TLP 01-2
TEACHING AND LEARNING PAPER SERIES
The goal of the Teaching and Learning paper Series is to improve, enhance, and enrich
the teaching and learning environment in the department, college, university, and
profession through the publication of papers on teaching philosophies and techniques,
curricular issues, and case studies. Papers are circulated without formal review by the
Food and Resource Economics Department and thus the content is the sole
responsibility of the faculty author or co-author.
( UNIVERSITY OF
*FLORIDA
Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences
Food and Resource Economics Department
Gainesville, Florida 32611
ENHANCING BUYER/SELLER RELATIONSHIPS
IN THE CLASSROOM
by
Mark A. Wade
Teaching and Learning Paper TLP 01-2 May 2001
Enhancing Buyer / Seller Relationships in the Classroom
by
Mark A. Wade
Abstract: Agribusiness selling techniques are adapted to the classroom. As in any relationship
between buyer and seller, the educational transaction between learner and teacher requires that a
level of receptivity be created so that FAB's of the transaction can be examined. A five-step
classroom sales plan is discussed and examples are provided. When you "sell on purpose," great
care is taken to create a receptive environment so that a mutually beneficial level of trust can be
established. By introducing these concepts into the classroom, in effect "teaching on purpose," a
win-win transaction occurs.
Key Words: agribusiness selling, transactional relationship, classroom environment, teaching
techniques, learning style, teaching on purpose
Enhancing Buyer / Seller Relationships in the Classroom
by
Mark A. Wade
"Students learn what they care about and remember what they understand."
The Essence of Good Teaching (p. 51)
"To be successful, a salesperson must be able to find and address the
dominant buying motive of each client "
Relationship Selling (p. 65)
Introduction
Today's consumers do not want to be sold; they want to be provided with solutions to
problems (Webster). This requires a change from the traditional product oriented sales approach
to a partner driven, solution driven relationship. According to Cathcart (p. 1), "Relationship
Selling is focused on building a good relationship with someone and providing a valuable service
through that relationship." Salespeople have rediscovered the importance of listening to
customers, and quickly learn that by listening they can determine customer needs (Wilson).
Mark A. Wade is an Assistant Professor of Food and Resource Economics, College of
Agricultural and Life Sciences, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of
Florida, Fort Pierce, Florida.
The innovation and quality aspects of this re-awakening then help to provide what many sales
professionals seek --- growth and a level of satisfaction that can only come from solving real
problems.
People buy because they have needs which can be met, or perceived to be met, by the
products or solutions being sold. But the salesperson doesn't act alone in the transaction, selling
is interactual, meaning that it involves at least two people (Buzzotta, Lefton and Sherberg).
When the transaction yields mutually beneficial results, both parties have performed together,
equally. This relationship is then defined by a degree of trust, and the selling environment is
established to be safe, friendly and based upon two-way communication.
Success in the new millennium classroom requires that educators also break free of
traditional pedagogical paradigms and recognize that they must capitalize on student's existing
needs (Davis, pp. 193-94). Educators must accept that a variety of learning styles exist and adapt
their teaching methods in order to facilitate the learning process. A positive classroom
environment is comfortable and non-threatening, a place where expectations are exchanged
between teacher and student (Davis). Part of the goal in moving young minds from a dualistic
intellect to a more relativistic stage, requires that the student accept that what is being taught has
value, not only educational value, but value worth entering into a transactional relationship. This
transaction occurs when the learner makes a rational decision to exchange dollars, time, and
energy for the knowledge and experience offered by the instructor. As in any relationship
between buyer and seller, the transaction requires that a level of receptivity be created so that
features, advantages and benefits of the transaction can be examined and evaluated.
Creating a receptive environment, listening, needs analysis, motivation, problem solving,
and partnership are all equally important ingredients to the sales transaction, whether the product
be a tractor, ton of feed, or an educational concept (Schunk). Where Buzotta, Lefton and
Sherberg profile buyer and seller behaviors, Davis profiles learner and teacher behaviors. Like
buyers and sellers, recognition that all students and instructors are unique provides a basic
opportunity for communication, participation and maximized learning. Just as the product driven
salesperson of old, many educators tend to focus a majority of their attention on the "product"
they have to "sell" rather than identifying student needs, recognizing objections or obstacles to
success, and maximizing student learning.
