CATA Curricular Activities Code
AGRICULTURAL SALES
Revised 6/2010
Purpose and Standards
The purpose of the Agriculture Sales Career Development Event is to provide an individual with
the basic skills to take advantage of the career opportunities offered in the agricultural sales field.
Sales are an essential part of a market economy. Agricultural products benefit from sales skills,
both for inputs for production and the marketing of the products.
The California State Standards addressed by this career development event include the
following:
Foundation Standards: History – Social Science: 12.2.2 – 12.2.7; 12.2.10; 12.4; 12.4.3. Reading:
2.1; 2.3; 2.4; 2.7. Writing: 1.2; 1.5; 2.6. Listening & Speaking: 1.1; 1.7; 1.8; 1.14; 2.2; 2.3; 2.4.
Career Planning & Management: 3.1; 3.5. Technology: 4.2; 4.3. Problem Solving: 5.1 – 5.3.
Responsibility & Flexibility: 7.1 – 7.3; 7.5; 7.6. Ethics & Legal Responsibilities: 8.3.
Leadership & Teamwork: 9.1 – 9.6. Technical Knowledge & Skills: 10.2.
Pathway Standards: Each year the practicum and marketing presentation will focus around one
of the seven industry standards. Those pathway standards will vary as applicable to that industry
sector being addressed in the given year.
Agricultural Pathway Standards: A7.0-A7.5; A8.0-A8.3.
Objectives
The objective is to develop the skill sets necessary to be successful in sales. These would include
the following:
A. Communication Skills
1. Verbal Communication.
2. Written Communication.
3. Interactive Communication - to be able to listen and question in order to gather
information.
B. Product Knowledge
1. Features and benefits of a product.
2. Identifying potential customer objections.
3. Knowledge of proper product use.
C. Sales Process
1. Identifying prospective customers through marketing data.
2. Developing an approach that introduces your product to your prospective customer.
3. Develop a sales call that determines and addresses customers needs and objections.
4. Attempt trial closes to confirm customer interest.
5. Understand the basic business structure necessary to sell and deliver a product.
6. Attempt to close the sale by asking the customer to make a buying decision.
D. Maintaining Customers
1. Establish and build customer confidence in you and your product.
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2. Address customer complaints including:
a. Defective merchandise.
b. Maintain customer contact and place additional orders for sales.
c. Review product performance.
Classes
The agricultural sales contest will consist of four parts: an oral sales presentation, an objective
test, one sales situation practicum and a team sales situation. The contest will be a team event
consisting of four students. All team members will participate in all components of the contest.
Contest coordinators should make every effort to allow coaches, parents, guests, and student
contestants to observe the activities of the contest as described below. There will be no contact
between participants and other observers.
The contest will take place in two parts. In the first portion of the contest all contestants will
participate in the individual portion of the contest (objective test, practicum, and the sales
presentation). The top 50% of participating teams (up to 10 teams) will move on to the second
portion of the contest to compete for team and individual awards. The second portion of the
contest will include the team sales situation. Those competing in both portions of the contest
will be eligible for 200 total possible points per team member and 200 total possible points for
the team sales presentation:
Class
Sales Presentation
Objective Test (25 @ 2 pts each)
Practicum – 1 @ 50 pts
Team Sales Situation
TOTAL
Individual Team
100 points
400
50 points
200
50 points
200
N/A 200
200 1000
Tie Breaker
Should a tie occur in the individual or team scores, the tie will be broken by:
1. The highest sales presentation score.
2. If the tie cannot be broken using the sales presentation score, then the highest practicum
score will be used.
3. If a tie still exists, the highest written test score will be used to break the tie.
Sub-contest Awards
Sub-contest awards will be given for high teams and individuals in the following areas: Sales
Presentation, Objective Test, and Practicum and for the Team Sales Situation
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Rules
I.
Sales Presentation
A. Official FFA dress required.
B. The contestant will select an agricultural product representing one of the seven
instructional areas:
1. Agricultural Mechanics
2. Agricultural Production
3. Agricultural Products and Processing
4. Agricultural Supplies and Services
5. Forestry
6. Natural Resources and Rural Recreation
7. Ornamental Horticulture
C. Three copies of the contestant's project summary sheet (see D) will be given to the
contest coordinator at the contest site by the contestant.
