Question Management Q Purpose of this assignment Selling is a key part of any successful business, and most people will find that they need to use sales skills at some point in their working life – if only to persuade or win an argument. For anyone who is interested in sales as a professional career it pays to understand the basics of selling, to practice, and plan. This unit will introduce you to the theory of selling and sales planning, and give you the opportunity to put your personal selling skills into practice. It starts with an overview of how personal selling fits within the overall marketing strategy for a business. You will be taken through the main stages of the selling process, and be expected to put them to use. Once you are confident about the selling process, you will investigate the role and objectives of sales management. This is knowledge that can be applied to a wide range of organisations. You will be able to start planning sales activity for a product or service of your own choice – this is another valuable skill that is transferable to many different situations you may find themselves in as you move into employment or higher education. Scenario - Marketing Education in the UK and Overseas – all organisations are fictional. London Education Solutions Ltd (LES) is a company that specialises in corporate training in the UK and overseas. It major international markets are West Africa, Libya, Nepal and India. The CEO, George Upton, is considering expanding to include accredited university MBAs. They have an agreement with two Universities. The first university (Ilford University) is amongst the lowest ranked universities in the UK (Bottom 10) and the second university (University of Hampshire) is ranked in the top 30% of UK Universities. The price of the better university is significantly more than the lower ranked university. LES will market it as an MBA but in reality it will be an Edexcel Level 7 course in Strategic Management and Leadership and then the completion of 2 subjects (Research Methodology and Entrepreneurship) and a dissertation from the university. LES feels that it is appropriate to market it this way as the students will gain the MBA from the university in the end. In the UK, LES has a choice: they could either market the course to individuals or they could approach organisations and present the MBA as a good addition to existing management training programmes. The structure of the course suggests that it would fit in well with most management training schemes. One such organisation is Associated British foods PLC (The owner of Primark). Their corporate objectives are summarised below. "Our range of activities is broad in product, technology and market scope. Our portfolio of businesses comprises sizeable operations that achieve good revenue and profit growth; mature, cash-generative operations; and smaller enterprises that afford exciting growth potential. In our markets, we aim to achieve strong and sustainable positions through a combination of organic growth, acquisition of complementary new businesses and achievement of high levels of operating efficiency. We provide high-quality, value-for-money food and clothing that are central to people's lives." (ABF.co.uk, 2015) ABF.co.uk, (2015). Associated British Foods plc - Investors - Annual Report 2013 - Group business model and strategy. [online] Available at: http://www.abf.co.uk/investorrelations/annual_report_2014/group-business-model-and-strategy [Accessed 10 May 2015]. Task 1 – Sales Manager You are hired as the sales manager for London Education Services. The Board of Directors have thought about whether it is better to market the new course to students or to organisations – where it could become part of their management training programme. To help them decide: they have asked you for a formal report that covers the following points a) Using LES as an example, explain how personal selling supports the promotion mix. You have to consider how the sales pipeline might look. (1.1) b) Compare buyer behaviour and the decision making process when selling to an individual or an organisation. (1.2) c) Analyse the role of sales teams within marketing strategy (1.3) d) One of the organisations LES has approached is Associated British Foods PLC (ABF). Explain how sales strategies are developed in line with ABF's corporate objectives. (3.1) e) Explain the importance of recruitment and selection procedures (3.2) f) Evaluate the role of motivation, remuneration and training in sales management (3.3) g) Explain how sales management organise sales activity and control sales output (3.4) h) Explain the use of databases in effective sales management (3.5) i) Develop a sales plan for the MBA to be marketed to ABF (4.1) j) Choose a country and investigate opportunities for selling the MBA internationally to corporates (4.2) k) Investigate opportunities for using exhibitions or trade fairs to sell to corporates. (4.3) Task 2 – Sales Presentation In groups of three or four, agree on a product or service and: a) Individually, prepare a briefing note (no more than 2 pages in point format) for a sales presentations for that product or service. The briefing note will contain information on: how you might like the presentation designed; what you consider to be of the presentation and information that might be included in the presentation. (2.1). b) As a group, compare the briefing notes use them to design and carry out a group sales presentation for that product or service (2.2).