IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY
College of Business Administration
SPRING 2011
PERSONAL SALES
MARKETING 343
Monday-Wednesday-Friday
Gerdin Business Building ** 2134
Instructor: Dr. John Wong
Office Hours: Mon/Wed 2:30 - 3:30 PM or by appointment
Email: sjwong@iastate.edu
Office: 3153 Gerdin
Telephone: 294-1493
COURSE DESCRIPTION AND OBJECTIVES:
This course is designed to introduce to the student basic concepts of personal selling. We will
explore the theory and evolution of the practice of personal selling within the context of
relationship marketing. In this course we will especially pay attention to the growing importance
of strategic selling in an information age. Our focus will be on the four components of selling
strategy: developing a relationship strategy, product strategy, customer strategy, and presentation
strategy. A significant portion of the course will encompass the students’ hands-on learning
using sales role-playing situations. The course will provide opportunities for students to improve
analytical and communication skills used in selling and enhance teamwork skills.
One of the key features of this course is the CATERPILLAR, INC. LIVE CASE PROJECT,
a unique educational partnership between the Caterpillar, Inc., Ziegler, Inc. and the ISU
College of Business that brings a real-world dimension to the MKT 343 Personal Sales course.
Caterpillar executives with sales and field experience will spend over a week with students in
this course in an intensive interactive learning experience. See the Project Manual for more
details.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES AND BASIC COMPETENCIES GAINED FROM THIS COURSE:
At the conclusion of this course, the student should be able to gain the following general sales
knowledge:
• explain careers, opportunities, and benefits of personal selling
• apply theories of buyer motivation in the selling context
• create a prospecting plan
• discuss how to determine one’s competition
• explain and demonstrate one’s product and/or service
• explain the various communication styles
• discuss the importance of a positive self-image
• evaluate and apply ethical practices in selling
• write steps and goals of the sales presentation
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At the conclusion of this course, the student should be able to gain these sales demonstration
knowledge and skills:
• develop a complete pre-approach information
• develop an approach
• prepare and present a value added solution
• select and prepare selling tools for demonstration
• anticipate and handle sales resistance
• develop and use trial close
• demonstrate and use closing technique
• demonstrate techniques of servicing the sale
METHODS OF LEARNING
A variety of techniques will be used to enhance your learning in this course. These include
lecture, discussion, video cases, in-class group activities, out-of-class individual assignments,
guest lectures by marketing practitioners, and Internet research, in-class role playing exercises,
instructor feedback and class analysis of role plays, and student research project. Students are
required to design a sales proposal and role-play scenario.
Given the more activity-oriented orientation of this course, you are expected to come to every
session having completed your reading and/or other assignments. All material presented in class
will be covered in the exams. I will say more about this at a later section
COURSE PREREQUISITES:
The prerequisite for this course is MKT 340. No substitution will be allowed.
COURSE MATERIAL: Harvard Business Review articles
REQUIRED TEXTBOOK:
SELLING TODAY: CREATING CUSTOMER VALUE (11th Edition; Prentice Hall) by Gerald L.
Manning, Barry L. Reece, and Michael Ahearn.
REQUIRED READING MATERIAL: Harvard Business Review articles There will be eleven
(11) required articles on sales and sales management from the July-August 2006 issue of the
Harvard Business Review. Students are to directly access these articles in the electronic journal
collection from the ISU Library. Additional reading material will be handed out in class, posted
on the class website, as well as available in the reserve section of the main library. All material
will become the responsibility of the students.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS:
You are responsible for all prescribed reading assignments from the text and other additional
material provided by the instructor. Students are expected to have assigned material read prior to
each class.
EXAMINATIONS AND ASSIGNMENTS:
1. You will have several opportunities to demonstrate your knowledge and understanding of the
principles taught in this course. To enhance your in-class learning experience, you are
expected to complete certain assignments before class and to turn in outside assignments on
time i.e. the day it is due.
The exams will cover material from the textbook, additional readings, video material,
regular lectures and guest lectures.
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Maximum point values are as follows:
Two exams @ 200
CATERPILLAR Live Case Sales Project
Preliminary Project overview 20
Sales Role Play Presentation 200
Sales project written report 200
4 Project update reports
80
Professionalism*
Attendance
20
Class Participation
30
Ten Quizzes @ 10
Maximum possible points

.

400
500
50
100
1050
Professionalism points encompass level of commitment as manifested in regular
attendance, participation in class assignments, discussions, role plays, tardiness, as well
as in the quality of the written portion of the sales project
EXTRA CREDIT BONUS POINTS: As high as 10 percent of the total grade can be
earned as extra credit bonus points by students who join and participate actively (i.e.
membership, regular attendance, and actively participate in delivering speeches) in
organizations that promote public speaking such as the TOASTMASTERS
INTERNATIONAL (http://www.toastmasters.org/). The ISU Toastmasters group meets
every Saturday morning at the Memorial Union. Please consult with Dr. Wong when you
plan to engage in this activity.
