AMA Sales-Teaching SIG Presentation

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AMA Sales-Teaching SIG Presentation

• Robert M. Peterson, Ph.D.
• Sales Foundation Professor
• Northern Illinois University

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Robert M. Petersons Teaching Philosophy

• Learning is engaging, stimulating, enabling and
  most effective when its experiential,
  inquisitive and adventuresome.
• Learning begins the first day of class-- then
  lasts a lifetime.
• Learning that is personally meaningful is
  remembered, invoked, and used to improve oneself,
  family, community and organizations.
• Learning should transcend a specific domain so to
  valuable and pragmatic in a multitude of life's
  circumstances.
• Learning is not unidirectional return the
  investment offered you.

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Presentation Overview

• Tale of the Twentie
• Contributeor Die Trying
• Speed Dating

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Tale of the TwentieEntrepreneurship principles
via low risk mirco-enterprises

• What Would You Do For 20? Qualitative and
  Quantitative Outcomes, (2004) Journal of
  Entrepreneurship Education, v7 57-65
• Running a Micro Business in Marketing Class
  Experiential Learning Right Out of the Gate,
  (2006) Marketing Education Review, v16 105-109.
  

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Quotable Quotes

• Giving students a reasonable sense of control
  over their experiences increases their motivation
  to engage in learning tasks (VanVoorhis 1995).
• Learning that takes place outside the classroom
  is the most significant educational experience
  for roughly 40 of students (Moffatt 1989).

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The Challenge

• Anything considered illegal, immoral, or even
  remotely questionable is not a true opportunity.
• You must repay the original 20 seed money given
  to you.
• No excuses, no extensions, no sad stories.
• Dont use the as bail money.

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Evaluation

• You will be evaluated on your ability to
• 1) create and execute a viable idea,
• 2) the amount of money you earn, and
• 3) your documentation of your business
  achievements.

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Results

• 244 students undertook this activity over three
  years
• Total Sales 28,983
• Total Gross Margin 15,081 (52)
• Donation to Orphanage 4,000
• ROI 400 (in 8-10 weeks)

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Results (contd)

• 100 repayment of the original investment (20)
• Money embezzled - 0
• Percentage of final grade for this project20
• Administration became involved!!!

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Qualitative Themes

• 2 reviewers analyzed response content
• Inter-rater reliability coefficient of .89
• Indicates a high level of agreement (above
  Kassarjian's 85 percent rule of thumb for
  reliable content analysis)
• Raters identified five main themes
• Real World Experience- learning by doing was
  phenomenally influential.

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• Entrepreneurship is Challenging- creating,
  running, and maintaining a business is demanding,
  time intensive, and requires various skills
• Motivating Assignment- a stimulating exercise
  that roused students to new levels of enthusiasm
  and a desire to try their best.
• Knowledge Acquired- the process of devising,
  sourcing, pricing, promoting and satisfying
  customers cemented in the students minds the
  insight needed to launch new enterprises.
• Comfort Zone- for some it was empowering, for
  others it allowed them to understand that being
  an entrepreneur is not appealing to them.

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Learning Outcomes

• This was by far the coolest thing that I have
  ever done from an educational standpoint.
• This hands on project has been one of the most
  influential in my college career.
• I will never forget the impression that this has
  left on me about starting my own company.
• I wish more of my teachers supplied me with
  hands on projects that enabled me to learn
  outside of the classroom.
• My target market was elderly people, over the
  age of 50.

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Course Participation An Active Learning Approach
Employing Student Documentation (Contribute or
Die Trying)

• Journal of Marketing Education, (2001)
• v23 (3) 187-194.

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What is participation?

• Perhaps 5-25 of a students grade
• Did this person speak up in class?
• Participation includes speaking, reading,
  thinking, role-taking, risk, engaging oneself and
  others, and occurs inside and outside the
  classroom.

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The Purpose

• 1) Explore the active learning framework that
  best supports dynamic participation.
• 2) Method for students documenting their level of
  participation

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Active Learning Information

• Active learning is the process of making
  students the center of their learning (Warren
  1997 p. 16)
• Active learning has been linked to higher student
  motivation (Garcia and Pontrich 1996 Stipek
  1998)
• Little is known on how active learning manifests
  itself in college classrooms (Fassinger 1995)

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Active Learning Requires (Warren 1997)

• Active learning requires
• 1) preparing prior to class
• 2) talking in class even if shy
• 3) seriously listening to comments of fellow
  students
• 4) solving problems
• 5) living with ambiguity instead of
  oversimplified answers to complex questions

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Traditional Paradigm

• Teachers in most institutions spend 80 percent
  of their time lecturing to students, who in turn
  are attentive some 50 percent of the time Butler
  (1992, p.3)
• Students are not necessarily learning
  information, but rather learning note-taking
  skills (Lunsford and Herzog 1997).

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The Intent

• Measure student participation, learning that has
  occurred, the ability to apply knowledge, and
  persuasive writing capabilities.
• Student documents his/her own progress during the
  course
• Release the professor from the perception of
  whoever talks is participating

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Syllabus Guidelines

• By objective and subjective measures, your
  participation grade will be computed on the basis
  of your contribution to class discussion. Please
  draft a memo, letter, advertisement, singing
  telegram, etc., detailing how you have earned
  full participation credit, by citing examples and
  other supporting evidence (if written 1000 word
  limit), is assigned. Take participation very
  seriously, and map out your semester strategy in
  order to perform well.

