• Greeting the Customer
o Make sure your overall look is appropriate (clean, professional
appearance and grooming).
o Turn off cell phone, PDA, or other wireless communication device.
• The First Three Minutes
Student answers will vary. Here is one example:
Good morning, my name is Bruce Martin. I am from Easy Jet Copiers, we spoke on the phone.
How are you today? (Greeting.)
Our copier product has recently been redesigned to include a digital readout, a top-loading
mechanism with 1000-sheet capacity, and increased speed to 45 pages per minute. These features
give several advantages to customers because of the additional capacity and speed they bring.
7. Select two of the approach strategies and develop each one into a one-page dialogue
between you and a customer.
The five approach strategies are:
• Referral
Here is an example of a Question dialogue:
Salesperson: I’m Helen Frieda from the ProStaff Company. We exchanged emails yesterday.
It’s good to finally meet you in person. How are you doing today?
Salesperson: It’s no trouble at all. You have a terrific office location. How long have you been
in this space?
Salesperson: I know that when businesses grow beyond the start-up phase, many of the
employee services you provided yourself can become burdensome. Also, both current and
prospective employees expect more benefits from a larger company. Have you found this to be
the case?
web interface so it is easy for employees to view and even change their health benefits online.
Would you be interested in hearing more about the service we offer?
Customer: I would be interested in hearing more about your product, and especially in seeing a
demonstration of the web interface.
Here is an example of an Assessment dialogue:
[Joined after the greeting]
Salesperson: I know that when businesses grow beyond the start-up phase, many of the
employee services you provided yourself can become burdensome. Also, both current and
prospective employees expect more benefits from a larger company. Have you found this to be
the case?
Customer: That would be terrific. I will put you in touch with our HR manager.
8. You are a salesperson working for American Airlines calling on the vice president of
a large manufacturing company. Many of the company’s people travel all over the
world, and you would like them to sign an agreement to use American Airlines
exclusively. Develop a SPIN approach for this customer.
• Situation questions – Ask broad questions about the manufacturing company’s business
to substantiate your research. How will the departments be structured after your
• Problem questions – Ask questions to concentrate on particular problems. How many
employees from your company travel each year? How many total employee trips per year
do you estimate? How much do you pay in airfare travel expense each year? How many
airlines do you currently fly with? What frequent flier programs does your company use?
exclusive agreement with a single carrier, like American? Would it be more convenient to
be on a single frequent flier program?
9. Choose a product and sell it using the FAB methodology.
• Features – The physical characteristics and specifications of the product or
service.
• Advantages – Answers the question “Why is the product better than the
competitor’s?”
Features: Prints 30 black-and-white pages per minute, 17 color pages per minute. Uses ink
cartridges that are able to be recharged and meet European Union environmental requirements.
10. You are a salesperson for the local cell-phone company presenting to the sales
manager of a company considering adopting a companywide cell phone provider.
Develop a five-minute product demonstration of any cell phone provider in your area.
Product demonstrations are important because they prove the claims and statements of the sales
presentation. A product demonstration offers three distinct benefits:
• Builds credibility with customers.
In addition, there are three key points to keep in mind in giving a product demonstration:
• Develop objectives for the presentation.
The following checklist further sums up these key points:
• Justify the need for a product demonstration – Is it needed?
• Design the demonstration – What will it look like?
• Rehearse the demonstration – Can you deliver it effectively and efficiently?
Student answers will vary. Here is an example:
Thank you for considering adopting Nextel as your companywide cell phone provider.
Nextel is on a nationwide fiber optic network, which allows for broad coverage with clear
reception. Also, all of our phones from Motorola offer the Direct Connect walkie-talkie feature.
Let’s have three employees each take a phone. One employee should go to the 25th floor of the
building, one should go to the underground garage, and one should stay here in the first floor
conference room. I also have a Sprint phone, your current provider, please take it to the garage,
but don’t be alarmed if it doesn’t work there.
