
competitors is another major change that affects the sales of the firm. In
this case, Nabisco lost a lot of customers to its competition because of the
new offer that they made.

 A sales person should know about the product and company policies:
When Rick was selling alone Mr. Brown was not there to help him, so if he
did not have enough knowledge about the product, he would generate a
doubt in consumers’ mind. This will lead to decrease in sales.

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 REFERENCES

Pozin, I. (2015). 14 Highly Effective Ways to Motivate Employees. Inc.

Retrieved from https://www.inc.com/ilya-pozin/14-highly-effective-ways-to-
motivate-employees.html

Cooper, D. (2018). 9 Morale Boosters to Pull Your Sales Team Out of a Slump.
Pipedrive
Retrieved from https://www.pipedrive.com/en/blog/morale-boost-sales-team

Starr, R. (2020, July 10). What Makes a Good Salesperson? 25 Qualities to Look
For.
Retrieved September 08, 2020, from https://smallbiztrends.com/2017/08/what-
makes-a-good-salesperson.html

Andrea, K. (2017, April 26). 5 Benefits a Sales Training Program Can Do to Your
Business.
Retrieved September 08, 2020, from https://rx-forsuccess.com/5-benefits-sales-
training-program-can-business/

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