SELL, Canadian Edition Solution Manual

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Answers and Discussions for Instructor’s Guide to accompanySELL, Second Canadian edition, Ingram/Shannahan1-1INSTRUCTOR’S GUIDE–SOLUTIONS AND DISCUSSIONSChapter One—Overview of PersonalSellingExercises1.How is personal selling different from other forms of marketing communications?Personal selling is part of the promotion program of anorganization’s marketing mix, usedprimarily to communicate with potential buyers for the purpose of selling a product or service.The differences between personal selling and other forms of marketing communications arereflected in its four characteristics: direct contact with the buyer; two-way communication;flexible message content; and immediate feedback.Due to these characteristics, personal sellingis usedto initiate, develop,and enhance customer relationships,as per the definition provided inthe text.2.What are the key differences between transaction-focused traditional selling and trust-based relationship selling?In transaction-focused traditional selling, salespeople are focused on maximizing short-run gain,and are self-oriented rather than customer-oriented.Little attention is given to uncovering needsor providing customized solutions.Instead, selling tactics includea heavy reliance on objectionhandling and closing techniques.Little to no post-sale follow-up is provided by the salespersonunless it is focused on another transaction.In contrast, trust-based relationship selling strategies focus initiating, developing and enhancinglong-run mutually beneficial relationships with the customers.Selling methods arecustomer-oriented, focusing on need discovery and presentation of customized solutions.Post-sale follow-up is considered an important part of the relationship development process.3.What factors will influence the continued evolution of personal selling?The continued evolution of personal selling as a profession is necessary in response to the evergrowing complexity of our dynamic environment. Factors that will influence this evolutioninclude the increased sophistication of buyers, economic uncertainties, social media,and newcomputer technologies.Other issues includeintensified competition, more emphasis onimproving sales productivity, fragmentation of traditional customer bases, customers dictatingquality standards and other procedures, and a greater demand for in-depth, specializedknowledge as an input to purchase decisions.

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Answers and Discussions for Instructor’s Guide to accompanySELL, Second Canadian edition, Ingram/Shannahan1-24.How do salespeople contribute to our society? Are there negative aspects of personalselling from a societal perspective?Salespeople contribute to society’s goal of economic growth in two basic ways. First, they act asstimuli for economic transactions by initiating action within the business world.In a fluctuatingeconomy, salespeople make invaluable contributions by assisting during recovery cycles and byhelping to sustain periods of relative prosperity.Salespeoplealsocontribute to our society by playing a critical role in the diffusion of innovation,the process whereby new products, services, and ideas are distributed to the members of society.Consumers who are likely to be early adopters of an innovation often rely on salespeople as aprimary source of information. Consumers often exhibit strong resistance to change;however,change is necessary in the long run for the continued progress and/or survival of society. Byencouraging the adoption of innovative products and services, salespeople make a positivecontribution to society.The negative aspects of personal selling can become apparent when salespeople allowthemselves to exhibit unethicalconduct. If salespeople mislead a consumer regarding a productor service for their own or their company’s benefit, then society is negatively impacted. Society’sperception of personal selling as a professional and ethical occupation is adversely affected, andsalespeople’s credibility as accurate sources of new information becomes damaged.5.What are the primary contributions made by salespeople to their employers?Salespeople make three important contributions to their firms. First, they are the directproducers of revenue in most business firms. Second, they play an important role in marketresearch and in providing feedback to their firms. For instance, salespeople can provideinformation about customer-requested additions to the product line.The thirdcontribution that salespeople make to their firm is serving as a pool of candidates forpromotion into management positions. The sales job is often considered an entry-level positionproviding the right foundation for future management assignments.6.Most businesses would have a difficult time surviving without the benefits of thesalespeople who call on them. Do you agree?Yes;customers benefit from salespeople in many ways. Buyers expect salespeople to contributeto the success of the buyer’s firm. Salespeople do so by providing valuable information to buyersand using their problem-solving skills to benefit the buyer’s firm.7.How are need satisfaction and problem-solving selling related? How do they differ?Need satisfaction andproblem-solving selling are related in that each seeks to uncover andsatisfy the needs of the buyer. Problem-solving selling differs from need satisfaction selling inthat it seeks to identify a set of alternative solutions, which may include a competitor’s product,to satisfy the buyer’s needs.

