MKT 4430
SALES/WWW PRESENTATION GUIDELINES

"It is not sufficient to know what one ought to say, but one must also know how to say it." - Aristotle

Sales Proposal (Includes both the sales presentation and the sales force profile)

Your sales proposal should contain the following sales presentation (Part I) and sales force (Part II) information:

Part I: Sales Presentation Information

1. Seller(s) in Sales Presentation (1-2 seller(s) maximum per presentation, 1 seller is preferred)

· Name

· Title or position

· Company

· Additional relevant information

2. Customer(s) in Sales Presentation

· Name

· Title or position

· Representing

· Previous experience or contact with the seller or product

3. Setting of Sales Presentation

· Time and place

· Description of physical setting

· Describe any other relevant information

4. Sales Objectives of Sales Presentation

· Be specific and quantifiable (e.g., #, time, and any qualifiers of the sales objectives) – How will you measure it?

· Examples of objectives include buy/no buy, amount purchased, price, discounts and allowances, terms, guarantees, training, referrals, use of promotional materials, etc. These should be so specific that you and the class can measure whether or not you obtained them.

5. Timeline of Activities

6. Any Anticipated Problems

Part II: Sales Force Profile Information (Note: Can be different or the same as sales presentation company. One group copy of this is ok.)

1. Company chosen and why

2. How you will get your information

3. Timeline of Activities

4. Any Anticipated Problems

Written Sales Presentation

On the day of the sales presentation, submit a typed 10-12 page outline which includes the following, as appropriate:

1. Description of the company manufacturing or distributing the product or service you selected

A. Historical perspective

B. Sales volume

C. Number of stores, plants, etc.

D. Image of the company

E. Products/services the company sells

2. Description of seller or selling team

A. Title or position

B. Years in selling and products sold

C. Level of expertise

D. Additional relevant information

3. Description of company to whom the product/service is being sold

A. Historical perspective

B. Sales volume

C. Number of stores, plants, etc.

D. Image of the company

E. Products/services the company sells or major activity of the institution

F. Purchasing policies and procedures

4. Description of buyer or buying team

A. Title or position

B. Years in industry and as buyer

C. Level of expertise

D. Additional relevant information

5. Description of product/service you are selling

A. Features, advantages, benefits (in chart form)

B. How you will build customer’s involvement with the product

C. Prices and ordering requirements

D. Guarantees

E. Competitive analysis

6. An exhaustive list of all possible objections and how you would helpfully respond to them (minimum 20 objections)
7. Outline of sales presentation including the approach
8. A list of closing techniques and a word-for-word description of each closing technique that you might use during the presentation. Also, include a list of buyer signals that would cause you to try to close the sale. In addition, have some of these closes ready and planned out for use in your sales presentation.
9. Description of how you plan to exit the sales presentation
10. A list description of visual aids you have prepared for use in your actual presentation (I suggest including these in the appendix if possible)
11. Miscellaneous

A. Physical setting for sales presentation (time, place, and description)

B. Your sales objectives for this presentation (e.g., buy/no buy, amount, price, discounts and allowances, terms, guarantees, training, referrals, use of promotional materials, etc.)

C. All assumptions you will make (e.g., results of previous meetings or phone conversations with the buyers, products they currently own, etc.)

12. Sources of your information including interviews, library, company literature, Internet, etc. There should be at least six sources.

Presentation Suggestions

1. Keep the proper perspective. This does not determine life or death.  It also is not some trivial thing to brush aside like junk mail.
2. PREPARE! PREPARE! PREPARE! Read over the text and your notes.
3. Prepare a list of every single objection you can possibly think of (this may be even 50 or more).  Then, think about how you would answer each one.  Have at least 2-3 ways to respond to each objection.
4. Talk to someone in the "real world" who can give you more information, advice, etc.  Do your research!
5. Prepare a good portfolio and visuals.  Remember to have a list of features/advantages/benefits, pricing terms, guarantee terms, support materials, etc.  Thus, you do not have to memorize everything.
6. Read over the scoring form and plan to include all important elements (have an introduction that creates attention, plan to identify needs, etc.)
7. Practice your presentation with a friend or classmate (do not memorize a canned presentation, however).  Ask for honest feedback.
8. Use your creativity – handouts, brochures, catalogs, testimonials, PowerPoint slides, overheads, product samples, flip chart, skits, ads, contests, quizzes, or whatever.
9. Plan to arrive well before class starts.  Make sure that the room is set up properly, that is, erase the board, place the desk and podium appropriately, place members with or without chairs, set up overhead or flip chart, posters, computer, video, etc. 
10. Make sure you bring all of your visuals, portfolio, etc. with you.  Try them out ahead of time. Know how to use the equipment – practice using it before class begins and try out each slide to make sure it works properly.
11. Center or balance your composure before you begin your presentation.  Take a deep breath, maybe walk rhythmically for awhile before class.
12. Try not to read your presentation.  Keep good eye contact.  Use note cards.  It is a more professional look than notebook paper.
13. Remember that it is okay to occasionally say, "I’m sorry, I don’t know the answer to that question, but I will find out and get back to you."
14. Plan a demonstration if appropriate or possible.  Test it ahead of time.  

"Eloquence is the transference of thought and emotion from one heart to another, no matter how it is done." - John B. Gough

General Oral Presentation Criteria

I have included these criteria for your public speaking needs in general. You may need to extrapolate these criteria for use in your sales presentation and/or sales force profiles.

