4 Teaching sales and negotiations

4 Teaching sales and negotiations John C. Crotts

1. INTRODUCTION A well-staffed sales team is critical for business success, but surprisingly most hospitality and tourism management (HTM) programs fail to offer any sales-related courses. It is true that virtually all HTM programs offer courses in marketing. Marketing, as currently taught, is framed by the marketing mix paradigm, which under promotion involves, at best, a chapter reading and lecture on sales usually focused at the retail level. Take a look at virtually any company and you will see that only a small fraction of the careers available in our industry have marketing in their title. For those that do – such as the chief marketing officer or marketing manager – their focus is primarily on promotion, which in today’s context involves working with advertising agencies in the design and placement of paid space advertising, sales promotions, publicity, and the social media. For every one job in marketing you identify, you will find many more in sales. The reality is that the salesperson is responsible for implementing the marketing strategies of their firms (Javier et al. 2014). In business-to-business sales, on which this chapter is focused, it is the sales person, supported by marketing collateral, who is entrusted with a firm’s most precious asset: its customers. Given that all HTM programs purport themselves to be the gateway for students to the middle class and that sales managers are the most highly compensated individuals in any tourism organization (Kefgen and Mahoney 2006), educators should question why such courses have been omitted from our curriculum. Until recently HTM programs might have been justified in skipping over sales. Time was that success in sales was composed of two parts personality and one part product knowledge, and formal education could add very little (Fogel et al. 2012). People skills are often thought of as unteachable in any conventional sense and best learned experientially. Product knowledge is unique to each firm and therefore handled best by internal training. Personal selling and sales management has come a long way since the days when most HTM programs were developed. In short, there are plenty of substantial materials to be taught but they require teaching methods that extend beyond the traditional lecture method. The intent of this chapter is to expand educators’ awareness not only of the importance of the topic in our field, but also how to teach it to our students. My recommendations are based on more than a decade of research and teaching in personal selling skills gleaned from countless interviews with effective sales professionals. Moreover, they have been validated through interviews with the buyers they serve as to what makes a salesperson effective. What collectively they tell us is that the skills required to be a successful salesperson can be learned and always improved. It is my hope that sales education will be improved, and that more HTM faculty will be drawn to the field of sales and negotiations, not only for teaching but also for rigorous research. Drawing from the broader sales literature, research has shown that sales 42

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Teaching sales and negotiations 43 professionals who graduated from formal sales courses that are aligned with industry best practices reached their break-even point in their territories faster, are more satisfied with their jobs, and their tenure with the company lasted much longer, saving companies significant amounts of money in training costs (Bolander et al. 2014; Leasher and Moberg 2008). Perhaps an even stronger argument for increasing the number of courses in sales and negotiations is that our industry suffers from a lack of capable sales professionals. Many sales positions go unfilled due to a lack of qualified applicants. Moreover, many more sales positions are filled by those who are unprepared to excel in them, creating lost opportunties for business growth and development. The study of personal selling and sales negotiations is a relatively young but mature field of study (50 years). It draws from practice and theory from the fields of marketing, psychology, and behavioral economics. This chapter will attempt to do more than simply synthesize the practice by expanding educators’ awareness of the importance of the topic in our field and the pedalogical tools available to teach it to our students effectively.

2. ATTRACTING STUDENTS TO SALES Build a course and they will come is an approach I first took that ultimately proved successful. However, over the years I have put a system into place that reasonably assures me that the instructional approach I am taking is valid and student demand is high. Consider adopting or adapting any and all aspects as you see fit. The field of sales seems to be a good fit for students who are marketing-oriented, strategic, self-motivated, and can manage pressure. The things that can help attract them to a course, and ultimately a career, in sales are several. There are reasonable working hours – you work during those times when you can call upon your customers, which generally means Monday to Friday 8:00 am–5:00 pm; a decent and motivational compensation package; and advancement opportunities. Given that the framework I apply to sales training is consultative in nature, hospitality management majors who are naturally service-oriented are also drawn to sales due to the problem-solving, needs-based approach to helping customers. In today’s highly connected environment, graduates from the class who obtain well- paying and satisfying sales jobs after graduation help to ensure that the sales classes are filled each semester. Today, I work with a select group of companies who provide me with feedback on the curriculum, and use the class and the network of former graduates for recruitment purposes. In addition to the director of sales for a hotel chain and a convention center, the list of partners includes a wholesale food supplier to the restaurant industry, a wine wholesaler/distributor, a catering company, and a realtor. Since these are busy people, the commitment I can expect from them is limited. In addition to gaining an awareness of my approach to sales training and offering me advice, they assist me in developing role-plays in their sectors, allow me to mystery shop their sales managers, and to call upon them to judge student sales competitions. As a result the placement rate for students who decide to go into sales is reasonably high, and the word spreads that it is a useful, challenging and arguably a fun course to take.