Selling in the Classroom
Similarities between buyer seller, and student teacher relationships are profound,
especially to those that have operated on both sides of the transaction in both types of
relationship. At the simplest level, teaching and selling both deal with the transfer of goods or
services between parties that may be somewhat resistant to the transaction. In both situations,
steps can be taken that will create an environment which is conducive to breaking down barriers
to the transaction. Needs can then be identified and met to the mutual satisfaction and benefit of
both parties. Recommendations as to how this can be achieved will be presented in five steps
(Buzzotta, Lefton and Sherberg, pp. 182-87).
Step One: Developing a Pre-Call Plan
Any successful selling situation begins with a Pre-Call Plan. The pre-call plan provides
the salesperson with their plan of attack. It identifies the target audience, information to be
discovered, possible products of interest, how the first interaction or "opening" will be
conducted, materials needed, and a specific strategy for creating a positive environment, or
"spinning receptivity."
A teaching situation requires no less advance preparation. The initial lesson plan should
identify:
who is expected to be taking the course (undergraduate or graduate students)
information that might be beneficial to know (grade level, previous course experience in
the subject area, related work experience, student expectations, is the class required or an
elective)
an initial outline of course content (preliminary syllabus)
required materials (overhead projector, handouts, student surveys and data sheets)
actions the instructor will take to create a positive learning environment
Feelings are ever present in the classroom. Some feelings may be overtly expressed,
some private, and others outside of awareness (Menges and Rando). Levels of student
motivation vary, so it is important to build a sense of belonging or community immediately,
before barriers between teacher and student are created (Povlacs, p. 8).
Step Two: Creating a Positive Selling Environment (Opening)
Creating a positive selling environment can be as complex as decorating an office or
taking potential customers on a fishing trip, or as simple as telling a joke or commenting on the
weather. The keys to spinning receptivity to your message are preparation, proper profiling of
the customer (introvert, extrovert, passive, aggressive), a statement of purpose, and establishing
an active relationship with the customer's best interests in mind (The Psychology of Sales
Success). Building trust does not happen overnight, but by focusing on the four elements of trust
--- competence, reliability, intentions and appearance --- the seeds of trust are planted (Peterson).
The positive environment then allows the relationship, or seed, to grow and develop.
"Relationship selling transcends the sales transaction and looks beyond it to the ongoing
relationship between the buyer and the seller." (Cathcart, p. xiii)
Whatever level of motivation students bring to the classroom will be transformed, for
better or worse, by what happens in that classroom. Interaction between teachers and learners
and interaction among learners are powerful factors in promoting learning (Angelo). Active
learning creates excitement in the classroom and needs to be incorporated into the daily routine
of classroom instruction. Active learning gets students involved, relative to passive learning, and
engages students (Bonwell). By placing a greater value on exploration of attitudes and values,
and encouraging cooperative learning, information transmission is de-emphasized and greater
emphasis is placed on developing student skills. Students can then be involved in higher order
thinking.
One way to develop a positive learning environment is to allow students to co-create the
course syllabus. Give students the opportunity to take responsibility for what they will learn in
the course by allowing them input on the syllabus prior to the syllabus being distributed. Solicit
input based on student's prior experience and interests. This does not mean that the students
determine course content, but that they have some opportunity to influence that content, its
presentation and prioritization (Ellis, 1991b). The syllabus can be much more than just a list; it
can introduce the course to students in a number of creative ways, and can represent a vested
covenant between student and teacher ("What Did You Put in Your Syllabus?").
Step Three: Customer Needs Analysis
Once a receptive climate has been established, the customer-focused salesperson begins
to determine customer needs. Needs analysis provides the foundation for future sales by
identifying problems or concerns that the customer may have. The salesperson's desire to learn
and willingness to listen builds additional good will and further develops the buyer-seller
relationship. By concentrating on the buyer's needs, the salesperson demonstrates his/her desire
to find solutions to the customer's needs, through which his/her own needs will be met.
