BSNS 3210.01
BUYER-SELLER RELATIONS
3 CREDIT HOURS
SEMESTER I, 2007-2008
DR. CINDY GIBSON
Logistics:
Location of Class: HARD
246
Professor’s Office: 203 Hardacre Hall, Falls School of Business, Anderson
University
Telephone: 765-641-4395
Email: cagibson@anderson.edu
Website: http://facultyweb.anderson.edu/~cagibson
Course Information:
Required Reading: Fundamentals of Selling: Customers for Life Through Service, by Charles M. Futrell, 2008, McGraw-Hill Irwin, ISBN
0-07-340469-1
Or (electronic
version ISBN 0390746088 at http://ebooks.primisonline.com
Course Description:
This course is designed to
equip any individual to professionally present a product, service, idea, or
event in such a manner that provides a solution to the problem of some entity,
individual, or business. The emphasis is
on essential qualities, right mental attitudes and emotional control, as well
as good selling skills necessary to sell self, services, and products in a way
that recognizes the “customer” as a partner in a win-win situation.
Course Objectives:
1. Learn and demonstrate selling techniques
2. Develop self-value and value to employers
3. Learn how to develop and maintain win-win
relationships
4. Become a skilled communicator with employers,
employees, customers, and suppliers
Course Evaluation:
1. Through reading the textbook, students will learn
selling concepts, and, customer relationship and communication
fundamentals. Textbook knowledge will be
demonstrated by testing, role playing, and individual job interviews in class.
2. Through individual job interviews in which students
will “sell themselves” as a job candidate, students will develop self-value and
value to employers as well as practice communication and relationship skills.
3. Through in class role playing, students will practice
and refine selling, relationship, and communication skills. In-class role plays will also count for
student participation.
4. Through reading, discussing, and providing written
answers to case studies, students will learn how real companies and sales
representatives are engaging in the selling process, thus providing an application
vehicle for theoretical textbook material.
Course Grading:
1. Exams (3 @ 100 pts. Ea) 300
2. Individual job interviews (2 @ 50 pts. Ea.) 100
3. Role plays (20 @ 5 pts. Ea.) 100
4. Case studies (2 @ 25 pts. Ea.)
50
TOTAL Course Points 550
OPTIONAL (EXTRA CREDIT)
POINT OPPORTUNITIES – 50 points
Selling event (street fair @
homecoming booth, or, actual sales) – This option is available to help overcome
lost points on other assignments. The
student must receive permission from the instructor to do a particular “selling
event” by writing a brief proposal. The
proposal must include:
1. The name of the event (e.g. selling coffee for Free
Trade)
2. Exactly how the student will engage in the selling
process
3. Who the prospective customers are and how the student
will find them
4. How the student will report the experience (e.g.,
write a 3-5 page paper)
5. How the student should be evaluated (e.g., based on
actual sales, based on accurate reporting of the selling process, based on
numbers of customers contacted, based on the written paper, etc.)
POSSIBLE UNGRADED CLASS
ACTIVITIES AND EVENTS
1. Videos of selling vignettes
2. Guest speakers
3. Group selling interview
Grading Scale:
Example:
92-100 = A 90-91 = A-
88-89 = B+ 82-87 = B 80-81 = B-
78-79 = C+ 72-77 = C 70-71 = C-
68-69 = D+ 62-67 = D 60-61 = D-
59 and below = F
Grading Rubric:
A = Excellent
work. Written work means no errors
(whether English language usage, proofreading, or factual errors); writing
shows intelligence, originality, and creativity; writing shows a high level of
critical thinking, synthesis, and analysis; answers reflect learning that has
taken place through reading and all class activities. Presentation work clearly shows student
planned, prepared, and practiced for the presentation; student spoke clearly,
grammatically, and factually; student knew the selling steps well enough to
respond to anything the customer threw at him/her without stumbling and was
able to return to the selling format smoothly; student gave equal weight to the
relationship development and the selling steps; student was poised and
comfortable; student allowed significant customer input/interaction without
allowing customer to take control while incorporating customer
comments/questions into the selling process.
Student represented product and company in a favorable light, presenting
all positive features and benefits to customers as a solution to his/her
problem.
B = Very good
work. Written work has one-to-very-few
errors; answers all questions in a factual way that shows student has read and
understands material and is able to synthesize that material with student’s own
ideas and opinions to present a learned opinion that has some originality. Presentation work demonstrates that student
clearly knows the selling steps model and how to develop a relationship with a
customer; student allows some customer input without getting flustered or
off-track and responds appropriately to all customer comments/questions.
C = Average to
good work. Written work has some errors
and may not fully answer the questions or address the issues; may lack
originality—just restating what the textbook or class discussion has said. Presentation work demonstrates that student
has some knowledge of the selling steps model, but has difficulty in covering
all steps adequately and doesn’t completely fulfill either the relationship
development or selling skills part of the selling process; student ignores or
doesn’t completely answer or address all of the customer’s comments or
questions.
