Deck 1: Selling and Salespeople

Question 1

Think about what you want in your first job out of college. Based on what you know so far from this chapter, how well does selling match your desires in a job?

Answer 1

Selling stand for the process wherein the firm sells its products and services to the customers properly by making the customer satisfied with the buying process and making him understand the product and service being sold in a complete manner.
Mr. Y wants to be a marketer after completing college and selling job perfectly matches the desires that he possess from his job. This is because the selling job requires a large amount of travel and outdoor activities which satisfies Mr. Y's urge to travel and explore new places, cities, and people. As selling job comes with large pressures and deadlines, it will satisfy Mr. Y's inner drive to work aggressively and complete targets on time.
Selling job requires a lot of communication and coordination which will again match with Mr. Y's quality of being gregarious (talkative) and full of networking skills. He is extrovert and hardworking person which is one of the most important aspects of selling job. This way it could be concluded that selling job matches completely with the desires of Mr. Y to opt for this type of job after college.

Question 2

According to the text, some sales jobs are located as inside sales instead of field sales. Why would anyone want to be an inside sales rep?

Answer 2

In an organization, there will be sales executives who will be working from inside the organization and some representatives will be working in fields. For the successful marketing and sales activities both in-house and out-house representatives are essential.
When both sale operations are considered the in-house sales operations are better than out-house sales operations. This is because of the reason that in-houses sales are effortless. Meeting the clients directly can certainly make a sales operation positive but it includes risks also. Through in-house sales the sales person can communicate with the clients through telephone or through mails and can close the sale. In most organizations the telemarketing activities are performed by a separate team and the field work is performed by other team.

Question 3

"Sales Technology 1.1" described the use of video resumes to set yourself apart. Create a video resume for yourself and make it available to your instructor.

Answer 3

Video resumes are gaining importance among the recruiters as they won't have enough time to read the full resumes and make a call for the interview. Through video resumes the candidate can instill themselves in the mind of the recruiters.
Preparation for video resume
• Mr. Y can dress up himself as a professional as if he is going for an interview.
• Can prepare a hard copy of the resume and can go through it thoroughly.
• He should include all details which are supposed to be there in a professional resumes.
Video resume of Mr. Y
Sir,
This is Mr. Y and I belong to place ABC. I went across the job opening which you have posted in the leading newspaper and I present myself for this position. I hold a bachelors degree in the business administration and have completed some courses related to business. I have two years of relevant experience in sales. If you found my video resume to be impressive kindly contact me for further proceedings.

Question 4

Assume you are a sales manager and you need to recruit someone for the following sales positions. For each position, list the qualities you would want in the recruit:
a. Salesperson selling custom signage to small businesses.
b. Salesperson calling on college bookstores, selling university logo backpacks.
c. Used tractor salesperson.
d. Salesperson selling janitorial services to a small local restaurant.

Question 5

Emily Hightower has been sales manager for Corporate Hospitality sales at the Chicago Blackhawks for the last three years. The Stanley Cup-winning Blackhawks are a National Hockey League franchise located in Chicago, Illinois. Blackhawks Corporate Hospitality is a unique way for businesses to entertain prospective clients or treat important customers to a special night out. The 20-person Executive Suites and 40- and 80-person Super Suites provide outstanding, panoramic views of the ice surface and can be rented on a per-game basis or a season basis. The all-inclusive packages (i.e., tickets to the event, parking passes, food and beverage, a private suite attendant, theater-style seating, easy access to elevators, multiple flat-screen televisions, and so on) make entertaining clients a breeze.
When Emily was promoted to the sales manager position, there were three full-time salespeople who called on businesses in the region. One quit right after she arrived, and Zach, a knowledgeable sports marketer with excellent connections in the business community, was hired as a replacement. Zach has been areal asset to the organization, building business in the financial and investment business community.
Emily thought everything was going smoothly until yesterday, when Chad, another salesperson, dropped a bombshell. He turned in his notice because he said he got a lucrative offer from the Chicago Bulls.
Emily sat in her office, mulling over the situation and halfheartedly working on the job description for Chad's position, when one of her most trusted administrative assistants, Amanda, walked in. After they chatted for a few minutes, the following conversation ensued:
Amanda: So why do you need a salesperson anyway? Why not just use our Web page to give prospective clients the information they need?
Emily: We have to have a salesperson, Amanda. I mean, there's always been three salespeople in our office.
Amanda: But I'm asking you to think outside the dots, Emily. Why do we need them? They cost the company a lot of money that we could save by just relying on Web advertising. Besides, the Chicago Blackhawks are already well known. There's no need for salespeople. The Blackhawks sell themselves!
The conversation continued in this vein for a few minutes, then Amanda left to work on some scheduling disputes. Emily sat there, thinking about what Amanda said. Who knows? Maybe Amanda had a good idea.
What impact would dropping one or more salespeople have on the Chicago Blackhawks Corporate Hospitality sales? You might want to review the section titled "What Do Salespeople Do?" as you answer this question.