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Answers and Discussions for Instructor’s Guide to accompanySELL, Second Canadian edition, Ingram/Shannahan1-38.How does the consultative selling approach differ from problem-solving and needsatisfaction selling? Explain the three key roles of consultative salespersons.Consultative selling differs from problem-solving selling in that this type of selling is focused onhelping customers reach their strategic goals,not merely solving immediate problems or fillingimmediate needs.To engage in consultative selling, the salesperson must possess a great deal ofknowledge about the customer’s business and industry.This is necessary so that the salespersoncan provide the customer with insight into all areas of his/her business that influence theirability to reach their strategic goals.The three key roles of consultative salespeople include the strategic orchestrator, the businessconsultant, and the long-term ally.As the strategic orchestrator, the salesperson’s primary job isto utilize the resources of the sales organization to help the customer obtain his/her strategicobjectives.As the business consultant, the salesperson’s job is to become an expert on thecustomer’s business and industry.This often entails seeking internal and external resources inorder to become better educated with respect to the customer’s business.As a long-term ally, thesalesperson’s job is to support the customer,even if a sale is not expected in the short term.9.How important is teamwork between the customer and the sales organization inpracticing consultative selling? How does teamwork within the sales organization factorinto consultative selling?Teamwork between the customer and the sales organization is essential if consultative selling isto be successful.This is especially true when the salesperson is assuming the role of a strategicorchestrator and long-term ally.Teamwork within the sales organization is also essential giventhat internal resources must be directed toward helping the organization’s customers achievetheir strategic goals.10.Discuss the final step of the sales process (enhancing customer relationships) asitrelatesto the continuing evolution of personal selling.The final step of the sales process is enhancing customer relationships, which is an importantpart of the continuingevolution of personal selling.As personal selling evolves from atransaction-oriented process into a relationship management process, the ability of thesalesperson to enhance relationships will become increasingly important.Video Exercises1.Review the videos and comment on the sales professional’s performance in areasmentioned above.Students’ answers will vary but should address a couple of key issues.Both salespeopledemonstrate some empathy and decent interpersonal communication skills.Jim seems to be

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Answers and Discussions for Instructor’s Guide to accompanySELL, Second Canadian edition, Ingram/Shannahan1-4assuming he will win the contract because he is the current provider and because he has a goodrelationship with Mark.As a result, Lisa demonstrates greater enthusiasm than Jim.2.Comment on the role that these sales peoplecontribute to society.Students’ answers will vary, but should include mention of the diffusion of innovation.Forexample, other salespeople are helping with the diffusion of innovation–informing Mark aboutnew security technology.In addition, both are trying to help stimulate the economy by proposingMark spend $40–$50 thousand dollars on a new security system.3.What managerial roles do you see in the clip?Students are likely to have some difficulty with this question as none of the clips includesmanagers (other than the customer).However, Jim appears to have greater autonomy than Lisaas he is able to make changes to the proposal (e.g., price discount) without needing managerialapproval.Both salespeople seem to be able to manage their respective sales support personnel(i.e., IT folks) to effectively generate an appropriate solution.Chapter 1 CaseDiscussion Questions1.What problems do you see with Craig’s H2G sales call?Failedtoconfirm that Cam knew Craig would be lateSpent toomuch time early in the call talking about SSI without asking Cam what he knew aboutSSIDid not ask enough questions to determine Cam’s needsDid not ask Cam to discuss why he felt they had “wasted a lot of money on giveaways in thepast,” or why it was important for H2G to differentiate itself from its competitors during thetradeshowDid not ask about H2G’s trade show objectivesDid not ask about H2G’s trade show budgetDid to gaincommitment to pressing the sale2.If you were Craig’s salesmanager, what would you recommend he do to improve hischances of succeeding?First, Craig should always pay attention to weather conditions that may create delays and planaccordingly.If he is going to run late, Craig should make sure his customers know.Craig shouldreschedule appointments if he believes doing so is necessary for him to have adequate time toconduct his sales call.Craig needs to remember his goal is to develop a trust-based relationship, and that such arelationship is developed through sales dialogue, not a sales monologue.During the earlystages of the sales process, Jeff should make sure that he asks the customer questions that willhelp him learn about the customer’s unique needs. This means the customer should be doing

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Answers and Discussions for Instructor’s Guide to accompanySELL, Second Canadian edition, Ingram/Shannahan1-5most of the talking early on.It is only after he understands the customer’s unique needs that hewill be able to discuss how his company can deliver customer value.Finally, Craig should beprepared for abrupt endings to meetings resulting from unforeseen circumstances.He shouldhaveawell-rehearsed contingency plan in place so he can end the meeting professionally andwith a some degree of commitment to a “next step.”Chapter 1 Continuing CaseQuestions1.Brenda had been thinking about Jin Tan’s feedback that directed her to become more of aconsultative salesperson. In thinking about her own selling approaches, she knew that shehad been concentrating on the needs satisfaction and problem-solving approaches.Whatmust Brenda do to become a more consultative salesperson?To become more of a consultative salesperson, Brenda needs to shift her focus from helping hercustomers solve copier-related problems to helping her customers reach their strategicobjectives.This will require her to expand her involvement with her customers, looking foropportunities to help her customers obtain their strategic objectives through the products shesells as well as the business expertise and other resources she and her company can provide.Brenda will need to serve as a strategic orchestrator, a business consultant, and a long-term ally.To fill these roles, Brenda will need to become an expert with respect to her company’scapabilities and the industries in which her customers compete.She will also need todemonstrate the trustworthiness necessary for organizations to share with her their strategicgoals.2.Three months later, Brenda was having mixed results with the consultative sellingapproach. She was finding that some of her customers just wanted the convenience ofhaving a copier in their offices, and did not seem eager to discuss their strategic goals. Shewas beginning to wonder about the consultative selling model, thinking it was not such agood idea after all. What recommendations do you have for Brenda?First, Brenda needstotarget for a consultative relationship only those customers with whom sheis likely to generate enough revenue (now or in the future) to make the consultative approachprofitable (at least in the longrun).Given the appropriate set of customers, Brenda needs torespect and appreciate the relationship-orientation of each of those customers.Some will desirea consultative relationship and others will not.Further, developing and maintaining aconsultative relationship requires greater effort and time.It’s unlikely that she would be able toeffectively maintain a consultative relationship with allofher customers.Finally, I would suggestthat as she gains experience, competence, confidence, and a successful track record in her role asa consultative salesperson, she will be better able to win over some of the customers currentlynot interested in that sort of relationship.

