AGRICULTURAL SALES AND SERVICE Agriculture Supplies and Services Agricultural Sales and Services (15-30 days) This unit deals with agricultural sales and service. Topics include career opportunities, business forms, human relations, job acquisition, sales presentations, sales tickets, product cost, checking, credit, and fringe benefits. Objectives To acquaint students with employment information and career opportunities in the agricultural sales and service industry To enhance student understanding of the four forms of business in the American free-enterprise system To provide students with an opportunity to review personality traits and abilities required by a prospective employer and conduct a personal interview To improve student proficiency in filling out different job applications and writing letters of application To increase student understanding of desirable qualities seen in successful people in the sales and service industry To enhance student proficiency in customer interaction and sales presentation, including telephone sales techniques To develop student understanding of how to close a sale, reasons potential customers resist buying, and means of overcoming these obstacles To enable students to correctly complete sales tickets and to practice making correct change To create opportunities for students to write out checks and how to scrutinize checks to be cashed To provide students with opportunities to identify, complete, and explain various shipping forms To develop student proficiency at determining the selling price of items using various markup systems To enable students to compute the cost of credit on items, fill out time-payment forms, and determine whether or not a customer is eligible for credit To enhance student understanding of various fringe benefits offered by different employers Competencies At the conclusion of this unit, students will be able to explain current employment information such as job descriptions, job availability, personal and educational requirements, working conditions, opportunities for advancement, and other factors relative to potential employment in agricultural sales and services and relate it to their personal needs and aspirations; identify and explain the four forms of business in America; review personality traits and abilities expected by employers and handle themselves confidently in a personal interview; fill out job applications and write letters of application; list and discuss the desirable qualities of successful sales and service people; conduct proper customer approach and sales presentation techniques, including telephone procedures; close a sale and list reasons why a customer will resist buying and ways of overcoming the resistance; complete sales tickets and make change with sales tickets; write out checks and identify bad checks before cashing them; identify, complete, and explain various shipping forms; determine selling prices using various markup systems; compute the cost of credit, fill out time-payment forms, and determine customer credit eligibility; and delineate between various fringe benefits offered by employers. Subject Matter (Basic skills integration areas are shown in brackets following title.) Careers - Current and future employment needs - Job descriptions - Training requirements - Working conditions - Opportunities for advancement - Other factors American business forms - Sole proprietorships - Partnerships - Corporations - Cooperatives Human relations [Careers] - Employers Personality traits sought Interviewing 1.mental preparation 2.grooming 3.promptness 4.attentiveness - Applications Forms 1.neatness 2.accuracy 3.truth Letters of application Resumes - Desirable qualities of sales and service personnel Enterprising, imaginative Assertive Takes initiative Enthusiastic Dependable Courteous Honest Sales presentation [Careers, Social Studies] - Structure Approach Presentation Resistance hurdles 1.enthusiasm 2.asking and answering questions 3.negative attitudes 4.faultfinding 5.price, quality, style Closing Mutual benefits to buyer and seller - Techniques Media pitches 1.radio advertising 2.television commercials 3.newspaper ads Telephone sales 1.tone of voice 2.grammar 3.pertinent and informative information 4.positive identification of both parties Personal sales 1.develop customer interest 2.cultivate customer desire for product 3.relate product to customer need Sales tickets [Mathematics] - Accuracy Ticket information Making change Scanning procedures - Payment Checks Credit cards Adding machine operation Cash register operation - Shipping forms Inventory forms Business invoices Packing slips Bills of lading Product cost [Mathematics] - Establishing selling price Merchandising Stocking Displaying - Credit cost Time-payment forms Customer eligibility forms Employer