Sales Call strategy Report

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Sales Project Written Report AEB3341 Sean Wilson

Shadow Date: February 13th, 2015

Due: March 22nd, 2015

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Table of Contents Summary of Kaplan Shadowing…………………………………………………………………… 3

Kaplan, Inc. Background……………………………………………………………………………… 10

Business and Customer Profile……………………………………………………………………. 12

Sales Call Strategy Worksheet……………………………………………………………………... 15

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Summary of Shadow Experience Sales Professional

On February 13th, 2015, I visited the Kaplan, Inc. office at the University of Florida in

Gainesville to shadow Cassandra Collins, the head course sales manager of Kaplan,

Inc. for the University of Florida campus. Kaplan is a nation-wide company that sells

academic courses to college students in order to prepare them for a variety of

graduate tests, including the LSAT and MCAT. Kaplan is a corporation present at a

majority of college campuses in America, and the Gainesville region is historically

one of the most profitable in the nation. A friend of mine used to work for Kaplan as

a campus representative and suggested that I choose the company for my sales

project. I contacted Cassandra and she was more than happy to allow me to come in

to the office and see what a typical day on the job is all about. She has worked for

Kaplan for 3 years, ever since she graduated from the University of Florida. As a

sales manager, her job is to find ways to grow sales volume each semester, manage

Kaplan’s student sales force, ensure the company is maintaining its dominance in

Gainesville, and properly communicate with prospective students in need of

Kaplan’s services. Her role as sales manager involves the responsibility to resolve

any customer complaints, answer all questions customers have about the courses,

and communicate the different course options to each student in order to help them

pick the option that is most financially suitable for them individually.

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Things I Learned from the Sales Professional

While I was shadowing Cassandra, I learned how her position as a sales manager

differs from the tasks of a general sales representative for Kaplan. Before my

shadow experience, I had never had the opportunity to physically see the difference

between these two positions. Cassandra oversees all employees in the region,

chooses whom to hire, properly train, and teach the ins and outs of the business to.

As a manager, she is responsible to oversee all sales performance for the company,

answer any customer questions that the sales representatives may not be able to

properly address, and discuss payment plans with students who are struggling

financially in order to ensure complete customer satisfaction. A Kaplan sales

representative, on the contrary, focuses on individual goals for sales production,

which are set by Cassandra. As a sales manager, she is in charge of leading all sales

representatives in the region, accepts full responsibility for any issues or complaints

that customers may have, and addresses them in the appropriate manner.

Additionally, I learned about the ideal qualities that are vital for succeeding as a

sales manager. Cassandra explained to me that it is extremely important for a sales

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manager to be able to effectively motivate the sales representatives and lead by

example in order to successfully accomplish sales goals for the company and

address any issues encountered by the sales representatives. Part of the motivation

comes with the way employees are paid. While Cassandra earns a salary as well as

bonuses for the performance of her sales representatives, a sales representative

earns an hourly wage plus commissions for each sale made. Sales representatives

are motivated to learn all the effective strategies for selling in order to take

advantage of the commissions they can earn from a successful sale. As a sales

manager, you have to be an effective leader, be able to answer any and all questions

about each course offered by the company, and know all information about each

class, graduate examination, course instructor, and the overall test-prep market.

The final thing I took away from my shadow experience is the importance of

effective communication. Cassandra explained to me that each customer is different

from each other and different communication styles are necessary in order to satisfy

each customer. For example, Cassandra explained to me the importance of being

able to quickly analyze each customer through their vocal intonations, the urgency

of their need for a test-prep course, and the personality type of the customer. Some

customers seem happy and thrilled to be able to use Kaplan’s services and

demonstrate an overall positive association with the courses provided, while others

come off as worried, usually because of the cost of the courses. She mentioned that

teaching her sales representatives the different personality types of clients is often a

difficult task, especially if the customer is mainly communicated with over the

phone, without the ability to scan him or her in person to determine their needs and

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urgency for Kaplan’s services. It is vital for Kaplan’s success for each representative

to effectively communicate with clients and not waste any time that could be used

for making other sales or addressing other potential customers.

Things the Sales Professional Did Well

Cassandra seemed to do a very good job of using her time in an efficient manner.

Efficient use of time is important because it maximizes the amount of customers you

can address, while cutting out any unnecessary downtime. Efficient time

management requires organizational skills and preparation ahead of time, which

Cassandra seems to excel at. Cassandra also came across as an outstanding leader.