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Answers and Discussions for Instructor’s Guide to accompanySELL, Second Canadian edition, Ingram/Shannahan1-63.A month before the annual meeting for all NCC sales representatives, Jin Tan told Brenda,“For the upcoming meeting, I want you to prepare a 10 minute presentation about thepros and cons of the basic selling approaches that we use at NCC compared to ourcompetitors.” NCC’s sales training program advocated the use of needs satisfaction,problem-solving, and consultative selling. Many of NCC’s key competitors used the sameapproaches. However some of the toughest competitors used stimulus response andmental states (AIDA) approaches. This latter category of competitors often stressed lowerprices and utilized telemarketing instead of field sales representatives in selling theirproducts. Put yourself in Brenda’s role and prepare the presentation requested by Jin Tan.Students’ answers will varybut should include some discussion of the idea that stimulus-response and mental states approaches are transaction-focused traditional selling approachesrather than a trust-based relationship approach.These approaches, combined with lower pricesand less interpersonal interaction, tend to produce price-loyal customers.This represents adisadvantage for NCC, especially if the market begins to commoditize copiers (i.e., fails torecognize any difference between competing offers). Another disadvantage of the problem-solving, need satisfaction, and consultative selling approaches is that they require a greaterinvestment in sales training and, subsequently, are more expensive to utilize (relative totelemarketing and other non-interpersonal forms of sales communication).The primary advantage of the trust-based relationship approaches (i.e.,problem-solving, needsatisfaction, and consultative) is that they tend to build loyal customers and provide a certaindegree of insulation against price competition.In addition, by working more closely with theircustomers through interpersonal interaction, NCC salespeople are in a better position to identifyother opportunities (e.g.,identify problems of which the customer may not yet be aware) andprovide more customized solutions.4.Early in the year, Jin Tan told Brenda that her efforts were needed to gain more exposurefor NCC’s college recruiting program: “Brenda, I want you to be part of a two-person teamto help with recruiting on two college campuses in your territory. The other team memberwill be an experienced recruiter who had sales experience before moving into recruiting.The two of you should seek out opportunities as guest speakers for classes and studentorganizations. Your role will be to talk about how sales can be a great place to start acareer and,for some, a great career path. Think about the future of selling and what ittakes to be successful and share your thoughts with students.” Acting as Brenda, makenote of ten key points you would like to make about the future of professional selling andwhat it takes to be successful. (Hint:Be sure you read the online Appendix to Chapter 1along with Chapter 1 before you undertake this task.)Students’ answers will vary but may include mention of: Advantages: job security, advancementopportunities, immediate feedback, prestige, job variety, independence, and high compensation.What it takes to be successful: empathy, strong ego drive, self-motivation, ethical behaviour, andstronginterpersonal communication skills.

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Answers and Discussions for Instructor’s Guide to accompanySELL, Second Canadian edition, Ingram/Shannahan2-1Chapter Two—Building Trust and SalesEthicsExercises1.What is the essence of trust for a salesperson?Students’ answers will vary.The answers should include some description of the buyer relying on thesalesperson’s words or actions insituations where such reliance involves risk to the buyer.2.If trust means different things to different buyers, how is a salesperson to determine what trustmeans for each buyer?The salesperson must determine what trust means for each buyer by asking questions, listening to theresponses, and making general observations.This is the only way the salesperson will be able to learnwhat trust attributes are critical to relationship-building for a specific buyer.3.Why is trust important to a salesperson?Today’s customers are more sophisticated, more informed (or at least have access to more information),and more aware of traditional manipulative “sales tactics.”In addition, buying organizations areinterested in taking advantage of efficiencies associated with using a smaller number of suppliers.Salespeople who understand these characteristics know that the stereotypical type of selling (e.g.,manipulative, pushy, aggressive) is ineffective and that building mutually beneficial relationships withtheir customers is the only way to compete in the new millennium.Trust is important to a salespersonbecause it is essential for building these long-term relationships.4.How might a salesperson go about earning trust?Students’ answers will vary, but they should include discussion of the basic building blocks of trust,including expertise, dependability, candour, customer orientation, and compatibility/likeability.5.What does it mean for a salesperson to have a customer orientation?Customerorientation means the salesperson is as concerned about their customers’ interest as his or herown.It means truly understanding the customer’s situation and then presenting fair and balancedsolutions addressing the customers’ needs.In other words, it means“looking out”for the customer.Thisrequires salespeople to be honest, candid, and fair when dealing with the customer.