Question 6

Emily Hightower has been sales manager for Corporate Hospitality sales at the Chicago Blackhawks for the last three years. The Stanley Cup-winning Blackhawks are a National Hockey League franchise located in Chicago, Illinois. Blackhawks Corporate Hospitality is a unique way for businesses to entertain prospective clients or treat important customers to a special night out. The 20-person Executive Suites and 40- and 80-person Super Suites provide outstanding, panoramic views of the ice surface and can be rented on a per-game basis or a season basis. The all-inclusive packages (i.e., tickets to the event, parking passes, food and beverage, a private suite attendant, theater-style seating, easy access to elevators, multiple flat-screen televisions, and so on) make entertaining clients a breeze.
When Emily was promoted to the sales manager position, there were three full-time salespeople who called on businesses in the region. One quit right after she arrived, and Zach, a knowledgeable sports marketer with excellent connections in the business community, was hired as a replacement. Zach has been areal asset to the organization, building business in the financial and investment business community.
Emily thought everything was going smoothly until yesterday, when Chad, another salesperson, dropped a bombshell. He turned in his notice because he said he got a lucrative offer from the Chicago Bulls.
Emily sat in her office, mulling over the situation and halfheartedly working on the job description for Chad's position, when one of her most trusted administrative assistants, Amanda, walked in. After they chatted for a few minutes, the following conversation ensued:
Amanda: So why do you need a salesperson anyway? Why not just use our Web page to give prospective clients the information they need?
Emily: We have to have a salesperson, Amanda. I mean, there's always been three salespeople in our office.
Amanda: But I'm asking you to think outside the dots, Emily. Why do we need them? They cost the company a lot of money that we could save by just relying on Web advertising. Besides, the Chicago Blackhawks are already well known. There's no need for salespeople. The Blackhawks sell themselves!
The conversation continued in this vein for a few minutes, then Amanda left to work on some scheduling disputes. Emily sat there, thinking about what Amanda said. Who knows? Maybe Amanda had a good idea.
If you were Emily, what would you do? Why?

Question 7

Brandon Williams is a salesperson for J. B. Hunt Trucking. For the past three or four months, he has tried to get in to see Chris Menton, a transportation specialist at Motion Industries, Inc. Motion Industries is a large distributor, specializing in the sales of bearings and power transmission products. They distribute industrial MRO (maintenance, repair, and operation replacement) parts and have access to more than 4.3 million parts through 501 locations. Motion Industries also has over 40 repair and service centers that are fully equipped to handle field services, repairs, and modifications. Parts are transported between the various Motion Industries locations as well as to the final customer, using trucking companies as well as UPS and the U.S. Postal Service.
Brandon knows that Motion Industries uses the services of a number of trucking companies, and he would like Chris to consider adding J. B. Hunt as one of its primary transportation suppliers. J. B. Hunt uses state-of-the-art technology that offers customers real-time data to help them make real-time decisions about transportation. J. B. Hunt has won a number of awards for its outstanding supply chain visibility and offers the same stellar service regardless of the size of the buying organization.
Brandon has never actually been able to talk to Chris, not even for a few seconds. His voice mail is all he has ever gotten when making phone calls to Chris. Visits in person have resulted in Chris's secretary just taking Brandon's card and telling him that Chris will call if he is interested. Brandon is now under pressure from his sales manager because Brandon has placed Motion Industries Valley on his prospect list for the last three months and has nothing to show for all his efforts.
One of the skills that salespeople should possess is creativity. Come up with three creative and totally ethical methods Brandon can use to get Chris's attention.