She makes the sales representative job fun for her employees by rewarding

individual success with pizza parties in the office, gift cards to local restaurants, and

fun activities that teach representatives key skills for sales success. She makes sure

that each salesperson knows what is expected of them on a bi-monthly basis and

explained to me how she meets with each sales representative individually to

discuss what they have been doing effectively and how they might be able to

improve in any weak areas. The third thing I noticed that Cassandra did well was

communication with customers. As mentioned previously, she immediately

expressed the importance of communication for her job. She tailored

communication to each individual based on his or her urgency or vocal intonations

and made sure to express concern for each student that Kaplan did business with.

Cassandra strengthened customer relationships by making calls to check on each

students’ experience in Kaplan courses, and made sure to thank all customers for

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their time and business, making sure they were satisfied with their test-prep course

and the overall Kaplan experience.

Things the Sales Professional Could Improve On

Cassandra appeared to excel at all areas of her job, and it was hard for me to

determine any areas that she could improve on. One possibility for improvement

may be her assumption that students already know that Kaplan is statistically the

most effective test-prep company in the region. As employees of Kaplan, the sales

representatives are all aware of this; however, many students also speak with

competitors in the area that may claim that they are more effective than they

actually are. I think it is important for Cassandra to relay this information to her

sales representatives so they bring this up in every future interaction with potential

customers. For example, Kaplan course instructors are required to have not only

taken the graduate test they teach, but also score in the 95th percentile nationwide

in order to ensure they know the exam better than anyone else in the industry. If

this is communicated to potential customers, they may be more likely to purchase a

course faster than if the sales representatives automatically assume they know this

fact. Another potential weakness that I noticed was that Cassandra often assumes

that customers will be paying for the course themselves. While this is often the case,

it is important to gauge whether or not a students’ parents may help them pay for a

course, or pay for the course for them altogether. In many instances, Cassandra

could have asked customers about their financial plan and how they planned to pay.

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One concern; however, may be that this is digging too deep into a students’ personal

life, so it is important to address this topically in the appropriate manner.

How AEB3341 Applies to my Shadowing Experience

AEB3341 taught me the importance of communicating with customers effectively

throughout their interaction with the company. My shadowing experience with

Kaplan stressed this importance immensely. The company-client relationship is

perhaps the most important part of Kaplan and certainly leads to the success of the

company. Building quality relationships with your customers promotes positive

word-of-mouth advertising and makes customers happy with their experience with

the company. I was pleased to see that this is extremely applicable in a real-life

situation, and learning about this in class eased my understanding of this

importance as expressed by Cassandra.

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Thank You Letter

Sean Wilson 2140 NW 7th Place

Gainesville, FL 32603 [email protected]

(770) 331-8404

February 14, 2015 Cassandra Collins Course Sales Manager Kaplan, Inc. 686 Museum Road Gainesville, FL 32611 Dear Ms. Collins, Thank you for taking the time to allow me to shadow you in the office this week. The knowledge that you shared with me was beneficial in helping me with my project and helped me understand all the aspects that go into a successful interaction with a customer. I enjoyed learning about the Kaplan, Inc. and the role you have as the head course sales manager for the company. The firsthand experience certainly taught me how to be successful in the future and I cannot thank you enough. I hope you continue your success with Kaplan, Inc. and hope to see you again soon! Sincerely,

Sean Wilson Sean Wilson

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Company Background

General Company Information

Kaplan, Inc. originated in 1938 in New York as a tutoring service to help immigrant

students succeed academically. By 1984, Kaplan had over 100 tutoring centers in

the United States, and was acquired by The Washington Post Company. Kaplan, Inc.

offers students top-of-the-line courses, books, and test-prep materials in order to

ease studying for a variety of graduate examinations, including, but not limited to,

the LSAT, MCAT, DAT, GMAT, GRE, and OAT. Kaplan believes that customer

satisfaction is ultimately the most important aspect of business, and offers a full-

refund to any students who do not improve their respective abilities to take their

examination. Although Kaplan profits from proctoring their students, they truly care

about the success of their customers and help each individual find a course that is

best for them, regardless of price.

Product Information

Although Kaplan, Inc. sells test-preparation books and material through bookstores

across the nation, their most important products are their courses. Kaplan offers

courses to help students study for a variety of examinations, including the LSAT,

MCAT, DAT, GMAT, GRE, and OAT. Each course is available through 3 different

options that vary in price. A student is able to enroll in a course that is completely

online with pre-recorded prep videos to watch at their own pace, an online option

with live Skype interaction with instructors at specific dates in times each week, or

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the most popular option, an in-person course offered at the Kaplan center twice per

week, which also comes with online access to practice materials and instructional

videos to watch at their own pace.