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Answers and Discussions for Instructor’s Guide to accompanySELL, Second Canadian edition, Ingram/Shannahan2-26.How would you rank the five trust builders in order of importance?Students’ answers will vary, but should include each of the five components (expertise, dependability,customer-orientation, candour, compatibility).7.Explain why expertise is such an important relationship builder.Expertise is averyimportant trust builder because it gives the salesperson credibility and is associatedwith several of the other trust builders.Credibility affords the salesperson a degree of the buyer’s trustprior to the salesperson actually earning it.Expertise may help the salesperson earn the buyer’s trustthrough the other trust builders.For example, salespeople with greater expertise are more likely to havegreater competence and/or make more significant contributions.8.How do knowledge bases help build trust and relationships?Knowledge bases help build trust andrelationships because they empower the salesperson to use thetrust-building variable more effectively.For example, as salespeople gain more product knowledge, theyare better able to demonstrate expertise and customer orientation (by more precise matching ofsolutions to needs) and make a stronger contribution.9.Do you think certain knowledge bases are more important than others?Why?Students’ answer will vary but should include appropriate rationale based on the chapter content.Knowledge bases viewed as more important may vary depending uponthe buyer-seller relationship andthe type of selling situation.10.What are the three areas of unethical behaviour?Discuss each.The three areas of unethical behaviour are deceptive practices, illegalactivities, and noncustomer-oriented behaviour.Deceptive practices refer to any attempt by the salesperson to mislead or otherwisedeceive the buyer.For example, a salesperson may exaggerate a product’s benefits knowing that thebuyer’s decision will be based on (or that the buyer is relying on) those exaggerations.Illegal activitiesrefer to a variety of activities in which the salesperson knowingly breaks the law.For example,it is illegalfora salespersontopad an expense reimbursement report.Noncustomer-oriented behaviour refers toactions taken by the salesperson that 1) are in conflict with the buyer’s interests, and 2) are done sowhen other options are available that are more customer-oriented.

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Answers and Discussions for Instructor’s Guide to accompanySELL, Second Canadian edition, Ingram/Shannahan2-3Video Exercises1.Which area ofunethical behaviour does Mark want Lisa to engage in?Mark wants Lisa to share with him information about how much one of his competitors paid for itssecurity system software.If Lisa were to share that information, she would be engaging in noncustomer-oriented behaviour.2.Discuss how Lisa’s answer can institute trust in her relationship with Mark as well as avoid herengaging in unethical behaviour.Lisa’s avoidance of breaching the confidentiality she shares with her other customer serves toensureMark that she can be trusted with his company’s information.It is important to note that while sharingsuch information may seem useful in the short run (i.e., help get a sale), it is unlikely that prospectiveclients would ever truly trust a salesperson who does so.In fact, the buyer could have been testing thesalesperson’s integrity, andmaynot reallybeconcerned about the information.Chapter 2 CaseDiscussion Questions1.What are the ethical issues involved in this situation?2.If you were Kelly Myers, do you think Janet Williams intended for you to see the competitive bids?What would you have done, given this situation? Why?Students’ answers will vary, but each should demonstrate the student’s understanding of how to buildtrustthrough the various components. Here’s an example.Customer Orientation:It should be highlighted that Kelly did not demonstrate customer-orientedbehaviour and thatalthoughher actions may have achieved that sale this onetime, she may experienceshort-term gain, yet long-term pain.Kelly breached the confidentiality she shared with Janet and it is unlikely that Janet would ever truly trustKelly in the future.If Janet did do this with intention, she may have been testing Kelly’s integrity.

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Answers and Discussions for Instructor’s Guide to accompanySELL, Second Canadian edition, Ingram/Shannahan2-4Chapter 2 Continuing CaseQuestions1.What would you recommend Brenda do tohandle the challenges she faces?Students’ answers will vary but should focus on trust-building activities.In particular, Brenda needs tobuild her knowledge base,including knowledge of her industry, company, products, services, prices,markets, customers, competitors, and technology.Doingso will give her confidence and improve hercredibility within her territory.2.Brenda appears to have an advantage withher products and services. Develop a plan for Brendato build trust in NCC with prospective customers.Again, students’ answers will vary.However, the plans students develop should include a heavy relianceon activities designed to demonstrate competence, dependability, and customer orientation.3.What do you recommend Brenda do to compete effectively against competitors that have a longand successful track record?First, Brenda needs to engage in activities designed to develop a sense of compatibility with hercustomers.This will help her gain access and build trust.In addition, Brenda needs to become an expertin her industry and market, knowing exactly how her products compare with those of her competitors.Using this information, Brenda needs to look for opportunities arising based on her product’s (andcompany’s) competitive advantages, and/or her customers’ dissatisfaction with their copier providers.4.How should Brenda go about handling the rumour mill?Because the text contains nospecific recommendations or guidelines for this sort of situation, students’answers will vary.However, the recommendations shouldcentreon strategies for correcting themisinformation and building trust.Recommendations should not include any behaviour that may beconsidered unethical, like making disparaging statements regarding the competitors.