2. The last exam will be administered as scheduled by the university during the final exam week
and will be announced when the schedule is published. Please plan your end of semester
departure with this in mind.
Your final grade will be scaled as follows:
A = 94% and above
A- = 90%
B+ = 87%
B = 84%
B- = 80%
C+ = 77%
C = 74%
C- = 70%
D+ = 67%
D = 60%
D- = 60%
F = Below 60%
GRADING SCALE:
THE CATERPILLAR LIVE-CASE STUDY SALES PROJECT
This Personal Sales course offers a unique hands-on learning experience via the special
educational partnership between Caterpillar, Inc., Ziegler, Inc. and the ISU College of
Business. It provides a real-world dimension to the learning experience where students will
intensely interact with CAT executives who will spend over a week with in our class.
After a few weeks of lectures as well as orientation into the questioning technique, all students
will assigned to teams and participate in a project that includes a role playing exercise – see
instructions on role playing described in the Personal Sales Manual (download from class
website).
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There will be two outputs from the Caterpillar Live-Case Study Sales Project:
1. A written research report & sales plan
2. Sales presentation role play
One their first visit (February 9) the CAT team (CAT and Ziegler executives) will first give
presentations on Caterpillar and Ziegler, their products and services, and the marketing of the
same. Student teams will get to select a product on which they will spend the next 8 weeks
preparing a sales plan and sales presentation role-play.
During the week of April 11 (CAT WEEK) student teams will sell their chosen product to a
team of buyers made up of CAT sales specialists.
They will take notes during each of the sales presentation role-play and give immediate feedback
on the performance (e.g. on your level of preparation, product knowledge level, content of the
presentation, believability, and team-work and presentation coherence).
Presentation Professionalism: For the role-play, students will be assigned to selling teams of
three members to present a fully integrated sales call of a Caterpillar product. Student sales teams
will utilize selling scenarios that they have researched and developed for the role-playing
presentation. (See the Selling Scenario Role Play Instruction Manual). This project will simulate
a “real-world” activity where the salesperson obtains needed product knowledge, competitor
knowledge, and knowledge related to the needs of the prospective customer.
The student teams will conduct research on the product, the nature of a CAT dealership, what
prospective buyers want. They will then use this knowledge to create a sales plan (written
report) and a sale presentation (role-play). The sales role-play has a 20-minute time limit.
During the role-play, the students are required to be fully prepared, utilize professionally prepared
selling aids, well rehearsed, and professionally attired.
The CAT/Ziegler executives will role-play as the buying team to which the sellers will give their
sales presentation. NOTE: The CAT team knows the products you sell intimately. They will have
pertinent questions for you during your presentation to gauge your level of preparedness, product
knowledge, and the situational context.
ACADEMIC HONESTY:
You are expected to uphold the university's policy of academic honesty as spelled out in the
student handbook. Acts of academic dishonesty will be reported to the appropriate university
committee. All forms of academic dishonesty related to any exam and assignments (cheating,
plagiarism, copying other students' work/assignments, etc.) will automatically result in a score of
"0" for that exam/assignment.
COURSE CONDUCT AND EXPECTATIONS
Professionalism:
We are committing a lot of time, effort, and energy to make this class as productive as possible,
with a major portion of class time dedicated to hands-on experiential learning via role-playing.
Further, Caterpillar, Inc. and Ziegler, Inc. are committing a lot of resources to this class –
their executives’ time, expertise, and travel-related expenses to give you a unique real-world
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learning experience. You owe it to yourself, to them, and to the College by taking this project
very seriously and giving your best efforts.
Prior to the actual role-playing exercise, you will be fully engaged in conducting the background
research and other preparatory work to ensure that the role-playing exercise is as realistic as
possible. As a result all students are expected to abide by a code of professional in attitude and in
behavior.
With regards to professionalism, the following are minimal expectations:
• Show up for class. Attendance is crucial and will count for grade. If you have some urgent
matters to attend to, please inform the instructor prior to your absence. When we have sales
executives and guest speakers, all students are expected to attend. This is the most basic
courtesy we afford these guests who come to share with us their time, experience, and
expertise. When the CAT executives are here attendance is mandatory. The only absences
accepted are those when you are providentially inhibited (e.g. illness or illness and/or death in
your family).
• Punctuality is very important. Be on time. This is the basic courtesy you owe to your
instructor and classmates, as well as our guests who will work with us this semester. This will
also ensure we can go right into the activities without unduly wasting any time.
