Solution Manual for Selling Today, 12/E 12th Edition :

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Solution Manual for Selling Today, 12/E 12th Edition : 013325092X

Part VII

WRITTEN TERM PROJECTS

Students can gain a large amount of information by going into the business world and
interviewing salespeople and sales related employees. The two written term project
outlines that are included in this part instruct students to set up interviews to acquire
information needed to prepare a report. The first project focuses on developing a sales
manual for selling a specific product. This project can help students prepare for a
traditional role-play. The second outline organizes students into teams and focuses on
selling practices in an industry where the students may have a career interest.

The interviews that the students have with industry salespeople provide excellent
applications of sales skills taught in the text. For example, students have to make a good
telephone contact to get an interview. They have to apply their relationship strategy when
they make a business contact during the first part of the interview. They need to ask good
questions to get the needed information, and, in Project 2, they have to sell the
salesperson on making a classroom presentation. Of course, they should follow up their
call with a thank-you letter expressing appreciation for the time and information shared.

TEAM OR INDIVIDUAL WRITTEN TERM PROJECT A: SALES MANUAL

FOR STRATEGICALLY PLANNING A SALES PRESENTATION

(See Part 7, Section B for combining a role-play with this manual, and for forms for
evaluation.)

It has been said that successful selling is 90 percent preparation and 10 percent
presentation. This is especially true in selling today, with more unique customer needs,
more complex products, more competition, longer sales cycles, and multiple decision
makers. Salespeople who strategically plan their sales presentations before delivering
them outsell those who fail to develop a sales presentation that is tailored to meet the
needs of the prospect. Poorly planned sales presentations are not convincing. A
salesperson cannot leave the sales presentation to the inspiration of the moment, any
more than a speaker can face an audience without having taken care and time to prepare a
speech. In almost every aspect of life, strategic planning is necessary to gain the desired
result.

The effective sales presentation is built with a strategic plan. Every step of the sale, from
the approach to servicing the sale, is carefully planned in advance. A well-planned sales
presentation is not memorized. It is a logically planned outline that carries the
salesperson’s own thoughts from one step to the next.

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This project will be your outline for strategically planning a sales presentation. The
following outline should be used in preparing your manual. (This can be either an
individual or team assignment.)

Outline for Preparation of Manual

Title Page
A. Name of product to be sold.
B. Name of company you are selling for.
C. Course name and number.
D. Your name and date.
I. Developing a Relationship Strategy
A. Describe the typical relationship between salesperson and customer in this
field.
B. Describe the appropriate salesperson’s attitude.
C. Describe the appropriate salesperson’s appearance.
D. Describe the methods used to strengthen a long-term relationship for repeats
and referrals.
E. Describe your communication style.
II. Developing a Personal Selling Philosophy
A. Describe the marketing setting (e.g., retail, wholesale, manufacturing, or
service).
B. Describe the role of personal selling in this setting.
C. Describe the typical salesperson’s training to become a consultant/problem-
solving type of salesperson.
III. Developing a Product Strategy
A. Description of company
B. Description of product/created product solution
C. Description of technical expertise needed by salesperson
D. Develop feature benefits worksheet. (See Table 6.2)
E. Is this a new and emerging or mature and well-established product?
F. Will you use a price or value-added product strategy?
IV. Developing a Customer Strategy
A. Describe the typical buying motives of prospect.
B. Describe the typical prospect as an individual (and as a company
representative, if appropriate).
C. How are prospects identified in most cases?
V. Developing a Presentation Strategy
A. Preparing for the sales presentation.
1. List presentation objectives.
2. Describe a typical sales cycle (how many calls).
3. Describe team versus one person, and group versus individual presentation
strategies.
4. Describe ways to achieve a good social contact.
5. Describe methods to achieve good business contact (prepare a business
contact worksheet—See Table 10.1).

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 B. Customer Need Discovery
1. List questions that will determine the prospect’s needs (prepare a need
discovery worksheet—see Table 11.2).
2. Match typical customer buying motives with features and benefits of the
product, company, and salesperson.
3. Create a summary of an appropriate need-satisfaction presentation strategy
(informative, persuasive, or reminder).
C. Creating the sales presentation
1. List features/benefits you will discuss and demonstrate.
2. List selling tools you will use (prepare a demonstration worksheet form—
Figure 12.4).
D. Negotiating sales resistance
1. Anticipated sales resistance.
2. How will you overcome sales resistance? (prepare a negotiations
worksheet form—Figure 13.5).
E. Closing the sale
1. Consider closing clues to be alert to.
2. List closing methods you plan to use (prepare a closing worksheet form—
Figure 14.3).
F. Servicing the sale (Prepare a Servicing the Sale Worksheet—Figure 15.3)
1. List additional items you will suggest to the customer.
2. How will you assist the customer with delivery and/or installation; with
warranty and/or service contract; and in securing credit arrangements?
3. What type of postsale courtesy contacts will you make?

Suggested Techniques for Gathering Information

1. Conduct personal interviews with salespeople and sales executives.

2. Research trade journals and professional articles.
3. Read trade catalog references and reserve books in the library.
4. Send personal letters requesting information.
5. Make personal observations of marketing activities.

