California Career and Technical Education Standards

• MSS.D.D1.1 Know the characteristics of a successful salesperson.
• MSS.D.D1.4 Know the techniques used by salespeople to enhance selling potential and increas...
• MSS.D.D1.6 Understand buying motives and the customer’s decision-making process.

California Academic Content Standards (Reinforced)

• ELA.9-10.LS.2.5b Deliver persuasive arguments that use rhetorical devices to support assertions (...
• ELA.9-10.R.CAGT.2.5 Extend ideas presented in primary or secondary sources through original analysis...3

• 1. Anticipatory Set - Hooks / Set

  Have the following on the overhead projector as students enter the classroom:

   Peter F. Drucker: Quotations on Risk
  “What you have to do and the way you have to do it is incredibly simple. Whether you are willing to do it is another matter.”

   

  Teacher asks for clarification meaning of the aforementioned quote.

  Everyone everywhere sells something. You might be selling a product, a service, an idea or concept, or yourself.  Whether tangible or intangible, the same basic principles of salesmanship apply and can be adapted to almost any situation. There are important factors that can impact the success of your interaction with customers. Every customer is different and a good salesperson knows how to operate successfully with all types of customers. You may not like selling but you will be involved in the activity numerous times throughout your lifetime.

   

  Teacher asks:

  ·         Are you a salesperson at home? When?

  ·         What about when you go for a job interview?

  ·         Are there times you try to sell something to your teacher at school?

   
• 2. Lecturing Activity - Lecture

  After a brief discussion the teacher continues (student handout is attached):

  Every employee of a business organization will be directly or indirectly involved in sales. It is important to understand the sales process in order to support the sales efforts. The best way to sell anything is face to face. The opportunity to do this in the school setting or virtual world is limited to working the student store on site, or participating in the Virtual Enterprise program, virtual activities at school career fairs or at community-sponsored  trade fairs.

   

  Teacher passes a handout to the students listing the following websites:  

  There are numerous resources on the web for information about trade shows in general. Teacher clicks on a couple of the websites and points out some helpful hints regarding trade fair booths where companies pay a fee to show its products.  The Tulare County (CA) World-Wide Farm Show is an example.

  • http://www.ideacafe.com
  • http://www.imagespecialist.com
  • http://www.siskindtraining.com
  • http://www.exhibitorease.com
  • http://www.iondesigngroup.com
  • http://www.woznymedia.com
  • http://ca.essortment.com/tradeshowbooth_rxub.htm
  • http://www.allbusiness.com

   

  The following vocabulary is listed on the handout for students to define  (definitions are included here):

   

  *  Sales quotas. Dollar or unit sales goals set for the sales staff to achieve in a specified period of time.

  *  Personal selling. Direct contact between a salesperson and a customer; two-way communication between the seller and the buyer.

  *  Goals of selling. Purpose of selling is to help customers make satisfying buying decisions, which create ongoing, profitable relationships between buyer and seller.

  *  Consultative selling. This type of selling provides solutions to customers’ problems by finding products that meet their needs.

  *  Feature-benefit selling. A concept that matches the characteristics of a product to a customer’s needs and wants.

  *  Customer buying motives. Salespeople must know what motivates customers to buy and what decisions customers make before the final purchase. Motives are usually rational or emotional.

  *  Customer decision making. Some customers need no help from salespeople, and others require significant time and effort.  This difference has its roots in three types of decision making - - extensive, limited, and routine.

  Teacher continues with the following lecture points:

  There is an old saying in the retail industry – “NOTHING HAPPENS UNTIL SOMETHING GETS SOLD”. On the overhead projector, show the following while students take written notes:

  Sales are based on certain truths. 

  1. Sales don't just happen.
  2. Selling skills can be learned.
  3. Everyone can learn to be an effective salesperson.
  4. Customers don't care how much you know until they know how much you care.
  5. If sales are done correctly, customers will be satisfied and the company will be profitable.

  These truths, or maxims, come directly from the training given by Fortune 500 companies to their sales force. They are nearly universally accepted, although they may be stated in different words. Let's expand on them a bit.