D. Guidelines for the project summary sheet (one page typed).
1. Contestant name
2. Representation (Company-Chapter)
3. Product to be sold
4. Statement of Situation (Role customer is to play)
5. Features and Benefits of the Product
6. Method of Demonstration
7. Sales Call Objective
8. Product or service price
9. Examples of two or more competing products and their prices
E. Each contestant may briefly introduce the sales situation for the judges prior to the
sales presentation. The purpose of the introduction is to describe the location, prior
contacts with the customer, and any other information that will help set the scene for
the presentation.
F. Each contestant will be allowed ten (10) minutes for the sales presentation with a
verbal time warning at eight (8) minutes. A timekeeper will say "WARNING" loudly
and clearly at eight (8) minutes. The presentation will conclude at ten (10) minutes.
An additional two (2) minutes will be allowed for judges to ask questions relating to
the sales presentation.
G. The sales presentation will operate with insert one judge. Not more than two team
members from any chapter will be judged by the same set of judges.
H. A statistical standardization process will be used for scoring.
I. The sales presentations will be open to viewing by coaches, parents and guests.
Student contestants who have completed their sales presentations and are free from
other contest responsibilities may also observe this portion of the contest.
J. Evaluation Criteria (100 points total)
1. Preapproach (30 points)
a) Project Summary Sheet
b) Preparation for sale
c) Product knowledge
2. Approach (10 points)
a) First impressions
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II.
III.
Agricultural Sales
b) Create customer attention
c) Determine customer wants
d) Establish rapport
e) Ask leading questions
f) Demonstrate good listening skills
3. Demonstration (30 points)
a) Product Features and Benefits relevant to customer wants
b) Allow customer to participate
c) Confirming customer interest (trial close)
4. Handling customer objections (10 points)
a) Identify customer objections
b) Handle customer objections
5. Closing the sale (20 points)
a) Ask for the order
b) Recognize closing opportunities
K. Each student is required to bring their own presentation materials for individual sales
presentations. No sharing of materials will be allowed for the individual sales
presentations.
Objective Test
A. The objective test of the Agricultural Sales Contest is designed to test team members'
understanding of the professional sales process, the role that selling plays in the
marketing of agricultural products and the knowledge possessed by students relative
to the content.
B. Team members will work individually.
C. The test will consist of 25 multiple choice questions with 30 minutes allowed for
completion of this section of the contest.
D. Fifty points are allowed for this section of the contest. Two points per question.
E. The test will be based on "Selling - Helping Customers Buy."
F. The test will consist of 25 questions derived from this text. The questions will be
based on general and pertinent information on Agriculture Sales contained within the
text.
Practicum – Sales Situations
All participants will compete in the same sales situation. It is at the discretion of the
contest coordinators to determine which one of the three sales situations will be selected to
be used at the contest. These sales situations will be announced at team orientation after
registration. The sales situation will be worth a total of 50 points per team member. At the
discretion of the contest coordinator, this portion of the contest may be either a customer
relations, order taking/customer service or prospecting for new customers. The sales
situations should follow the rotational theme schedule.
1. 2010 Horticulture Industry
2. 2011 Animal Industry
3. 2012 Crop Industry
4. 2013 Natural Resources
5. 2014 Agriculture Mechanics
A. Customer Relations
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1. The contest chairperson will select a scenario realistically portraying a customer
relations problem which may occur in agricultural sales and involves both technical
information and human relation problems. The salesperson (contestant) will be
provided with the company policy or philosophy concerning merchandise return and
refunds prior to performing the scenario. It is possible the salesperson will have to
develop a solution independently if the company policy does not specify one for the
particular scenario. In this case, the salesperson will be evaluated on their creativity,
judgment and application of the philosophy of the company. The participant will
have to obtain the majority of the information necessary to solve the problem by
interaction with the customer.
2. Types of problems which may be used are:
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
1. Return of merchandise sold.
2. Defective merchandise.
3. Lack of understanding in use of merchandise.
4. Calming and regaining trust of a dissatisfied customer.
Upon assembling as a group, contestants will draw for the order in which they
compete. Six (6) minutes will be allowed for the contestant to demonstrate
his/her customer relations skills. At four (4) minutes there will be a verbal
warning given.