WRITTEN TERM PROJECT B: SALES MANAGEMENT – A FIELD STUDY

PROJECT

1. A strategic selling research team will organize itself with specific assignment areas
for each section of the report.

2. A specific company that utilizes salespeople and sales management concepts must be
selected and agreed upon by all members of the research team. This company will be
the focus of the research report. Companies should fit into one of the following
categories: retail, wholesale, industrial, or service. The company must have a sales
force of at least five people.

3. Appointments should be secured with a sales manager from the company.

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4. Due date: the entire sales management term project (all five sections) must be
completed and turned in by __________.

5. The project must by typed, double-spaced, on 8½” x 11” sheets of unruled paper.
Material is to be submitted on one side of page only.

6. Each section of the paper must be separated with a sheet of paper that identifies that
section number and title.

7. The first page must list the following information:

a. Title of the project.
b. Team member’s names.
c. Name of college.
d. Course name and number.

8. The project should contain the following basic sections:

a. Preface (why you chose this area of sales, and major findings in project.)
b. Table of contents.
c. Sections I through V.
d. Bibliography of interviews and other references.

9. Some suggested data-gathering devices for this project might consist of

a. Personal interviews with salespeople and sales executives.
b. Researching trade journals and professional articles.
c. Reading references and reserve books in the library.
d. Personal letters requesting information.
e. Personal observation of selling and sales management.

10. It will be the responsibility of the team to receive approval for the company selected
before beginning work.

11. The team must secure a company sales manager to speak to the class about the
company’s selling strategies. The presentation should be a question/answer interview
format.

12. The five sections of the strategic selling term project are as follows:

Section I – Importance of Selling to the Company

Compare the relationship of selling to the other functions of the company. What are the
functions of advertising, trade shows, and public relations as they relate to the company’s
selling strategies? Describe the product or service and the company. What are the main
competitive (selling) advantages the company has over its competition (i.e., price and
value-added new technology [relate to Chapters 6 and 7])? What is the general approach
to selling—high pressure, consultative, or low key? Describe in detail. How much of the

254 Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall

marketing budget is spent on selling versus advertising? How long is the sales cycle?
How many calls does it take to close a sale? (Describe each call.)

Section II – Description of the Sales Force

How many salespeople does the company have? What is the rate of turnover? Describe in
detail the type of salespeople the company seeks when filling positions (relate to material
in Chapters 3 and 4). Where do they seek applicants? How do they select people they
think will be the most successful? What do they think of testing salespeople? How
important is experience? What other items on a resume would be important in making the
selection? How important are appearance, attitude, social skills, verbal skills, etc.? Do
they ever use “team selling”? Who are the members of the sales team?

Section III – Training Program for Salespeople

Describe in detail the training program for the salespeople. How much emphasis is placed
on product training, sales training, sales automation, motivation, company policy
training, and customer behavior training? Do they use in-house training (by company
people) and/or consultant training? Where and when do they hold training meetings?
How much does it cost to train a person? Do they use audiovisual tools, tapes, role-
playing, classroom presentations, videotape, etc.? How many steps are in the process that
they recommend their salespeople use in planning a sales call? What are the steps? Do
they train people in relationship skills? Is motivation important to their salespeople?
Why? How do they provide motivational training or incentives? Are there support
specialists (technicians, computer service personnel, sales managers, etc.) that help in
strategically planning sales proposals and presentation strategies for closing key
accounts? Do they or are they planning to use electronic catalogs to prepare proposals
and presentations? Do they provide salespeople or are they planning to provide them with
laptop computers?

Section IV – Customer Profiles

How are the prospects located? Does the company set up booths at trade shows to attract
leads? How are sales territories determined? How much time does the salesperson spend
traveling versus time in front of the prospect? How much time is spent away from home
at night, on weekends, etc.? Do salespeople travel by car or air? What percent? How
many calls does the salesperson make in a day or a week? Have territories ever been
reorganized or will they be in the future? Why? How are sales potentials/forecasts
determined for each territory? What are buying motives of a typical buyer? What is the
biological sketch (detailed) of the typical buyer? Is a computerized contact (prospect)
management system used? What kind? Are prospect cards kept? Are there different
classes of prospects? Are presentations made to groups? How many in a group? What is
the basis for classifying? What are the major buying decisions the customer must make
before actually buying?

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Solution Manual for Selling Today, 12/E 12th Edition : 013325092X

Section V – Performance Standards and Compensation

What kinds of performance standards does the company have for salespeople and sales
managers? How often are performance standards evaluated? How are quotas sets? How
often are they revised? Have they been revised recently or will they need to be in the
future? Why? How do the quotas differ for beginners compared to experienced people?

How often are salespeople and sales managers formally evaluated? By whom? What
changes have occurred or will occur in the future? Why? How is an evaluation
conducted?

Describe in detail the compensation package for salespeople and/or sales managers. What
is the average (ballpark) annual compensation amount for salespeople and/or sales
managers? Beginners versus 10 years of experience? What percent of salary does
incentive pay usually amount to? How does compensation relate to performance
standards and evaluation? What are the pay periods? When is bonus or commission paid?
Do bonuses and commissions provide motivation? How much and why?

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