• Be fully prepared. Do your assignments as requested. Check with your teammates.
Students are expected to have read the assigned chapters from the textbook as well as the
HBR articles BEFORE class and come fully prepared to discuss the material in class. HBR
articles can be downloaded and printed from the e-library source accessible via the ISU Parks
Library. We will have a quiz every Wednesday.
• Full contribution as a team member, and peer evaluation and grading. All students are
expected to fully pull their own weight. For the team projects, all team members will provide
the instructor with an evaluation of the commitment, participation, and effort put into the
project by each member. When there is a consensus on the part of most team members that
a particular member has not contributed equally to the project, that student will NOT
receive the full team grade for that project.
• Follow instructions. Carefully read the Personal Sales Instruction Manual and be
familiar with the instructions, expectations, and especially the deadlines. Failure to meet the
deadlines will result in points taken off from your projects.
• Full engagement: participate fully and contribute to all of the class proceedings and project
activities. During the discussion of readings and assigned topics, you are expected to
volunteer and respond to fellow students’ presentations, commentaries, etc.
• Civility: Be courteous and helpful to everyone in the class. The class will be conducted in
such a manner so as to provide a civil and safe environment where different points of view
are presented, debated, and respected. The key to the success of such an undertaking is that
students are to respect the views of others that might be different from yours.
Attendance:
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A lot of the learning in this class depends on the collective effort of all students. Your attendance
will impact not only your own learning and progress, but also on the rest of the entire class. There
are several dates where we will have guest speakers in our class. As a courtesy to the guests and
to your classmates, attendance in these sessions is especially important and mandatory.
Attendance will be taken.
Our guests volunteer their time and effort. They take time from their busy schedules and pay
their own way to come share their experiences, ideas, and insights with us. They are professionals
who take a lot of pride in their work and they are committed to partnering with us to provide
students with a practitioner’s perspective in the field of personal selling. Their generosity of
time, energy, and money also reflect their desire to help you and the College provide a quality
education for you.
Absence in any of these special events shows a lack of appreciation and disrespect for our guests
and yourself. Missing any one of these dates will result in the loss of 10 points off your
professionalism grade (see Grading).
Role Play Attendance Requirements: Take this very seriously
You are expected to show up and be punctual (preferably early to set things up) for your
scheduled role-play. Due the size of the class and my desire to provide experiential learning for
each one of you, orchestrating the schedule for the role-play sessions is a very challenging
undertaking. If you are absent from a scheduled role-play assignment, you will be penalized
with the loss of ALL points for that portion of your overall grade (i.e. you will get a ZERO
for the role play grade).
You are similarly expected to attend class during all the presentations. Absence will result in a
loss of points from your professionalism grade.
In addition, you are required to evaluate/critique the role-play performance of your class
members. Your professionalism grade will include my evaluation of the quantity and quality of
your written comments. Ten (10) points will be deducted from your professionalism grade for
each day missed from the required number of evaluation days. This point deduction will also be
made for those students who provide low quality and /or low quantity evaluations of role-plays.
Role-play preparation:
To achieve a high level of performance in the role-play, complete your research and background
information on the product and customer as early as possible. Finish the final report (and
PowerPoint presentation if needed) much ahead of the week of November 2. Divide the
presentation responsibilities and practice the presentation. The secret to high-level role-play
performance: REHEARSE. REHEARSE. REHEARSE.
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MKT 343 PERSONAL SALES
SPRING 2011
TENTATIVE COURSE OUTLINE AND ASSIGNMENTS
We will adhere to this outline as closely as possible. In response to the needs of the class, the
instructor reserves the right to make adjustments to the course during the semester. It is your
responsibility to keep up with any change(s) to the course by regular class attendance, checking
with your classmates, or checking the class webpage. The HBR articles are available online in
the ISU Library electronic collection – HBR Special Sales Edition – July-August 2006.
Week/Date
Topic
Chapter
1
Jan 10, 12, 14
Course Introduction & Overview of Personal Sales
Sales Philosophy/ Careers in the Age of Information
2.
Jan 17
Jan 19
Jan 21
Relationship Strategies: Managing Selling Relationships
Ending the War Between Sales and Marketing -- HBR
Personal Management issues
Jan 19
QUIZ #1
Jan 24
Jan 26
Jan 28
Communication Style
Leveraging the Psychology of the Sales Person -- HBR
Ethics – Foundation for relationships in selling
Guest lecturer
Jan 26
QUIZ #2
Jan 31
Feb 2
Feb 4
Product Solutions and Strategies
Product-Selling Strategies that add value
Read and DISCUSS in class: Appendix 3: Partnership Selling
Guest speaker
Feb 4
QUIZ #3
Feb 7
Feb 9
Feb 11
Understand Why People Buy
Caterpillar Project kick-off
Better Sales Networks -- HBR
Feb 9
CATERPILLAR PROJECT KICK-OFF
Presentation by the CAT team – Caterpillar and Ziegler executives
Student teams explore and then select the product for project
Feb 11
QUIZ #4
Feb 14
Feb 16
Feb 20
Developing a Prospect Database
The Sales Learning Curve -- HBR
Presentation/Strategy Approach
Guest Lecturer
Feb 16
QUIZ #5
3.