The contestant will perform in a room in which a "customer" will enter and
explain a specific complaint. Performing within the guidelines provided to the
contestant prior to entry into the contest room, the contestant will attempt to
work with the customer to determine the basis for the complaint and
determine the proper course of action to resolve the issue.
The person-to-person customer relations scenario will be open to viewing by
coaches, parents, and guests. Student contestants who have completed this
scenario and are free of other contest responsibilities may also observe this
portion of the contest.
Two judges will be used in each room and their scores will be averaged. One
judge may serve as the customer. Contest coordinators may need two or more
sets of judges to complete the contest in a timely manner. If more than one set
of judges is used, the first two contestants should be evaluated through a
consensus by all judges as is done in the sales presentation.
Evaluation Criteria for Customer Relations (50 points)
a. Introduction (5 points)
(1) Identify yourself
(2) Purpose of call (if applicable)
(3) Professionalism
(4) Empathy
(5) Grammar
b. Attitude (5 points)
(1) Pleasant
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(2) Friendly
(3) Establish rapport
c. Information via Customer Interaction (20 points)
(1) Determine the problem
(2) Clarify the problem
d. Develop Solution (15 points)
(1) Evidence of product knowledge
(2) Overcome customer objections
e. Closing (5 points)
(1) Get customer agreement
(2) Review and closure
B. Order Taking/Customer Service
1. The contest participants will demonstrate the skills used when taking an order and
incorporating problem solving and/or suggestive selling of additional product(s).
2. The contest coordinators will select a scenario typical for an agricultural supply
company. The participants will be provided with a promotional flyer, catalog, or
other promotional material that has been mass mailed to select agricultural
prospects and customers. Participants will also be provided with an order form
and any updated information since the mailing of the promotional material. This
may include such information as out of stock items or price updates.
3. Participants will be given the scenario and supportive materials ten (10) minutes
before the event and will have six (6) minutes to demonstrate the skills
interactively with all judges with a four (4) minutes warning.
4. Scoring Criteria (50 points)
a. Greeting (5 points)
(1) Pleasant and businesslike
b. Clarity and confirm the order (20 points)
(1) Repeat each item
(2) Include product numbers if appropriate
(3) Confirm availability
c. Suggestive/consultative selling (20 points)
(1) Suggest related products
(2) Note items on special
(3) Offer substitutes for items out of stock or no longer carried
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d. Close the order (5 points)
(1) Repeat the order
(2) Ask for other needs
(3) Confirm the delivery date
C. Prospecting for New Customers
The contest coordinators will select a sales situation. The participants will be given a
product description. The participants will then approach a customer and through
interaction with that customer determine if they are a prospect. The participants will
then attempt to sell that product to the customer or gain an appointment for a future
sales call, whichever is appropriate for the scenario. The participants will have ten
(10) minutes to read over the product description and the sales situation. Six (6)
minutes will be allowed with a four (4) minutes warning to interact with the judges.
The situation will be interactive with all judges.
Prospecting for New Customers Scoring Criteria (50 points)
a. Greeting/Opening Statement (15 points)
(1) Clearly identify self and company
(2) Build interest in product/service
b. Qualify the prospect (15 points)
(1) Question for customer needs
(2) Demonstrate good listening skills
c. Provide features and benefits (10 points)
(1) Describe features and benefits appropriate to the prospects needs
d. Close the interview or sale (10 points)
(1) Ask for the order
(2) Ask for an appointment
(3) Review the order or commitment
IV.
Team Sales Situation
A. The team sales situation is a team activity. Team members will work together to
demonstrate group dynamics, problem solving, data analysis, decision making and
oral and written communication skills.
B. The following information will be provided to the team as if they were a group of
professional salespeople:
a. A product (including features and price – if applicable)
b. Market situation (including competition)
c. Several potential customers
C. The team will then develop all the strategies necessary to prepare to sell the product
in a face to face sales call. This strategy should include but not be limited to:
a. Determining potential customer needs and wants.
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b. Identifying features and benefits of the products to address customers’ needs
and wants.
c. Identifying potential customer objections and prepare to address them.
d. Identifying potentially related products and suggested selling strategies.
e. Developing a sales plan and goals for each customer
D. The team will be judged on team work and equal involvement during the observed
working time of this team sales situation. The team will also be judged on the final
presentation. It is critical that the team not only state what they choose to do but why
they choose to do it. There are no absolute right or wrong answers in selling.