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Answers and Discussions for Instructor’s Guide to accompanySELL, Second Canadian edition, Ingram/Shannahan3-1Chapter Three—Understanding BuyersExercises1.How might the following characteristics of business-to-business markets affect the relationalselling activities of salespeople?Larger, but fewer, buyers?Since the market consists of larger, butfewer, buyers, each customer (orpotential customer) relationship is extremely important.This means that salespeople will need to bemore flexible and allocate more resources (i.e.,time and money) to develop and maintain therelationship.Deriveddemand?Salespeople selling products characterized as having a derived demand will need tomonitor the markets of products from which the demand for theirs is derived.This will allow salespeopleto anticipate demand shifts and then help their customers plan accordingly.Higher levels of demand fluctuation?Similar to the effects of derived demand, salespeople will need toanticipate demand fluctuations and then help their customers plan for those fluctuations by adjustinginventory accordingly.Since customers will value salespeople who can help them avoid having too muchor too little inventory, the ability to correctly anticipate demand fluctuations will help salespeople forgestronger relationships.2.How do the three different types of purchasing decisions (straight rebuy, modified rebuy, newtask) influence the time and effort a buyer might allocate to the different steps of the purchasedecision process?Generally speaking, as the type of purchasing decision moves from being characterized as straight rebuyto modified rebuy to new task, the amount of time and effort spent in the purchase decision processincreases.In straight rebuy situations, it is not uncommon for the purchase decision to immediatelyfollow the recognition of need.For example, a taxi driver low on fuel will stop at a gas station with littleconsideration given to the different brands or types (e.g., octane rating) of fuels available.In contrast,whenin new task situations,the person recognizing the need often does not know how to fill the need.Consequently, they will spend much more time gathering information and evaluating alternatives.Forexample, businesses buying new phone systems will often spend weeks (or months) trying to determinetheir telecommunications needs (the first step in the purchase decision process).3.List and compare the probable functional, situational, psychological, social, and knowledge needsof (a) a large financial investment office and (b) a college student, both of whom are looking topurchase a newcomputer printer.Answers to this question will vary.The student should, however, demonstrate an understanding of howthese various needs differ between the business organization and the college student.For example, thebusiness organization mayhave a functional need for large print jobs, while the college student may havea need (functional as well) for small print jobs.4.How might a salesperson work with and assist a business buyer in each step of the buyingprocess?Recognition of the problem or need?The role of many salespeople is to help potential customers recognizeneeds.The salesperson can accomplish this task by asking need identifying questions (covered later inthe text) and listeningcloselyto and flowing with the buyer’s answers.

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Answers and Discussions for Instructor’s Guide to accompanySELL, Second Canadian edition, Ingram/Shannahan3-2Determination of the characteristics of the item and the quantity needed?After helping a customerrecognize needs, the salesperson may be in a position to help the buyer determine the characteristics ofthe solution.In order to be effective in thisrole, the buyer must perceive the salesperson as possessingexpertise in the related area.Description of the characteristics of the item and the quantity needed?A salesperson with related expertisemay help the buyer develop detailed specifications for the solution.As mentioned above, this wouldrequire the buyer to have a great deal of trust in the salesperson’s expertise.Search for and qualification of potential sources?Salespeople often serve as an important source ofinformation for buyers.In this step, salespeople can help the buyer identify potential sources of theproposed solution.Of course, the objective of the salesperson is to make sure his or her organization isconsidered one of those sources (given the organization can provide an appropriate solution).Acquisition and analysis of proposals?Salespeople need to understand the evaluation criteria so they canpresent their proposal in the best light possible.Better yet, salespeople working closely with the buyerthrough the earlier stages may have the opportunity to help shape the evaluation criteria. They then mustmake sure that their proposed solution meets or exceeds those criteria.Evaluation of proposals and selection of suppliers?In this stage, a trusted salesperson may be able toinfluence the evaluation of the proposals and selection of the suppliers.However, a salesperson in such atrusted position has an ethical obligation to ensure the best interests of the customers supersede his orher own interests.Selection of an order routine?Once identified as the selected solution provider, the salesperson may workwith a buyer to determine the best order process.The salesperson must ensure that both the buyer andthe selling organization understand and are able to meet their respective obligations associated with thedelivery process.Performance feedback and evaluation?This stage requires salespeople to follow up with their customers(after purchase) to ensure the buyer’s expectations have been met or exceeded.If not, thesalespersonneeds to address the unmet expectations immediately.This stage is crucial to the long-term success ofthe relationship.5.Explain the role of functional attributes and psychological attributes in the post-purchasedetermination ofcustomer satisfaction.Functional attributes refer to the features that allow the product to do what it is supposed to do,and theextent to whichitdoesit as expected.Products not performing as expected will have a negative effect oncustomer satisfaction.Products performing better than expected will have a positive effect on customersatisfaction.Psychological attributes refer to the things in the market offer that shape the buyer’s feelings about theacquisition process and the relationship with the salesperson.For example, at the buyer’s request, thesalesperson may make last minute delivery schedule changes that he or she is not otherwise obligated todo.Generally speaking, the stronger the psychological attributes, the greater the customer satisfaction.6.How might salespeople use their knowledge of the multiattribute evaluation model to plan anddeliver their sales presentations to a buyer?Salespeople may use their knowledge of the multiattribute evaluation model in several ways to help planand deliver their sales presentations.For example, salespeople may adjust their presentation so that theyhighlight the heavier-weighted attributes and reduce the time spent on lower-weighted attributes.Otherways salespeople may use this information include 1) modifying the product offering being proposed, 2)altering the buyer’s beliefs about the proposed offering, 3) altering the buyer’s beliefs about thecompetitor’s offering, 4) altering the importance weights, and 5) calling attention to neglected attributes.