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44 Handbook of teaching and learning in tourism

3. A SHORT PRIMER OF SALES AND NEGOTIATIONS Sales, at least the way I and others teach it, is business-to-business (B2B) focused, as opposed to retailing or business-to-consumer (B2C) focused. It’s about calling on organizational buyers who purchase what we have to sell in reasonably large volumes. In the hotel and convention business, group sales managers call on customers who are meeting planners, conference or tradeshow managers, corporate travel offices, and tour operators. Group sales is not limited to hotels and convention centers. The very same meeting planner who has reserved a room block in a convention hotel has probably also bought related services from off-premise caterers, special event consultants, entertainment agents and speaker bureaux. Looking backward one step will remind us that the meeting planner more often than not sold his/her services to the association’s board of directors, which required using his/her own skills in prospecting, personal selling and negotiating. In essence, B2B relations and the sales managers who develop them permeate our industry. In the world of hospitality sales, hotels are not only sellers but also organizational buyers. What they buy includes furnishings, fixtures and equipment, interior design services, computerized property management systems, back office accounting systems, landscape and golf greens maintenance – and on and on. The same is true for the restaurant industry. Restaurants who sell to individuals and groups are just the final stage of a series of buyer–seller relationships. Between 25 and 35 percent of the revenue made from restaurant patrons goes to suppliers to pay for wholesale food costs. Explore even deeper and one will see that the restaurant owner or manager has been a buyer in another sense. He/she has purchased (or leased) the real estate and building for the restaurant, as well as everything required to operate it efficiently such as kitchen equipment, furnishings, linens, point of sales system, and a host of services such as book-keeping, time-and-attendance systems, grounds maintenance, contract services and so on. Meet the salespersons of our industry’s suppliers, and you will find that the best have previous experience working directly with the final end-user in the hospitality and tourism industry (that is, the guest). Why? One of the first truisms in sales is to know your product and your customer’s industry better than your competitors. Who better to sell a new restaurant account for a food wholesaler than a salesperson with culinary or restaurant management experience? The same is true for virtually all other buyer–seller dyads in the hospitality and tourism industry. Selling requires far more skills than order taking. Even when the prospect initiates the contact, it is likely that he/she is contacting several other firms simultaneously and weighing all options to identify the best solution or value. In addition, most firms cannot afford to wait for customers to come looking for them. More often firms realize that to compete, they must proactively go after new business and thereby create new demand. In these instances the sales professional wears the hat of a marketer and will: ●● ●● ●●

Identify sources of leads or prospects within his/her territory. Prioritize specific leads that offer the highest quantity and quality of prospects. Determine the best method to make an initial contact with prospects. Stimulate the prospect’s interest with an initial contact for purposes of scheduling a meeting, during which the prospect’s needs can be investigated and the benefits of the seller’s service highlighted.


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Teaching sales and negotiations 45 ●● ●●

Ask for the prospect’s business. Build and continue to develop the relationship for mutual gain.