fringe benefits [Careers, Mathematics] - Options available - Insurances - Vacation time - Mileage - Salaries - Commissions - Union rules - Professional organizations - Work permit or social security cards - Paid holidays - Paid expenses Motivational Activities Take field trips to local agribusinesses. Invite resource people to give class presentations. Post displays featuring topics on agricultural sales and services. View films, videotapes, and slides about agricultural sales and services. Learning Activities Participate in a Supervised Agricultural Experience program. Role-play situations depicting how sales and service representatives work with their clients. Set up a mock store to gain business experience. Take part in a cooperative education program. Participate in a job-shadowing program to learn about careers in agricultural sales and service. Create a merchandise display. Instructional Materials Textbooks and References Agricultural Business Sales and Marketing. Columbia, MO: Instructional Materials Laboratory, 1984. Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness by Gail L. Cramer and Clarence W. Jensen. 4th ed. New York: John Wiley and Sons, 1988. Agricultural Sales and Service Resource Unit - Pilot Program Workshop. Madison, WI: Department of Public Instruction, 1971. Marketing of Agricultural Productions by Richard L. Kohls and Joseph N. Uhl. 6th ed. New York: Macmillan, 1985. Selling in Agribusiness by Larry Miller. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1979. Bulletins and Pamphlets The following are available from the Cooperative Extension Service. Credit Management for Business Firms. NCR54. Customer Service - Sales and Hospitality. C2737. Guide to Health Maintenance Organizations in Wisconsin. B3290. How Consumers Contribute to the Cost of Food Retailing. B3046. How to Choose Your Checking Account. B3330. Marketing Crafts: How and Where to Sell. NCR175. Marketing Crafts: How to Price and Protect Your Work. NCR176. Marketing Crafts: How to Promote Your Product and Yourself. NCR178. Shopping for Consumer Credit. B2863. The following are available from the Ohio Agricultural Education Curriculum Materials Service. Credit. 9012M. Building an Insurance Program. 9015M. Getting Hired for Your First Job. 9007M. Getting Started on Your New Job. 9009M. Taking Care of Yourself. 9008M. Using Saving and Checking Accounts. 9011M. The following are available from Vocational Agriculture Services. Applying for a Job. U6001b. Customer Credit Management in Agribusiness. U6008. Fundamentals of Marketing Agricultural Products. U2046. Human Relations in Agribusiness. U6003. Salesmanship in Agribusiness. U6002. Using Insurance in the Farm Business. U6017. What Factors Affect Prices of Agricultural Products U6009. Periodicals Adweek Midwest Consumers' Research Magazine Journal of Retailing Sales and Marketing Management Telemarketing Update On-line Computer Networks The following are available from Ag Ed Network, AgriData Resources, Inc. Adjusting for Risk. HS96. Determining Credit Limits. HS21. Employer Rights and Liability. HS104. Establishing Credit Limits. HS20. How to Choose a Lender. HS24. Meaning of Price. HS217. Sources of Credit. FE2210. Laboratory Resources The following are available from Interstate Printers and Publishers, Inc. Succeeding on the Job: A Self-Study Guide for Students. 1970. Supervising on the Job: A Self-Study Guide for Students. 1970. The following is available from the Ohio Agricultural Education Curriculum Materials Service. Office Procedures Used in the Agricultural Services. 9216M. 1977. Films, Videotapes, and Slides The following are available from the Bureau of Audio Visual Instruction. Customer Service: It Pays to Please. 11560 (VHS videotape, color, 19 minutes) or 11561 (16mm film, color, 19 minutes). AIMS, 1985. Customer Service: Strategies for Success. 11579 (16mm film, color, 13 minutes) or 11580 (VHS videotape, color, 13 minutes) . McGraw-Hill, 1986. Telemarketing I: Customer Services: A Backup Sales Force. 10206 (16mm film, color, 14 minutes). Centron, 1983. Telemarketing II: Becoming a Pro on the Phone. 10207 (16mm film, color, 13 minutes). Centron, 1983. Telemarketing III: Techniques for the the Phone Service Representative. 10208 (16mm film, color, 12 minutes). Centron, 1983. Telemarketing IV: Getting the Order. 11098 (VHS videotape, color, 17 minutes). Coronet, 1984. Telemarketing V: Dealing with Customer Objections. 11096 (VHS videotape, color, 17 minutes). Coronet, 1984. Telemarketing VI: Controlling the Collection Call. 11097 (VHS videotape, color, 17 minutes). Coronet, 1985. Equipment and Facilities Bills of lading Inventory forms Packing slips Daily business forms Check blanks Loan forms/time payment forms Cash register/adding machine Sales tickets Scales Supplies to set up a mock store