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Chapter Six—Planning Sales Dialogues and
Presentations
Learning Outcomes
After completing this chapter, you should be able to:
1. explain why it is essential to focus on the customer when planning sales calls.
2. understand alternative ways of communicating with prospects and customers through
canned sales presentations, written sales proposals, and organized sales dialogues and
presentations.
3. discuss the nine components in the sales dialogue template that can be used for planning an
organized sales dialogue or presentation.
4. explain how to write a customer value proposition statement.
5. link buying motives to benefits of the seller’s offering, support claims made for benefits,
and reinforce verbal claims made.
6. engage the customer by setting appointments.
Chapter Outline
I. Introduction
II. Customer-Focused Sales Dialogue Planning
III. Sales Communications Formats
A. Canned Sales Presentations
B. Written Sales Proposals
C. Writing Effective Proposals
Executive Summary
Customer Needs and Proposed Solution
Seller Profile
Pricing and Sales Agreement
Implementation and Timetable
D. Evaluating Proposals Before Submission
E. Organized Sales Dialogues
IV. Sales Dialogue Template
A. Section 1: Prospect Information
V. Section 2: Customer Value Proposition
A. Section 3: Sales Call Objective
VI. Section 4: Linking Buying Motives, Benefits, Support Information, and Other Reinforcement
Methods
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A. Section 5: Competitive Situation
B. Section 6: Beginning the Sales Dialogue
C. Initiating Contact
D. Section 7: Anticipate Questions and Objections
E. Section 8: Earn Prospect Commitment
F. Section 9: Build Value through Follow-up Action
VII. Engaging the Customer
Exercises
Developing Professional Selling Knowledge
1. Why is sales dialogue and presentation preplanning important?
Sales presentation preplanning is important because it helps keep the salesperson organized
2. Do you see the need for any salesperson to ever use a canned sales presentation?
Canned sales presentations may be effective when the product line is narrow, and when
3. Most salespeople use organized sales dialogues and presentations today. Why?
Most salespeople use organized sales dialogues and presentations because they provide
4. Explain why both verbal and written communication are a necessity for a successful
salesperson.
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Both verbal and written forms of communication are important because each plays a
crucial role in the purchase decision. Verbal communication is important for learning about
5. Explain the key elements of written proposals.
The key elements of written proposals are the executive summary, customer needs and
proposed solution, seller profile, pricing and sales agreement, and implementation and
6. Why is the planning template for sales dialogues and presentations an important tool for
today’s salesperson?
The primary advantage of the planning template for sales dialogues and presentations is
7. Why is it important for a salesperson to establish objectives for each sales call?
It is important for salespeople to establish sales call objectives because doing so keeps
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them organized, focused, and goal-directed. Setting multiple sales call objectives (e.g.,
8. What are characteristics of a well-written customer value proposition?
A good customer value proposition will be a simple statement that clearly directs
9. What is the difference between buying motives and benefits?
Buying motives refer to the most important facts from the customer’s perspective in
10. How can salespeople enhance their chances of securing an appointment with a prospect?
Salespeople will be more likely to secure an appointment with a prospect if they follow
Group Activity
Preparing for Sales Calls: Using the Internet and the Views of a Sales Professional
Form student teams and have them access a search engine like Yahoo.com. The teams should
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investigate topics such as “sales, planning the call” or “sales, precall planning.” Teams prepare a
brief report on the best ideas from the search, then interview a salesperson or sales manager for
additional ideas on how to prepare for sales calls. Each team should present their findings in
class. Teams should document sources used in their reports.
Experiential Exercises
1. Demonstrating the Differences Between Features and Benefits
Objective: Use this exercise to facilitate student understanding of the differences in features and
benefits. By using a product they are familiar with, students gain confidence in converting
features into benefits.
Time Required: Students will need only a few minutes to prepare, either before or in class. The
demonstrations will vary in length, but each can be completed in less than five minutes.
Teaching Tip: To get an interesting mix of products, give the students advance notice of this
assignment, and stress that they must use the product to demonstrate features and benefits.
Have students bring a product to class and demonstrate three features and three related benefits
to the class. Alternatively, students can pair up for this exercise, then switch buyer-seller roles.
Class discussion should follow presentations with a focus on how to improve the explanation of
features and benefits. For example, if the feature/benefit explanation was too complicated or not
clear, how could the presenter improve the explanation?
2. Linking Buying Motives to Benefits and Reinforcing Benefits
Objective: Students gain experience in selecting benefits that relate to the buyer’s key motives,
and they learn how to support benefit claims with information and sales support materials. Note
that this exercise utilizes the Sales Dialogue and Presentation Planning Template as shown in
Exhibit 6.4 and discussed on page 136.
Time Required: Two hours outside of class, plus a ten-minute presentation in class.
Teaching Tip: Limit the in class presentation to ten minutes per team rather than insisting that
all benefits are included in the presentation. If the team demonstrates that they understand how to
complete Section 4 of the Sales Dialogue and Presentation Planning Template (Exhibit 6.4) for a
few benefits, they can do the same for as many benefits as might be appropriate in a sales
situation.
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Have student teams select a real product to be sold to a real prospect. The teams identify at least
two key buying motives for the prospect. The buying motives must be approved by the
instructor. Students then complete Section 4 of the Sales Dialogue and Presentation Planning
Template. This requires linking benefits to the buying motives, identifying information to
support claims made for each benefit, and specifying appropriate methods for reinforcing verbal
content. Teams present a ten-minute briefing to the class for discussion and feedback.
