SELLING

ESSENTIAL QUESTION

How can the selling concept be beneficial when attempting to gain employment?

OVERVIEW

Although the ultimate objective of both marketing and selling is to increase profit, the means by which this goal is achieved are different for each concept. The main focus of marketing is positioned around the desire to meet the needs of the customer, while selling tends to concentrate on increasing the number of products sold. However, marketing and selling should work together in perfect harmony. Without the selling component, generating income is rather difficult. Likewise, without marketing, selling techniques can be relatively ineffective.

Establishing customer relations through marketing activities is key when it comes to selling. Customer relations can be described as the way in which a company communicates with its customers or in reference to the entertainment industry, the way in which a musician communicates with its fans. Customers and fans, alike, desire personalized and relatable communication.Connecting on a personal level, builds loyalty and strengthens relationships. A strong customer relationship is also built on trust. Customers want and expect dependability when issues arise. How customer complaints and negative press are handled speaks volumes about the integrity of a company. The marketing activities that go into building strong customer relations also prove beneficial when implementing the seven-step selling process. The seven-step selling process is used successfully across a large variety of industries, including the entertainment industry. Each step is applicable and important in regards to generating income by means of selling a product, service, or even experience, such as the concert.

The Seven-Step Selling Process:

Prospecting – Not only finding new customers but also determining which customers’ needs and wants can be satisfied by the product you are offering.

Pre-Approach – Do your research. Gather relevant information, such as market prices and competitor information that will assist you during your initial contact with prospects.

Approach – Whether it be with a question or giving a gift, develop a way to engage your prospect. You want to involve them in interaction as quickly as possible.

Presentation – Although the presentation step involves providing the prospect with information, listening to the needs and wants is just as important. Your product or service is useless if you are not fulfilling the prospect’s desire.

Handling Objectives – Thorough preparation will allow you to overcome objections and concerns from the prospect. Prepare yourself with common objections but also be knowledgeable enough to answer any concerns that may arise.

Closing – This step notifies the prospect it is time to make a decision. Offering a choice or providing a deadline are common closing techniques.

Follow-up – Contacting the prospect after the initial meeting shows you value the relationship. The objective in this step is not to sell but to build and maintain a strong customer relationship.

OBJECTIVES

Upon completion of this lesson, students will develop the skills through which they may:

Apply knowledge of customer relations to establish relationship with fans and potential consumers.
Apply knowledge of the selling process and appropriate selling techniques to sell tickets to the event.
Apply knowledge of merchandising to purchase and distribute merchandise.

Click HERE to see the full lesson plan with activities.

STANDARDS

COMMON CORE STATE STANDARDS

Literacy Standards for Grades 6-12: History/Social Studies, Science and Technical Subjects

College and Career Readiness Reading Anchor Standards for Grades 6-12

Reading 1: Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inference from it; cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text.

Reading 4: Interpret words and phrases as they are used in a text, including determining technical, connotative, and figurative meanings, and analyze how specific word choices shape meaning or tone.

Reading 7: Integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse media and formats, including visually and quantitatively, as well as in words.

Reading 10: Read and comprehend complex literary and informational texts independently and proficiently.

Literacy Standards for Grades 6-12: History/Social Studies, Science and Technical Subjects

College and Career Readiness Writing Anchor Standards for Grades 6-12

Writing 4: Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.

Writing 6: Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and to interact and collaborate with others.

Writing 8: Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, assess the credibility and accuracy of each source, and integrate the information while avoiding plagiarism.

Writing 9: Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.

Writing 10: Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of tasks, purposes, and audiences.

Literacy Standards for Grades 6-12: History/Social Studies, Science and Technical Subjects

College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Speaking and Listening for Grades 6-12

Literacy 1: Prepare for and participate effectively in a range of conversations and collaborations with diverse partners, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.

Literacy 2: Integrate and evaluate information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually, quantitatively, and orally.

Literacy 3: Evaluate a speaker's point of view, reasoning, and use of evidence and rhetoric.

Literacy 4: Present information, findings, and supporting evidence such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning and the organization, development, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.

Literacy 5: Make strategic use of digital media and visual displays of data to express information and enhance understanding of presentations.

Literacy 6: Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and communicative tasks, demonstrating command of formal English when indicated or appropriate.

Literacy Standards for Grades 6-12: History/Social Studies, Science and Technical Subjects

College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Language for Grades 6-12

Language 1: Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.