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Answers and Discussions for Instructor’s Guide to accompanySELL, Second Canadian edition, Ingram/Shannahan3-37.What are the implications for a salesperson if, when making a sales call, he or she discovers thatthere is no needs gap present?Illustrate your answer with an example.Answers to the question will vary.However, the student should demonstrate understanding of thesalesperson’s ability to help buyers uncover needsthatthey did not previously recognize.Salespeopleoften call on customers who do not yet realize they have a need for the salesperson’s product.8.Whyhasknowledge and the capability to creatively apply that knowledge in creating uniquesolutions become so important for today’s salesperson in the business-to-business marketplace?As markets become more competitive and technology (e.g.,e-commerce) improves, salespeople will haveto “add value” to their relationships in order to be successful.The ability of salespeople to solve problemsis an important means by which they can add value to their customer relationships.In addition, theincreased competition brought by globalization requires salespeople to be more creative so that they canmeaningfully differentiate their market offers.9.Explain the concept of communication styles and how a salesperson might flex his or her ownstyle to better match the style of the buyer.How would the salesperson’s behaviours and activitiesdiffer as he or she advances through the different stages of the selling process?Illustrate youranswer with examples.The concept of communication styles suggests individuals possess different psychological predispositionsto communication.The text covers two different dimensions that allow individuals to be categorized intoone of four categories.The two dimensions are assertiveness and responsiveness.The resulting fourcommunication styles are amiables—low on assertiveness and high on responsiveness; expressives—high on responsiveness and assertiveness; drivers—low on responsiveness and high on assertiveness;and analyticals—low on both responsiveness and assertiveness.The salesperson needs to flex his or her communication style based on the communication style of thebuyer.This does not mean mirroring the buyer, necessarily; rather, it means adopting a style thatenhances communication and moves the sales process in the desired direction.Students’ examples will vary.10.What are the implications of buying teams for a salesperson selling complex productionequipment to a manufacturing firm?Develop an example to explain further and illustrate youranswer.Answers to thisquestion will vary.However, students’ answers should demonstrate their understandingof the various roles making up a buying centre and how salespeople need to adjust to and interact witheach member in those roles.Video Exercise1.Comment on theassertiveness and responsiveness communication style in this interactionbetween Jim and Mark.Students’answers about the interaction between Jim and Mark will vary somewhat,but should includeappropriate justification.Students may notice that neither Jim nor Mark appears to be very low onassertiveness.Mark is candid with Jim about seeking a proposal from another supplier (introducingconflict), and Jim doesn’t hesitate to suggest Mark purchase the top-end system (which includes an

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Answers and Discussions for Instructor’s Guide to accompanySELL, Second Canadian edition, Ingram/Shannahan3-4increase in cost).Some students may perceive Mark as higher on responsiveness than Jim.Mark seemsto be informal, animated, and emotional.In contrast, Jim appears tome more guarded and controlled.2.Discuss the buying influences that are impacting Mark’s decision making in this sales situation.Mark’s upper management is pressuring him about controlling costs.This is forcing him to considermultiple bidders.In addition, Mark is feeling the pressure from the situation; he has a relatively urgentneed for upgraded security to protect the company’s intellectual property rights.Finally, he is feelingpressure from another supplier.Chapter 3 CaseQuestions1.Based on yourunderstanding of both Dawn and Adam, how would you characterize thecommunication style of each?Dawn is an Amiable.She is low on assertiveness and high on responsiveness.Adam is a Driver.He is highon assertiveness and low on responsiveness.2.What, if any, preparations and style flexing should Dawn make to better relate to andcommunicate with Adam Strong?Students’ answers will vary but should include Dawn’s recognition that Adam is a Driver.Accordingly,Dawn must work on becoming more businesslike—being punctual and reducing or eliminatingdiscussion unrelated to the task at hand.When communicating, Dawn must make sure her messages areclear and concise.She should describe solutions in terms of “results” important to Adam.Whenpresenting supporting evidence, she should stick to facts and figures, and avoid using the opinions ofothers (e.g., testimonials).She should recognize that Adam is a risk-taker and give him the opportunity tomake decisions quickly.She must also not be offended or discouraged by Adam’s cold/controllingbehaviour.Finally, she must guard against being “pushedaround” by Adam when it comes to earningcommitment and negotiation.3.Who all might be involved in the buying decision forRedMeadows with regard to Dawn’soffering?For each, explain why and how?Students’ answers will vary but should include some mention of the President (owner), the Director ofOperations, the Director of Information Technology, and the Director of Accounting and Finance.Students may mention the store managers and outside salespeople, but their participation in terms ofreal significance would most likely be negligible.It’s likely that the President will be the decision makerand the various Directors serving as Users and Influencers.Adam will likely serve as a User, Gatekeeper,and Influencer.Sharper students will likely point out that the extent to which the other Directors areinvolved will depend upon their respective social styles.