Chapter 6 Case
Nimblefoot
Background
Nimblefoot is a manufacturer of women’s running shoes, which are sold through major sporting
goods chain stores and specialty stores. Nimblefoot has targeted Trailrunner, a regional specialty
store chain as a potential prospect for its latest product. Nimblefoot’s sales representative,
Bradley Jackson, hopes to replace a competitor’s product in the Trailrunner stores. Bradley has
begun planning his upcoming sales call on Susan Holloway, head buyer at Trailrunner. At a
recent trade show, Bradley had a brief conversation with Susan and learned that Trailrunner’s
management is interested in improving the profitability of the chain. Further, Susan made it clear
that Trailrunner would only be interested in high-quality products.
Current Situation
Bradley and his sales manager, Ashley
Zamora, have been discussing the plans
for the upcoming call on Trailrunner.
Ashley asked Bradley to give her a
summary of Trailrunner’s key buying
motives and the related benefits that
Nimblefoot could offer. In addition,
Ashley wanted to review the
information that would be required to
support any claims made for the
benefits, as well as additional ideas for
how to reinforce the verbal content of Nimblefoot’s sales message. Bradley supplied Ashley with
the requested information, as shown in Exhibit A. Ashley is now reading over Exhibit A and
plans to give Bradley some feedback tomorrow morning.
Questions
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1. In the role of Ashley Zamora, what specific comments and suggestions do you have for
Bradley Jackson?
Students’ answer will vary depending on their grasp of the material and their individual
preferences for visual aids. Nevertheless, the students should allude to one or more of the
following bits of feedback:
2. Should a customer value proposition be developed before completing the information in
Exhibit A?
Yes, the general customer proposition should have been developed before completing the
Role Play
Characters: Ashley Zamora, sales manager, and Bradley Jackson, sales representative
Scene:
Location—Ashley Zamora’s office
Action—One student plays the role of Ashley Zamora, and one student plays the role of Bradley
Jackson. Ashley has told Bradley that she thinks it would be good exercise to act out the
presentation of the key benefits shown in section four of the template. She said to Bradley “I will
act like the Trailrunner buyer, and you try to convince me that your benefits are significant. Be
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as specific as you can.”
Questions
After completing the role play, address these questions:
1. What were the strengths of Bradley Jackson’s performance?
2. How could Bradley’s performance be improved?
3. How important is sales call planning in determining sales call performance?
Chapter 6 Role Play
Kindle versus Nook
Background
For this role play, students will assume one of three roles: (1) sales representative for Amazon’s
Kindle; (2) sales representative for Barnes and Noble’s Nook; or (3) a buyer for a major
university that is considering the purchase of e-readers for students. Prior to the role play, all
students should conduct a comparison of the features and benefits of the Kindle and the Nook.
To do the comparison, begin by using a search engine such as Google. Enter “Kindle vs. Nook”
to find features and benefits of both products.
Role Play:
Characters: One Kindle representative, one Nook representative, and a buyer for the university
Scene 1:
Location—The buyer’s office
Action—Both sellers present their products to the buyer with a focus on explaining their
product’s benefits to the buyer.
Questions
After completing the role play, address the following questions:
1. Did the sellers demonstrate that they knew the difference between features and benefits?
2. Did the sellers have sufficient information to be convincing?
3. Can you suggest additional ways that the sellers could improve their sales
communications?
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Chapter 6 Continuing Case
Custom Product, Custom Presentation
During the past three months, Brenda had improved her prospecting process. She was identifying
more prospects that represented better sales opportunities. Brenda knew that it is important to
plan her sales calls in advance to maximize the time she spent in face-to-face selling. In this
selling environment, most customers were not interested in all of the features of Brenda’s
products. Brenda had to determine what was important to each customer, and customize her
presentations accordingly. Further, she had to clearly communicate the benefits of her products,
and not overwhelm potential buyers with too much technical language. Assume that Brenda has
an appointment with EFP, a non-profit organization that raises money to promote
environmentally friendly practices such as recycling. The organization uses email, Web-based
communications, and direct mail campaigns to reach potential donors. EFP currently uses an
older-generation analog copier. Brenda hopes to sell EFP a modern digital copier that offers
several advantages over the analog copier currently in use.
Questions
1. Using an Internet search engine such as Google, find the general benefits of digital copiers
over analog copiers. You might enter “benefits of digital copiers” in the search engine, or
examine data from copier providers such as Ricoh, Canon, or Xerox to find these benefits.
List 6–8 potential benefits of a digital copier to EFP.
Benefits of digital copiers include the following:
• Reduces the need for equipment as digital copiers have multiple functions—it serves
as a printer, copier, and fax machine—which in turn saves money
2. From the listing developed in # 1, select four benefits. For each benefit, write a sentence or
two that Brenda might use to communicate these benefits during her sales call with EFP.
Students’ answers will vary, but each should be tied to EFP’s needs. Some examples
include the following: The copier handles multiple functions and will save you time and
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3. For the four benefits identified in # 2, describe what information Brenda should have on
hand when she makes the sales call on the EFP buyer. Also describe how this information
would be best communicated, i.e., what support materials will Brenda need to enhance her
verbal communications?
Students’ answers will vary. Below is an example answer:
4. Assume that the buyer acknowledged interest in at least two of benefits identified in # 2.
Write a realistic buyer-seller dialogue of Brenda’s interaction with the EFP buyer
concerning these benefits.
Students’ answers will vary. Below is a sample dialogue.
Brenda: Previously you mentioned that you create donor material and have one person
working on distributing the material via email, and another person copying the material for
distribution via a mailer. And having two people doing the work is costly, is that right?
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