Organizational buyers are considerably more sophisticated than buyers in the consumer marketplace. They have to be very careful in considering the costs and technical requirements of what is being purchased. Often the organizational buying decision involves more than one individual. The decision as to what vendor to use in renovating a hotel may be influenced by the hotel’s owner(s), its management company and the franchiser. Knowing who are the gatekeepers, decision influencers and ultimately the decision makers is the responsibility of the salesperson. Organizational buyers have a more involved buying process as well. More often than not, virtually all non-recurring purchase decisions (for example, re-orders) require a formal request-for proposals (RFP) from multiple suppliers. Suppliers that make the initial cut will often be invited to make a formal sales presentation to the buyer’s team. The potential buyer then analyzes the pros and cons of the alternative sources and suppliers, and will try to work through any perceived shortcomings. Once the decision of who to buy from is reached and a contract signed, post-sale implementation is the next important step. Over the years I have progressively added more to the second half of the class in negotiation skills. Issues frequently arise with clients where there are no clear or established methods for reaching a decision. To reach a satisfactory resolution requires the sales person at times to be accommodating to the will and demands of another party; at other times they must be distributive and hold firm, prepared to walk away from making a deal; and hopefully more often they find integrative solutions that create win–win solutions for both buying and selling organizations. There are many good negotiation role-plays and case studies I will later share with you, including short readings that can provide students with a needed foundation. I wish to press upon students the natural tension that exists in the role of sales professionals. On the one hand, research has shown that empathetic people have a strong ability to recognize others’ interests, which is key to reaching negotiated sales agreements. On the other hand, the trait of assertiveness contributes to negotiation outcomes as well, insuring that a selling organization’s interests are not undermined. Remember that there are distributed aspects in even integrative negotiations. The point is that people are generally stronger in one trait than the other, but in order to be an effective negotiator one must develop both skills.

4. TEACHING A COURSE IN SALES AND NEGOTIATIONS A course on personal selling, I argue, should be a core component of all HTM curriculums. Paraphrasing Lewicki (1986), personal selling is a learnable and teachable skill. Effective sales persons are made, not born, and skills can be improved and relearned throughout one’s career. Changes and improvements in sales’ abilities require a combination of intellectual training and behavioral skill development. Hence, an effective approach to teaching such a course generally integrates analysis and skill development exercises into a single course. My approach to teaching sales involves a flipped classroom approach. Students, on their own time outside of class, are quizzed on weekly reading assignments using an


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46 Handbook of teaching and learning in tourism online course management system. Class times are used for mystery shops, role-plays and case studies, as they provide a useful experiential means to enact selling in a variety of environments. Textbooks on personal selling skills specific to the tourism and hospitality industry are limited. Abbey (2008) provides a useful text in hotel group sales with an emphasis on the role of a director of sales. The career ladder to a director of sales starts as a sales manager, so my approach is to provide students with the foundational skills in personal selling needed to begin such a career path. There are a number of quality textbooks on personal selling that are B2B focused in the general business literature. In addition, Rich McNeil and I co-authored a textbook in 2005 that is HTM-oriented and I believe is still quite valid (McNeil and Crotts 2005). Over the past several years I have gravitated to a shorter eBook that I am happy to make available (Crotts 2014). Though I know of HTM faculty who make their courses totally experiential, I see value in giving the students readings that introduce the key concepts I expand upon in the classroom experientially. A typical class will begin with a ten-minute introduction where my students can ask me any questions they have on the day’s reading and quiz, followed by a brief perspective on the topic. Periodically I will share with them a mystery shop with a sales manager either live or audio recorded over the telephone. Effective learning can occur through hearing good as well as bad techniques. Most of my live telephone calls to a sales manager are to former graduates of the class. Though students in the class believe otherwise, these calls are always prearranged. The advantage is that after the call has progressed to an appropriate point and I expose the ruse, the former student can provide some prepared words of advice to the students. This naturally leads us to engage in a role-play. Role-plays are an effective way to develop competencies and are relatively easy to construct. In Appendix 4A.1 of this chapter you will find two examples. All require students in teams of two to engage in a sales call where one takes on the role of the buyer and the other the seller. The point of the role-play is for the selling student to manage the flow of the sales call. As the instructor, I will observe as time permits a few teams’ role-plays for coaching purposes, and call upon the best to repeat the role-play in front of the class. Arguably a useful extension of role-playing would be to engage teams in a role-play conducted soley by email or Skype. For those faculty whose class sizes are too large, making it difficult to observe all students, consider requiring students to complete a reflective self-analysis of their own, as well as their partner’s, performance as they switch roles in the role-play (see Appendix 4A.2). The approach to sales skill development involves creating a structure which the sales person employs in managing the flow of the conversation. Though students start off feeling overly scripted by the structures, over time they learn to make the conversation their own. The framework of sales models can vary, but all that I have witnessed have similar elements. The framework I use is called Personal Selling Skills (PSS), which has been widely adopted in the hospitality industry. If you feel more comfortable in a different model, then use it. I have found this five-step framework easy for students to comprehend and eventually follow. It involves: 1. Call Opening (warm friendly greeting, thanking the customer for the call, proposing the agenda, stating the value of the agenda, checking for acceptance). 2. Probing (identifying a customer’s needs through good questions and listening).


