Marketing Ch 13 - Mini Sim - Personal Selling in Business-to-Business Markets
Decision Point: Prospecting and Qualifying As a recent hire to Curtis, you are excited about the opportunity to find new customers. What should be your first step? -Identify retail jewelry stores in your new territory. Create a list of prospective customers and prioritize them based on sales volume. -Call the first jewelry store that appears in an online search. -Identify retail jewelry stores and department stores that sell and repair jewelry in your new territory. Create a list of prospective customers based on sales volume.
Identify retail jewelry stores and department stores that sell and repair jewelry in your new territory. Create a list of prospective customers based on sales volume. You decided that your first step should be to identify stores that sell and repair jewelry. This was the best choice. You need to know what retailers would have the most need for your product.
Mentoring Moment: The Steps of the Selling Process Drag and drop each of the following steps of the selling process into the correct order. When you have all the steps in the correct order, click the Submit button. Step 1: Step 2: Step 3: Step 4: Step 5: Handle Objections Close Approach Follow-Up Presentation
Step 1: Approach Step 2: Presentation Step 3: Handle Objections Step 4: Close Step 5: Follow-Up Congratulations! You have correctly ordered the steps of the selling process.
Decision Point: Preapproach You need to research the top three jewelry and department stores by sales volume on your list and determine which one you will approach first. What is your next step? -Visit the top three stores and pretend to be a customer. -Visit the companies' websites, search industry databases for trends, and examine social media to see what customers are saying about the retailers. -Search social media to see what customers say about the retailers.
Visit the companies' websites, search industry databases for trends, and examine social media to see what customers are saying about the retailers. You chose to visit the companies' websites, search industry databases, and examine social media. This was the best choice. You will be able to get a picture of the jewelry and department stores' services, values, and customer perceptions from these sources.
Decision Point: Your First Call with Your Goodman's Contact You learn that Goodman's kit purchases are decided by Victoria, manager of the jewelry and accessories division. You arrange a call with Victoria. How should you open the discussion? -Ask if Goodman's is happy with its current supplier relationship. -Present a basic corporate sales pitch focusing on Curtis's low prices. -Ask what kind of business Goodman's does.
Ask if Goodman's is happy with its current supplier relationship. You chose to open your discussion with Victoria by asking if Goodman's was happy with its current supplier relationship. This was the best choice. It would allow you to learn more about what Goodman's needed, and you could provide details on how Curtis can support those needs.
Decision Point: Follow-Up Two weeks have passed since Victoria placed an order. What should you do? -Nothing. It has only been two weeks. If Victoria needs something, she knows how to get in touch with you and Curtis Precision Electronics. -Send an email and ask Victoria to reach out to you if she needs anything from you and Curtis Precision Electronics. -Call Victoria and check in to see if she is happy with the order. Send a follow-up email thanking her again for her business and promise to contact her again in a month.
Call Victoria and check in to see if she is happy with the order. Send a follow-up email thanking her again for her business and promise to contact her again in a month. You chose to call and email Victoria at Goodman's to follow up on the sale. This was the best choice. To establish a relationship with your new customer, you'll need to reach out periodically and make sure Curtis is addressing their needs and look for new opportunities to help Goodman's satisfy its customers.
Decision Point: Victoria's Response Victoria tells you that Goodman's recently fired its jewelry-cleaning kit supplier due to its lapses in quality control. The previous supplier's cleaning solutions were not properly diluted and pitted the surface of gold and silver jewelry, resulting in customer lawsuits. She also mentioned that a less expensive supplier would also be favored. Given the information you've received, how do you promote Curtis to Goodman's? -Review Curtis's marketing brochure with Victoria, emphasizing Curtis's equal commitment to superior service, low prices, and quality. -Emphasize the quality of Curtis's jewelry-cleaning kits by presenting the technical details on the components of the kits.
Emphasize the quality of Curtis's jewelry-cleaning kits by presenting the technical details on the components of the kits. You chose to emphasize the quality of Curtis's kits by presenting technical details. This was the best choice. Victoria had revealed that Goodman's priority was high-quality products, and by providing you with technical details about the previous supplier, Victoria was indicating that she would appreciate hearing about the technical details to prove the quality of Curtis's kits.
Decision Point: Choosing a Contact at Goodman's First, you need to identify a contact at Goodman's in order to sell Curtis's jewelry-cleaning kits. Who should you focus on identifying? -Find out who Goodman's public relations person is. -Find out who is in charge of purchasing decisions at Goodman's. -Find out who is in charge of making purchases at Goodman's.
Find out who is in charge of purchasing decisions at Goodman's. You decided to find out who is in charge of purchasing decisions. This was the best choice, because you need to work with someone who could make the decision to buy Curtis's jewelry-cleaning kits.
Decision Point: Reviewing Your Preapproach Research You have the research from the top three retailers in front of you. You also have marketing material from Curtis. Curtis Precision Equipment has two sizes of jewelry cleaning kits. The smaller unit is suitable for two pieces of jewelry and takes 3 minutes to complete a cleaning cycle. Typically retailers will have several units for jewelry store clerks to use. The larger unit is suitable for up to 8 pieces of jewelry and takes 10 minutes to complete a cleaning cycle. Typically retailers will use this unit in the back of the store when they make repairs. Which of the following jewelers would probably want to use both types of jewelry cleaners? -Muse Jewelry and Accessories: Muse's website features contemporary designs for everyday wear. There are five stores in the state, located in shopping centers in moderately affluent neighborhoods. Industry reports show they sell a relatively high volume of low-priced, trendy jewelry. Social media posts are generally favorable and feature young customers. -Goodman's Department Stores: Goodman's website shows it has a large jewelry department in each of the three stores in the state. It features jewelry for life events (weddings and birthdays) and high quality everyday jewelry. The industry report indicates it is a regional repair center for smaller jewelry stores that do not have access to repair technicians. Social media posts are generally favorable, although they note a long turnaround time for repairs. -Thyme Family Jewelers: This is a well-respected, trusted retailer with three stores in the state. Its website emphasizes the personal attention provided by the store clerks. Customer comments on social media are generally favorable and indicate that customers seek out Thyme for jewelry purchases around major life events (engagements, birthdays, etc.).
Goodman's Department Stores: Goodman's website shows it has a large jewelry department in each of the three stores in the state. It features jewelry for life events (weddings and birthdays) and high quality everyday jewelry. The industry report indicates it is a regional repair center for smaller jewelry stores that do not have access to repair technicians. Social media posts are generally favorable, although they note a long turnaround time for repairs. You chose Goodman's Department Stores. This was the best choice. Goodman's has a need for both the small and large units that Curtis sells.