Geographic Sales Territory

Kaplan, Inc. is present at most college campuses across the nation. The Kaplan

center where I shadowed had a specific sales territory of Alachua County for

University of Florida or Santa Fe College students. Students that take courses over

summer may choose to purchase a completely online course that can be completed

anywhere with an internet connection, however all students attend school at the

university.

Competition and Market Share

The primary competition for Kaplan, Inc. is The Princeton Review, Inc., a company

that offers similar courses for graduate examinations. Other competition comes

from a number of individual tutors in the area that are not affiliated with a parent

company. Kaplan has been around for over 75 years and is recognized by most

students on campus. The company has a long history of serving the collegiate

students in the Gainesville area, and has a local market share of approximately 40%.

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Business/Customer Profile

Business Contact

Seth Greenman University of Florida Student 1717 NW 5th Ave Gainesville, FL 32603 352-243-9923 Situation

Seth Greenman is currently in his junior year at The University of Florida. Seth is

studying psychology and plans to take the MCAT examination in order to apply for

medical school. Seth hopes to study for the MCAT exam using a course taught by an

expert in all areas of the exam. He hopes to attend Duke University for medical

school and knows that the average score for an accepted individual is a 32. Knowing

this, Seth is searching for his best option that will allow him to prepare for the MCAT

and earn a score of 32 or above. Seth has been in contact with Kaplan, Inc., The

Princeton Review, and a local MCAT tutor he found on Craigslist and needs to

choose which company he wishes to use for test preparation.

Qualification Status

Need: Seth Greenman needs to properly prepare for the MCAT examination and

score at least a 32.

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Authority: Seth Greenman is a student at the University of Florida and has decided

to prepare for the MCAT examination using a test preparation company. He has the

support from his parents, who are willing to pay for 50% of the course he decides to

enroll in.

Means: Seth Greenman has used Kaplan in the past in order to study for the SAT in

high school and was satisfied with the tutoring he paid for. Seth’s parents paid for

his course in the past and are aware that Kaplan has a high success rating. Seth

made it clear to Kaplan that they are currently his number 1 choice for MCAT

tutoring, but has yet to finalize his plan to follow through and use Kaplan for MCAT

tutoring, despite his past success with the company.

Eligibility: Seth Greenman is eligible to purchase an MCAT course with Kaplan and

is being supported financially by his parents for half of the cost. Seth is employed

and has enough money to purchase a course with Kaplan.

Key Contact Information

My prospect is Mr. Seth Greenman, a white, 20-year-old, five foot ten inch male with

shaggy brown hair. He currently attends the University of Florida for his

undergraduate degree in Psychology and is on the Pre-Med track. He is employed at

a local restaurant and has set aside over $1,000 for an MCAT preparation course in

order to increase his chance to score high enough on the exam to be accepted to

Duke University. Seth has plenty of hobbies, including playing guitar, fishing, and

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kayaking in various lakes around Alachua County. Mr. Greenman is a dedicated

student academically with a 3.85 GPA and is well organized. Before he makes a

buying decision, he likes to compare all potential services/products in order to pick

the option that will be most beneficial for himself and his future. He thoroughly

researches all options and weighs opportunity costs of each. He likes being efficient

and well informed, making his main hot buttons anyone who is not transparent

with him and inefficient with his time. As a college student, Seth is usually very busy

with academic coursework, so he does not like it when his time is wasted. Seth’s

communication style is analyzer/thinker. He likes to have all information laid out

for him so that he can weigh different options and ultimately make the decision that

is best for him. Seth enjoyed the transparency of Kaplan in the past, and hopes to

have the same experience when communicating with them about the MCAT courses

they offer. My communication style is “director”. I love getting the job done

efficiently and have strong opinions on what is effective and what is not. I take my

job seriously and handle all situations professionally in order to promote customer

satisfaction.

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Sales Call Strategy Worksheet

Opening

Greeting and Rapport

I will greet Seth Greenman with a firm handshake and demonstrate my knowledge

of his needs as soon as applicable. In order to gain rapport and credibility, I will

engage in discussion with Seth about my recent fishing trip in Ocala. His love for

outdoor activities should create a genuine connection from the start.

Company Credibility

I will establish the credibility of Kaplan, Inc. by informing Seth that our company is

an industry veteran of over 75 years. I will mention that Kaplan, Inc. only hires

course instructors that personally scored in the 95th percentile of the course they

instruct, and show him past success stories from prior University of Florida students

that have used Kaplan to increase their MCAT scores. I will show him several thank

you letters from satisfied customers from the university in the past in order to

further gain credibility.

