Alabama Office Supply
Judy Allison sells cellular telephones with a unique messaging technology for Alabama Office Supply in Birmingham. Today she is calling on Bill Taylor, purchasing agent for a large manufacturing firm. Two weeks earlier, she had made her first Page 155 sales call and had left a demonstrator for the company executives to try out. The previous evening, Bill had called Judy and asked her to come in so he could give her an order. After their initial hellos, the conversation continued.
Buyer: Judy, thanks for coming by today. Our executives really like your equipment. Here is an order for four phones. When can you deliver them?
Salesperson: Is tomorrow too soon?
[Bill says over the intercom], Judy will deliver the phones tomorrow. Joyce, I want you to go ahead and take them to Sally, Anne, and Sherri. Our younger staff sure understand the use of modern technology. It's too bad that more of our purchasing staff doesn't.
Salesperson: Bill, thanks for your help.
Buyer: Forget it Judy, I wish I could have helped more. Your cell phones can reduce the telephone tag we play with each other and customers. Customers are leaving us because they can't reach our salespeople when they are out on the road.
Salesperson: I could see this making some impact. Our purchasing staff continues to grow. It looks like we'll probably hire 20 more folks in the next three months. But oh well, sometimes we need to take small steps.
Buyer: You're right; many of my customers are going to them for that very reason.
Buyer: I know, but some of our more experienced executives still feel they don't want them. They don't want their phone to ring when they're in with a customer. Plus, some of our executives still believe that cell phones have some tie to cancer and that has them worried. I wish the older purchasing executives in our company felt the same way the younger executives do about using these things.
Questions:
1. Analyze and describe the conversation between Judy Allison and Bill Taylor.
2. What questions might be going through Judy's mind as she is listening to Bill?
3. From the conversation, what potential sales opportunities exist?
4. If you were Judy Allison, what questions might you ask Bill?