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Teaching sales and negotiations 47 3. Supporting (presenting relevant features as benefits to the customer). 4. Closing (advancing the sell, asking for the business). 5. Handling Objections (misunderstandings, doubts, shortcomings). The first role-plays of the semester stop after the call opening. Subsequent role-plays are progressive in nature, and include all previously learned steps. Later-stage role-plays are designed to challenge the selling student’s ability to think on his or her feet, where the buyer will raise objections at any step in the process. This, in essence, is the first half of the semester, which culminates with a mid-term oral exam. The oral exam is on a one on one basis in which they are asked to sell me something which I video for playback coaching purposes. The second half of the semester involves students in more complex negotiation role- plays and sales case studies. Foundational readings and quizzes expose them to important new topics on ethics, organization and management of a sales office, technology, and sales channels, which all can be reinforced experientially. Northwestern University’s Dispute Resolution Center (http://www.kellogg.northwestern.edu/research/drrc.aspx) has what I have found to be a wonderful repository of role-plays on bargaining that are surprisingly rich in hospitality and tourism management settings. Most require students, in teams of two, to attempt to negotiate an agreement following an outlined scenario which later can be compared with other team outcomes in the exercise debrief led by the faculty member. Two to three case studies from Harvard Business School have also proven to be helpful.

5. CLASS STRUCTURE Developing a course on sales requires some practical considerations in its set-up as well as in your role as professor in the course. Allow me to turn my final attention to these concerns. ●●

●●

●●

Class size. Teaching such a course experientially requires a classroom of moderate size – this is big enough to have multiple teams that will produce different results, small enough to orchestrate the experience in a limited time. I generally prefer class sizes of 25–35 students. Classes larger than 35 effectively bar a single instructor from observing and coaching every student at least once during the semester. Facilities. Role-playing, with multiple teams simultaneously participating in the learning activity, means that each team requires a reasonably private place to stand and engage one another. A classroom can suffice, but the noise level becomes high and I find it difficult to navigate around desks for coaching purposes. Outdoors is better on either a lawn, patio or parking lot that is immune to bystanders. I prefer to teach this course in the daytime as well. Class time. It is very difficult to teach this class in a number of short 50-minute class periods. Class times of 120 minutes meeting twice a week allow students to prepare for and carry out most exercises. I recommend that you avoid scheduling this class once a week for three to four hours. Student fatigue is not the issue – it is that a seven-day gap between classes disrupts the progressive building block aspect


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48 Handbook of teaching and learning in tourism Table 4.1 Grading of sales and negotiation Task

Weight (%)

Online chapter quizzes (10) Cvent exam Mid-term exam Book review One paperclip exercise Case studies (3) Semester project Class participation/attendance Total

●●

●●

●●

20 10 10 10 10 15 15 10 100

of role-playing. With this said, a two to three-day intensive workshop format is also quite effective. No electronic device policy. A mutually supportive learning environment depends on active attention and engagement. For this reason, I enforce a no use of laptops, phones or any electronic devices policy during classroom sessions. The value of any legitimate use of laptops is far outweighed by the distraction that they create. I inform students that their grade will be reduced by two points for every time they use an electronic device during class time and seldom have to enforce it. Guest speakers. Though guest speakers add much value to the classroom, in the case of classes in personal selling most faculty use them sparingly. As Wheeler (2006) noted, sales and negotiations is a wicked learning environment and as an illustration, a guest speaker who purports to students that (s)he is an effective sales person because they close every deal may be misleading themselves and others. Instead, my approach has been to interview local industry leaders, and, with their permission, draft my own case exercises from their experiences. As previously mentioned, I also bring them in through in-class mystery shops or having them assist me in a role-play. Grading. Faculty assess student progress using a variety of assessment strategies. The assessment strategy shown in Table 4.1 has worked well for me.