The most direct, and quickest, method of determining needs is to simply --- ask. Student
concerns regarding the course, course content, assessments, workload, and expectations can be
gathered in part by soliciting their inputs on the course syllabus. A student questionnaire can
also be used to determine student experience levels (which is important for experiential
learning), acquire personal data such as e-mail addresses and phone numbers, and provide the
tool for ice-breaker and community development activities. This helps to reduce the competitive
nature of education and enhance the cooperative (Ellis, 1991a).
Motivation plays an important role in learning (Schunk, p. 284). One way to encourage
students to become self-motivated is to help them find personal meaning and value in the
material. This cannot be done without first identifying their needs. Creating an atmosphere that
is open and positive, and helping students feel they are a valued member of a learning
community also enhances student's self-motivation (Davis).
Step Four: Problem Solving (Demonstration of Benefits)
Once communication barriers have been eliminated and customer needs have been
identified, the salesperson can begin to offer solutions to the customer's needs. It is key that
benefits derived from the offered solutions (most likely a product or service) be directly linked
with product features and advantages. Do not assume that the customer can readily see the
linkage between the product's features and the benefit of purchasing the product. The Features
(what is it) Advantages (what does it do) Benefits (what's in it for me) or FAB approach to
problem solving is a process that allows the buyer to reach their own conclusion as to how much
the product will satisfy their stated needs. In consultative or relationship selling, the
salesperson's role is not to "sell" the product, but to lead clients along the path to self-
determination (Webster, p. 91).
Students are not all motivated by the same values, needs, wants, or desires. Prior
knowledge and experience affects how the learner perceives and values new information
(Svinicki). It is important to work from student's strength and interests. Explain how the
content and objectives of the course will help the student achieve their educational, professional,
and personal goals (Lucas).
Sometimes students resist taking a course. Sell students on the benefits they will receive
from the course. Demonstrate points of transferability. Show that many of the techniques the
student will learn directly relate to the techniques that they will need to build successful careers.
Distinguish between "liking" the material and "benefiting" from the material. This is important
in helping students recognize that not all content can be fun and exciting (Ellis).
Step Five: Close
The close is in a sense the moment of truth. An agreement on action (hopefully a sale) is
reached and the climate for further interaction is established. At this point, plan, needs
assessment, and problem solving converge. If needs were properly identified and met, the sale is
made and both parties benefit mutually from the transaction. If not, additional data may be
needed to identify opportunities to improve the relationship, the environment, needs assessment
and/or the solutions offered.
For educators, the "close", or "making the sale" involves something less tangible. There
may be no physical exchange of product, but instead the exchange of knowledge. Indications of
a successful "sale" can include student performance on assessments, grades and course
evaluations. The opportunity for success in the classroom occurs on a daily basis, with each
subject, topic, or concept that is introduced being either accepted or rejected, based upon how the
concept was presented. Students that buy into what the instructor has to sell, illustrated in some
part by learning, benefit. Those that do not may have failed to see the value of entering into the
transaction.
Final Thoughts
Given the importance of agriculture to the global economy, and the increase in
agribusiness teaching programs throughout the United States, it is vital that the teaching methods
utilized in the classroom maximize student performance. When we "sell on purpose," great care
is taken to create a receptive environment so that a mutually beneficial level of trust can be
established. Products and services are positioned as solutions to problems and salespeople are
viewed as important members of the team. When team members act for the overall good of the
team, long-term relationships are built and encouraged to develop. Only when that has been
accomplished will utility be maximized.
