Marketing-sales and sales force management project

Marketing 4xx – Sales and Sales Force Management

Term Project – Selling Case – 100 Points
DUE CLASS 7 or 8 based on schedule

You need to make a close examination of a selling situation that you have recently experienced either as a seller or a buyer.

The purpose of the evaluation is to analyze the strategies used leading up to and during the selling experience and make critical observations of how the selling could have been more effective. To do this you should use the Strategic/Consultative selling model found in Figure 2.3 in your Text on page 36. You should address the Salesperson’s capabilities in each strategic step by critiquing him/her on the three prescriptions within each. (It is understood that if you are not the one doing the selling, you’ll need to make an assessment of some of these elements based on just your observations.) Do NOT be General in discussing the Salesperson’s approach; the more detailed the description and the evaluation, the better your grade will be. The purpose of this project is to show how much you understand of the topics we’ve reviewed in this class. Remember, this is a review/critique of how an Individual Salesperson used the Strategic Selling Model; NOT a review of a Company’s marketing or Sales Tactics.

For the “Customer Strategy” you should only 1) explain how the Salesperson sought to understand the Customer’s Wants and Needs and 2) explain how the Salesperson attempted to appeal to rational and/or emotional buying motives. For the Presentation Strategy you do not need to address “Preparing Objectives”. But, you should explain what closing method was used. If a salesperson did NOT use one of the specific “Prescriptions” then you should explain what they could have done in this area.

Since everyone sells, and we are defining selling broadly, the selling situation reported on can be any of the following:

– Buying a Product

– Buying a Service

– Buying an Idea or Concept

– Selling a Product

– Selling a Service

– Selling an Idea or Concept

You should start your report with a brief description of the selling situation/experience and end with an overall critique citing what you feel are the most critical areas needing improvement. The order of your composition is important. After the initial brief description, you should (In Order) define the “Strategic Step” and then the “Prescription”. Then after that “Prescription”, explain how the Salesperson addressed that Prescription. Then, list the next “Prescription” and review it, and so on.

Your Final Grade will be based on the completeness of your review (i.e. using the elements in Figure 2.3) and your understanding of the concepts. Therefore, your selection of a selling situation that will allow you to explore many of these elements is important. Choosing a “minor” selling situation, which makes it hard to address these factors, will result in a “minor” grade. Your grade will also be based on your writing skills including good grammar, sentence structure and spelling and your ability to provide concrete examples to support your points.

Please provide the topic of your paper no later than the beginning of Class 5; lateness in submitting your topic will cause points to be deducted from your final grade. If too many students choose the same type of situation, I may ask the last ones submitting their topic to change it. So, get your topics in early. Also, when you submit your topic you should also identify in which Class (see below) you would like to present. The earlier your submission, the more likely you are to get the Class you want.

Accompanying your paper will be an Oral Presentation worth 30 of the 100 total points. Some students may be able to give their presentations during Class 7 on Feb. 29. All remaining students will give their presentations in Class 8 on March 7. You may not miss your presentation else you will receive a Zero for that portion of the assignment. All written work is due at the beginning of class on the day you present your case. During your presentation you will be given 14 – 16 minutes for your presentation with 5 minutes allowed for questions from the class. The ability to complete your presentation within this time frame will be considered in your final grade, so practice. If you choose to include any slides with your presentation, you should include a copy of the slides (one per page) as an Appendix to your written paper and should bring them to class before class starts (on a memory stick) so they can be loaded onto the computer. During the Q & A session, the quality of the questions from individual students will be considered as a significant part of their overall Class Participation grade. So, missing Class 7 or 8 may negatively impact your Class participation score.