1. Introduction

· Dress appropriately, i.e., as a professional would dress or as you would dress for a job interview

· Carry materials to the podium in a professional manner

· Start with a greeting appropriate to the presentation, e.g., a handshake, business card, and rapport building in a sales presentation

· Gain attention and interest early on

· Introduce the topic clearly

· Relate the topic to the audience/client, that is, pertinent rapport building with audience/client

· Establish the speaker’s credibility

· Introduce group members and their roles

· Preview the agenda

· Include effective comment regarding audience questions during the presentation

2. Body

· Main points clear

· Main points fully supported

· Organization well planned

· Language accurate

· Language clear

· Language appropriate

· Connectives effective

· Background sufficient

· Clear and concise problem statement

· Alternatives clear

· Advantages and disadvantages of alternatives thorough

· Thorough statement of features/advantages/benefits

· Paint a thorough picture of the client involved with, using, and gaining the benefits of the product/service, that is, paint the client into the picture and don’t just leave it up to his/her imagination

· Use trial closes effectively.

3. Conclusion

· Have a planned conclusion

· Prepare audience/client for the end of the presentation

· Reinforce the central idea of the speech

· Have a vivid and memorable positive ending

· Have a professional question and answer portion of the presentation (all group members should stand and participate)

4. Delivery

· Get centered before speaking

· Begin speech without rushing

· Maintain strong eye contact keeping in mind cultural differences

· Avoid distracting mannerisms and sounds (chewing gum, uhs, oks, uhms, nervous habits, carrying pen, over gesturing, big notebook paper (use note cards), anything that draws attention from the intended message)

· Articulate your words clearly

· Use pauses effectively

· Use vocal variety to add impact

· Use variety in your visual aides to add impact

· Present any audio/visual aides well

· Be energetic/enthusiastic and control it so that you last the entire presentation

· Depart from the lectern without rushing and in a professional manner – plan all parts of your ending

· Be sure and practice enough so that you are truly confident

5. Overall Evaluation

· Cover the topic thoroughly

· State the specific purpose of the presentation well

· Adapt the message to the audience

· Complete the speech within the time limit

· Hold the interest of the audience

· Each speaker should be well prepared and practiced

· Set-up the room and presentation materials so that they contribute to the presentation

· If it is a group project, then have one person do a final overall edit so that the paper is unified

· Use the presentation equipment professionally – have a contingency plan in case the equipment does not work properly

WWW Presentation

The WWW Presentation is an option available to you. Instead of doing an oral sales presentation in front of the class, you can create a WWW site that sells something. You will still present this site to the class orally, i.e., walk them though your choices, details, and inner workings. Here are some books that may help. Many more are listed at amazon.com.

Barr (2010), The Yahoo! Style Guide: The Ultimate Sourcebook for Writing, Editing, and Creating Content for the Digital World, St. Martin's Griffin.

Beaird (2010), The Principles of Beautiful Web Design, SitePoint.

Bell (2010), Build a Website for Free, Que, 2^nd edition.

Bell and Fish (2010), Best fo the Web 2010, Dzanc Books.

Butler (2010), The Cyber Citizen's Guide Through the Legal Jungle: Internet Law for Your Professional Online Presence, Sashay Communications.

Gaman (2012), Latest Web Design Trends, The Road To Good Website Design, 1stwebdesigner.

Greene (2013), The Top 10 Mistakes Entrepreneurs Make with Their Websites, Imagine Your Possibilities.

Jenkins (2013), Web Design All-in-One for Dummies, For Dummies.

Knyszewski (2011), Internet Marketing For Local Business Owners: Survival Guide, CreateSpace.

Love, (2010), Internet Retailer: Strategies for Web-Based Retailing, Vertical Web Media.

Matthews (2010), How to Make Your Own Free Website: And Your Free Blog Too, CreateSpace.

Matthews (2011), Get On Google Front Page, CreateSpace.

MacDonald (2011), Creating a Website: The Missing Manual, O’Reilly Media.

McGovern (2010), The Stranger's Long Neck: How to Deliver What Your Customers Really Want Online, A&C Black.

McNeil (2010), The Web Designer’s Idea Book, Vol. 2, HOW Books.

Norris (2010), A Quick Start Guide to Online Selling: How to Sell Your Product on e-bay, Amazon, i-tunes and Other Online Market Places, Kogan Page.

Peel (2010), The Rough Guide to Saving & Selling Online (Rough Guide Reference Series), Rough Guides.

Plumley (2010), Website Design and Development: 100 Questions to Ask before Building a Website, Wiley.

Valles (2010), 70 Website Marketing Mistakes and How to Avoid Them, CreateSpace.

Wolfe (2012), WordPress Revealed: How to Build a Website, Get Visitors and Make Money, Wolfe Empire.

"I do not know what I may appear to the world, but to myself I seem to have been only like a boy playing on the seashore, and diverting myself in now and then finding a prettier shell, or a smoother pebble than ordinary, whilst the great ocean of truth lay all undiscovered before me." - Sir Isaac Newton

You could get some good tips by searching "Creating WWW Sites" or by copying and adapting html code from sites that appeal to you, yet making it unique to you. A Sales WWW Directory is attached for your reference. It is understood that each person is at a different level of expertise regarding web pages that sell. You could demo your website entirely online by using Screencast-o-matic, available for free. Then, you could post it to Blackboard. Please discuss this with Dr. Williams so that appropriate understandings can be reached. 

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