BMKT 263 01 SM2023

Assignment - Sales Field Report

This is a research assignment that gets you out in the sales community, and helps you to discover the unique nature of a Sales Career. This assignment has 3 Steps, as follows:

1. The Cold Call

'COLD' means that you have not met this person and they are not connected to you in any way! No family, friends, or friends of family!

You will make a "cold call" to a company whose industry interests you. Perhaps this company may be a potential employer when you graduate?! The purpose of this call is to obtain a 45 minute personal interview with an individual who is actively involved in professional selling.

Possible Titles for This Contact

• account executive• sales representative• manufacturer's agent• wholesale agent• sales manager• sales engineer• outside sales rep• field sales person• sales consultant

The person is to be involved in a complex sales processinvolved in Business to Business Outside Sales - ie: They have to travel to potential customers place of business to sell. More than one sales call to close. No retail sales people! No Car Salesmen! No Retail/Residential Real Estate Sales People!

Some research and preparation will be involved, as you know, before you pick up the phone!

2. The Sales Professional Interview

You will arrive at the interview prepared with a list of carefully constructed and realistic questions i.e.

• Inappropriate: "How much money do you make?• Appropriate: "What kind of salary range can one expect in an entry-level sales rep position in this company?"

See participation Assignment for Preparation Question Form.

3. The Actual Field Trip with the Sales Professional

Now, towards the end of the interview you zero in for the final step... You request to spend ½ of a day to a full day 'shadowing' the sales professional. This assignment component may require that you miss some classes. Please advise your instructor(s) of the class you may be missing and tell them they can confirm with me that this is a legitimate assignment.

In short, if you pick a winner, this experience could be one of the most rewarding ones you have at Cap, and you may wind up getting a job and/or connections.

Deliverable:

I. Prospect Target List - Script/Question Preparation form: Getting ready to contact your prospect (Due May 12)II. Interview Preparation Form: Getting ready to meet and interview your prospect (Due May 17)III. Interview Transcript: The actual transcript of your interview (Due May 29)IV. Final Field Report Document: Due - June 5, 2023

You will write a reflection report covering key sections for the body of your work. Remember - this is a sales course. Your reflections should be on selling, specifically the selling process, and what you learned from the person you interacted. Here are some guidelines. Feel free to add other information that you feel is relevant:

1. Cold Call: - reflection - what happened. Who did you call? How did it go? What worked, what didn't, why? What did you learn? 300 words2. The Interview: Intro/background, who you met, their position, where they work, and how you got the meeting.100 words3. What they said: Your interview; what information did you gleam through your questions. Get into details of how they sell - their process, their beliefs, and what makes them successful. Don't just regurgitate the interview - You have already submitted this! Reflect on the information and provide critical analysis. 300 words

. The Shadow: What they did: A detailed documentation of your field trip/shadow experience. This should be written as a report and include: where you went, who was met, what type of discussion/sale activity took place, and what happened. Make sure you keep in mind the information you got from the interview when you are compiling this information. How did what they said in the interview compare to what they did during the shadow. 500 words
What it all means: The last section should discuss the key learning's you had from the Interview/Shadow and what was your impression/learning from it. Does it reflect the concepts covered in class and the text or otherwise? Did they do what they said they did, or was it different?Remember that the focus should be on the selling process.800 words

Write report style with headers and footers, and all other writing tools. Include cover page (course name, number, your name, date, assignment name and instructor name). Please use 12 pt 'Times New Roman', double space, with proper margins. Keep it relevant and to the point. Total number of word should be roughly 2000 words.
Other information/updates will be discussed in class.