Question

John Andrews arrived promptly for his 10 am meeting with Martha Gillespie, the buyer for Beta Sigma Manufacturing. At 10:15, when she hadn't arrived, John asked her secretary if she was out of the office for the morning. The secretary smiled and said, "She'll probably be a few minutes late."

John resented this delay and was convinced that Martha had forgotten the appointment.

Finally, at 10:20, Martha entered her office, walked over to John, said hello, and promptly excused herself to talk to the secretary about a tennis game scheduled for that afternoon. Ten minutes later, Martha led John into her office. At the same time, a competing salesperson entered the office for a 10:30 appointment. With the door open, Martha asked John, "What's new today?"

As John began to talk, Martha began reading letters on her desk and signing them. Shortly after that, the telephone began to ring, whereupon Martha talked to her husband for 10 minutes.

As she hung up, Martha looked at John and suddenly realized his frustration. She promptly buzzed her secretary and said, "Hold all calls." She got up and shut the door. John again began his presentation when Martha leaned backward in her chair, pulled her golf shoes out of a desk drawer, and began to brush them.

About that time, the secretary entered the office and said, "Martha, your 10:30 appointment is about to leave.

What should I tell him" "Tell him to wait; I need to see him."

Then she said, "John, I wish we had more time. Look, I think I have enough of your product to last until your next visit. I'll see you then. Thanks for coming by."

John quickly rose to his feet, did not shake hands, said "OK," and left.

Solution of this question?please answer it in brief description as it is of 10 marks

As a salesperson, how should you have ended the business call / visit? (10 points)

Answer 1

Being a salesperson, one has to be poised and composed all the time in order to garner interest and understanding from the buyer. Especially post interaction, the sales person should be supportive and should help enhance the relationship as much as possible.

Thus I should have ended the business call / visit in a cordial way and shook the hands, as she was meeting the salesperson from the competing firm next, that would be the deciding factor as she made him wait as well for the appointment.

Now based on which sales person behaves cordially, that would be the selling point in this case and is of great importance as it shows how one will be able to handle difficult situations and work with the company during trying times of recession or slowdown in business.

Being a salesperson, no matter how small or big a client, I should have ended the business visit in a cordial way and been enthusiastic that next time one will take more time from the buyer and showcase more of its product range in order to garner interest. This will keep the relationship between the two firms intact and reduces the chances of it being jeopardized because of the conduct of the salesperson.