Sales

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University contact person:  Dr. Kevin Bernhardt

Information from related Sales events:

Contest Purpose:  To provide a competitive event for high school agriculture students, empahsizing sales skills in the agribusiness industry.

Objectives:

  1. To provide high school agriculture students with  agribusiness interests a practical experience that will enhance their ability to sell a product to an agribusiness customer.
  2. To develop students' skills in organization and communication.
  3. To develop student's skills in developing a product summary sheet.
  4. To develop student's skills in making a sale.

Event format:

The UW-Platteville Chapter of NAMA will conduct a Sales Contest. It will be held on campus. Contestants will need to prepare some materials before coming to the contest

Contestants are to make a seven minute sale presentation to a customer. As a part of the seven minute sales presentation, the contestant should make the sale and take an order.

General Rules:

  1. A team will consist of three or four members. If four members are on the team, the top three scores will constitute the team score.
  2. The members are REQUIRED to wear official FFA dress.
  3. The use of note cards is permitted.
  4. A timekeeper will provide a warning at the five and a half minute mark.
  5. No overtime penalty will be assessed. However, if the individual uses the maximum time allowed, he/she will be stopped.

Contest Procedures.
Note: Steps 1, 2, and 3 are to be completed prior to coming to the contest.

  1. Prior to coming to the contest, each contestant is to select one of four customers listed below.
  2. Contestants from a school may select their own product or they may all present the same product. Ideal products for this contest are small ticket items (under $500) that a customer could logically decide to buy within a seven minute presentation.
  3. The contestant is then to select a product or service that will meet the customers needs, research that product or service and prepare a Product Summary Sheet (see other side of this sheet for example).  
  4. The contestant will begin the presentation by presenting a copy of the Product Summary Sheet to the judge.
  5. The judge will play the role of the consumer and the contestant will attempt to sell the judge the product or service.
  6. The contestant will conclude the presentation by "making the sale" and taking an order.
  7. Up to 3 minutes of questions will follow the sales presentation.

Click here for an example of a Product Summary Sheet

Customers for Sales Contest

Select one of the following examples or use the last option to develop your own case for the sales contest.

Customer A: Mary Nelson, age--35, occupation--Math teacher at the high school in Darlington. Problem: Ms. Nelson has some problems with her tomato plants in her garden. The lower leaves turn yellow, wither and fall off. Her plants end up with few, if any, leaves. As a result the crop is poor.

Customer B: Sharon Peterson, age--29, occupation--Farmer in Green County WI. Problem: Ms. Peterson's Brown Swiss herd does not produce as much milk as she expects. Her DHIA record indicate that her production is relatively low. Her income from the herd is also not what she would like it to be. As a young farmer, she is seeking your assistance to help increase her milk profits.

Customer C: Alice Adams, age--27, occupation--manages a New Horizons store, residence--the New Horizons store is located in Viroqua, WI. Problem: Some of Alice's producer customers are concerned that they are wasting fertilizers and chemicals. Their method of application places a uniform amount everywhere. However, some field locations require higher amounts while others require lower. They wonder if Alice can sell them a service to solve this problem.

Customer D: Fred Emmons, age 52, occupation--farmer, residence--farms in Sauk County, WI, near Reedsburg. Problem: Fred continually has a weed problem in his corn crop. Velvet leaf and green foxtail seem to be the main culprits.

Optional: You may identify your own customer and problem. If you select this option, you must identify the customer by name, age, occupation, and residence. You must also identify his/her problem. This written description is to be given to the judges when you register.