MARK 2150 SALES MANUAL

It has been said that successful selling is 90% preparation and 10% presentation.
Planned presentations tailored to the needs of the client enjoy a much higher success
rate than unprepared and/or canned presentations. As a salesperson you are required
to know detailed information about the company you work for, the product you are
selling, the competition and, of course, your customers. This information can come to
you in part via a sales manual provided by your employer. The balance you acquire
from training and on-the-job experience. Often though, nothing is available and the
onus is on you, the salesperson, first to find the information and then to prepare your
own manual. Even if a company prepared manual is available to you, in order to be
successful, you must add your own information about clients and techniques that work
for you.

Part of this course is an exercise whereby you will prepare your own sales manual.
Although not mandatory, it is preferable to have your sales manual written around a
product or service that you feature in one of your classroom presentations. Regardless,
the manual must be prepared for a professional sales situation (i.e. B2B). The
process of collating all the information will be beneficial to you - first as a means of re-
enforcing the sales process and second as a review mechanism. Work on your sales
manual should begin early and should become part of your weekly work assignment.
You are required to notify your instructor in writing of your choice of
product/service for the manual in the session after the mid-term examination.

The form your manual takes is somewhat flexible; however, it should include the
following areas at a minimum:

1. Company: history, financials, organization

2. Product: history, description, applications, features, benefits, price

3. Target Market: brief profile of typical customers

4. Competition: directly competitive companies and brand names, with their

strengths and weaknesses, indirect alternatives to your product.

5. Prospecting: qualifying and pre-approach information

6. Need Discovery Questions: questions that work for you

7. Dominant Buying Motives: typical buying motives

8. Demonstration Details: what to demonstrate, what to say and do (FBR)

6. Objections: major ones raised, and ways to handle them

7. Closing: clues and successful closing techniques

8. Servicing: what actions/plans are necessary to service and maintain accounts over
the long term
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The manual should be professional in a format and of a size useful to you when making
sales calls away from the office e.g. when you are traveling. The information in it should
be succinct and pragmatic. It should be carefully edited and proofread and should be in
a pleasing presentation format (i.e. an appropriate binder or portfolio with Table of
Contents and tabs). The manual should be prepared on a computer. If this is a
problem, see your instructor early on in the course. You will be provided with some
worksheets during the course - these will be helpful in preparing the manual, but the
worksheets should not be considered sufficient – you will need to do more. Only going
the accurate, relevant extra mile will lead to a top grade.

SUGGESTED TECHNIQUES FOR GATHERING INFORMATION

- Personal interviews with salespeople and/or sales executives

- Researching trade journals and professional articles
- Reading catalogue references, etc., in the library (college and public)
- Personal calls, letters, etc., to suppliers and distributors
- Personal observation of sales people at work, trade shows, exhibitions, etc.
- “Imagineering” – create what you do not know, but make it realistic

As previously mentioned, it is important that work on the manual begin early on in the
semester. Not every choice works out and you need to know early on if things have to
be changed. There will be a workshop built around the topic of manuals part way
through the course. You are required to bring to the session the work you have ready at
that time for review and comment.

COMPLETED MANUALS ARE DUE ON THE LAST DAY OF CLASS.

Please, if you have any questions on the manual, be sure to ask early on in the course -
do not leave it to the last week!

Evaluation and Marking Criteria:

Evidence of research and completeness 60%

Creativity and Professionalism 30%
English Usage 10%
Total 100%