Agricultural Sales Career Development Event

PURPOSE

The marketing of agricultural products is a key to profitability in today's competitive economy, and agricultural sales play a major role in the marketing process. Through this event, students will have the opportunity to prepare for careers in sales by participating in a wide range of activities oriented around the total sales process.

OBJECTIVES

  1. Understand and demonstrate the professional sales process in agribusiness.
  2. Preparing to sell
  3. Targeting customers
  4. Customer buying motives
  5. Product information
  6. Developing sales skills
  7. Approaching the customer
  8. Determining customer needs and wants
  9. Planning a feature-benefit sales presentation
  10. Making a feature-benefit sales presentation
  11. Handling customer objections
  12. Closing the sale
  13. Suggestion selling and reassurance
  14. Develop abilities to utilize knowledge of advertising and promotion in agricultural sales.
  15. Value of promotion in agriculture
  16. Use of advertising in agribusiness
  17. Role of different types of advertising media
  18. Design agribusiness displays
  19. Construct agribusiness displays
  20. Maintain and increase the effectiveness of agribusiness displays
  21. Develop written and illustrated messages using broadcast media.
  22. Develop the ability to build customer confidence in you and your product.
  23. Dealing with typical customer problems
  24. Return of merchandise
  25. Defective merchandise
  26. Lack of understanding in use of merchandise.
  27. Determine customer complaint
  28. Determine basis for complaint
  29. Determine proper course of action to resolve the issue.
  30. Utilize market research data to establish goals for sales campaigns and to target prospective customers.
  31. Analyze market research data for a given product and area (i.e. prior sales, potential clientele, competition.)
  32. Relate market research data to the development of annual measurable marketing goals
  33. Understand the "life cycle" of a product
  34. Write measurable marketing goals
  35. Identify appropriate activities for a market area sales force based on performance.
  36. Develop the ability to research sales careers and strategies for employment.
  37. Demonstrate the ability to successfully interview for an agricultural sales position.
  38. Grooming
  39. Dress
  40. Poise
  41. Attitude
  42. Knowledge related to product
  43. Identify career options in agricultural sales and determine specific entry requirements.

EVENT FORMAT

The model agricultural sales event will consist of three parts: an oral sales presentation, market analysis and practicums. The event will be a team event consisting of four students. All team members will participate in the sales presentation components of the event individually. Using the team approach, each team competes as a group in the market analysis. Four practicums (Customer Relations, Telephone Skills, Prospecting, and Advertising and Promotion) will be conducted each year. The event will consist of 150 total possible points per team member (sales presentation - 100 points, and practicum - 50 points) and a team practicum of market analysis - 50 points, for a total team score of 650 points.

Should a tie occur in the individual or team scores, the highest sales presentation score will break the tie. If the tie cannot be broken using the sales presentation score, the highest written test score will be used. If a tie still exists, the highest practicum score will be used to break the tie.

  1. SALES PRESENTATION
  2. All participants will conduct a sales presentation.
  3. Official FFA dress is required.
  4. The participant will select an agricultural product representing one of the seven instructional areas:
  5. Agricultural Mechanics
  6. Agricultural Production
  7. Agricultural Products and Processing
  8. Agricultural Supplies and Services
  9. Forestry
  10. Natural Resources and Rural Recreation
  11. Ornamental Horticulture
  12. Each participant will provide a copy of all written/brochure information used in preparation.
  13. Each participant will provide three copies of all the project summary sheet to the event coordinator at the event site.
  14. Guidelines for the project summary sheet (typed and double spaced):
  15. Participant's name
  16. Statement of situation, circumstances, locations, etc.
  17. Representation (company/chapter)
  18. Product to be sold
  19. Features of the product
  20. Product structure
  21. Warranty
  22. Service availability
  23. Demonstration of function
  24. Competitors and pertinent information
  25. Price
  26. Closing statement or method
  27. Each participant will be allowed seven minutes for his or her presentation with a verbal time warning at five and one-half minutes. The presentation will conclude at seven minutes. An additional three minutes will be allowed for judges to ask questions to clarify any part of the sales presentation.
  28. The event will operate with three sets of judges for every 15 teams. Each set of judges will consist of two qualified individuals. One judge will serve as the customer for all presentations. No two team members will be judged by the same set of judges.
  29. Evaluation Criteria
  30. Pre-approach
  31. Project summary sheet
  32. Preparation for sale
  33. Product knowledge
  34. Approach
  35. First impressions
  36. Create customer attention
  37. Determine customer wants
  38. Establish rapport
  39. Demonstration
  40. Feature and related customer benefits
  41. Allow customer to participate
  42. Attempt trial closes
  43. Handling customer objections
  44. Identify customer objections
  45. Handle customer objections
  46. Closing the sale
  47. Ask for the order
  48. Recognize closing opportunities

SALES PRESENTATION SCORECARD

Excellent / Good / Fair
Pre-Approach (30) / 24-30 / 16-23 / 8-15
Approach (10) / 8-10 / 6 / 4
Demonstration (30) / 24-30 / 16-22 / 8-14
Customer Objectives (10) / 8-10 / 6 / 4
Closure (20) / 16-20 / 10-14 / 4-8
TOTAL POINTS / 100
  1. MARKET ANALYSIS

This part of the event will use the team approach, with the four team members working together. Each team will receive a profile of an existing marketing situation for a product or company that can include product descriptions; existing competition; production capacity or product availability; pricing; description of present and/or potential retailers and demand; transportation, distribution and storage information; and existing marketing problems. The team will demonstrate group problem-solving/decision-making skills by using marketing data to establish a set of realistic marketing goals. Time will be limited to 30 minutes-20 minutes preparation, 10 minutes presentation. The team's answer will be limited to one hand-written page.