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Answers and Discussions for Instructor’s Guide to accompanySELL, Second Canadian edition, Ingram/Shannahan3-54.Explain at least two needs that might be met byRedMeadows by purchasing the software offeredby RelationshipsFirst.Students’ answerswill vary but should be consistent with the RelationshipsFirst’s value proposition.Chapter 3 Role PlayQuestions1.Identify each member of the buying centre and the role each participant plays, and estimate theamount of influence (low, medium, high, very high) each has on the final decision.2.What are the majorproblems, needs, and expectations that you will need to address for each ofthe buying centre members?3.As you complete the assignment, remember that a single individual can perform multiple roles inthe centre. Furthermore, it is common to find more than one individual playing the same buyingcentre role.Students should answer the above questions by creating and using a worksheet like the one providedwith the case.Answers will vary somewhat, but students’ answers should be logical anddemonstrateunderstanding of how each of the case characters affects the purchase process.The following is a sampleanswer.BuyingTeam RoleTeam MemberPlaying this RoleLevel ofInfluenceTeam Member’s Perceived Needs and ExpectationsInitiatorsMike HughesHighNeeds a system that will provide the corporate officeaccess to the information collected by general agents.Ravi SinghHighNeeds a system that will connect the entire organizationand provide him access to thesales-related informationgenerated by the general agents.UsersGeneral AgentsLow*Need a system that will improve their productivity.Ravi SinghHighInfluencersRavi SinghHighKerri NicksHighNeeds a system that will be easy toadminister andmaintain.PurchasersAimee LinnLowGeneral AgentsVery High**DecidersRavi SinghHighKerri NicksHighGatekeepersAimee LinnLowNeeds a vendor that will meet the needs of Farmland’smanagement and general agents.*regarding vendor selection** regarding actual purchase of the individual systems

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Answers and Discussions for Instructor’s Guide to accompanySELL, Second Canadian edition, Ingram/Shannahan3-61.In what way would the different communication styles of the buying team members presentcomplications in the critical stages of building rapport anddiscovering the buyers’needs andexpectations?Ask students to review/discuss the characteristics of the various communications styles.Next,ask them todiscuss areas in which differences in characteristics would present problems for the salesperson addressingthe entire buying centre at once.Ask students to discuss how Mike’s (who is adriver) need to get a system inplace soon conflicts with Ravi’s (who is analytical) need to be sure that they are purchasing the right system.2.How can a salesperson effectively build rapport with a team of different individuals who have largevariations across their communication styles?Remindstudents that ideally, the salesperson would have already built rapport with each memberindividually, prior to the meeting role-played above.Then ask students to thinkabout what sorts ofcommunication methods and aids a salesperson could use to minimize the impact of the variations acrosscommunication styles.Next,have them discuss how the salesperson’s rapport-building efforts might differdepending uponthe role of the buying team member in addition to variations in communication styles.Askstudents to discuss how they would build rapport with Aimee Linn; with Mike Hughes.3.In a buying team situation, it is typical that certain needs will be championed by specific members,while other members will be vocal in support of other needs the solution must address.How might asalesperson best present the proposed package of features and benefits and recognize the relevantinterests of the different buying team members?Students should discuss the importance of recognizing the relative influence of eachbuying centre member.While salespeople need to try to addresstheneeds and concerns of each member, they also need to recognizethat they must adequately address those of the key influencers.It is also important for students to recognizethat any particular feature may produce multiple benefits, including those that address the interests ofdifferent buying team members.When introducing these types of features, salespeople need to make surethey present the relevant benefits tothe appropriate buying team member.4.What suggestions do you have for improving the presentation of the proposed solution andmaximizing the positive involvement and buy-in of the different team members?Students should discuss strategies for how to engage members of a buying team not already participating inthe discussion.They should also discuss how important ideasmight be communicated in different ways sothat they may be communicatedeffectivelyto each buying team member (when appropriate).Chapter 3 Continuing CaseQuestions1.What type ofcommunication style do you believe Tom exhibits? What are the characteristics ofthis communication style?Students should conclude that Tom is an Analytical, low on responsiveness and assertiveness.Tom isextremely well-organized, inflexible regarding time, slow-paced, and “cool and aloof.”He is also, asBrenda put it, deliberate inhis communications and actions.

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Answers and Discussions for Instructor’s Guide to accompanySELL, Second Canadian edition, Ingram/Shannahan3-72.Based on your understanding of Tom’s communication style, outline a plan for selling to TomPenders.Students’ answers will vary but should include some referencetothe need to let Tom make thedecision at his own pace, based on facts rather than opinions.In addition, sales material and the salesperson must be logical and well organized.3.Identify other members of Tom Penders’ organization that may play a role in the buyingdecision and explain the role they might play. How should Brenda handle these individuals?Tom’s assistant, along with the other office personnel from the four divisions may play some role in theprocess.Tom’s assistant is likely to be the primary gatekeeper.Accordingly, Brenda should make sureto keep her happy.Other personnel with whomBrenda may want to connect are the “users.”She willwant to work with these people to better determine their needs.However, she needs to be carefulwhen sharing what she learns with Tom.Tom won’t be interested in what others think.He will only beinterested in factual information (e.g., usage data, cost data, and so forth) that will help him make theright decision.4.Explain the types of buyer needs that will be most important in this selling situation.Students’ answers will vary but should focus on functional, psychological, and knowledge needs.Thepsychological should include the need for riskreduction (e.g., warranties, performance data, and soforth).Tom will likely not experience much in the way of situational or social needs.

