The automobile industry is one that organisations and countries alike have agreed that improvements are needed. Several of the leading car

BUS5013:Sales Management Sales Proposal & Negotiation

Date for Submission: Please refer to the timetable on ilearn 

(The submission portal on ilearn will close at 14:00 UK time on the date of submission) 

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Template: V5

Assignment Brief.

As part of the formal assessment for the programme you are required to submit a

Sales Management assignment. Please refer to your Student Handbook for full details of the programme assessment scheme and general information on preparing and submitting assignments.

Learning Outcomes:

After completing the module, you should be able to:

• Model prospective and existing customers for a given product or service.
• Appraise appropriate sales management techniques for a given scenario.
• Develop a sales management plan 
• Professional skills: demonstrate transferable skills that are essential to a career in business, developing the core skills of complex problem-solving, critical thinking and analysis, as well as leadership and social influence. 

All learning outcomes must be met to pass the module.

Guidance

Your assignment should include: a title page containing your student number, the module name, the submission deadline and the exact word count of your submitted document; the appendices if relevant; and a reference list in (see referencing section for more information). You should address all the elements of the assignment task listed below. Please note that tutors will use the assessment criteria set out below in assessing your work.

You must not include your name in your submission because Arden University operates anonymous marking, which means that markers should not be aware of the identity of the student. However, please do not forget to include your STU number.

Maximum word count: 3,000 words

Please refer to the full word count policy which can be found in the Student Policies section here: Arden University | Regulatory Framework

The word count includes everything in the main body of the assessment (including in text citations and references). The word count excludes numerical data in tables, figures, diagrams, footnotes, reference list and appendices. All other printed words ARE included in the word count.

Students who exceed the wordcount up to a 10% margin will not be penalised. Students should note that no marks will be assigned to work exceeding the specified limit once the maximum assessment size limit has been reached.

Assignment Task 

This assessment is worth 100% of the total marks for this module.

Sales Proposal

The automobile industry is one that organisations and countries alike have agreed that improvements are needed. Several of the leading car manufactures are now selling either hybrid or fully electric cars, both of which are supposedly more environmentally friendly. However there have been questions raised with electric cars and there is now a possibility that hydrogen will overtake the electric option. 

Volkswagen have previously been testing hydrogen before their chief of technology, Kai Grünitz, stated that “it won’t become a reality in private mobility” (Collins 2023). Volkswagen have decided to put the idea of hydrogen back for at least 10 years, however with the pressures of becoming more environmentally friendly there are calls to bring this forward.

You currently work at Volkswagen HQ in Wolfsburg, Germany where you have been advised that you need to create a sales proposal stating why the idea of hydrogen motor vehicles should be brought forward. This will then be trialled, and you should identify the country that you think the trail should be undertaken in.

Your proposal will need to include, but not limited to, the following.

• Careful consideration of the target market including consumer behaviour and country analysis.
• Sales techniques to be used and why
• Critical competitor analysis within the current market and the need to differentiate.
• Motivating techniques for the sales workforce

Negotiation

You have complete control over the proposal however, Volkswagen have set out some terms and conditions. You should prepare a section at the end of the sales proposal to negotiate with the organisation providing authentic and valid justifications within your negotiations which should be backed up with scholarly based evidence.

• If the trial is successful, then directors will gain a 20% bonus and the sales workforce will get a letter of thanks.
• Overtime will not be given. Workers will be expected to deal with orders before the end of their shift otherwise disciplinary action will be taken
• Specialist staff in hydrogen will not be hired, the current workforce will need to train in the new technology, in their own time. 

Below will give you an idea how to structure your report along with possible contents.