   

  • Vocabulary & Note Taking Handout [ Download ] Handout
• 3. Explanation of critical selling aspects - Guided Practice

  For note taking purposes, the following should be shown overhead projection for students to see clearly and be able to take written notes (student handout has the following minus the information):

   

  *  Sales don’t just happen . For a business to be successful, planning and research are required. Some products carry nearly universal appeal, such as televisions. Others are age-specific, gender-specific, or limited to a specific interest group, such as skateboards.

  *  Selling skills can be learned . “Natural-born” salespeople are really just excellent communicators. The skills needed to be a successful salesperson are not difficult to develop, and are refined through practice.

  *  Everyone can learn to be an effective salesperson . Just as with any other skill, some people will learn faster than others will, but everyone can improve their skills by practicing.

  v* If sales are done correctly, the customers will be very satisfied and the company will be profitable . Research has shown that a satisfied customer will tell three people how nice their buying experience was with you, while a dissatisfied one will tell 20 how bad it was. Satisfied customers will bring you more business, and these referrals will be ready to buy from you. Dissatisfied customers will cost you sales, and rarely will you even know why. 

   

  Teacher asks the following question for discussion of connecting a concept with real-world experience:

  “How has a salesperson helped you purchase an item?"
• 4. Lab Activity/Checking for Understanding - Check Understanding

  Students look up the following decision vocabulary for definitions using Marketing Essential 2009 textbook or Internet research.  Vocabulary words were mentioned earlier and pertain to customers' decision making when purchasing a product or service. (definitions are included here):

  (a) extensive decision making- used when there has been little or no previous experience with an item; goods/services have a high degree of perceived risk; very expensive or have high value to the customer (Example: first home purchase).

  (b) limited decision making– used when a person buys goods/services that s/he has purchased before but no regularly; products has a moderate degree of perceived risk (Example: a 2 ^nd car or a vacation).

  (c)   routine decision making – used when a person needs little information about a product/service; perceived low risk because product is bought frequently or satisfaction with product is high (Example: groceries).
• 5.Guided Practice - Guided Practice

  Teacher asks:  Have you ever had to save for a long time to make a purchase?  What factors went into your decision making?

  Problem solving activity:  Suppose a couple with two young children needs a new car.  They have never owned a minivan before.  Would this require extensive or limited decision making?

  ·         Have students break up into groups of 3 or 4

  ·         Have group decide which decision making key term applies and why

  ·         Have each group present to the class after approx. 5 minutes

  For further discussion, ask students to brainstorm what customers are really looking for when they buy the following products:

  (a)     Jewelry

  (b)     Apparel

  (c)     Winter coat

  (d)     Running shoes

   

  Teacher should:

  1. Monitor for participation

  2. Spot check for student questions

  Sample answers may include:

  (a)     Jewelry: makes purchaser/recipient, if a gift, feel good

  (b)     Apparel: improves buyer’s appearance

  (c)     Winter coat: keeps buyer warm

  (d)    Running shoes: makes running easier on the feet or legs, or makes buyer look good.
• 6. Independent/Group Practice Activity - Independent Practice

  After students have presented their answers to the problem solving activity and while they are in their groups:

   

  ·         Have each group choose (from a predetermined list supplied by the teacher) a product or service that could be sold at the community farmers market or county fair (attachment is included)

  ·         Have each group or each person in the group plan a sales pitch to entice customers to buy the product

  ·         Have students design a fictitious county fair booth (with props or bulletin boards) set up in the classroom so students can demonstrate selling techniques; other classes could visit to ‘purchase’ giving further incentive to learn the art of selling

  Teacher should:  

  ·         Remind students that selling involves one-on-one contact with customers in most cases

  ·         Remind students that a salesperson must have knowledge about the product being sold

  ·         Remind students that a salesperson must understand customers’ motives for buying and types of customer decision making

  ·         Choose a date for the fair booth activity which can either be a solo class activity or a school activity.

  • Handout [ Download ] Selling activity instructions
  • PowerPoint [ Download ] Lesson PowerPoint