By adopting agribusiness sales techniques in the classroom environment, students play
the role of buyers and instructors act as sellers. Students are invited to share in the dialogue that
is their course, as partners that can help to determine their ultimate destiny. Efforts are made by
the instructor to adopt teaching styles that are appropriate for a variety of students learning styles
and experiences. Students and teacher both understand the relationship that exists and are
presented with the information necessary for both to achieve success. The active learning
process provides the foundation for instructor / student interaction that is an essential element to
needs determination and the eventual transfer of knowledge. The exchange of knowledge then
becomes a mutually beneficial transaction. Introducing agribusiness selling concepts into the
classroom, by "teaching on purpose," a win-win-win transaction occurs; students benefit, faculty
benefits, and the agribusiness community and society benefit.
References
Angelo, Thomas A., "A 'Teacher's Dozen': Fourteen General, Research-Based Principles for
Improving Higher Learning in Our Classrooms". Adapted from Session 56, "A
'Teacher's Dozen': Fourteen General Findings from Research That Can Inform
Classroom Teaching and Assessment and Improve Learning," from AAHE's 1993
National Conference on Higher Education.
Bonwell, Charles C., Active Learning: Creating Excitement in the Classroom. Workshop
presented at the annual meeting of the American Agricultural Economics Association,
July, Salt Lake City, UT, 1998.
Buzotta, V.R., R.E. Lefton and Manuel Sherberg, Effective Selling Through Psychology,
Cambridge, MA, Ballinger Publishing Co., 1981.
Cathcart, Jim, Relationship Selling, Berkley Publishing, New York, 1990.
Davis, Barbara G., Tools for Teaching, San Francisco, CA, Jossey-Bass Publishers, 1993.
Ellis, David B., Becoming a Master Student, 7h ed., College Survival / Houghton Mifflin
Company, Rapid City, SD, 1991, pp.178-9.
Ellis, David B., Course Manual for Becoming a Master Student, College Survival / Houghton
Mifflin Company, Rapid City, SD, 1991, p. 205
Lucas, A. F., "Using Psychological Models to Understand Student Motivation." In M. D.
Svinicki (ed.), The Changing Face of College Teaching. New Directions for Teaching
and Learning, no. 42. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1990.
Menges, R. J. and Rando, W.C., "What Are Your Assumptions? Improving Instruction by
Examining Theories," College Teaching 37(2), 1989, pp. 54-60.
Peterson, Robin T., "The Building Blocks of Trust," Personal Selling Power, 15(8) Nov./Dec.
1995, pp. 60-61.
Povlacs (Lunde), Joyce T., "101 Things You Can Do The First Three Weeks of Class,"
Teaching at UNL, the newsletter of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Teaching and
Learning Center 8(1), 1986, pp. 1-4.
Schunk, Dale H., Learning Theories, 2nd ed., Upper Saddle River, NJ, Prentice Hall, 1996.
Svinicki, Marilla, "What they don't know can hurt them: The role of prior knowledge in
learning," Teaching Excellence 5(4), 1993-1994.
"The Psychology of Sales Success," vol. 1, Selling Power Magazine, Fredericksburg, VA, 1997,
pp. 101-107.
Webster, Bryce, The Power of Consultive Selling, Englewood Cliffs, NJ, Prentice-Hall, Inc.,
1987.
What Did You Put in Your Syllabus?, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Teaching and Learning
Center. 1997.
Wilson, Larry, Changing the Game: The New Way to Sell, New York, NY, Simon and Schuster,
1987.
TEACHING AND LEARNING PAPER SERIES
FOOD AND RESOURCE ECONOMICS DEPARTMENT
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TLP 99-1
TLP 99-2
TLP 99-3
An Introduction to the Teaching and Learning Paper
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Engaging Learners In Economic and Management
Education: A Challenge To Our Profession
Perspectives On Precision Agriculture: A Case
Study of the mPower3 Company
Perspectives In Human Resource Management: A
Case Study of An Incentive Program At Tyson
Foods, Inc., Jacksonville, Florida
Opportunities and Challenges in Satellite Campus
Agribusiness Management Education
Florida's Natural Growers: A Decision Case
Russell Provisions, Distributor of Boar's Head
Deli Meat and Cheese: A Decision Case
TRACER: A New Market Challenge: A Case
Study of a Marketing Plan for Dow Agro Sciences
Management and Advancement In A Theme-Based
Restaurant: A Case Study of the Ale House
Procedures For Peer Evaluation of Teaching In the
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A Beginner's Guide To Understanding Mutual
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Perspective On Intemet Marketing: A Case Study of
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Strategic Analysis of a Small Firm Competing in the
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A Strategic Business Analysis of Pike Family
Nurseries
Using Business Simulations and Issue Debates to
Facilitate Synthesis in Agribusiness Capstone
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Life Long Learning For the 21st Century Food
System-Will Colleges of Agriculture Respond?
