978-1259573200 Section 4 Section 4 Part 1

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1SECTION 4

BUYER ROLE PLAY SCENARIOS

For the Two Role Play Cases (Purina ONE SmartBlend Dog Food® and Gartner) at the back of the text

book.

SmartBlend Dog Food Buyer Scenario

Situation 1 Animal Haven

Buyer A

You are an amiable.

Needs: Animal Haven is looking for top quality dog food, that is also reasonably priced. In the

past you used to get dog food for free. But when vendors heard how much your adoption fee

was, they stopped giving you the food for free. You wish you could get free dog food, but

understand the economics of commerce.

Objections:

1.We’re a non-profit shelter for abandoned dogs and cats. Wouldn’t you just give us the dog

food for free? (look hopeful!)

SmartBlend Dog Food Buyer Scenario

Situation 1 Animal Haven

Buyer B

You are an analytical.

Needs: You got this job a year ago due to your skills in purchasing and negotiating, not because you know

a lot about dogs or cats. You require lots of information before making any decision! Just for your

information, the former mayor of New York provides the money to purchase all of the dog and cat food

consumed at Animal Haven. You just have to decide which brand you want to carry.

Objections:

1. How long have these dog foods been on the market? How are they selling? Do dogs like them? What

complaints have you had about them?

SmartBlend Dog Food Buyer Scenario

Situation 2 PetSmart—Corporate Headquarters (Resell Situation)

Buyer A

You are an expressive.

Needs: To stock products that consumers are going to want to buy. You need good merchandising, good

prices and hopefully some good co-op advertising opportunities.

Objections:

1. I really hate to have to hit you with this right away, but we are starting to require all vendors to pay

distribution warehouse slotting allowances. I guess I just needed to tell you that, so that if you were

unwilling or unable to pay the fees, we can save each other a lot of time. [If the seller asks, you think the

amount might be around $2500 to stock four or five SKU’s.]

SmartBlend Dog Food Buyer Scenario

Situation 2 PetSmart—Corporate Headquarters (Resell Situation)

Buyer B

You are a driver.

Needs: You’ve blown it by buying some products that salespeople promised were going to be great sellers

(and they weren’t). Now you’re very cautious. You can’t afford to make many more bad decisions and

you don’t want to lose your job.

Objections:

1. Has any other chain of stores like ours sold these products? How did they sell? [Then find some reason

why that other chain is not exactly like PetSmart.]

SmartBlend Dog Food Buyer Scenario

Situation 3 PetSmart—Local Store (Resell Situation)

Buyer A

You are an amiable.

Needs: You’re a very successful manager who runs a very successful PetSmart location. You know

exactly what your customers want and give it to them. You don’t have time to waste listening to thousands

of sales presentations every day. You’ve learned to get down to business quickly and then move on. You

carry several major brands of dog foods.

Objections:

1. So, I always start off with an easy question. Or two. What are you selling and how much does it cost?

SmartBlend Dog Food Buyer Scenario

Situation 3 PetSmart—Local Store (Resell Situation)

Buyer B

You are an analytical.

Needs: You’re the general manager of this local PetSmart store. Sales haven’t been as good since a larger

store with grocery products opened near you a few months ago. What has made you successful in the past

are the personal relationships you and your employees have made with your customers. You need

products with a good profit margin and that will turnover fairly quickly. You can’t afford to offer every

SKU of every product offered because you don’t have enough room, or demand, for them all.

You need lots of information to avoid making mistakes. Often, you regret making some purchases that

you have made. You hope that doesn’t happen in this case.

Objections:

1. Do you make calls often in our town? [seller answers] I don’t remember you calling on me before. Or

am I mistaken?

SmartBlend Dog Food Buyer Scenario

Situation 4 Kroger—Corporate Headquarters (Resell Situation)

Buyer A

You are an expressive.

Needs: You don’t remember ever having a Purnia salesperson call on you before (you’ve been a buyer

here for the last two years). That’s no big deal though, since you go to the shows and keep up very well on

all of the latest products and developments. In fact, you are pretty proud of all of your knowledge about

pet food items. Sometimes you come across as abrasive, but in reality you’re just a bit cocky. Your stores

are always looking for new products that are heavily demanded. You want items that can turnover quickly.

Objections:

1. So, why did you guys come out with so many variations on your Purina ONE Smart Blend? What

makes them so terrific?