D = Poor to
below average work. Written work has
many errors and may skip or inadequately or incorrectly answer some questions
or address some issues; lacks originality and ability to synthesize prior
learning; is sloppy, untyped, poorly formatted, late or missed. Presentation work demonstrates that student
does not know the selling steps model, cannot develop a relationship with a
customer (does not respond or allow customer to ask questions or make comments),
and/or completely skips one or more aspects of the selling situation such as
the relationship building or an aspect of the selling presentation itself.
F = Failing
work. Student does not turn in
assignments or turns in handwritten, sloppy, copied work that is late and/or
has many errors and/or does not answer or address the questions or issues. Presentation work demonstrates that student
does not know the selling steps model and cannot use it at all—student seems to
be using his/her own model, appearing to “make it up”; student does not allow
any customer interaction and develops a negative relationship with the customer
throughout the process. Student seems
ill-prepared, uncomfortable, unknowledgeable, and perhaps defensive. Student always seems reluctant or refused to
become involved in class activities.
Policies:
Attendance:
Anderson University policy is
that students may miss (that is, be excused from class and be allowed to make
up missed work) as many times as the class meets in a week. This is a 3-credit, 3-times-a-week class;
therefore students will have three absences excused.
Participation:
To get the most from the
learning experience, students should be actively involved through attendance,
classroom discussion of materials, and classroom role plays and selling
activities.
Group Responsibilities (if groups are used):
Students may collaborate on
written case work. Students will set
their own rules for group participation and have the right to “fire” an
under-performing group member who will then work on his/her own. The written product will be graded, and each
student will receive the same grade.
Dress Code:
Although the Bible says
“Women [again] must dress in becoming manner, modestly and soberly…” 1Timothy2:9,
in a Christian university and in the business world, all of us (men and women)
are expected to dress in a way that directs attention to our work rather than
to our bodies. Please do not dress in a
manner that focuses attention on your body and distracts other students from
class. If there is a question about the
appropriateness of your dress, you will politely be asked to either cover up or
leave the class and return appropriately attired.
Class Schedule:
Date Class
Activity Assignment for today
9-05-07 Introductions; Formulate Syllabus
9-07-07 Syllabus formulation
9-10-07 Chapter 1 presentation and discussion Read Chapter 1
9-12-07 Chapter1 discussion and video Read Chapter 1
9-14-07 Appendix B discussion and role play Read Chapter 1 &
skim pp. 569-582
9-17-07 Chapter 2 presentation and discussion Read Chapter 2
9-19-07 Chapter2 discussion and exercise Read Chapter 2
& read 582-586
9-21-07 Chapter 2 discussion and role play Read Chapter 2
9-24-07 Chapter 3 presentation and discussion Read Chapter 3
9-26-07 Chapter3 discussion and video Read
Chapter 3
9-28-07 Chapter 3 and current event Read
Chapter 3 & WSJ, Businessweek, etc.
10-01-07 Chapter 4 presentation and discussion Read Chapter 4
10-03-07 Chapter 4 discussion and exercise Read Chapter 4
& a magazine or newspaper
Ad
(bring it in) or watch a t.v. commercial
10-05-07 Exam over Chs. 1-4
10-08-07 Chapter 5 presentation &discussion Read Chapter 5
10-10-07 Chapter 5 discussion and role play Prepare job
description
10-12-07 Role play
10-15-07 Chapter 6 presentation, discussion &
role play Read Chapter 6
10-17-07 Role play
10-19-07 NO
CLASS—FALL BREAK
10-22-07 Chapter 7 presentation & role play Read Ch. 7
10-24-07 Role play 4 minute job interview Refine job
description
10-26-07 FIRST
GRADED JOB INTERVIEW
10-29-07 Chapter 8 presentation Read
Ch. 8 & Case 8.1-do questions 1-4
10-31-0 Case 8.1 discussion & role play
11-02-07 Chapter 8 discussion & role play
11-05-07 EXAM
II: CHAPTERS 5-8
11-07-07 Chapter 9 presentation
and role play Read
Chapter 9
11-09-07 Chapter 9 discussion and role play
11-12-07 Chapter 10 presentation, discussion and
role play Read Chapter 10
11-14-07 Chapter 10 discussion & role play
11-16-07 Role play
11-19-07 Chapter 11 presentation & role play Read Chapter 11
11-21-07 NO
CLASS—THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY
11-23-07 NO
CLASS—THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY
11-26-07 Chapter 12 presentation & role play Read Chapter 12
11-28-07 EXAM
III: CHAPTERS 9-12
11-30-07 Guest
Speaker – Mr. Jonathan Wearly
12-03-07 Chapter 13 presentation & role play Read Chapter 13 and
Case 13.3, answer questions
12-05-07 Case discussion and role play
12-07-07 Role play
12-10-07 Chapter 14 presentation & role play Read Chapter 14
12-12-07 Role play final job interview
12-14-07 FINAL
JOB INTERVIEW
12-17-07 1:30-3:10
FINAL EXAM, OR,
12-18-07 1:30-3:10
FINAL EXAM
Students having special problems that
might affect their performance in class should notify the instructor during the
first week of school. Possible
arrangements can be made to work closely with the Learning Center, a tutor, or
special time provided by the instructor.