1.2 ATTRIBUTES FOR SUCCESS

SELLING

LANDS' END

Lands' End began as a sailboat racing and equipment catalog company in 1963 in Chicago, Illinois. In 1977 it added clothing to its catalog, and in 1978 it moved warehouse and phone operations to Dodgeville, Wisconsin. Today, Lands' End is a leading direct merchant of casual clothing, soft luggage, and products for the home. The company's products are offered through its catalogs and via the Internet.

Customer Sales Representatives handle more than 15 million calls annually. They receive more than 80 hours of training before taking their first "live" call and receive an additional 20+ hours of training per year on new products and service enhancements.

Lands' End has retail stores where it employs Sales Associates. They perform tasks ranging from ringing sales at the cash register to answering questions about products. Sales Associates also assist with incoming stock. Customer Sales Representatives and Sales Associates should have excellent comunication skills and the ability to interpret a situation and act appropriately.

THINK CRITICALLY 1. What strategies has Lands' End used

to remain a leader in catalog sales? 2. Would you prefer a position as a

Customer Sales Representative or a Sales Associate? Why?

1.1

SELLING AS A CAREER

Introduces the concept of selling and provides statistics on projected growth in selling careers. Retail sales, manufacturing and wholesale sales, and financial sales careers are introduced.

1.2 ATTRIBUTES FOR

SUCCESS

Describes attributes of persistence, empathy, integrity and product knowledge and examines personal attributes of selfmotivation, imagination, and patience. Teamwork is also explained.

1.3 COMMUNICATING FOR

SUCCESS

Communication skills in the areas of speaking, listening, and writing are discussed in this lesson.

CAREERS IN SELLING If you have a Lands' End catalog, show it to the class. Ask if students are familiar with Lands' End and if they have ever ordered from the company.

Think Critically Answers 1. Lands' End has expanded its product line and the ways

that customers can access product information and place orders. 2. Answers will vary.

The Chapter 1 video for this module introduces the concepts in this chapter.

Is a Career in Sales

For You?

PROJECT OBJECTIVES s Explore careers in sales s Examine your attributes to determine if you could be successful in a sales career s Develop communication skills for success

GETTING STARTED Read through the Project Process below. Make a list of any materials you will need. Decide how you will get the needed materials or information. s Look for information about careers in sales. Find out about the types of tasks

that are performed in these jobs. Does a career in sales interest you? s Find out what types of skills salespersons use on the job. Do you have these

skills? s Evaluate your oral and written communication skills. Do you need to improve

any of these skills?

PROJECT PROCESS Part 1 LESSON 1.1 Using the Internet and information from the Chamber of

Commerce, media center, and other resources, research careers in sales. Determine the careers in sales that are projected to have increased demand in your area. Choose one of these careers and learn more about it.

Part 2 LESSON 1.2 Make a list of the attributes and communication skills that are needed for success in the career you have selected. Design a chart listing the attributes and communication skills. Use a rating scale from 1 to 5, with 1 representing "Do Not Possess" and 5 representing "I'm the Best!" Rate yourself on each of the skills using your rating chart.

Part 3 LESSON 1.3 Determine which attributes and communication skills you need to improve in order to be successful in the sales career you have chosen. Develop a plan for improvement.

CHAPTER REVIEW Project Wrap-up Prepare a presentation on the attributes and communication skills that are necessary for success in the sales career you selected and present it to your classmates.

TEACHING RESOURCES Instructor's Resource CD Lesson Plans, Ch. 1 PowerPoint Slides, Ch. 1 Video Discussion Guide, Ch. 1 Data Activities, Ch. 1

ExamView? Pro, Ch. 1

Videocassette Video Segment, Ch. 1

b2000. Internet Activities, Ch. 1

PROJECT Getting Started Have students name careers in sales. Discuss with the students the skills and attributes that are necessary for these positions.

Part 1 Invite a speaker from the Chamber of Commerce or a retail establishment in your community to discuss projected needs for salespeople. Work with students to develop a list of questions to ask the speaker.

Part 2 Remind students of the skills and attributes that were discussed in Getting Started. Give examples of someone who would rate "I'm the Best!" in these skills and attributes.

Part 3 Discuss with students ways to work on improving attributes and communication skills.

Project Wrap-up Let students use multimedia software, if available, for their presentations. Have students make their presentations to the entire class, or divide the class into groups for the presentations.

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CHAPTER 1 SUCCESSFUL SELLING

LESSON 1.1

SELLING AS A CAREER

EXPLAIN the concept of selling

EXPLORE career opportunities in sales

SCHEDULE Block 45 minutes Regular 1 class period

FOCUS On the Scene Ask students what they think is meant by a "born salesperson." Ask them to name people who they consider to be successful salespeople and explain why they think these people are a success.

TEACH Emphasize that selling is a learned art. You can learn which attributes contribute to a successful sales career and practice these skills.

Point out that selling takes place in stores and in other settings, such as in business organizations. Selling does not always involve an exchange of money for goods or services. For example, an employee may have to "sell" his or her supervisor on a budget for a new project.

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THE ART OF SELLING

Y ou may have heard someone referred to as a "born salesperson." Even though this term is often used to describe a very successful salesperson, no one is a born salesperson. Selling is a learned art. You may possess some of the attributes of a good salesperson but it takes training and practice to become successful. A successful salesperson has product knowledge, sales experience, and the ability to persuade.

