A

NEWSLETTER

FOR SALES

STUDENTS SeminoleSales

Yeah,

We’re Kind of a Big Deal

2012 ● 3rd runner up NCSC

2012 ● 3rd place NCSC

2011 ● 4th runner up NCSC

2010 ● 2nd runner up RBI

2010 ● 1st place NCSC

2010 ● 1st runner up NCSC

2009 ● 1st place RBI

2009 ● 9th place NCSC

2009 ● 4th place NCSC

2008 ● 2nd place NCSC

2008 ● 8th place NCSC

Why I am a Professional Sales Major

sales majors attractive to employers are

the valuable skills, strategies and

techniques they possess that are required

for success in any business discipline.

Companies around the country, around

the world, spend thousands of dollars and

hundreds of hours training their

employees to develop the skills sales

majors gain in the sales program. For

example, right here at FSU, the Sales

Institute provides sales training to

corporate sales executives. They charge

$1,500 per individual, per weekend, for

the same education received by

undergraduate sales majors! The

Professional Sales major is one of the best

opportunities provided by the College of

Business. Take advantage of it and

become a Professional Sales major, or add

it as a second major.

this issue

Why Sales? P.1

Principles for Success P.2

SPEED KILLS P.2 & 3

It’s ALL about the J*O*B P.4

04.12

By Matthew Swaintek A Professional Salesperson - it’s probably

not exactly what you wanted to become

when you were a little kid. It might not be

what Mommy and Daddy want you to

become. However, it could be one of the

best decisions you have made in your life.

You might never be able to sign your name

as “Dr.”, but with the value that the

Professional Sales program provides here

at Florida State University, a doctorate in

sales should be awarded.

In the past, selling was a trade that was

learned and perfected through years in

the field. Through award winning sales

training and leading edge sales research

the Florida State Sales Institute instills in

College of Business graduates the

techniques, strategies, and skills required

for success. There is a good chance that

individuals who graduate in the field of

finance, accounting, or business

management will begin their working

career in the sales field. These individuals

will spend hundreds of hours catching up,

attempting to learn techniques that are

pivotal for selling success. What makes

Jeanette Rouisse, 3rd runner up,

National Collegiate Sales

Competition, February 2012

SPEED

KILLS Andy Mitchell

CEO, The Fairwinds Group

“Speed Kills.”

How often have you heard this

expression? It applies both on

and off the race track.

In the world of meeting and ex-

ceeding customer expectations,

your measurement in the eyes of

the customer is not just what you

do to respond, but how quickly

you take effective action. For the

average sales associate, you need

to put on your thinking cap and

creatively address the customer’s

needs especially when no easy

solution is available.

A Real Story…

I worked at Thomasville Furniture

Industries (TFI) as Senior Vice

President and General Sales Man-

ager for the 100+ mm Armstrong

Furniture Division of TFI. We

manufactured Ready to Assemble

(RTA) furniture in our production

plan in Appomattox, Virginia lo-

cated approximately 150 miles

from our corporate offices in

Thomasville, NC.

Every season we prepare for the

product line reviews with the big

box retailers. Our review in this

case was with none other than

Wal-Mart, headquartered in Ben-

tonville, Arkansas. Our product

sales and marketing team was

Principles for

Success

According to

Andy Mitchell

1. Listen to the customer.

2. Do what the customer wants.

3. Do it now!

4. Do it with your eyes on success.

5. Focus on the customer when meeting expectations.

6. Maintain real courage and a serious team commitment to deliver excellence.

Mart loved everything about

our desk - the finish, construc-

tion and advertising materials -

but it did not have a drawer,

which was not initially specified.

It needed a drawer and as a

result they decided to go with

another manufacturer. Kevin

had a great relationship with

the buyer and had asked for

another day to talk with Head-

quarters about their request.

Wal- Mart agreed in holding off

their decision until Wednesday

point of purchase

sales aids, the team

left nothing to

chance. Two sets of

product samples

were carefully made

and personal currier

delivery services

going after the back to school desk.

If successful, this one sku was worth

in annual sales volume close to

$16mm in sales. This would be a

huge boost to our sales line and

bring economies of scale to the rest

of the production planned for the

fall season. This was a sure way to

bring nice bonuses to both the pro-

duction and sales teams. With this

in mind, every angle had been as-

sessed. From competitive product

lines reviews, to finish selection,

sample production, packaging and

were used to drive them to Benton-

ville. Our meeting with the buyer

was Tuesday afternoon at 1pm and

Kevin Foley, senior marketing repre-

sentative and Bill Agnew, National

Sales Manager, were ready for the

big meeting … or so we thought!

The meeting was held and an up-

date call was made back to our cor-

porate offices in Thomasville. This

was a really big deal. Product styling

and design, manufacturing, advertis-

ing and senior management awaited

the update. We were shocked to

learn we had lost the order! Wal-

at 2pm. It was

now 4pm on

Tuesday in

Thomasville,

North Carolina.