Cvent Exam The online request-for-proposal (RFP) process has been adopted by many meeting planners and organizational buyers. In order for your students to gain an in-depth understanding of these systems, I encourage you to contact Cvent (Cvent.com), who will provide you the details of this service. They will provide each student with a password and login information, giving them access to a study guide and tutorial of their RFP system. At the assigned date set by you, students can take a 25-question multiple choice certification exam which will serve them well on their résumé.


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Teaching sales and negotiations 49 Mid-Term Exam Many would suggest (and I would concur) that personal selling skills are best assessed through role-plays as opposed to exam questions. Hence, the mid-term exam I employ is on an individual basis where they attempt to sell me an item of their choosing using all the steps in the consultative selling process. I video each role-play using a tablet for coaching playback purposes. I set aside 20–25 minutes for each oral exam. Add up the figures and you will see this requires of me a grueling two-week schedule during mid-terms. Book Review I typically add an assignment requiring a three-page critique of a book I select. There are several you may wish to consider, but my favorite is Influence: Science and Practice (5th edition, authored by Robert Cialdini, 2009). The Art of Woo (by Richard Shell and Mario Moussa, 2007) is worth considering as well. I ask the students to critique the central thesis of the book, its strategies and tactics, as well as to provide me with their opinions on the approach. I find it effective to introduce the One Paperclip Exercise on the day we discuss the book review in class. One Paperclip Exercise This is a sales competition for which instructions can be sourced through Harvard Business School Case Studies. It involves handing each student a paperclip and giving them the task of trading it with others for something of higher value. A total of five trades must occur over the course of a two-week period. I highly recommend incorporating this into your class. Case Studies I generally incorporate three case studies during the second half of the semester to enhance students’ understanding of sales strategy and management. Some are conducted in class while others include take-home assignments. Grades are based upon student responses to the assigned questions, where they apply what they are learning to complex situations requiring the synthesis of information and a fair amount of reasoning, creativity and innovation. From Northwestern University’s Dispute Resolution Center, I like using Negotiating a Salary and Sugar Bowl. Daktronics and Gallo Wine are the two cases I have used from Harvard Business School (http://hbsp.harvard.edu/) case studies. Semester Project In lieu of a final exam, I require a semester project. The project asks each student to prepare a sales plan focused on how each will pursue finding a job after graduation. Their ideal job can be in any field, just so long as they have aimed reasonably high, which means no entry-level positions. If they already have a position secured for after graduation, I ask them to complete a plan anyway as a plan B. What I am looking for is a demonstration of a realistic sales plan that covers every aspect of this course, starting from prospecting


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50 Handbook of teaching and learning in tourism and the stating of your value proposition, to presenting their features as benefits with supporting proof devices. Though it is obvious that the course as outlined is grading intensive for the instructor, adding one more written assignment in lieu of a final exam can be considered extreme. For a time I dropped the semester project, only to be convinced by former graduates to include it once again. Their reason: the importance of learning the art of lead generation, prospecting, lead nurturing and pre-approach research which the semester project clearly requires. Since most students are graduating seniors, the timeliness of the exercise is not lost on them either. As their careers advance to director of sales, some basic understanding of how to write a sales plan will be warranted as well.

6. CONCLUSION In closing, I hope you will take up this challenge to craft your own course on sales and negotiations. However, understand that if you draw from my framework, your role as faculty member will change and you will face some unique challenges as to the dynamics in the classroom. Allow me to briefly summarize them for you. In a traditional academic course, the instructor has clear-cut roles in structuring a logical course outline, lecturing, facilitating class discussions, and evaluating student performance. However, by virtue of the variety of educational experiences described earlier, instructors in personal selling courses are placed in multiple roles. Instructors must continue to act as formal educators, but also take on enhanced responsibilities as classroom managers and coaches. The following are some guidelines for each role. ●●

●●

●●

Educator/Evaluator. The instructor’s responsibilities are, as just outlined, to structure the course, to be well versed in the conceptual foundations of sales and negotiations, to convey that expertise through lectures and assigned readings, to facilitate classroom discussion, and to evaluate student learning and performance. Classroom Manager. The instructor’s job is to orchestrate the learning experience. Role-plays need to be planned with regard to preparation and distribution of materials, securing adequate facilities, time scheduling, and organizing students into groups. Before an exercise is concluded, students should discuss the exercise and abstract key points. Simulations are useless activities without this analysis. Coach. Students often become overly self-conscious and freeze up in role-plays as well as the mid-term. For the educational process to proceed, students must be able to detach themselves sufficiently from being observed to complete the activities. The instructor’s job is to help the student achieve this balance, which frequently requires encouragement, role reversals, and at times a degree of humor.