Personal Credibility

In order to establish my credibility, I will explain my role with Kaplan, Inc. and

inform him of my past education, as well as my rigorous training with the company,

and my past promotions. I will make sure to explain to Seth that I value each

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customer individually and that it is my top priority to satisfy customer needs by

going above and beyond what Is expected of me.

Customer’s Needs

In order to decipher the needs of Seth Greenman, I will start off by asking a series of

questions about his expectations for a MCAT preparation course. An example of

such a question is as follows, “What is the main factor you are looking for in an

MCAT course?” or “What do you believe is the most important characteristic of an

MCAT instructor?” These questions will solidify that the need for Kaplan’s service is

truly there. I will listen unconditionally to everything Seth says in order to ensure

that I understand where he is currently and explain how Kaplan’s courses can be of

benefit to him. I will bring up his past experience with Kaplan from his SAT

preparation course he used n high school, and point out that it certainly helped him

since he was admitted into the prestigious University of Florida. I will ask a question

such as “Do you believe that one of the MCAT course options we offer will be of

benefit to your MCAT preparation, similar to how our SAT course helped you a few

years ago?”. By asking this question, Seth should be reminded of his past positive

experience with Kaplan and the sales process will be able to move forward.

Transition

After establishing Seth’s needs, I will ask him if I may proceed to make my

presentation and explain how it will prove to him that Kaplan is the right choice for

him.

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Presentation

Selling Point 1

The first selling point that I will discuss with Seth is the variety of options available

for MCAT preparation. He will be able to chose the option that is best for him and

not have to change his schedule around to complete the course if he doesn’t want to

because of online options.

Feature: Seth will be able to choose from 3 different options of MCAT courses

offered; these include an online option with pre-recorded videos, an online Skype

course with one-on-one interaction with the instructor, or an in-class course option.

Benefit: Being able to choose which option you want is a key benefit for Seth

because of his busy academic schedule. If he is consistently busy and cannot make

the time to attend a class at a specific time and day of the week, he can select the

online option, where he can complete the course at his own pace whenever he has

the time.

Proof : I will prove the convenience of being able to choose your option by showing

Seth a walk-through of the online options and past student success when choosing

to prepare online instead of in a classroom setting. Both options guarantee a higher

MCAT score than not using a class whatsoever.

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Conviction: I plan to gain conviction from Seth by asking him his opinion on his

previous interaction with Kaplan during his SAT prep and having him agree that it

was a major help in raising his test score. Once he agrees, I will ask him if he truly

believes that we offer more variety of test preparation services than our main

competitors on the region. I will map out our competitors’ options if needed,

knowing that Kaplan offers more variety than our competitors.

Trial Close 1

Once I have gained conviction from Seth, I will make an effort to close the sale by

asking him if he would be interested in selecting which course option for the MCAT

would be best for him. Seth will likely reply that he needs to be walked through the

differences in price between Kaplan course options, and that of our competitor in

the area, The Princeton Review.

Selling Point 2

The second selling point that I will discuss with Seth is that the Kaplan course

instructors are guaranteed to have scored in the 95th percentile or above in the

respective exam they are preparing students for. This is higher than our main

competitor and ensures that you will have the best person available to help you.

Feature: The brilliance of our MCAT instructors allows them to be well rounded and

extremely knowledgeable in all areas of the exam.

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Benefit: Seth will be able to spend his entire preparation course with the same

instructor who is proven to now what he is teaching. This instructor will learn his

personal strengths and weaknesses and help him sharpen the areas where he needs

to improve the most. Our main competitor, The Princeton Review, uses different

instructors for each topic, making the course less personalized and more

generalized.

Proof: I can prove this by showing Seth testimonials from former customers that

used Kaplan for MCAT preparation. I can show that customers are always satisfied

with the personalized feel of the courses due to the ability to grow and develop with

one instructor.

Value Analysis: This chart compares prices for some of the MCAT courses offered

by Kaplan to the prices of its main competitor, The Princeton Review. There are 3

different course options offered by Kaplan and 2 by The Princeton Review. Prices

are listed accordingly. Although Kaplan does not offer the lowest price, I will make

sure Seth understands the importance of the personalized feel of all Kaplan MCAT

courses.

Kaplan, Inc.

The Princeton Review

Online Recorded Videos

$1200 $1000

Online Skype Option

$1400 Not Offered

In Class Course $1800 $1400

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Conviction: Seth will recognize that Kaplan’s options, although higher priced, are a

premier alternative to The Princeton Review’s cheaper options due to the benefit of

having a personalized relationship with a single instructor that our competitor does

not offer. I will ask if he agrees that the higher price is worth the money due to the

excellent feedback from previous customers.