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SELLING IS ALL AROUND YOU Selling does not just take place in stores. Businesspeople must sell coworkers on ideas when they want to make changes in a business. Children "sell" to their parents daily as they try to convince them that what they want is a good idea. Any time one person tries to persuade another to do something or act a certain way, a form of selling is taking place.

M any people described Richard Ramey as a "born salesperson." While in school, he was always the top salesperson in every school fundraiser. What characteristics do you think Richard possessed that made him so successful in sales?

1.1 SELLING AS A CAREER

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WHAT IS SELLING?

Selling involves the art of communicating effectively with people . It is the process of explaining how a product or service will benefit your customers and meet their needs. Customers will not purchase a product or service until they are convinced that they will benefit from owning that product or service.

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WHAT DOES A SALESPERSON DO?

People often have trouble deciding on a product and need the assistance of a salesperson to make a final decision. A salesperson explains, advises, and assists the customer in making a wise buying decision. The objective of any sale is to have a satisfied customer because a satisfied customer will become a repeat customer. A repeat customer is one who returns to shop at a certain business.

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A CAREER IN SALES

Between 1998 and 2008, two sales occupations are projected by the Bureau of Labor Statistics to be among the top ten occupations with the largest growth. These occupations are retail salesperson, with a 14 percent projected increase, and cashier, with a 17 percent projected increase. Career opportunities exist not only in retail sales but also in other areas, such as insurance, securities, real estate, financial services, and manufacturing. According to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, job opportunities for securities, commodities, and financial service sales agents are predicted to increase 41 percent from 1998 to 2008. There is a projected need for 427,000 employees in this area by 2008.

Selling also plays an important role in many other careers not classified as sales careers. Some of these positions include entrepreneurs, managers, accountants, contractors, information technology specialists, and attorneys.

Why is selling important to a business?

In a group, brainstorm to produce a list of businesses and the products or services they sell.

WORKSHOP Encourage students to include local businesses as well as other well-known national companies. If necessary, prompt students to think of businesses that are not traditional retail stores.

TEACH Explain that selling has to do with recognizing the needs of the customers and finding ways to help them solve problems.

Discuss what a salesperson does. He or she advises and assists customers in making a wise decision. Discuss the importance of repeat customers to a business.

Discuss trends in sales careers. How will the Internet affect sales careers? Internet sales are taking a chunk out of traditional retail sales. Also, many customers are more knowledgeable because they are doing product research online. Discuss what this means to a salesperson.

TEACHING STRATEGIES Visual Learners Prepare a transparency showing the percentage of growth projected in various sales careers.

ONGOING ASSESSMENT Ask students why they think selling is important to a business. Discuss what would happen to a business if employees were not good salespeople.

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CHAPTER 1 SUCCESSFUL SELLING

BUSINESS MATH CONNECTION Clay Brown earns a 5 percent commission on every automobile he sells. During July he sold the following car models

GS 300 GS 400 IS 300

$38,000 $43,000 $34,000

What is Clay's commission?

$38,000 $43,000 $34,000 $115,000 $115,000 0.05 $5,750

Many sales representatives are paid on commission. A commission is a percentage of sales. If Ruiz Perez earns a 7 percent commission on every home he sells, what would his commission be if he sold one home for $110,000, one home for $145,000, and one home for $210,000?

SOLUTION Add the total amount of sales. Then multiply the total by the percentage amount of Ruiz's commission. Ruiz's commission would be $32,550.

$110,000 $145,000 $210,000 $465,000 $465,000 0.07 $32,550

Consumer spending is declining in the retail market. Just below one-third, 32.9%, of all consumer spending took place in the retail sector in 2000. This compares with 47%

in 1980.

DID YOU KNOW? Ask students why they think there is a decline in retail spending. How does the state of the economy affect consumer spending? What other factors might impact spending?

TECH TALK Discuss how the Internet is used for e-commerce. Explain the differences between an informational web site and one that allows individuals to place orders electronically.

Think Critically Answer Answers will vary. Possible answers may include location, convenience, or more opportunity for comparison shopping.

CAREER OPPORTUNITIES IN SALES

S elling occurs in many different places and at many different levels. You are probably most familiar with retail sales where a salesperson sells merchandise and services to a consumer. A wholesaler sells products to retailers, other wholesalers, industrial firms, government agencies, or other businesses. A manufacturing salesperson sells products to other manufacturers or directly to wholesalers or retailers. Securities, commodities, and financial service representatives work with institutions and individuals who want to invest money. These sales representatives buy and sell stocks, bonds, shares in mutual funds, insurance commodities, and other financial products.

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RETAIL SALES Retail sales take place in retail stores. You have probably shopped in many retail stores. These stores include department stores, supermarkets, drug stores,

E-COMMERCE Electronic commerce is growing rapidly. Many people wonder what long-term effect e-commerce will have on traditional retailing. Many companies now have web sites. Some of these web sites offer products for sale to consumers while others offer products for sale to other businesses. Some businesses use their Internet site to provide information about their company and products. The Internet makes it easy for shoppers to see new product lines without having to travel to a store or a showroom. However, as Internet shopping grows, the need for retail salespeople will decline. THINK CRITICALLY Why do you think someone would choose to shop on the Internet instead of going to a traditional retail store?

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