SELLING Objectives,

Strategies, Aids
 Daniel is a new sales rep for Elanco
Animal Health. He calls on large
swine producers in a multi state
territory in the Midwest. What does
he say is one of his biggest
challenges in calling on customers?
(Hint: It has to do with sales call
goals).
Goals or Objectives for Selling to a
Specific Prospect
 According to Stephen Covey, one of the
seven habits of highly effective people is
they “begin with the end in mind”.
 Goals, objectives, or ‘ends’ are what you
hope to accomplish, where you want to
get.
 “If you don’t know where you’re going,
you just might end up somewhere else.”
(Yogi Berra)
 Don’t always ‘sell’ something (remember
patience is a virtue).
Good Sales Goals are ‘SMART’
S → specific (or precise)
→ not too vague, not too general
M → measurable
→ quantifiable in numbers wherever possible (e.g. % of
business)
→ need to determine if goal has been met
A → attainable
→ realistic, doable (given resources)
R → relevant
→ sales related
→ important, meaningful, challenging, motivating
T → time-based
→ long-term (e.g. end of next 3 years)
→ short-term (e.g. after next sales call)
Selling Strategy
 The game plan for ‘how’ to accomplish the
desired goal(s)
 The major steps/actions/routes to be
taken
 Without a plan, you may come off as
rambling, unorganized
 Need to be purposeful in everything you
do
 Having a plan helps to save time and
prevent mistakes
Strategies in Selling
1. Relationship => developing a long-term,
high-quality, partnering relationship with
customers, as well as with support staff
and management
2. Product => identifying tangible
products, services, information, and
ideas that produce the most value,
benefits, and solutions for customers
3. Presentation => establishing objectives
for a sales call and a specific plan for
accomplishing those objectives uniquely
tailored to each customer
Source: Reece & Manning
Long-Term Goal/Strategy Example
Goal: To obtain 50% of John Parker’s total
feed business within 3 years.
Strategy:
 Arrange initial meeting (e.g. breakfast) to get
acquainted and to obtain basic prospect
information
 Arrange additional meetings to gradually gain
confidence, establish credibility, and build a
partnering relationship
 Invite Parker to advisory board meeting
 Introduce Parker to corporate technical staff
 Attempt trial program within 1 year
 Increase sales gradually after test run
Sales Call Goal Basics
 No call should ever be made without a clear goal
 Will save time (for you and your customer)
 Will help you have a better strategy
 Will make you appear more professional (e.g. ask
the right questions, avoid talking too much,
distinguish yourself from the competition, etc.)
 Just stopping by (winging it) is the mark of a real
amateur
 You need to know why you are there
 Your customer needs to know too
 To keep in touch may require you to keep coming up
with reasons
 Appointments or not? (When? Where?)
 Depends on prospect, salesperson, situation
 Increasingly, customers are wanting appointments
 If in doubt, call first
Short-Term Goal Examples (e.g. one
sales call)

Goals:
 To invite Parker to attend a corporate-
sponsored meeting as my guest.
 To set up an appointment with Parker to
discuss our ‘starter’ program.
 To get Parker to run a trial with our Super
Start feed in one farrowing house.
 To get a walk-through tour of Parker’s
facilities to better understand his
operation.
 Sales Call Strategy
 A general plan for the open, the
presentation, and the close
 The Open
 How to greet my
prospect?
 What will I say first?
 Rapport building topics?
 Observe mood /other
traits of my customer.
 What questions will I ask
to discover/reconfirm
needs?
 How will I spark interest?
 The Presentation
 What problem/need do I
plan to present a solution
for?
 How will I present my
proposal?
 What features and
benefits will I stress?
 What sales aids will I use?
 What concerns/objections
do I anticipate?
Sales Call Strategy
 The Close
 What will I ask my customer to do?
 How will I close?
 When will I close?
 Remember, offering P or other major
concessions may not be an option
 What will I do/say after closing?
 Selling Aids
 What? Any sales tool that can help
you communicate with a prospect.
 Examples:
 Must be:
 Three-ring binder with tabs
 Well organized
 Photos (product, customers,
 Easy to understand and
facilities, test plots)
use  Reports/research results
 Convenient
 Newspaper/magazine articles
 Neat and clean  Samples

 professional  Demonstrations

 Customer-specific proposals
 Price list
Selling Goals and Strategies

Call #1
+
Call #2



+ Call #N
= Long Term
Goal/Strategy Quotes
 The Law of 4 P’s:
 Preparation
 Prevents
 Poor
 Performance
 There is no shortcut to
achievement, life requires thorough
preparation. (George Washington Carver)
Goal/Strategy Quotes
 Most people don’t plan to fail, they
fail to plan.
 It pays to plan ahead. It wasn’t
raining when Noah built the ark.
 If I had 8 hours to chop down a
tree, I would spend 6 hours
sharpening the axe. (Abe Lincoln)
Goal/Strategy Quotes
 Luck is when preparation meets
opportunity.
 It takes three weeks to prepare a
good ad-lib speech. (Mark Twain)
 If you don’t know where you’re
going, you might end up
somewhere else. (Yogi Berra,
former New York Yankee)