SmartBlend Dog Food Buyer Scenario

Situation 4 Kroger—Corporate Headquarters (Resell Situation)

Buyer B

You are a driver.

Needs: You are a sharp businessperson who never takes a risk. Your stores already carry Rachael Ray

Nutrish and IAMS ProActive Health lines, but you’re not willing to share any sales information with this

seller. You want products that will sell well and generate a substantial profit for your stores.

Objections:

1. I’ve not heard that any of our customers have ever come in asking for your Purina ONE SmartBlend

products before.

SmartBlend Dog Food Buyer Scenario

Situation 5 Kroger—Local Supermarket (Resell Situation)

Buyer A

You are an amiable.

Needs: To sell a somewhat limited line of pet food products. You’re not so concerned about turnover, but

very concerned about profit margins. You want to make at least 20% on any pet food item you sell.

Objections:

1. We already carry several dog food products (IAMS, Natural Balance). Why do we need more?

SmartBlend Dog Food Buyer Scenario

Situation 5 Kroger—Local Supermarket (Resell Situation)

Buyer B

You are an expressive.

Needs: You don’t trust salespeople although you meet with them all throughout your normal day. You’ve

been burned too many times to count. The last time was a salesperson for a company you had never heard

of before. She didn’t do anything she promised to do. And you were blamed for it. Your store needs

products that have a good turnover and a high profit margin. The biggest selling brand for you is Natural

Balance, but you sell a decent amount of IAMS, too.

Objections:

1. How do I do know I can trust what you’re saying? I’ve certainly heard of Purina, which is a well

respected name. But I’ve not met you before.

SmartBlend Dog Food Buyer Scenario

Situation 6 Lowe’s—Corporate Headquarters (Resell Situation)

Buyer A

You are an analytical.

Needs: The usual: good profit margin and pretty good turnover. Lowe’s has carried a number of dog

foods in the past, but you’re not willing to tell the seller anything about what brands they were or how

well they sold. You see Lowe’s as a do-it-yourself store, not a grocery store. You’d rather use that space

for more tools or outdoor products or whatever, but not grocery products.

Objections:

1. I’m not a grocery/pet foods fan. I mean, in grocery stores or pet stores, great! But in Lowe’s? Not

really.

SmartBlend Dog Food Buyer Scenario

Situation 6 Lowe’s—Corporate Headquarters (Resell Situation)

Buyer B

You are a driver.

Needs: To sell more prebuilt dog houses. That’s where your real profit margins are at. You currently

carry two brands of premium dog food: IAMS and Natural Balance.

Objections:

1. To be honest, I’d carry fifty brands of dog food if I could. I like to see special items that might get

attention and interest.

SmartBlend Dog Food Buyer Scenario

Situation 7 Lowe’s—Individual Store (Resell Situation)

Buyer A

You are an amiable.

Needs: To make purchasing decisions that will enhance the image of your local Lowe’s store and increase

the positive experience that customers have. You only carry one brand of inexpensive dog food at present.

Objections:

1. Our store couldn’t buy enough to get many, if any of your discounts. Thus, our profit margins won’t be

very high, will they?

SmartBlend Dog Food Buyer Scenario

Situation 7 Lowe’s—Individual Store (Resell Situation)

Buyer B

You are an expressive.

Needs: You want to see your local store expand the number of items offered. But this has to be done in

some logical and systematic fashion. Just throwing in a product here and there doesn’t meet that criteria.

You’ve been toying with adding a line of old-fashioned toy trains and all the accessories that go with that.

You want to know how this line of dog food products would compare to something like that. You carry no

dog food currently.

Objections:

1. Hey, we’re considering adding a line of miniature toy trains. Convince me that adding your line of dog

food would be a better decision.

SmartBlend Dog Food Buyer Scenario

Situation 8 Camp Bow Wow (Franchise Headquarters)

Buyer A

You are an analytical.

Needs: To make more profits. The sales and profits at Camp Bow Wow have been down for the last

twelve months. You think it is due to your employees, but having the wrong selection of merchandise

could also be an issue. You really want to get promoted at Camp Bow Wow and get out of this food and

nutrition specialist position. Anything that will aid you in that pursuit is welcome. You seek products that

generate profits and have a moderate turnover.

Objections:

1. I need profits. And I need those profits NOW. Can your dog food line secure that for me?