Plastico, Inc.
Chapter 1 PLASTICO, Inc.
1. What problems do you see with Stone’s first sales call?
Feeling confident without being very well prepared. Running behind schedule & being caught in traffic. Arriving late & expressing her anger instead of apologizing for it. To build rapport she thought it was a good idea to have a little chat about her college, then when she realized it took a lot of time she switched back to business. Starting right away to talk about the details & benefits of her product, she didn’t apologize to the manager for being late. Controlling the conversation for 25 minutes then asking the manager if he had any questions. Leaving the product samples at home. Lying to her customer when asked about the turnaround time from order to delivery. Thinking of covering up her lie by blaming it on the company’s production department later. Not being able to justify clearly why her product was slightly higher than competition, thinking that she gave him enough information & reasons for that.
2. If you were Stone’s sales manager, what would you recommend she do to improve her chances of succeeding?
Since this was her first sales job, she should have been more prepared. Taking a sales course & the company’s training aren’t enough to succeed in a real selling situation. She still lacks the field experience. Being confident is good, only if she is well prepared. Small or big, a customer is a customer & both should have the same attention & preparation effort. She must do whatever it takes to make sure she gets to her appointment at time, and if she is late, she must apologize and wait without being angry, she can’t get mad at a customer (even if he is wrong).Once she sits down for the meeting, she has to start with a brief introduction about her company, Giving the customer any relevant information about the current market place because they expect salespeople to be knowledgeable about market opportunities & relevant business trends that may
1. What problems do you see with Stone’s first sales call?
Feeling confident without being very well prepared. Running behind schedule & being caught in traffic. Arriving late & expressing her anger instead of apologizing for it. To build rapport she thought it was a good idea to have a little chat about her college, then when she realized it took a lot of time she switched back to business. Starting right away to talk about the details & benefits of her product, she didn’t apologize to the manager for being late. Controlling the conversation for 25 minutes then asking the manager if he had any questions. Leaving the product samples at home. Lying to her customer when asked about the turnaround time from order to delivery. Thinking of covering up her lie by blaming it on the company’s production department later. Not being able to justify clearly why her product was slightly higher than competition, thinking that she gave him enough information & reasons for that.
2. If you were Stone’s sales manager, what would you recommend she do to improve her chances of succeeding?
Since this was her first sales job, she should have been more prepared. Taking a sales course & the company’s training aren’t enough to succeed in a real selling situation. She still lacks the field experience. Being confident is good, only if she is well prepared. Small or big, a customer is a customer & both should have the same attention & preparation effort. She must do whatever it takes to make sure she gets to her appointment at time, and if she is late, she must apologize and wait without being angry, she can’t get mad at a customer (even if he is wrong).Once she sits down for the meeting, she has to start with a brief introduction about her company, Giving the customer any relevant information about the current market place because they expect salespeople to be knowledgeable about market opportunities & relevant business trends that may