How were we

going to solve

this problem?

We would have to re-engineer

new samples, make new finish

boards, produce two new sam-

ples and then somehow get

them to Bentonville (1,100

miles from Appomattox) for a

2pm meeting the next day. To

compound the problem, the

sample department also makes

all of the market samples and

the semi-annual High Point

Furniture market was in two

weeks. Finally, after 45

STORY CONTINUES on NEXT page

“Do what the

customer wants.

Do it now!”

Oh the places you GO!

Congratulations to

recent grads now

working for:

ADP

Aerotek

American Express

Burger King Corp.

Carnival Cruise Lines

Cicso Systems

City Furniture

Cox Media Group

E & J Gallo

Federated Insurance

Frito Lay

Florida State Univ

GTO

Hollister

Interline Brands

JP Morgan Chase

Kendrick Pierce & Co

Laird Plastics

LifeScan (Johnson &

Johnson)

Lord and Taylor

Microsoft

MotionPoint

Northwestern Mutual

Omni Advertising

Oracle

Otis Elevator

RE/MAX

Sam Adams Brewery

Smith Barney

TEK Systems

Tom James Co

US Air Force

Zimmerman Agency

minutes of discussion, reali-

ty set in. What is our role in

this company? What did we

stand for if we couldn’t meet

customer expectations?

Without orders we could

envision all kinds of prob-

lems. Production planning

schedules would have to be

reworked, sales projections

scaled back, profit pictures

not as rosy—all because we

live in this world of con-

straints. Well guess what!?

Do what the customer

wants. Do it now! Do it with

your eyes on success!

We asked engineering, fin-

ishing, sample and mock ups

and advertising teams to work all

night and to do whatever it took

to get this product ready by 9am.

The plan was to charter a Lear jet

and fly the samples to Bentonville

in time for the meeting.

At 2pm the next day, you can only

imagine the shock and awe on

Wal-Mart’s buyer’s face when he

looked at the new sample and

said … “How in the world did you

do this?” Our sales associate said

calmly... We are serious about

our relationship and value your

business. Order.. was ours!

Later in the year, the Armstrong

Furniture Division received the

highest award Wal-Mart bestows

on vendors... “The Vendor of the

Year Award. “ The Armstrong

Furniture Division of Thomasville

Furniture Industries group was

chosen out of 2,000 vendors to

receive the award which was

presented to my group at Wal-

Mart’s annual shareholders

meeting in Bentonville, AK.

Remember to focus your eyes on

the customer when meeting ex-

pectations. Sometimes it takes

real courage and a serious team

commitment to deliver excel-

lence. Real simple.. Listen to the

customer.. Provide what the cus-

tomer wants... and you win! And

win BIG!

Top Five Characteristics of Great Salespeople

1. Results Focused

Use your time wisely without being

distracted by small problems & drama.

It’s all about results...did you make

your quota or not?

2. Courageous

Cold calls can be scary. Get over it.

3. Hard Worker

It’s simple: The harder you work, the

more you’ll beat out your competition.

Be willing to do whatever it takes.

4. Know People

Establish rapport & build relationships.

5. Committed to Growth

Always be on the lookout for ways to

improve. Could your approach be

better? How’s your attitude?

SPEED KILLS continued...

Want more?

Find us on-line at

www.FSUSales

Institute.com

OR

Facebook .com/

TheFSUSalesInsti-

tute.com

Planning Your Future - It’s All About Jobs

Whether your plan is to get your undergraduate degree and start a career or

first get a graduate degree and then start your professional career, the goal for

most students is to become independent. That means getting a job. On page

three of this newsletter is a partial list of where recent College of Business

graduates have chosen to start their career.

Here is what they all have in common:

They all have taken sales classes, most are sales majors or dual majors.

They started looking in their Junior year and took advantage of all Career

Center services and programs.

They networked in student associations, with professors and with recruiters

whenever possible.

They either worked part time or did one or more internships.

They were flexible in where they would live and open-minded about

exploring potential jobs.

They developed “professional” habits in dress, communications and

punctuality.

They develop specific goals and plans on how to achieve them.

“I was named LifeScan Eastern Region Rookie of the

Year!! I finished in the top third of the

company, 54th out of 260 reps. I grew market

share year over year 1.1% with

102.9% volume attainment...I

cannot say it enough, I would not

be here without the sales

program.”

Kristen Weeks,

Marketing Major,

FSU Class of 2008

Gold Star Students “The combination of MIS and Sales has set me on a

great career path. I just beat out graduates from MIT,

Harvard, and Yale for a great

job with Microsoft based in

Washington D.C.”

Jose Tapia,

MIS Major,

FSU Class of 2011