16. Marketing Communication and Personal Selling
Vignette: Frito-Lays' promotional plan encompasses advertising, sales promotion, public relations and personal selling.
Featured URL: http://www.fritolay.com
Buy and Sell
In any personal sales situation, one person is trying to persuade another to make a purchase of some sort. Each of the participants is trying to get the best from the situation. You've heard the expression - "buyer's market" or "sellers market" which indicates which of the parties has the upper hand in the situation. If you are looking for a house, you will have different factors to consider from those you consider when buying something that is not such a major purchase. Yet in each buying and selling case, effective communication is essential if you want to come to a satisfactory agreement for both the buyer and the seller.
One of the keys to effective personal selling is to create a connection - to be comfortable with talking to the person you hope to sell to. It's helpful if you can find a quick way to help that person identify with you and you with them - you both like the practical features of the item you are selling or you both prefer certain colours over other colours. Often you are following a lead that you generated and you have an indication that there is interest in buying so you can build on that interest by giving valuable information. You make the presentation, handle the objections and when the time is right, close the sale.
Selling Your School
In teams brainstorm strategies to promote the marketing program where you are going to school.
Discuss the development of a public relations campaign to promote this marketing department that can be used within the community where your school is located.
How would this campaign be different if it were to expand to include all of Canada? North America? the world?
What elements of the promotional mix are best to use to accomplish your task.
Can all of the elements be used effectively or not?
What part can the World Wide Web play in this marketing promotion of the school?
Look at the site built for the School of Marketing and eBusiness at Seneca College by sixth semester marketing students for inspiration.
Salesmanship
Open Directory Project: Salesmanship - http://dmoz.org/Business/Marketing/Salesmanship/
Ten Secrets of Selling Online - http://shop.store.yahoo.com/vw/secrets.html
Google Directory of Salesmanship sites - http://directory.google.com/Top/Business/Marketing/Salesmanship/
Selling Tips - http://www.selling-tips.com/OurGurus.asp
Promotion and Public Relations - http://sbinformation.about.com/cs/promotionandpr/index.htm?terms=promotion
Promotional Techniques - http://advertising.about.com/cs/promotions/index.htm?terms=promotion
Publicity Articles - http://www.pertinent.com/pertinfo/business/pressrelease/
Instructors: Optional Activities
As with all of the Web exercises, the exercise for Chapter Sixteen can be used as suggested or certain parts can be adapted to better suit your student population. You will want to estimate how much time is required to complete any part or all of the parts. It will be helpful to give students a suggested time frame for completing their assignments. It will also help to determine how much credit might be given for the assignment.
1. Getting Personal
Think of a business that you are attracted to and could see yourself involved in, in the near future.
a. Find two examples of sites that promote this business.
b. How would you change one or both of them in order to promote and sell these products (you would sell) or services (you would offer) more effectively? Give specific site references and examples.
2. Big and LIttle
Compare the promotional methods used by a that of a large business and local small business on the web (i.e.. small recording company that promotes local bands versus a large agency that covers the national music scene).
Explain the differences in the promotional methods used by each and why you think those methods are being used.
What are the disadvantages to the small business (if any) as it tries to promote its business?
3. Promoting Products
Make a list of 10 different types of products or services (for example, car parts or cosmetics) that can be found for sale on the Web.
For each product, determine what promotional method(s) would be best for informing consumers about the product or service.
Give your reasons for selecting the methods that you chose for each
product.