Introduction: Commence your sales proposal and negotiation with a brief overview of the organisation, Volkswagen. There should then be identification of the chosen country involved in the new trial and some brief discussion about the contents of the assessment before addressing each of the sections of the sales proposal and negotiation below. (125 words)

You may refer to case studies and organisations from around the world i.e., other organisations, but you should apply your research findings to Volkswagen and your chosen country when providing answers to the following:

Section 1: Discuss the ideal target market for the new sales proposal, who are Volkswagen focusing on and provide justifications as to why. Examine consumer behaviour to identify the importance of this key factor with a focus on the buyer decision making process. (LO1) (250 words)

Finally, undertake a country analysis using academic theories and tools to support you such as PEST(EL) or Porter’s Five Forces. (LO1) (250 words)

Section 2: An identification of at least three different sales techniques that are to be discussed and examined with justifications and evidence provided as to why these techniques have been identified.

There should be relation back to Volkswagen and examples provided from other organisations and theory to highlight your discussion. (LO2) (900 words 

Section 3: Analyse a range of competitors that may be currently offering the same services that you have chosen or could do the same. Recognise and justify the differences between Volkswagen and its main competitors. (LO1 & LO3) (500 words)

This section must include authentic examples of the competitors and their offerings along with relevant academic models such as Ansoff’s Matrix. 

Section 4: Identify and evaluate the different motivational techniques and theories that will be required to ensure that all staff involved with the new trial. Thought should be given here to academic theories such as Maslow, McClelland and Herzberg. Other theories are welcomed and encouraged. Consideration should also be given to the two distinctive types of motivation along with examination as to how individuals are motivated in different ways. (LO3 & LO4) (500 words)

Section 5 The Negotiation: Research needs to be undertaken and answers provided that negotiate the terms and conditions that you have been provided with. There needs to be a demonstration with authentic justification as to why you are providing the answers you are for each term and condition. (LO4) (350 words)

Conclusion: Your conclusion should focus on summarising the ideas and discussion within both the sales proposal and the negotiation. Please ensure that there is no new information brought into this section and make it clear and obvious as to why these conclusions have been drawn upon. (125 words)

(3,000 Words)

(100 Marks)

(LOs: 1, 2, 3 & 4)

Reference

Colling, L. (2023) Hydrogen Insight: Hydrogen won’t become a reality in private mobility says VW chief technology officer. Available from https://www.hydrogeninsight.com/transport/hydrogen-won-t-become-a-reality-in-private- mobility-says-vw-chief-technology-officer/2-1-1514625

The following texts and websites will be helpful for your preparation:

Key Text:

Cook, T.A., (2020). Mastering Global Business Development and Sales Management. Abingdon: Taylor and Francis.

Other:

Guenzi, P. and Geiger, S. (2017) Sales Management. London: Bloomsbury Publishing. Fennell, D. A., 2007. Ecotourism, London: Routledge

Jobber, D., Lancaster, G. and Meunier-Fitzhugh, K.L., (2019). Selling and Sales Management. 11th edition. Harlow: Pearson Education.

Formative Feedback

You have the opportunity to submit a PDF file or MS Word document to receive formative feedback.

The feedback is designed to help you develop areas of your work and it helps you develop your skills as an independent learner.

If you are a distance learning student, you should submit your work, by email, to your tutor, no later than 2 weeks before the actual submission deadline. If you are a blended learning student, your tutor will give you a deadline for formative feedback and further details.

Formative feedback will not be given to work submitted after the above date or the date specified by your tutor - if a blended learning student.

Referencing Guidance

You MUST underpin your analysis and evaluation of the key issues with appropriate and wide ranging academic research and ensure this is referenced using the AU Harvard system(s).

Follow this link to find the referencing guides for your subject: Arden Library

Submission Guidance

Assignments submitted late will not be accepted and will be marked as a 0% fail.

Your assessment can be submitted as a single Word (MS Word) or PDF file, or, as multiple files.

If you chose to submit multiple files, you must name each document as the question/part you are answering along with your student number ie Q1 Section A STUXXXX. If you wish to overwrite your submission or one of your submissions, you must ensure that your new submission is named exactly the same as the previous in order for the system to overwrite it.

You must ensure that the submitted assignment is all your own work and that all sources used are correctly attributed. Penalties apply to assignments which show evidence of academic unfair practice. (See the Student Handbook which is available on the A-Z key information on iLearn.)

Assessment Criteria (Learning objectives covered – all.