Organic Food Limited - Sales Presentation, Customer Description, Pre-Approach, and Testimonials - Case Study Example

Sales Presentation Contents Sales Presentation Overview 3 Key Business Trends 3 Customer Description and Pre-Approach 3 Problem Statement 4 The product: Organics 5 Customer Testimonials 6 Presentation Sales Aids 6 Handling Objections 8 Price 8 Competition 8 Closing Plan 8 Follow-up Plan 9 Conclusion 10 References 11 Sales Presentation Overview Organic Food Limited is eager to assist its customers and clients realize their aim and vision of becoming a better firm by utilizing every opportunity that crosses their path. The present sales presentation will explore the customer, their current products and underlying problems that are responsible for slacking profits and sales. The features of the products and their corresponding benefits will be discussed next. After discussing the functionality and other benefits of the product offered, sales objections in areas such as price and competition will be handled. A proper closing plan will be established that will ensure that the order is placed successfully. Follow-up plan will ensure that the grocery retailer is satisfied with the product as well as services and becomes a loyal customer. Key Business Trends Small and Medium enterprises (SMEs) are those businesses that contribute to a major portion in any nation’s economy. Their numbers is much higher compared to big and established organizations and thereby the employment opportunities provided by these small business is substantially higher compared to bigger firms. In such a scenario, it is important that these small and medium enterprises utilize every available opportunity in order to grow, develop and enhance their overall contribution to the society (Johlke, 2006; Little, 2012). Customer Description and Pre-Approach The customer is a small grocery chain and the objective of this sales presentation is to sell them a line of frozen organic foods. The name of the retail grocery chain is Big Mart Retailers and is involved in food and grocery retail products. Big Mart Retailers has 15 branches across London and one of the branches addressed at mid-London also serves as the head office. The company is 5 years old and started as a single grocery retailer. At present, the retailer does not have any organic food category lines in its shelf and therefore it has been acknowledged as a viable and potential customer for selling organic foods. Organic foods are becoming popular among American and European nations, especially due to the rising health issues among all population strata. Research and development surveys on the health benefits of organic foods have made it even more popular among health-conscious customers (Darian & Tucci, 2011). These customers have become more informed and are looking for food products that are free of sweeteners, artificial addictives, colorings, hydrogenated fats and preservatives. Therefore, these consumers are shifting towards bigger retailers and food companies offering organic food products, even though the prices are substancially higher compared to regular groceries (Darian & Tucci, 2011). Organic Food Limited has selected Big Mart as the latter has been identified as a prospective client whose business can be enhanced substantially with respect to revenues and profits through the introduction of Organics brand from Organic Food Limited. Problem Statement Big Mart has recently seen a decline in its particular set of customers, especially those of health-conscious customers. This has been due to the increasing health concerns among these consumers and various side-effects of regular consumption of unhealthy foods. As the retailer has a loyal and regular base of customers and the retailer’s inventory is smooth, therefore advertisements and branding will not be a viable option. In order to understand and confirm the underlying problems, a small survey was conducted on 5 of the grocery chains of Big Mart over a period of 10 days. The survey participants included willing customers and grocery staff. The findings from the survey revealed some important aspects. Almost 50 percent of the customers said that they prefer organic foods over normal grocery food items. Out of the above 50 percent, only 35 percent said that they are willing to purchase organic foods on a regular basis, citing price as the biggest factor for not buying on a daily basis. Customers were asked if they would purchase organic foods if it is available in discount, 70 percent of the customer’s interviewed agreed. 