7.2 Trucker’s Connection is a free magazine dedicated to truck drivers and offers information about safety, employment, and industry events. Truck drivers can pick up a free copy of this monthly magazine at over 3,200 locations, including truck stops, fuel stops, rest areas, motels, and truck parts/service shops that cater to truckers. The magazine has a 20-year history of serving the needs of truckers and has a loyal following. It has been said that the magazine is “read by more truckers in more places” than any competitive magazine. Megan Maxwell is an advertising salesperson forTrucker’s Connection. Her territory includes all the motel and hotel chains in the United States. In a few weeks Megan is going to be calling on Super 8, a chain of over 2,000 properties. Super 8 has a reputation of being a lower-priced motel with amenities such as a complimentary SuperStart® continental breakfast and free high-speed Internet access. Super 8 has never advertised in theTrucker’s Connection before. Megan doesn’t know if anyone from the magazine has ever called on Super 8 1. Assume you are Megan Maxwell. List your call objectives for your first call with the marketing director for Super 8. Develop a three-call follow-up schedule, and list the objectives for each call. 2. What kind of information would you like to have before your first meeting? How could you obtain that information? 8.1 Founded in 1985, AirCharter has provided charter flights to a wide array of customers, including business travelers worldwide. Thanks to AirCharter’s online booking system, business travelers can secure reliable quotes and book both domestic and international flights. AirCharter has more than 3,000 aircraft, including jets (light, midsize, and large jets) and turboprops. The company is known for its ability to cater to passengers’ every desire, including gourmet meals, special beverages, entertainment while in the air, and other luxury accommodations. AirCharter also staffs a full-service VIP jet concierge program, similar to what major airlines offer. This service can help clients meet all their needs on the ground before and after the flight. Felix Aleynykov is a salesperson for AirCharter. Today he will be making his first visit to Abel Espinosa, a procurement officer at the AFL-CIO. The AFL-CIO is one of the largest labor federations in the United States and has three primary executive officers: president, secretary-treasurer, and executive vice president. Both the executive officers and the executive council travel across the country a great deal in their work. 1. Develop a set of open and closed questions to fully discover Abel Espinosa’s needs. 2. Develop a set of SPIN questions to discover Abel Espinosa’s needs

7.2

Follow-Up Schedule

Trucker’s connection is considered a free magazine designed for truck drivers and offers significant data regarding the security, employment and company operations. The magazine is situated in close to 3,250 locations across the country including gas stations, truck services shops, motels and fuel stops that typically deal with truckers (Castleberry, 2011). Megan is an employee for the Trucker’s Connection business and is interested in advertising Super 8 in the spread. Super 8 is well-known for its diligent services including their affordable motels initiated with equipment such as high-speed internet connection, and continental breakfast services. If I were Megan Maxwell, I would typically contact Super 8 with the use of minimum call agenda in which I officially introduce myself to the buyer with the primary aim of acknowledging my business card together with an illustration copy of the Trucker’s Connection. This is significant as it allows Super 8 to evaluate the magazine and adequately understand the contents.

There is also the need to develop the main call agenda that enables the buyer to go through the three sample Trucker’s Connection magazines and later arrange for a meeting for further discussions on the possibility of advertising. It is also essential to incorporate the optimistic call objective as it enables the buyer to consider putting a half-page advertisement (Castleberry, 2011). When the first call is accomplished, the next follow-up calls will typically rely on how the first call proceeded, and if it turns out positive, I would still call and propose to the buyer to put a quarter-page advertisement in the magazine for a lower rate with the aim of trial purposes. Again, I would call for the third time suggesting for the client to acknowledge and put a full-page advertisement at the regular price. Finally, I would consider talking to the customer with the aim of finding out if the ad has fully functioned then later put five more announcements over the next 12 months.

Information to have before First Meeting

As a seller, it is essential to gather some critical information regarding a buyer before the actual meeting is initiated or accomplished as this allows for proper preparation. In the case study, the first significant things to know about a buyer are the official names and how it is correctly pronounced. Some buyer typically prefers conducting all their transactions with a well-known seller; hence, it is still active for one to acknowledge their buyer’s names (Castleberry, 2011).  Data about buyer’s social style is also essential, their attitudes towards other individuals, seller’s company and products. Additional information includes whether the buyer has been engaged in any particular operations that one can relate or have some opinion about. These data can be obtained through evaluating the Super 8 current purchasing activities, the individuals associated with the buying, the regulations, and steps involved in the purchasing process. This information can also be obtained from other buyers and secretaries together with executives within the motel.

8.1

Evaluation 2: AirCharter

Open and Closed Questions

Air charter is a company founded in 1985 and has since then provided charter flights with a big array of clients that includes business travelers on a global scale (Castleberry, 2011). This has been made effective through the use of online booking mechanism where travelers can acquire positive quotes and book both global and domestic flights. The industry is also known for its excellent service provision to their clients including the gourmet meals, entertainment while in the air, and other luxury services. Felix Aleynykov is a salesperson within the industry who is interested in meeting with AFL-CIO who is well-known for flying their managerial officer and council across the nation. On the other hand, Abel Espinosa is a procurement officer at AFL-CIO and therefore, to meet their wants, the following questions are appropriate; (closed) have you ever operated a charter air service before? (closed) has it ever came across your mind to use a charter service? (open) Are there any problems in getting last minute flights?

SPIN Questions

This is one of the most popular selling systems that give reps a research-backed scheme for operating and closing vital deals with extended sales procedures. Therefore, the following are some of the SPIN questions effective in evaluating Abel’s needs.

S- Situation: How regular do you fly on a monthly basis?

P- Problem: What happens if you cannot access a flight due to overbooking?

I- Implication: What are some of the end results of not getting a commercial flight when attending important meetings?

N- Need-Payoff: If I can discover a method that will ensure that the AFL-CIO never misses another meeting as a results of commercial flights getting booked, would you be interested?

 

Reference

Castleberry, Stephen Bryon., John F. Tanner, and Barton A. Weitz.Selling: Building Partnerships. New York: McGraw-Hill/Irwin, 2011. Print.