Expect from time to time that a student will try to argue that role-playing is not real because people play artificial roles and there are no actual outcomes. This argument is often used to avoid taking responsibility for their behavior or its consequences. Moreover, they argue that they certainly would have behaved differently had this been a real situation involving a product or service about which they have extensive knowledge. Instructors will recognize this behavior as defensive, yet feel frustrated by an inability to persuade the


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Teaching sales and negotiations 51 student that this is a limited and perhaps distorted view. Instead of becoming enmeshed in such a argument, it is usually easier to have students accept on the first day of class the premise that all behavior in the course is real, that they make choices on the way they behave, that behavior has consequences, and they must be willing to live with them. The stakes may be different outside the classroom, but the behavior is no less real. Good luck!

REFERENCES Abbey, J. (2008), Hospitality Sales and Marketing (5th edn), Lansing, MI: American Hotel and Lodging Association. Bolander, W., Bonney, L. and Satornino, C. (2014), ‘Sales education efficacy: Examining the relationship between sales education and sales success’, Journal of Marketing Education, 36 (2), 169–81. Cialdini, R. (2009), Influence: Science and Practice (5th edn), New York: Pearson. Crotts, J. (2014), Selling Hospitality: A Consultative Sales Approach, Author. Fogel, S., Hoffmeister, D., Rocco, R. and Strunk, D. (2012), ‘Teaching sales’, Harvard Business Review, 90 (7/8), 94–9. Javier, M., Critten, P., Squire, P. and Speakman, J. (2014), ‘Enhancing the professional mindset of future sales professionals: Key insights from a master in sales transformation’, Journal of Marketing Education, 36 (2), 144–55. Kefgen, K. and Mahoney, R. (2006), Compensation and Benefits in the Hotel Industry, Mineola, NY: HVS International Executive Search. Leasher, L. and Moberg, C. (2008), ‘Evaluating the impact of collegiate sales training and education on early salesperson performance’, Journal of Selling and Major Accounty Management, 32 (4), 32–45. Lewicki, Roy (1986), ‘Challenges of teaching negotiation’, Negotiation Journal, 2 (1), 15–30. McNeil, R. and Crotts, J. (2005), Selling Hospitality: A Situational Approach, Clifton Park, NY: Delmar/ Thompson Publishing. Shell, R. and M. Moussa (2007), The Art of Woo; Using Strategic Persuasion to Sell your Ideas, New York: Penguin Group. Wheeler, M. (2006), ‘Is teaching negotiations too easy, too hard, or both?’, Negotiations Journal, 22 (2), 187–97.


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52 Handbook of teaching and learning in tourism

APPENDIX 4A.1 SAMPLE ROLE-PLAYS

Selling Skills Role-play Association Market Salesperson’s Role Background Information: You are on the phone with: The meeting planner for ISPA (International Spa Association). How the call came about: Your sister facility in Munich sent a lead out that ISPA is looking at your convention center and 3 competitive sites/destinations for their annual EU trade show and educational congress. The show is always held over five days, mid-week, during a shoulder season when you would really like the business. The show would utilize all of your space for meetings and exhibits, sell out your city’s hotels, and would bring in much needed rental and food and beverage income to your center. Your sales call objective: To familiarize yourself with the ISPA’s needs for this event and to have the Executive Director come to your destination for a site visit. Purpose of the Role-play To practice and receive feedback on the following skills: Call Openings Probing Supporting Closing Skills Before you begin, write your call opening statement (Agenda, Value, Check for Acceptance) and at least 3 questions that you might have of the new Executive Director. You may call a TIME OUT if you get stuck and need help during the role-play, ask your professor and he will offer you guidance.