48 percent of the floor staff agreed that customer requests for organic food products have increased substantially. From the above analysis, it is clear that launching organic food category in the shelves of Big Mart is the best viable option for the current and consistent lump in sales. The product: Organics As the name suggests, ‘Organics’ is the top-selling brand from Organic Food Products Limited. Numerous food products are offered under the aforementioned brand name. Some of its product range includes fruits, vegetable, pasta, meats, whole food grains, organic non-vegetarian items and similar organic dry fruits. Few of important daily consumed food include sugar and break-fast. While sugar can substantially increase the chances of diabetes and other complications such as low blood pressure, corn-flakes is a stable breakfast item among consumers across Britain (Haberberg & Rieple, 2008). Thus, it is important that both the abovementioned products are benefit-oriented and have minimum side-effects to the health of consumers. Organics will solve the above key problems of Big Mart’s customer with the following benefits; 1. No Pesticides Food surveys funded by European government have confirmed that the amount of pesticides in organic food is almost negligent compared to normal grocery food. This means customers regularly consuming organic food not only improve their overall health but also save substantial amount of money from less doctor visits (Darian & Tucci, 2011). Organic Food Limited is a certified provider of organic foods with AAA certification from the food and health ministry. 2. Nutrition The food products from Organics brand have some unique benefits that are lacking in most of the regular food products. These include total capacity of antioxidants, total polyphenols, important flavoniods such as kaempferol and quercetin. All of the above mentioned nutrients are present in limited or negligent amount in normal food products and are important for the overall nutrition and health of consumers. Organics food products also have phenolics that are important for growth of anticancer, and platelet formation bodies. Customer Testimonials Below are few customer testimonials that will provide evidence of the high quality offerings and their popularity and benefits. Floor Head, Spencer’s Food Retailers “I have seen a substantial increase in the number of consumers purchasing Organics food from our shelves. Also, with the help of positive word of mouth marketing from our loyal customers, a substantial amount of new customers have been added in our account. Overall I have seen people leaving our store with a smiling face.” Marketing Director, Food Bazaar “After six months from the launch of Organics brand in our shelves, the sales chart has gone up. There has been 20 percent increase in the sales of organic food on a month on month basis. Overall, I can say that the organic food department is always full of customers year round.” Presentation Sales Aids The sales aids will provide a visual description of the manner in with the Organics brand can be stacked and kept in Big Mart’s groceries. Stacking of ‘Organics’ in Big Mart’s Store (Sample 1) Stacking (Sample 2) Organic food product differentiation (Sample) Handling Objections While introducing any new product or service in an organization or business, objections will be common. These objectives may include; Price Price will be the first and most common objection which can occur during the sales presentation. Big Mart will try to get the products with best possible cost. After careful discussion with the financial team and operations team together, it has been decided that Organic Food Products can reduce the price margin up to 10 percent of the quoted price. Apart from that, Organic Food is also ready to provide 15 percent discount on bulk purchases by Big Mart, provided the latter signs a minimum five year contract with Organic Food. Thus, Big Mart will never be out of stock and with every purchase, the grocery retailer will save a substantial amount (Client Marketing, 2014). Competition Another sales objection that can occur is competition. Big Mart can argue that there are various other similar brands within the same price range as well as brands with higher and lower prices and they are unsure of Organic Food’s contribution (Ferrell & Hartline, 2010). This objection can be handled by ensuring the grocery retailer that purchasing from Organic Food can be the best viable option for them. Within the same price band, ‘Organics’ brand’s quality is far better compared to other brands across London. The products are sourced from high quality organic farms and are processed in an absolutely germ-free, pesticide-free and green environment. Closing Plan The client here is business to business customer and their decision process will be streamlined to avoid any impulsive decision, unlike business to customer sales presentation. Here, the client will try to ensure that information provided in the sales presentation as well as about the company is true and acceptable. Therefore, in order to establish a perfect and successful closing plan, it is important for Organic Food to make sure that Big Mart is completely satisfied with the product. The closing plan will start with a review or summary of the various steps followed during the sales presentation. Every data and information provided will be summarized such as literature of the company, problem statement, product