Global Connection – Create a Good First Impression Around the World
Answers to Questions
1. Do you believe first impressions really make a difference in a business-to-business
setting? After all, aren’t purchase decisions in a B2B setting based on rational decision–
making criteria?
Answers will vary. However, it is noted in the book that first impressions do make a difference,
2. What does “know the facts” mean in the context of preparing for a first meeting with a
client? What information is helpful to know before a meeting?
At a minimum, the salesperson should know what is on the customer’s website. This is
considered public information, and the customer should not be expected to provide that
3. What additional information would you need to know if the meeting was with an
international client?
You would need to know about cultural differences that may impact the sales meeting or the
Ethical Dilemma – Teaching Notes
Teaching Notes
Technology has become a critical tool in relationship selling. At the same time, it has become an
important part of people’s personal lives. Mixing personal use with business technology is a
critical problem in today’s work place. As noted in the dilemma, many companies have policies
interesting sidebar issue here is what, if anything, should Jerry do about reporting his colleagues
who have violated company policy?
There are also other ethical issues about the use of company time and technology and personal
use. For example, surfing the net at work for personal reasons is a real problem for some
companies. A good discussion can be started talking about the use of the web at work for
In this dilemma it is important to establish several points. First, Jerry is violating company policy
and the “everyone does it” argument does not mitigate the violation. Second, offering to improve
the company’s expense reporting practices is a great idea but should not be done at the expense
Answers to Questions
1. If you were Jerry, on which computer would you install the new financial software?
Why?
Jerry should install the software on his own computer. While the existing technology policy on
the use of business computers for personal use may not be best for the company, violating it to
2. Does the company have a valid point in asking employees not to use the computers for
personal business?
There are a number of valid reasons for not allowing employees to use business technology for
personal use. In addition to the one pointed out in the dilemma (protecting company and
3. Should the company care if Jerry uses the iPad for personal use as long as he protects
the sensitive information?
In point of fact, many companies do not enforce existing policies on the use of technology. In
addition, in large companies the policies are often applied unevenly, when managers in one area
Jerry has been a good employee and would never intentionally misuse the technology. However,
if the company really does not care if the employees use the technology for personal use then
Mini-Case 7 – Bright Colors Paints
This case allows students to critique a sales call and to offer suggestions for how it can be
improved. Answers to the end-of-case questions can be found in the “Approach Strategies,”
“Identify Customer Needs,” and “Nonverbal Communication” sections of the text. Instructors
can allow students to explore the use of various introductions for this sales call. In addition,
students should be encouraged to write additional SPIN questions that would draw more
Answers to Questions
1. Michael used the referral approach when meeting Paul. Michael’s mention of Barb
Montgomery, for whom Paul had completed some jobs previously, was well done since Paul
knows that Barb’s company does quality work. Using Barb as a reference let Paul know that
product demonstration into the approach. While paint is tough to demonstrate, Michael could
have had “before and after” pictures of paint jobs that were completed using BCP products. In
2. Michael’s use of the SPIN technique is pretty limited. Michael asks one situation
question, a couple of problem questions, and a needs assessment question. He does not ask any
implication questions. In addition, a couple of Michael’s questions are restricted type questions
requiring only a yes/no answer. Not only did these questions not provide much information but
they also tried the patience of the buyer. Michael needs to learn to use better questions especially
with a demanding buyer like Paul. Some examples of other questions Michael could have asked
include:
a. Situation Questions – What is your timetable for completing this job? What
delivery schedule do you anticipate that you will need for this paint? Tell me
about the equipment that you use for these types of jobs.
available to answer any questions that your painters may have during this project,
how would that impact your completion of this job? How does it impact your
business when the potential for “overspray” onto cars and other structures is
present?
3. Paul’s body language is sending a number of messages to Michael. The signals provided
by Paul can be interpreted with the information provided in the chapter. Generally speaking,
rolling the eyes, looking out the office window with legs crossed, sitting back in the chair, and
folding the arms are indicators that the buyer is not interested in or not receptive to the
conversation. Conversely, maintaining eye contact, as long as it is not a blank stare, is a sign of