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Answers and Discussions for Instructor’s Guide to accompanySELL, Second Canadian edition, Ingram/Shannahan4-1Chapter Four—Communication SkillsExercises1.Explain why talkingwithbuyers rather than talkingatbuyers is critical to success in selling.Today, success in selling requires building mutually beneficial relationships with customers.Buildingthese mutually beneficial relationships requires that the salesperson identify the needs of the customer,which can be done only through interactive discussion (i.e.,talking with the buyer) and sharing ofinformation.In addition, talkingwithbuyers rather thanatbuyers helps to build trust, which is criticalfor building successful relationships.2.Discuss how salespeople use effective questioning to maintain subtle control over the buyer–seller communication dialogue.Salespeople can maintainsubtle control over the buyer–seller communication dialogueby using effectivequestioning to guide the course and depth of the conversation.Salespeople can use questions to shift theconversation to an appropriate topic, control the depth of conversation on the topic, and redirect theconversation when the topic’s usefulness diminishes.Salespeople can also use questions to gain, regain,and thenhold the buyer’s attention. Finally, salespeople can use questions to control the progression ofthe sales call, moving the customer from the introduction stage all the way through the commitmentstage.3.Distinguish between open-end and closed-end questions,and describe how each of these questionformats might best be used in the trust-based selling process.Open-end questions encourage free response rather than limiting the buyer’s options to one or twowords.Closed-end questions limit the buyer’s response to one or two words.These questions usually askthe buyer to respond with either“yes”or“no.”Generally, salespeople use open-end questions early in thesales call, especially during the needs discovery phase.These questions encourage the buyer to respondfreely and allow the salesperson to better understand the unique situation of the buyer.Salespeople useclosed-end questions throughout the sales call, although they probably usethemrelatively more towardthe end of the sales call.Generally, salespeople use closed-end questions to clarify or confirmunderstanding of ideas/information discussedduring the sales call. Salespeople also use closed-endquestions when seeking the buyer’s commitment (i.e.,asking for the order).4.Explain the difference in the uses of probing, evaluative, tactical, and reactive questions in trust-based selling.Probing questions are used to dig below the surface and uncover detailed information.They areespecially useful during need discovery and objection handling.Evaluative questions help thesalesperson uncover the buyer’s feelings and attitudes.They may be either open-end or closed-end.Tactical questions help the salesperson control the flow and direction of the conversation.Salespeople

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Answers and Discussions for Instructor’s Guide to accompanySELL, Second Canadian edition, Ingram/Shannahan4-2use these questions to redirect the focus of the conversation when the present topic is of little value orotherwise non-productive.Salespeople use reactive questions when responding to information providedby the buyer.Typically, salespeople use these questions to get the buyer to elaborate on something he orshehasjust said.5.Explain the superiority of using verbal communication skills to create mental pictures comparedto simply using words in sales dialogue with buyers.Salespeople need to communicate effectively and efficiently given the relatively short amount of timethey will spend with the buyers.Mental pictures convey meaning more efficiently and enhanceunderstanding relative to dialogue without mental pictures.Moreover, studies in cognitive psychologyhave long supported the contention that pictures are more memorable than words.To increase theimpact of creating mental pictures, salespeople should incorporate (where appropriate) relevant visualaids that support the idea conveyed in the mental picture.6.Identify and explain each of the individual steps involved in the SPIN sequence of questioning.Develop two example questions for each step.SPIN is a progressive questioning technique that is designed to uncover needs of the buyerthat thesalesperson can fill with his or her market offer.Situation questions are fact-finding questions that ask the buyer to provide information about his or herbackground and/or existing situation.“Who are your current suppliers?” and “What methods ofadvertising do you use currently?” are examples of situation questions.Problem questions probe thebuyer for specific difficulties or areas of dissatisfaction.“Have you ever hadany problems with your current suppliers?” and “What problems have you experienced with your currentmethods of advertising?” are examples of problem questions.Implication questions ask the buyer to consider the ramifications of the problems uncovered fromproblem questions.These questions help motivate the buyer to want to solve the problems.“How is yourbusiness affected when your suppliers are late with deliveries?” and “What is the effect of ineffectiveadvertising on your profitability?” are examples of implication questions.Need-payoff questions focus the buyer’s attention on the benefits of solving the problem.As withimplication questions, these questions help motivate the buyer to want to solve the problem.“How wouldyour business be affected if your suppliers were never late with deliveries?” and “What impact wouldeffective advertising have on your bottom line area?” are examples of need-payoff questions.7.Identify and explain each of the individual steps involved in the ADAPT sequence of questioning.Develop two example questions for each step.Like SPIN, ADAPT is a progressive questioning technique designed to uncover needs that the salespersoncan fill with his or her market offer.

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