Corporate Membership Sales Strategy For Bounce Fitness

Assessment Task 1a: Group discussion

In groups of two to three students, conduct a skill practice using the information discussed. One person will act as the consultant, one as the customer and one as an observer. Take one minute to set up the situation and seven minutes for the role play. Then take three minutes for feedback. Rotate on time so everyone has a turn in each role to be satisfactory for this assessment task.

The Learner (Sales Person) must use features and benefits of corporate membership in the Bounce Fitness Corporate Marketing Plan to influence the Human Resources Manager of a foreign company to purchase it for their staff.

The Learner must help them understand and evaluate the features and benefits in terms of satisfying the organisational needs and those of the staff of that organisation and answer their questions.

The second person will be the Human Resources Manager to whom the Learner is selling. You will have five minutes to set up a situation and ten minutes for the role play. At the end, the observer will provide feedback.

Buyer: Let’s just do the best that we can with the tools we have and get these courses out

Seller: jane, in the end, we are judged by how our learners perform following our training. Applying the same process to all levels of learning may not produce maximum results with our limited resources. We can save time and funding for performance learning by using simple PowerPoints or even emails for awareness-level learning and more interactive strategies for more critical programs.

Buyer: What value do you see in strategically distributing more funding and resources to those courses requiring higher-level interactivity and performance outcomes?

Seller: Jane, auditing agencies are beginning to look at actual learning that is taking place in food safety training and not just completion indicators. On top of that, learner evaluations are telling us that our training is very boring and they click through just to get through it

The Human Resources Manager (customer) must tell the Learner (Sales Person) that they foresee two of the following problems for undertaking membership, and the Learner must take appropriate action. You must always protect the rights and responsibilities of the customer.

o The plan is too expensive.

o The staff of the corporation mainly travel at least 30 minutes to get to work making it difficult for them to undertake fitness activities in the City.

Task 1b. Compulsory

o The corporation has so many staff that if they all turned up for early morning classes the Centre would be swamped.

o The staff would lose interest when the novelty wore off and would not attend, so any advantages anticipated by the corporation would be lost.

o The corporation is about to undertake a massive change management initiative and the impact may be detrimental.

Jim, there are many levels of ‘gyming’ ranging from simple recall of selling strategies to simulating actual sales environments with various buyer types.  We aren’t talking Jeopardy here. We are talking motivation, competition, and results.

Suppose for a moment that you approved funding for a learning program that immersed our associates in simulated sales conversations, which they could use at their desks as they prepare for a sales meeting. At the end of the year, what type of results would you want to see in performance indicators like revenue growth, lower attrition, and employee engagement

Fitness activities would make them get rid of their tiredness

The classes can be divided both into morning and evening sessions according to the needs of the staff

Once the staff is habituated with the fitness regime they would not leave it considering the results even if novelty wears.

• Students must attempt this question
• Students must only use black or blue ink (no pencils)
• When you collect a students work, please make sure it has been signed and dated
• Trainer/assessors will inform the students of due completion date
• The assessor has the ability to contextualise answers of a student depending on their work environment.
• Please sign and date the cover sheet before you hand your assessment task in

How does your organisation prefer complaints to be managed?

Please refer to your workplace or ask assistance from your trainer (about 300 words)

Customer focused

The organisation is committed to effective complaint handling and values feedback through complaints.

• Organisations should be open to feedback and committed to seeking appropriate resolution of complaints and addressing policy and process inadequacies highlighted by them. This commitment should be communicated to all staff, stakeholders and clients, for example through documents such as values statements or customer service standards.
• Organisations should have a clearly communicated complaint handling process and management that values the benefits of an effective complaint handling system and supports the process.

Principle: Information about how and where to complain is well publicised to customers, staff and other interested parties.

• Information about how and where to complain should be well publicised through a variety of service delivery points including publications, websites, at offices and at front counters. • Front-line staff should be aware of the complaint handling process and the contact details of the organisation’s Complaint Handling Officer(s).
• The information about how to complain should identify any appropriate alternative external parties the complainant can go to with their complaint.