4.
5.
6.
MKT 343 Spring 2011/Dr. John Wong
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3
16
4
5
6
7
8
7
9
10
7.
8.
9.
Feb 21
Feb 23
Feb 25
Consultative Presentations
Making the Major Sale – HBR
CC: Food-Alcohol; Shopping-Luxury
Guest Lecturer
Feb 25
*** Preliminary Project Overview Report Due ***
Feb 23
QUIZ #6
Feb 28
Marc 2
Negotiations – addressing buyer concerns
Major Sales: Who really does the Buying? -- HBR
Mar 4
EXAM 1: Chapters 1-13, 16, assigned HBR articles to date, and all
other related material
Mar 7
Mar 9
Mar 11
Closing and Confirming the Partnership
** QUESTIONS VIDEO: Write Pain and Pleasure Questions
Servicing the Sale and building the partnership
Guest Lecturer
Mar 9
QUIZ #7
10. Mar 15 – 19
SPRING BREAK
11. Mar 21
Mar 23
Mar 25
Opportunity Management
Low Pressure Selling -- HBR
Revisit: Communications Style management
Mar 23
12. Mar 28
Mar 30
Apr 1
Mar 30
13. April 4
April 6
April 8
April 6
11
13
14
15
16
4
Quiz #8
Sales demonstrations that add value
What Makes a Good Salesman – HBR
Management of the Sales Force
12
17
Quiz 9
Setting the Right Price
Understanding What Your Sales manager is Up Against – HBR
Match Your Sales Force Structure to Your Business Life Cycle – HBR
Customer Relations Management
Leading Change from the Top Line – HBR
Quiz #10
14. April 11
April 13
April 15
CAT Role Play –Submit your research report & sales plan
CAT Role Play –Submit your research report & sales plan
CAT Role Play –Submit your research report & sales plan
15. April 19
April 21
April 23
Understanding What Your Sales manager is Up Against – HBR
Leading Change from the Top Line – HBR
Comprehensive Final Exam
16. April 26
April 28
April 30
Review of course and consultation
Review of course and consultation
Review of course and consultation
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18
19
17. May 3 - 7
University Exam Week
MKT 343 Spring 2011/Dr. John Wong
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NOTE:
CAT Sales Plan and Research Report Paper: You are to immediately begin conducting research on the
product once you have selected it with regards to who the most likely customers are – their profile, needs as
they relate to the products, what benefits they are looking for, their location, etc.
Please feel free to contact me if you need feedback on your choice of products or companies.
Also please feel free to contact the CAT executives whose names, phone numbers, and email addresses are
provided. They will serve as part of our resource team.
Ziegler Cat - www.zieglercat.com, 1500 Ziegler Dr NW, Altoona - (515) 957-3800.
Our contact person is Mr, Keith Krentz, Regional Sales Manager.
Each team is to thoroughly know your product when you make your sales presentation. You may or may
not want to have a PowerPoint presentation, but need to prepare various sales aids to augment and bolster
your case to the buyers.
Be fully prepared as the CAT team will ask probing questions to gauge your knowledge of the product
you are selling. You are also required to submit a report (not to exceed 20 pages; appendix and other
additional material excluded) as part of your Caterpillar project on the day of the presentation. In the
report you are to document the research you have conducted, product information relevant to the buyer,
assumptions made about the prospective buyers and their needs, the benefits the buyers are seeking to
satisfy, etc. You may use the format provided in the Personal Sales Instruction Manual.
This report (not to exceed 20 pages) presents the following key information:
a. on your company and product/service (see page 4 of Instruction Manual)
b. nature of competition – who the key competitors are, market share, etc (p 5)
c. information on the prospective buyer (p 5)
d. selling situation (pp 5 & 6)
e. overall sales plan
-----------ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:
Professor Martin Seligman and Positive Psychology
What is Positive psychology?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7P_eGRnr6w
Why is psychology good?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FBxfd7DL3E
1s4 short videos on various aspects of positive psychology –
http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=AF04D5FE02E3563D&search_query=seligman+positive+psyc
hology
Other videos of Professor Seligman
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=seligman+positive+psychology&search_type=&aq=2&oq=
seligman
-----
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