Question 8

Brandon Williams is a salesperson for J. B. Hunt Trucking. For the past three or four months, he has tried to get in to see Chris Menton, a transportation specialist at Motion Industries, Inc. Motion Industries is a large distributor, specializing in the sales of bearings and power transmission products. They distribute industrial MRO (maintenance, repair, and operation replacement) parts and have access to more than 4.3 million parts through 501 locations. Motion Industries also has over 40 repair and service centers that are fully equipped to handle field services, repairs, and modifications. Parts are transported between the various Motion Industries locations as well as to the final customer, using trucking companies as well as UPS and the U.S. Postal Service.
Brandon knows that Motion Industries uses the services of a number of trucking companies, and he would like Chris to consider adding J. B. Hunt as one of its primary transportation suppliers. J. B. Hunt uses state-of-the-art technology that offers customers real-time data to help them make real-time decisions about transportation. J. B. Hunt has won a number of awards for its outstanding supply chain visibility and offers the same stellar service regardless of the size of the buying organization.
Brandon has never actually been able to talk to Chris, not even for a few seconds. His voice mail is all he has ever gotten when making phone calls to Chris. Visits in person have resulted in Chris's secretary just taking Brandon's card and telling him that Chris will call if he is interested. Brandon is now under pressure from his sales manager because Brandon has placed Motion Industries Valley on his prospect list for the last three months and has nothing to show for all his efforts.
Assume that Brandon does get Chris's attention with one of the methods you've described and Chris is willing to speak with Brandon on the phone the next time he is called. What should Brandon plan on saying, assuming that he has just two or three minutes of phone time?

Question 9

Let's say you have excellent emotional intelligence. How can you avoid using that to your advantage if it is detrimental to the buyer (e.g., if you manipulate the buyer based on your skills)?

Question 10

There are many different go-to-market strategies. For which of the following products and services do you think a sales force-intensive strategy would probably not be used? Why? Make any assumptions needed and list your assumptions in your answer.
a. Movie rentals.
b. Home air-conditioning maintenance service.
c. Shredding service for sensitive documents.
d. Solar-powered compactor garbage cans for city use on city streets (the specially designed cans actually compact the garbage that is thrown into the can four times a day, using energy from the sun, reducing the number of times the can needs to be emptied).

Question 11

The chapter says that selling jobs can be a great way to get your foot in the door at an employer. Let's say you really want to be in product development, not sales, yet the position that is being offered at the company is in sales. You hope that after doing the sales job for six months to a year you'll get promoted to the product development job. Should you be honest and tell the interviewer (the sales manager) that now? Or should you act like you want to be a career salesperson?

Question 12

In "Building Partnerships 1.1" you read how the company has hunters and gatherers. Which type of position appeals to you the most? Why?

Question 13

Salespeople rip people off.
b. Salespeople are born, not made.
c. Selling is just a big bag of tricks.
d. A salesperson should never take no for an answer.
e. A good salesperson can sell anything to anybody.

Question 14

Carly Anderson has been working as a receptionist at her father's business for two years since graduating from college. She is considering taking a selling job with a pharmaceutical company. The job involves calling on doctors and explaining the benefits of the firm's products. What are the similarities and differences between her receptionist job and the selling job she is considering?

Question 15

Nick Chattaway worked his way through college by selling home theater systems at Best Buy. He has done well on the job and is one of the top salespeople in the home electronics department. Last week Safety Harness Inc. offered him a job selling seat belt kits to school bus manufacturers. Explain the differences between selling in a consumer electronics store and the Safety Harness Inc. sales job.

Question 16

Poll at least five students who are not taking your selling course (and who, better yet, are outside the business school or program). What are their opinions about salespeople? How accurate are their opinions based on what you've read in this chapter?