Principle: The process of making a complaint and investigating it is easy for complainants to access and understand.

• Complaints should be handled at no charge and this should be made clear in information provided about the complaint handling process.
• Information about the complaints process should be available in a variety of forms of communication, formats and languages appropriate to the needs of the customer.
• Complaints and all supporting documents provided during a complaint resolution or investigation process should be accepted in a number of different ways including in person, over the phone, and in writing via email, fax and letter, and, where appropriate, access to translating and interpreting services for non-English speaking people should be provided.
• Complaint handling systems should be accessible to members of the public who may require additional assistance such as Indigenous Australians, children and young people, people living in regional and remote areas, people with disabilities and people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.

Principle: Personal information related to complaints is kept confidential.

• The personal information of the complainant and any people who are the subject of a complaint should be kept confidential and only used for the purposes of addressing the complaint and any follow up actions.

Describe three ways to establish effective regular communication with customers.

Titanic wireless operator Jack Phillips interrupted a wireless message from a nearby ship, telling them to shut up. In doing so, he prevented that ship from sending Titanic an iceberg warning.

Be careful about interrupting others, particularly your customers. They’ll be especially upset if, while they’re explaining a problem, you interrupt them and start offering a solution. If you feel you have to interrupt, at least cut to the chase and tell the other person what you think his or her main idea was. That way, the other person at least can confirm or correct you, and in either case save time.

Task 2: Short Answer Question

Did you ever get the feeling, when talking to someone, that you were really talking to a wall? The person may have heard you but gave no indication of it at all. Avoid doing the same thing. When communicating with others, it’s just as important that people be aware that you’re listening as it is that you’re actually listening. For that reason, be involved with and react to what the other person is saying, either via a nod, or an “I see,” or a paraphrase of the other person’s statements. You’ll strengthen your own understanding and make a better impression.

Suppose you say to a customer, “You don’t have Word installed?” and he answers “Yes.” What does he mean? Yes, you’re right, Word is not installed? Or yes, he DOES have Word installed?

Asking a negative question creates confusion. It’s clearer if you phrase the question positively (e.g., “Do you have Word installed?”) or ask an open-ended question (“What applications do you have installed?”). If you must use the negative, try a question such as “Am I correct that you don’t have Word installed?”

• Students must attempt this question
• Students must only use black or blue ink (no pencils)
• When you collect a students work, please make sure it has been signed and dated
• Trainer/assessors will inform the students of due completion date
• The assessor has the ability to contextualise answers of a student depending on their work environment.
• Please sign and date the cover sheet before you hand your assessment task in

In the situation in Assessment task 1a, when you had completed your meeting, how and when you would you follow up? Why did you choose this method and timeframe?

The follow up must be made within a week of the meeting if no response is provided

What a great meeting we had. I hope you enjoyed it and learned more about fitness to improve your staff development

I’m sure improving your sales team’s productivity is a top priority for you. I thought I’d send you “10 Ways to Boost Your Sales Productivity through fitness for you to review. If you’d like any additional information about how the process works, I’d be more than happy to have a quick chat over the phone.

Just let me know if you have any questions or would like to have a more in-depth conversation. I’m here whenever you need me.

The time frame is useful as the meeting would still be in made of the manager and the method would make him rethink about the proposal

How would you build your relation to customer and stakeholders and how do you maintain network?

Communication and trust is the main source for creating a lasting relationship between stakeholders. Through effective communications and building trusting relationships, organizations should be committed to ensure that all stakeholders are involved in shaping the decisions of organizations in a meaningful manner. The commitment to actively build and maintain long-term relationships with stakeholders is based on two fundamental guiding principles – communication and trust.

Question 1

These two principles shape the development of stakeholder relations philosophy which includes: ENMAX Corporation (2012):

Providing timely information

Open, and honest communication

Listening to stakeholder concerns

Respecting diverse opinions

Seeking mutually beneficial solutions

Learning from each other

Moreover, stakeholder relationships that are unmanaged or mismanaged have a number of less than favorable consequences for companies. These include unnecessary expenses, and a lack of buy-in to processes and initiatives aimed at transforming the company. However, stakeholder management is a difficult undertaking for organizations because it requires investment and commitment to a long term structured process. While there are a number of efficient information management tools available through marketing, it is important to start with the big picture – who are we going to be speaking to and how?