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Student Perceptions

• It forced me to be honest with myself,
• Because I was asked (forced) to reflect on the
  course I am more likely to remember and use the
  tools that were learned.
• Its just another assignment, only if you have
  done your job during the course of the semester.
  
• I felt I was going to get due credit for the
  risks I took in class

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Student Perceptions (contd)

• Participation tends to suffer from recency
  effect, but this broadens the base from which you
  (the professor) make the determination
• I felt I was being listened to
• I think students really know what their value is
  and it is tough to inflate their grade when asked
  to honestly appraise themselves

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Student Perceptions (contd)

• I have a difficult time justifying requirements
  that seem to be either showboating or
  irrelevant to the traditional objective
  associated with participation. In the end I have
  paid for this class and have to live with the
  results of whatever participation approach I have
  chosenI am paying (you) to be impressive.
• I actually thought about this class (the
  materials, myself, and other players) much more
  than I would prefer at times. The professor has
  been exceedingly annoying and made me very aware
  of myself in the process.

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Professors Reply

• You embody what student life is truly all about.
  You think, are eager to attempt new things, do
  not perform tasks mindlessly, challenge those who
  challenge you, reach inside your world to toy
  with different ideas, and find learning an
  activity that so infuriates and stimulates that
  it consumes your waking moments.

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Conclusions

• Unique accounting of participation that places
  the student at the center for chronicling results
• Students have no perceptual map to draw upon.
• Change is seldom embraced in full force
• Outcomes outweigh the difficulties

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The Final Word

• It scares me to think that I am responsible for
  my own learning (Lunsford and Herzog 1997 p.
  81).
• We should be scared that such a belief might
  prevail in our educational system.

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Speed Dating(Selling, Marketing, Interviewing)

• Honing your answers and
• personal elevator pitch

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Personal Sound Bites, Personal Discovery

• Chance favors the prepared mind
• Answers beget preparation
• Verbalizing is harder than brain chatter
• 5 Frogs on a Log

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How it Works

• Flip chart, whiteboard, or PowerPoint - poses a
  question for all the pairs to answer.
• 60 or 90 seconds to answer the question.
• Other person attempts to answer the question in
  60-90 seconds.
• 2 minutes to offer feedback and advice on how to
  improve.
• Call time and give them 15 seconds to find a new
  partner.
• Repeat the sequence as time permits.

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Marketing/Entrepreneurship Questions

• Tell me about your product/service.
• Why would someone purchase your product?
• How will you price your product?
• Whos on your senior management team? Why?
• How much seed money do you need? Why?

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QUESTIONS (contd)

• Why would an investor, employee, vendor,
  strategic partner want to become a stakeholder in
  your start-up?
• Whats your break even point? Timeline to reach
  it? Whats your return potential?
• What is your market strategy?
• Whats your competitive advantage?
• I hear what you are saying, but I am just not
  sure youre ready for this entrepreneurial
  endeavor.

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Personal Selling Questions

• Whats the main reason I should purchase your
  offering?
• Tell me about your product/service.
• What are the best features of your
  product/service? Why?
• Describe your most rewarding customer experience.
  
• What criteria are you using to evaluate which
  firms are on your prospect list?
• How much does your product cost?
• Why should I buy from you versus your
  competition?
• I hear what you are saying, but I am just not
  sure.

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THE UNPROFESSIONAL BONUS ROUND

• Are all salespeople as sexy as you? Defend your
  answer.
• Who is the last person in this class youd want
  to go on a sales call with? Why?
• Who has a reputation in this class with being
  comfortable with bending the truth a bit? Support
  your answer.

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Interviewing Questions

• Tell me about yourself.
• What are your strengths/weaknesses?
• What college subjects did you like the least?
  Why?
• Describe your most rewarding college experience.
• What criteria are you using to evaluate the
  company for which you hope to work?
• How do you determine success?
• Where do you see yourself 5 years from now?
• I have two other people with more experience
  waiting to be interviewed. Why should I hire you?

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Do You Want to Try?

• Who would be the scariest AMA member to bring to
  a faculty meeting?
• Who has more "chili peppers" on Rate My
  Professor.com, you or me? Why?

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Ok, seriously

• Why should we
• promote you
• grant you tenure
• make you an endowed chair?
• For Students its why should I hire you.

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Speed Selling at the RBI National Sales
Challenge
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Robert M. Petersons Teaching Philosophy

• Learning is engaging, stimulating, enabling and
  most effective when its experiential,
  inquisitive and adventuresome.
• Learning begins the first day of class, then
  lasts a lifetime.
• Learning that is personally meaningful is
  remembered, invoked, and used to improve oneself,
  family, community and organizations.
• Learning should transcend a specific domain so to
  valuable and pragmatic in a multitude of life's
  circumstances.
• Learning is not unidirectional return the
  investment offered you.

39
Live Like Youll Die TomorrowLearn Like Youll
Live Forever

• Robert M. Peterson, Ph.D.
• Sales Foundation Professor
• Northern Illinois University