Marketing and Sales

Analyze the marketing and sales portions of a business plan and provide suggestions for improvement. There is no page limit for this assessment.

Creativity, analysis, and flexibility are necessary for developing and implementing a strong selling plan. In today’s fast-paced environment, sales plans are fluid. The ability to critically analyze plans and respond to change is a key skill for today’s sales and marketing professionals.

SHOW LESS

By successfully completing this assessment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the following course competencies and assessment criteria:

• Competency 5: Develop a sales plan.
  • Describe components of a company’s sales approach.
  • Evaluate whether a company’s sales plan is effective in relation to a particular marketing context.
  • Propose changes to a sales plan.
• Competency 6: Evaluate management implications of marketing and sales plans.
  • Explain how a sales plan affects the implementation of sales strategies.

• There is more than one good organizational structure for a marketing plan (including the sales process). A plan is a road map leading to product or company success. In-depth planning and careful implementation can provide a strong foundation for the sales professional in today’s fast-paced environment. It is important to note that sales plans also need to be fluid. This means that during the implementation phases of a plan, changes should be made to react to market conditions, competitors, and other environmental factors.The Assessment 7 Context document contains important information related to sales activities and the selling process. SEE ATTACHED

• Required Resources

  The following resources are required to complete the assessment.

  Internet Resources

  Access the following resources by clicking the links provided. Please note that URLs change frequently. Permissions for the following links have been either granted or deemed appropriate for educational use at the time of course publication.

  • Palo Alto Software. (2013). Aircraft equipment maker business plan: Stretch ‘r Wings. Retrieved from Bplans Web site: http://www.bplans.com/aircraft_equipment_maker_bus…

  Suggested Resources

  The following optional resources are provided to support you in completing the assessment or to provide a helpful context. For additional resources, refer to the Research Resources and Supplemental Resources in the left navigation menu of your courseroom.

  Capella Resources

  Click the links provided to view the following resources:

  • Assessment 7 Context.

  Library Resources

  The following e-books or articles from the Capella University Library are linked directly in this course.

  • McDonald, M., & Wilson, H. (2011). Marketing plans: How to prepare them, how to use them (7th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.
  • Ruff, R., & Spirer, J. E. (2001, September). Give sales force all the research they’ll need to succeed. Marketing News, 35(20), 28–29.

  Course Library Guide

  A Capella University library guide has been created specifically for your use in this course. You are encouraged to refer to the resources in the BUS-FP3030 – Fundamentals of Marketing and Sales Library Guide to help direct your research.

  Bookstore Resources

  The resources listed below are relevant to the topics and assessments in this course and are not required. Unless noted otherwise, these materials are available for purchase from the Capella University Bookstore. When searching the bookstore, be sure to look for the Course ID with the specific –FP (FlexPath) course designation.

  • Lamb, C. W., Hair, J. F., & McDaniel, C. (2018). MKTG 11 (11th ed.). Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.
  • Ries, A., & Trout, J. (1994). The 22 immutable laws of marketing. New York, NY: Harper Business.

• Analyze the marketing and sales portions of the Aircraft Equipment Maker Business Plan (linked in the Resources). Provide suggestions for improvement based on your analysis.Note: This sample business plan from the Bplans Web site features a fictitious organization called Stretch ‘r Wings. The Stretch ‘r Wings sales approach is described in Sections 5 and 6 of the plan.Address the following in your analysis:
  • Describe the components of the organization’s sales approach.
  • Assess the effectiveness of the sales plan for a business in this market, with this marketing mix.
  • Describe whether or not you think there is enough detail in the business plan to effectively communicate the organization’s sales approach.
  • Assess the management implications of using this sales plan. Explain how this sales plan would affect the implementation of sales strategies in the company.
  • Suggest additions and changes to the sales plan to make it more comprehensive and to better communicate the sales approach.

  Additional Requirements

  • Written communication: Written communication is free of errors that detract from the overall message.
  • APA formatting: Resources and citations are formatted according to current APA style and formatting.
  • Font and font size: Times New Roman, 12 point.