By Identifying The Stakeholders

Particularly in larger organizations, this process is a critical one because the network of stakeholders with an investment or interest in a business is broader than we would originally have imagined. Consider that likely stakeholders include the board, management, other employees, customers, suppliers and the community within which we operate. It is important when making this list that we gather and collate as much information as possible about the individuals and groups on it. This will enable us to start thinking through appropriate and targeted communication with them.

By Prioritizing The Stakeholder

However noble our intentions regarding stakeholder relationship management are, there unfortunately have to be some individuals and group who’s needs are more important and who require prioritization if we intend maintaining their support. While this sucks for the interns, the chairman of organizational board will be pleased to know that you have his best interests at heart. Prioritizing begins with segmenting a list into groups and then listing them in order of importance. This process needs to be completed with the organizational goals and the level of stakeholder information in mind. Ultimately, this will ensure personalization and consistency across communication channels at a later point in the process.

By Understanding Their Needs

Stakeholders require consistent and regular communication and service. However, their individual distinctiveness requires that this communication be personalized and targeted. This is difficult enough in the corner store but is universally impossible across larger organizations; the number of individuals is just too great. The next thing is to understand each group. A key part of this is to know what information they have, how accurate it is, how it aligns with the organizational goals and what information they need. This should align with the process of prioritization, with the groups at the bottom needing the least amount of information and the groups at the top needing the most.

Question 2

By Building Trustin Relationships

Collaborative partnerships depend on trust. Partners must communicate effectively and resolve conflicts, especially about sensitive issues like distribution of rewards and the involvement of host organizations – the “in laws”. As in any relationship, attention must be given to renewing the relationship and sustaining the commitment of the partners by building and maintaining support of the parent organization, evaluating progress and celebrating success.

By Encouraging The Stakeholders

This is the act of giving someone support, confidence, or hope that it is well even though they do not see it. When we encourage our stakeholders, it makes them feel the company do have plans for them and that would make them hold on.

By Satisfying The Stakeholders

Satisfaction is important in maintaining a good relationship because when one is not satisfied, they would always look for a place where they would be satisfied. Even the study of economics makes us to understand that man is insatiable. So as a company, let’s look for a way to satisfy the stakeholders needs.

By Engaging With The Stakeholders

Now the easy part is over and you actually have to find an innovative and efficient manner in which to communicate with these stakeholders. Whatever tactics you use, it is helpful to have a communication plan in place so that the process runs smoothly without negatively impacting on productivity. Using a collaborative software package could be the answer, particularly if you want to keep a specific group up to date about a specific project. Regular status reports are useful and email newsletters are very effective for those individuals who are not privy to sensitive information. Going one step further, these can be divided into an internal and an external newsletter; the first being only for staff and the second for clients and interested parties. For small groups and occasionally large ones, meetings are a good way to get a message across and invite buy in and feedback. Remember that in order to be effective, this engagement should be two-way. Stakeholders need a forum to air concerns and grievances while having the comfort of knowing they will get a response. Neglecting this element of communication is bound to undermine the ultimate goals of your organization.

Regardless of tactics though, the important part of this aspect of the process is to understand and manage stakeholder expectations. The stakeholders need to know when to expect communication and what sort of communication to expect.

Theory: networking and relationship building

Monitoring The Engagement Efforts

There is little point in engagement with the stakeholders if it is perceived to be token or ineffectual. While it’s admirable that you are trying, this lack of efficacy is not going to encourage buy-in and may undermine your company, particularly if the negativity spreads. It is thus important to track and monitor your efforts and gauge the response to them. Speak to individuals directly, encourage feedback and through email tracking assess whether people are reading the information that are been disseminated. Tweak your efforts accordingly. Part of this is keeping a finger on the pulse of the company’s reputation which is also important. Conduct surveys if necessary and establish who thinks what and why. Knowing what the perception is will go a long way toward finding the necessary means to turn it around.