A Beginner's Guide To Speculating and Hedging
The Dow Contract
Designing Agribusiness Capstone Courses:
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A Beginner's Guide To Understanding Risk and
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Incorporation of Peer Learning In An Agricultural
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Observations of the Sentricon Termite Colony
Elimination System and Florida Pest Control and
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Country Catfish Company: A Decision Case
Overview and Swot Analysis of Ocean Spray
Cranberries, Inc. -Citrus Division
The Grocery Industry Faces Change
Raquel Guzman
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Gerado Sol
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Tim Taylor
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Melissa A. Diaz
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Megan Langford
Allen Wyscoki
Gary Fairchild
Jacob W. Searcy
Gary F. Fairchild
Timothy G. Taylor
Ronald H. Schmidt
Russell Gravlee
Allen Wysocki
Gary Fairchild
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A Case Study of American Cyanamid
Company and Exotic-Invasive Weed Control
Catfish Farming and Processing: The Lifeblood of
Western Alabama's Agricultural Economy
Perspective On Crop Estimation: A Case Study of
Tropicana Products, Inc.
U.S.-China Trade Issues and Agreements Affecting
Agriculture
Observations On A Scrap Recycling Firm and
Comparisons Between Short-Run and Long-Run
Financial Performance Measures
Cost/Benefit Analysis of Temik in Citrus In The
Indian River Area of Southeastern Florida
Strategic Analysis of A U.S. Chicken Company
Competing In Global Markets
Perspectives In Land Valuation: A Case Study On
Citrus Land Valuation For Prudential Agricultural
Investments
640-Acre Agricultural Property Appraisal In Central
Florida
200-Acre Agricultura Property Appraisal In
Western Alabama
Mechanical Harvesting Cost of a North Florida
Blueberry Producer
Heading Toward the Frictionless Marketplace?
Eric Bonnett
Timothy Taylor
Gary Fairchild
Megan Langford
Allen Wysocki
Gary Fairchild
Xavier A. Abufele
Gary F. Fairchild
Timothy G. Taylor
Emesto Baron
Gary F. Fairchild
Matt Janes
Gary F. Fairchild
Lindsey A Blakeley
Richard N. Weldon
Gary F. Fairchild
Emesto Baron
Timothy G. Taylor
Gary F. Fairchild
Lauren Justesen
John E. Reynolds
Timothy Taylor
Robert Degner
Lauren Justesen
John E. Reynolds
Megan Langford
John E. Reynolds
Barry Starnes
Allen Wysocki
P.J. van Blokland
Michelle Walter
Allen Wysocki
Richard Weldon
Dori Comer
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The Plum Pox Virus In Pennsylvania
We're Chicken: Tyson Summer Internship
Experience
Rock Springs 4-H Center: Asummer FRED
Internship
Launching ASN
The Marketing of A Lesser-Known Florida Fruit:
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The Florida Citrus Industry and PROWL 3.3 EC
Tyson Foods, Inc.: A Summer MAB Internship
Public Super Markets, Inc. : An Evaluation of the
Store Management Structure
Jennifer Welshans
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Karl Kepner
Tori Hersey
Allen Wysocki
Steven Southwell
Richard Weldon
Allen Wysocki
William M. Gibbs
Allen Wysocki
Michael T. Olexa
Brett Cooper
Allen Wysocki
P.J. van Blokland
Keri Perocchi
Allen Wysocki
Karl Kepner
Kara Lynch
Allen Wysocki
Gary Fairchild
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TLP-00-32
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TLP-01-1
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