features and benefits, prices, comparisons with competitor offerings and objection. After the end of every detail, Big Mart will be asked if they agree with the aforementioned aspects or not. This will increase the power of Organic Food at the end of the closing plan. After the grocery retailer has given a no-objection nod all the aspects, benefits and terms of sale, they will be asked for order (Román, Ruiz & Munuera, 2002). A proper closing pitch that can be used by Organic Food can be "We believe that you have wonderful needs that are perfect for Organic Food Product’s capabilities. We are extremely excited that you current grocery’s scenario will transform positively with the metamorphosis capabilities of Organic Food. Our clients are out utmost assts and unlike bigger brands, we value our clients’ needs and demands and they are important for us. During our conversation we showed you the underlying problems your grocery is facing, exact requirements as well as your concerns. We also showed you how Organic Food has the capability and focus on meeting each of your requirements. We assure you that we will do our best to ensure that your needs are met. May we place an order for you?” In the closing plan, Big Mart grocery retailer will be asked for 5 years contract with Organic Food Limited. The 5 year contract will include supply of Organics brands during the first year of contract. After reviewing the sales and revenues from the organics food department in the first year, Big Mart will increase the number of brands it purchases from Organic Food. Follow-up Plan After the successful end of negotiations and closing, it is important that the professional approach towards the client is maintained. Thus, a follow-up plan is as important as the sales presentation itself, so that Big Mart’s interest towards Organic Food is kept intact. This can be done by the following steps: 1. Confirmation and appreciation call: Call the grocery retailer after 24 hours for thanking them and let them know that their orders are all in process. Confirm the agreements and inform them about the delivery time as well as payment procedures (Williams & Cutis, 2012). 2. Query solving call: Provide them with an immediate/emergency number from Organic Food, which Big Mart can use in case of any query, feedback or emergency and assure them that the issue will be resolved within 3 hours (Info Entrepreneurs, 2014). 3. Maintaining a friendly rapport: This can be fulfilled by inviting the grocery retailer’s top managers to important events as well as making sure that these members are being greeted with presents and cards during special events such as birthdays or anniversaries (Cicala, Smith, & Bush, 2012). Conclusion While opportunities such as innovative products and services, technology, social media are available, small and medium enterprises need effective strategies to source them and imbibe them in their business. Effective utilization and implementation of a unique product or service will help in increasing sales, revenue, productivity as well as overall business value. Often businesses are fooled by false representations by organizations and individuals. Therefore, it was important for this Big Mart to understand the difference between genuine and fake offers. The same difference was established by Organic Food through its compelling and genuine sales presentation for the brand Organics. The brand has been provided better in terms of quality and overall benefits when compared to other competitors within the same price brand. Also, with proper objections handling, closing and follow-up plan, Organic Food was able to create a loyal customer. References Cicala, J., Smith, R.K. & Bush, A.J. (2012). What makes sales presentations effective: A buyer‐seller perspective. Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing, 27(2), 78 – 88. Client Marketing. (2014). Client Marketing. Retrieved from http://www.clientmarketing.co.uk/#!Following-up-sales-leads/c12te/3DD84552-F712-47C5-B14B-B3C6AF8D4C28 Darian, J.C. & Tucci, L. (2011). Perceived health benefits and food purchasing decisions. Journal of Consumer Marketing, 28(6), 421 – 428. Ferrell, O. C. & Hartline, M. D. (2010). Marketing strategy. 5th ed. Connecticut: Cengage Learning. Haberberg, A. & Rieple, A. (2008). Strategic Management. Oxford University Press, New York. Info Entrepreneurs. (2014). Close and Follow Up the Sale. Retrieved from http://www.infoentrepreneurs.org/en/guides/close-and-follow-up-the-sale/ Johlke, M.C. (2006). Sales presentation skills and salesperson job performance. Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing, 21(5), 311 – 319. Little, B. (2012). Identifying key trends in sales: From a training perspective. Industrial and Commercial Training, 44(2), 103 – 108. Román, S., Ruiz, S. & Munuera, J.L. (2002). The effects of sales training on sales force activity. European Journal of Marketing, 36(11/12), 1344 – 1366. Williams, J. & Cutis, T. (2012). Marketing management in practice. London: Routledge. Read More