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Teaching sales and negotiations 53 Selling Skills Role-play Association #2 Role-play Customer’s Role Background information: You are the meeting planner for ISPA (International Spa Association) and your office is located in Washington, DC. You are on the phone with: A sales representative from a convention center. How the call came about: You sent out a lead to the Director of Sales at the Munich Expo Centre that ISPA is looking at 4 competitive destinations (convention centers) for your annual EU trade show and educational congress. The show is always held over five days, mid- week, during a shoulder season (off- peak season) when you know they would really like the business. You would utilize all of their space for meetings and exhibits and would bring in much needed rental and food and beverage income. Needs: If the sales person asks you closed- probe questions only answer yes or no or maybe! If they ask open probes, elaborate on your needs which are listed below. You may also make up needs if they are appropriate and consistent with the role-play. #1. A convention center that is in good shape and is kept in good repair Need behind the need: To impress your picky membership, the word of mouth will not be good unless the f acility is in great shape, as your members operate high quality facilities and tend to be high maintenance. #2. Twenty small meeting rooms that are quiet and flexible for theater style seating Need behind the need: You offer a lot of educational topics and although you ask your members to sign up in advance, they never seem to attend the sessions that they sign up for and some sessions are more popular than others, so you need to work with staff that can react quickly to last minute requests for more chairs, etc. Also, the attendees need to be able to hear the speaker talk so they get the full value of the sessions. #3. A facility that can offer interesting spa-like cuisine Need behind the need: Because your membership is in the health field, their expectations of food and beverage are that it will consist of low-calorie, interesting and unique food. In other words, this group is not impressed with donuts and coffee. They prefer things like green tea and carrot and yogurt muffins. Purpose of the role-play


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54 Handbook of teaching and learning in tourism Call Opening (warm friendly greeting, thanking the customer for the call, proposing the agenda, stating value, checking for acceptance) Probing Supporting Closing Skills


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Teaching sales and negotiations 55 Selling Skills Role-play Corporate Meeting Planner Salesperson’s Role Background Information: You are at the office of: The meeting planner for the Pfizer Pharmaceutical Company. How the call came about: You are a group sales manager for a downtown hotel making a prospecting call on the meeting planner. You know that she/he holds several large meetings throughout the year, ranging from meetings of the Board of Directors, Annual Stockholders’ meeting, and training sessions for their field sales force. All of these typically use 4 to 5 diamond hotels with meeting facilities. Given the current economic environment (their stock price is down by two-thirds in value), you believe they maybe interested in your 3 diamond hotel. Your sales call objective: To familiarize yourself with the needs of the meeting planner, provide initial support for these needs, and to invite the planner for a site tour of your property. Purpose of the Role-play To practice and receive feedback on the following skills: Call Openings Probing Supporting Closing Before you begin write your call opening statement (Warm friendly greeting, Agenda, Value, Check for Acceptance) and at least 3 questions that you might have of the meeting planner


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56 Handbook of teaching and learning in tourism Selling Skills Role-play Corporate Meeting Planners Customer’s Role You are: The meeting planner for Pfizer Pharmaceutical Company. How the call came about: You have agreed to meet for five minutes in your office with the group sales manager of a 3 diamond downtown hotel who contacted you. You hold several large meetings throughout the year ranging from meetings of the Board of Directors, Annual Stockholders’ meeting, and training sessions for your field sales force which typically use 4 to 5 diamond hotels with meeting facilities. Given the current economic environment (your company’s stock price is two-thirds its normal value), you may be interested in a 3 diamond hotel in a nice destination. Needs: If the sales person asks you closed-probe questions only answer yes or no or maybe! If they ask open probes elaborate on your needs which are listed below. You may also make-up needs if they are appropriate and consistent with the role-play. #1. A facility that offers a quality experience but at a budget price. Need behind the need: To have those in attendance have a great experience but not at the level of extravagance #2. Nice destination in which your people can enjoy a variety of low key things to do after hours. Need behind the need: #3 A hotel that is near a variety of 3 and 4 star restaurants . . . your members are used to Michelin rated restaurants but due to the economy are more price sensitive.


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Teaching sales and negotiations 57

APPENDIX 4A.2 SELF ANALYSIS FORM

Name: __________________________

Partner’s Name:________________________

When I took on the role as the sales manager, what did I do well?

What I can do more effectively next time.

My Key Learning:

When my partner took on the role as the sales manager, what did he/she do well?

What he/she can do more effectively next time.

Note: In addition to managing the flow of the sales conversation, include some feedback on non-verbal cues (facial expressions, body language, eye contact, tone of voice, gestures, etc.)


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