Trial Close 2

I will begin my second trial close by asking Seth if the value analysis I have provided

successfully eradicated any concerns he may have had in regards to the higher price

of Kaplan’s MCAT courses. Seth will take some time to think about all the material I

have provided him with and raise to concerns/objections.

Handling Objections

Handling Objection 1 (Agree & Neutralize)

Seth appears concerned that a course he selects from Kaplan may not increase his

MCAT score at all. He feels that the high price of the course may not be worth it if he

ends up not improving, or only improving by a small margin. This is one of the

major reasons he has been hesitant to select a course option up to this point, and he

may imply buy preparation books and study on his own. I will make sure to listen

carefully to his concern in order to fully understand it, and then restate it to him in

order to make sure I have properly understood his point. I will handle the objection

by agreeing that it is possible to enroll in a course but not improve. After agreeing,

I will neutralize the concern by telling him of Kaplan’s customer satisfaction policy.

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Kaplan wants to ensure each customer is satisfied with their course and that our

product genuinely helps each student improve their test taking abilities. I will

explain to Seth that, in the unlikely event he does not improve his score, Kaplan will

completely refund his purchase and offer him an additional course free of charge. I

will then verify that I have addressed his concern and make sure he is completely

satisfied with the information I have provided him.

Handling Objection 2 (Boomerang)

In addition to Seth’s initial objection, he expresses another concern he has is that

our price is higher than the price of the courses offered by The Princeton Review. I

listen intently to what he is concerned about and then restate his objection to make

sure I have properly understood. I will then handle this objection by taking his

concern and turning it into a benefit. I will explain to Seth that our prices are higher

because of the brilliance of our instructors and their unparalleled ability to help

grow each student individually. Kaplan, Inc. hires only the best employees, making

their cost higher than most companies. Seth should want to spend more money in

order to increase the chances that he will surpass his goal of scoring a 32 on the

MCAT. After I have verified that Seth is in agreement that the higher price is worth

the courses Kaplan offers, I will begin to close the sale.

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Closing the Sale

Questions

I will begin my close by asking Seth if I have answered every question he can think

of regarding the different course options Kaplan offers for the MCAT and the

benefits of choosing Kaplan over our competitors.

Review the Need/Problem

I will then explain the benefit of using Kaplan courses over the cheaper method of

studying alone, ensuring him that it guarantees a student’s MCAT score to increase,

which will allow him to increase his chances of being accepted into Duke

University’s medical school.

Summarize Solution

Choosing to enroll in an MCAT course provided by Kaplan will increase your MCAT

score and allow you to further your academic endeavors at a top-tier university.

Summarize Key Benefits

Enrolling in a Kaplan MCAT course will give you access to over 10,000 MCAT

practice questions, the most offered by any company in the industry. Kaplan’s tutors

are the smartest in the industry and will develop a personalized method that will

lead you to success in your future academic endeavors.

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Ask for the Order

After completing the previous closing strategies, I will ask Seth if he is ready to

choose a Kaplan MCAT course that is most suited for him. When he agrees, I will

help him fill out all the necessary paperwork and walk through payment plans with

him. Then, I will confirm the date Seth wishes to begin his course, and provide him

with all the necessary information regarding his course of choice.

SMACT (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Challenging, Timely)

My sales call objective was to convince Seth to enroll in a Kaplan MCAT preparation

course, which offers him the greatest opportunity to raise his test score and get

accepted to the university of his choice. This objective is specific because I have

stated the benefits it will provide him and personalized his concerns and addressed

them appropriately. It is measurable because he can gauge his performance along

the way with the practice MCAT exams offered with the course and track his

increasing success throughout the progress of the course. After completing the

MCAT exam, Seth will be able to see the score he has obtained and then apply to the

medical school of his choice. The goal is attainable because of Seth’s previous

experience using Kaplan during his preparation for the SAT a few years ago. He saw

the benefit of his past experience, and will be convinced that his MCAT experience

will be similar, if not better. Because of his previous experience with Kaplan, he is

more likely to enroll in a Kaplan course than a Princeton Review course. This is

challenging because I will have to show Seth that all the benefits of the Kaplan

course are worth the large cost of the course, when he originally was considering

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the much cheaper alternative of studying on his own. Finally, the sales call is timely

because I will finalize the sale at the conclusion of the sales presentation.

Ensuring Customer Satisfaction

At the conclusion of the sale, I will do everything possible to ensure that Seth does

not regret making the purchase. I will thank him for his business in person, remind

him he has made a great choice that will affect his academic future, and call him

after he has started his preparation course in order to make sure he is satisfied early

on. This encourages that he will think positively about Kaplan, Inc. and will likely

give positive feedback to his peers at the University of Florida.