MARKET ANALYSIS SCORECARD

Possible Points
Goals / 6
Creativity / 6
Completeness (Long/Short-Range Goals) / 6
Neatness and Grammar / 6
Proper Marketing Mix / 10
Knowledge of the Marketing Concept / 10
Evaluation and Control Procedures / 6
TOTAL POINTS / 50
  1. PRACTICUMS

Each participant will complete one of four designated practicums in the event. Practicums to be conducted will follow the rotational schedule listed below. Each participant will be preassigned the practicum by the team coach prior to the event. All materials used in the practicums will be furnished at the event site. Each practicum will be worth a total of 50 points per team member.

Customer Relations / Telephone Skills
Advertising and Promotion / Prospecting

CUSTOMER RELATIONS PRACTICUM

The contest chairperson will select a scenario realistically portraying a customer relations problem, which may occur in agricultural sales and involves both technical information and human relation problems. The salesperson (contestant) will be provided with the company policy or philosophy concerning merchandise return and refunds prior to performing the Practicum.

Types of problems which may be used are:

  1. Return of merchandise sold
  2. Defective merchandise
  3. Lack of understanding in use of merchandise

Upon assembling as a group, contestants will draw for the order in which they compete.

The contestant will perform in a room in which a "customer" will enter and explain a specific complaint. Performing within the guidelines provided to the contestant prior to entry into the contest room, the contestant will attempt to work with the customer to determine the basis for the complaint and determine the proper course of action to resolve the issue.

Ten minutes will be allowed for the contestant to demonstrate his/her customer relations skills. There will be an eight minute warning. Two judges will be used and their scores will be averaged. One judge will serve as the "customer".

CUSTOMER RELATIONS SCORE CARD

Possible Points
Conversation
Voice, Tone, empathy, grammar / 8
Attitude- Pleasant, friendly / 8
Information
Requested from customer / 8
Provided to customer / 8
Assessment
Correct identification of problem / 6
Correct solution prescribed / 6
Closing
Review, closure / 6
TOTAL POINTS / 50

ADVERTISING AND PROMOTION PRACTICUM

Contestants will prepare an advertising campaign component (see below) or promotional material to support or set up sales presentation. The contestant will use only the materials provided, adhere to the guidelines, and use the time allocated for preparation and presentation.

  1. Point-of-Sale Advertising Poster
    Use the furnished material to develop a poster to accompany an agricultural sales display.
    You will have 30 minutes to prepare this poster.
  2. Print Media: Newspaper or magazine
    Use the furnished material to prepare the "copy" and design the layout of an advertisement scheduled to appear in a designated newspaper or magazine. You will have 30 minutes to prepare this advertisement.

Contestants should come prepared to participate in any sub-option, chosen by the contest coordinator. All materials will be provided at the contest site. The contestant is responsible for assembly and presentation. In each sub-option only the final product will be judged. At the designated time, final products will be collected or recorded to tape, judged and scored.

ADVERTISING & PROMOTION PRACTICUM SCORECARD

Possible Points
Knowledge of Subject Matter / 10
Creativity / 12
Effectiveness of Ad/Poster / 12
Appropriateness / 8
Neatness/Clarity / 8
TOTAL POINTS / 50

TELEPHONE SKILLS PRACTICUM

Each participant will demonstrate his or her telephone skills. The participant will have five minutes to study the paper and then need to complete the telephone call.

  1. Receive or place a telephone call to or from a prospect or existing customer to be handled on an extemporaneous basis. Suggested calls might be:
  2. From a customer with a product complaint
  3. Placing a call to an existing customer to check on product performance and build a stronger customer relationship

PROPSPECTING PRACTICUM

Each participant will demonstrate his or her telephone skills as related to prospecting for potential business. The participant will have five minutes to study the paper and then need to complete the telephone call.

  1. Place or receive a telephone call to a customer or prospect. Preparation time of 10-12 minutes will be given to study the scenario before placing the call. Suggested scenarios would include:
  2. From an interested prospect inquiring about the company's product.
  3. Placing a cold call to qualify a prospect.

3. From an existing customer interested in new or additional products.

TELEPHONE & PROSPECTING PRACTICUM SCORECARD

Possible Points
Telephone Etiquette / 4
Introduction / 4
Voice / 6
Attitude / 10
Information Gathered / 10
Evidence of Product Knowledge / 10
Closing of Order/Dealing with Complaint / 6
TOTAL POINTS / 50

References

Ditzenberger and Kidney. Selling-Helping Customers Buy. South-Western Publishing Company, Cincinnati, OH 1986. To order: (800) 543-7972 Stock number: S20. Cost $14.95

Seperich, Woolverton, Beierlein. Introduction to Agribusiness. Prentice Hall Career and Technology, 1994. Publisher's address: Englewood Cliffs, NJ 07632

Downey, Jackson, Stevens. Agri-Selling. Centry Communications, Inc. 1984. Publisher's address: 5520-G West Touhy Ave., Skokie, IL60077