Demonstrating the basic fundamentals necessary to accomplish the team’s goal is
essential.
a. The judges will act as an audience during the work time and presentation time.
They will not engage in dialog during the presentation.
b. Each team will be given twenty-five (25) minutes to examine all information
provided, discuss and develop ideas and prepare a ten (10) minutes
presentation. The judges will then be allowed an additional five (5) minutes
for questions.
c. The judges will watch a portion of the process as determined by the contest
coordinator, so it is important that all team members speak up so the judges
can hear what is being said and that all team members participate.
d. Teams may bring a laptop computer and utilize Power Point for the team sales
situation only. If a laptop computer is utilized, the presentation will be
presented on a laptop screen. Projectors will not be allowed. Desktop
computers will not be allowed. Each team will be responsible for the power
supply for their computer.
e. Scoring Criteria for Team Sales Situation – 200 points total
i. Team Work Evaluation – 50 points
1. Leadership roles easily perceived
2. Participation by each member of the team
3. Members demonstrated effective listening and communication
skills
ii. Analysis of Information – 40 points
1. Clearly identify the product features and the market for that
product
2. Provided information and data is analyzed and utilized
3. Demonstrate the use of basic skills
iii. Quality of Team’s Solution – 70 points
1. Identify sales goal for each customer and/or market segment
2. Identify the key benefits of the product
3. Identify potential customer objections and develop strategies to
address those objections
4. Possible solutions are discussed and analyzed
5. Justify decisions
iv. Presentation – 20 points
1. Presents team’s solutions
2. Overall delivery professional and well thought out
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V.
VI.
Agricultural Sales
3. Presentation is clear and effective
4. All team members participated
v. Response to Questions – 20 points
1. Questions will come from:
a. Teamwork evaluation
b. Analysis of information
c. Presentation
Test References:
Ditzenberger & Kidney, Selling-Helping Customers Buy. South - Western Publishing Co.,
Cincinnati, Ohio, 1986. To order: 1-800-543-7972 Stock number: S20; Cost $14.95.
Team Training Guides Available:
Agricultural Business Sales and Marketing Curriculum Guide,
Instructional Materials Laboratory, 10 Industrial Education Building, University of
Missouri, Columbia, 1989. To order: 1-800-669-2465; Instructional Materials
Laboratory, 2316 Industrial Drive, Columbia, Missouri, 65202. Cost $46.75,
Student Handout $12.50
Brown and Kirkwood, Developing the Agricultural Sales Professional (video tape series),
Farm Credit Services, St. Paul, Minnesota, 1990. To order: 612-221-1458; Farm Credit
Services, Education Training Department, 375 Jackson Street, St. Paul, Minnesota, 55102.
Video Titles: Building Persuasive Sales Skills; Cost $94.95
Assisting Customer Needs; Cost $94.95Communicating Product Benefits; Cost
$94.95
Getting and Giving Commitment; Cost $94.95
Includes: Video Tape, Facilitator's Guide; Student materials for each video tape are
$9.50 each.
McGuire, James E., Advertising and Display in Agribusiness,
Glencoe/McGraw-Hill, Manchester, Missouri, 1979.
To order: 1-800-334-7344; 13955 Manchester Road, Manchester, Missouri, 63011.
Order number: ISBN 0070419620; Cost $19.96 (going out of print in 1991).
Miller, Larry E., Selling in Agribusiness,
Glencoe/McGraw-Hill, Manchester, Missouri, 1979.
To order: 1-800-334-7344; 13955 Manchester Road, Manchester, Missouri, 63011.
Order number: ISBN 007045129X; Cost $19.96 (going out of print in 1991)
Samson and Little, Advertising Planning and Techniques,
South - Western Publishing Company, Cincinnati, Ohio, 1985.
To order: 1-800-543-7972
Stock Number D20; Cost $8.15.
Samson and Little, Visual Merchandising-Planning and Techniques.
South-Western Publishing Company, Cincinnati, Ohio, 1985.
To order: 1-800-543-7972
Stock Number D21; Cost $8.15.
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