Language 4: Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases by using context clues, analyzing meaningful word parts, and consulting general and specialized reference materials, as appropriate.

Language 6: Acquire and use accurately a range of general academic and domain-specific words and phrases sufficient for reading, writing, speaking, and listening at the college and career readiness level; demonstrate independence in gathering vocabulary knowledge when encountering an unknown term important to comprehension or expression.

Standards for Mathematical Practice

MP1: Make sense of problems and preserve in solving them.

MP4: Model with mathematics.

MP5: Use appropriate tools strategically.

MP6: Attend to precision.

MARKETING COMMON CAREER TECHNICAL CORE STANDARDS

1. Describe the impact of economics, economics systems and entrepreneurship on marketing.

MK 1.1: Describe fundamental economic concepts used in marketing.

2. Implement marketing research to obtain and evaluate information for the creation of a marketing plan.

MK 2.6: Assess marketing strategies to improve return on marketing investment (ROMI).

4. Plan, monitor and manage the day-to-day activities required for continued marketing business operations.

MK 4.3: Implement purchasing activities to obtain business supplies, equipment and services.

5. Describe career opportunities and the means to achieve those opportunities in each of the Marketing Career Pathways.

MK 5.2: Develop personal traits to foster career advancement in marketing.

MK 5.6: Employ entrepreneurial discovery strategies in marketing.

6. Select, monitor and manage sales and distribution channels.

MK 6.1: Acquire foundational knowledge of channel management to understand its role in marketing.

MK 6.2: Manage channel activities to minimize costs and to determine distribution strategies.

8. Obtain, develop, maintain and improve a product or service mix in response to market opportunities.

MK 8.2: Generate product ideas to contribute to ongoing business success.

9. Communicate information about products, services, images and/or ideas to achieve a desired outcome.

MK 9.2: Describe promotional channels used to communicate with targeted audiences.

10. Use marketing strategies and processes to determine and meet client needs and wants.

MK 10.1: Acquire a foundational knowledge of selling to understand its nature and scope.

MK 10.2: Acquire product knowledge to communicate product benefits to ensure appropriateness of product for the customer.

MK 10.3: Explain sales processes and techniques to enhance customer relationships and to increase the likelihood of making sales.

MK 10.5: Acquire foundational knowledge of customer/client/business behavior to understand what motivates decision-making.

NATIONAL STANDARDS FOR BUSINESS EDUCATION

Communication

I. Foundations of Communication – Communicate in a clear, complete, concise, correct, and courteous manner on personal and professional levels.

II. Societal Communication – apply basic social communication skills in personal and professional situations.

III. Workplace Communication - Incorporate appropriate leadership and supervision techniques, customer service strategies, and personal ethics standards to communicate effectively with various business constituencies.

IV. Technological Communication - Use technology to enhance the effectiveness of communication.

Computation

I. Mathematical Foundations - Apply basic mathematical operations to solve problems.

II. Number Relationships and Operations - Solve problems involving whole numbers, decimals, fractions, percents, ratios, averages, and proportions.

IV. Measurements - Use common international standards of measurement when solving problems.

VI. Problem-Solving Applications - Use mathematical procedures to analyze and solve business problems.

Personal Finance

I. Personal Decision Making - Use a rational decision-making process as it applies to the roles of citizens, workers, and consumers.

V. Buying Goods and Services - Apply a decision-making model to maximize consumer satisfaction when buying goods and services.

Entrepreneurship

II. Marketing - Analyze customer groups and develop a plan to identify, reach, and keep customers in a specific target market.

III. Economics - Apply economic concepts when making decisions for an entrepreneurial venture.

Information Technology

IV. Input Technologies – Use various input technologies to enter and manipulate information appropriately.

VI. Interactive Media - Use multimedia software to create media rich projects.

VIII. Information Retrieval and Synthesis – Gather, evaluate, use, cite, and disseminate information from technology sources.

Marketing

I. Foundations of Marketing - Recognize the customer-oriented nature of marketing and analyze the impact of marketing activities on the individual, business, and society.

II. Consumers and Their Behavior - Analyze the characteristics, motivations, and behaviors of consumers.

IV. The Marketing Mix - Analyze the elements of the marketing mix, their interrelationships, and how they are used in the marketing process.

V. Marketing Research - Analyze the role of marketing research in decision making.