The issues that may affect relationships are likewise the same as the areas of conflict, and this is certainly the opposite of the factors that builds relationship. For example, when a stakeholder’s interest in an organization is different from that of other stakeholders group, this may affect the relationship between stakeholders or cause conflict to an extent. Another example is trust, when there is no trust in an organization; it could also affect a relationship or cause conflict. Also consider when there is no:

Control mutuality (think “mutual control”) — the degree to which parties agree on who has the rightful power to influence one another.

Commitment — The extent to which each party believes and feels that the relationship is worth spending energy to maintain and promote.

Satisfaction — The extent to which each party feels favorably toward the other because positive expectations about the relationship are reinforced.

Exchange relationships — In an exchange relationship, one party gives benefits to the other only because the other has provided benefits in the past or is expected to do so in the future.

Communal relationships — In a communal relationship, both parties provide benefits to the other because they are concerned for the welfare of the other — even if they get nothing in return.

Assess The Strength Of The Relationship

The first thing is to survey the stakeholder group using some variant of the questionnaire, this will reveal how weak or strong the relationship is and where it is weak or strong. For example, in one project I did, we learned the organization had excellent scores with all stakeholder groups on all but one of these six factors. So improving stakeholder relationships in that case was a matter of focusing on that one factor.

Task 3a.

Build Stakeholders Trust In The Organization

Consistently treat stakeholders fairly.

Whenever the organization makes important decisions take stakeholder opinions into account and otherwise demonstrate concern for stakeholders.

Demonstrate competence by doing what was proposed.

Pay Attention And Respond To What Stakeholders Say And Do

Demonstrate the belief that stakeholder opinions are legitimate by responding to them.

Give stakeholders a say in the organization’s decision-making process, especially in those areas that affect the stakeholder group.

Demonstrate Commitment To Stakeholders

Show stakeholders that the organization wants to maintain a long-term relationship with them.

Engage stakeholders to build loyalty to the organization.

Identify and enhance the ways stakeholders benefit from their association with the organization.

Make interacting with the organization a “delightful” experience.

Make stakeholders feel they are important to the organization.

Move Beyond An Exchange Relationship To A Communal Relationship

As noted above, exchange relationships are those in which two parties in a relationship expect a benefit in return for a benefit — tit for tat. These relationships are the basis of most for-profit businesses. That is, a customer expects a certain quality product in exchange for the money he/she spends, and the organization expects the money in return for the product. Employees expect pay, benefits and a sense of fulfillment and organizations expect work and engagement.

A communal relationship goes beyond that. One party in the relationship believes the other will give benefits with no expectation of a return. An example of this is corporate social responsibility programs, such as when a bank goes beyond the basic business exchange to “give back” to the community by supporting programs that benefit neighborhoods. Some argue that this corporate giving is not really selfless in that the organization expects good will in return for the benefit it bestows on the community. And this may be. Nevertheless, when a stakeholder believes an organization helps people without expecting anything in return, the relationship is at a different level than if the stakeholder believes the organization only trades benefit for benefit.

Both research and common sense support the notion that we need to monitor the performance of stakeholder on an ongoing basis. If we are ever to know how we are doing, the management committee should use reports against its annual operational plans to review progress towards meeting the strategic aims and objectives. Therefore, they must ensure that whoever is doing the work is keeping appropriate records so that progress can be assessed. This will involve, at the implementation stage of the plan, being clear what systems and structures are required. The things you decide to measure will give an indication of how well you’re doing, hence, the name indication or performance measures.

Before completing your plan, you need to agree how and when it will be monitored and reviewed and what information the Management Committee needs to receive in order to review progress.

When reviewing progress towards achieving the strategic aims and objectives, the Management Committee should: ensure that activities are kept within the parameters of the agreed strategic aims and objectives ensure that activities are consistent with organization’s vision, mission and values; and

keep under review internal and external changes which may require changes to the organization’s strategy or affect their ability to achieve their objectives.

The quality of a partnership can be analyzed by getting feedback from the stakeholders through questionnaires or interviews